Summer BBQ Chicken Pizza

I left work late, had an errand to run and didn't get home until 6:30. Jim was about 15 minutes behind  me, which meant dinner needed to be fast because by 7 p.m., as a general rule, I'm STARVING.

First order of business is whipping up some veggie dip (low fat sour cream and Dill Dip packet) and throwing some raw veg on the kitchen island. This situation is exactly why I prep my fruit/veggie groceries when I get home from the store ... so they're ready and waiting for me. I shove as many cauliflower florets, red pepper strips, baby carrots and grape tomatoes in my face as fast as I can.  Ahhh. Now I can assemble the ingredients for tonight's main course.

Summer BBQ Chicken Pizza
1 whole wheat thin pizza crust (A pita would work and so would a whole wheat tortilla.)
1/2 jar Williams-Sonoma BBQ Pizza Sauce (can't find this online, but it was DELISH!)
1 leftover grilled chicken breast, cut in chunks
Big handful of sliced mushrooms
1/4 big red onion, sliced
1" x 2" hunk of parmesan cheese, grated
3 slices of reduced fat provolone cheese (the pre-sliced sandwich slice kind)

Put sauce on crust and pile on the rest. Cook at 400 degrees until cheese and edges are bubbly and brown.

How is this healthy, you ask? Compared to gazpacho, it's not. But the crust is whole wheat, the toppings are a much better option than "real" pizza and it's VERY light on cheese. And because it's so good, you'll never miss the heavier, greasier version from your local pizza shop.

The best news is I still have half a jar of that sauce left ... so I will get to eat it again soon. I'm already dreaming of what I can do with it. That will also give me some time to try and figure out how to make my own lower-in-salt-and-sugar version.

Here's the sauce. And the empty pizza pan. I probably 

should have thought of taking a photo earlier, huh?

 But an empty pan is proof that it was good, right? 

Favorite 1-2 Easy Grill Combos

We had the BEST salmon steaks tonight. I gobbled up my 4 oz. portion and wanted at least three more. So freaking good. And to think, I didn't like salmon ... at all ... three years ago.

All we did was rub on some Weber Grill brand BBQ spice and, voila! Delicousness. It got me thinking about other easy grill meat and spice combos that never fail. Here's my list ... but if you have suggestions, add them! I'm always up for for something new.

Grill Combos
1. Salmon and Weber Grill brand BBQ rub: For supper in a hurry, I like the Roundy's brand frozen salmon. The white and blue bag contains eight individually wrapped, 4-oz. portions that thaw in no time.
2. Chicken breast or thighs and Tajin: You know how I love Tajin. It's lime and spice and yum. The chicken leans Mexican, but can also go Asian, if you're so inclined.
3. Ground turkey breast and an envelope of taco or fajita seasoning. Sometimes I put this right in with the meat as it's browning vs. waiting for it to get done, mixing the packet with water and letting it bubble together.
4. Haddock or cod fillet and lemon pepper seasoning. Easy. Classic. Not revolutionary. But still good.
5. And, all of these spices work on your grilled veg, too! I like the lemon pepper with asparagus, especially! But zucchini, summer squash, onions and peppers will take anything mentioned up above.

Chicken Tomatillo Chili

Another example of a recipe that's not really a recipe. Measurements are merely suggestions.

Chicken Tomatillo Chili
(This makes a crockpot full.) 

6 chicken breast halves, thawed (one big package or two small packages)
Fajita seasoning
3 or 4 ribs of celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large jalapeno, finely diced
1 Tb diced garlic
1/2 pound tomatillos (7 or 8 medium size tomatillos)
3 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 box chicken broth
Three squirts tubed cilantro
Cumin, fajita seasoning, Tajin seasoning, fresh squeezed lime juice, Siracha hot sauce
Tortilla chips, crumbled queso fresco, and any other chili toppings you like

Spray a baking dish with olive oil. Season both sides of chicken breasts with fajita seasoning and bake off in 350-degree oven. Let cool and cube or shred. In big skillet with olive oil, sautee celery, onion, jalapenos until they start to soften and get translucent. Add garlic and tomatillos and cook until tender. Add chicken, beans and broth. Add cilantro, spices and hot sauce until it tastes good to you.

Serve with crushed up chips, cheese and other chili fixin's. It's better the second day.

Chicken Chili Cheers!

It's cold, windy and gray here this morning. And you know what that means ...

Chili time! And chili is infinitely adaptable. I've given you the ingredients I used this time first, but suggested alternatives so you can adjust it to what you like and what's in your pantry.

Chicken Chili
1 small onion, chopped
2 T minced garlic
Olive oil
2 cans white beans (I had Canellini in my pantry), drained and rinsed
2 chicken breasts, cooked (Or, whatever chicken you have ... or turkey ... heck, the stuff I used today was roasted "Italian" style with garlic, oregano and basil ... this is chili, after all, any leftovers work!)
1 can low sodium chicken stock
1 can Niblet corn
1 can fire roasted tomatoes or 1small jar of salsa verde
1-3 pickled jalapenos, diced ... or chipotles ... or fresh jalapenos or serranos
1t to 2T cumin (I like cumin, so I use a lot. Start small and adjust to your own taste.)
1t to 1T chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

In a stock pot, soften the onion in olive oil. Add the garlic when they are translucent and sweet. Let it cook through before adding the beans, chicken, stock, corn, tomatoes/salsa, jalapenos. I usually reserve 1/2 of one can of beans and mash them up before putting them in the pot. It makes the whole thing thicker. Add seasonings, adjust salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with corn bread or a crusty baguette and a green salad. You could even throw some kale or spinach in this if you were trying to kick up the vitamins. Or you could probably substitute oven-roasted mushrooms for the chicken. Remember, it's just chili. Toss in whatever you want!

Pizzeria Grilled Chicken

OK, this isn't really pizza at all. But when it hits the grill, it SMELLS like a pizzeria. It's a perfect summer supper with corn on the cob or moz/tomato/basil salad. Or both!

Pizzeria Grilled Chicken

Chicken breasts or skinless, boneless thighs
Olive oil
Garlic salt
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Dried minced onion
Salt and pepper
Chopped garlic (I usually have a jar in the fridge, and don't chop my own)

A few hours before you plan on grilling, smear enough olive oil on the chicken to allow the herbs to stick. I cover the chicken ... it's all green ... in whatever proportions you want. (Mo' garlic, mo' betta!) I don't think this can turn out badly, no matter what you do. Put the chicken in a Ziploc or in a glass dish in the fridge until it's time to grill. I like to let the chicken warm up on the counter 30 minutes or so before it goes on the heat.

Grill. Sniff. Enjoy!

Greek Cousins

I'm sort of addicted to Greek salads in all forms. I love the salty Feta. I love the crunchy cucumbers. So I've made two variations to the straight veggie versions this week. And they're both yummy.

I think there's a recipe back in the archives somewhere for a basic Greek salad, but I can't find it quickly. So I'll give you the idea here:

Greek Salad
Grape tomatoes
Cucumbers
Red onion
Black olives
Feta
Extra oregano and/or garlic if you like
Low fat/light  Greek dressing (my favorite is Cardini's Light Greek Vinaigrette or make your own)

Variations:

• Add whole wheat pasta (I like penne or rotini) or whole wheat couscous to turn a veggie side salad into more of a light lunch.
• Add cooked chicken and put the whole thing in a whole wheat pita for a nice sammy.
• Add pasta/couscous AND chicken to make it dinner.

Souper Supper

Snowy day and soup for supper is a natural. I'm sorry about the vague measurements ... I didn't really expect this to turn out, so I didn't pay much attention. It was spicy without being tongue-burning hot (which Jim likes) and substantial enough to feel like you're eating something solid (which I like).

Moroccan Stew
(Adapted from a Rachel Ray Moroccan Lamb Meatloaf recipe)

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground chicken
1/4 of a white onion, grated
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
6-7 mint leaves, chopped fine
2 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped or 2 tsp. dry
1/4 c egg beaters
good handful of Panko bread crumbs (increase if meat mixture is too loose)
Salt and pepper

Mix until well blended. Form one meatball and pan fry to see if the seasonings are right. Adjust if needed. Form the rest into 1" balls and bake on non-stick baking sheet. 350 degrees until done. (I didn't time it ... sorry!)

On stovetop, in a little olive oil, soften up the following:
1 red pepper, chopped
3/4 of medium white onion, chopped
1-2 stalks celery, chopped
1 c chopped carrots
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 summer squash, sliced into half moons
Cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste

I made it this far and put all in the fridge yesterday afternoon. Tonight when I got home from work I finished it this way:

1 box of vegetable stock
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
3/4 c to 1 c orzo pasta (my store doesn't have whole wheat version ... so broken whole wheat spaghetti would work just the same)

Pour 1 box of vegetable stock in soup pot, bring to boil. Dump in 3/4-1 c orzo pasta and tomatoes. Heat veg mixture and meatballs in the microwave a little to take chill off. Dump into boiling stock/pasta. Heat everything through until pasta is fully cooked. Adjust seasoning.