Grilled Chicken Caprese Sandwich

Before summer is officially over I urge you to enjoy a simple grilled sandwich out on your porch. Accompany with a little red wine, great conversation, and some fabulous music. Finish with a square of organic dark chocolate for dessert.

Grilled Chicken Caprese Sandwich

serves 2

1 demi loaf of crusty french bread

2 vine ripened tomatoes, sliced

fresh basil

.5lbs of thinly fileted organic chicken, seasoned with S+P

sliced  organic mozzerella cheese

balsamic drizzle to taste

Drizzle your bread with a little EVOO, grill your chicken, and then layer all ingredients on the bread with cheese on top. Shut the grill, let the magic happen, plate and drizzle with balsamic.

I served with grilled artichokes. YUM!

Organic Stuffed Chicken Breast with Spicy Garlic Asparagus

For the Chicken

serves 2

Preheat oven to 400. Bake for 15-20 minutes

2 organic chicken breasts (butterfly cut so they are thin and have a greater surface area)

How To Butterfly Cut a Chicken Breast

2 shallots, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 c of spinach, chiffonaded

1/2 c of parsley, rough chopped

1/4 c low fat organic sundried tomato cream cheese

6  slices (1/4″)  of red bell pepper (find a long narrow pepper if you can…you just need enough to fill your chicken breasts)

1/2 c organic feta cheese

Sea S+P+EVOO

garlic powder

Cut chicken breasts and generously season outside with  sea salt, pepper, olive oil, and garlic powder. Lay on a foil covered baking sheet seasoned-side down.

In a sautee pan,  fry up your shallots with a little EVOO. Once partially cooked, add your garlic and a little sea  S+P. Cook until translucent, and then add in your spinach and parsley. Cook until slightly wilted.

Spread about 2 TB of cream cheese onto each chicken breast, concentrating all of the fillings to one side only. Now, take the spinach mixture and lay it on top of the cream cheese. Take your sliced peppers and lay them on top of the spinach, and  finish each breast off with about 2TB-1/4 c of feta cheese. Fold the other side of the chicken over to encase all of the fillings, and pop them in your pre-heated oven. Once cooked through and on the plate, drizzle with juices from the pan and serve with spicy garlic asparagus.

Spicy Garlic Asparagus

2 cloves of garlic

EVOO spray

juice of 1 quarter lemon

generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Chop asparagus into 2-inch long pieces. Once pan is hot, add some EVOO spray and garlic. Cook the garlic for about a minute and then add asparagus. Sprinkle in some S+P+Red pepper flakes and cook and stir for about 3-5 minutes. This dish is better if the asparagus is still crunchy, so dont overcook it! At the finish, drizzle with lemon juice, toss a few more times in the pan to distribute evenly, and serve. Make sure you dont burn the garlic!

Moorish Minted Chicken Meatballs with Almond Sherry Sauce in the Crock Pot

These meatballs are adapted from a dish served at one of my favorite restaurants in Denver, Colorado; The Ninth Door. The recipe for the restaurant’s lamb albondigas is at the bottom of this post… it is to die for.

I think my recipe is killer as well.

You better try this one out. It’s a great dish to make if you enjoy entertaining.

I made my meatballs in crock pot and they came out so juicy and tender.  It’s best to make this with the intention of having lots of leftovers…you will be craving these meatballs from time to time and they keep great frozen. Eat half and freeze half!  I wanted something lighter and cheaper than lamb meat so I went to WholeFoods and had them grind up chicken thighs for me. Chicken breast meat is too lean and wouldn’t keep its moisture like the thigh meat.

Long last, here is the recipe!

MEATBALLS

1 baguette, cubed, dried, food processed

1/3 c dry sherry

2 1/2 lbs ground chicken thighs

2 eggs, beaten

6 cloves of minced garlic ( I just stick mine in the food processor)

1 medium yellow onion minced (in food processor)

2 1/2 TB chopped fresh mint

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Flour for coating the meatballs, just cover a large plate with flour

2 TB extra-virgin olive oil for browning meatballs

First, mix ground meat and all ingredients above until well blended. Shape into same-sized meatballs and place on flour-coated plate. Lightly roll each meatball in flour and place into a large hot pan with EVOO. Brown each side of every meatball and stick browned meatballs into a crockpot on low. Now we must make the sauce.

ALMOND SHERRY SAUCE

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 1/3 c of diced yellow onion

1 package cremini mushrooms sliced

1 1/3 c dry sherry

1 1/3 c chicken stock

1 1/3 c toasted almonds

1 TB lemon zest

3 TB lemon juice

1/3 c chopped fresh mint

1 tsp salt

6 TB butter, cut into chunks (optional)

First, dice or food process your onions and garlic.  In large pan, combine garlic, onions, sherry, mushrooms, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. In a food processor, combine almonds, lemon zest and juice, olive oil,  and mint. Process to blend and make a paste. Whisk paste into sauce and pour sauce over meatballs in your crock pot. Bake on low for 5-7hrs or on high for 4 hrs.

Before serving you can separate sauce from meatballs and whisk in butter to finish sauce. Pour over meatballs.

I served mine with some spaghetti squash and roasted asparagus. I had fun with cookie cutters and used them to keep my squash in a nice little pile on the plate, yum!

For  the Ninth Door recipe:Minted Lamb Meatballs With Almond Sherrry Sauce – The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/food/ci_10891088#ixzz1KZPY6wFz

What About Kebab?

Grilled Korean Kalbi Chicken Kebabs with Warm Edamame Salad (top)

Tandoori Grilled Chicken Kebabs with steamed vegetables and quinoa (bottom)

Kebabs are healthy and fun to eat. Travis grilled these to perfection while I worked on the vegetables in the kitchen. This made eating chicken way more fun.

Make sure to soak your kebab sticks in water before grilling!

Korean Kalbi Marinade

1lb chicken

1/2 c soy sauce

1 TB sesame oil

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp sugar

½ tsp black pepper

Mix together, set on chicken for at least an hour if not more before grilling

Tandoori Marinade

1 TB fresh lemon juice

1/2 c plain yogurt

1 TB ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 TB and 2-1/4 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

3/4 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

Take the lemon juice and rub into the chicken meat. Place chicken into a shallow dish. Place 1/2 cup yogurt, cumin, coriander, cilantro, paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper, and garlic into a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Put marinade on chicken and let sit in fridge for 1-2hrs

Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken with Mango and Pineapple Salsa

This came out really great! We have lots of delicious leftovers too 🙂

FOR JERK MARINADE:
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
4 habanero chile peppers, de-stemmed and de-seeded
1/4 c fresh lime juice (about 2-3 limes)
2 TB soy sauce
3 TB olive oil
1.5 TB salt
1 TB light brown sugar
1 TB fresh thyme
2 tsp all-spice
2 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of cloves

Chicken thighs and drumsticks (about 2 1/2 lbs)

Make marinade in your food processor. Take marinade and coat chicken. Let chicken marinade for 24-48 hours.
Set Crock Pot on low. Cook chicken for 5-7 hours. Serve with brown rice and kale.

Great Accompaniment: Mango Pineapple Salsa

2 Mangoes diced
1 can of diced organic pineapple in its own juice
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 c red onion, diced
Healthy handful of chopped cilantro