Grass Fed Flat Iron Steak with Green Chile Adobo

 Raise your hand if you like steak! asdtyyugaasdr. That was me trying to type with one hand, 'cause my other hand was still in the air. #hilarious. Raise your hand if you like steak, but are concerned about the environmental impacts, increasing antibiotic resistance, and general health concerns of eating too much conventional red meat due to run-of-the-mill confinement beef production! Ok, I promise I will stop making you raise your hand now. I will just get to my point: Grass-fed beef is better for the environment, better for your body, and better for the cows, but maybe not so great for the taste buds if you don't know what you're doing. Because grass-fed beef has less fat in it, you need to cook it at a lower temperature and for less time than conventional beef or it will dry out and lose flavor. You also need to be okay with eating rare or medium-rare beef, as medium or higher just doesn't turn out that great (trust me, I tried it... miserable failure).

There is one other downside to grass-fed beef: the price tag. It's expensive. But if you focus on cheaper cuts of meat, you can totally make a nice meal for an at-home date night, which will still be way cheaper than going out. So with that in mind, go grab a nice flat iron steak from your local grass-fed ranch, some craft beers or a bottle of red wine, and get ready to sit down to a delicious date night dinner you can feel good about.

 

First, place a thawed grass-fed flat iron steak on a cutting board and pat both sides dry with paper towels. Season both sides with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cut steak in half, and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, add butter and extra-virgin olive oil to a cast iron or stainless steel skillet, and turn to medium-high heat. Let the skillet preheat before adding your steaks. The oil/butter combo should start to shimmer when it is ready. Carefully add your steaks. Cook for three minutes, then flip over and cook for three more minutes.

Using tongs, hold each steak upright side by side and cook all four sides, for about 30 seconds on each side.

Once all four sides are browned, place the steaks on a clean cutting board, sprinkle them with garlic powder, and let them rest for five to ten minutes. This might be the most important part to cooking meat. Yes, I know it smells uh-may-zing and you just want to scarf it down while it's nice and hot, but resting meat is crucial if you don't want to bite into a hockey-puck-like substance. Resting allows the muscle fibers of the meat to relax and reabsorb the juices. If you cut into it before this happens, all the juice escapes its meaty confines and then you are sad. Anyway, once they have properly rested, cut the steaks into strips, slicing against the grain of the meat, to reveal your gorgeous medium-rare interior. Ahhhh.

Transfer the steaks to their serving plates, and drizzle with Green Chile Adobo. We enjoyed ours with a big mixed summer salad and roasted organic red potatoes, along with a bottle of Shiner White Wing for a wonderful weekend dinner. Yum!

Make it work for you
This is one that you will have to make right before you eat. However, it goes very quickly, with a total of about eight minutes of cooking time. The rest is an opportunity to make your sides, set the table, do dishes, etc., which allows for easy prep and clean up, especially if you've already made your Green Chile Adobo. So this recipe is easily doable any night of the week.

Grass-fed Flat Iron Steak with Green Chile Adobo

3/4-1 lb grass-fed flat iron steak
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Garlic powder
Green Chile Adobo

Place steak on cutting board and pat both sides dry with a paper towel. Season both sides with Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Let set at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Put butter and olive oil in cast iron or stainless steel skillet on stove, and turn to medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, place the steaks in the pan and cook for three minutes. Flip and cook for three more minutes. Using tongs, hold both steaks thin side down on the pan for 30 seconds. Rotate and cook the next side for 30 seconds. Repeat until all sides are browned.

Place steaks on a clean cutting board. Sprinkle with garlic powder to taste. Tent with aluminum foil and rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut into 3/4-1 inch slices, cutting against the grain. Transfer steaks to serving plates, and drizzle with Green Chile Adobo to taste.

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Asian Cabbage Salad

Sometimes a salad is more than just a salad.

Let me explain. You may notice a few less photos for this post than normal. Basically, I had my day off arranged so that I could prep and photograph this dish during the good afternoon light in my kitchen. I had a few pounds of chicken breasts in the slow cooker for my shredded chicken, set to come out at just the right time for a late lunch/early dinner. Then we get a call that we need to go pick someone up from the hospital and take them home. The chicken is almost done, but not quite, and I'm losing my afternoon light. Life just kinda likes to get in the way of your plans sometimes, huh? Anyway, I felt privileged to have the opportunity to be there for this person when they needed us, so out the door we went. And guess what: when we got back home later, the chicken was somehow not overcooked and I got some okay photos. Life just kinda works out sometimes, huh?

When we finally ate this salad for dinner that night, I first and foremost was glad that our hospital ride was fine and dandy, and I felt just a little more appreciative of the nutrition that bowl full of healthy veggies was providing me. Now, hopefully you don't have to have the opportunity for a similar mini-life lesson when you make this salad, but I hope you appreciate it all the same :)

I modified the recipe from What's for Dinner? to fit our tastes/pantry and make it just a liiiiitle bit healthier. This salad has an amazing crunchy texture and is super satisfying. It can be served as a side (it goes great with salmon and would be perfect to take to a barbeque), or top it off with some Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken to make it an entree.

First, combine all your ingredients for the dressing and put it in the fridge. I really love the taste of sesame oil, so I used a full teaspoon. If you're not as big of a fan, use the smaller amount. I put the dressing in a jelly-sized Mason jar so I could shake it well when I was ready to dress my salad. This can be done up to three days ahead of time. Then, chop your veggies and add them to your bag of coleslaw mix. Stir to combine. Dress the salad 30 to 60 minutes before serving and stick it in the fridge.

Toast your almonds and sesame seeds. Do not try to toast both at once. Since they are different sizes, one will burn before the other is toasted. Set them aside until you're ready to serve the salad.

Add your almonds and sesame seeds to the salad and mix it all together. Place each serving in its dish, and top with chicken if desired. Savor the mix of colors and textures.

Make it work for you
First shift: If using as a side, you can definitely make this salad on a weeknight. If using as an entree, make sure to have some chicken in the fridge, ready to go. Try slow cooking the chicken, chopping the veggies and making the dressing on your "Sunday" to quickly throw it all together for dinner the next night.
Second shift: Make the chicken, chop the veggies, and mix the dressing on your day off. Throw it all together the next day before work for a quick lunch, or take some for dinner. Leave the rest at home for your family's dinner. Eat up any leftovers within two days.
Third shift: Chop the veggies and prep the dressing before you go to sleep. Combine them all and add chicken for dinner, or take some to work for the next few nights. If you need chicken, prep it in the slow cooker insert and stick it in the fridge before you go to bed. Have a spouse/roommate/significant other/kid turn it on to low while you're still sleeping, or turn it on right after you get up. Shred the chicken and add it to your salad.

Asian Cabbage Salad
Modified from What's for Dinner?

Dressing
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or one small garlic clove, pressed or minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salad
1-14 ounce bag coleslaw mix
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
20 sugar snap peas, ends removed, and sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cilantro stems and leaves, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
 Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken, optional

Add all dressing ingredients to jelly-sized Mason jar and shake well. Store in refrigerator until ready to use, up to 3 days ahead of time.

Add salad ingredients to a large bowl and stir. Shake dressing well and mix into salad. Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Heat small, dry nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and toast until golden brown and fragrant, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside. Repeat the process for sesame seeds.

Add almonds and sesame to salad when ready to serve. Mix well, divide into serving dishes, and top with chicken if desired.

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Pork Chops with Green Chile Adobo

Growing up, we didn't eat much pork. My grandpa raised cattle and my grandma raised chickens -- why stray from what you know? I started cooking pork a few years ago, in order to get a little more variety on our dinner plates. I had no idea what I was doing at first, and definitely churned out some pretty underwhelming dishes. Luckily, instead of giving up on pork, I did a little research and have made some consistently delicious meals ever since.

The secret to good pork is based on the scientific principles of diffusion and osmosis. Their practical application to cooking is called brining. Basically, you make salt water at a specific concentration and soak your pork in it. The salt moves from an area of a higher concentration, the brine, to an area of lower concentration, the meat. Perhaps you remember the saying, "Where salt goes, water follows," from high school science classes. This is where osmosis comes in. The water moves into the cells of the meat, which now has a higher concentration of salt, in order to create balance. This really increases the juiciness of the meat. As an added bonus, the salt infuses the meat with flavor, leaving you a little less work to do down the line. And the best news of all: it only takes 30 minutes to brine pork chops. You have enough time to work on your side dishes while they're brining, without the process taking up your whole night.

When it comes to actually cooking pork chops, I've found the process described at The Kitchn to be quick and reliable. I had a feeling that drizzling on a little Green Chile Adobo before serving would really up the flavor factor, and turns out I was right! (Doesn't it feel good to say that every once in awhile?!) I served ours with a side of mashed butternut squash mixed with a pat of butter, a splash of cream, and some salt, pepper, cumin and smoked paprika for an easy, delicious weeknight meal.

First off, brine your pork chops. You can obviously make them without this step, but they won't taste as good or be nearly as juicy. Brining lean meats takes them from "meh." to "yum!" You can also add other spices and herbs to your brining solution, but I find just the salt to add sufficient flavor. I save my herbs and spices for other uses where they'll be more noticeable. After brining for 30 to 60 minutes, turn your oven on and stick your oven-safe pan in to preheat (non-stick pans are NOT oven safe). Remove your chops from the brining solution and pat dry with paper towels. Rub them with extra-virgin olive oil, and season generously with freshly-ground black pepper. Whenever I brine something, I don't season with salt again until I'm done cooking and have a chance to taste. It rarely needs more. Turn your stove top on to medium-high heat, and CAREFULLY remove your pan from the oven, using oven mitts. Place the pan on the burner, and, using tongs, lay the chops in the pan. You're going to cook them until they are brown on the bottom, for about three to five minutes. Flip the chops, then carefully put the pan back in the oven using oven mitts. Roast until they reach 140 degrees F, for about six to ten minutes. Place them on a plate and cover with aluminum foil for about five to ten minutes in order to allow the juices to settle back in.

Place each chop on its serving plate, drizzle with Green Chile Adobo, and enjoy!

Make it work for you
First shift: These pork chops are easy to pull off on either a work day or day off, especially if you have the Green Chile Adobo prepared in advanced. They also make good leftovers, so you could also treat them as a make-ahead meal and use for lunches throughout the week.
Second shift: I've made these pork chops before work a few times, and it works out great. I got them in the brine, ate breakfast, then finished them off with plenty of time before I had to leave for work. If you make them on your day off for dinner, try to make a few extra for lunches.
Third shift: You can definitely make these on a work night before leaving, or in the morning when you get home. While they're brining, you can eat breakfast, or put together your dinner if you're using them as a make-ahead meal. Then they'd be ready to reheat for lunch/dinner, or to take with you to work.

Pork Chops with Green Chile Adobo

3 tablespoons Kosher salt, or 2 1/2 tablespoons table salt
4-6 pork chops, bone-in or boneless
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly-ground black pepper
Green Chile Adobo, to taste

In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave 4 cups of water until warm, about 60-90 seconds. Add salt and stir until dissolved. Add 2 cup cold water and stir, making sure all salt is still dissolved. Place pork chops in salt solution and cover. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and move the rack to the middle position. Place oven-safe pan in oven to preheat. Remove the pork chops from the brine and pat all sides dry with a paper towel.  Rub chops with extra virgin olive oil and season with freshly-ground black pepper. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, using mitts. Place on stove burner turned to medium-high.

Place pork chops in pan and sear until brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn chops over and place pan in preheated oven. Roast until chops are done in the thickest part of the meat, until they reach 140°F, about 6-10 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to plate, and rest for 5-10 minutes.

Transfer to serving dish, spoon juices on top, and drizzle with Green Chile Adobo. Season with additional salt if necessary.

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Green Chile Adobo

So about a month ago, I was listening to an America's Test Kitchen podcast while I was in the kitchen cooking. I am a nerd, therefore I must completely nerd out about my obsessions passions, including food and cooking. And baking. And also eating. Anyway, this episode featured renowned Chicago chef, Rick Bayless. He was giving advice on how to replicate his apparently amazing Mexican food at home. One of the suggestions he mentioned was making a batch of his Green Chile Adobo. This can be treated like a sauce or condiment, and he stated that it can be kept in the fridge for up to six months. So the few minutes you invest in making it now really pays off in fresh, herby, spicy dividends for quite awhile. I knew that I had to make some. And I'm so glad I did. This sauce can be used in a variety of ways and will really help make your average weeknight dinner into something a little more special.

Start off by roughly chopping your cilantro and parsley, and toasting your serranos and garlic. My peppers are all different sizes because we picked some up at the farmers market. Later, when I was at Sprouts, I realized how small they were so I grabbed a few bigger ones while I was there. I guess that's the kind of thing that can happen when you work with a new ingredient for the first time.

You're actually given the option of softening your peppers and garlic in the microwave, but I would discourage it. You just aren't going to be able to replicate the flavor that you get from toasting on the stove. I mean, just look at the char on those things. Makes my mouth water just looking at it! Let the peppers and garlic cool a bit, then remove the skins from the garlic and roughly chop, along with the peppers.

Add all your ingredients to your food processor or blender, and let 'er rip.

Blend until the adobo looks similar to pesto. This will fit perfectly in a pint-sized mason jar. If you try a spoonful straight out of the jar, it is going to be sal. ty. But don't panic. When you add it to other food, it's going to contribute a ton of flavor and the saltiness will be diluted. This will work on lots of stuff, like meat, veggies, potatoes, tacos/enchiladas/fajitas, soup, etc. I think you'd be able to add some to mashed avocado for a super easy homemade guacamole, or drizzle a little into the dressing for Southwestern Chopped Salad for an extra boost of flavor. I've used this on top of pork chops and mixed into mashed potatoes, and both were amazing. This is such an easy way to add fresh, unique, homemade flavor to so many dishes, give it a try!

Make it work for you

Another recipe that can fit into anyone's schedule, this sauce can be made at any time. I made mine while cooking a different meal, since I had the cutting board and knife out anyway. It can keep in the fridge for up to six months, so go ahead and throw it together whenever you have a spare 20 minutes.

Green Chile Adobo
by Rick Bayless

1/2 head of garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
4 to 5 fresh serrano chiles, stems removed
1 large bunch cilantro, (thick bottom stems cut off), roughly chopped (about 2 cups loosely packed)
1 large bunch flat leaf parsley, (thick bottom stems cut off), roughly chopped (about 2 cups loosely packed)
1 cup olive oil
2 generous teaspoons salt

Set a large (10-inch) skillet over medium heat.  Lay in the garlic and chiles and roast, turning regularly, until soft and browned in spots, about 10 minutes for the chiles and 15 for the garlic. (If you’re really short on time, you can soften them in a microwave: Cut a slit in each garlic clove and combine with the chiles in a microwavable bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, poke a few holes in the top and microwave on high for 30 seconds.) Cool until handleable, then slip off the garlic’s papery husks. Roughly chop everything (no need to remove the chile seeds).

In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic and chiles with the cilantro, parsley, olive oil and salt. Process, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary, until nearly smooth (it should look a little like pesto). Transfer to a pint-size jar and store, covered, in the refrigerator, where it will last several months.

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Scallops with Creamy Braised Leeks

So, something very exciting happened last week. After working second shift for over two years, I finally got the opportunity to switch to first shift! I know it's going to absolutely shock my parents to hear this, but I'm actually much more of a morning person. When I was a teenager, I could sleep til 1:00 pm with the best of 'em. But working as a barista in college really converted me to be an early riser. Those late night second shift hours were really starting to wear on me, so this has been a life change that I'm embracing whole-heartedly.

One of the perks of my new schedule is that it is much more conducive to joining a CSA. We picked up our second box of fresh local produce this week, which included leeks. This is a veggie I had never eaten, let alone cooked. So I reached for my trusty rusty Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution book, and whadya know, they had a couple recipes for leeks. Of course. The one that caught my eye involved scallops, one of my most favorite foods ever, and called for some white wine. So I knew that along with a side salad, it would be perfect for a nice, easy Saturday night dinner with the hubs, and it was. Everything was really simple to throw together, and the two-hour cook time was a perfect opportunity for me to get started on the Portuguese Baked Eggs that I was serving for family brunch the next morning.

This delicate dish has a taste that is reminiscent of a light clam chowder, making it great year round. Ok, here ya go!

 

First, slice up your leeks and mince your garlic. The leeks we received were pretty small, like the size of a green onion. We also only got about half a pound, so I had to improvise a bit. I grabbed another full-size leek from the grocery store, which weighed about half a pound, so I then had the full pound of leeks. I left the small leeks intact and thinly sliced them. I sliced the big one into quarters lengthwise, then thin slices, so everything would be about the same size. This ensured even cooking. Once you have the whites and light green parts sliced, you can save the green tops in the freezer to make stock.

Then add your leeks and garlic to a microwave-safe bowl, and nuke it until everything is softened. Dump it into your slow cooker, and stir in your wine (I used sauvignon blanc) and cream. Cook on low for two to three hours, until the leeks are tender.

Once the leeks are tender, but not mushy, season your scallops with salt and pepper, then add to your slow cooker. The recipe calls for sea scallops, but I used bay scallops, which are much smaller. Scallops are a bit pricey, and I didn't want to shell out for sea scallops (haha, get it??), which are more expensive at my grocery store. Since I knew they'd be getting cooked in a sauce anyway, I was less concerned with quality of taste and just got some frozen bay scallops, which ended up saving me about $10 compared to the fresh sea scallops at the meat counter. I knew that I'd have to cut the cooking time of the bay scallops about in half, since they are so much smaller. So if you go a similar route, make sure you start checking your thawed, seasoned scallops after about 15 minutes. Once they are done cooking, stir the cheese into the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley, and enjoy!

Make it work for you

Much like Poached Salmon with Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad, this dish can easily fit into anyone's busy schedule. It is best eaten the day it's made. With little prep and a short slow cooking time, it can be done on a weekday or on a night off. The two-hour cook time gives you ample opportunity to do dishes, clean, prepare a make-ahead meal, or veg out and watch tv or read. The scallops elevate the dish, making it ideal for a relaxing celebratory dinner or date night.

Scallops with Creamy Braised Leeks

From Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution 

1 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops, tendons removed

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1. Microwave leeks, garlic, and oil in bowl, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in cream and wine. Cover and cook until leeks are tender but not mushy, 2 to 3 hours on low.

2. Season scallops with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Spoon portion of sauce over scallops. Cover and cook until sides of scallops are firm and centers are opaque, 30 to 40 minutes.

3. Transfer scallops to serving platter. Stir Pecorino into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over scallops and sprinkle with parsley. Serve.

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From Scratch Ranch Mix

I'm from the Midwest, where the majority of the population has an addiction to a certain condiment. It's not mayonnaise, although that is debatable. Have you ever seen that scene in How I Met Your Mother where Marshall's mom gives Lily the Eriksen family recipe for Seven-Layer Salad? The so-called salad contains 16 cups of mayo, along with Funyuns and Gummy Bears. It always makes me giggle, because I have definitely had my fair share of Midwestern salads that contain candy (Snickers) and chips (Doritos).

I digress -- no, I was not referring to mayo. Actually, I'm talking about ranch dressing. You know, that wonderful bottle of Hidden Valley amazingness that magically goes with almost everything? I'm not going to be one of those health food snobs who pretends to not like it. It's delicious. And I have missed it immensely. But, no longer! I can now have my ranch flavor and eat it too, and so can you!

It's so cheap and easy to make from scratch, out of stuff you probably have in your pantry already. No more mystery ingredients and the taste of MSG and overly salty, stale spices. You can use this mix to flavor preeeetty much anything. Roasted chicken, meatloaf, stove-top popcorn, Toasted Ranch Almonds, fried chicken, sunflower seeds, Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken, hamburgers, garlic bread, homemade chicken nuggets, turkey burgers, kale chips, boiled, steamed, roasted, and grilled veggies... you are only limited by your imagination. Ok, enough chit chat!

This recipe is an adaptation/combination from Simply Scratch and Gimme Some Oven (is that not the best food blog name you've ever heard??). Mine fits perfectly in a cute little half pint Mason jar.

From Scratch Ranch Mix

5 tablespoons parsley, divided
4 teaspoons dried dill, divided
5 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons onion powder
3 teaspoons dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Set aside divided parsley and dill. Combine all other ingredients in a food processor, and grind until fine. Remove from processor and place in storage container; stir in remaining parsley and dill.

To make ranch dressing: Add 3 teaspoons mix to 1/3 cup mayo and 1/3 cup buttermilk. Stir to combine. Add more buttermilk to achieve desired consistency if needed.

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Southwestern Chopped Salad

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I don't really like salad. There are rare exceptions, however, so you know if I tell you about one, it's good. It'll be worth trying. This is definitely one of them. This is one of the few meals that I have super strong cravings for. When I make it for dinner, I have a second bowl of salad for dessert. I'm not even joking.

This is a close adaptation from The Garden Grazer. I wanted to replace the starches she used with even more colorful, nutritious vegetables. Speaking of, I hope you all know how important it is to "eat the rainbow", in order to help you obtain a wide variety of nutrients. This salad is a delicious way to add a rainbow of colors to your diet. On top of that, the colorful veggies are coated with a thin layer of creamy, tangy dressing that is chock-full of healthy fats, which also help you absorb certain said nutrients more readily. Gosh, no wonder I crave this salad so much.

To start off, prepare your ingredients for the dressing. Did you know that you can use the stems of cilantro along with the leaves? It's true, America's Test Kitchen taste-tested it for The Science of Good Cooking. So go ahead and just roughly chop your bunch of cilantro, no need to perform the time-consuming step of removing the leaves. Score!

Once the remaining dressing ingredients are prepared, puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. The dressing will be thick and the cilantro will be visible as tiny little specks. Stick your dressing in the fridge while you're chopping the salad veggies.

Put your salad veggies in a large bowl, then add the chilled dressing. Mix everything together thoroughly. The cilantro bits in the dressing will give your salad veggies cute little green freckles :)

Divide salad into serving bowls and top with shredded chicken. Devour, then devour some more for dessert. If you have any leftovers, the dressed salad will keep up to two days in the fridge -- perfect for lunches the next day.

**Note: The original linked recipe is vegetarian/vegan friendly, if that's your jam.

Southwestern Chopped Salad

Dressing
1 medium avocado, pit removed and sliced
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 garlic cloves, skin removed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt 
Black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Adjust seasonings as needed. Refrigerate until ready to add to salad.

Salad
1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed, chopped and patted/spun/drained dry
2 bell peppers, seeds removed, rinsed, chopped, and dried
1 pint cherry tomatoes, rinsed and chopped
5 green onions, rinsed, sliced, and dried
1/4 red onion, chopped
Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken (optional)

Combine salad vegetables in large bowl. Add all of the dressing and mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Add salad to serving dishes, top with chicken if using. Store leftovers in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

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Make it work for you

This one can easily work for everyone on a work night/day or a day off. Once you have everything chopped and pureed, it's literally throwing it in a bowl and stirring. The leftovers hold up for two days, making it great to use for lunches. You can also prepare this while your Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken is cooking to serve with it. Or, omit the chicken and use as a side dish.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

So I don't know about you guys, but I think that life is way too short to take a sandwich to work/school every day. I mean, the bread gets soggy and the deli meat, which is inherently kind of gross anyway, what with being trapped in its plastic prison for who knows how long with all that salt and preservatives and who know what else... I forgot what I was saying. Oh yeah. Sandwiches. Every day. Don't do it.

To save your sandwichless sanity, it really helps if you start to think of paper bag lunches that are comprised of meal components, rather than a complete meal. Like, I've got this brown rice, these leftover roasted veggies, and this chicken -- voila, protein bowl. Or, I've got this sweet potato, some frozen broccoli, and this chicken -- voila, loaded sweet potato. Or, I've got this unopened bag of mixed greens that expired a day ago (I can't be the only person this happens to ALL THE TIME, right?!), this hard boiled egg, and this chicken -- voila, salad. Are you sensing a trend here? It's the chicken, right? But I mean, who has that much chicken laying around? I do. And you will too once you see how ridiculously easy it is to keep your fridge stocked with clean, lean protein.

To be clear, I did not devise of this method myself. There have already been a million and one blogs written about this, but none of them really fit my needs: they used too much chicken (my little family of two does not need eight pounds of chicken breasts at the ready) or too much added liquid, or not enough. So here's what works for us.

Place 4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts in slow cooker. Season each side generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add chicken broth. I make broth from scratch and freeze it, some of it in ice cube trays. Each cube is about 2 tablespoons. I used 5 cubes of broth, which ends up being a scant 2/3 cup of broth.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked but tender. There will likely be lots of liquid in your slow cooker. Don't worry. That flavorful liquid yumminess will soon be absorbed by the shredded chicken.

Now THIS is the fun part. Because it's, well, fun, and it saves you a TON of time. Turn your hand mixer to low and carefully run it through the tender chicken breasts. If you're anything like me, the first time you attempt this, you will stand there with your mixer in one hand, looking back and forth from it to the chicken, thinking that there's no way on earth this is going to work. But it does. I promise. You can also transfer the chicken to a stand mixer and shred it using the paddle attachment. But this is even easier and dirties less dishes.

Action shot! Bam!

And now you have a few pounds of delicious shredded chicken to use however you please. Salads (Asian Cabbage Salad, Southwestern Chopped Salad), sandwiches, pasta, soup, casseroles, tacos, enchiladas, protein bowls... really, anything you can think of. We usually eat what we can for five days, then stash the leftovers in the freezer to use later.

What ways can you think of to use this shredded chicken? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments!

**Note: I've also made 2 pounds of chicken breasts, with 1/4 broth, cooked on low for 5 hours. So feel free to play around with the amount of chicken and ratio of liquid based off of both methods. It's pretty hard to mess this one up.

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

Scant ⅔ cup chicken broth

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker; season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Carefully shred chicken with hand mixer on low.

Store in fridge for up to 5 days or in freezer for up to 4 months.

 
Make it work for you

First shift: This can easily be done on a day off. It does not need babysitting whatsoever so it's a great option to cook while running errands, cleaning, relaxing, etc. Or you can start it right before going to bed, and shred it as soon as you wake up in the morning (it doesn't even take two minutes), and stick it in the fridge.
Second shift: I got this started after I got home from work, then my husband turned it to warm when he woke up 6 hours later. I shredded it and stored it when I woke up an hour after that. So basically we followed the advice for first shift. It worked really well for us. Of course, your day off is a great option too.
Third shift: Again, you could let this cook while sleeping, or on your day off. Another option is to get it started when you get home from work in the morning, then have your significant other, roommate, kids, whoever, finish it off while you're still sleeping.

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Poached Salmon with Creamy Cucumber-Dill Salad

Well, I was in denial for most of our remarkably mild May, but summer is finally upon us in full force here in the Valley of the Sun. After schlepping around running errands all day in the triple-digit heat, I wanted to make something for dinner that was light but filling, and easy to throw together with minimal clean up. And boy, did this one score on all four points. Straight outta Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution (I warned you!), here is Poached Salmon with Creamy Cucumber-Dill Salad.

First, make an aluminum foil sling: Tear off about a foot and a half of aluminum foil, then fold it in half width-wise and line the bottom of your slow cooker insert with it. The sides should come up a few inches (see second photo); this will hold your poaching liquid and help moderate the cooking process. Mince your dill (save the stems!) and slice one lemon.

Place lemon slices in one layer on top of sling, then top with reserved dill stems. Gently pour wine (I used sauvignon blanc) into sling, then add enough water so that the liquid level is even with the top of the lemon slices. You don't want your salmon to be actually submerged in the liquid. Then go ahead and pour yourself a glass of wine, too. You have almost an entire bottle left to drink, better get started!

Next, I sliced a 12 oz salmon fillet length-wise so the two fillets are the same thickness throughout. This helps ensure even cooking. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place the fillets skin side down on top of the lemon arrangement. Cover and cook on low for about one hour. At the 45 minute mark, start checking to see if the salmon is done. It should be opaque throughout and flake with the tip of a paring knife. Mine took 90 minutes to cook to medium (135 degrees F).

In the meantime, slice up your cucumber, then combine with the yogurt, lemon juice, and minced dill, and season with salt and pepper. Stick the cucumber salad in the fridge while the salmon finishes cooking.

When the salmon is opaque, flaky, and 135 degrees F, carefully remove the sling from the slow cooker. Transfer the salmon to a plate using a spatula, removing the dill stems and lemon slices. Serve with the chilled cucumber salad. I also added a nice kale side salad to our dinner, along with a slice of Sprouts bakery bread for a little treat. This plate of food kept us f.u.l.l. for the rest of the night. I know that gargantuan side salad is making the salmon look a little puny, but trust me, it was so big I could hardly finish it.

Make it work for you

Ok, so this is a recipe that can truly work for anyone and everyone. There's only a few minutes of prep to get the salmon cooking, then you can tackle the cucumber salad. I had time to prepare that, on top of chopping up some veggies for our kale salad, and slicing a few pieces of bread, AND I got all the dishes done AND took care of some laundry while the salmon was poaching. By the time we got done eating, all we had to do was stick our dinner dishes in the dishwasher and wash the slow cooker insert, which was crazy easy thanks to the foil sling. We were then free to enjoy the rest of our evening. This dish is perfect for date night (I mean, think of all that wine that's left to drink, wink wink) or weeknight.

**Note: If cucumbers aren't your thing, I don't quite understand you (hehe), but you could definitely make this without the salad. Sprinkle the minced dill on top of the salmon when it's done cooking. Or omit the dill altogether. Or make the yogurt sauce and dip your salmon in it. So many options!

Poached Salmon with Creamy Cucumber-Dill Salad
 from America's Test Kitchen Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution
1 lemon, sliced 1/4 inch thick, plus 1 tablespoon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill, stems reserved 
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 (6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup 2 percent Greek yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin

1. Fold sheet of aluminum foil into 12 by 9-inch sling, press widthwise into slow cooker. Arrange lemon slices in single layer in bottom of prepared slow cooker. Scatter dill stems over lemon. Pour wine into slow cooker, then add water until liquid level is even with lemon slices (about 1/4 cup water). Season salmon with salt and pepper and place skin side down on top of lemon. Cover and cook until salmon is opaque throughout when checked with tip of paring knife and registers 135 degrees (for medium), about 1 hour on low.
2. Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, lemon juice, and minced dill together in medium bowl. Stir in cucumber and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Using sling, transfer salmon to baking sheet. Gently lift and tilt fillets with spatula to remove dill stems and lemon slices and transfer to plates; discard poaching liquid. Serve with salad.

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