Chicken Burrito Skillet with RiceSelect

This post is sponsored by RiceSelect, however, I am sharing all of my own thoughts. All opinions are my own.

Things have been hectic over here between moving, settling in, and a busy work schedule! It’s been hard to find the time and energy to cook as much, especially after a long day. That’s why easy, one-pan meals have become a life saver. Throw it all in a pan followed by a minimal and easy clean up? Yes please! My favorite has been this chicken burrito skillet. I’ve literally been making it at least once a week.

Flavorful and packed with protein, this meal is sure to please the entire family. Trust me, you’ll have everyone licking their plates. And it’s made with great-quality, real food ingredients, the star of the show being RiceSelect’s Texmati Rice. Like all RiceSelect products, it’s all-natural and clean of preservatives, chemicals, and added substances as well as non-GMO verified. RiceSelect is made from the finest ingredients and uses exacting standards and rigorous attention to detail, resulting in the flavor, quality, and texture that you crave. You will see the RiceSelect difference before you even taste it!

Naturally, RiceSelect Texmati was the perfect base for my burrito skillet. Add in some protein, delicious seasonings, and fresh veggies, and we have ourselves a meal! So let’s get to it.

Here’s what you’ll need:
-2 tbsp avocado oil
-1 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes
-1 small yellow onion, chopped
-2 tbsp taco seasoning
-15.5 oz can black beans, strained and rinsed
-1/2 cup RiceSelect Texmati Rice 
-1 cup water
-1/2 cup salsa
-3/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese, separated
-1 tomato, chopped
-1 cup lettuce, chopped
-1/2 avocado, cubed
-Salt and pepper
-Chopped fresh cilantro as desired

Instructions:

1. Add the avocado oil to a large pan over medium high heat. 

2. Add in the chicken and cook for 3 mins.

3. Mix in the chopped onion, taco seasoning, black beans, rice, and water, and bring to a boil.

4. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until the water is absorbed into the rice.

5. Mix in the salsa, ½ cup of shredded cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

6. Top the mixture with the remaining cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and cilantro.

7. Serve and enjoy!

Easy peasy, and the cleanup is just as simple! It really doesn’t get much better than that. Let me know what you think in the comments below, and make sure to check out RiceSelect’s amazing line of products. You can get them delivered right to you via Amazon here. 

Zoodles with Grilled Chicken in a Vegan Basil Cream Sauce + Rainstorm Wines

 Summer officially means zucchini season in my mind. It also means grilling season, so what better way to celebrate both than will a spiralized zucchini and grilled chicken dish. 

I decided I wanted to go a pesto-ish route because 1) I had basil and 2) pesto is freaking delicious. Instead of using raw nuts, I decided to go with the Artisana Organics walnut butter I had and make into more of a "cream" sauce. Toss in some sundried tomatoes and olives, pour yourself a nice big glass of Rainstorm Wines pinot grigio, and we have ourselves the perfect summery, spiralized meal.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 zucchini, spiralized
-1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
-1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
-1 chicken breast, grilled and sliced
-2 tbsp Artisana Organics raw walnut butter
-8-10 basil leaves
-2 tbsp olive oil, separated
-2 cloves garlic, minced and separated
-1 tsp lemon juice
-Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 1

Instructions:

1) In a food processor or blender, mix together the walnut butter, basil, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 clove garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to make a creamy sauce.
2) On the stove top heat up 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
3) Add in one clove of minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4) Add in the spiralized zucchini and cook for 3-5 minutes, long enough to just heat the zucchini without cooking it down too much.
5) Add in the olives, chicken, and tomatoes.
6) Add in the sauce and mix everything completely, cooking for an additional minute.
7) Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!

I paired mine with a nice refreshing glass of Rainstorm Wines pinot gris. It was the perfect compliment to this meal. It has a nice rich fruity flavor that played perfectly off the "creamy" sauce. Also zucchini and white wine just go hand in hand in my opinion, so I definitely recommend this combo!

Let me know what you think in the comments below.
 

Gluten Free Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders with a Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce or Dressing

When I was a little kid my favorite food was chicken tenders and french fries. Great, I know (that was sarcasm). But that's literally the food I remember loving most for the majority of my childhood. To this day, I'm still a sucker for both, but I've found a way to health it up quite a bit without sacrificing the taste at all. I honestly think this tastes better than standard chicken tenders, and it won't leave your tummy hurting. Plus this spicy honey mustard dipping sauce is literally heaven in sauce form.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 chicken breast, cut into strips about 1 cm wide
-1/2 cup almonds
-2 tbsp quinoa flour
-1/4 tsp black pepper
-1/4 tsp Himalayan sea salt
-1/4 tsp chili powder (you can skip it if you don't like spicy, but it really doesn't add a lot of heat)
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1 egg
-1 egg white

For the Sauce:

-1 tbsp Bushwick Kitchen's Bees Knees Spicy Honey
-1 tbsp German Mustard
-1/2 tsp Just Mayo

Instructions:

1) Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2) Spray a baking sheet with coconut oil cooking spray.
3) Toss the almonds into a food processor and pulse until they're finely chopped. It took mine about a minute.
4) Toss the almonds with the quinoa flour in a bowl, and add in the salt, pepper, and chili powder.
5) Add in the olive oil to the mixture, mixing regularly as you do so. It will become a bit clumpy, but try to mix thoroughly.
6) Mix the egg and egg white together in a separate bowl. 
7) Dip each chicken strip into the egg mixture and then the almond mixture. Use your hands to spread the almond mixture over the strips, and add each to the baking sheet.
8) Toss the chicken into the oven and cook for about 12 minutes until the tenders are thoroughly cooked through. In the meantime, you can mix together the sauce ingredients.
9) Serve and enjoy with the spicy honey mustard dipping sauce.

It's SO GOOD, right?! It surpassed my childhood memories, so obviously I had to have it again. I decided to throw my second serving in a salad (spinach, arugula, heirloom cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion) and top it with a spicy honey mustard vinaigrette this time. Just switch out the 1/2 tsp of Just Mayo for 1 tsp of Bragg Live Foods' apple cider vinegar. You can thank me later. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

BBQ Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt BBQ Ranch Dressing

With the summer season coming to a close, I found myself craving barbecue. I got a little sad for a second because barbecue food tends to be associated with grilling and summer. But then I caught myself; it doesn't have to be! 

This recipe kind of holds onto that summer feeling and taste, but it's prepared and cooked all inside. So when we eventually get to that first really chilly fall night, we can still have a little taste of summer right in the comfort of our own homes.

Here's what you'll need:

For the dressing:

-1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
-1/2 tsp dried parsley
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp German mustard
1/2 tsp lemon juice
-1 tsp BBQ sauce
-1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
-salt and pepper to taste

For the rest of the meal:

-1/2 Japanese sweet potato, chopped into small cubes for (croutons)
-2 tsp olive oil
-1/2 avocado, diced
-1/2 tomato, diced
-1/8 red onion, chopped
-2 chicken breasts (4 oz chicken breast used for nutrition information)
-4 tbsp BBQ sauce
-4 cups baby kale
-salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2) in a bowl or bag mix the sweet potato with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange the potato on a baking sheet to form a single layer.
3) Slather the BBQ sauce onto both sides of the chicken breasts, and put them on a baking sheet.
4) Once the oven in preheated, you can put both baking sheets (or one if you put everything on one) into the oven. 
5) After 10 minutes, used a spatula to move the sweet potato pieces around (flipping them over the best you can). Also flip over the chicken breasts. Place all the food back into the oven and continue to cook.
6) After 5 more minutes (15 minutes total) remove the sweet potato pieces, and set them on a plate to cool.
7) After 5 more minutes (20 minutes total) remove the chicken.
8) While the food is cooking you can mix together all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl.
9) Split the kale between two bowls. Top each with tomato, onion, and avocado.
10) Add the sweet potato "croutons" to each bowl.
11) slice the chicken breasts into strips and top each bowl with one breast.
12) Drizzle half of the dressing onto each bowl, and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! This may be one of my favorite recipes to date! Let me know what you think in the comments below, and feel free to subscribe for e-mail updates.

Spiralized Greek Salad with Chicken

I’m not sure if my extreme love for Greek salads is shared everywhere, of if it’s a tri-state area thing. Either way, everyone should try a Greek salad. It is a perfect mix of everything that is delicious. The sweetness from the red onion and tomato mixed with the saltiness of feta and olives, and don’t even get me started on the dressing. They’re just amazing and also versatile. They can easily be made vegetarian of vegan, or you can add in some anchovies or chicken.

I had my first (and favorite) Greek salad at a diner. I still go to this specific diner just for the Greek salad. They’re typically made with lettuce, onion, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, feta, and sometimes bell peppers and anchovies. I decided to take one of my all-time favorite salads, and give it a little twist using my spiralizer.

Here's what you'll need:

For the chicken:
-8 oz chicken breast, cubed (about 1” cubes)
-1/2 tbsp olive oil
-1 clove garlic, chopped
-1/2 tsp oregano
-dash of salt and pepper

For the salad:
-2 cucumbers, spiralized (I used the 2nd blade for a little bit of a thicker cucumber noodle)
-2/3 large tomato, chopped
-1/8 of a red onion, chopped
-20 pitted Kalamata olives, halved
-6 anchovy filets (optional)
-4 tbsp feta

For the dressing:
-2 tbsp red (or white) wine vinegar
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
-1/4 tsp oregano
-1/4 tsp garlic powder
-salt and pepper to tast

Instructions:

1) Heat up the 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan, and add the clove of garlic. Gook for about a minute, and add the chicken. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink (about 10-12 minutes).
2) Add the 1/2 tsp oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional minute or two to make sure that the chicken is fully cooked through. Remove from heat.
3) Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients, and set aside.
4) In two bowls, split the cucumber noodles. Top each with half of the onion, tomatoes, olives, and feta. Add anchovies as desired.
5) Top each bowl with half of the chicken.
6) Add desired amount of dressing, and enjoy!

If you are a vegan or a vegetarian, feel free to leave off any meat and/or cheese. It will still be delicious, trust me! Let me know what you think, and please subscribe to e-mail updates for new blog posts below.