Shredded Chicken Tacos with Tomatoes and Grilled Corn

In August's issue of Cooking Light they did a section of easy five ingredient entrees for summer. Their tag line read " These easy five- ingredient entrees mean you can spend more time chilling, less time shopping and chopping." They were exactly right! I bought a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and this weeknight meal took less than thirty minutes from start to finish. The fresh avocado paired with the smokey corn and tomato salsa made this a very satisfying dish. If you want to spice things up a bit feel free to add salsa or Tabasco for more heat.

Source: Cooking Light August 2011

You Will Need:

• 2 ears shucked corn
• 1 (12 oz) package baby heirloom tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded chicken, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 1 peeled avocado, cut into 16 slices
• 8 lime wedges (optional)

Here We Go:

• Preheat broiler
• Place corn on a baking sheet and broil for 18 minutes or until charred on all sides, rotating every 6 minutes
• Cut kernels from corn
• Place kernels in a medium bowl
• Cut tomatoes into quarters
• Add tomatoes to corn and sprinkle corn mixture with black pepper and salt
• Heat tortillas according to package directions
• Divide chicken evenly among tortillas and top each taco with 1/4 cup corn mixture and 2 avocado slices
• Serve with lime wedges, if desired

Makes 4 tacos
Happy Feasting!

Simple Greek Salad

I think that Europe has some of the best salads that I have ever eaten. They are so simple and fresh, using mostly basic ingredients, yet the flavors are always so divine. We are so used to thick and creamy fat-filled salad dressings in the United Sates whereas the Europeans are miles ahead of us using lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic as their main source of salad toppings. I made this simple greek salad using olive oil and lemon juice as the dressing and it was so tasty. We had this with rigatoni and sun dried tomato pesto (recipe to come) and it was the perfect summer dish!

You Will Need:

• 2 cups hot house cucumbers, quartered
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• juice from half of a lemon
• 4 scallions, diced (white and light green parts only)
• salt and pepper to taste

Here We Go:

• Mix all above ingredients together and chill before serving

Serves 2 as a side
Happy Feasting!

Creamy Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Cheers to our first meal in our new home! We have been unpacking all day long and I wanted to make something that wouldn't be too difficult or too time consuming. This dish was the perfect solution. You can have this creamy and delicious soup on the table in about 30 minutes for another great weekday meal idea. We had this soup we grilled cheese and it was exactly what we needed after a long day of getting settled.

Source: A Hint of Honey (Originally from Food Network)

You Will Need:

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 14.5 oz. can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
• 12 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 2 1/2 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped + extra for garnish

Here We Go:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
• Add carrot and onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes
• Add garlic and saute for another minute
• Season with salt and pepper and add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in the tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and broth
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat; simmer 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender
• Stir in the sugar, half and half, and basil
• Puree with a blender or food processor until smooth
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and  garnish with fresh basil.

Serves 4
Happy Feasting!

Pesto, Tomato & Mozzerella Cheese Pizza

And what do you do with lots of leftover pesto? Use it for pizzas of course! This pizza is so simple and delicious. We used whole wheat pizza dough and it was divine. I don't think think that my husband would of known it was whole wheat if I hadn't told him. The tomaotes, fresh pesto and mozzerella are the perfect flavor combination. Sprinkle a little bit of fresh parmesan and basil on top after the pizza has finished cooking and you have quite the tasty za.

You Will Need:

• 1 ball of pizza dough (we used whole wheat for this recipe)
• 1/4 cup fresh pesto or store-bought
• 1/2 of a 12oz bag of mozzarella cheese
• 1 vine ripened tomato, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

Here We Go:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F
• Roll out dough to desired thickness using your hands or a rolling pin if you have one
• Sprinkle olive oil over stone or baking sheet to avoid dough sticking
• Place dough on pizza stone or baking sheet
• Top dough with pesto, tomato and mozzerella cheese
• Bake for 10-12 minutes on top rack, or until golden brown
• Sprinkle with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese if desired

Makes 8 Slices

Happy Feasting!

Grilled Cheese : Gruyere, Monterey Jack and Tomato

April is national grilled cheese month, and as this is the last week of the month, I couldn't let the opportunity to have a grilled cheese post go out the window! When I make a grilled cheese I usually go for good ole' American cheese (I know most of you are cringing right now, including my husband), but what would a grilled cheese, the staple American sandwich, be without ooey, gooey, melted American cheese goodness?

Well, it seems that a grilled cheese can survive without American cheese just fine. I used vine ripened tomatoes and amazingly delicious gruyere and monterey jack. Although, I will continue to eat some of my grilled cheeses with American cheese, this grilled cheese is definitely the blue ribbon winner today!

 You Will Need:

• 4 slices of bread, 1/2 inch thick
• 2 slices Gruyere cheese
• 2 slices Monterey jack cheese
• 1 vine ripe tomato
• 2 Tbsp butter

Here We Go:

• Heat a pan over medium-low  heat
• Butter one side of each piece of bread
• Place two slices, butter side down, in the pan, top with the cheeses and tomato and the remaining slices of bread, butter side up
• Grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides; roughly 5-7 minutes 

Serves 2
Happy Feasting!





  

Kate's Caprese

It was eighty degrees yesterday and absolutely gorgeous! When the weather feels like this I think your whole mentality changes, including your appetite and cravings. You want to eat something light and fresh and indicative of the season. This past weekend I bought two small basil plants that I hope will eventually turn into bountiful bunches of basil (since it is virtually impossible to find right now..if you have found some please tell me where?). I also found gorgeous vine ripe tomatoes at the grocery store and thought that a summer-esque caprese salad would be perfect. This simple dish has only a few ingredients yet the flavors of those ingredients are so fresh and wonderful.

You Will Need:

• 4 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 1/2 vine ripe tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 4 leaves fresh basil, minced

Here We Go:

• Layer tomatoes and mozzarella on small tray or platter
• Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• Sprinkle fresh basil on top
• Season with salt and pepper

Serves 2 as a Side
Happy Feasting!

Guacamole



I am definitely one of those people who could eat guacamole on almost anything - chips, tortillas, crackers -all delicious! I was craving some guacamole with my chicken fajitas and about 10 minutes later I was dumping spoonfuls of this recipe on top of my dinner. I didn't have any cilantro on hand so I didn't end up adding it to this recipe. Nonetheless, I was very pleased with the results and might not put cilantro in my guacamole moving forward as I think cilantro can sometimes overpower the other flavors.

You Will Need:

• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes
• 2 avocados (feel to make sure they are fairly soft/ripe)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lemon, halved

Here We Go:

• Dice onions and cherry tomatoes and put into medium sized bowl
• Peel avocados and remove pit
• Coarsely chop avocados and add to bowl
• Add salt, garlic powder and pepper
• Squeeze the juice from one lemon (be careful of seeds)
• Mix all ingredients together delicately as to not completely mash up the avocado (it should be somewhat chunky)


Serves 2-4
Happy Feasting!