Chicken Salad with Spiced Pecans

We all know how to make chicken salad, don't we? Of course, there are many variations when it comes to recipes so the possibilities are endless. With that said, we have never put Granny Smith apples in our chicken salad before. Mandarin oranges, grapes, celery, and pineapple have all been paired up with our chicken and mayo, but never the apple.

This dish is simple, wonderfully flavored and the spiced pecans are a stunning compliment to this salad. You must spice up your pecans to get the full effect of this delight!


Chicken Salad With Spiced Pecans

4 Cooked Chicken Breast Halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
One Granny Smith Apple, chopped
One Cup Chopped Red or Green Seedless Grapes
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Flat-leaf Parsley
One Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste

One Cup Spicy Pecans

Stir the mayo and mustard in a medium sized bowl. Add the chicken, apple, grapes, and parsley. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Serve on bed of lettuce and top with a handful of spiced pecans.


Spiced Pecans

3 Cups Pecan Halves
3 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
One Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Dried Rosemary
One Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
One Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Combine pecans, vanilla, and olive oil in a medium bowl and toss to mix. Mix all the dry ingredients together and pour over pecans - stir to coat. Spread pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. If you're storing your newly spiced pecans for another day, be certain the pecans are completely dry before storing in a resealable bag or container so they don't get soft.

Try to eat just one! We dare ya!

Coming Soon.... The Results of Our Fabulous Tomato Tasting Party

Sarafina's Greek Pasta Salad

Listen up, folks, because this is the grandmother of all pasta salads!

This recipe comes straight from our friend Sarah's mom...and she does NOT mess around when it comes to food. This is pasta salad for serious pasta salad lovers. And yes, the ingredient list may look just a little intimidating, and making the vinegar 2 weeks ahead of time may make you run for the hills, but we can assure you that this recipe is worth it. But really, it's pasta salad, so once you have all the ingredients, you just mix them together, and it's done! It's actually pretty fast, when you think about it!

It is also important to note here, that we have made this pasta salad many times on the spur of the moment, having not prepared the Garlic Peppercorn Vinegar...we just used regular vinegar or garlic-infused vinegar instead. Say it with me, folks...JUST WING IT!!! The same can be said for the feta with peppercorns...regular will do just fine, but if you really want to impress the crowd, make the special vinegar and try to find the feta with peppercorns. It adds unbelievable flavor!!


Sarafina's Greek Pasta Salad

Garlic Peppercorn Vinegar:
5 whole black peppercorns
2 large garlic cloves
2 c. white vinegar

Place peppercorns in a clean jar. Thread garlic on a wooden skewer and place in the jar. Add vinegar. Microwave on high for 2 1/2-3 minutes (the jar should be warm). Cover, and let stand in cool, dark place for 2 weeks to blend flavors.

Dressing:
2/3 c. oil
3 tbsp. Garlic Peppercorn Vinegar*
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp. chopped fresh green onions
2 tbsp. grated parmesean cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano

Salad:
3 c. uncooked tri-color rotini
1 small green pepper, cut into strips
1 small red pepper, cut into strips
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
1/2 c. pitted Greek olives
6 oz. feta cheese w/ peppercorns, crumbled

In a blender container, combine all dressing ingredients. Blend until smooth. Cook pasta, drain, rinse with cold water. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Pour dressing over salad and toss gently. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving to blend flavors.

Be prepared to hand out the recipe!!!

Buttered Bellas with Garden Tomatoes

So how's your garden doing?

Is it blooming beautifully and blessing you with an abundance of produce like Jen's garden, or is it withering away before your eyes, barely bestowing on you enough food to create a simple meal, like Sheri's? Well, whether you're collecting baskets and baskets of fresh produce from your own garden, or accepting the generous handouts of friends, family, or neighbors, we have a quick delight for you today that will showcase the best of garden flavors.

This dish is light, fresh, flavorful, and seasonal. Enjoy!


Buttered Bellas with Garden Tomatoes

2 Cups Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced
2 Tablespoons Butter
One Clove Garlic
1/4 Cup Chopped Green Onion
1/4 Cup Shaved Parmesan Cheese
4 Beautiful Red Tomatoes, straight from the garden
One Spaghetti Squash from the garden OR 4 Ounces Capellini Pasta
2 Tablespoons Toasted Pine Nuts
Sprinkle of Salt
Turkey Sausage (optional)

In a wok or skillet, melt butter and garlic over medium/low heat. Add sliced Bellas and cover. Saute' until softened and juices have released. Add green onions, turn off heat, and cover.

If you have a spaghetti squash cooked and "noodles" removed - great! If you're not doing the squash, then boil water and cook pasta until al dente. Drain.

Slice the top of a tomato and scoop out the inside. Open the tomato so it lays flat.

Place tomato on center of plate. Top with desired amount of spaghetti squash or pasta. Spoon sauteed mushrooms with juice over spaghetti. Top with Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.

Serve immediately.

Note: If you're looking for even more protein and flavor with this meal, replace the pine nuts with some turkey sausage - yum.....

Zucchini Slaw

We've made a lot of great dishes with zucchini on this blog, but this one is extra special because the zucchini in this recipe is completely raw, just the way the Man upstairs intended. We seriously doubt when He came up with the idea of zucchini, He was thinking to Himself, "Hey, they could also use this vegetable in a chocolate cake - that way Sheri and Jen could eat their rich dark chocolate cake with only half the guilt!"

But we choose to believe He does like us stretching our imagination, our minds, and our appetites to discover new and inventive ways to appreciate all the foods we grow, so we happily bake our beloved chocolate and green zucchini in the same cake - just not today.

Today, we're making this fabulous recipe! What we love most about this slaw is it's lightness, tang, and flexibility. The recipe calls for zucchini, yellow squash, red peppers, carrots, and scallions, but the first time we ate it, our minds started racing as we imagined how fantastic cucumbers, leeks, radishes, red cabbage, and all the other colors in the pepper family would taste in this dish.

Make the marinade today and stash it in the fridge, so on any particular day when you're cutting up some veggies, you can douse a little magic marinade on them and create a wonderful vegetable side salad.

We could all use a little magic in our lives!


Zucchini Slaw

2 medium zucchini, ends removed and cut into 2-inch julienne
2 medium yellow summer squash, ends removed and cut into 2-inch julienne
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch julienne
4 scallions, julienned (white and green parts)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Sweet and Tart Slaw Dressing
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a jar. Put the lid on tightly and shake the jar until the sugar dissolves.

Combine zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, scallions, bell pepper if using, and parsley in a large bowl as you cut them. Drizzle the vegetables with the dressing, season with salt and pepper and toss. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a thought: Have you ever made a Cheesy Vegetable Sandwich? Two pieces of bread with a dab of mustard, dollop of mayo, one or two leaves of leafy lettuce, a fabulous mouth-watering cheese, and then some cucumbers and peppers. If you haven't gone to this heavenly place we speak of, then a little slice of paradise is somewhere in your future.
Anyway! Imagine if you will, how fabulous these marinated veggies would taste on that Cheesy Vegetable Sandwich! Oh, can't you just taste it?........

Pesto and Artichoke Spread

Someone invites you to a party and the first thing you think is, "What am I going to bring?" We're always looking for something new and scrumptious to bring - that dish everyone goes ga-ga for, the one that everyone's hovering over until it's all gone, and the one every person wants the recipe for. We love to discover that fabulous new appetizer that everybody likes.

Everybody does think that way, don't they? Or is it just us? Are we the only crazies out there that make it our mission to find the next great masterpiece in the kitchen that will make everyone positively giddy when they eat it?

We hope not!

We believe deep down, that we are all in search of that easy to make, easy to transport, and impossible to walk away from after the first bite is taken, recipe.

Sooooo, if you have a party coming up and you want to try something new, here's a little something that just might knock everyone's sock's off!

Pesto and Artichoke Spread

8 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 Cup Mayonnaise

1/4 Cup Pesto (freshly made or store-bought)
1/2 Cup Artichoke, diced small
1/3 Cup Roasted Red Peppers, Diced small
1/2 Cup Italian Cheeses, or Mozzarella

Beat cream cheese and mayo on high with beater until smooth. Spread thinly on large platter. Then layer every other ingredient in the order listed.

Special Note: We gave you specific measurements for the toppings because that is the recipe, but we do not limit ourselves like that. We spread the pesto thick because we like it that way, we load on the artichokes because we think they taste great!, we dump on the red peppers because we can, and we sprinkle cheese until it looks good. So, as always, do what you want!

Serve with vegetables or stoneground or wheat crackers

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

Look, when I said we love muffins around here, I wasn't kidding. Muffins and pancakes, baby... that's what we love to have on hand for breakfast to go with our big bowl of fresh, scrambled eggs!!

Now, these are not as healthy as the whole wheat blueberry muffins we just featured, but let us tell you, they are super yummy! The lemon flavor is just perfect and pairs beautifully with the raspberries. Of course, remember our rule of "Winging It"...feel free! In fact, the muffins in the above picture were made with fresh blackberries and they were divine. We've also made them with blueberries, which are sensational as well.

We always make these with the intention of just having a few and freezing the rest, but the freezing rarely happens. Fresh berries abound! Get out there and bake some muffins!

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. half & half
1/2 c. canola oil
1 tsp. lemon extract or lemon juice
1 c. fresh or frozen raspberries

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl combine the eggs, cream, oil and lemon extract/juice. Stir the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the raspberries.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 22-25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

Tuna with Sunflowers and Apples

How do you feel about tuna out of the can?

Are you okay with the idea?

Good!

We group up on tuna mixed with mayo, hard boiled eggs, and pickles spread on toasted wheat bread - which was great - but today we have a fun and refreshing new way to dress up tuna out of the can.

As the recipe suggests, dill, basil, or parsley can used in this recipe, which means you have three different recipes here - how fun is that?! We chose parsley today over the basil, just because basil gets used in so many other places, we felt it only fair to let parsley have a turn. We didn't grow it in the garden for nothing.....

Also, we are not huge avocado fans, but since many people are, we decided to give you the option to add or not to add. We figured if you were that avocado-loving freak, it just might make your face light up at the idea of adding it to your tuna salad, and if that were the case, who are we to deny you that?!

This is a wonderful and refreshing way to liven up your tuna! Enjoy!


Tuna with Sunflowers and Apples

12 Ounces of Solid White Tuna, packed in water, drained
1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/3 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Dill, Basil, or Parsley
One Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
One Tart Granny Smith Apple, chopped small
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

TOTALLY & COMPLETELY OPTIONAL:
One Avocado, peeled, pitted, halved, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Combine all the ingredients - except for the totally optional avocado - in a medium sized bowl and mix and stir together. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight to let the flavors mingle.

IF you like your avocado, just before serving, add the cubed avocado and toss very gently.

Serve over tomatoes, sprouts, bread, toasted rice cake, or simply a bed of beautiful fresh greens.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

We love muffins! But what do we love even better? A healthy version, of course! This recipe was in a local grocery store flyer, and when we saw it, we just knew we needed to try it...for all you readers, you know. Ok, ok...maybe we just wanted to try them because we wanted to eat them...they sounded so yummy!! But the great thing about these muffins is that they are not overly sweet, so they make a good snack in the middle of the day. Try them soon, folks! You won't be disappointed, and either will your kiddos!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

2 c. whole wheat flour pastry flour
1/4 c. ground flax seeds
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
15 oz. pumpkin puree
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. plain yogurt
3 tbsp. canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 1/4 c. frozen blueberries
3/4 c. walnuts, finely chopped

Whisk the whole wheat four, flaxseeds, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. Combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, honey, milk, egg and egg white in a bowl and mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix until moistened.

Fold in the blueberries and walnuts. Spoon the batter evenly into 18 muffin cups coated with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 375* for 28 minutes. Let cool for 2 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack.

Whey Peachy Pancakes

Let's see, we've already made pancakes with Bananas, Blueberries, and Apples, so why not peaches? And since we made Greek yogurt the other day, we now have healthy and tangy liquid whey that we need to use, so we're going to put that tang to good use by incorporating it into these Whey Peachy Pancakes.

Removing the whey from yogurt takes the sting out of the flavor and creates a milder substance that can be easily substituted for sour cream. The flavor we want removed from the yogurt to create a different taste and texture, is the same flavor we really want in this recipe to give the pancakes a lift, so to speak. The ingredient list below looks fairly standard for pancakes, but trust me, the whey, peaches, and nutmeg help make this no ordinary breakfast cake.

If I dare say - and I do - these cakes taste a lot like Peach Cobbler without the ice cream. When taking a poll after serving them to nieces and nephews, I found that I was not alone in my assessment. So, go ahead and try them out for yourself and conduct a poll of your own!

Whey Peachy Pancakes

1-1/2 Cups Flour
*we like using at least 1/2 oat flour
One Teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1- 3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Eggs, beaten
3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, or Butter, melted
1-1/4 Cups Liquid Whey
One Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
One Peach, diced small
Sprinkles of Nutmeg

Pour all the dry ingredients into one bowl and the wet ones in another. Then mix them altogether. Pour desired-size pancake onto a hot griddle and sprinkle a little nutmeg on top. Flip pancake when tiny bubbles form in the batter.

Drown them in maple syrup, lightly drizzle the maple syrup, or just eat them plain - they can certainly stand on their alone and still shine!


Have a Peachy Day!

Yogurt and Chive Pasta

Okay. This is going to go fast, so don't blink!

If you're looking for something quick, light, and tasty to sit next to your steak or chicken on the plate, we have the perfect side entree' for you. If you've already made your Greek yogurt or decided to go with store-bought, which is absolutely fine.........then this pasta will go together in a flash.

Try your best to time it so that when the pasta is al dente, you are ready for it to take it's place next to the chicken - if that's who's being served up for dinner - because tossing the pasta with the yogurt sauce and serving immediately is simply the best way to eat it - fresh!

We ask that you refrain from using dried chives here, because only fresh will do.

Fresh...Fresh...Fresh!

Yogurt and Chive Pasta

1/2 Pound Capellini Pasta
3 Tablespoons Butter
One Tablespoon Olive Oil
One Clove of Garlic, crushed
2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
One Cup Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Freshly Chopped Chives
*and a little extra for decoration
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese

While a boiling pot of water is cooking your Capellini pasta - which won't take long at all - melt butter and olive oil together in a separate saucepan on loooow heat. Add garlic and lemon juice and stir together. Remove from heat and slowly incorporate the yogurt, chives, and salt.

When pasta is al dente, drain it and add it to the yogurt mixture. Toss it so pasta is completely coated with yogurt. Add the Parmesan. Feel free to add more lemon juice and/or salt to taste.

Serve immediately with chopped chives on top.

Note: Even though this heats up beautifully the next day, I also like it cold, straight from the fridge....

A Second Note: You could make this crazy healthy by using Brown Rice Pasta, OR even crazier than that.....Spaghetti Squash!

Go Crazy!