Midwestern Nicoise Salad

Every Tuesday I get a little anxious as the anticipation of trying to eat up another box of vegetables from our CSA rolls around.  I have been getting more and more creative and feel less overwhelmed now but it is still quite an effort.  This Midwestern Nicoise salad is a collaboration between me and my mom.  We put it together after I brought over a bag of veggies for our weekly Sunday night dinner.  This is a pretty vague recipe because well, it is a salad so feel free to improvise.

• Ingredients for vinaigrette:
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions for vinaigrette:

• To make the vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Whisk vigorously to emulsify. Set the dressing aside while preparing the salad so the flavors can marry.

Ingredients for the salad:
2 Grilled chicken breast
1/2 of an avocado
A bunch of green beans
A bunch of snap peas (we left them in the pea pods)
2 large tomatoes
3-5 baby new potatoes
Salad greens
Parsley
Chives
Maybe some mint


Directions for Salad:

• Grill chicken breast.  You may add BBQ sauce if you wish. Cut into bite size pieces
• Slice avocado
• Boil green beans and snap peas for about 4 minutes and then immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking process.  
• Boil potatoes until soft and slice into discs
• Slice tomatoes
• Chop parsley, chives and mint and use as a garnish over the salad
• Combine all ingredients and dress with the vinaigrette.  Sprinkle with a little pepper and enjoy!

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Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Hola!

Saturday is Cinco de Mayo! That is the fifth of May for those of you who are not bilingual....
I will be spending the day brewing cerveza with my hermano Lukey and attending a few fiestas.

Here are some great recipe recommendations to celebrate the day:

Margarita Spritzer: from Skinny Taste, this is a lower calorie adult beverage.  It looks very refreshing and a little strong.  If you make these, remind your guests to sip.

Bobby Flay Guacamole: this recipe makes a lot of Guac' and yet I still have never left a party without the bowl licked clean.

Carnitas: if you are cooking for a crowd try this recipe from Pioneer Woman.  The spicy pulled pork is so good in a tortilla with some crunch napa cabbage and salsa on top.  This is also a very low maintenance recipe.

Margarita Cookie Bars: a very festive baked good!

Cilantro Lime Fish Tacos: I originally posted this recipe for a lenten Friday option but it is good year round.

Chicken Salsa Chili: another great make ahead option.  Serve this with some tortilla chips and cilantro.

¡Salud!

Grilled Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich

Grilled Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich


When I go shopping at the Mall of America with my Mother, there is only one place we will eat lunch- Nordstrom's Cafe.  It is delicious cafe tucked in the corner of the third floor, between active wear and BP.  During the Summer time this chicken ciabatta sandwich is one of their specials.  It wasn't until about my 4th time ordering it that it finally occurred to me that I could easily make this at home.

Now this is a year-round staple in my household.  It is so easy to make but packed with flavor.   It is particularly delicious in the Summer when we can grab basil right out of the garden.  Also, since really this is just a sandwich, it is easy to customize for everyone's tastes. (Leave basil off for my sister, take chicken off for me, add Sriacha (?) for my dad, slice an extra big slice for my brother)


Ingredients
1/4 cup (about 2 ounces) sun-dried tomato pesto 

2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise 

3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

1/8 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon olive oil 

1 (8-ounce) loaf ciabatta 

12 large basil leaves 

3/4 cup (3 ounces) fresh mozzarella cheese 

1/2 cup sliced bottled roasted red bell peppers 

1 large tomato, thinly sliced 
drizzle of Balsamic vinegar


Preparation
Combine pesto and mayonnaise in a small bowl, stirring to blend.


Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt and grill until cooked.  Then slice chicken into somewhat thin pieces.


Cut ciabatta in half horizontally and spray with olive oil. Place bread, cut sides up, on grill. Grill until lightly brown on both sides.


To assemble: Spread pesto mixture evenly over cut sides of bread. Arrange the chicken slices evenly over bottom half. Top chicken evenly with basil leaves, and sprinkle cheese over top. Place bottom half on baking sheet, and broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Arrange bell pepper and tomato over cheese, drizzle generously with balsamic vinegar over and cover with top half of bread. Cut and serve.

Super Bowl Chicken Wings

It is the Super Bowl weekend (if you haven't heard) and that means it is time to think about snacks.  Many look forward to this weekend for the football, others for the commercials and yet others (and I'm willing to bet most) look forward to this weekend for the food.  I am in the food category.  In fact, I once had a friend who refused to go visit her out of state boyfriend because she did not want to miss the snacks served at a Super Bowl party we were hosting....


It is estimated that 1.25 BILLION chicken wings will be consumed on Sunday. In honor of that statistic, here is my Aunt Julie’s Chicken Wing Recipe.  You cook these wings low and slow all day long.  Then, by the time the game starts, the juices have caramelized and the meat is so tender it falls off the bone.  Oh, so, so, good!  I recommend making these in a disposable pan for easy clean up.  If you don’t want to have your oven on all day you could also throw these on the grill.  Enjoy!


BBQ Chicken Wings

30 chicken wings divided into 2 pieces
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 cup soy sauce
1 6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sherry
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
Juice of a lime or lemon

Mix marinade ingredients and heat through. Pour over chicken wings and
marinate at least 2 or 3 hours. I usually marinate overnight. Bake at 325 degrees
for 1 and 1/2 hour. Baste every 20 minutes. These keep well in the oven on
low heat. The marinade just becomes syrupy and the wings even better.

Notes: this recipe can be easily doubled for a large crowd.  Feel free to add a little spice (Tabasco or Sriacha) if you like hotter wings.


Need some other ideas? Here are some other good lookin' links:
Cheesy Jalapeno Pull-a-part Bread
Skinny Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Caramelized Onion Dip
Garlic Soft Pretzels
Edamame Dip
Cheese & Beer Bread
Homemade Hummus