Orzo Chicken Salad Recipe

A couple weeks ago I was in the Willamette Valley for a work trip. Whenever I am there I always try and meet up with my girlfriends who live in the area since we do not get to see each other very often, now that we have all grown up and live in different cities. Being an adult isn't fun sometimes. I was lucky enough to get to meet up with TWO of my BFFS this last time, so I was super excited!! 

My BFF Lauren, and I met up for dinner at one of the places we normally like to go to for good salads. We both share the similar quality of having over sensitive stomachs and hold the title of, "Most likely to get food poisoning," so salads are generally a safe bet...as long as they are not from a salad bar...which ironically we have both gotten food poisoning from at the same time. Anyway, we were very disappointed to find out the restaurant did not carry our go to Chicken Orzo Salad anymore and removed it and ALL orzo from it's menu. Poor orzo and poor us :(

I think this picture best describes LV and I. Also the other BFF I visited on the trip was the VERY talented photographer and all around great person, Hannah O'Leary. Check her out her photos, link in the photo.

If you have not ever had orzo or do not know what it is, I like to describe it as the rice of pasta. It is about the same size as rice but it is pasta. It is very versatile; you can eat it cold, warm, as a side dish, on top of salads, ect. If you have not ever had it, give it a try! 

One of my favorite ways to have orzo is in Chicken Orzo Salad. Even though I can no longer order this dish I can still make and enjoy it home. This is one of my favorite salads in general and Travis requests it often. This salad makes A LOT, so you should have plenty of leftovers if you are just making it for two or it is the perfect amount for a group of four. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, enjoy!

Chicken Orzo Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• 2 tsp. Olive Oil
• 1/2 C. Dry Orzo
• 1 large head Romaine Lettuce
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 Cucumber
• 1 Jar Roasted Red Peppers
• 1 Small Red Onion
• 8-12 Kalamata Olives
• 8 oz. Feta Cheese
• Parmesan Cheese (Optional for Sprinkling on Top)
• Your Favorite Italian Vinagrette or Homemade Vinagrette (I like to use Brianna's French Vinagrette or Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian)

Directions:

• Heat pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and chicken breasts that have been sliced into thin strips. Season lightly to taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder). Remove from heat and let cool.
• Cook orzo according to package directions. Rinse, strain and set aside. 
• Wash and dry lettuce and chop or tear into bite size pieces. Slice tomatoes into small chunks and thinly slice half of the red onion. Peel the cucumber (optional) and slice into chunks the same size as tomatoes. Slice the roasted red peppers into thin strips. Mix all of the vegetables together in a large bowl. Toss with feta cheese and kalamata olives.
• Plate salad by layering: mixed salad, a scoop of cooked orzo and chicken breasts. Drizzle with your favorite dressing and top with shredded Parmesan cheese if you wish. Serve with warm french bread.
• Store leftovers in the fridge, keeping orzo and chicken separate from the salad mix. 

Cafe Yumm Sauce Copycat Recipe

The last Friday of Lent (Good Friday), is almost here which means only one more Friday of fasting/no meat. Honestly, I do not mind it that much, especially when you can have Yumm Bowls. Unless you are from Oregon, you probably have not heard of these. Café Yumm, originated in Eugene, Oregon and since, chains have popped up in different locals across Oregon. Their Yumm Bowls, consist of basically beans, rice, some various toppings and their secret Yumm Sauce. People either love or hate Yumm Sauce but those who do, find it addicting and you can put it on so many other things than just beans and rice. You can buy it in their store but the closest Café Yumm to me is an hour away, so I decided to make my own Yumm sauce. After scouring the internets and Pinterest, mixing several recipes together and adding some different ingredients to my taste, I believe I have come up with a pretty dang close copycat recipe.

Café Yumm Sauce Copycat Recipe:
½ cup water
½ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup neutral flavored oil (light olive or avocado oil are best, I would suggest not using coconut oil for this)
½ cups almonds
1/3 heaping cup nutritional yeast*
1 can rinsed and drained garbanzo or white beans
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic power
1 – 1 ½ tsp. curry powder (depending upon how much you like curry)
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt

*Nutritional yeast IS NOT the kind of yeast you bake with OR brewers yeast and either cannot be substituted in this recipe. Nutritional yeast, are large, yellow flakes. A lady I work with described them as looking like human fish food, which sadly they do. It can be found in bulk food sections, generally at health food stores.

See...fish food. Hopefully that doesn't ruin it for you.

Directions: Place almonds in a bowl of extremely hot water, soak for 15 minutes. While your almonds are soaking place all the ingredients but the oil in a blender or food processor. Once your almonds have softened and are done soaking, drain, and place in the blender as well. Blend for one minute, scrape down the sides and blend for another minute. Next, blend again while slowly drizzling in the oil. Pour into an airtight jar and place into a refrigerator to let sit overnight. You can eat this right away and it still tastes great but it is best if you let it sit overnight to give the flavors time to blend.

Golden Deliciousness

Next you need to assemble your Yumm Bowl. Café Yumm has different combos of bowls, you can look at their menu online, but my favorite is the Jazzy Bowl, which is layered as so:
Jasmine Rice, Red Beans, Yumm Sauce, Tomatoes, Avocado, Cheese, Salsa, Sour Cream, Olives and Cilantro.

Recently they also added the option of adding a protein to the top of your bowl, chicken or grilled tofu, I go with chicken but since this is a Lenten meal I’ll be passing this time.

So fresh and healthy!

Yumm bowls are great to make for a crowd because everyone can customize their own to their individual tastes and they are very filling. I like to put everything out on a board when I make them at home because it looks pretty and also there are less dishes. Originally when I made this I did not take super great photos, so sorry for the lack of quality and quantity. 

And there you have it! That is how you make a Yumm Bowl! I hope you enjoy them! Let me know what you think of the Yumm Sauce! 

Cornmeal Mush- A Recipe That Tastes Much Better Than it Sounds

Cornmeal mush...I wish I could think of a better name for this dish than what it is called but I haven't been able to come up with anything more appealing. It has several different variations including, polenta and grits, but this specific recipe is slightly different than those. 

Anywho...regardless of it's name this dish is so yummy and versatile. It originally came about in the Depression when food was less abundant and plain. My great grandma would make it, which it turned to my grandma making it, then my mother and now me. 

Partly why I love this dish is its simplicity. It is made from only 4 ingredients and comes together quickly and easily. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, brunch or whenever the mood strikes you. I like to eat mine for breakfast with some butter and jam on top. I think it would also be delicious at breakfast if you topped it with some spinach, sliced tomato and a poached egg. For dinner you can serve your favorite bolognese sauce over it instead of using pasta, the options are endless. It is naturally gluten free and can also be made vegan so it is a winning dish for everyone.  Follow the simple steps below and you will have yourself a new favorite recipe in minutes!

Ingredients:

1 C. Cornmeal
2 C. Water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. butter (substitute Earthbalance or other spread if you are making it vegan)
1 tsp. sugar

The most important thing to remember in this recipe is your ratio of cornmeal to water, the rest is totally up to your taste. Your ratio should be 2:1, water to cornmeal, so you should always have twice as much water as you do cornmeal, easy peasy. 

Bring your water to a boil and then slowly pour in your cornmeal while quickly whisking to avoid clumping. Add salt, butter and sugar and continue to whisk and cook over low heat until cornmeal mixture has thickened, it should be the consistency of oatmeal. Remove from heat. At this point you can eat it as is, it will be kind of like eating cream of wheat cereal OR how I have always had it, though it requires a few more steps.

Line two small loaf pans or one normal size loaf pan, with saran wrap. Next pour the cornmeal mush into the two pans and cover the top with saran wrap. Place in your refrigerator overnight or if you want to eat it right away, like I usually do, place it in the freezer for an 30-45 minutes. Magically the corn meal mush turns into a solid once it has cooled!

Heat a griddle on the stove to medium heat. While your pan is heating remove the loaf from the pan and cut into slices. 

Once your pan is nice and toasty, melt some butter to prevent sticking and to add a nice crust to your cornmeal. Place slices onto griddle and let cook for 4-6 minutes on each side, until they have a nice golden color. Flip and repeat on the other side. 

Top with whatever flavor combination you want or even eat it plain! Enjoy!