Broccoli Italiano

What's better than quick and easy?  Quick, easy, and healthy.  We are a family of broccoli lovers, and this is a regular summer dinner go to.

1 lb fresh broccoli florets 

1/4 cup Italian salad dressing (I like zesty)

Two ingredients . . . that's it!

Place broccoli florets in a steamer basket above 2" of boiling water.  Cover and steam for 4 minutes or until broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender when pierced with a fork.

Remove from heat and place broccoli in a serving dish.  Drizzle with the Italian dressing and toss to coat.

Serve immediately.

 

Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream and Dill Dressing

 

Every summer I wind up with more cucumbers than I know what to do with.  I'm always looking for new and delicious ways to serve them.  This salad is super refreshing and makes good use of the cucumbers and dill growing in the garden.

1/2 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 lb small cucumbers (about 4 - 6) 

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

To make the dressing

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, lemon juice, and dill.  

Season with salt and pepper and whisk well to combine.

Cucumbers and onion

Peel and halve the cucumbers lengthwise and thinly slice

Add the cucumbers and sliced onion to a serving bowl.  

Top with the dressing and toss to coat.  

Garnish with more dill, if desired.

Serve or refrigerate, covered until ready to serve.

Sweet Potato Casserole

This is comfort food at it's best.  Sweet Potato Casserole has always been a family favorite.

3 large sweet potatoes

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 stick butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

Crunch Topping: 

1//3 cup melted butter

1/3 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

1 Tbsp cinnamon

Boil potatoes until tender.  Take skin off when cooled and able to handle.  Put in a large bowl and whip them until fluffy.  Add all other ingredients and mix well.  

Pour into a greased casserole dish and top with the crunch topping,  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  
 

Maple Orange Glazed Carrots

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for a new way to make veggies delicious.  This does just that!

1 lb carrots, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch-thick rounds

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup orange juice

1/2 tsp orange zest

Pinch of cinnamon

In a large, sauté pan, heat the butter on medium heat until melted.  Add the carrots and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with salt.  Cook for 3 - 4 minutes, then add the maple syrup.  Cook for a minute more, then add the orange juice.  Cover the pan and cook for 3 more minutes.  

Uncover the pan and increase the heat to medium high.  Stir the carrots occasionally and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.  Remove from heat.

Sprinkle the cinnamon over the carrots and stir in the orange zest.  

Super good!

Chimichurri Steak with Roasted Potatoes

 Oh, this is one of my favorite dinners!  I am not gonna lie . . . this is super good!

2 Russet Potatoes

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 garlic cloves

2 Roma tomatoes

2 Sirloin steaks

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried Oregano

Let's get started . . . 

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Halve the potatoes, then cut each half into four wedges.  Toss the wedges with 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Place the wedges on a foil lined baking sheet.  Spread into a single layer and roast until potatoes are tender and golden brown, 20 - 25 minutes.  

Stem the parsley.  Mince stems and finely chop leaves.  Mince garlic.  Halve tomatoes lengthwise.  Pat steaks dry, and season both sides with 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper.  

Combine parsley leaves and stems, red wine vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp water and 1/4 tsp salt in a small mixing bowl.  Stir together and set aside to allow flavors to meld.  

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  Add tomatoes to hot pan, cut side down.  Sear until browned, 2 minutes.  Remove from the pan.  When the potatoes have roasted 20 - 25 minutes, add tomatoes to baking sheet, seared side up.  Bake until tomatoes are softened, but not mushy, 3 - 4 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.  

Return the pan used to cook the tomatoes to medium-high heat.  Add 1 tsp olive oil and steaks to hot pan.  Sear undisturbed until browned, 3 - 4 minutes.  Flip steaks, reduce heat to medium, and cook until steaks reach a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees, 4 - 6 minutes.  Remove steaks from the pan and rest for 5 minutes.  

Serve the potatoes on a plate and place tomatoes next to them.  Slice steak into 1/4" slices.  Serve steak up against potatoes and top with a spoonful of chimichurri.  Serve remaining chimichurri on the side for dipping.  

Trust me when I say this is a fantastic meal.  I didn't discover chimichurri until I was in my 50's.  Honestly, I never thought I'd put anything green on my steak.  But now, I seldomly eat steak without chimichurri.  

Pan-Seared Chicken Scaloppine

I've enjoyed recipes from Home Chef for years now, and this one is one of my favorites.  It never disappoints.  

6 oz cremini mushrooms

1 shallot

2 garlic cloves

1 lemon

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

5 oz angel hair pasta

2 oz white cooking wine

4 oz light cream

1 oz shaved Parmesan

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.

Quarter the mushrooms

Peel and mince the shallot

Mince the garlic

Zest the lemon and cut it in half

Pat chicken breasts dry, and season both sides with 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper

On a separate cutting board, cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap.  Using a heavy object, gently pound to a uniform thickness of 1/2".   

Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente 3 - 5 minutes.  

Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain in a wire-mesh strainer.  

Place a medium non-stick pan over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of olive oil.    Add chicken breasts to hot pan and cook undisturbed until browned, 5 - 6 minutes.  Flip and cook until chicken has cooked through, 5 - 6 minutes.  Remove chicken to a plate.

Return pan to medium-high heat and add 2 tsp of olive oil.  Add mushrooms to hot pan and cook 1 minute.  Stir in shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.  Add white wine, squeeze juice of half the lemon over the pan, and cook until is mostly reduced, 1 - 2 minutes.  Add cream and reserved pasta water to sauce.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until sauce is reduced by half, 4 - 6 minutes.  

Remove sauce from the burner and stir in half the Parmesan.  (Reserve the rest for garnish.)  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Toss pasta with sauce.

Plate the dish as shown in picture above.  Top with remaining Parmesan, lemon zest, and a squeeze of remaining lemon juice.  

Hawaiian Chicken Thighs

I am always looking for new and creative dishes that make dinnertime quick, easy and delicious.  This recipe is a winner in that category!  You can use canned pineapple chunks, but I like to use Member's Mark Pineapple Spears.

2 (20 oz) cans of pineapple chunks or 2 pineapple spears cut into chunks

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/8 tsp ginger

4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups hot cooked long-grain white rice, cooked

2 green onions, sliced

Fresh parsley, for garnish

Drain the pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup of the juice.  In a gallon zip lock plastic bag, add the juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and chicken.  Seal the bag and turn to coat the thighs.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade -- discard the rest.  Add chicken skin side down to skillet.  Cook until the skin is crispy (usually about 5 -6 minutes).  Turn chicken over; continue cooking until temp reaches 165 degrees, 8 - 10 minutes.  Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.  

Stir pineapple chunks and reserved marinade into skillet.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Return chicken to skillet and stir to coat.  Serve with hot rice and garnish with parsley.  

Enjoy!!

 

Green Goddess Salad

This is one of my favorite salads.  It's bright and it's fresh, and it can easily be a side, or it can be dinner if you add grilled chicken or shrimp.

1 head of Iceburg lettuce, chopped, roughly chopped

1 English cucumber, sliced

10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

1 cup Green Goddess dressing

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl.  

Plate and serve immediately.

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp with Zoodles

I'm always looking for ways to keep dinner different and interesting. This dish does just that.  Considering summer is just around the corner, I know I'll soon have an abundance of zucchini.  This may be a good way to make use of it.

1 lb raw shrimp, tail off, peeled and deveined

1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chicken stock

2 medium zucchini, trimmed and spiral sliced

Lemon slices and fresh chopped parsley for garnish

 In a medium bowl, stir together the shrimp, lemon zest and juice, garlic, 1 Tbsp olive oil, and red pepper flakes.  Refrigerate, covered for at least 20 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp (with marinade) in a single layer.  Cook until the shrimp is just beginning to turn pink, 2 - 3 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.  Cover to keep warm.

Stir chicken stock into skillet.  Bring to a simmer, gently scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, until liquid is reduced by half, 2 - 3 minutes.  

Add zucchini and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes.  Gently stir in the shrimp and, if desired, season with salt and pepper.  

Garnish with lemon slices and fresh parsley.  Serve immediately.

Sun-Kissed Fruit and Cheese Salad

I've been trying to try some new foods and recipes.  I'm such a creature of habit -- it's easy for me to get stuck in a routine of steak, shrimp, pork, chicken . . . repeat.

Summer is approaching and this is the perfect meat-free, hot day dinner choice.

2 fresh peaches, cut into wedges
1 cup red grapes, halved
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
8 oz mixed baby greens

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

4 oz Mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup honey roasted sliced almonds

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high and oil the grate.  Arrange peaches evenly on the grate; grill until lightly charred, 2 - 3 minutes per side.

In a large salad bowl, toss together grilled peaches, grapes, cherry tomatoes, mixed greens, red onion, mozzarella cheese and almonds.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil and balsamic vinegar, honey and Dijon mustard until well combined.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat.   

Serve immediately.