Food

After my 100th cheeseburger of the summer, I thought a salad for dinner night was in order. I was supremely inspired when I saw @smittenkitchen last post of summer squash with crispy chickpeas and I thought I would play around with those flavors. I love a composed salad that you could make some components in advance, and quite frankly you could make the entire thing earlier in the day. There are SO many complex flavors, cool yogurt, bitey arugula, nutty quinoa, and smokey chickpeas. I added some chopped pepperoncinis for spice, don’t skip it! You could use any grilled vegetables in this and leave out the chicken to make it vegetarian friendly. Excited to have the leftovers tomorrow!

Serves 4-6

For the Salad
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, and patted dry
Paprika & Cumin
1 cup Quinoa, cooked according to package, cooled
2 big handfuls of arugula
2 cooked chicken breasts diced (or use a rotisserie chicken)
3 zucchini, grilled or roasted, diced
1 small red onion, small dice
1/4 cup diced peppercinis or banana peppers

For the Dressing
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
Salt and pepper

Whisk all the ingredients for the marinade together in a bowl. Place the chicken in a dish or ziplock bag and pour the marinade over it, covering it well. Refrigerate for an hour up to the day before.

Preheat oven to 375 oven

Place a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, brown the chicken on both sides for a minute of two in two batches, removing the chicken to a plate. Turn off the heat, and place the tomatoes in the bottom of the pan. Season well with salt and pepper. Nestle the chicken in the tomatoes and place the pan back in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, then add the cheese to the top of the tomatoes and chicken, place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the pan with the basil and serve with pasta, mashed potatoes, polenta, or rice to enjoy all that delicious sauce.

All your favorite caprese flavors in one dish! Sweet heirloom tomatoes break down into the perfect sauce for this sweet balsamic marinated chicken. Then topped with melty mozzarella and fresh basil, it’s perfect with pasta, mash, or rice on the side. We ate every bite, kid approved!

Serves 4

2 lbs of chicken (about 4 large)
4 heirloom tomatoes, rough chopped
Olive oil
6oz fresh mozzarella pearls, drained
Handful of Basil, chopped

Marinade
1/4 cup balsamic
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 heaping tablespoons of mayo or olive oil
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt & Pepper

Whisk all the ingredients for the marinade together in a bowl. Place the chicken in a dish or ziplock bag and pour the marinade over it, covering it well. Refrigerate for an hour up to the day before.

Preheat oven to 375 oven

Place a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, brown the chicken on both sides for a minute of two in two batches, removing the chicken to a plate. Turn off the heat, and place the tomatoes in the bottom of the pan. Season well with salt and pepper. Nestle the chicken in the tomatoes and place the pan back in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes, then add the cheese to the top of the tomatoes and chicken, place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Sprinkle the pan with the basil and serve with pasta, mashed potatoes, polenta, or rice to enjoy all that delicious sauce.

Warm bowl of love coming right up! An oldie but goodie recipe that is perfect on a day you want to be cozy.

Serves 4

4 slices bacon, diced
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups (32 oz) chicken stock
3 cups russet potatoes, cubed
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups kale, in bite size pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Parmesan cheese, grated

In a large pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the grease. Add the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks. Once sausage is browned and crumbled, drain off grease leaving a tbsp to saute the onion.

Push the sausage and bacon to the edge of the pot and add the onion to the center; saute until translucent; add garlic; saute until fragrant.

Stir in the stock and potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are just tender.

Add kale and heavy whipping cream. Bring to a simmer. Top with Parmesan cheese, when serving.

Lettuce wraps that count as a meal are the perfect mid-week menu change up. I remember making this recipe all the time for the babies because I just gave them the veg and protein, then had the full version for us. It’s healthy and light, but hearty enough to satisfy. You could also serve over rice or cauliflower rice to switch it up. Love these recipes from the archives!

Serves 4

For Filling
3 large sweet potatoes, diced
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger (optional)
1.25 lbs ground chicken
1 can diced water chestnuts (Asian food section)

For Sauce
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (Asian food section)
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil (Asian food section)
For Serving
Bib or iceberg lettuce leaves
chopped scallion
chopped cilantro
hot sauce like sriracha

Place sweet potatoes on large sheet pan and toss two coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, about 30 minutes. Set aside. (Can be done a day in advance)

In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Set aside. ▫️
Place a large skillet or wok on the stove over medium high heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and bell pepper and sauté until just starting to get tender. Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, add chicken. Cook and stir all ingredients together, breaking up the ground chicken as well, until chicken is done. Add the water chestnuts, sweet potatoes, and sauce. cook until warmed through and well combined. Turn off the heat.

To serve, place lettuce leaves on the plate and scoop some of the meat mixture inside. Top with scallion, cilantro and hot sauce to taste.

Note: You could make the filling in advance and then reheat later.