Cream Cheese Chicken-Elise's

Here a few yummy recipes from my friend Elise. I was so excited to see her meat loaf recipe because my husband Landon loves meat loaf but I have yet to find a recipe that I like. I can't wait to try it! She was so great and sent me a ton of recipes so I will be posting them here and there when I get a chance.

Cream Cheese Chicken

4 or 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup (1 cube) butter

1 envelope Good Seasonings Italian Dressing Mix

1 10 3/4oz. can cream of chicken soup

1 8oz. package of cream cheese

rotini noodles or white rice (depending on which way you cook it)

First variation - saucepan:

Brown chicken, set aside. In a large saucepan or frying pan, melt butter and seasoning. Add soup and cream cheese. Stir until melted. Add chicken and simmer for 45 minutes until chicken is done. Serve over noodles.

Second variation - Crock Pot:

Place chicken evenly on bottom of crock pot. Drop cube of butter on top (you do not need to melt it). Shake seasonings packet over the chicken and butter. Cook on low for 5 hours or high for 3 hours. Shred chicken with two forks while stirring mixture around. Add soup & cream cheese and let melt for about 10 minutes in crock pot. Stir all together and serve over rice.

Cafe Rio Salad

This is one of my all time favorite recipes.  It takes a little bit of work but it is so worth it.  We tend to have leftovers for a few days and even though I am not a huge fan of leftovers this meal tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge (but not too long...).

Cafe Rio Salad

Chicken:


1 small bottle zetsy Italian dressing


1 T chili powder


1 T cumin


3 cloves of garlic


5 lbs chicken (about 3 large chicken breasts)



Add everything in a crockpot and cook for 4 hours. Shred chicken and then cook 1 more hour.



 

Rice:


3 cups water


4 tsp chicken boullion


4 tsp minced garlic


1/2 bunch cilantro


1 can green chiles


1/4 tsp salt


1 T butter


1/2 onion


3 cups minute rice (or 1 1/4 cups regular)



Blend cilantro, onions, garlic and chiles in a food processor. Boil water, add all ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To make Salad:

Layer:
A tortilla (melt cheese on top), chicken, rice, beans, salad greens, add any salad toppings you wish, like olives, tomatoes, cheese, and dressing. You can put tortilla chips on top, or cut corn tortillas into thin strips and bake them until they're crispy--like at the restaurant.

 

Café Rio Salad Dressing

 

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix


1 c. mayonnaise


1/2 c. buttermilk (or 1/2 c. canned milk)


1 c. chopped cilantro


1 c. Herdez salsa verde


2 cloves garlic, minced


1 small can green chilies


1 small can jalapenos (add to taste)


crushed red pepper (add to taste)



Blend first 7 ingredients in blender. Add jalapeno and red pepper to taste. Makes one quart. Keeps in refrigerator up to 1 1/2 weeks

Mediterranean Bulgur and Lentils-Katie's

This recipe comes from my cute friend Katie. It reminds of something my all time favorite chef Ina Garten would make, and it cooks in the crock pot! This is what she has to say about it:

This recipe is delicious! It has whole grains and it tastes very mild (except for the feta cheese). Don't let the bulgur wheat scare you away. It is essentially cracked and toasted hard winter wheat (very good for you). You can find it in most grocery stores. I like Bob's Red Mill brand or you can get it in bulk at health food stores.

Mediterranean Bulgur and Lentils

Prep time-15 minutes. Start to finish 3 hours 30 minutes. 8 main dish servings (I usually make this for the two of us and we eat it for two meals).

1 cup uncooked Bulgur wheat or cracked wheat 

½ cup Lentils sorted and rinsed

1 teaspoon ground Cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 can (15.25oz) whole kernel Corn, drained

2 cans (14 oz each) Vegetable or Chicken broth

2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 1.5 cups)

½ cup chopped Kalamata Olives*

1 cup reduced fat Feta Cheese (4 oz)**

 

 *I am not a fan of kalamata olives, so I just use normal black olives. Still tastes delicious.

**In my opinion, the feta makes the dish, so if you don't like feta, this one is not for you.

 

 1. In a 3-4 quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except tomatoes, olives and cheese.

2. Cover cook on low heat setting 3-4 hours or until Lentils are tender.

3. Stir in tomatoes and olives. Top with cheese.

1 serving: 210 calories (calories from fat 35) Total fat 4 grams ( Saturated fat 1.5 g. Trans fat 0g.) Cholesterol 0mg., Sodium 880 mg, Total Carbohydrate 33g (dietary fiber 7g. Sugars 4g.) Protein 10g. % Daily Value Vitamin A 20%, Vitamin C 8%, Calcium 8%, Iron 15%. Exchanges: 2 Starch, ½ very lean meat, ½ fat. Carbohydrate Choices: 2

Courtesy Whole Grains: Easy Everyday Recipes, The  Betty Crocker Library, published by Wiley Publishing, 2007