Another day, another slow cooker recipe. Can you tell I've been running into a problem lately of 5pm running around and not having the energy or motivation to cook dinner? Enter my slow cooker. Just find 5 minutes any time during your day, and voila! Your dinner is served at 5pm not matter how exhausted you are when bewitching hour hits. This soup was a real winner. I actually looked forward to my left overs. Its rich, filling, and full of deep flavors. 

Ingredients: 
1 chicken breast
1 can corn
2 cans black beans
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup fresh tomato salsa (recipe found just 1 post back) 
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 can chicken broth
1 cup chedder cheese
tortilla chips as garnish

Directions: 
Dump all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Shred chicken. Add cheddar cheese, garnish with tortilla chips. 

This soup is delicious and satisfying, and oh so easy. 
Enjoy!

Ok, this is going to sound so weird, but there is this Utah grocery store Maceys that makes THE BEST fresh salsa. I'm not a big pico de gallo fan, but I could seriously drink this stuff. I decided I should try to come up with my own Maceys Salsa copy cat, hence this recipe was born. I dare you to not eat it all in one sitting. 

Ingredients: 

3/4 pounds tomatoes (about 2 medium sized tomatoes), diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro

1/4 cup finely chopped purple onion 

1/2 juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions: Combine ingredients, adjust seasoning as needed. 

Simple and fresh, what more could you want? 

Enjoy!

There are few things in life that I feel better about eating than Costco's quinoa salad. Its healthy, full of flavor, with a delicious good for you crunch. In case you don't have a Costco near you, or GASP! don't have a membership, never fear. We have come up with our own recipe for this delicious quinoa goodness. 

2 cups red and white quinoa (mixed)
1/3 cup tablespoon olive oil
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup cucumbers, diced
1 cup cooked mung bean
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
2 tablespoons fresh kale, minced
salt and pepper

Rinse and boil your quinoa in 6 cups water with a spinkling of salt. Simmer on reduced heat for about 15 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and toss with olive oil. Add vinegar and lemon juice & zest. Mix in vegetables, beans, and herbs. Season to taste. Serve immediatley. 

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I love finding a new recipe for a homemade dressing. Anything you can make that makes vegetables taste delicious is a winner in my book. This dressing has only a few ingredients, but tastes much more complex. It comes together in a cinch and you can save it for days and reuse it. If you're bored of the same old same old dressing, give this one a try. 

Dressing Ingredients: 

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 good quality balsamic vinegar

1/2 clove garlic

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper 

You want to add all of your ingredients except for the olive oil into a mini prep, and blend them together. Then slowly add the oil so it can emulsify. Blend until smooth and fully incorporated. 

For this particular salad we used shredded romaine hearts, radishes, grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, croutons, and blue cheese dressing. The previous day I made this salad we used feta cheese, spinach, cucumbers, and almonds. Both of these salads were fantastic. That's the great thing about a good dressing. You can put it on about anything and it will taste fantastic. 

Enjoy!