Dipping Oil

Back in Massachusetts, there's a restaurant chain called Bertucci's and their food is delicious. Lucky for me, there's one right next to the bridal store I purchased from when I got married. So every time we had to go there (picking out my dress, picking out bridesmaid dresses, alterations, etc.) we would eat at Bertucci's! The best part of going there is the freshly made rolls with their amazing dipping oil. I decided to try to recreate it. I have to say, mine might actually be even better. How do ya like that?! haha

Dipping Oil
Makes: 4 servings

2 cloves garlic
1 tsp fresh basil
1 tsp fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp grated Parmesan
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt

  

• Mince the garlic, then crush it with the side of your knife until you have a fine paste. If you're not sure what I mean by this, check out this video.
• Mince the basil, parsley, thyme, and rosemary.
• Combine the garlic, herbs, pepper flakes, Parmesan, olive oil, and salt.
• Serve with sliced crusty bread or rolls for dipping.

Have some extra dipping oil left over? Toss it with some hot pasta and top with diced tomatoes!

...or you can use it as a marinade for chicken, seafood, or vegetables!

"Un-fried" Squash

As I mentioned in my Fried Squash post, southerners love their fried squash. It can be breaded or battered. But... since we're trying to be healthy here, I decided to try an un-fried version! I think it tastes just as good as the fried version! In fact, it was so good I didn't feel like it needed any kind of dipping sauce. It was delicious on its own.

"Un-fried" Squash

Makes: 4 servings

2 summer squash

1/2 cup canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried Italian herbs

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp sea salt

• Rinse the summer squash and pat them dry. Cut the squash into 1/2" circles. Set aside.
• Make the marinade by mixing together the canola oil, garlic, herbs, pepper flakes, and salt.
• Add the squash and marinade to a gallon size plastic bag, then toss to coat the squash. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Remove the squash from the marinade and grill on high for 2 minutes per side.
• Serve as an appetizer or as a side dish.

Three Olive Tapenade

I just love olives. They're so salty and pungent. Yum! Olive tapenade is the perfect snack for olive lovers. It's a mix of finely chopped olives with some other yummy flavorings. For this particular recipe, I kept it pretty simple because I wanted the olives to be the star of the show. But I've seen some other recipes that include capers, anchovies, or roasted red peppers. Feel free to play around with it and add your own spin!

Three Olive Tapenade
Makes: 8 servings

1 1/2 cups black olives
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup green olives with pimiento
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

• Combine all of the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped.
• If you prefer a smoother texture, continue to puree for 2 minutes, periodically scraping down the sides.
• Serve at room temperature or cold.
• Serve on crostini (toasted bread rubbed with garlic) or with veggies. You can even spread it on some chicken breast then bake in the oven!

Taiwanese Pepper Chicken

A Chinese buffet opened up recently near us. I love buffets especially when it comes to Chinese food. I always want a little bit of everything. But most Chinese food restaurants serve their dishes in family style platters. So we end up ordering around 5 different dishes and then come home with enough left-overs to feed a seven nation army. Anyhow, we decided to try out the new buffet on father's day and we ended up trying a new dish we had never had before: pepper chicken. We loved it so much, I knew I had to come home and try to recreate it. Well, after a few weeks, I had actually forgotten all about it. Then, like a sign from the universe, I stumbled across a recipe for Taiwanese salt and pepper pork while I was browsing the Food board on Reddit. The recipe looked really similar to the chicken we had so I used it as inspiration for this chicken dish. I should note that the dish we had at the restaurant had green bell peppers in it. I didn't happen to have any bell peppers when I made this. But I did have some jalapeño peppers from my garden and, since this family has a pathological love of all things spicy, I thought it would make a decent substitute!

Taiwanese Pepper Chicken
Makes: 4 servings

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp corn starch
2 tsp cracked black pepper, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chili pepper, sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, sliced
canola oil for frying

  

• Fill a stainless steel pan with 1" of oil. Preheat oil over medium-medium-high heat.
• Cut the chicken breasts into 1" cubes.
• Mix together the egg, soy sauce, and 1 tsp of the cracked pepper.
• Toss the chicken in the egg mixture.
• Add the flour and corn starch. Toss to coat.
• Fry the chicken in the oil for about 3 - 4 minutes until it is golden brown and cooked through. You'll probably need to do this in two batches so you don't overcrowd the pan.

• Remove the chicken from the oil and set aside.
• Allow the oil to cool and then transfer it to a holding container so that you can dispose of it later. Reserve about 2 tbsp of the oil in the pan.
• In the reserved oil, saute the garlic and peppers until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add the remaining 1 tsp of cracked pepper.

• Toss the chicken in the garlic and pepper mixture. Serve with rice and vegetables.

Note: if you don't have an electric spice grinder (I don't!) then it will take you an incredible amount of time to grind up the amount of black pepper needed for this recipe. You're definitely going to feel the burn in your arms. But... it's worth it! I promise!

Spinach Sauté

This recipe is pretty similar to my Spinach and Mushrooms recipe from a couple months ago. But I added a little flair to it with some red pepper so I figured it deserves its own post. Plus spinach is in peak season right now so you can never have too many spinach recipes!

Spinach Sauté
Makes: 4 servings

8 oz mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, very thinly sliced
1 red pepper, 1/2" dice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter or margarine (I used Smart Balance)
4 big handfuls of baby spinach
pinch of sea salt

• Rinse the mushrooms well, cut off the stems, then cut them into thin slices.
• Over medium heat, saute the mushrooms, garlic, onions, and peppers in the olive oil and butter. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the mixture. The mushrooms will release quite a bit of liquid. The liquid will eventually evaporate. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are a light golden brown and the onion and pepper are soft. Total cooking time will take about 12 - 15 minutes.
• Add the spinach to the mushroom mixture, sprinkle another pinch of sea salt on the spinach. Cook until the spinach is just wilted, about one minute.

This is a great side dish for dinner or toss in some sliced grilled chicken for a filling lunch!

Bruschetta

At this point, I think everyone has heard of bruschetta. It's one of those foods that has really picked up in popularity over the last decade or so. In its simplest form, bruschetta is made of diced tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, olive oil, and salt. That's it. You might see some folks make it their own by adding something special like red wine vinegar, scallions, or something else. But sometimes I really like the classic. Just very basic - and delicious - flavors.

Bruschetta is usually served on top of crostini. That's just a piece of toasted bread, usually with some garlic rubbed on there. Crostini can be served with all kinds of great toppings including bruschetta, olive tapanade, or other meats, cheeses, and vegetables.

 Bruschetta
Makes: 4 servings

4 ripe tomatoes, cut into a 1/2" dice
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt

Crostini:
1 baguette, ciabatta, or other crusty bread
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic

• Make the crostini by slicing the bread on a bias (that means at an angle). Toast the bread pieces either on a grill or under a broiler.
• Remove the bread from the heat, immediately rub each piece with the garlic while the bread is still hot. Then brush with a small amount of the olive oil.
• Now make the bruschetta. Mix together the tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, and salt.
• Serve the bruschetta on the crostini pieces right before serving. If you do this too early, the bread with get soggy.

Some people like to serve their bruschetta with a little sprinkle of shredded parmesan or asiago cheese. I'm a firm believer that not everything can be improved with the addition of cheese. I think this recipe is just the right balance of flavors as is. That being said, if you're a cheese fiend, go ahead and sprinkle some on there.

Bruschetta can also be used to top a piece of grilled chicken or fish or even mixed in with some hot pasta. Go ahead and get creative!

I was so excited to use the fresh tomatoes and basil from my container garden in this recipe. It stinks living in an apartment sometimes but I won't let that stop me from growing fresh veggies!

Baba Ganoush

I made some grilled egg plant for dinner which turned out really yummy. But I had a bunch left over and I wasn't really sure what to do with it. After some thought, I settled on Baba Ganoush. This is another yummy treat that I learned how to make when I was working at the country club. It's a dip made from roasted egg plant, garlic, and sesame tahini and it is delicious! If you love hummus, you will probably love this too!

I'll give you the instructions for how to make this with grilled eggplant since that's what I had on hand. But if you don't want to go through the extra work of grilling it, you can just cut the egg plant in half and roast it in the oven until it is golden brown and soft then scoop out the soft center.

Baba Ganoush
Makes: 4 servings

1 large eggplant
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 cup sesame tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt

• Wash the eggplant then slice it into 1/2" slices all the way down.
• Make the marinade by mixing together the oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
• In a plastic bag, toss together the eggplant with the marinade. Allow the eggplant to soak for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
• Preheat the grill on high. Once hot, place the slices on the grill and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes per side.
• Place the eggplant slices in a food processor and puree. The mixture will seem a little lumpy. Add the sesame tahini and lemon juice and continue to puree; the mixture smooth out.
• Taste the dip and add salt as needed.
• Serve with naan bread, pita bread, veggies, or anything else you could possibly dip in there! This can be served hot, room temperature, or cold.

In case you've never used sesame tahini before, this is what it looks like. It comes in a jar and it's pretty runny stuff; it's a pour-able liquid. You can find it in the Asian section of almost any grocery store. Tahini is a great ingredient to keep on hand. You can use it in marinades, salad dressings, and all kinds of dips.

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Garlic Hummus

Since I made a really great homemade version of Chiavetta's marinade, I put it to good use by grilling up some chicken for dinner. I turned it into sandwiches with roasted garlic hummus spread on some French bread. It was a really nice, light dinner.

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Garlic Hummus
Makes: 4 servings

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup garlic & vinegar marinade
1 French baguette
1/2 cup roasted garlic hummus
sandwich toppings

• Cut the chicken breasts in half length-wise so that you have four, thinner pieces of chicken.
• Place them in a plastic bag along with the marinade and let it sit for at least 30 minutes, up to four hours.
• Grill the chicken on high for four to five minutes per side until thoroughly cooked.
• Cut the baguette into four pieces, then slice each piece in half for sandwiches.
• Toast the bread on the grill.
• Spread about two tablespoons of hummus on the bottom half of each piece of baguette. Top with a piece of grilled chicken. Finish it off with toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onions, etc.

Garlic & Vinegar Marinade

Matt and I have some friends here in Charlotte who are originally from the Buffalo, NY area. Whenever they go home on vacation, they bring us back some Chiavetta's marinade. It's made from cider vinegar, garlic, and a whole bunch of other goodies. Instead of waiting for another bottle of Chiavetta's, I decided to try to make my own. I think I came pretty close! I know it may sound a little weird that it's primarily made from vinegar, but it's really delicious. I promise!

Garlic & Vinegar Marinade
Makes: 8 servings

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp corn starch
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
1 tsp onion powder

• In a small sauce pan, combine the water, soy sauce, and corn starch. Whisk together.
• Cook over medium-high heat until it bubbles and starts to thicken. Remove from the heat.
• Add the vinegar, garlic, black pepper, and onion powder. Stir until combined.
• Transfer to a mason jar or other glass container. Allow to cool in the refrigerator.
• Left-overs can be stored for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Since this is a vinegar based marinade, you don't want to leave the meat in there for more than about 4 hours. Anything longer will start to break the meat down and make it mushy. This goes great on boneless chicken breast, chicken on the bone such as thighs or leg quarters,  pork chops, or pork tenderloin. This recipe makes enough to marinate about eight pieces of chicken.

Spinach & Mushrooms

As promised, I'm trying to get as much use as I can out of the wonderful spring fruits and vegetables. I just love spinach, especially baby spinach. This is a quick, simple vegetable side dish with a ton of flavor. This might even be the one that gets your kids to eat spinach!!

Spinach & Mushrooms
Makes: 4 servings

8 oz mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter or margarine (I used Smart Balance)
4 big handfuls of baby spinach
pinch of sea salt

• Rinse the mushrooms well, cut off the stems, then cut them into thin slices.
• Over medium heat, saute the mushrooms and garlic in the olive oil and butter. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over the mushrooms. The mushrooms will release quite a bit of liquid. The liquid will eventually evaporate. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are a light golden brown. Total cooking time will take about 12 - 15 minutes.
• Add the spinach to the mushrooms, sprinkle another pinch of sea salt on the spinach. Cook until the spinach is just wilted, about one minute.
• This makes a nice bed for a piece of grilled chicken or steak!

Homemade Alfredo

Inevitably, whenever someone finds out that I "know how to cook," they will ask me how to make Alfredo sauce. I'm surprised by this one because it's actually one of the easiest sauces you could possibly make. I've seen some people make it (incorrectly) with a flour based bechamel (white sauce), but that's technically a mornay (bechamel with cheese added to it). Alfredo sauce is even simpler than that!

Homemade Alfredo

Makes: 8 servings

1 tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups (16 oz) heavy cream

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the shallot and garlic in olive oil until they are fragrant and become soft, about 2 minutes. It's important to make this in a skillet because it has more surface area which will help to reduce the cream once you add it.
• Add the heavy cream to the pan and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the cream starts to bubble, continue cooking until it has thickened slightly and sticks to the back of a spoon (this is called "reducing the sauce"), about five minutes.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese until they are melted. Technically mozzarella isn't traditionally included in Alfredo, but it just helps the sauce stay nice and smooth.
• Toss hot cooked pasta (fettuccine, linguine, penne, etc) into the same pan with the sauce and stir to coat.

Lola approves!

Variations (you know I love variations!)

Pasta Primavera - add sauteed zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, mushrooms, and grape tomatoes to the finished pasta and sauce.

Cajun Shrimp Pasta - season shrimp with blackened seasoning, saute over medium heat until thoroughly cooked. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Using the same pan, make the Alfredo sauce. Toss the pasta and shrimp with the finished sauce. (This could also be made with chicken instead of shrimp).

Chicken & Broccoli Pasta - add steamed broccoli and grilled chicken that has been cut into strips to the finished pasta and sauce.

Spinach & Artichoke Alfredo - add steamed chopped spinach and diced artichokes to the finished pasta and sauce.

The possibilities are endless!

Bacon Cream Cheese Bites

I had some phyllo dough left over from my post about Spanakopita so I thought I would put it to good use. Phyllo is a traditional Greek pastry dough that is super thin, even thinner than paper. It folds really nicely into triangles and makes a great party appetizer. You can stuff pretty much anything in there as long as it doesn't have too much moisture. I think bacon and cream cheese fit the bill, don't you? ;-)

Bacon Cream Cheese Bites
Makes: 24 triangles

1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, chopped
4 oz (1/2 brick) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Pinch of salt
8 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
1 tbsp butter, melted

• In a skilled over medium-medium-high heat, brown the bacon until it is crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Reserve one tablespoon of the drippings.
• In the same pan, cook the onions and garlic in the bacon drippings over medium-low heat until the onions are soft but not brown, about five to six minutes.
• In a stand mixer, or with an electric hand mixer, on medium whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy, about two minutes.
• Add the bacon, onion mixture, scallions, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, and salt. Continue to beat on medium until well mixed, about 30 seconds. Set the mixture aside.
• Brush a large baking sheet with the melted butter.
• Now you'll need to assemble the triangles. If you read the next few steps and you have no idea what I'm talking about, see my post about Spanakopita which includes photos.
• Take one sheet of phyllo dough, use a barely damp paper towel to cover the rest so they don't dry out.
• Cut the phyllo dough into thirds length-wise with a pizza cutter.
• Place a small spoonful of the filling at the top and off to the right of one of the strips.
• Now you'll need to start folding. You fold these like you would a flag. Grab the upper left corner and fold it down to the right so that you form a triangle at the top.
• Now take the top right corner and fold it straight down.
• Take the top right corner again and fold it down and over to the left.
• Take the top left corner and fold it straight down.
• Repeat until you get to the end and have a perfect triangle. Place it on the buttered baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo dough and filling.
• If you're making these a day ahead, you can stop at this step, cover it up with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it. Then place it in the oven the next day about an hour before you're ready to serve.
• Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes.

A few tips:

If you haven't invested in a spatter screen yet, I highly suggest it. They're relatively cheap and will save you from getting popped when you fry stuff such as bacon.

If you're not sure what to do with the rest of the bacon drippings, here's what I do. I line a bowl with aluminum foil then pour the drippings in. Once the drippings are cool, fold it up and chuck it in the trash!

Spanakopita (Spinach Pie)

Spanakopita is a traditional Greek snack. The name translates to spinach pie in English. It's made out of layers of delicate flaky phyllo dough and a filling made out of spinach, feta, onions, and egg. Sometimes it is made as one large pie and then individual servings are cut. It can also be made into little individual servings by folding the phyllo dough into little triangles. I prefer the latter preparation. It looks really nice and it makes for great little finger food when you're hosting a special occasion.

Spanakopita
Makes: 30 triangles

10 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
4 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
18 oz (2 boxes) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
pinch of salt
1 tbsp butter, melted

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic, scallions, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 - 6 minutes until the onions are soft but not brown.
• Transfer the onion mixture to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
• Take the thawed spinach and grab a small handful. Squeeze most of the moisture out of the spinach and then place it in the mixing bowl with the onion mixture. Repeat with the remaining spinach. This step sounds a little gross but it's very necessary. You'll be surprised how much liquid comes out and that liquid will make the spanakopita soggy if you skip this step.
• Add the feta and Parmesan cheese to the spinach and onion mixture. Mix it all together. Taste the mixture to make sure it doesn't need any salt. Add some if necessary.
• Once the seasoning has been adjusted, add the beaten egg to the spinach mixture.
• Now that the filling is done, you can start assembling the triangles. This is the most time consuming part of making these. First, open your package of phyllo dough. Wet a paper towel then wring it out as much as you possibly can. You want it just barely wet. Use the damp paper towel to cover the rest of the phyllo dough while you're working with a sheet. This will prevent the dough from drying out and cracking.
• Brush a baking sheet with the melted butter. Set aside.
• Take one sheet of phyllo dough and cut it into thirds length-wise with a pizza cutter.

• Place a small spoonful of filling at the top and off to the right of one of the strips.

• Now you'll need to start folding. You fold these like you would a flag. I'll explain. Grab the upper left corner and fold it down to the right so that you form a triangle at the top.

• Now take the top right corner and fold it straight down.

• Take the top right corner again and fold it down and over to the left.

• Take the top left corner and fold it straight down.

• Repeat until you get to the end and have a perfect triangle. Place it on the buttered baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo dough and filling.

• If you're making these a day ahead, you can stop at this step, cover it up with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it. Then place it in the oven the next day about an hour before you're ready to serve.
• Bake at 350° F for 45 minutes. The tops will start to brown pretty quickly. But don't worry, they won't burn, I promise.
• These are great served hot out of the oven or cooled to room temperature.

Collard Greens

Hi, Frank!

Collard greens are definitely a Southern staple. I had heard of them before we moved here, but only because we feed them to our iguana, Frank. So it took me a while to think of them as people food and not just iguana food. But I've definitely gotten over that mental block by now and I love collard greens! They are so yummy.

Collard Greens
Makes: 6 servings

2 cups water
1 ham hock (or leftover ham bone from a ham dinner)
1 large head of collard greens
1/2 cup finely chopped ham
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
malt vinegar

• Tear all of the collard leaves apart and thoroughly wash each of them individually. This will take some time and effort but it's necessary because collards tend to have a lot of dirt on them, even when they're pre-washed.
• Once the collards are clean, cut the stem out of the center of each leaf and then chop it up into large 2" x 2" pieces. Set aside.
• Place the ham hock or ham bone in the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering for one hour.
• Remove the ham bone and set the broth aside.
• In a large soup pot over medium low heat, saute the garlic in the olive oil.
• Once the garlic is cooked, add the ham broth to the pan along with the chopped ham. Bring the broth to a boil.
• Add the collard greens in batches until you can get all of it in the pan. Toss the collards with a pair of tongs until all of it is coated with the ham broth.
• Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and continue to cook for 30 minutes until the collard greens are soft.
• Serve the collard greens with a splash of malt vinegar.

Surprisingly, these freeze really well. So if you're a family of three (like us!) then you can serve half and freeze the other half for later!

Pimento Cheese

I had never heard of pimento cheese until I moved to Charlotte. This is definitely a Southern classic and everyone has their own recipe. The first time I tried it, I was hooked. You can spread it on some toast or crackers or you can dip some veggies in there. You can even use it as a filling in a grilled cheese sandwich!

First a little background. What exactly is a pimento? It's small red pepper and it's the mildest of all chili peppers. I wouldn't classify it as spicy whatsoever. You usually find them in a jar but you can also find them fresh in the produce section. Pimentos are also sometimes called pimientos or cherry peppers. Now, with that out of the way...

Pimento Cheese
Makes: 8 servings

4 oz (1/2 brick) cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz jar pimento peppers, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder

• In a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, whip the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.
• Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
• Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

This is traditionally served cold, but you can bake it in the oven at 350° F for about 10 minutes to make a hot dip!

Broccoli Casserole

I'm guessing this is a southern thing because I had never heard of it before I moved to Charlotte. The first time I ever had broccoli casserole, it was at an office potluck. I honestly wasn't too impressed. It was too salty and it seemed more like the rice was the star of the show, not the broccoli. So here's my version; I hope you like it.

Broccoli Casserole
Makes: 8 servings

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter (or butter substitute)
1 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus 1/4 cup for topping
4 scallions, chopped
3 large heads of broccoli
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp panko bread crumbs

• Rinse the broccoli then cut it into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
• Rinse the dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer in some cold water. Transfer the quinoa to a small sauce pan, add the chicken broth, then cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Bring the heat down to low and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes until all of the water is absorbed.
• While the quinoa is cooking, make the cheese sauce. Add the garlic, olive oil, and butter to a saute pan. Cook over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant.
• Add the flour to the sauteed garlic and continue to cook another 2 minutes over medium heat until the flour turns a pale golden brown.
• Whisk together the milk and egg.
• Now, add the milk mixture to the pan and continue stirring constantly until the milk starts to bubble and thicken, about 5 - 7 minutes.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the 1 cup of cheddar cheese until the cheese is melted. Add the salt and pepper to the cheese sauce.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the quinoa, broccoli, scallions, and cheese sauce.
• Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased baking dish such as a brownie pan.
• Top with 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese, then the Parmesan cheese, then the panko. Spray the top with a little bit of spray oil. This will help the casserole to brown.
• Bake at 400° F for 20 minutes.

This pairs really well with chicken, fish, pork chops, or steak. It's even great by itself for lunch!

Chicken & Vegetables in Thai Peanut Sauce

Peanut sauce is one of the easiest sauces you can make. It's a raw sauce - no cooking required. And it's literally just a combination of peanut butter, water, soy sauce, and a few other goodies. I like to add this to some noodles with stir-fry vegetables and some chicken. I used carrots, celery, and onions because that's what I happened to have on hand. You could also use pea pods, mushrooms, asparagus, water chestnuts, or even a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables! You can also leave out the chicken for Meatless Mondays. This also makes a great make-ahead lunch for the week!

Chicken & Vegetables in Thai Peanut Sauce
Makes: 4 servings

1/2 lb spaghetti, lo mein noodles, or ramen noodles
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 medium onion, cut into 1/2" dice
8 scallions
2 tbsp canola oil or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp fresh grated ginger (or 1/2 tsp dried, ground ginger)
3/4 cup hot water
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce

• Cook the spaghetti until al dente, about 9 - 10 minutes. Make sure to salt the water well.
• Strain the pasta.
• While the pasta is cooking, cut the chicken into 1/2" cubes.
• Chop the carrots, celery, and onions. Set aside.
• Slice the scallions, add the white part to the carrots, celery, and onions; set aside the green tops for garnish.
•  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high. Add the carrots, celery, and onion mixture. Cook for about 3 minutes until the vegetables just start to soften.
• Add the chicken to the skillet and continue cooking for 5 - 6 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Remove from the heat.
• Make the sauce by combining the garlic, ginger, water, peanut butter, and soy sauce. It's true that you can use powdered garlic and ginger, but I highly recommend using fresh. There's just nothing like fresh ginger. Whisk the ingredients together - the sauce will have a lumpy texture at first, just keep whisking and it will smooth out.
• Add the sauce to the hot chicken and vegetables. Add the pasta then toss it all together.
• Garnish with the green scallion tops.

If you want to make the sauce a little spicy, you could add some Sriracha sauce.

B.L.A.T.

That stands for Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, & Tomato - in case you were curious! This is a classic sandwich that's great for a picnic, entertaining, or even just a lazy Saturday. For this sandwich, I used some ciabatta sandwich rolls, but you could also use a nice crusty bread cut on a bias. Most people like to put avocado slices on this sandwich, but I like to make an avocado spread to take the place of mayonnaise. As for the lettuce, I chose romaine lettuce because it's a little bit better for you than iceberg. Lettuce tends to be pretty nutritionally devoid, but in general the darker ones usually have more nutrients - romaine, green leaf, etc.

B.L.A.T.
Makes: 2 sandwiches

1 ripe avocado
1 tsp lime juice
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch salt
2 ciabatta rolls
4 strips bacon
2 roma tomatoes
4 leaves romaine lettuce

• Make the avocado spread. With a fork, mash together the avocado, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Set aside.
• Cut the ciabatta rolls in half. Toast the rolls either on the grill or under the broiler.
• Spread some avocado spread on both halves of the rolls. From the bottom up, layer the lettuce, tomatoes, then bacon.

If you have any left-over avocado spread, feel free to dip some tortilla chips in there!

Honey Lime Chicken

This is another one of those recipes that I just kind of pulled out of thin air. I wasn't sure what to make for dinner so I looked around to see what we had. Honey and lime are a pretty classic flavor combination. You see it a lot in southwestern dishes as well as Thai dishes. I went more in the Asian direction with this one and it was yummy! I made this with chicken breasts, but you could also use chicken thighs or even chicken wings.

Honey Lime Chicken

Makes: 4 servings

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup corn starch

1/2 tsp salt

Marinade:

2 tbsp lime juice

3 tbsp honey

1 clove garlic, finely minced

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sambal oelek or chili garlic sauce

• Combine the lime juice, honey, garlic, soy sauce, and chili sauce. Set aside.
• Cut each of the chicken breasts in half length-wise so that you have four thin chicken breasts.
• Pour half of the marinade into a plastic bag with the chicken and marinate it for 10 - 30 minutes. You don't really want to do more than 30 minutes with an acidic marinade like this because it will make the chicken mushy.

• While the chicken in marinating, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade, then toss in the flour mixture. You want just a very thin coating on the chicken. This is going to create a thin, delicate crust.
• Deep fry the chicken at 350° F for 3 - 5 minutes total until deep brown and cooked through. Or cook in a heavy bottomed skillet filled with 1/2" of oil on medium heat for 3 - 4 minutes per side.
• Remove the chicken from the oil and allow to rest.
• While the chicken is resting, heat the other half of the marinate in a small sauce pan over medium heat for 4 - 5 minutes until the sauce bubbles and just starts to thicken. Remove from the heat.
• Plate the chicken then spoon some of the sauce over each piece. There will only be a very small amount of sauce but it's strong stuff so it will be plenty for four pieces of chicken.
• Serve the chicken over white rice, brown rice, rice pilaf, couscous, or quinoa. This dish pairs really well with some bok choy that has been chopped, sauteed until al dente, then tossed with just a little bit of soy sauce.

This was great as is but I can't wait to try it on the grill. I think it will be even more delicious!