Honey Lime Chicken Marinade

This makes a great fresh tasting meal when paired with coconut rice and sugar snap peas. I will be making it alot in the summer, I think.

Mix: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup lime juice (the original recipe says to use fresh lime and zest but I just used the bottled kind)

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

2 pounds of chicken, cut into wide strips

Put all ingredients in a bag and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Cool on the grill on medium high until juices run clear (approx. 6-7 min each side).

Black Bean Burgers

Again, this is from America's Test Kitchen's Healthy Families Cookbook. We eat them on hamburger buns with the typical hamburger fixin's or on a bed of salad greens. Tasty.

2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, torn into pieces (or about 1/2 c. bread crumbs, I use whole wheat)

2 cans black beans, rinsed

2 large eggs

3 T. olive oil

1 t. cumin

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1 red pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine

1/4 c. minced fresh cilantro (or 1 T. dried cilantro)

1 shallot, minced (or 1/2 onion, minced)

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 F. Pulse the bread in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Spread the crumbs out over a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. (I never toast the crumbs. I just pull them from the freezer and use.)

2. Place 2 1/2 c. of the beans in a large bowl and mash them with a potato masher until mostly smooth. (I used the food processor.) In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, 1 T. of the oil, cumin, salt, and cayenne together.

3. Stir the egg mixture, tossed breadcrumbs, remaining 1/2 c. beans, bell pepper, cilantro, and shallot into the mashed beans until just combined. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions, about 1/2 c. each, and lightly pack into 1-inch-thick patties.

4. Heat 1 T. more oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Carefully lay half o f the patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Transfer the burgers to a plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Return the skillet to medium heat and repeat with the remaining tablespoon oil and remaining patties. Serve.

Chickpea Cakes with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

This is something Ryan and I love (the boys, not so much). It is from America's Test Kitchen's Healthy Family Cookbook.

2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces (or about 1/2 c. bread crumbs--I use whole wheat)

1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and shredded

salt and pepper

1 1/4 c. Greek yogurt (or strained plain yogurt)

6 scallions, sliced thin

1/4 c. minced cilantro (or 1 T. dried cilantro)

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed

2 large eggs

10 teaspoons olive oil

1 t. garam masala

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 shallot, minced (or 1/2 onion, minced)

lime wedges

1. Adjust an oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 350 F. Pulse the bread in a food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Spread the crumbs out over a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. (I never toast my crumbs; I just scoop them out the of the bucket of crumbs I keep in the freezer.)

2. Meanwhile, toss the cucumber with 1/2 t. salt in a colander and let drain for 15 to 30 minutes. Combine the drained cucumbers, 3/4 c. of the yogurt, 2 T. of the scallions, and 1 T. of the cilantro in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pulse the chickpeas in a food processor to a coarse puree with large pieces remaining, about 8 pulses. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 2 T. of the oil, garam masala, cayenne, and 1/8 t. of salt together. Add the processed chickpeas, breadcrumbs, remaining 1/2 c. yogurt, remaining scallions, remaining 3 T. cilantro, and shallot until just combined. Divide the chickpea mixture into 6 equal portions, about 1/2 c. each, and lightly pack into 1-inch-thick patties. (I always end up with about 8 when I measure by 1/2 c.)

4. Heat 2 t. oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Carefully lay half of the patties in the skillet and cook until well browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Transfer the cakes to a place and tent loosely with foil. Return the skillet to medium heat and repeat with the remaining 2 t. oil and remaining cakes. Serve with the cucumber-yogurt sauce and lime wedges.

Roasted Butternut Linguine

4 c. cubed peeled butternut squash
1 med red onion, chopped
3 T. olive oil
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 lb. uncooked linguine
2 c. shredded Swiss chard
1 T. minced fresh sage
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Place the squash and onion in a 15x 10 x 1 in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Combine the oil and pepper flakes, drizzle over vegetables and toss to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and place in large bowl. Add squash mixture, Swiss chard, sage, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Super yummy. Makes four servings of 1 1/2 cups each, 384 calories a serving.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

So I did a little experiment that turned out delicious and thought I would share. I basically took the Croxall Roll recipe, added an extra 1/4 cup sugar and prepared as usual. Then instead of making rolls, I rolled it out, smeared it with butter, sprinkled cinnamon sugar on it and baked. Delicious! It was so good I skipped the powdered sugar glaze I was planning for the top. You know it is good when you are guarding the last 1/8 of the loaf from the children (and yourself) so your sweet husband can try it when he gets home from work.

Cinnamon Roll Bread

1 C milk (powder milk works fine)
1 egg
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3-3 1/2 C flour (I originally put in 3 1/4 cup flour because that is what i do with the rolls but probably ended up adding another 1/4 c after taking it out of the bread machine)
1/2 C sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1. Put liquid ingredients in bread machine, break up the egg a bit.

2. Put dry ingredients in

3. Make well and put in yeast

4. Set to dough cycle

5. Punch down and roll out to about 24 -28" by 9".

6. Smear entire top with 1/4 cup softened butter.

7. Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar with 2 tsp cinnamon. Then sprinkle on the butter smeared bread.

8. Starting at one end of 9" roll the entire thing.

9. Place seamed side down in a greased 9x5 loaf pan. (I forgot to grease and so therefore do not a have a pretty picture of the bread). Let rise, about 90 min or so.

10. Cook at 350* for about 30 min, with a tent of tin foil on top, remove at the 30 min more and cook another 8-10 min until brown.

11. Let cool 10 min then remove from pan.

Grilled Chicken and Berry Salad

We made this last week, super yummy. The dressing makes over 2 cups, and we had to toss a lot of it because it only lasts 5-7 days (or as long as the berries would last). So maybe halve it or share.

Grilled Chicken & Berry Salad
Recipe 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
6-8 oz. baby spinach
12-16 oz. chicken, marinated, grilled, and sliced*
8 oz. strawberries, sliced
8 oz. blueberries
4 oz. crumbled Feta or shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
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.

Berry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette
Recipe 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
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.

Moroccan Vegetarian Stew

While I probably should have waited until winter to make this, it was Delicious. Very hearty, warm, and spicy. Too bad the kids didn't even try it. Sigh.

Moroccan Vegetarian Stew
1 large onion, chopped
1 T. olive oil
2 t. ground cinnamon
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (I only did 1/4 and it was still pretty hot.)
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. salt
3 c. water
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 med. potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 med. carrots, sliced
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 small zucchini, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 (15 0z) can garbanzo beans/chickpeas, rinsed and drained.

Saute onion in oil until tender. Add spices and salt; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the water, squash, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes and squash are almost tender. Add zucchini and chickpeas; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve with couscous, pita bread, or Amber's rolls like I did tonight because I couldn't find couscous at the store. Top with yogurt or sour cream if desired. I didn't try that either. SO flavorful. I loved it. And a cup and a half has only 170 calories. Eight servings (1.5 cups each).

Enchiladas

From Cook's Country (America's Test Kitchen). I rarely do all the work for the beef ones, but I do like the sauce. You can see my faster chicken version underneath.

Beef Enchiladas
1 1/4 lbs top blade steaks, trimmed
salt
1T veggie oil
2 onions, chopped (I use less)
3 garlic cloves, minced
3T chili powder
2t coriander
2t cumin
1t sugar
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1/2c water
2c shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
1/3c chopped fresh cilantro
1/4c canned pickled jalapenos, chopped (I skip this)
tortillas

-Pat meat dry, brown in hot oil in dutch oven at medium-high heat on both sides, about 6 min. Transfer to plate.
-add onions to oil and cook until golden, about 5 min. Combine the garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, sugar, and 1t salt in a small bowl, then stir mixture into the pot. Cook until fragrant, about 1 min. Add the tomato sauce and water and bring to a boil. Return the meat and juices to the pot, cover, and reduce heat to low, gently simmer until the meat is tender and can be broken apart with a wooden spoon, abut 1.5 hrs.
-Strain the beef mixture over a medium bowl, breaking the meat into small pieces, reserve the sauce. Transfer the meat to a bowl and mix with 1c cheese, cilantro and jalapenos.
-Spread 3/4c sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan. Spread 1/3c beef mixture in a tortilla, roll and place in baking dish seam side down. Repeat. And again. And some more. Pour the sauce on top, coat evenly. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese on top, cover with foil, bake at 350 for 20-25 min until heated through. Remove foil and brown slightly, 5-10min. Yummmmm.

***Chicken version
Replace the steaks with 2c cooked, cubed chicken breasts, 1-2c cooked rice and a can of refried beans. Make the sauce as listed, beginning with the onions and skipping the long cooking step. Mix some of the sauce with the chicken, rice, beans and cheese. Proceed as directed.

I like to serve it with:
Cilantro-Lime Sour Cream
Process 1c sour cream, 1/4c chopped fresh cilantro, 1t grated fresh lime zest, 1/4t pepper, 1/8t salt in a food processor until smooth.