Simple Chicken Tortilla Salad a (a la Bajio's/Cafe Rio)

This chicken!!!! Oh MY! Wonderful, sweet, flavorful, crock pot made, addicting chicken! We love cafe rio and/or bajio's along with the rest of the world (or at least the ut, az, id world), but alas we do not live any of those places, so we have to make do at home or do without. I choose "make do". And I call my version "simple" because I didn't make the rice or beans that normally accompany a cafe rio/bajio salad, therefore creating what is in my opinion a realistic weeknight meal. Don't get me wrong though, those rice and beans are amazing--just too much work for me during the week.

And did I mention the chicken yet?! It could be used in so very many ways: burritos, tacos, nachos, enchiladas, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. For our purposes I chose the salad route. Which meant I had to make my own cafe rio knock-off creamy tomatillo dressing. It yields about 2 cups and I'll just say 2 solid cups of dressing was gone in 2 days. Enough said.

I wouldn't call this a bone fide replica, but it is a darn good alternative! I promise you should really make it.

Simple Chicken Tortilla Salad

{Chicken recipe from Six Sisters Stuff .com}

For chicken:

4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup salsa

1 T cumin

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 4 oz can diced green chilies

6 oz can sprite

Optional: red pepper flakes (1/4 t?)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Replace shredded chicken back in crock pot and cook 1 more hour. (Optional: thicken juices with a little cornstarch mixed in water-I didn't do this.) Serve however you want, but for salad follow remaining directions below. (Good freezable options: ziploc & freeze)

Cafe Rio-ish Dressing (Creamy Tomatillo Cilantro Ranch):

1 packet traditional hidden valley ranch mix-not buttermilk

1 cup mayonaise

1 cup buttermilk

2-3 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, diced

1/2 bunch of cilantro, give or take

2 cloves garlic, minced

juice of 1 lime

1 jalapeno, finely minced (may or may not choose to remove seeds)

Mix all ingredients together in blender. Simple as that. I recommend doing this awhile before it's needed to allow flavors to meld together in fridge.

Remaining Salad Ingredient Options:

Shredded romaine lettuce

Grape tomatoes, halved

Black beans, drained and rinsed

Avocado, pitted and chunked

Tortillas, either homemade or purchased raw and cooked at home. I find mine in the refrigerated section of my grocery store by the cheese, fresh pastas, etc. (Note: I don't think regular tortillas are a good candidate for this salad. Maybe if you're going the soft taco, enchilada, burrito route with the chicken, but not the salad.)

To assemble complete salad, cook tortillas. Place one tortilla on plate. Top with chicken, lettuce, other toppings and pour on that amazing dressing! Stuff your face.

THE Best Spinach Salad

The moment I took my first bite of this salad I knew it was meant to be in my life. It quickly reached top salad recipe status. My candy-making friend Ginger brought it to our ward christmas dinner. Thankfully I was sitting at her table and she told me it was hers. She said she served it at a family members wedding reception and so many people asked for the recipe that the bride just went ahead and sent out a copy with each of her thank you cards. Best story ever! And it really is that good.

The Best Spinach Salad

{a la Ginger D.}

Dressing:

1/2 cup oil (canola is good)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 t paprika

1 t dijon mustard

1/2 cup sugar

Mix together everything but oil. Then drizzle in oil while briskly whisking. Pour over salad, a little goes a long ways. You shouldn't need it all.

Salad:

Bag of spinach

Carton of mixed greens

Crumbled feta cheese

Bacon crumbles (i used hormel, easier than making it yourself and tastes great)

Sliced almonds

Grapes tomatoes (halved if large)

Just eyeball amounts, use quantities to your liking.

DIE of Sheer Salad Bliss!

Candied Walnut Salad

I'm so in love with gourmet or specialty salads. And this one is no exception. It's the perfect fall/winter salad. Apples, dried cranberries, and walnuts-or more importantly candied walnuts hence the name. Not to mention the gorgonzola AKA stinky cheese in our house. I've come a long way in the "stinky" cheese department and although I still choose almost any other dressing over a blue cheese dressing, in this salad I think it's totally needed and actually quite like it. So if you're unsure about it like I was, just go for it.

The dressing is the perfect finishing touch and could easily be used on any number of other salads. It's a great basic red wine vinaigrette to add to your repertoire. I think it's safe to say that if you serve this to your friends and family they'll love you all the more for it...Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve dinner would be perfect. So festive!

Candied Walnut Salad

{slightly adapted Recipe Source: Our Best Bites}

1 large head of romaine

3/4 cup craisins

2 crisp apples

juice of half an orange

crumbled gorgonzola, to taste

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup sugar

1 recipe honey red wine vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Make dressing. This can be done ahead and kept in fridge until ready to use.

Wash and chop lettuce. Be sure it's well drained.

Caramelize the nuts by placed walnuts and sugar in a small skillet over medium heat. As they warm up stir constantly, especially when the sugar begins to liquefy. Scrape bottom of pan constantly while tossing nuts around to coat well. This step goes really fast and it's easy to burn them. As soon as they appear to be well-coated with just tough of color and no grainy sugar, remove from heat and let cool.

Chop apples, leaving skin on, and toss with orange juice.

To assemble salad, put lettuce in serving bowl. Add in apples, green onions, craisins, crumbled gorgonzola, and cooled candied walnuts (may need to break them up a bit if they're stuck together because of sugar coating). Right before serving drizzle with dressing, a little at a time, and toss, stopping just before you think you should and it's probably perfect. You just want a nice light coating, not a soggy drenching with a pool of dressing in the bottom of the bowl. Adjust if neccessary and serve immediately. Dressed salads don't keep, so if you must serve the dressing on the side-but it's better all mixed together in my opinion.

Honey Red Wine Vinaigrette

{I find this a very versatile dressing that can be used on any number of salads, plus is makes quite a bit and you will have leftovers}

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup honey

2 cloves garlic

1 t kosher salt

1 t black pepper

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 T poppy seeds

In blender combine vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. Place lid on blender and turn blender on high. While blender is running, add oil in a steady stream. Once oil is added blend a few second longer and add poppy seeds-don't blend more than a second or two-just enough to mix in the seeds. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. Shake well before serving.

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Ahhh Ranch, America's dressing of choice. We buy enough of this stuff I thought it high time I tested the homemade version and was delighted to find that homemade is definitely all it's cracked up to be! It has found a permanent home in my arsenal. It was surprisingly tasty and easy to make with ingredients that aren't so secret after all and we loved it. That's not to say I won't still have a bottle of store-bought in my fridge door for pure convenience. But it's nice to know if I want to take things up a notch that it doesn't take long to whip up a batch, plus it keeps in the fridge for a week or so. However, ours won't last that long I'm sure.

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch

{I found the spice amounts a bit lacking when following this recipe to a T. I don't think I would be amiss in saying that you can double the amount of spices but still leave the wet ingredients amounts as called for, with some possible tempering as needed, and find great success. I'll leave it up to you and your tastes, but just know that's my game plan from here on out! Original non-doubled spice amounts recipe follows...source: Our Best Bites}

1 cup+ mayo

2/3 cup buttermilk

~If you find the flavor level lacking, I recommend doubling the following spice list~

1/4 tsp white vinegar

1 t parsley

1/8 t dill

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp chives

1/8 t black pepper

1/4 t seasoned salt

1/8 t dry mustard

optional-fresh lemon juice

Combine mayo and buttermilk and whisk till smooth. Add vinegar and spices and stir to combine. Taste and adjust as needed. Recommend that this be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge so flavors have a chance to meld. Keeps for a week or more in airtight container in fridge.