Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 boneless Chicken Breast - poached and minced

1 cup mayo

1 cup sour cream

1 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 up blue cheese and parmesan cheese mixed together

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup hot sauce

Mix all ingredients til well blended - put in a casserole - sprinkled a mix of blue cheese and parmesan over the top and  bake at 350 until bubbly - serve with tortilla chips and veggies

Chicken Burgers with a Curry twist

1 lb ground white meat chicken
1 red pepper
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
2 TBS hot curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

place red pepper, celery stalk, carrot, onion and garlic in food processor and using the pulse chop until finely minced but not mooshed.  Put ground chicken in a large bowl - add 1/2 cup of the minced veggies (save the rest for later) add curry powder and mix well with a wooden spoon until all is incorporated evenly.

With the spoon divide into 3 portions - wet hand throughly and form into patties -

Heat a grill pan until it is stinking hot add chicken to pan and cook for 6 minutes and flip and cook for another 5 minutes

Lamb Gyros

Under the heading of "another no brainer"

2 lbs whole boneless leg of lamb
1 jar Kens "greek Salad dressing" (see this is the no brainer park)
iceberg lettuce
cucumber (sliced)
red and green peppers (sliced
tomatoes diced
pepperocini sliced
premade tzaki sauce
pita bread

marinate lamb in salad dressing overnight
cook on grill to desired doneness
arrange veggies on platter
thinly slice lamb and put on a platter
served with pita bread and tzaki sauce

Asparagus with Honey Mustard dressing

This comes under the heading of "no brainer" I have no problems using shortcuts if they work

1 lb asparagus
1 bottle "Kens" Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

 Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook asparagus for about 3minutes - remove from pan and "shock" in ice water

Drain and make sure the asparagus is completely dry

Place in a nice serving dish

Pour about 1 and 1/2 cup dressing over the asparagus cover  and chill

Southwest Chicken Vegetable and Black Bean Soup

4 tbs olive oil
1 lb boneless chicken breasts (I put them in whole and then shred them later)
1 large can (48 oz) chicken broth
1 bunch leeks (sliced)
3 stalks celery (diced)
3 carrots (diced)
1 large onion (diced)
3 jalepeno peppers (diced)
1 poblano Chile (diced)
1 red pepper (diced)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 can diced jalepenos
1 can black beans
1 cup frozen grilled corn (I get it at trader Joes)
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 tbs goya adobe (spicy)
1 tbs cumin
1tbs oregano
1 tbs ancho chile powder
1/2 cup cilantro
juice of 1 lime

Put olive oil in a large pot and turn flame on high
add diced vegetables and cook until softened - add spices and cook until they impart a delectable aroma - about 1 minute stirring constantly.  add chicken broth and 2 cups water add canned jalepenos and black beans, grilled corn and tomatoes -bring to a boil and then lover to a simmer until you can pull the chicken apart with a fork.  right before serving add cilantro and lime juice you can also grate a little lime zest into the soup at this point

***I like to add about 2 cups of freshly grilled chorizo to this recipe right before you serve it - I grill it slice it and drain as much oil from it as possible

Easy Beef and Bean Burritos

1 lb leftover taco meat
1 can black beans drained
1 can corn
1 large jalepeno pepper diced
1 small onion diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sugar
2 cups salsa
4 cups sharp cheese
6 large flour tortillias
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1 1/2 cups milk
hot sauce

saute onions and pepper until soft - add black beans and mix together add cumin, garlic and sugar - mix to blend - add taco meat and 1/2 cup salsa combine well - add corn - lay tortilla on a flat surface - place 1/3 cup of beef mixture on tortilla, sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese and roll up and place seam side down in a casserole dish that has the remain salsa spread across the bottom. Repeat until you have approximately 6 burritos.

In a small sauce pan melt butter and add flour cook for about 1 minute - add milk and stir until thickened add the rest of the cheese and stir until completely melted and smooth - add hot sauce to taste pour mixture over burittos and place in a 350 degree oven for about 20 - 30 minutes or until bubbily

Beefy Mushroom Barley Soup

2 large portabello mushroom caps, thinly sliced

2 lbs white mushrooms, stems removed and cleaned and sliced

1 lb beef cubed

1 onion dices

1 leek diced

2 stalks celery dices

1/4 cup sherry

3 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp thyme

1 tbs ground nutmeg

8 Cups beef broth

1/3 cup pearl barley

salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large pot - generously season beef with salt and pepper - add to pot and brown on all sides - remove from pot - add butter and add onions, leeks and celery and cook until softened -add mushrooms - stir well to coat - lower heat and cover and cook for 5 minutes - stir - cover for another 5 minutes - remove lid and stir well - allow most of the moisture to cook out - add sherry and cook until sherry is absorbed - add thyme and nutmeg - add beef broth= bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer for 1//2 hour- add barley and continue cooking covered for about 34 minutes or until barley is cooked through