Cowboy Pasta Salad

This recipe is super delicious. I wouldn’t even want to know what the calories are in this recipe but it’s worth the investment! I found the recipe on www.bellyfull.net. I changed it up a bit to what I had on hand and I didn’t follow the directions exactly the way Belly Full wrote them out, but that was simply because I didn’t read the directions until I was already halfway done. I guess I got the directions in my head the way I thought they should be verses the way they were. Nevertheless the recipe is super delish!

Honestly I had reservations. It’s a very odd and off the wall recipe if you ask me, but it performs in the end. We all loved it. We actually had it as a main dish but you could serve it on the side that’s for sure. For your waist line that’s probably the way it should be served. This would be great for a potluck, or church event, or even to take to a party. My intention was a work potluck, but instead I got the flu and missed it.

Please give this a try. I think it will surprise you!! We thought the taste was even better the second day. It says you can eat it hot or cold but I wasn’t a fan of it cold. I liked it either heated or room temperature.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried Rotini
• 1 pound uncooked bacon
• 1 pound 90/10 ground beef
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup barbeque sauce (I used G. Hughes sugar free)
• 2 tablespoons Spicy Brown Mustard
• 2 tablespoons Heinz Worcestershire sauce
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Sriracha Sauce
• 1 can (15 ounce) Whole Kernel Golden Sweet Corn, drained
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (Optional I omitted)
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used any cheese mix I had on hand)
• 5 diced green onions

Directions: 

1. In a large pot Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. In the same pot (to prevent additional mess) add diced bacon and cook in small batches until all the bacon is cooked. Allow bacon to drain on a few paper towels and set aside. Remove bacon grease from the pot, but there isn’t any need to wash the pot. The bacon drippings will add flavor.
3. Add ground beef to the same pot. Cooked on a medium heat and break up the meat as you are cooking it. Once the meat is cooked and the grease has been drained mix in the cumin, red pepper flakes and the salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and Sriracha Sauce until combined and smooth. Add pasta, bacon, beef, drained corn, cheese, and green onions. Mix well
5. Eat right away or place in the refrigerator and re-heat when you are ready to eat. We found that the longer it sits the better it will taste.

Original Recipe Source

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Mushroom Spinach Chicken

This recipe is delicious and surprisingly easy to make. I didn’t know if I was going to have enough time to make it last night but I ended having plenty because I didn’t expect it to go so quickly. I saw a recipe online that is similar and that is what I was planning on making except the reviews were so horrible that I changed my minded and decided to take the concept of what this person was trying to accomplish and give it my own spin.

This recipe turned out marvelous and surprisingly everyone told me how much they loved the spinach in it. I think people smell canned spinach and assume that anything with cooked spinach is going to taste like canned smells. Well that couldn’t be further from the truth. I find that adding spinach to a recipe is a great way to get in extra veggies!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 large can mushrooms -drained
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup onion sliced
• ¼ teaspoon thyme
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• Prepared Brown Rice

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces place chicken in a zip bag with flour and shake to coat. To a medium pot add oil and allow to heat through, then add all the chicken in and cook until the chicken is brown. 
2. Remove chicken and set aside.
3. Leave any drippings in the skillet then add onion, and garlic to the skillet and cook until the onion becomes soft. 
4. Add chicken broth to the pot slowly and with a whisk work up any bits that may be on the bottom of the pan. 
5. Next add white wine and cook until the wine becomes less fragrant about 5 minutes. 
6. Then add remaining spices, mushrooms, and the chicken back in. 
7. Cook for another 5 minutes then add in the spinach. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes for thickness of the sauce. 
8. Serve over pasta or brown rice or even alone! This would be amazing over mashed potatoes! Ummm wish I had thought of that earlier! 

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