Honey Mustard Cashew Chicken Salad Wraps

I came across this recipe after I noticed half a jar of cashews in my pantry that needed to be used up. I thought cashew chicken sounded pretty fantastic, but I didn't have a go-to recipe, so I did a search on Allrecipes. This was the first recipe that popped up. I was thinking along the Chinese-sweet-sauce version of cashew chicken, but when I saw this one I was intrigued.

This type of meal is perfect for this time of year. It uses leftover chicken, and the wraps are served cold, so you don't have to worry about heating up your kitchen with the oven. Oh, and also? These wraps are delicious. The tangy sweetness of the honey mustard pairs perfectly with the nutty cashews, and the cashews and celery give this chicken salad a great crunch. These are a quick, easy, and yummy lunch or dinner.

Honey Mustard Cashew Chicken Salad Wraps

adapted from Allrecipes

1/2 cup mayonnaise

6 tablespoons honey mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped cashews

1/4 cup chopped red onion

4 (6 inch) whole wheat tortillas, warmed

4 slices provolone cheese

1. In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken, celery, cashews and onion.

2. Place a slice of cheese in the center of each tortilla. Spoon about 1 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up.

Grilled Cajun Ranch Chicken Pasta

You guys know I'm a sucker for anything with "ranch" in the title. But I'd never thought of pairing the flavor of ranch with Cajun flavors until I saw this recipe on Pinterest -- and I was immediately in love with the idea. When I actually tried it, I was even more smitten. The tanginess of the ranch works perfectly with the heat of the Cajun spices. This pasta dish is creamy, spicy, tangy, and flavorful -- pretty much everything you could ask for in a meal. I would even call this a restaurant-quality dish.

Although the chicken itself was a bit too spicy for the boys, I cut down on the Cajun seasoning in the sauce so they could enjoy the pasta -- and they loved it. We all loved this meal. Our leftovers were gone within a day.

Grilled Cajun Ranch Chicken Pasta
adapted from Plain Chicken

For the chicken:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
2 teaspoons sal
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

For the pasta:

16 ounces penne or other short pasta
1/4 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. For the chicken: In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, cajun seasoning, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Pound chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thickness. Place chicken in an airtight container and cover with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours up to overnight. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Grill chicken for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear. Let rest.

2. While the chicken is cooking, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in evaporated milk, Cajun seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Whisk together on low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until sauce is thickened. Pour the sauce over the pasta.

4. Slice the chicken and portion it on top of each serving of pasta.

Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 5.7.12

I hope you're all having a great weekend. We're finally recovering from the nasty cold that struck our entire household last week, thank goodness. Having sick kids is no fun, but being sick while your kids are sick is even less fun.

Thankfully, last week was a relatively peaceful week for me, so I was able to relax a bit and concentrate on feeling better. This coming week is promising to be really busy again, so having a plan in place for our meals is going to be really important. The boys and I sat down yesterday and made the meal plan together, and I must say that they picked out a couple of delicious things! They picked solely on how appealing the pictures were, though...so we'll see how well they actually eat the meals they chose.

Monday: Smoky white bean chicken chili, cheese quesadillas. This is a carry-over meal from last week. It's supposed to be really warm tomorrow, but we'll be eating in our air-conditioned house (usually I wait until after Memorial Day to turn the air on, but it's been so hot I had to break down!), so I'm not too worried about having chili for dinner.

Tuesday: Maple-glazed chicken with pineapple salsa, rice. As soon as PW posted this meal, I couldn't wait to make it. I don't think I'm going to do kabobs -- just grilled chicken breasts. I have tons of rice left over from a get-together for Andrew's birthday last night, so I'll just reheat that to go alongside.

Wednesday: My sister-in-law had a baby last Thursday (I'm an aunt!), so we'll be going to her place to visit and meet the new little princess. We'll probably eat on the way, and I'm taking cheesy sausage penne and some vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookies for the new family to enjoy.

Thursday: It's Andrew's fourth birthday, so we'll eat out. Andrew's choice! I'm resigned to the fact that it'll probably be Chuck-E-Cheese.

Friday: Sloppy joe squares and tortellini salad. Andrew and Will picked this one, so we'll see what they think of their choice.

Saturday: Fried pickle ranch burgers, fries. I'm sure this one is self-explanatory and, I'm pretty sure, a stroke of genius on my part. Fried pickes! On burgers! YES PLEASE.

Sunday: Chicken enchilada quiche, salad. Another one chosen by the boys. Real men eat quiche, after all!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Once upon a time, my husband and I made BBQ chicken pizza. And it was good. Very, very good. And I thought I’d never forsake that version for another.

Once upon another time, my best friend and I went out for dinner and drinks before a concert, and we split a BBQ chicken pizza at the restaurant. And it was AMAZING. And I knew I had to duplicate that version in my kitchen as soon as humanly possible.

Well, I’ve officially found a new go-to version of BBQ chicken pizza – and it is so simple, you guys. Including the crust itself, this version only has six ingredients: crust, BBQ sauce, leftover grilled chicken, Monterey jack cheese, red onion, and cilantro. That’s it. But the ingredients all work together perfectly (the sharp bite of the onions, the tangy sauce, the bright cilantro) and make such a flavorful combination. I used leftover marinated, grilled chicken from a pasta I’d made earlier in the week (I’ll share that recipe tomorrow), and thought it worked really well for this. You could definitely use shredded cooked chicken, or any type of leftover chicken, but I thought grilled chicken worked just perfectly.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 store-bought or homemade pizza crust

1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

1 cup cooked diced chicken

1/4 cup diced red onion

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1. Pre-bake pizza crust according to directions on package or instructions in your favorite recipe.

2. Top pizza crust with BBQ sauce, shredded cheese, chicken, onions, and cilantro. Return to the oven and cook for 6 to 10 minutes more, until edges of crust are golden brown, cheese is melted, and toppings are heated through.

Italian Macaroni and Cheese

When I was putting together our meal plan a couple of weeks ago, I asked the guys in my life for a little help, since I was feeling uninspired (and, also, way too busy to put a lot of time into the menu). Both of my boys requested mac and cheese, and while I knew they’d be perfectly content with the boxed stuff, I thought I was high time I created a new mac and cheese recipe. It’s been awhile since I did that.

Slowly, it started coming together in my mind.

Roasted tomatoes.

Salami.

Pesto.

An Italian version of macaroni and cheese, which just may be one of the best recipes I’ve created yet.

We all absolutely loved this version of mac and cheese. With all of the additions listed above, plus a little bit of wine in the cheese sauce, it was so luxurious and special – a creamy, cheesy, flavorful delight. Use whatever Italian meat you’d like for this recipe; sausage, pepperoni, pancetta, or prosciutto would all be absolutely delicious in this. I just made this on Sunday night, and I’m already sharing it with you – which should tell you a little something about just how delicious it really is.

Italian Macaroni and Cheese

12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

4 ounces Genoa salami, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

1/4 cup prepared pesto

1. Cook penne in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are bursting, about 15 minutes.

3. While tomatoes are roasting, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and salami and cook until onion is softened. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add flour and stir until the ingredients are coated and the mixture is bubbling, about 1 additional minute.

4. Stir in wine and cook until reduced. Stir in chicken stock and milk. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat. Stir in cheese until melted, then add the pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Combine penne, roasted tomatoes, and cheese sauce. Serve immediately.