Ramen! I don’t think they had this when I was a poor college student, but it sure has become popular over the years. My first experience with it was in a delicious salad a friend shared at a church dinner. I was mesmerized and asked for the recipe. Which I could not find this week, so I googled and found this recipe. It’s a little different than my friend’s but it’s a variation on the same theme. I made some changes to this recipe and it proved to be delish!
2-3 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts (I used Thrive chicken)
1 head of cabbage, shredded or chopped (I opted for Broccoli slaw, 2 12-oz. pkgs.)
1 bunch green onion, finely chopped (Thrive chopped green onion)
2 2.5-oz. pkgs. slivered almonds
3 T. sunflower seeds, shelled of course
1 can Mandarin oranges, drained well
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles
3 T. vegetable oil
Dressing
3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
4 1/2 T. seasoned rice vinegar
4 1/2 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
Instructions
Prepare dressing and set aside.
Smash Ramen noodles, removing seasoning packets (save to flavor something else sometime) and brown over medium heat in 3 T. oil--I used olive oil here because I had used all of my canola oil in the dressing.
Once noodles are slightly browned, add the almonds. Brown until noodles are a dark golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine cabbage, green onions, chicken, oranges, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.
Add ramen/almond mixture and stir well.
Add dressing and stir to coat.
Notes
Don't overcook the Ramen noodles and almonds, and stir continuously until the are golden. They will continue to cook when you remove them from the heat.
Who doesn’t love a good fish taco? They can be hard to find–can’t stand when they are too fishy. The tilapia in this recipe is so mild you will swear you are eating chicken. I kept snatching nuggets and snacking on them while I was frying up the other batches. A nice healthy alternative to fast food tacos. Now, authentic Mexican tacos…that’s another thing all together.
3 limes (I used Thrive Limeade powder instead--a tsp. or so should be enough.)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 t. chili powder
2 T. olive oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
8 6-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded angel hair cabbage (I prefer it thin)
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, thinly sliced
Instructions
Rinse fish and pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
For lime sauce, juice two of the limes into a bowl (cut your 3rd lime into wedges for serving). Stir mayonnaise and chili powder into juice. Transfer 1/3 cup of the sauce to another bowl; toss fish in this. Set remaining sauce aside.
In a medium to large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Combine flour and salt in a shallow dish. Work with about 1/3 of the fish chunks at a time, toss them in the flour and add to hot oil. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until fish flakes easily, turning to brown evenly. Add more oil as needed. Drain fish on paper towels.
Wrap tortillas in paper towels (loved this. worked great!); heat in microwave oven for 30 seconds. Top tortillas with fish, cabbage, carrots and jalapeno. Drizzle with Lime Sauce. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Add lime juice to mayo gradually and to taste.
Thrive Limeade powder is available seasonally, so may not be listed on my consultant site.
As busy, stressed, stretched–but continually faithful–women, we sometimes wonder if what we are doing is enough and if we are enough. The Visiting Teaching message for the month of April assures us that we are each “a beloved spirit…daughter of heavenly parents.” I am glad I get to share this with you today, because in a couple of hours I am going to visit one of the women in my congregation that I have been given stewardship over as a fellow sister in the gospel.
Here is part of the message that particularly inspired me:
“In [the premortal] realm, we learned about our eternal female identity,” said Carole M. Stephens, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency.
“Our mortal journey to earth did not change those truths.”2
“Your Father in Heaven knows your name and knows your circumstance,” said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “He hears your prayers. He knows your hopes and dreams, including your fears and frustrations.”3
“We each belong to and are needed in the family of God,” said Sister Stephens. “Earthly families all look different. And while we do the best we can to create strong traditional families, membership in the family of God is not contingent upon any kind of status—marital status, parental status, financial status, social status, or even the kind of status we post on social media.”4
There is this bakery in town that has some of the most delicious goodies out there. And their sandwiches and salads are pretty darn good, too. Anyway, one of my favorites things there is their brownie cookie. Oh my crispy, chewy goodness. Yes, very good. I don’t have a recipe to make them at home, but I do have a box of brownie mix–with a brownie cookie recipe right on the box, baby! Just thought I would try those out and they did not disappoint. Try some for yourself with your own brownie mix or recipe. The only difference is to cut down on the oil. And of course, you don’t bake the cookies as long as the brownies. That would not be a good thing, at all.
chopped nuts pecans (we always add these to brownies)
Instructions
Make mix according to directions on the box.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Definitely use this measurement. The first time I made these I used a small cookie scoop and they were too big and ran together.
Bake at 325 degrees for 12-14 minutes, until the edges have crisped. Don't over bake.
Cool on wire rack.
Enjoy!
Notes
Here's a tip! Melt peanut butter in the microwave and drizzle over your cookie. My son-in-law was at the house when I baked this batch, and he requested the peanut butter.
I don’t know about you, but I have always struggled with having a daily, meaningful prayer life. My parents tried to instill regular prayer into our lives as a family, but we were not always as supportive to them and consistent as we could have been. How do you make time in your life for this vital communication with a loving Heavenly Father? Please comment and share with us, if you would like to.
For me, reading over some highlights from our recent LDS General Conference helped me today as I was trying to figure out a thought to share with you. This has a lot of truth to it, when you think about how our prayers can be at times, or all of the time. I am really going to work on this–it’s definitely a crucial building block for increased spirituality in our lives.
“We need to pray from our hearts. Polite recitations of past and upcoming activities, punctuated with some requests for blessings, cannot constitute the kind of communing with God that brings enduring power. Are you willing to pray to know how to pray for more power? The Lord will teach you.”
I had all intentions of having lovely little baby red potatoes, boiled and buttered, salted and peppered for dinner one night. Those babies sat there on my kitchen counter for a week. Finally, I just had to peel them (the skins were looking a little rough), cut them up and fry ’em in a pan. Ahhh…..
Why? Well, it was there–by the pool deck–that I had my first taste of shawarma. I thoroughly enjoyed the shaved, slow-roasted chicken with its unusual spice set. The fresh fixins and delicious garlic aioli made it a special treat.
I’ve been wanting to figure out how to recreate it but, doggone it, I don’t have a roasting spit or the patience for all-day roasting! And ever since I started using Thrive Life foods, I’m been a little spoiled in the quick meal prep department. I want it. And I want it now.
So I combed the internet, looking for just the right recipe to “Thrive-alize”. After a less than stellar attempt, I found a recipe that fit just right. Thrive’s Seasoned Chicken Slices make it super fast. They are freeze dried and reconstistute quickly. Once the spices have been added to them, they really only need to heat through!
Why the funky name? Well, I thought I’d use my Thrive dough mix to try and simulate naan bread. Didn’t work. But what happened was a scone-like bread circle that my family has previously used for Navajo Tacos. So I thought, well…..let’s mix the two. Add a little garlic sauce, and there you go!
If you don’t want to try this recipe with Thrive foods (why wouldn’t you, though? It’s so super fast!) then I encourage you to visit the recipe site that I used as a springboard for my Thrive-alized version, Jo Cooks. And if you don’t have time to do the bread, pick up some naan bread in your grocery store.
Give shawarma a try. Your hunger will be AVENGED!
Shawarma-jo Tacos
2016-04-05 07:08:07
Serves 8
Deliciously unusual spiced chicken piled with fresh fixins and garlic sauce atop a circle of bread.
4 c. THRIVE Seasoned Chicken Slices - Freeze Dried
2 c. hot water
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/2 c. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Ground Turmeric
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. THRIVE Iodized Salt
4 clv. Garlic, minced
Garlic Yogurt Sauce
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
1 c. Vegetable Oil
1/4 c. plain Greek yogurt
6 clv. Garlic, peeled
1 tsp. THRIVE Iodized Salt
1 tbsp. THRIVE Parsley
Toppings
diced hothouse cucumbers
halved grape tomatoes
iceberg lettuce, sliced thinly
Taco Bread
Dissolve yeast in hot water (hot from the tap). Add salt. Whisk. Stir in Thrive dough mix.
Knead for 5 minutes. Lightly cover dough with a little vegetable oil, place in bowl, cover with towel, and allow to rise until dough has doubled in size.
Punch dough down. Divide into 8 equal pieces.
Place nonstick or cast iron skillet on stove on medium heat.
Take one piece of dough, roll into ball, then flatten as thin as possible with your hands. Place on skillet and cook on each side until golden brown and cooked through.
Repeat with remaining dough pieces. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
Chicken Shawarma
Put the chicken into a bowl and add the 2 cups of water. Toss with a spoon every few minutes while you let it reconstitute (about 15 minutes).
Put remaining shawarma ingredients into a small bowl, whisk well, and pour over the chicken (after the chicken has sat for 15 minutes). Toss to coat the chicken well.
Drizzle a little vegetable or olive oil in a large skillet and heat to medium high on the stove. Pour in the chicken and allow it to heat through for about 5 minutes.
Garlic Yogurt Sauce
Place all sauce ingredients in a blender and process for 1-2 minutes. Allow to rest while you prepare the toppings.
Assembling the Taco
Place a bread circle on a plate and top with some chicken.
Add toppings and drizzle with sauce.
Notes
This recipe is highly customizable; reduce or increase the shawarma spices as you see fit.
Too much garlic? Simply reduce.
Want a creamier sauce? Increase yogurt and decrease oil.
Since we are getting ready to launch our new blog, I thought it would be fun to share the very first recipe I ever posted. Haha. The photo quality isn’t all that, and I did have a date stamp on the photo. Didn’t know about PicMonkey back then or I would have cropped that out and done a little more editing! But still, this is one of my favorite recipes. Hope you enjoy it again!
(Sorry about the date stamp! I’m a newbie.)
When I left El Paso, TX 9 years ago, one thing I brought back to North Carolina was a good salsa recipe. I learned how to make it in a Relief Society Homemaking mini-class (the Relief Society is the women’s auxiliary of our church). I loved our Hispanic members and learned so much from them, including how to make homemade tortillas. This recipe started there, but I have tweaked it along the way.
Roast the tomatoes and jalapenos in the oven until skins are nice and crispy. I put mine in a toaster oven. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle them.
Peel the tomatoes and "gut" and de-stem the jalapenos. If you leave the seeds in the peppers you will have a spicier salsa--muy picosa!
Place tomatoes and jalapenos in a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients and process to desired consistency. I prefer slightly chunky. You can add water to thin it.
Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
A few tips--a squeeze or two of lime juice is all you need. Salt to taste, but take into consideration the saltiness of your chips. I buy a dozen or so jalapenos at a time and roast them and then keep them in the freezer so I can have them on hand when I need a salsa fix or when my sister Amy comes to visit.
It’s the afternoon. You’re dragging. And you’re hungry. “Is there still ice cream in the freezer?” you think to yourself. “Wait, no, there’s a bag of chips in the pantry!” Or maybe you’re at the office and there’s leftover birthday cake in the break room. Or donuts. Or both!
Let me introduce you to my secret weapon against those junk food temptations. I wage war on those moments with this recipe in my arsenal. I call them….(pause for dramatic effect)…..Chocolate Bombs!
Ever since I found this recipe from The Gabriel Method E-Cookbook, it’s been my go-to for fighting hunger and snack attacks with a healthy and filling alternative. One of my most vulnerable times for hunger is Sundays. I try to eat something right before I leave, but by the time I get home after church (which is three hours long) I am ready to eat the front door! Armed with a few of these tucked away in my purse or waiting for me in the car, I soothe the hunger beast during the twenty minute drive home.
You could make a breakfast of these if you like; or just snack on them when you need a pick me up or have an afternoon snack attack. I always have a big glass of water (or water bottle) on hand with these as they are quite the mouthful!
It’s the afternoon. You’re dragging. And you’re hungry. “Chocolate bombs to the rescue!” you shout triumphantly.
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until the almonds are in very small pieces.
Check the consistency by taking a small amount of the mixture and forming it into a ball. If it's too crumbly, add more almond or cashew butter in small amounts and process again. Once it will form a ball, you've gotten it right!
Using your hand or a small cookie scoop, take out tablespoonfuls of the mixture, squeeze if necessary, and roll into a ball in your hands.
Eat immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Notes
The original recipe calls for Tahini in place of cashew butter. Not a Tahini fan, so I subbed. The original also called for a teaspoon of stevia but I only had liquid. For the cacao I increased the amount from 3 teaspoons in the original, to 4.
How much coconut you say? I'm a coconut lover, so I would guess I add 1/4 cup. This will affect how much extra nut butter you need to add at the end (if any).
I love these. So when I make them, I triple the batch. Tripling just fits the mixture in my Ninja food processor
