Mediterranean Lemon Chicken, Hummus, Green Salad

This chicken recipe is adapted from AllRecipes. I love hummus, and shopping the caselot sale reminded me about garbanzo beans! I've never tried this chicken recipe before, but I was looking for something that would go well with hummus. I hope it works!

1 lemon
2 t dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T oil
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
3 chicken breasts, cut in half

hummus ingredients:
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t lemon juice

items to dip in hummus, such as:
carrot sticks
broccoli florets
pita bread (I'll be trying making homemade pita bread! Check out The Fresh Loaf for the recipe.)

green salad


Grate the peel from 1/2 the lemon. Then juice the entire lemon (about 1/4 c juice). Combine lemon peel, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper in a 9x13 baking dish. Stir until mixed. Add chicken and stir to coat. Bake, covered with foil, at 400 for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove foil and broil, 6 inches from heat, for 2 minutes or until beautifully browned. When serving, spoon some of the lemony sauce on top of the chicken.

Drain garbanzo beans, reserving liquid. Add garbanzo beans, garlic, olive oil, salt, cumin, and lemon juice to a blender. Blend, slowly adding reserved liquid to obtain desired consistency (I use about half the liquid). Serve with raw veggies, such as carrot sticks and broccoli florets, and with slices of pita bread.

*We thought this chicken recipe was ok. It was definitely necessary to spoon the lemon sauce on top of the chicken when serving it; otherwise you couldn't taste the lemon flavor at all. There was too much oregano in the recipe for my taste; it might have worked if the lemon sauce had been creamier, more substantial. I doubt we'll make this too many more times in our life, but it served us well for one night.

Super Easy Bean Burritos, Chips and Salsa, Corn

Burrito recipe adapted from AllRecipes. Don't be fooled by the simplicity; all the spices give these burritos a nice flavor. I also love these cold for lunch!

1 can black beans

1 c salsa

1 T cumin

1 T chili powder

6-8 small flour tortillas

1 c shredded cheese

chips

salsa

frozen corn

Drain and rinse beans. Combine beans, 1 cup salsa, cumin, and chili powder in a pot. Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and semi-mashing the beans as you stir. The bean mixture should become thick and pasty. Divide bean mixture and cheese among tortillas and wrap them up. Serve warm or cold.

Mexican Lettuce Wraps, Easy Mexican Rice, Corn

My mother created these Mexican Lettuce Wraps, and they are divine!
1 pkg reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 can refried beans
1 c salsa
1/2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 c mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 green onions, chopped
1 small can sliced olives (optional)
1 small tomato, chopped (optinal)

1 1/2 c rice
3 c water
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
few dashes cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, minced onion

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 T butter
2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 T lime juice
1 head roamine lettuce, leaves washed and patted dry

frozen corn

In an 8x8 baking dish, layer cream cheese, refried beans (use 1/2 the can or the whole can- your preference), salsa, cheeses, green onions, and olives and tomatoes if using. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.

Spray your rice cooker with cooking spray. Throw in the rice, water, tomato sauce, and seasonings.

In a pan, melt butter and saute chicken with cumin, salt, and pepper. Once the chicken is golden brown, remove from heat and drizzle with lime juice.

Microwave frozen corn.

Serve Mexican lettuce wraps Asian style; take lettuce leaves and layer hot dip, rice, and chicken.

Tacos with Homemade Salsa, Onion Rice, Corn

Onion Rice recipe is from my Aunt Cathy. Growing up, we always had onion rice with tacos, and since I didn't like ground beef at the time (or pretty much anything; I was picky) I would make my tacos with tortilla, onion rice, cheese, and Ranch dressing. I've become a little more traditional since then, but I still love the flavors of onion rice and tacos all in one meal.

1 c rice
1 can Campbell's French Onion soup
1 c water
1 T butter

3 tomatoes, cored
1/2 onion
1/2 jalapeno, seeded
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
salt

1 lb ground beef (We will be saving 1/2 lb for Monday's dinner. Cook more meat if your family would prefer more.)
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can Ranch style beans, not rinsed
or 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
taco shells or tortillas
shredded lettuce
grated cheese
any other taco toppings

frozen corn


In a greased baking dish, combine rice, water, onion soup, and butter. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. (You can also cook this in the rice cooker instead.)

In a blender, combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, and a few shakes of salt. Blend until smooth. Taste with a tortilla chip and add more jalapeno, lime juice, and salt to taste. Store in the fridge until ready to eat.

Brown ground beef. Pour off fat. Add taco seasoning according to package directions. Add beans.

Microwave corn. Season with salt and pepper.

Top tacos with homemade salsa, lettuce, cheese, and other toppings. Serve with onion rice and corn.

Save about 1/2 lb. of the meat and most of the salsa for Monday's taco soup.

Super Easy Bean Burritos, Chips and Salsa, Corn, Broccoli

Burrito recipe adapted from AllRecipes. Don't be fooled by the simplicity. All the spices give these burritos a lot of flavor. They definitely beat frozen burritos, hands down. I also love these cold for lunch!

1 can black beans

1 c salsa

1 T cumin

1 T chili powder

6-8 small flour tortillas

1 c shredded cheese

chips

salsa

frozen corn

broccoli florets

Drain and rinse beans. Combine beans, 1 cup salsa, cumin, and chili powder in a pot. Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and semi-mashing the beans as you stir. The bean mixture should become thick and pasty. Divide bean mixture and cheese among tortillas and wrap them up. Serve warm or cold.

Microwave corn. Steam broccoli. Season both with salt and pepper.

Mexican Haystacks, Green Salad, Corn

1 c white rice
1/2 lb ground beef
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce (8 oz?)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 - 1 pkg taco seasoning
garlic powder, cumin, chili powder to taste
toppings (green onions, bell peppers, shredded cheese, salsa, tortilla chips, chopped tomatoes, avocado, etc)

green salad

frozen corn


Cook rice according to package directions.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, and taco seasonings (start with 1/2 pkg taco seasoning, slowly add more to taste). Simmer on low for 10 minutes, adding dashes of garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder to taste.

Meanwhile, prepare all the desired toppings.

Microwave the corn in a serving bowl.

Serve tomato sauce over rice and top with toppings. Serve with green salad and corn on the side.



*The Mexican haystacks idea came from some friends we met in college. I can't actually remember who it was, though! If it was you, let me know.