My First Recipe as a Wife

That's right folks. Here marks my first recipe as a wife. It's been about a month and a half since I've posted, but trust me, I've been busy. Between working, traveling for work, planning a wedding, and attending my own wedding, I've had very little time to cook anything interesting. So, more to come on the wedding in a later post. I'll give you all the pictures and details.

In the meantime, I'm still trying to eat super healthy because why not? We've got the honeymoon coming up in a few weeks, and I want to feel awesome before we land in Greece and Italy and all I do is eat and drink wine. 

Brian and I get so mad when we order a chop salad and it turns out you have to do all the chopping yourself. What the hell is that? Chop it up for me please. You said you would. So, here's a yummy recipe for a Mexican Chop Salad. All chopped up.

Mexican Chicken Chop Salad

makes 3-4 servings

 for the chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (cubed)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp Mexican oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp green chili powder (optional)

salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat chicken cubes in spices, salt, pepper and olive oil. Line a baking sheet in foil and spread the bites out evenly, not touching. Pop into the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool.

for the beans

1 small can black beans (drained)

1 shallot (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tsp Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oi

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add olive oil and shallots. Saute for 3 minutes and add garlic. Only saute for about 30 seconds, and then add the beans and all the spices. Let cook for 1 minute before adding the chicken broth. Let beans cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. 

for the jalapeno ranch dressing (optional - can use store bought ranch instead)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp green chili powder
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 tbsp liquid from pickled jalapenos
3 tbsp pickled jalapenos (minced)
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Adjust how many pickled jalapenos you use if you like less heat. 

for the chopped salad:

1/2 cup red cabbage (chopped)

2 green onions (chopped)

1 avocado (chopped)

1/2 cup tortilla chips (crushed)

1/2 cup cucumbers (chopped)

1 small can green chilies (drained and diced)

1 head Romaine lettuce (chopped)

1 head Butter lettuce (chopped)

First add the lettuce to the bowl, and the pile on the veggies, chicken, beans and ranch dressing. Toss everything really well and serve!