Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad!!

Who doesn't LOVE some warm, juicy grilled chicken on top of cool creamy ceasar salad? It's probably one of the "MOST" ordered and well loved salads EVER! We love it so much we make it at home a lot too... and it couldn't be any easier!! First, I butterflied 3 big boneless chicken breasts and drizzled on a little olive oil, salt and a lemon-herb rub (McCormick's). I didn't have time to marinate, but you could do that too! Then I grilled the chicken over medium high heat for about 4 minutes on each side, or until done. Poke the chicken and it should be firm, but not hard (no more than 4 minutes). Mmmmm... looks good, smells amazing, BUT cover with foil and let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes so it will stay juicy and tender!! DO IT! This salad is sooooo easy, I should be embarrassed, but it's so good, that I can live with that! Traditional ceasar salad has homemade dressing with anchovies and mustard (yum), but I took a super tasty short cut with this bottled dressing (and loved it)! I simply washed and dried my romaine lettuce, added a handful of grated carrots (not very "ceasar-ish" but, we wanted the extra nutrition and crunch), a little grated cheese and black pepper, and, of course, our grilled chicken! Toss all together! Tender juicy grilled chicken with cool crisp greens! So good, so easy and "so what" if there's a short cut or two! You'll love this on it's own, with some soup and bread, or wrapped up in a tortilla! Light and fresh and amazing!

Grilled Chipotle Chicken with Corn and Black Bean Eggrolls!!

What could be better than tasty grilled chipotle spiced chicken breasts with crispy veggie filled eggrolls on the side??? Having all your (grown) kids home to enjoy it with you!! BOOYAH!! So, there's only 2 parts to this easy quick delicious dinner, eggrolls and chicken. First up... eggrolls! The filling starts with 2 cups of corn, 1 and 1/2 cups of chedder (or Mexican blend) cheese, 6 chopped scallions, 1, 15 ounce can of black beans (rinsed). Add everyone in a big bowl and get ready for some kick! Tonight our craving for heat comes from 2 Fresno chili peppers. I chopped up 2, seeds and all, and it was perfect! To your filling you want to add 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper! And, last but not least... Thaw one package of chopped spinach and squeeze out all the water, then, shred that spinach into the filling! Mix it all together and get ready to tuck all that tasty filling into an eggroll sleeping bag!! To "wrap these babies up" we need eggroll wrappers and a little egg (or water) to seal it up after we roll in the filling! Lay your egg roll wrapper on your work space and add 1/4 cup of that tasty filling on top. Now roll one corner into the middle, tuck in the sides, and get ready to roll!! I used a little egg wash to seal the eggroll (right on the corner) and get ready to pop those rolls onto a baking sheet, seam side down! Brush your eggrolls with a little olive oil and pop them into a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes (making sure to turn once, half way through cooking). Now that the oven is working on the eggrolls, let's get the grill ready to work on our chicken! Chicken is boring... no offense, but it is... you gotta flavor-UP your chicken! So tonight, I added salt, garlic powder, and chipotle seasoning (pretty liberally.... we don't like boring chicken)! When using boneless chicken breasts (as we often do because it's so super protein packed and good for you), I butterflied each breast and sprinkled on all that seasoning. The eggrolls are tucked in the oven turning into delicious bundles of black bean and corn heaven!! So that gives us time to grill our chicken on a medium heat for 4 minutes on both sides or until done! Now, you know the drill... cover the chicken with foil and let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes. It will be tender and juicy (not dry and tough)!! JUST DO IT!! WOW! While I was working on the chicken, the eggrolls were turning into rock stars! I turned them half way and after 17 minutes, this is what I got! Time for dinner (and thank God... because all I've been listening to for the last half hour is: "Dinner ready? Is it ready... Is it done... Can we eat... MOM!!!) Yikes... Time for delicious grilled chicken dinner!!! Tender juicy grilled chipotle chicken with corn and black bean filled eggrolls! Add a little salsa and sour cream and you have a home run, super lean, tasty summer treat! Thank you summer... thank you corn! Great dinner with the boys!

Chipotle Salmon and Quinoa with Black Beans!!!

We LOVE salmon, and we treat ourselves about once every couple of weeks! If your gonna treat yourself to some delicious salmon, with a nod to gluten free healthy eating, then THIS is the recipe for you!!!! First I started with this warm quinoa salad!! And Stevie said... "quin-whaaaat"??? And I said "keenwah"... you'll eat it and like it! And.. he did! And asked for more!! First I brought 2 cups of stock and 1 cup of quinoa to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Then, reduce to simmer, cover, and let sit for about 15 to 20 minutes until tender! Next, in this big saute pan I sauteed 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic for about 5-8 minutes. Next, add 1 can (15 oz.) of black beans and 1 cup of cherry tomatoes quartered with 1 teaspoon of cumin, salt and pepper. When the quinoa is done, toss with the black beans and add about half cup of chopped fresh cilantro. Add a shpritz of lime right before serving! Next... Savory Salmon!! I might say this a lot... but I COULD EAT THIS SALMON EVERY DAY!! So tender, moist, flavorful... it's KILLER with this quinoa and black beans! I've made it a million times, and it never disappoints! Take the skin-on salmon and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, garlic powder, and chipotle seasoning (see previous post), and roast in a 450 degree oven for 12-13 minutes! When done, cover and let the fish rest (get better) with foil for at least 10 minutes. It will continue to cook and retain all it's juicy tender flavor!!! Tender, rich, juicy, meaty salmon with tangy, black bean quinoa! So good, you won't care that it's gluten free and full of protein!!! One power meal full of flavor pleasure!!! BOOM! Only 1 teaspoon of olive oil to cook the onions and on the salmon. Just sayin'!!

Blueberry Banana Bread!!

What could be better than fresh baked banana bread? Few things are as intoxicating as a house that smells like banana bread heaven. But let's add fresh blueberries, bump up the protein, and see how good it gets!! First I washed and dried these fresh blueberries. You'll need 1 heaping cup for this recipe! Most baking starts with dry ingredients, and this is no different. In a big mixing bowl, add 1 cup of all purpose flour and 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 cup of wheat germ. Whisk all the dry ingredients together and get another small bowl ready to mix your wet ingredients! For this bread recipe, I used 2 big bananas, but you could use 3 small. The riper the better! Banana bread is a great way to use up those old bananas that have been overlooked for a while! It reminds me of the ugly duckling turning into the swan. Only in this story, we'll eat the swan... a.k.a. banana bread! First I just mash my bananas with a potato masher, nothing fancy. Then add 5 tablespoons of melted butter (you can substitute canola or veg. oil, but, butter makes this better), 1/4 cup of lowfat buttermilk, and 2 eggs. Add your wet to your dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Last, fold in your heaping cup of blueberries and pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for about an hour at 350 degrees , but check after 45-50 minutes. When you insert a toothpick, and it comes out clean (not gooey) your bread is done!! Here's the hard part. Let that bread sit and cool for at least 15 minutes before diving in! After 15, I popped it out of the pan to cool on a rack. This was supposed to be for breakfast tomorrow... but we couldn't wait! Warm, slightly sweet banana bread laced with fresh juicy blueberries! So good you'll want to make 2!!

Grilled Tuna Sliders with Garlic, Lemon, Sriracha Aoli... Wedges and Zuke!

Oh my!! Grilled tuna steaks topped with tangy garlicky-lemony sriracha aoli with crispy potato wedges and grilled zucchini? YES, please!! So tonight there were 3 major players invited to dinner, our favorite wedges (better than tots and oh, so addictive), grilled tuna (frozen from Trader Joe's... just fine), and some lovely summer grilled zucchini! But let's get real, the party started when we invited this money-makin' sauce I made last night... garlic lemon, sriracha aoli!!!!! SHAZAAAM!! Let's start with taters... Tonight I washed and "wedged" 3 red and 3 yukon gold potatoes (we believe in potato diversity and blend these families whenever we can)! Drizzle with olive oil, salt,, pepper and garlic powder, and prop them up like cute little sailboats (I know... I'm weird, but it makes them super crispy). Now pop them in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until they look like this!!! Now, in "real time" those taters will cook while you do other dinner things... otherwise, they'd get poached by every boy, neighbor, and anyone in your zip code that sees them. Next up, Tuna and zuke... grilled! I halved 4 medium-smallish zucchini and drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. They'll go on the grill with the tuna, but they need about 5 minutes on medium high heat on each side. I did the same thing to my tuna steaks (olive oil, salt and pepper) but they will only take about 2 and 1/2 minutes on each side. So, here's how I timed this. I grilled the first side of the zucchini and after 5-6 minutes, when I turned them over, I added my tuna steaks. While the zucchini cooked on the second side, I cooked the tuna on each side for about 2-3 minutes (no more). So, now, we have grilled tuna steaks... and grilled zucchini! And since the potato wedges are done, lets grill those buns and get ready to stack this slider!! Dinner Joe's way... Tuna sliders with grilled zucchini and wedges! So good, so healthy, and so full of this... A healthy teaspoon (or tablespoon... or more, you choose) of this killer aoli! Check last night's post for the recipe! You'll be glad you did!!!

Finger Lickin' Brussel Sprouts!!!

So... here's what happened tonight 'round dinner time? First this: I kept a promise to an eighth grader who EARNED his way (on a very bad day) to this bucket full of Hanger Wings (long story, his request). Let's just say, in this house (aka boy's locker room) there's this unfulfilled fantasy of eating Hanger Wings with Adam Sandler while watching Tommy Boy. Oh... and that fact makes me sooooo proud.... So, since there was this Hanger Wings promise happening... this had to happen too! Fresh Hadley corn (oh, my....). So we put "Hanger Wing Boy" to work while I made this!!!!!!! Roasted brussel sprouts with garlic-sriracha aoli... and it might just be the BEST thing I've ever made!!! First things first: This aoli (fancy-pants word for mayonnaise) is KILLER GOOD! You could put this on tree bark, a flip-flop, eat it and you'd LOVE it! Here's how this incredible 3 minute aoli started... In a mixing bowl add 1/2 cup mayo, 2 garlic cloves pressed, 1/2 the juice of one lemon and the zest of 1/2 of that lemon. Then add 1 tablespoon sriracha, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper! Whisk it all up and you get this! Taste it... but only if you want to BLOW YOUR MIND and your mouth with killer aoli flavor!! This sauce is MONEY!!! So, park this in the fridge while you get the sprouts ready (armed guard, optional)! Wash, quarter and drizzle the sprouts with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Pop into a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, and you'll get this!! Roasty-toasty tasty sprouts!!! So good, but when paired with this garlic-sriracha aoli, it will BLOW YOUR MIND!!!! Finger lickin' roasted sprouts with garlic-sriracha aoli! Even with Hanger Wings in the joint.... the sprouts were gone first! Sprouts always steal the show! Do yourself a flavor-favor... make these, eat these, and make some for your friends!!!