Spicy Corn Dip

It's Football Saturday!!  In our house, that means one thing - good food and lots of it!  Corn dip has become a staple for football games since we moved to Savannah 6 years ago.  Our friends from Louisiana first introduced it to us and we've been hooked ever since.  She actually served hers warm in small Crock Pot and it was SO good.  This version is a cold version, from my sister-in-law and I think we love it equally as much.  

Probably a bit easier to keep something cold than warm at a tailgate or picnic - we've had this plenty for both types of events!  It's always a hit.   

Serve with crunchy tortilla chips, butter crackers, pita chips, whatever your preference.  Anything that you'll be able to scoop a big bite of this dip!  Kroger now has this blend of cheese called Fiesta Blend - it's shredded sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheeses mixed with jalapeno peppers and spices.  That's what I used this time, but I've also used a Nacho/Taco blend or regular sharp cheddar cheese.  

Spicy Corn Dip

2 cans Mexicorn

1 can Rotel

1 (8 oz) container sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup shredded cheese (your choice)

dash sugar

Drain Mexicorn and Rotel.  Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight to blend flavors.

Grilled Corn with Lime and Chili Powder

Grilled corn on the cob has become our go-to side dish this summer.  With burgers, chicken, shrimp - you name it - if we're grilling for dinner, then we are grilling corn.  

The flavor on this is just outstanding.  Butter, salt, fresh lime juice and a little kick from the chili powder.  So, so good.  So fresh! 

    2-4 servings

Grilled Corn with Lime and Chili Powder

4 ears of corn, shucked and cleaned

butter

salt to taste

chili powder

2 limes, cut in wedges

Preheat grill on medium-high with the lid closed for a couple of minutes.  Brush the ears of corn with vegetable oil.  Place directly on the grill, turning frequently for about 10 minutes.  The kernels will brighten in color and char marks will appear.  Butter, salt, dust with chili powder and squeeze one wedge of lime on each one.

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Corn Soup

Or, as I like to call it, my Semi-Homemade Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Corn Soup, but that title might be a tad long, don't ya think?  I love this soup.  I have adapted it over the years to become my very own recipe, complete with rivels (those dumpling things) and hard-boiled eggs.  It's easy and will not take you all day, although it tastes like the real deal.  And it only gets better as it sits.

We end up eating this for lunch and maybe dinner again for the next 2 or 3 days.  And it gets thicker, and even more flavorful as it sits.  You could also freeze half of it if you don't feel like eating it over and over again.  We just love it that much!  My 1-year old gobbles it up.  I just use a slotted spoon to drain the broth and he eats the chicken, corn, eggs and rivels with his hands!

   This recipe calls for 3 quarts of liquid.  I have done it many times with 3 quarts of chicken stock, but also with 1/2 stock and 1/2 water.  I don't think it makes a difference...you may just have to season it a bit more at the end if you use water and stock. 

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Corn Soup

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast

3 quarts of reduced sodium chicken broth (or 1/2 water, 1/2 stock)

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

2 cans whole kernel corn (drained)

1 can cream corn

3 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

Rivels 

1 egg

1 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

In a large pot, place chicken breast, broth, salt, pepper and celery seed.  Bring to a boil and continue to simmer until chicken is cooked through, 20-25 minutes.  Meanwhile, make the rivels by combining the egg, flour and milk in a small bowl and stirring until combined.  Set bowl aside.  

When chicken is cooked through, remove, shred and return to pot.  Add the kernel corn, creamed corn and chopped egg.  Bring everything back up to a low simmer and start dropping the rivel batter into the soup.  Using 2 spoons, scoop about a teaspoon of the batter onto one spoon, then use the other spoon to scrape it off into the soup.  DO NOT do any bigger than a teaspoon because they grow!  They will start to float when they are done.  Simmer for another 5-10 minutes to combine all the flavors.  

Cajun Chicken Salad with Salsa Ranch Dressing

I love a good, chopped salad.  A BIG salad if you will...one of my many references back to Seinfeld - it's just too easy sometimes.  :)  "It's a salad, only bigger, with lots of stuff in it" says Elaine trying to explain to her waitress.  And I can just picture her face - makes me laugh every time. 

But, I digress.  A big, full-of-great-stuff salad can make for an excellent dinner.  And that's exactly what we did last night.  I marinated chicken breasts in a super spicy mixture of salt, garlic, peppers and thyme and blackened them in my skillet.  

Add black beans, corn, some chopped tomatoes, cheese and you have yourself a nice little meal!  I must warn you, this is extremely spicy!!  Easily toned down by scaling back on the cayenne pepper or using a mild salsa so as not to add anymore heat to the ranch dressing. 

  Serves 2-3

Cajun Chicken Salad with Salsa Ranch Dressing

For the chicken 

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons garlic powder

3 teaspoons dried thyme

2 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

For the salad 

2 bunches of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced

1/4 cup black beans

1/4 cup corn 

1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese

1/2 cup light ranch dressing

1/4 salsa (medium or mild)

Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise so you end up with 4 thin pieces.  In a large zip lock bag, combine garlic powder, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt.  Add chicken breasts, seal bag and shake to cover each piece of chicken with spice mixture.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  

Heat olive oil over medium to medium high heat in a heavy bottomed skillet.  Pull the chicken out of the zip lock bag, shaking off the excess seasoning and place in skillet.  Cook until done throughout, about 5-6 minutes per side.  When done, set aside, allow to cool slightly and then slice for the salad. 

Split the lettuce, black beans and corn evenly into 2 large serving bowls.  Top with chicken, then cheese.  Combine the ranch dressing and salsa in a small bowl and spoon on top of each salad.

Baked Southwestern Flautas

I love Southwestern egg rolls - you know, the kind you can get at any number of restaurants like Chili's or Applebees.  I love the crispy outside and melty center, but they're not exactly the best things for you!  All in moderation, I suppose.  I decided to try baking these and making them more of like a flauta instead of an egg roll and they turned out great!  Skinny flautas, yay!  No more frying for me.    

Chicken and veggies, black beans and tons of flavor from the cumin and chili powder.  I know your whole family will love these.  They make a great party food dish too - very easy to multiply this recipe if you need to make more.

Serves 2-3 

Baked Southwestern Flautas

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

1/2 tablespoon grill seasoning (I use Weber's Kick'N Chicken)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons minced bell pepper

1/3 frozen corn

1/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons diced, canned jalapenos

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

3/4 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese

five 7-inch flour tortillas

vegetable oil for brushing

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken and grill seasoning.  Cook until chicken is almost done; add bell pepper and saute until tender, 2-3 more minutes.  Add corn, black beans, jalapenos, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne to pan and cook for another 4-5 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and stir in cheese until melted.  

Place tortillas between 2 damp paper towels and microwave for 45 seconds until soft.  Spoon about one-fifth of the mixture down the center of the tortilla and wrap tightly, placing on baking sheet seam side down.  Repeat until all tortillas are filled.  

Lightly brush the top of the tortillas with vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.  Serve topped with more shredded cheese, sour cream, ranch, etc.
  

Chicken Fajita Tostados

We love anything with tortillas in our house...flour or corn, it doesn't matter.  Just an overall love for Mexican food I guess.  I make these quite a bit because they are easy, delicious and really are pretty good for you!  Lots of chicken and veggies.  I use short cuts like frozen chopped bell peppers, so that saves me on the time it takes to chop, chop, chop.  

Throw the frozen peppers, frozen (or fresh) corn and salsa on a baking sheet to roast while you cook your chicken and your dinner is done in under a 1/2 hour.  Love that! 

The corn tortillas are toasted before being topped, sprinkled with chili powder.  So much flavor packed into this very simple dish.  I use a blend of Mexican cheese that also has seasoning in it, but other cheese such as Colby jack or cheddar would be great too. 

5-6 Tostados

Chicken Fajita Tostados

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1 cup corn kernels 

1/4 cup salsa (or you can use Rotel)

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

1 tablespoon spicy Montreal steak grill seasoning

5-6 corn tortillas

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 1/2 cup of Mexican blend shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  On a 11 x 18-inch baking sheet lined with foil, combine peppers, corn, salsa, 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Roast for 15-20 minutes, tossing occasionally, until slightly charred.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and grill seasoning and saute until chicken is cooked through.  

Once the chicken and veggies are done, combine the two into a bowl and set aside (reserve baking sheet but remove foil).    

Arrange the corn tortillas on the baking sheet and brush on a light coating of the remaining tablespoon of olive oil (or I used my Misto to just spray it on).  Evenly sprinkle the chili powder over the tortillas and sprinkle salt to taste.  Bake for 6-8 minutes until lightly toasted (not too toasted because they are going back in the oven later).  Remove from the oven to assemble the tostados.  

Turn the oven to broil.  Scoop the chicken and veggie mixture evenly onto each tortilla and top with cheese (about 1/4 cup on each tortilla).  Put back in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted.  Top with salsa and sour cream if desired (we like ours just as is!).
  

Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Avocado Salsa

 This meal is the like the epitome of summer time meals.  In fact, when the weather turns warm, this is one of the first meals we crave.  It's my husband's favorite dinner and he will request it for special occasions (actually he had me make this on Father's Day for him!), but I love it just as much and so does our toddler.  And great for me, because there's really nothing to it.
  

So this is the really easy (but just as delicious) way to make these tacos, but I'm also going to give you a couple of hints on how you can go above and beyond if you have the time.  Like using fresh corn and grilling it before making the salsa.  If I had the time, I would do this every time - grilled corn is fabulous!!  I have another amazing recipe for grilled corn that involves lots of butter, lime and chili powder, but that's for another day...soon, I promise!!

P.S. These are amazing with my Light and Easy Margaritas!

Makes 2-4 servings

Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Avocado Salsa

Salsa

1 Roma tomato 

1 can whole kernel corn (or 4 ears of fresh corn, shucked)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno (I used jalapenos from a jar but you can use 1 small jalapeno if you want to use fresh)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 avocado, diced

Shrimp

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon spicy McCormick grill seasoning

8 flour tortillas

1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese 

To make the salsa:  Cut tomato, remove seeds and dice.  In a medium bowl, combine tomato, drained corn (or corn cut from the grilled corn cob), lime juice, jalapeno, olive oil, cumin and salt.  Fold in avocado.

To make the shrimp:  Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl.  Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.  Saute over medium high heat until shrimp turns pink, 3-5 minutes (or place on skewers and grill for 2-3 minutes on each side).  

While shrimp is cooking, place tortillas between 2 damp paper towels and microwave for 45 seconds to warm.  

Assemble tacos with tortillas, shrimp, corn salsa and cheese.

                        

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I wish I had a better picture for this soup!!  It was a cloudy day and I just could not get a good picture anywhere!  Take my word for it, this is delicious.  And done in the Crock Pot, which I love!  I used a frozen chicken breast so if yours is already defrosted, it might not even take as long.  You can also not use the immersion blender, but my husband doesn't really like "chunky" onions and peppers.  Using the immersion blender right in the Crock Pot made this smooth and creamy.  Serve with really good bread or tortilla chips!  

Serves 6-8

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup canned or frozen corn (drained if from a can)
1 can cream corn 
1 cup diced bell pepper 
1/2 onion, diced
1 10 oz can Original Rotel
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon cumin 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Place chicken breast in the bottom of the Crock Pot.  Add corn, peppers, onions and Rotel.  Pour in the chicken broth followed by all the seasonings.  Stir to combine and cook on low for 5-7 hours until the chicken breast is fully cooked.  

Once chicken is done, remove and shred, set aside.  Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it becomes creamy (your call on how smooth you want this).  Place chicken back in the Crock Pot, stir and taste for seasoning.  You may need to add more salt, pepper, even cumin at this point.

Red Pepper Ranch Dip

This dip is so easy and makes a ton!  I made it one night when I had a girlfriend over and we didn't even make a dent in it, although believe me, we indulged.  The rest of my family and I ended up eating it for snacks over the next couple of days and it just got better as it sat in the fridge.  Such a great go-to dip for a party and especially wonderful when you have unexpected company because you can throw this together FAST.

I typically don't like olives, but I do like the tangy flavor in this dip.  So, I used already chopped black olives - and when I say chopped, it's more liked minced.  The teeny specks of black you see in this dip are really the olives.  If you're a fan, feel free to use whole or sliced olives and chop them as small or big as you like. 

Makes about 4 cups

Red Pepper Ranch Dip 

2 (8 oz) bars reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 red pepper, diced
1 can corn (drained)
3 tablespoons diced pickled jalapenos
1 tablespoon diced black olives
1 packet Ranch dressing mix

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients until everything is combined.  Let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving with butter crackers, pretzels or veggies.

Crock Pot Chicken Chili

I am constantly on the hunt for delicious, quick and easy dinners...especially for the Crock Pot.  Are you ready for how fast this one is?  I mean, like 5 minutes to put together.  Crazy, right?  Why wouldn't you make it?  Seriously, mix it up before you go to work, turn on the Crock Pot and dinner is ready for you when you get home!

I've seen quite a few variations of this recipe online and on Pinterest, and I have to admit that this recipe came about because I read one of the original recipes wrong!  That, or because it was one of those times where I thought, "Oh, I don't need a list to go to the grocery store."  And we all know how that usually turns out.  :)  So I thought it called for a packet of taco seasoning, when it really called for a packet of ranch seasoning.  Upon getting home without the ranch dressing mix, I had to make do.  And really, now, I wouldn't do it any of way! This has become a staple in our house.  My husband likes to eat it with tortilla chips, almost like a dip.  This "chili" is thick so it definitely works that way, but honestly, I like to just dig right in with my spoon.  It also reheats great the next day for lunch!

Serves 4

Crock Pot Chicken Chili

2 frozen chicken breasts*
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes (either plain or spicy red pepper works great too)
1 packet of lower sodium taco seasoning
1 cup reduced fat ranch dressing, divided
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
Reduced fat chicken broth, optional

Place the chicken breasts in the Crock Pot and pour black beans, corn and tomatoes (both undrained) over top.  Add taco seasoning, 1/2 cup of ranch and stir all together.  Place cream cheese on top and cook on high for 5-7 hours until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken when done, shred and return to Crock Pot.  Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of ranch and serve.  If it's too thick, add chicken broth to taste and stir.

*if your chicken is thawed, cook on low for 5-7 hours instead of high

Crock Pot Chicken Burritos

Are you ready for how freaking simple this is?  I literally assembled the first steps of this in maybe 2 minutes. And it makes a ton!!  Six large burritos is definitely being generous...I probably had enough to do closer to 8.  Needless to say, we ate this for a couple nights in a row and were lucky enough to have my dad visiting so we could share it with him, too!

My daughter, who is 2, also learned a new word, "spicy."  Jules is so good about eating whatever we make, but sometimes if I feel like something is too spicy for her, I will make her something separate.  Honestly, I shouldn't even be worried about it...Jules loves her chicken spicy (ha, Seinfeld)!  She could not get enough of these burritos and then kept fanning her mouth like it was too hot (but kept going back for more).  It all depends on the type of salsa you use because that is the only thing adding any heat to this.  I used medium and it had just the right kick. 

6 servings

Crock Pot Chicken Burritos

2 large frozen chicken breasts

2 cups salsa (your favorite)

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 8oz brick of reduced fat cream cheese

1/2 cup light ranch dressing

Cooked rice

Large flour tortillas

Shredded cheese (I used a taco blend, but it's your preference)

With your Crock Pot on high, put in your chicken breasts followed by the black beans, corn and salsa.  Let cook for 5-7 hours until the chicken is cooked through and can be shredded.  

Once cooked through, remove your chicken, shred and put back into the Crock Pot.  Add the cream cheese and ranch and continue cooking on low until the cream cheese is melted, for at least 1/2 hour.  Meanwhile, make your rice for the burritos.  

On the flour tortillas, place a layer of the chicken mixture, followed by the rice, then cheese.  Roll and Enjoy!!  

Cheesy Jalapeno Corn Muffins

When I think of baking, I immediately go to something sweet, as do most people. Tonight I thought, why not savory? I love cornbread and sure do get my fill living in the south. The combination of the sweet cornmeal and honey mixed with the heat of the jalapenos gives these such an amazing taste, with a real good bite (said with my best southern accent)!! Sprinkle a little cheese on top a couple of minutes before they are done and you get a cheesy, golden brown top that is too yummy! By the way, I used a Mexican blend of shredded cheese, but colby jack or even cheddar would be great - your pick.

Makes 24

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking poweder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/3 cup shredded cheese, plus more for sprinkling

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 of a 4 oz. can of diced jalapenos

3 tablespoons honey

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper and cheese. Whisk together the milk, oil, eggs, jalapenos and honey. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, stiring until combined.

Spoon the batter into the tins, filling 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 1o minutes and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Continue baking until golden brown, another 2-5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and serve warm.