Cheesy Couscous-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Creamy Salsa Sauce | Sargento Cheese

I'm going to be completely honest and say that competition shows are not my favorite part of Food Network. I find them slightly irritating and can only watch a few minutes at a time before I'm over it. If I want to watch people scramble down grocery store aisles, I'll head to Costco on a Sunday morning.

BUT... there is something about the show Chopped that sucks me in every time. Maybe it's the anticipation of what will be lurking in the mystery basket. Perhaps it's the way the judges deflate the egos of some of the overly-confident chefs that strut in from their top-notch kitchens. I don't know what it is, but I find myself glued to the edge of my seat when I come across an episode.

Will someone lose a finger? How will they use those goat brains in the dessert round?? ARE THEY GOING TO FINISH IN TIME?!

I can get myself pretty worked up, short of yelling at the television screen like I'm watching a high-stakes football game.

I'm almost certain I'd have a meltdown in the Chopped kitchen and find myself in the corner by the ice cream maker curled up in the fetal position while Scott Conant sneers at me from his seat. Something about red onions, he's yelling... :::shudders:::

Anyway, I always thought it would be sort of fun to try my hand at a Chopped-style cooking project... but in the safety of my kitchen. And wouldn't you know it? Sargento® is hosting a friendly little competition called "Chopped at Home", where they're asking you to get creative with their Off the Block Shredded Cheese and come up with a dish worthy of the grand $10,000 prize!

The recipe must contain these items from the "Mystery Basket":

-Sargento® Off the Block 4 Cheese Mexican
-Boneless chicken tenders
-Couscous
-Salsa

Armed with the required ingredients, I headed to the kitchen and came up with this: Mexican Style Couscous-Crusted Chicken Tenders with a Creamy Salsa Sauce.  And believe it or not, they were quite delicious! 

Tossed together with Sargento Off the Block 4 Cheese Mexican, couscous makes a unique coating on these seasoned tenders. The  Though they're flavorful enough on their own, I used the salsa to create a creamy, tangy dipping sauce made with plain yogurt. The best part of this meal might just be the quick prep and easy cleanup -- fabulous when the clock is running out or on any busy weeknight!

So... what would you make with these 4 ingredients? I'm dying to know!

Give it a shot and submit your entries over at the Chopped at Home Challenge page, and you might just find yourself with an extra $10,000 in your pocket!

Meanwhile, make sure to try out my dish... I hope it's one for the dinner table and not the "chopping block!" ;)

Cheesy Couscous-Crusted Chicken Tenders with Creamy Salsa Sauce

For tenders:

1/3 cup cooked couscous {follow package directions}, cooled
1/3 cup Sargento Off the Block 4 Cheese Mexican Shredded Cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
 1 package boneless chicken tenders
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

For Creamy Salsa Sauce:

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt {Greek-style, if you'd like a thicker sauce}
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup favorite store-bought salsa


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare 2 baking pans by covering with foil and spraying one with non-stick spray. Set aside.

2. On the unsprayed pan, toss together cooked couscous, 1 tablespoon of cilantro and shredded cheese until uniformly mixed. Set aside.

3. Season chicken tenders with salt, onion powder & cumin. With tongs, place each chicken tender in the couscous mixture and roll around until fully coated. This may take a little bit of pressing to adhere the mixture. Place coated tenders on sprayed baking pan. Repeat until all tenders are coated.

4. Bake tenders for 18-20 minutes or until cooked through. The coating should start to become golden in some parts.

5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise and salsa. Pour into a serving bowl and serve along side hot chicken tenders.

A side salad or avocado & tomato salad would make this a great meal!

Product Info: Available in 30 versatile varieties, unique blends and distinct cuts, Sargento Shredded Cheese is always cut from blocks of 100% real, natural cheese. For more inspiration, check out the Sargento Pinterest page Pinterest.com/sargentocheese/ or visit Sargento.com for more information. The Chopped at Home Challenge gives viewers a chance to create their best recipe using the selected basket ingredients, including Sargento Shredded Cheese, for a chance to win $10,000!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sargento. The opinions and text are all mine.

Grilled Watermelon Salsa with Spicy Lime Tortilla Chips

Our weekends seem to be going by in a blur these days. We've been spending a lot of time running all over the place preparing for Steve's move to his brand new office.

On the positive side, I have his credit card number at my diposal because I am in charge of accessory & furniture shopping. {There's a sale on a stainless steel double oven, you say?? I'm there! In my dreams... } ;)

Because of all this running about, we've been very relaxed about doing chores and running errands for our own space, which means that I finally had to stop the madness and play catch up on deep cleaning and grocery shopping yesterday... After an 8 hour day of scouring about a dozen stores for things like shelving, special brackets & screws, and other items that make me want to fall asleep with my eyes open. {Boy, am I excited about buying the pretty stuff.}

Between the errand running for the office and making sure we don't slip into a Hoarders: Buried Alive level of disorganization at home, we were beat by yesterday afternoon. As in, "let's just eat whatever takes the least amount of effort" tired.

Except, when it comes to food, I always seem to be able to dig deep for a little extra energy and chanel my inner Energizer Bunny. {Why I can't do the same for working out, I'll never know.}

And that's how we wound up with Grilled Watermelon Salsa with Spicy Lime Tortilla Chips to snack on.

Truth be told, it didn't take that much more effort than any other dish I might've considered making. The extra step of turning on the grill to char the watermelon slices hardly bothered me because I was intrigued by the thought of it. In the end, it was a nice snack to munch on while we vegged out and wound down from a busy weekend.

I love adding fruit to salsa. The sweet/spicy/savory combo that results is perfect for adding an interesting twist to an otherwise standard snack. Adding watermelon, a staple at many summertime gatherings, is a fun way to incorporate an old standby. This recipe would be great for a party, cookout, or even a night in.

We still have some work ahead of us in the next few weeks as we finish up the office, but it's good to know that no matter how exhausted I am at the end of the day, our meal times won't suffer. ;)

How did you spend your weekend? Did you make anything good {tired or not}?

Grilled Watermelon Salsa with Spicy Lime Tortilla Chips
Adapted from Fine Cooking

5-6 watermelon slices {1/2 inch thick}, enough to make about 2 cups when cut away from rind
Olive oil
Cayenne pepper
Sea salt
1/2 a medium shallot, roughly chopped
1/2 a jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 a cucumber, seeded and roughly chopped
2 medium roma or plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Zest & juice of 1/2 a lime {zest set aside}
8 corn tortillas

Heat grill {or grill pan} to medium-high heat.

Using a Misto oil sprayer or a brush dipped in olive oil, lightly coat watermelon slices {front and back} with oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cayenne to taste.

Place watermelon slices on grill, about 1-2 minute per side until light grill marks are visible. Remove and set aside to cool.

When watermelon is cool enough to handle, cut flesh from rind and cut into chunks.

In the bowl of a blender or food processor, add grilled watermelon, shallot, jalapeno, cucumber, tomato, cilantro, and lime juice.

Pulse until slightly processed and combined, but still chunky.

Pour into a medium bowl and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. {You can eat it right away, too, but the flavors develop when you let them sit and get cold.}

Serve with Spicy Lime Tortilla Chips.


For Tortilla Chips:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover a large sheet pan with foil and set aside.

Spray {or brush} front and back of tortillas lightly with olive oil. Cut tortillas into 6 wedges each. Spread out onto sheet pan {try not to stack so each gets crispy}. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crisp and lightly golden.

In a small bowl combine about 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt with about 1 teaspoon lime zest and 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Rub together with fingers to infuse salt with lime oils. Set aside.

When tortilla chips are done, remove from oven and sprinkle with spicy lime salt.

Tandoori Marinated Tilapia with Mango Salsa

I've mentioned before that Steve isn't very picky about many food related things. {Read: He will eat just about anything. Happily.}

However, after watching an episode of Dirty Jobs a while back that highlighted the fish farming industry, he's had a thing against tilapia. Mostly because he learned that they are bottom feeders that basically eat poop. {Thanks a lot, Mike Rowe. I'm pretty sure you just killed a few small tilapia farms across the nation.}

Silly boy.

For whatever reason, this little tidbit of information doesn't bother me much. Partly because I'm all for knowing where my food comes from, {No, that chicken did not just magically appear plucked and ready to cook in a tidy little plastic package}, but also because in my head fish poop isn't very "dirty", and if eating it floats tilapias' boat, then I say go for it.

Does that even make sense? Maybe I should stop using the word "poop"on a food blog? ;)

Anyway {if you're still reading after all that potty talk. Ha!}, I have been bound and determined to turn Steve into a tilapia eater ever since he stubbornly declared that we would no longer be cooking it in our home.

I could have just made it for him and lied about what it was, I doubt he would know the difference, but deception is no way to go, even when it's just getting someone to eat something they don't think they like. {With the exception of feeding children. Sometimes lying to them is necessary for everyone's sanity.}

So, instead of blatantly fibbing, I decided to try to make the tastiest version of tilapia I could come up with so that Steve would see that - poop eaters or not - they can make a lovely meal.

I succeeded.

The spice blend and yogurt marinade give the tilapia an exotic flavor, and the mango salsa adds just the right amount of sweetness and zing.

I think tilapia will be making more appearances at our dinner table from now on. And hopefully it's lost its "dirty" reputation in Steve's mind.


Tandoori Marinated Tilapia with Mango Salsa
Slightly adapted from A Decade of Cooking The Coscto Way cookbook

4 tilapia fillets
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala {I made my own blend, but you can buy it at the store, too}
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons butter

Place fish in a medium glass dish. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, chili powder, garam masala, ginger, cayenne, garlic, and salt until well blended. Cover fish fillets with yogurt marinade. Cover dish in plastic wrap, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Remove fish from marinate and shake off any excess. Place fish in skillet and saute for about 5 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes easily.

Serve topped with Mango Salsa.

Mango Salsa
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 kiwi, peeled and diced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/3 cup hearts of palm, diced
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
Juice of 1 lime
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate for an hour to allow flavors to come together.

Spring Cleaning

Saturday afternoon I spent forever some time sitting cross-legged in my garage going through boxes that I've been putting off sorting through for years. {Check out TKP's Facebook page to see a picture of how I lured the husband into helping...}

Organizing and spring cleaning takes me forever and a day because I tend to start reminiscing as I go through each piece. {Not to mention, it starts to bring out hoarding tendencies that I never even knew I had.}

So, after hours of sifting through "vintage finds", I called it a day and retreated to the comfort of my couch where I rewarded myself with browsing hundreds of posts that have been accumulating in my Google Reader, and pinning about a bajillion things that I'm dying to try.

Oddly enough, the recipe I'm sharing with you isn't one of those, but rather, it's inspired by one I found in an old {Circa 2001} Weight Watchers magazine I found in a box that hadn't been opened for about 7 years.

Guess all that sifting was worth it after all.

This particular magazine was not exactly filled with gems {I'm not a huge fan of recipes that start with "Open 1 bag of instant mashed potatoes."...}, but I did flip through and find a few recipes that looked interesting or could be modified to fit my personal meal ideals.

This recipe was originally "Bean-Goat Cheese Tostadas with Tomato Mango Salsa". But guess what? The hubs and I spend our Sunday kayaking in the gorgeous sunshine instead of tending to errands such as grocery shopping, so we didn't have a mango on hand. We did, however, have some nectarines that have been hanging around waiting to be used or eaten... problem solved.

So, I present to you... Pinto Bean & Goat Cheese Tostadas topped with Nectarine Salsa. An eclectic combo, I know, but fantastically good!

Don't be scared, that's just a nectarine!

If garage cleaning can inspire such yummy things, I may just have to start doing it more often. :)

Pinto Bean & Goat Cheese Tostadas
Inspired by Weight Watchers Magazine - Down to Earth

5-6 corn tortillas
non-stick cooking spray
1 can pinto beans, rinsed & drained
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 lime {juice divided}
goat cheese {or, if you're not a fan, your favorite crumbly cheese. Queso fresco maybe?}


Nectarine Salsa

1-2 nectarines, pitted & diced
2 small plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 {approx}of a white onion, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon honey
juice from half a lime
sea salt

For Tostadas:

Prehead oven to 350 degrees. On a large sheet pan, spread out corn tortillas so that they are not overlapping. Give them a light spray with cooking spray, or alternately, bruch lightly with a coat of olive oil. Bake until lightly golden and edges begin to get wavy, 10-12 minutes. {But keep an eye on them just in case.} Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. {They'll get crunchier during this time.}

Meanwhile, place rinsed pinto beans in a medium bowl. Add chili powder, cumin, coriander, and the juice from half a lime. Mash with a fork until desired consistency is reached. Set aside.

For Salsa:

In another bowl, combine diced nectarine, tomatoes, white onion, cilantro, honey, a sprinkle of sea salt and juice from the remaining half of a lime. Combine well.

To assemble:

Spread a few tablespoons of pinto bean mixture onto each tostada. {You may want to heat up the beans for a minute in the microwave if you prefer them warm.} Top with nectarine salsa, and sprinkle with goat cheese.

Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired.

Pineapple Week: A Juicy Appetizer

I don't know about you, but I love chips and salsa. Except I'm a little bit of a salsa snob. I am convinced this snobbiness developed when I was living in Texas and had access to some amazing Mexican food. {I am also snooty when it comes to margaritas.}

In my opinion, one of the key characteristics that all yummy salsas have in common is freshness. On occasion {and in desperate circumstances} I will succumb to jarred salsa, though I am almost always left disappointed when I do. And really, there's just no reason to go for the jarred stuff. Salsa is so easy to make on your own {and much healthier too without those icky preservatives}.

In sticking with this week's pineapple theme, I've decided to share a recipe for Fresh Pineapple Salsa that shows up pretty frequently around our place. My husband can destroy a large container of this stuff; it is truly a sight to behold. I can understand why. It's fresh, juicy, and a guilt free snack {except for the million tortilla chips you'll probably use to scoop it up with. Those aren't so guilt free, so choose wisely. ;) }

You know what else is cool about this salsa? It goes really well on top of grilled fish, especially Mahi. Or as a nice topping for tacos. Or, heck, you can just eat it by the spoonful if you prefer.

I'm giving you the basic rundown of the recipe I use, but feel free to add in any other things that you think would be tasty, such as chopped jalapenos if you like some heat or fresh corn. No matter what you add to it, I can guarantee you'll never go back to the stuff in the jar again!

Fresh Pineapple Salsa
a Kitchen Prep original recipe

You'll Need:

2-3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cup pineapple, diced
1/2 medium white or red onion {whichever you prefer}, diced
1 lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Add diced tomatoes, diced pineapple, diced onion, and chopped cilantro to a medium bowl. Mix to combine.

2. Juice 1 lime over the mixture.

3. Add a pinch of sea salt. Mix to combine.

4. Serve with tortilla chips, on top of fresh fish, or as a taco topper. Enjoy!