6 Grill Recipes for Memorial Day

It’s (almost) finally here, the (un)official start of the summer: Memorial Day Weekend! I hope you’re doing something super fun this weekend. If it inclueds firing up the grill  here are 6 great grilling recipes for everybody (vegetarians to omnivores)! Enjoy!

1. Bang Bang Grilled Shrimp Salad
2. Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Goat Cheese, Spinach, Caramelized Onions & Mushrooms
3. Grilled Steak with Arugula, Parsley-Parmesan Salad
4. Grilled Peach, Brie & Basil Pizza
5. Simple & Tangy Grilled Aspargus
6. Spicy Sweet Grilled Pineapple Rings

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Goat Cheese, Spinach, Caramelized Onions & Mushrooms

I know it may appear that we never repeat the same meal in our house - but here’s a secret- we do! Since chicken is kind of blah (I’m bored with it just thinking about it) I find it is more exciting when it’s sandwiched in between some deliciously charred bread & smothered with toppings. Then it’s almost like you’re not eating the chicken at all. What’s even better is that you can make these sandwiches with simple ingredients & you get to eat them with your hands!

Chicken with Mushrooms & Asparagus

I don’t eat a lot of red meat, ok I really rarely do so we have our fair share of chicken, fish & seafood on our table most nights. Chicken is one of those ingredients that’s always in the fridge but can be so unappealing until you mix it with really tasty things. Chicken is really a blank canvas so I try to be inspired when approaching chicken dinners. Last night I made this, chicken with mushrooms & asparagus. The sauce is creamy but not heavy & the asparagus still has a little bite to it so everything isn’t complete mush. I served it with rice but I think it would go great over pasta, mashed potatoes or just with some crusty bread.  It was surprisingly easy to make & I only used one pot to cook it (plus one more for the rice).

How do you cook your chicken when you want to change things up?

Grilled Blackened Chicken Avocado Salad

It’s grilling season. To marry that fact with my love for salads lately allowed me to dream up this grilled blackened chicken & avocado salad.  The chicken is spicy & the avocado is creamy & cooling. It’s a great combination. Give it a try. It’s also super easy to make!
PS: happy birthday to my dancing partner in crime, Christine!

Baked Quinoa-Crusted Chicken Fingers

The other day I reopened the cookbook, The Food of Latin America: Gran Cocina Latina by Marciel E. Presilla.  I perused the vast index to find something to make for dinner. I found the recipe for quinoa-crusted chicken fingers that I’ve had at Cucharamama a few times & have loved. They’re a great twist on the basic chicken finger.

First, you marinate the chicken so that it’s sure to be juicy & flavorful - if you wanted to stop right there you probably could & have a really nice grilled chicken dish. Then, you “bread” it with cooked quinoa instead of breadcrumbs - genius!  At Cucharmama they deep fry theirs (& that’s what the recipe in the book says to do) but I baked them. They were still crunchy & tasty especially with my simple go-to honey mustard dipping sauce that I jazzed up with some paprika.

I know I’ll be making these again. There were no leftovers.

4 Ways to Make Chicken Exciting

Clockwise starting at the upper left corner: Chicken Lettuce Tacos; Cherry & Goat Cheese Chicken;
Chicken & Veggie Turnover; Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Happy Friday! Lately it's been a little bit of a ground hog's day in the kitchen. There always seems to be chicken in the fridge & I don't want to cook it. Here are 4 recipes that will (hopefully) bring some excitement back into your kitchen & chicken dinners.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Last week, Chris was battling the inevitable change-of-season-virus, so it was chicken soup to the rescue. Except I didn't want to make chicken noodle soup because that for some reason smells like body odor to me - don't ask but that's what I think it smells like - so I spiced it up with help from The Pioneer Woman's tortilla soup recipe to make some sinus clearing chicken tortilla soup.

Happy weekend before Christmas!

Bonefish Grill's Chimichurri Sauce

Do you ever sit in aw of the world that is Google? I was looking to see if I could find a recipe like Bonefish Grill's Chimichurri Sauce. So I Googled it. I not only found a recipe - I found Bonefish Grill's official chimichurri recipe on the Bonefish Grill blog. I quickly found myself wishing for other things because that one was way too easy.

If there was one sauce/dressing that works on everything from  grilled warm fish to cold crisp salads - this is the one.  After making this you'll find yourself wishing for something else too. I started the week spooning this delicious sauce over some grilled salmon, next I tossed it with some mixed greens & tomatoes for a quick fresh salad, but I didn't stop there. Check in later this week to see what I served with this garlicky, South American fresh herb sauce.

Ingredients (via Bonefish Grill)

• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. plus Kosher Salt
• 1 tsp. oregano, dry leaves
• 1 tsp. black pepper, ground
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Finely grated lemon zest from 3 lemons
• 4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 bunch flat leaf (Italian) parsley
• 1 cup olive oil

Make it!

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse chop until all ingredients are approximately 1/8 inch in size.
2. Add Italian parsley and pulse chop until parsley is 1/8 inch in size.
3. Add the olive oil and blend in quickly. (Do not over blend, you want it to be a little chunky)
4. Allow the sauce to marinate for 30 minutes before serving. Store it in a glass dressing bottle like I did here , refrigerate it & use it all week!

Spicy Sweet Grilled Pineapple Rings

Meat on the grill takes caveman like simplicity to prep yet seems to deliver so much flavor. If you have enough salt & pepper on your chicken or steak plus a little olive oil you're going to win every time.  Top simply prepared meat with these equally simple spicy sweet rings of pineapple & you'll think you're ready for the grilling version of Chopped.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 3/4-inch-thick pineapple rings
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4cup thinly sliced basil

Make it! (recipe from Rachel Ray Everday)

1. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
2. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and chili powder.
3. If you don't have a pre-cored pineapple cut your rings & punch out the core with a cookie cutter, or keep the core in they have surprising nutritious values. (If your rings break apart they will still taste good, so don't sweat it!)
4. Brush the pineapple and steaks with 1 tbsp. olive oil.
5. Sprinkle the pineapple with the chili sugar and season the steaks.
6. Grill the pineapple, 2 minutes per side.
7. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil until ready to serve.
8. Serve meat stacked with pineapple rings & sprinkle with basil.

Chicken Lettuce Tacos

We love tacos at our house. In hopes to keep our sprint fare a little bit on the lighter side I opted to make our chicken tacos with butter or boston lettuce instead.  PF Chang's makes some delicious lettuce wraps so I knew they had a good chance of working & my husband liking them.  All & all they were really good & we'll definitely swap out tortillas for these gluten-free lettuce tacos again. 

What do you eat in your lettuce wraps?

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings

My nephews call chicken wings or any boned chicken, "chicken on the bone." We now call it that at our house too. We always seem to pick up a package of wings or boned thighs when it's on sale. Usually it's nothing to blog about because it usually tastes like nothing & took too long (in my book) to cook.  This time it was different. Maybe it was the onset of warm weather on Friday or the stars aligned or something but finally there was something to blog about.

If you don't eat chicken you can put this sauce on anything like grilled or steam veggies, maybe some potatoes or just some toasted bread.  Chris called this garlic Parmesan chicken my best chicken on the bone, I think it was simply because the chicken acted as a delivery vehicle for the sauce but I'll take it regardless. 

BBQ Chicken & Cheese Quesadilla Pizza

Happy belated Cinco de Mayo! Did you enjoy some salty margaritas or with something deliciously spicy?

I have only been celebrating Cinco de Mayo since my early twenties, probably because that's when I was of the legal drinking age for bars & restaurants to market to me. Even though we didn't celebrate Cinco de Mayo when I was growing up I remember my mom making cheese quesadillas. She would top a tortilla with a  mix of barbecue sauce & salsa together with some green onions, cheese & then another tortilla and pan fry into a crispy snack that was both spicy & sweet.  Taking a nod from my youth and this California Pizza Kitchen-esque BBQ Chicken Pizza recipe I created my own fusion (half bbq have Mexican inspired) Cinco de Mayo dinner.

Mediterranean Chicken Wrap

I love Mediterranean food, if you haven't noticed.  This post is this week's recipes wrapped into one, literally. Sometimes if you don't feel like cranking the oven it becomes a sandwich kind of night, or in this case a wrap kind of night. Just because you didn't turn the oven on or use your stove top doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor. This Mediterranean chicken wrap proves just that.

Chicken Drumsticks & Potatoes Au Vin

Stews always taste & smell so good. Everything in them seems to be so deliciously mushy in the best way possible. This chicken dish isn't exactly a stew, it's a bit more delicate, but it reminds me of one. It's not super pretty either but it is tasty & will fill hungry bellies.

Click through for the full recipe & more photos.

Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

After a sub-par day, whether it's the weather or just life happenings, the only thing to do is to put on soft pants & warm your belly with some yummy caloric food.  I usually steer clear of the cream based sauces (& stick with cheesy ones like this one) but after I saw Guy Fieri make this cajun chicken alfredo the other day, I knew I had to make it for my hubby who has a soft spot for cajun food & my pasta.

I tried to veg it up with the fresh spinach & basil that tossed in at the end, otherwise I just followed the man's recipe here, Guy knows his stuff.

What's your fave comfort food?

PS: If we didn't have bad days when would we get to justify eating comfort food?  When would we know when we had a great day?  Cheers to perspective.

Cherry & Goat Cheese Chicken

Sometimes chicken can get so boring, yet we eat it all the time.  Last night I whipped up this chicken that was different from the usual boring grilled version.  In fact, Chris said he'd order it again. 

Get the recipe after the jump!

PS: Thanks for doing the dishes, Chris ;)

Immaculate Chicken Salad

I used to make this salad all the time at my collegiate coffee house job at Immaculate Consumption (man, I miss that place).  My gal Maggie recently reminded me of it. So naturally, I had to make it.  It's a great take on chicken salad full of crunch & flavors & is mayo-free!  You can eat it served between some lettuce, tomato, a slice of provolone (like Immaculate) & bread as a sandwich or over some lightly dressed greens as a salad.  Click through to get this yummy recipe plus a bonus salad dressing recipe that really makes it sing in your salad!

Lemon Herb Pistachio Pesto

If you follow me on instagram you already know that I spent Sunday with the hubs in search of a farmers market.  I was eager to find some farm fresh produce to cook with for the week.  Luckily, after a quick search Chris found some great farmers markets in Northern Jersey, more specifically Ridgewood (my new favorite town).  That night we ate an early dinner with some of our farmers market finds that consisted of (store bought) sliced roasted chicken, green beans & potatoes all topped with this lemon herb pistachio pesto, quickly quick & tasty.

Read on to learn how to make my lemon herb pistachio pesto that is delicious on poultry, veggies, potatoes, bread, pasta... & pretty much anything.

Fresh Herb & Fruit Chicken Salad

 

Chicken can get kind of monotonous so I'm always looking for new ways to make it.  I had some leftover grilled chicken in the fridge, so on a whim I chopped it up & added a bunch of fresh ingredients for a fresh & simple dinner.  How do you make your chicken without getting bored of it? Please share!

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups grilled chicken (cut into cubes)
• 1/2 english cucumber (cut into cubes)
• 1 carrot (shred with a box grater or make curls with a veggie peeler)
• 1 clove garlic (mince)
• 1 mango (cut into cubes)
• 5 mint leaves (chiffonade) 
• 5 basil leaves (chiffonade)
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 cups baby arugula

Dressing Ingredients:

• juice of 2 limes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper

Make it:

1. Toss all salad ingredient together in a bowl.
2. In a smaller bowl or measuring cup mix all dressing ingredients together.
3. Toss salad with dressing & serve immediately.

Roasted Chicken Dinner Sandwiches

I really love to make dinner for my hubby.  He is my biggest fan and makes me feel like I'm a five star chef when I'm really just a wanna-be.  One of his favorite things that I make are sandwiches.  I owe my sandwich skills to my days working as a barista at Immaculate Consumption in college. I leaned to make some mean sandwiches and will forever be inspired.

Monday nights are great for sandwich dinners - they're quick, easy and tastey!  This Monday I made roasted chicken with a marinated cucumber salad on ciabatta bread. They're really pretty easy to make and you only need some chicken, veggies and bread!

Read on to learn how I made them: