Grilled Chicken & Berry Salad

Oh My Yumminess!!! i made this last night for dinner and I am in L-O-V-E! It was so quick and easy, and lets not forget refreshing and delicious! I got the recipe from Our Best Bites Blog. Here it is and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :)

Grilled Chicken & Berry Salad

Posted By Kate @ Our Best Bites On 06.28.2011 @ 12:01 am

Grilled Chicken & Berry SaladRecipe by Our Best Bites, Inspired by the Pigtailed Red-Head of Hamburger Fame
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (I just bought a bag of pre-mixed romaine and baby spinach)
6-8 oz. baby spinach
12-16 oz. chicken, marinated, grilled, and sliced* ( I used 1 Chicken breast for 2 1/4 eaters)
8 oz. strawberries, sliced
8 oz. blueberries
4 oz. crumbled Feta or shredded fresh Parmesan cheese (I used Feta because I love it on my salads)
1 c. sliced almonds, toasted
Berry Poppy Seed Dressing to taste
For serving a large crowd, toss all the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl and add dressing to taste. For individual servings, arrange ingredients on plates and serve the dressing on the side. Makes about 8 side dish servings and 4 main dish servings.
*For a vegetarian dish, omit the chicken.

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URL to article: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/06/grilled-chicken-berry-salad/

Berry Poppy Seed VinaigretteRecipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 c. white wine vinegar
1/2 c. honey (or sugar)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 tsp. kosher or other coarse salt
About 10 cracks of freshly ground black pepper
1 c. raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries (I used strawberries in mine, but I am sure any berry would be delish)
2/3 c. canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

Combine the vinegar, honey, garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and berries in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth and then, with the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Turn off the blender and whisk in the poppy seeds. If possible, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Easy Spinach Lasagne

I have made this twice in one week because it was so quick and easy. And it is yummy too. :)

6-8 Uncooked Lasagne
1 Jar Pre-made Spagetti sauce
1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes -Diced
3 Garlic Cloves
1-2 boxes Frozen Chopped Spinach
1 Large Container Cottage Cheese (or Ricotta)
1 lb Ground Turkey
Seasonings
Shredded Mozzarella

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook Turkey meat, add pre-made sauce, the can of tomatoes, garlic, and whatever additional seasoning you like in your lasagna. Let mixture simmer.

In a medium bowl add cottage cheese and defrosted spinach. (make sure that the spinach has been squeezed out and has most of the liquid out) Mix together.

In a 9x13 casserole dish put a little of the sauce at the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of uncooked noodles on top. Add a later of the spinach mixture. Add a layer of the sauce. Then add layer oh shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers. Then place in the oven for about 45 minutes. Then it is done. :) I usually serve with war, bread and a salad. Enjoy!

Orzo Salad with Spicy buttermilk dressing

Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing

• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed and drained
• 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons light sour cream
• 2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

• 1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse; drain well. Place orzo, corn, and next 3 ingredients (through beans) in a large bowl; toss.
• 2. Combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over orzo mixture; toss. Top with avocado; garnish with remaining cilantro and parsley.

Yummy Play Group Granola Bars aka Cookie bars with Flax

(Adapted from the Best Recipe Big and Chewy Oatmeal -Raisin Cookie)

Preheat oven to 350.

Line a cookie sheet with foil.

In a medium bowl, wisk dry ingredients:

1.5 C flour (use half all-purpose, half whole wheat)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

4 rounded tbsp. milled flax (we buy the bag from Costco. It is good in smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, bread, etc.)

Cream 2 sticks of cold butter with the kitchen aid.

Add 1 C brown sugar and 3/4 C white sugar. Mix, medium for 2 minutes.

Add 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract.

Mix on low the following:

Add 1 cup flaked coconut (unpacked)

Add dry ingredients.

Add 3 C old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)

1.5 C raisins (optional)

1.5-2 C chocolate ships (NOT optional)

Spread the batter evenly over the cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 22-28 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center starts to set. Allow the cookies to cool, uncut for about 30 minutes to help the center firm up a little more. OR scoop it hot onto vanilla icecream.

Grilled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Grilled Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

from Real Mom Kitchen

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1-1/4 pounds boneless pork loin chops, sliced 1 inch thick
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 10 white corn tortillas

1. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, sugar, salt and the pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil until blended making a dressing. Stir in cilantro.

2. In medium bowl, combine pineapple, tomatoes, garlic and jalapeno. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the dressing.

3. Combine remaining dressing with the pork in a resealable plastic bag. Marinate in refrigerator about 30 minutes, turn over after 15 minutes to get both sides of the chops in the marinade. Grill  pork about 6 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Slice into thin strips, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

4. Warm tortillas. To serve, fill a warm tortilla with a few pork strips and some salsa, and fold up.  Makes 5 servings (2 tacos each) 

Note from Kimberly: I did this recipe for the first time as stated here, except for we don't have a grill so I broiled the pork in the oven. In the future, I will make the following adjustments based on my families preferences...

flour tortillas instead of corn
add sour cream
add onion  to the salsa

~Kimberly Pueblo

Brown Rice Cooking Method

I hate getting a pot of mushy icky brown rice. This is the recipe method we have been using for a few years.

Cooking brown rice, or at least cooking it well, is tricky. The goal is to soften the texture of each grain's fibrous bran coating—a process that takes longer than that called for in the cooking of white rice—without causing the rice to become mushy. Unfortunately, the labels on most packaged brown rice recommend an ineffective method that suggests boiling water and rice in a two-to-one ratio, then allowing the mixture to simmer for 40 minutes or more, until all the liquid is absorbed. We followed those directions and ended up throwing away more than a few pots of unsatisfying rice. What we ultimately found is that brown rice looks and tastes the best when it has been boiled and drained like pasta and then steamed in the small amount of moisture that remains in the pot. The boiling cooks the rice, while the subsequent steaming allows the grains to retain their integrity and come out light and fluffy.

1 cup short, medium, or long-grain brown rice

Kosher salt, to taste

1. Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds. Bring 12 cups water to a boil in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid over high heat. Add the rice, stir it once, and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Pour the rice into a strainer over the sink.

2. Let the rice drain for 10 seconds, then return it to the pot, off the heat. Cover the pot and set it aside to allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes. Uncover the rice, fluff with a fork, and season with salt.

MAKES 2 CUPS

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #11

Curried Apple Salad

It sounds a little crazy, but honestly it is surprising how many people like the flavor of this super simple salad. I hope you do too!

Salad
3 lrg. apples (I prefer Fuji)
2-3 celery stalks, from the center w/ leaves attached (there is a ton of good flavor in celery leaves)
3/4 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 - 2/3 cup of chopped walnuts, lightly toast on a dry pan before chopping
1/3 cup of chopped flat Italian parsley

• Combine all the salad ingredients into a bowl

Dressing
1/2 - 3/4 cup of mayo (depending on how creamy you like it)
Juice of one lemon
1 small shallot, finely minced (optional, but good)
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

•  Mix the dressing in a smaller seperate bowl until well incorporated and gently fold the dressing into the salad.  ENJOY!

Rigatoni

1 pkg rigatoni noodles
1 can italian stewed tomatoes
1 lb ground sausage
1 can tomato sauce (optional)

Cook noodles as instructed (usually about 14 minutes). Brown sausage, add tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes. (I usually use a hand blender to puree the stewed tomatoes first). Put cooked noodles on a platter and top with sauce.

This is one of the easiest recipes and it is both of my kids' favorites.