Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I made these last week and they were a HIT with the whole family!  I love watching my kids enjoy a meal that is wrapped in lettuce :) I served my coconut-lemongrass rice on the side and it was a great meal!  I've been cooking like crazy the past couple of weeks and my creativity is coming back.
Been trying to hit the farmers markets and make meals with whats in season.  Our garden is booming with zucchini, yellow squash, sugar snap peas, green beans, fresh basil and of course a lot of tomatoes!!
It's been awesome to not have to buy much produce at the store.  I encourage you to go check out your farmers markets and create a meal with whats fresh & local!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps (serves 5-6) recipe adapted from HERE

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1/2 inch pieces (or use ground chicken)
• 1 head Bibb Lettuce or Iceberg Lettuce (look for bibb lettuce at your farmers market)
• 1 small can water chestnuts, diced (optional)
• 1 carrot, julienned 
• 1 small zucchini, small dice
• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted cashews (optional)
• bean thread noodles, fried (optional)

STIR FRY SAUCE:

• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped 
• 3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 3 garlic cloves, fined minced
• 1 jalapeño, chopped fine
• 1/2 tsp. sirracha or other hot sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce (find it in Asian section at grocery store)
• 2 tsp. cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the stir fry sauce and set aside.

Heat a Wok or large skillet to medium-high heat.  Add some oil to the pan (I used canola) and cook the chicken with salt and pepper until done.  Remove the chicken from pan and set aside.  Add a little more oil and saute the carrot, zucchini, water chestnuts and green onion for about 4-5 minutes.  Add the chicken back to the pan, pour in the stir fry sauce and cook until bubbly and thickened, about 5 minutes.  Serve on top of lettuce leaves and sprinkle with roasted cashews.  I fried up some Bean Thread Noodles to serve on top as well.  My kids really like those!  If you would like to have a "dipping sauce" for the lettuce wraps, here is a recipe below:

DIPPING SAUCE:

• 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 2 Tbsp. hot water
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/4 tsp. sesame oil

Pretzel Bites. A perfect snack.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been in the baking mood lately.  It's super rare, but I've been home a lot the past couple of weeks.  I'm usually, on a good week, home maybe 1 day out of the week.  With commitments at my kids school, meetings, or appointments, my week gets filled FAST!
Thankfully, I've had some down-time, which has allowed me to really tackle my house cleaning, organizing, and has even left some time for a little reading and baking :)
On Sunday I made these little pretzel bites which were a HUGE hit with the family!  I was a little uncertain if they'd notice that I used whole wheat flour, but thankfully no one said anything!!  The recipe really isn't difficult, maybe a little time-consuming, but not difficult at all!  If you've never tried making homemade pretzels, I highly recommend it. Your family will thank you :)

HOMEMADE SOFT PRETZEL BITES {recipe by Two Peas and their Pod }


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water {not hot}
• 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 packet active dry yeast {I used perfect rise yeast}
• 3 oz. unsalted butter,  melted {I used salted butter}
• 2 1/2  tsp. kosher salt {I reduced the salt to 1 1/2 tsp. because I used salted butter}
• 4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour {I used about 2 1/2 cups of TJ's White Whole Wheat Flour}
• cooking spray
• 3 quarts water
• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 1 whole egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. cold water
• coarse sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

  Combine the warm water, brown sugar, yeast and butter together in a bowl with a stand mixer.  Mix with the dough hook to combine and let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until combined.  Increase the speed to medium and continue to knead until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 minutes {mine didn't take that long}.  If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour 1 Tbsp. at a time.  Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball with the palm of your hands.

Spray a bowl with cooking spray, add the dough and turn to coat with oil.  Cover with a clean towel and place in a warm spot until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.  

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Bring water to boil in a large pot over high heat and add the baking soda.

Have a couple of baking sheets ready, sprayed with cooking spray.

 Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface.  Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/2 ounces each.  Roll each piece into a long rope measuring about 22 inches. Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces to make the pretzel bites.  Boil the pretzel bites in the water solution in batches, about 15 bites at a time.  Boil for about 30 seconds.  Remove bites with slotted spoon and place on prepared baking sheet.  Make sure the pretzels are not touching.  Brush the tops with egg wash and season liberally with the coarse sea salt.  Place into the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.

 Serve with mustard or make your own cheese sauce.  The original recipe over at Two Peas and their Pod has a cheese sauce to go with the pretzels.  

Black-eyed Pea Salad

My best friend turned me on to this salad!  She made it for me a couple of years ago on the 4th of July and it's been a big hit since!  I usually only make it in the summer...it's a great appetizer at a BBQ or could even be served as an accompaniment to grilled chicken or steak.  You can even play with the flavors to make it a little spicier if you like!

Black-Eyed Pea Salad  

INGREDIENTS:

•  2 C. cooked black-eyed peas
•  1 C. whole kernel corn
•  1 stalk celery, chopped
•  1-2 serrano chiles, seeded and diced {depending on how much of a kick you like}
•  1/4 cup red onion, chopped {I used a little less than 1/4 cup...I don't like a lot of onion}
•  1 small tomato, chopped
•  1 avocado, chopped

Dressing:

•  1/2 cup vinegar {I used 1/4 cup white vinegar & 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar}
•  3/4 cup olive oil
•  1-2 Tbsp. fresh basil
•  1 garlic clove, minced
•  1 Tbsp. sugar
•  pinch {or two} of red chili flakes
•  juice of 1 lime
•  salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

 *Mix first 8 ingredients together.  In a separate bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad.  Can be made night before or fresh.  

*Serve with tortilla chips

Bruschetta with homemade pesto

I decided to go simple for dinner the other night.  Salvaging through the refrigerator, I found some mozzarella and I immediately felt like bruschetta. I knew I had tons of fresh basil from my garden and I recently planted arugula, so I decided to make a pesto to go with the bruschetta.  The only bummer was that I had to buy tomatoes since my plants are taking a while.
Bruschetta can be served hot or cold, really however you like, but I decided I wanted mine warm.
This is how I made it...


Bruschetta with homemade pesto {serves 4-6 as appetizer}


INGREDIENTS FOR BRUSCHETTA:

• 3 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. fresh basil, torn
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• homemade or purchased pesto {recipe for homemade pesto below}
• 8 oz. mozzarella, cut into thin slices
• 1 loaf french bread or baguette, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for drizzling on bread

DIRECTIONS:

 Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Gently mix the tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, salt, pepper, and 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.  Slice the bread and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle or brush with some olive oil and bake in oven for 5 minutes, or until crispy.  Remove from oven and place one slice of mozzarella on each slice of bread. Place back in oven for about 4-6 minutes, or until cheese has slightly melted.  Remove from oven and top with 1 tsp. of pesto and 1 Tbsp. of the tomato mixture.  Serve immediately.  

Homemade Pesto anyway you like
*Now arugula is a little bit on the spicier side.  If you prefer a more mild-flavored pesto, then choose basil.  I combined arugula and basil for my pesto.  Some recipes call for pine nuts or walnuts in their pesto recipes, but I decided to leave the nuts out.  Feel free to experiment!


INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups fresh basil OR fresh Arugula {I used 1 cup basil and 11/2 cups arugula}
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 
• 1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts {optional...I left the nuts out}
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more if desired
• salt
• freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  Place basil or arugula, peeled garlic, and parmesan cheese in food processor.  Turn on processor and blend for 1 minute.  While processing, slowly add the olive oil and process for 1 more minute.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and pulse for a few seconds.  If the pesto seems to thick for your liking, you may add more olive oil.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a quick and easy meal.  You can stuff them with just about anything...which is especially convenient when you have some leftover meat or some veggies to use up.  I decided to go with a bbq chicken quesadilla this time around.  I made up some guacamole to go with it and served some black beans on the side.  I actually think next time I might add the black beans in the quesadilla!

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas {serves 4}

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 roasted chicken breasts, shredded or cut into chunks
• 4 large flour tortillas
• 2 cups fresh corn, toasted in a saute pan
• bbq sauce {any kind you like}
• 4 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded {or any kind of cheese you like}
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• butter to grill quesadillas

To Garnish:

• guacamole
• sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

Have all of your ingredients ready to go so you can assemble and grill a couple at a time.  I really liked roasting the corn in a hot pan for a couple minutes just to get that toasty flavor out of the corn.  

Take a tortilla and butter one side.  Flip it over and sprinkle a layer of cheese on one half then top with some chicken, corn a couple tablespoons of bbq sauce, a little chopped cilantro, and another sprinkle of cheese.  Fold the tortilla in half and place on a hot griddle, grill, or saute pan and brown for 3 minutes.    Repeat with the remaining tortillas.  Flip quesadillas over to brown the other side.  Remove quesadillas from pan and cut in half or in thirds.  Serve some sour cream and guacamole along side.  Enjoy!

Avocado Hummus

Now I know that we can find just about any hummus we want in the stores these days, but there's something about homemade hummus that tastes so good!  I love the freshness of the garlic and the lemon juice.  My friend brought some avocado hummus over one day a while back and I've been thinking about it since.  She toasted some flatbread all nice and crispy to serve with the hummus. I've kind of made up my own recipe here, but I think it turned out pretty good.  That's Jaden's hand in the picture because he couldn't wait long enough for me to snap a shot!  

Avocado Hummus {my recipe}

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 {12 oz.} can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
•  juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp. tahini {If you don't have this, it's fine to leave it out}
• extra virgin olive oil, about 2-3 tablespoons
• 2-3 ripe avocados
• salt to taste, possibly about 1/2 tsp. or more

DIRECTIONS:

  In a food processor, pulse garbanzo beans and chopped garlic.  Blend well.  Add lemon juice, tahini, avocados, and salt to taste.  Blend until smooth, scraping down sides as needed.  With the food processor running, slowly drizzle a couple tablespoonfuls of olive oil until the hummus seems to be coming together nice and creamy.  Taste, season with more salt if needed, and pulse one last time.

Keeps well in the refrigerator too.  Serve with toasted flatbread chips, pita chips, or tortilla chips.

RECIPE FOR FLATBREAD CHIPS:

1/2 package flatbread {I get mine from Trader Joes}
olive oil
coarse salt

Cut flatbread into triangles.  Lay on a foil-lined baking sheet, brush with olive oil, and season with salt.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Turn over halfway through cooking to get evenly brown on both sides.

Sweet Potato Fries

I'm a BIG lover of sweet potato fries!  I make them all of the time and my kiddos have come to love them too!  They go great with just about anything or make them for a quick and easy appetizer!  They are best eaten right away, otherwise they can get soggy.  ENJOY!

For Sweet Potato Fries: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut up 2-3 sweet potatoes into long strips 1/2 inch thick. Place in a pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Quickly strain and soak in ice-cold water. Remove from water then dry on paper towels. Toss together in a large bowl, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and sweet potatoes, just to coat. Arrange on a large baking sheet so fries don't touch. Bake for 10 minutes, flip fries, then bake for another 10 minutes. Season with more salt if desired and serve with the extra chipotle ketchup. These are best if eaten fresh out of the oven!!

Ultimate Chicken Strips

Ok, so this isn't the best picture of these chicken strips, but time was short and my family was hungry!  Trust me that these will get devoured in no time!  It's a pretty easy Betty Crocker recipe that my friend gave me a few weeks back.  She said her kids loved them and I can definitely see why.  I doubled the recipe to fit our family, but honestly I should have tripled it.  Kinda thought we'd have leftovers so I could pack them in the kids lunches, but that didn't happen!
Oh, and another plus is that these strips are baked, not fried.  I made my sweet potato fries and some sugar snap peas to go along side.
Enjoy!

Chicken Strips {Recipe by Betty Crocker }


INGREDIENTS: {This is the doubled recipe, serves 5}

• 1 1/3 Cup Bisquick Mix {I used Trader Joe's Buttermilk Pancake Mix}
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 6 Tbsp. butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.  Spray the foil with non-stick spray.

Mix biscuit mix, parmesan cheese, garlic salt, and paprika in a large ziploc bag.  Dip about 4 chicken strips into the beaten egg then drop into ziploc bag.  Shake until coated well and place on baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining chicken strips.  Once all strips are placed on baking sheet, drizzle them all over with the melted butter.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning half way through {about 7-10 minutes} with a spatula.  

Stuffed Mushrooms

The photo for the stuffed mushrooms above was taken before they were baked, so I apologize if they don't look very appetizing in the picture!  I took them to a party in a hurry and forgot to snap a photo of them fresh out of the oven.  So, you'll have to take my word for it...these are AMAZING!
My best friend gave me this recipe a long time ago and I've been making these babies ever since.  Recently I added a couple extra ingredients and they turned out really good!


Stuffed Mushrooms {Makes about 30 mushrooms}


INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pkgs. cremini stuffing mushrooms
• 3/4 pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 3 oz. goat cheese, room temp.
• 4 green onions, chopped half way up
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Clean mushrooms and removed stems.  Toss mushrooms with some olive, salt and pepper.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes at 450 degrees.  Remove from oven and turn mushroom over to drain the juices.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  

To make filling, place cream cheese, goat cheese, green onions, parsley, and crumbled bacon in food processor and pulse until blended, or mix by hand.

Turn mushrooms over and scoop filling into mushrooms.  You can be generous with the filling!  Place on clean baking sheet, reduce oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Serve warm!

**These are a great appetizer to make up ahead of time and just put in the refrigerator until your ready to bake them.

Mushroom, Goat Cheese & Leek Tart

Oh, this was so incredibly good! My mom and I got together one Sunday afternoon a few weeks back and cooked together. It's always so much fun being in her kitchen & cooking with her! I used to love watching and helping my mom cook as a little girl and now that I'm older, I still love helping her in the kitchen! So we figured out our menu and got down to business.

The recipe for this tart came from Williams-Sonoma and it makes an amazing appetizer.

Mushroom, Goat Cheese & Leek Tart

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 lbs. leeks, white parts and 1 inch of pale green parts, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup creme fraiche
• 3 oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, cleaned & sliced
• flour for dusting
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed to room temp.

DIRECTIONS:

In a fry pan over med-high heat, melt 2 Tbsp. butter until it foams. Add the leeks and saute until translucent, 4-5 min. Add the thyme, bay leaf, stock, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the leeks are nearly tender, about 15 min. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally and being careful not to let the leeks brown, until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 min. more. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Transfer the leeks to a bowl. Stir in the creme fraiche and goat cheese until well mixed.

I wiped out the same fry pan and heated it up to med-high heat again. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter until it foams. Add the mushrooms, the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and the remaining 1/4 tsp. pepper and saute until the mushrooms are soft and have released their juices, 3-5 min.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Lina a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Most store bought puff pastry dough already comes in the shape of 10 by 12 inches, but if for some reason yours doesn't, roll out the dough to 10 by 12 inches. Transfer dough to baking sheet. Spread the leek mixture to within 1 inch of the edge of the dough, and fold the edges of the dough over the filling to make a tart.

Bake until the crust puffs and both the crust and the leeks are golden, about 15 min. Scatter the mushrooms over the leeks and bake for 5 min. more.

Let the tart stand for 5-10 min. Cut into bite-size pieces and serve warm.

Cilantro-lime Chicken Quesadillas with Goat Cheese

I was really having a hankering for goat cheese the other day and thought I'd use it in a different way than I normally do. I love goat cheese...the creamy-tangy texture is amazing & it's amazing warm or cold. So, I made a trip to the Farmers Market the other morning and got a ton of cilantro and these really cute spring onions and I was determined to cook something fresh & different. I'm not usually a huge fan of cilantro, but this marinade tastes YUMMY! I think it's the combination of lime juice & the spice of the jalapeno that makes it. The quesadillas turned out REALLY good & the Corn-Avocado Salsa was super tasty & devoured in no time!

Cilantro-Lime Marinade

• 1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
• 1/2 Cup fresh Cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeno, cut up
• 1 clove garlic, mashed
• juice of 1 lime
• kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 Chicken Breasts, boneless skinless

Directions:

Place all ingredients, except olive oil in food processor or blender. Blend all ingredients until smooth, then slowly add in olive oil while processing. Pulse until well combined. Place chicken breasts in large ziploc back then add marinade & seal. Place bag in refrigerator for 4 hours. Remove chicken from bag & grill. I used my indoor grill pan for this, the spring onions and the corn. Once chicken is cooked through, let sit for a few minutes, then slice in strips and set aside for the quesadillas.

These were the cutest onions & so sweet too!

Cilantro-Lime Quesadillas with Goat Cheese

• Cilantro-lime marinated Chicken Breasts, cut up
• 6-8 oz. Soft Goat Cheese, broken up
• 3 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 2 spring onions (or scallions) seasoned, grilled & sliced
• Flour Tortillas
• Butter or oil

Directions:

Heat indoor grill pan or outdoor grill over medium heat. Butter one side each of 2 tortillas. Place a small amount of jack cheese & then goat cheese on top of tortilla, then sprinkle cut up chicken, some spring onions, then a little more of both cheeses on top. Place top tortilla on then set on grill. Grill until golden, about 3-5 minutes, then flip over to brown other side.

This amount will make about 4 quesadillas. Slice quesadillas into quarters and serve with Corn-Avocado Salsa.

Corn-Avocado Salsa

• 3 ears Corn, grilled & cut off cob
• 2 spring onions, grilled & sliced
• 2 large avocados, diced
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, season to taste. This salsa tastes best served the same day. Serve along side Quesadillas or on top of any grilled chicken, fish or steak.

This salsa tastes great with just about anything!

Steak Nachos

Who doesn't love a heaping plate of loaded Nachos? We had a ton of Tri-Tip leftovers the other day and I decided I was going to make a quick and easy dinner with it. I just raided the pantry & fridge to find what I needed to make these yummy, cheesy nachos...the kids went crazy for them! The great thing is that you could use any leftover meat: ground beef, turkey, cooked chicken, shredded pork. The possibilities are endless...

Steak Nachos

• 2 Cups leftover Tri-Tip, diced & quickly heated in frying pan (or any other cooked meat)
• White Corn Tortilla Chips
• 1 Can Black Beans, drained (or) 1 can refried beans
• 2-3 Cups shredded cheddar & jack cheese ( I like lot's of cheese)
• 1 small can sliced olives

Garnish:

• 1 tomato, seeded & diced
• sour cream

Recipe for Guacamole:

• 2-3 ripe Avocados
• 1/2 jalepeno, seeded & finely diced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

*(If I have time, I will add fresh cilantro (to taste) & 1 small tomato (diced) to the guacamole)

PRE-HEAT oven to 375 degrees. Arrange chips on a large oven proof platter. I used 2 large, deep pie plates (one plate for us & one for the kids). Top chips with black beans, some of the cheese, steak, rest of cheese & olives. Place in oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and chips are starting to turn golden. Once the nachos are out of oven, top with tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole. Sprinkle some fresh cilantro for garnish.

Super easy & super yummy...