Tag: quick

Spicy Ranch Chicken Salad

It’s hot outside! Originally, I was scheduled to post a slow cooker soup recipe this week and then a major heat wave swept over the East Coast. I could not even fathom consuming a bowl of hot soup this week, so instead I opted for something chilled.

Recently, I asked y’all what kind of recipes you wanted to see on the blog and I received a request for easy lunch prep recipes. You ask, and you shall receive! So here it is, Spicy Ranch Chicken Salad.

I discovered this amazing homemade ranch dressing recipe a couple years ago in “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays” cook book, which is authored by Ree Drummond. She is seriously one of my food blogger idols and if any of you are familiar with her Food Network show, you know that she has several variations of ranch dressing. This version is my favorite and I’ve tweaked it a bit by increasing the amount of cayenne pepper in my dressing, so that it’s even spicier. I appreciate spicy foods, but if you don’t you can certainly decrease the amount of cayenne pepper.

My brilliant idea? Use this insanely creamy ranch dressing as the base for chicken salad. The spicy ranch combined with chopped green onions and tender chicken makes for a chicken salad that is loaded with flavor. Disclaimer, I like to load this chicken salad up with ranch so that it is more of a creamy texture opposed to chunky. If you prefer a chunky chicken salad, simply decrease the amount of dressing. However, you might want to taste the ranch first before making that call because its seriously life changing. My favorite thing about this chicken salad is you have so many options as to how to serve it. You can serve it in a wrap, on crackers or over a bed of crisp greens. My favorite way to enjoy this chicken salad is over a bed of crunchy romaine with fresh veggies and some extra ranch dressing. This chicken salad is perfect to meal prep on the weekend and eat throughout the week.

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 Spicy Ranch Chicken Salad
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Instructions
  1. Add approximately ¼ cup of water to the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the boneless chicken breasts in the slow cooker, cover with the lid and set the slow cooker to “low” for 8 hours.
  2. After cooking for 8 hours, remove the chicken breasts from the slow cooker, shred the chicken and set aside to cool.
  3. Rinse and chop your green onions. Set aside.
  4. Press and mince 2 cloves of garlic.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of mayo, 1 cup of sour cream, 1 cup of buttermilk, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp white vinegar, 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp of cayenne pepper, and the minced garlic. Whisk together until completely combined. I like to reserve half of the dressing, so I have a little extra to drizzle over greens. Pour approximately half of the mixture into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days.
  6. Once the shredded chicken has cooled, add it into the large mixing bowl with the remaining dressing and stir to combine. This will make an extremely creamy chicken salad, almost like a spread. If you prefer a chunkier chicken salad, just simply mix in less dressing. Mix in chopped green onions to taste and spoon into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Low-Carb Coconut Flour Sausage Cheese Balls

I hope that everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving! I sure did! Derek and I spent the day with our families and dined on some scrumptious holiday foods. Although everything was delicious, I definitely over indulged. I am carbed out! Between the corn bread dressing, corn casserole, rolls, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and apple pie, I most definitely had my fair share of carbs.

Derek and I on Thanksgiving

I’m ready to detox this week. Lot’s of veggies and protein in my future! I have some low-carb recipes planned for this week, one of them being this recipe for Coconut Flour Sausage Cheese Balls. In the last year, I have been working on leading a healthier lifestyle. I’ve been exercising a couple times a week, cut back on junk food and as a result, I lost 25 lbs.

It’s so easy to feel like eating healthy is impossible, especially when you are juggling so many different things. The key to success is to plan ahead and meal prep as much as possible. These sausage cheese balls are perfect to meal prep on the weekend and stick in the freezer, so that you have an easy breakfast you can eat on the go during the week.

There are several variations of this recipe online. After trying other recipes, I found that many recipes call for too much coconut flour, which dries out the sausage cheese ball. I’ve decreased the amount of coconut flour in this recipe, leaving you with an extra meaty, cheesy and savory sausage cheese ball.

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 Low-Carb Coconut Flour Sausage Cheese Balls
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Cuisine Low-carb
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings
sausage cheese balls
Ingredients
Cuisine Low-carb
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Servings
sausage cheese balls
Ingredients
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Soften butter and 4 oz of cream cheese (not low fat) in a microwave safe bowl.
  3. In a large mixing bowl (I use my stand mixer), combine 1 lb of breakfast sausage, 8 oz of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 2 large eggs, 4 oz of softened cream cheese (not low fat), 2 tbsp of butter, ¼ cup of coconut flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, ¼ tsp of salt and a ¼ tsp of black pepper.
  4. Roll the mixture into small balls, approximately 2 inches in size. Place sausage cheese balls on baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool. Store in the fridge or freezer in an air tight container. To reheat, pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds or until warm.