Carne Asada Tacos

Take meat out the night before to defrost.

Place meat in the marinade the morning of.

Cook on the stove top until meat is no longer pink and most of the marinade is gone.

Serve on tortillas with avocado, cheese and lime.

Serve with corn and Orange Soda

Marinade Recipe (I use half)

1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

Oven BBQ chicken

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tbs worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard 
Dash garlic salt
Dash onion salt

Thaw chicken and sauce. Place in 9x13 baking dish. Bake 350* 45 min uncovered 

Broccoli Chicken Casserole

2-3 cups broccoli (one bunch)
2-3 cups (1 1/2 lbs.) diced cooked chicken
1 large can cream of chicken soup
16 oz. sour cream
1 tsp. salt (not provided)
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
4 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion diced

Cook chicken in boiling water till cooked all the way through, cool, and dice. Cook broccoli in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Spread broccoli on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish (or if you want you can divide this recipe in 2 8x8 pans and freeze or refridgerate one for another meal). Spread chicken over broccoli. Melt butter, chop onion and sauté in melted butter. Add soup, sour cream and salt. Spread over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cheese is melted and it is warm all the way through.

Black Bean Soup and Chili's CopyCat Salsa

Black Bean Soup

1 T olive oil (not provided)

4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3/4 C diced carrots (about 2 med carrots)

3/4 C diced celery (about 2 ribs)

1 C diced onion (about 1 sm-med onion)

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 3.5oz can green chilies

2 cans low-sodium beef broth

1 t kosher salt (not provided)

1/8 tsp black pepper (not provided)

1/2 t chili powder

1/4 t cumin

1/2 t dry oregano leaves

1 bay leaf

Optional Toppings: sour cream, tortilla chips, grated cheese, chopped cilantro, etc.

Place a large stock pot on the stove-top and set to medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add olive oil. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sauté 4-5 minutes.

Add in the black beans, chilies, and beef broth. Stir to combine and then add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf.

Simmer uncovered for about 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender.

Remove from heat. Remove bay leaf from soup.

Place soup in a blender. (You could use an immersion blender in place of this step) Place lid on blender, but remove the stopper in the lid to let heat escape. Place a paper towel over the hole to avoid splatters.

Puree soup until completely smooth. Optionally you could pulse until a semi-chunky soup is achieved. Squeeze in the juice from one lime and pulse to combine.

Ladle into bowls and top with desired toppings. Serve with extra lime wedges. Makes about 8 Cups.

Chili's Copycat Salsa Recipe:

2 cans (14.5 oz each) whole tomatoes, drained
1 small (4 oz) can diced or whole jalapenos (not pickled)--about 4-5 jalapenos (or less if you don't like a lot of spice)
1/4 c. yellow onion, cut into quarters (you can also use dried minced onion)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt (depending on how much you prefer (start small)) (not provided)
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. lime juice

Place all of the ingredients together into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips.