Foodies at Home: Chunky No-Cook Tomato Soup via The Cooking Club

We made THIS delicious soup the other day for dinner. It is served cold, with feta on top. And, we had some yummy multi-grain bread with it. It was SO GOOD! Refreshing, crisp, and surprisingly filling. And, it couldn't have been easier. If you like tomatoes, try this out. We are having leftovers (there were lots) for dinner tonight. YAY!

That is all.

New Favorite (Shareable) Cookies

Clearly I suck at this right now. I have three drafts sitting here waiting to be written. And, they are all for new restaurants. And, are dying to be shared. But, life is crazy right now, and we will get there eventually.

In the meantime, I will make it my goal to give you something every week. Even if it is just re-posting some recipes that we are using at home and love.

So, here you go. Here are the Foodie Household's favorite cookies as of right now:

Giant Rainbow Cookies
Puffy Peanut Butter Cookies

Funny, they are based on the same recipe!

I have been making the Giant Rainbow cookies with regular, semi sweet chocolate chips. They are to die for! In fact, I had to stop, because there was a danger of much increased waistlines in the Foodie home. I will now reserve them for special occasions. The kicker in these is the melted butter. The cookies are so buttery and decadent. And, it is a super easy recipe.

The Puffy Peanut Butter cookies are amazing because it is the perfect amount of peanut butter. It is subtle. Not punch you in the face peanut butter. I love them!

So, make some cookies. And, share them. Share them because a) they are amazing and people will think you are the world's greatest baker, and b) no one needs to eat this whole recipe... they are a treat. Not an everyday thing. Unless you want to gain 25 pounds!

Foodies at Home: Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

We have had to change our ways a bit with this new life we are in. And, one of the biggest changes is the amount of time we have in the evenings. By the time we are all home, it is almost 6 pm. And, the little guy usually goes to sleep between 8 and 9 pm. So, we are talking about a 2-3 hour window to eat dinner, play, take a bath, do a load of laundry, etc. Especially since Mr. Foodie and I are still in sleep survival mode and are pretty much going to bed when the baby does.  So, we have been exploring new ways to express our Foodie-ness.

One thing we don't want to do is rely on take out/fast food. In addition to the health/nutritional concerns, who wants to spend all that money? So, we have been experimenting with both make-ahead freezer meals and the trusty old crockpot. Though this recipe wasn't our first crockpot adventure, it is the one I can most easily blog on at the moment (since it is someone else's recipe...).

So, here you have it... Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup in the Crockpot

We made some minor adjustments like: 

• Added extra tomatoes. A small can of the Del Fratelli seasoned ones (with garlic and herbs).
• Used Parmesan Rind instead of grated Parmesan.
• Minced the carrots, celery, and onion in the food processor to make the soup creamier. 
• Followed the suggestion of cutting the cream with milk for a lighter soup. 

And, you know what, this was pretty excellent. It made enough that we were able to freeze some and will enjoy it a few more times! YAY!

I am not sure that we will go with the Parmesan rind again. I am curious what the grated Parmesan would do to the texture of the soup. Instead, we end up with these delicious melty rinds that were fun to chew on, but I am not sure they added much to the flavor or texture of the soup.

Long and short of it is, we will be enjoying this soup for a few more meals, and will  likely be making it again soon. I have suggested crockpot soup once a week. We will see how that goes.

Oh, and be sure to pick up a loaf of good crusty bread to go with the soup. It makes it a delectable meal!

Tomato and Eggplant Pie

As my maternity leave drew to a close, I wanted to actually MAKE dinner one night. Not defrost dinner. Or pick up dinner. Make dinner. But, I knew it needed to be something fairly easy. Add to that that we had a bunch of tomatoes, and the result was tomato pie.

I followed the recipe pretty closely the first time, but made some adjustments for round two, and that is what you will find below.

Tomato and Eggplant Pie.

Tomato and Eggplant Pie 
(Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/summer-tomato-pie/)

Ingredients:
Single pie crust (I used store bought for now)
5 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
Salt
1/2 small eggplant, thinly sliced (very thinly sliced!)

5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup basil, chiffonaded (is that a word? It should be!)
3/4 grated mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
1/2 Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
Olive oil
Crushed red pepper

How to make it: 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Press pie crust into a 9" cake pan.
3. Bake pie crust for 8 to 10 minutes, just until lightly browned.
4. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees.
5. While the pie crust is cooling, prep the tomatoes... place them at the bottom of a large colander and sprinkle with salt. 
1. Let sit for 10 minutes or so. 
2. Dab with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
6. Now, time to build the pie!
1. Start with one thin layer of tomatoes on the bottom of the pie crust.
2. Add a thin layer of eggplant.
3. Sprinkle with garlic and basil.
4. Cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.
5. Sprinkle with a touch of Parmesan.
6. Repeat.
7. Repeat, but this time, put a bunch of Parmesan on there. 
7. Drizzle the top with olive oil.
8. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper.
9. Garnish as you see fit (I added a few tomato slices and some basil leaves). 
10. Bake for about 30 minutes. You want to see bubbly cheese. 
11. Remove from oven and let cool about 7-10 minutes (if you can wait that long) before serving. 
12. Serve and enjoy. 

YUM! A delicious dinner.

Notes: 

• Seriously, this is pretty easy. And, it is SO GOOD! I added the eggplant the second time to add some omph and omph it added. 
• I served this with some DELICIOUS chicken sausages (mozzarella and spinach). It was a LOVELY meal.
• The original recipe suggested that you could do other cheese and herb combinations (Gruyere and fennel, Swiss and dill, etc.). I think there could be some wisdom in that, but I am SUCH a big fan of mozzarella, basil, and garlic, I am not sure I will deviate from that.
• This keeps surprisingly well. I recommend reheating in the oven, but you can get a few days of fridge time on this one!

A tasty summer dinner (Summer Skillet)

Zucchini and yellow squash were on sale at the local market. Now, I LOVE these two things. But, Mr. Foodie isn't as crazy about them as I am. So, I had to do a little convincing to let me plan a dinner around these two ingredients. But, I won in the end, and was excited to try something new.

I decided to just wing it, and throw together some yummy summer produce and see what happened. Well, the result was tasty. We served this summer skillet with natural chicken sausages and crusty bread, and I must say it was a very satisfying meal.

So, here is my recipe for a tasty summer skillet (and I wasn't planning on blogging on this when I started, so I am going from memory here)...



Ingredients:
1/2 a sweet onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbls. olive oil
1 zucchini, cut into half moons
1 yellow squash, cut into half moons
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 cup matchstick carrots
1 parmesan rind cut into small pieces
1 large can peeled tomatoes
2 tbls. tomato paste
10-15 leaves fresh basil, chiffonaded (I can make up a word, right?)
Crushed red repper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper. to taste
Freshly grated parmesan
Crusty bread

How to make it:
1. Heat the oil in a large pan
2. Saute the onions and garlic until fragrant and the onions are translucent
3. Put the zucchini, squash, red pepper, and carrots in the pan and toss with the oil, onion, and garlic
4. Season with crushed red pepper, salt, and black pepper
5. Cook until zucchini and squash begin to soften, 3-5 minutes or so
6. Add the can of tomatoes, tomato paste, and parmesan rind
7. Add basil and additional seasoning if desired
8. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes
9. Serve hot with fresh parmesan sprinkled on top and bread to sop up the delicious juice

Ok... so this is not rocket science. But, I was so pleased with how this turned out. And, I think you can use the veggies that you love. And you could season this however you like. We had fresh basil and I love basil, so that made sense. But, I see this as one of those blank canvas type dishes. As long as you have the foundation, you can change it up each time you make it!

The parmesan rind was a last minute addition and was AWESOME. I think it added great flavor and there were these little melty chunks of cheese throughout... bonus! So, save those rinds when you have them. I am sure you will find other uses for them as well.

Also, I was thinking "ratatouille" but with a Kate twist while I made this. That was my inspiration. Just so you know.

Foodies at Home: Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

I love to bake. We know that, right? But, I haven't been as keen on it since I have become pregnant. Partially because it is REALLY hard to resist licking the batter off my fingers (or the spoon, or the spatula, or the side of the bowl) which I can't do. And, partially because I know that every calorie counts, and filling up with cookies and cakes and brownies, though VERY tempting as a pregnant person, is not the best move.

So, I have started looking for recipes that have lots of redeeming nutritional values (i.e. multiple items on the "really good for growing baby" list of foods) to begin preparing. Paul and I have been meal planning every week with this in mind, and I am just starting to branch out into exploring some baked goods options that meet this criteria.

NOTE: If you have any baked goods recipes that are healthy, lower calorie, contain really good for you ingredients, etc... PLEASE SHARE! I miss baking. A lot. It is my number 1 stress reliever!

Anywho, Paul also likes baked goods, so, I went on a search for something to make, and came up with this one...

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

 INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tbls. baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup (or more) blueberries, rinsed and drained

Makes 12 muffins

WHAT TO DO

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Mix together oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Stir in milk, egg, oil and vanilla until all ingredients are combined.
Gently fold in blueberries.
Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Enjoy!

These muffins are hearty because of the oats. Have antioxidants because of the blueberries. And, have about 150 calories per muffin.  YAY!

Foodies at Home: Avocado and Feta Salsa

I was looking for a summer dip to serve at a party we had, and came across this one. I have updated this a little from the original recipe I found. It is a HUGE hit in a crowd. It is like guacamole meets salsa... SO GOOD! And fresh. And light.

Ingredients:

2 Plum/Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 Ripe, but not super ripe, Avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped
1/4 of a medium sized Red Onion, diced
1 clove of Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1/2-1 tablespoon of Fresh Oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
2-4 ounces Feta Cheese, crumbled

How to make it:

This couldn't be easier to make.

1. Gently mix the tomatoes, avocado, onion, and garlic in a medium bowl.
2. Gently stir in the cilantro and oregano.
3. Add the olive oil and vinegar and again, gently stir.
4. One more time, gently stir in the feta.
5. Now here is the most important step... TASTE IT... add more olive oil or vinegar or even some salt if needed.
6. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
7. Serve with tortilla chips.

And, that's it.

I have made this dip the night before twice now... and you gotta remember that the avocado will oxidize and turn a bit brown. It still is fine and tastes delicious. But, if that is a concern, then I would make it the day of and give it time to chill rather than making it the day before.

But, trust me. This stuff if amazing! I am already trying to think of excuses to make it again!

Foodies at Home: Italian Cheesecake (Calzone di Ricotta)

Paul and I were planning a nice dinner to celebrate a special occasion, and I agreed to contribute dessert. I had recently had an Italian Cheesecake at a work function, and wanted to try it out. I found this recipe, saw how easy it was, AND saw how light it was and thought I would give it a go. I loved it!

KEEP IN MIND: This is not a traditional cheesecake. The texture will be different than what you are used to. When finding the recipe, there were a lot of negative reviews and you could tell that most of them were expecting something more like a traditional cheesecake. Just wanted to make note of that.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Ricotta Cheese
2 cups Confectioner's Sugar
3 Eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract
1/2 teaspoon Rum or Rum flavored extract (I recommend the real thing if you've got it!)
1 tablespoon grated Lemon Zest
1/4 cup fresh Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon grated Orange Zest

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease and flour one 9" springform (preferred) or cake pan.

1. Mix the ricotta, confectioner's sugar and eggs until well blended.
2. Stir in vanilla, almond extract, rum, lemon and orange zest, and lemon juice.
3. Mix by hand until creamy.
4. Pour into prepared pan.
5. Bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. Until golden brown. This may take a bit longer than 40 minutes. I think mine was more like 50-55 but we know the weather and the temperature in your kitchen can play a big role in how that goes. I baked mine until it wasn't jiggly and had a nice golden color.
6. Cool on wire rack.
7. Serve with fresh berries and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar for an extra special touch.

When I made this the first time, I put it in the refrigerator to chill overnight (since I made it a day ahead). It was still AMAZING, but I think it might have been even better if I had served it fresh from the oven. Cooled, of course, but fresher.

And, you could choose to omit any of the extracts or the citrus. They are simply to flavor it. BUT, I woudl recommend trying it with all of them in there first and then decide what you might want to back off on for the next time for your taste. I LOVED the flavor, but I think it was a little citrus-y for Paul...

But, seriously. This is SO EASY to make and is something fun and different and DELICIOUS!

Foodies at Home: Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pasta

Just made this recently with items from our garden! Very tasty!

Ingredients:

15-20 Cherry Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Salt
Ground Pepper
3-5 cloves of garlic
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Fresh Basil or Basil "Ice Cube" (See below for explanation)
Spiral Pasta (Like Rotini or Cavatappi), cooked and drained
Ricotta

How to make it:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Place the cherry tomatoes on a cooking sheet with high walls (or another oven safe dish).
3) Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper.
4) Roast for 10-15 minutes.
5) Once tomatoes are roasted, heat olive oil in large pan and saute the garlic.
6) Once garlic has started to brown, add in tomatoes and liquid from the pan.
7) Crush the tomatoes with a fork to release their juices.
8) Add in crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
9) Add basil.
10) Let that simmer for a few minutes. No more than 3.
11) Remove from heat and add cooked pasta.
12) Toss with sauce and plate.
13) Garnish with ricotta.
14) ENJOY!

This dish is pretty easy to make and is delicious. Very light but very satisfying. You've got to be ready though. Once you start, it moves pretty quickly, so you need to be on your toes.

Note on Basil "Ice Cubes":
We had an abundance of basil and didn't want it to go to waste. So, we chopped it up and mixed it with some olive oil then put it in an ice cube tray and froze it. When we are making sauces, we can just add an ice cube and the end result is fresh basil! So convenient!

Foodies at Home: Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini with Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

I recently developed this dish with ingredients from friends' and families' gardens! It was DELICIOUS! And, pretty light and healthy as well!

Ingredients:

1 medium sized eggplant
1 small zucchini
6-8 small tomatoes (your choice of variety)
3 cloves garlic
Italian Seasoning or fresh herbs of your choice
Goat cheese

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

1. Peel the eggplant.
2. Cut the eggplant in half, then in half again (four lengthwise slices).
3. Cut the zucchini in 1/4" thick slices.
4. Place eggplant and zucchini on baking sheet and brush with olive oil.
5. Slice the tomatoes and place slice on top of eggplant and zucchini.
6. Brush with a little more olive oil.
7. Mince garlic and place on top of the tomatoes.
8. Sprinkle with herbs.
9. Bake for 15 minutes at 500. Keep a close eye so it doesn't burn.
10. Remove from oven and put goat cheese on top of each slice.
11. Bake for 3-4 more minutes or until goat cheese has browned a touch.
12. Cool for 3 minutes then plate and serve.

I served this dish with thin spaghetti tossed with fresh basil and some parmesan cheese. Didn't want to over flavor the pasta and overpower the dish!

It turned out great! I was really pleased! YUM!

Foodies at Home: Creamy Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese

I first found this recipe on CookingLight.com and was instantly in love. It is very easy to make and really loved how it tasted. Totally a light version of a classic comfort food.

Ingredients:
4 cups uncooked medium elbow macaroni
3 tbls. All-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 1/4 cups fat free milk
1/4 (2 ounces) /1/3-less fat cream cheese
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 cups shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
Garlic salt to taste

How to make it:
1) Cook and drain the pasta.
2) While pasta is cooking, place flour, salt and pepper in large saucepan.
3) Add milk and stir with a whisk until well blended.
4) Drop cream cheese by teaspoonfuls into milk mixture.
5) Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.
6) Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occassionally.
7) Stir in mustard, Worcestershire, and garlic salt.
8) Simmer 1 minute.
9) Remove from heat and add cheddar cheese, stirring until cheese melts.
10) Add pasta and mix until well blended.

Notes:
That's it! That's all it takes to make delicious macaroni and cheese with under 275 calories per serving (6 servings per recipe). Have some fun with it. Try different cheeses (we tried a shredded Mexican blend and it was DELICIOUS) or different pastas (we used rotini one time and I liked it more than the elbow macaronis). An easy version of a classic comfort food!

Foodies at Home: Aunt Jeanne's Strawberry Ice

My Aunt Jeanne made this recipe while we were visiting for Father's Day and I fell in love. It was so good and so refreshing that I decided we needed to make it for a party we were attending.

Ingredients:
2 Quarts Strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Juice of 1 small lemon

How to make it:
1) Wash and hull strawberries.
2) Puree in food processor.
3) Boil and sugar and water together for 5 minutes.
4) Cool.
5) Combine sugar/water mixture with pureed berries.
6) Stir in lemon juice.
7) Freeze in shallow bowl.

When its time to serve it:
1) Thaw slightly.
2) Put about 1/3 of the mixture in the food processor and whip until light and smooth.
3) Repeat with rest of mixture.

Notes:
This is a great addition to a summer get-together. It is light and refreshing and easy to make. We also mixed in a bit of rum for a little added kick.

Foodies at Home: Bowtie Pesto Pasta with Chicken and Goat Cheese

There is not much to this recipe, but it tasted so good and was so easy, I had to share!

Ingredients:
8 oz. bowtie (farfalle) pasta
1- 1 1/2 cup cooked and seasoned chicken
1/4-1/3 cup Classico Pesto (in the jar)
2 oz. goat cheese

How to make it:
1) Cook and drain the pasta.
2) Mix in the chicken and pesto.
3) Sprinkle the top with goat cheese.
4) Serve and enjoy.

Notes:
Seriously, it is that easy to make a super tasty dish. This meal feels like something you would order at a restaurant!

You will see some similarities between this and the previously posted recipe. We stretched the ingredients to make two completely different tasting meals.

We used a store bought rotisserie chicken that we picked from the bones. It works really well for the recipe. Saves you time because you do not have to cook it. And, it actually pretty cheap!

Again, I can not stress enough how easy and delicious this meal is. Try it. I dare ya!

Foodies at Home: Low Calorie Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup Splenda
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup oats

How to prepare:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2) Combine flour and baking soda in a small bowl and set aside
3) In a separate bowl, using a mixer, lightly beat margarine until soft.
4) Add Splenda, brown sugar and peanut butter.
5) Beat until smooth, scraping edges as necessary.
6) Add in egg whites and vanilla and mix well.
7) Slowly beat in flour mixture.
8) Fold in oats using spatula
9) Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. (Cookies do not spread much, so you can place them close together on the sheet)
10) Use a fork to dipped in flour to create the signature "crosshatch" design.
11) Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges turn golden brown.

Yield: About 30 cookies

Notes:
These cookies are really delicious. They are really soft, and stay soft for a few days. They have about 70 calories per cookie. Wow! Super easy to make. I had the ingredients in my cabinets when I found the recipe online.

If you are looking for a sweet treat that won't totally wreck your calorie count for the day... this is a good choice. Just watch out, they are totally addictive.

Foodies at Home: Curry Dijon Chicken and Saffron Rice

Curry Dijon Chicken:

4 bonesless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1.) Mix all the ingredients together.
2.) Place chicken in 8X8 or 9X9 pan and evenly coat it in the marinade.
3.) Allow chicken to marinate for at least 3 hours.
4.) Preheat over to 375 degrees.
5.) Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
6.) Turn chicken and redistribute the marinade.
7.) Bake, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes.
8.) ENJOY!

Saffron Rice:
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch saffron, crumbled
1/2 to 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1/2 small onion, sauteed

1.) Rinse the rice well and drain.
2.) In a medium size saucepan, add the rinsed rice, chicken stock, butter, salt, and saffron.
3.) Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat.
4.) Simmer for 10 minutes.
5.) Add peas and carrots and onion
6.) Recover, and let simmer for 5 to 10 more minutes.
7) Fluff with fork and serve.


Notes:
We LOVE THIS DISH! It is so easy to make and tastes divine. We found the recipe online. I am pretty sure that Paul adds more curry when he makes it. But, this is another one of those recipes that you can tweek to your own tastes. Those two go together so well, too. YUM! We always have these ingredients so we can throw this together any time.

Thought- this would be a good one to throw together at lunch, the chicken part, so it can marinate while you are at work. Then all you have to do when you get home is throw it in the oven and make the rice.

If you like the flavor of curry, then you will love this dish! Make it soon. You won't regret it!

Foodies at Home: Pesto Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
1 pizza crust (in whatever form you want. We used a store bought crust this time.)
1 bag of grilled chicken pieces (found in the deli section)
1 can Classico Basil Pesto
1 package of goat cheese (we used an herbed variety and it was YUMMY!)
Olive oil

How to prepare it:
1) Brush olive oil on the pizza crust. Give it a good coating.
2) Cover the crust with the pesto. We used about 3/4th of the jar.
3) Place the chicken pieces randomly around the pizza.
4) Drop the goat cheese onto the pizza avoiding the chicken pieces. It can be clumpy.
5) Bake according the the crust package or recipe, but keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't overcook.
6) Remove from the oven.
7) Let cool a bit.
8) ENJOY!

Notes:
We had some friends in from out of town and thought we would cook them a meal since we were too poor to go out to eat. So, we racked our brains for something fun, tasty, and not too expensive to make that would please a crowd of differing tastes. So, we opted to make a few pizzas at home. This one, was, BY FAR, the most delicious of the bunch. The flavors all came together really well, it was super easy, and it was fairly inexpensive to make. Plus, it was almost like eating something gourmet with the herbed goat cheese. So good. We will definitely make this again!

And, you can use any pesto that you want. We just like the Classico one because it is pretty cheap (usually around $2.99) and is actually very good.

ENJOY!

Foodies at Home: Southwestern Chicken with Rice

As promised, here is the first installment for the Foodies at Homerecipe exchange!

Ingredients:
2 cans corn
1 can black beans
1 can chili beans
1 jar salsa
6 chicken breasts
Shredded cheese
Rice
(Makes 6ish servings)

How to prepare it:
1) Drain the corn and beans.
2) Mix together corn, beans, and 1/2 of the jar of salsa. Put in the bottom of the crock pot.
3) Lay the chicken breasts on top of the corn/bean/salsa mixture.
4) Cover the chicken breasts with the rest of the salsa.
5) Put the lid on and let cook for 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
6) When the goodness inside the crock pot is almost done, prepare the rice by following the directions on the package.

Plating the meal:
1) Put a bed of rice on the plate.
2) Spoon the crock pot mixture on top of the rice. The chicken should be so tender that it is falling apart.
3) Sprinkle the top with cheese.

Eating the meal:
1) Mix it together.
2) Enjoy.

Notes:
Paul and I just made this for the first time this week. We really enjoyed it, but like things a little spicier. If you are like us, here are some things we are considering for the next time:
1) Marinating the chicken in chipotle sauce before assembling the ingredients.
2) Adding some jalapenos to the mixture.
3) Adding some garlic and salt for a little more flavor.

This was really easy to make and made a lot, so you get a lot for your money. And, it is one of those lovely recipes that you can customize to your tastes and change up every time. I suspect that we will make this often, but will change it up each time.

And, we had leftovers for dinner last night, and it was almost even tastier day 2!

Calorie conscious note:
For those calorie counters, this is really a pretty healthful recipe. Calorie count will certainly vary by the ingredients that you chose, but you can count on the crock pot mixture to be in the 300s, then just add the rice and cheese (or don't) and you have yourself a very satisfying, yummy meal!