Nacho Chicken Bowls

This recipe was birthed from a recipe I had planned to make in the oven during home time: baked chicken with a cheesy corn and bean sauce, to be served over taco rice. Instead, I ended up making it on the road, in the crockpot. It turned out much less visually aesthetic, but oh so yummy and very filling, which are the main requirements for food in our family. The first day we scooped it out of the pot and wrapped it in tortillas for burritos; the second day we warmed it up in bowls and added extra queso and fritos on top. Either way, it's delicious and easy!


Ingredients:
3 large chicken breasts
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can Rotel, partially drained
1 package dry taco-flavored rice
1 jar queso blanco sauce

Cut chicken into smaller pieces for faster cooking time, if desired. Place chicken in crockpot with corn, beans, and Rotel. Cook 2-4 hours or until chicken is completely cooked. Shred chicken, add rice and cook another hour, checking regularly and adding water if additional liquid is needed. About 10 minutes before serving, add queso blanco and stir thoroughly. Serve with tortillas, Fritos, or tortilla chips, and additional taco toppings if desired. Enjoy!

Sweet Corn Salad

I first made this for a cookout with my wonderful in-laws. We were grilling chicken and roasting potatoes, so I wantedsomething cool and summery, though outside the usual monotonous lettuce salad. After looking on Pinterest for hours, I combined several aspects of different recipes and came up with this concoction.

I mixed everything but the avocado the day before and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight, then added the avocado a few hours before serving. Fortunately, the lime juice helps keep the avocados from browning for a little while; unfortunately, by the second day they were starting to show brown spots, so I wouldn't advise keeping leftovers past the second day. This is definitely a salad to serve a larger group of people, so if it's just you, try halving the recipe.

A note on the corn: you want the corn to retain a little crunch, not be mushy. If you're using fresh corn on the cob, grill or boil it for a few minutes. If you're using bagged frozen corn, steam it for half the time in the directions on the bag.

Salad Ingredients:
2 bags frozen sweet corn or 3-4 ears of corn
2 roma tomatoes or 1 box cherry tomatoes
Cilantro
1 avocado

Dressing ingredients:
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
Garlic and herb seasoning, Mrs. Dash, salt and pepper, or seasoning to taste

Start by lightly cooking the corn as discussed above, and remove from cob if applicable. Dice the tomatoes, cilantro, and avocado, mix together with the corn in a large bowl. Mix together the dressing ingredients in a separate cup, add to salad in small quantities and stir till desired taste is reached. Serve immediately or up to 24 hours later if chilled.