Spicy Chicken for Nachos (or tacos, or burritos, or enchilladas...)

I was really hesitant to write this post for two reasons:
a) The picture I got is AWFUL because I waited until the nachos were demolished to even think of snapping it
b) It's super simple.....

But I have gotten a lot of requests for the recipe when I make it for people, so I thought I'd share. Aren't I sweet..... don't answer that.

Right, so your going to need 2-4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts depending on how many people you are feeding. The 2 breasts work fine for a heaping pile of nachos for three. If your working with more peeps to feed, use 4 breasts and double the recipe. Heck, make six, triple the recipe, and freeze some for later. :)

See? Cruddy picture, I told you! You can't even see the chicken that well, but believe me it's in there!

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 small can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic (or dried, I reconstitute with the next ingredient....)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of salt (optional)

Nacho Fixings
STURDY chips
Black beans
lots and lots of cheese
Queso
More cheese
Tomatoes
Ranch (trust me)
Salsa (if you want)
Really... just go nuts, do what you feel on this one

Instructions

Heat a skillet on medium to medium high heat
Add tomato sauce and chicken, be sure to coat the chicken and spread the love
If you are using dried garlic reconstitute it for a few minutes with the vinegar before adding
Add them spices!!!
AND cook.... until chicken is cooked through
Take chicken out of the sauce and shred with a fork
Add back into sauce and mix that goodness around.


Nacho assembly
Put everything on a cookie sheet or baking pan in the order listed above, stop at cheese, unless you want your tomatoes cooked but I like them still kicking.
Broil in the oven for around 5 minutes, you gotta watch them to make sure they don't burn!
Add the rest of the toppings... even the ranch... do it

Now pull up a seat and chow down. The best way to eat these puppies is straight from the pan but I'll leave it up to you if you want to make a mess that's perfectly fine with me :) AND like I said, the chicken can be used for darn near everything, so experiment!

Need a warm meal? Try this gumbo!

I haven't felt like cooking much lately, but I did make a big pot of this gumbo the other day. Let me tell you, this recipe lasts, especially if you serve it with rice. Yum! Perfect for my finals week(s). Good news? I'm almost done! YAY! Greater news? That means more time to try out everyone's recipes!! So keep them coming.

Any-who, this recipe was sent to me by Claire after I had smelled the yummy concoction in the break room one day. The recipe is from this site. It is originally a vegan recipe, but I added some shrimp to it in mine. It would have been delicious without but I had a bag of frozen shrimp on hand and it worked out for me.

I also didn't have tomato paste so I made a roux with some flour to thicken it up just a tad, worked out but I'm going to make it with the tomato paste next time for the flavor. I also used frozen black-eyed peas and okra, worked like a charm and no hassle. Enjoy!

Black-eyed Pea Gumbo

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 bell pepper (any color), chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 4 cups vegetable broth, water, or a combination
• 2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 1 pound okra, tops removed and sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1-2 tsp. chopped chipotle peppers (canned in adobo)
• 1/4 tsp. Liquid Smoke (optional)
• 2 1/2 cups cooked black-eyed peas, plus cooking liquid (1 cup dried black-eyed peas cooked in 3 cups water)*
• salt to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat a large, non-stick stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until they begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the bell pepper and celery, and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until okra is done and mixture has thickened, about 45-55 minutes. Add more water as needed–this will be thicker than a soup but still have a good amount of broth. Serve over freshly cooked brown rice and add hot sauce at the table.