Turkey and Brie or Cheddar Panini with Side Salad

Sourdough baguette
Mayo
Pesto sauce
Leftover grilled turkey tenderloin slices
Brie cheese
2 sharp cheddar cheese slices
Baby spinach (pick a few out of the mixed greens)

Side Salad:
Mixed greens
Red onion, sliced
Green bell pepper, sliced
Tomato, cut in wedges
Cucumber, sliced

Heat the George Forman grill until ready. Cut baguette into thirds. On one baguette third, spread with mayo and pesto, layer with turkey slices and brie. Press in grill until cheese is melted. On the other baguette third, spread with mayo and pesto, layer with turkey slices, cheddar cheese and baby spinach leaves. Remove turkey & brie and replace with turkey and cheddar. Grill until cheese is melted and spinach is wilted.

Make side salad by layering veggies on top of mixed greens. Serve with your favorite dressing.

Cut sandwiches in half. Either serve both of one type of sandwich or mix halves. Serve with salad.

Grilled Turkey Tenderloin with Bean Salad

2-1/2 lb. each turkey tenderloins
Italian salad dressing
Grill seasoning
1 can of pinto beans, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
1 ear of corn, boiled, corn cut from cob
½ green bell pepper, chopped
2 red onion slices, chopped
Feta cheese
1/2 cup of EVOO
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 ½ tsp of Dijon mustard
½ tsp of fresh crushed pepper
1/2 tsp of salt
Juice from ¼ of a lemon
1 small tomato, slice in wedges, for garnish

Marinate tenderloins in Italian salad dressing over-night.

Remove tenderloins from marinade. Shake off excess dressing. Sprinkle with grill seasoning. Over medium-low heat, grill the turkey tenderloin on each side for about 10-12 minutes, depending on thickness. Cook until the tenderloin is no longer pink in the middle.

In a medium bowl, add beans, cut corn, peppers, onion and mix together. In a small bowl, add the EVOO, vinegar, mustard, pepper, salt, lemon juice and whisk together. Pour vinaigrette over bean mixture and mix well. Add feta cheese and mix again.

Slice turkey and serve with a generous portion of bean salad. Add tomato wedges as a garnish.

Pan Seared Pork Chops with Mediterranean Pasta

4-5 thin pork chops, boneless
Grill seasoning
½ box of bow tie pasta
¼ green bell pepper, chopped
½ jar of quartered artichoke hearts, drained
About 10 kalamata olives pitted olives, halved
2 red onion slices, quartered
Pesto sauce
Crumbled feta cheese, sun-dried tomato and basil seasoned
EVOO

Boil pasta until tender, about 10 minutes.

Season pork chops and sauté in a frying pan with light EVOO over med-high heat. Cook each side for about 2-3 minutes. Add veggies on top and cover until pork chops are cooked all the way through. If pork chops are finished already, remove them from the pan and sauté veggies together until bell peppers are tender.

Drain pasta and toss with pesto sauce.

Plate pasta topped with veggies and a side of pork chops. Finish off by sprinkling with feta cheese.

Stuffed Tomatoes and Angel Hair Pasta

½ lb of ground turkey
½ zucchini, diced
¼ green bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
S&P to taste
3 large Beefsteak tomato
Angel hair pasta
Spaghetti sauce
Freshly grated Romano cheese

Over med-high heat, sauté turkey until half way cooked. Add zucchini, bell peppers, garlic and salt and pepper. Sauté veggies 2-3 minutes until tender. Add a couple spoonfuls of spaghetti sauce to the meat mixture, turn to low and let simmer.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top off the tomato and scoop out the insides with a spoon or melon baller. Try not to cut the sides of the tomato so the filling doesn’t spill out while cooking. Fill each tomato with the turkey mixture. Put the stuffed tomatoes in a casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Don’t overcook otherwise the tomato will fall apart (like mine did!).

Boil Angel hair pasta for 3-4 minutes until tender. Drain, add spaghetti sauce and mix.

Serve stuffed tomato on top of pasta. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Shrimp and Snow Peas Stir-Fry

1 cup of white, long-grained Basmati rice
2 cups of chicken broth
1 tsp of EVOO
½ tsp of salt

10-15 large shrimp, uncooked, unpeeled and defrosted
1 small bag of snow peas
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
A couple dashes of red pepper flakes
2-3 tsp of EVOO

Cook rice in rice cooker until done.

In a hot wok, heat EVOO to med high. Sauté snow peas for about 3 minutes. Add shrimp, garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir until the shrimp turns pink. Don’t overcook or the shrimp will be tough.

Serve shrimp and snow pea stir-fry over rice.

Saturday BBQ by the pool

Fruit Salad



Slice up your favorite fruit that's in season. Add lots of different fruit to add color and make it look beautiful and delicious!

Sliced cantaloupe
Raspberries
Strawberries, halved

Grilled Chicken & Vegetable Skewers



(Adjust quantity of ingredients based on number of people)
Chicken, cut in bite sized chunks
Sausage, cut in thick slices
Zucchini, cut in thick slices
Yellow squash, cut in thick slices
Yellow onion, cut in half then quartered, separate slices
Yellow, green and red bell peppers, cut in bite sized pieces
Baby Bella mushroom caps
EVOO
Seasoned salt
Bamboo or metal skewers

Make skewers by threading meat and veggies onto skewer. Thread zucchini and squash length wise so they will cook evenly and get the nice grill marks. Brush with EVOO and sprinkle with seasoning. Grill skewers over med-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side.

We usually like to add cherry tomatoes to the skewers but since they cook so fast, I usually make a separate skewer with just tomatoes and cook it for a shorter time. This is what I did with the mushrooms too, since I know not everyone likes them.

NOTE: Cut meat and veggies so they are about the same size. One- to 1½-inch inch cubes work well.

Chicken Tikka Masala

3 Servings

1 jar of Tikka Masla Sauce (You can find this in the international isle of the grocery store – my favorite brand, that doesn’t just taste like tomatoes, is Mr. Kook’s , found at Ralph’s.)
½ cup of cream (per the directions on the back of the jar)
2 chicken breasts, cut in bite sized chunks
¼ yellow onion, sliced
A dash or two of spicy seasoning (optional, just to turn up the heat)
1 cup of rice
2 cups of water
¼ cup of frozen petite peas
1 tsp of EVOO
Dash of coarse salt
Fresh parsley, minced, to garnish
Jalapeno flat bread

Add rice, water, EVOO and salt to rice cooker and cook. When it’s almost done, add frozen peas, mix in and cook until rice cooker is done.

Heat EVOO in skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté. Add chicken and cook until almost done. Add Tikka Masala sauce, turn heat to low and cover for 5-10 minutes until chicken is cooked all the way through. Add cream to the chicken and sauce right before serving. Stir until it’s mixed throughout.

Heat a small skillet over high heat with just a touch of EVOO. Add flat bread, just to heat up and make a little crispy.

Serve the chicken in Tikka Masala over rice with a side of the bread. Garnish with parsley.

Grilled Chicken in Jalapeno Flat Bread with Tzazki Sauce (my version)

2 chicken breasts, marinated over night in Italian dressing
1 large zucchini, slice length wise
¼ red onion, sliced
Spicy sprouts
Jalapeno flat bread

Dressing (my version of Tzaziki sauce):
1/3 Asian cucumber, sliced very thinly (using grater)
¼ cup of sour cream
1 tsp EVOO
2 Tbsp of green onions, chopped
½ to 1 garlic clove, finely minced
Juice from ¼ lemon
Dash of white wine vinegar
Coarse sea salt and fresh crushed pepper, to taste

Make sauce by adding cucumber, sour cream, EVOO, green onions, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and S&P. Mix well. Set to the side.

Grill chicken breasts until no longer pink in the middle. Brush zucchini and onions with EVOO and sprinkle with salt. Add to grill and cook until just tender. Add flat bread to the grill towards the end to warm up bread. Slice chicken, against the grain.

Serve by spreading dressing over flat bread. Spread sprouts over one half, add sliced chicken, add zucchini and red onions. Fold flat bread in half to make a sandwich. It’s a little messy but worth it! Enjoy!

Chicken Salad with Veggies

Chicken Salad with Veggies

Serves 2 (ingredients split between two salads)

1 grilled chicken breast, chopped
½ bag of butter leaf lettuce
1 large handful of baby spinach
3 slices of sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
½ ring of red onion, chopped
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cucumber, sliced
1 green onion bunch, diced
¼ red bell pepper, chopped
½ avocado, sliced, sprinkle with salt and pepper

Start by adding lettuce to a bowl or plate. Add veggies and cheese. Top with avocado. Serve with your favorite dressing.

Czech Fried Cauliflower

This is a traditional spring meal that Czech people eat with boiled potatoes. We like to serve it with a dip made of chopped capers mixed with mayo. I’ve also brought these to a work potluck and they were a big hit!

1 head of cauliflower, separate florets
Flour, for dredging
2 eggs, beaten
Breadcrumbs, for coating
Vegetable oil, for frying

Steam or boil cauliflower florets until just fork tender. Let cool so you can handle them. In this order, fill each bowl with the following: flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. Dredge cauliflower in the flour first, then dip in egg and lastly, coat with breadcrumbs.

In a frying pan, heat about ½ inch of oil over medium high heat. Fry cauliflower, turning over on all sides until golden brown. As they are done, set on a paper towel to help absorb some of the excess oil.

These are delicious hot… or eat them cold the next day as a snack!

Garlic Chicken Schnitzel with Cucumber Salad and Smashed Potatoes

This dish is a tasty spin on a traditional Czech dish.

Makes 10 schnitzels

Schnitzel:
2 lbs ground chicken
3 garlic, minced
1 cup of Monterey cheese, or Gruyere
Salt and Pepper
Flour, for dredging
2 Eggs, beaten
Bread crumbs, for coating
Vegetable oil, for frying
Lemon slice for garnish

Cucumber Salad:
1 1/2 Chinese cucumbers, sliced thinly
½ cup of white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
½ salt
½ freshly crushed pepper

3 large red skinned potatoes, diced
2 bunches of green onions, diced
1/3 stick of butter
Salt and Pepper

Slice cucumbers thinly. In a medium mixing bowl, add vinegar, sugar salt and pepper. Wisk until sugar is dissolved. Pour over cucumbers and set aside.

Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain water. Mash potatoes with butter, salt and pepper. Mix in green onions. Leave big chunks of potatoes.

Mix chicken, garlic, cheese and salt and pepper. Shape into 10 round patties. Dredge each patty in flour, then dip in eggs and cover with breadcrumbs. Pour oil in frying pan about ½ inch deep and bring to medium high heat. Fry patties on one side until golden brown, then turn over and cook until the other side has the same golden brown color. Set on paper towel to help absorb some of the oil.

Serve schnitzel with potatoes and cucumber salad. Garnish with a lemon slice.

Ghirardelli Soft Center Cakes

Serves 4
4 ounce(s) 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar
8 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon flour

Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler. Whip eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla with a mixer for about 10 minutes on high speed. Fold melted chocolate and butter into the egg mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. Butter and sugar four 6-ounce ramekins, then spoon mixture into ramekins. Bake at 450°F for about 9–10 minutes. The center will be quite soft, but the top and sides will be set. Let sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes, then unmold onto a plate. Serve with a few raspberries

Sautéed Salmon with Mango Relish and Coconut Rice

Serves 4

4 4-oz salmon filets
Spice rub
EVOO

Rice:
1 ½ cups of Basmati rice
3 cups of coconut water
1 green onion bunch, diced
1 tsp of fresh ginger, minced
Salt to taste

Relish:
½ mango, diced
¼ red bell pepper, diced
1 large slice of red onion, diced
1 Tbsp of parsley, minced
Quick drizzle of EVOO
2-3 dashes of red pepper flakes
S&P to taste

Add rice, coconut water, green onions, ginger and salt to a rice cooker. Cook until done.

Drizzle salmon with EVOO and sprinkle both sides with seasoning. Heat frying pan until very hot. Cook salmon on one side for 2-3 minutes until crusty. Turn filets over, turn heat to low and cover for about 10 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork and center is no longer bright pink.

Plate fish with rice and top with mango relish.

Filet Mignon with Baked Red Potatoes

2- 8 oz. filet mignon steaks
3-6 small red potatoes
I cucumber, sliced
Shredded cheddar cheese
EVOO
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven on 350 degrees. Wash potatoes well. Poke a few fork holes in each potato, rub with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake potatoes directly on the wire rack for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.

Lightly brush steaks with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill steaks over medium high heat for 6-8 minutes on each side for medium rare.

Serve steak and potatoes with a side of cucumber slices sprinkled with salt. Serve with cheese and butter on the side for the potatoes. Enjoy with a glass of red wine!

BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders with Coleslaw

Serves 6-8

BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders:
2 lbs pork shoulder
½ onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
I bottle of BBQ sauce
Crockpot

12 pack of Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

Coleslaw:
I bag of shredded cabbage for coleslaw
1 large carrot, shredded
2 green onion bunches, diced
1/2 cup mayo
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Add pork, onion, garlic and broth to Crockpot on high for 6+ hours. When the pork is done it should shred easily. Drain most of the liquid and add the BBQ sauce. Mix together and pull apart using two forks.

Mix all ingredients together for coleslaw. Make one hour prior to serving to allow flavors to mix and marinate.

Heat rolls in microwave so they are nice and soft. Fill each roll with pork and serve with coleslaw.

Moroccan Meatball and Cauliflower Stir Fry

10 frozen meatballs, thawed
1 slice of yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Gourmet Garden Moroccan Herb & Spice Blend
Few dashes of red pepper flakes
About 10 small cauliflower florets
½ cup of rice
1 cup of chicken broth
Salt to taste
EVOO

Cook rice and chicken broth in rice cooker, about 15-20 minutes.

Add cauliflower to a shallow glass dish with ½ inch of water at the bottom. Cover with clear wrap and microwave for 2 minutes and 35 seconds. Uncover and drain excess water from bowl.

Heat EVOO in a frying pan over medium high. Sauté meatballs, cauliflower, onion, garlic, Moroccan spice blend and pepper flakes, until meatballs are warm all the way through.

Serve stir fry on top of rice.

Lasagna

Fresh from the oven. I usually top each tomato slice with a basil leaf, but I didn't have any. It looks really pretty.



I like to use a clear dish so you can see all the yummy layers and colors.



Wait for the lasagna to cool about 10 minutes after removing from oven so you can slice it nicely. Otherwise the cheese will be to soft and runny and you'll have a mess.


I box of non-bake lasagna noodles
I jar of spaghetti sauce
1 lb of beef (or turkey or ½ and ½)
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise, lightly salted
3 mushrooms, sliced
Onion, a few ring slices, separated
1 tomato, sliced, lightly salted
½ cup cottage cheese
1 cup frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
1 egg
1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a sauce pan, sauté beef until almost done. Drain fat. Return to stove top and add spaghetti sauce, about ¼ of jar. Mix with beef and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese, spinach, egg, ½ bag of mozzarella and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese together.

In a casserole dish (9" x 9"), add a few spoonfuls of spaghetti sauce. Spread around to cover the bottom of the dish. Start to layer from bottom to the top: lasagna noodles, beef, lasagna noodles, spaghetti sauce to cover noodles, cottage cheese mixture, zucchini, onion rings, mushrooms, lasagna noodles, spaghetti sauce, the rest of the mozzarella cheese, tomato slices, and then the rest of the parmesan cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil and back for 45 minutes. Uncover and back for an additional 10 minutes, so top cheese melts and browns. Let lasagna sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Moroccan Turkey Meatballs with Green Rice

Meatballs
¾ lb of ground turkey
1 Tbsp Gourmet Garden Moroccan Herb & Spice Blend
A bunch of cilantro, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 egg
1 thick onion slice, diced
¼ cup of bread crumbs, add more if meat mixture is too wet
S & P

Rice
1 cup of rice
2 cups of chicken stalk
2 stalks of green onions, diced
1 Tbsp Gourmet Garden Basil Herb Blend
1 zucchini, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 large handful of raw Spinach, ripped apart or chopped
EVOO
Feta cheese (sundried tomato flavor)

Start rice in rice cooker by adding rice, chicken stalk, green onions, basil blend, a few drops of EVOO and a few dashes of salt.

In a large bowl, add turkey, Moroccan herbs, cilantro, garlic, egg, onion, bread crumbs, s & p and mix well with your hands. With wet hands, shape 3 inch meatball rolls in the palm of your hands.

Over medium high, heat EVOO in a frying pan. Add meatballs and brown all sides so they are brown and crispy. Lower heat and cover until the meatballs are cooked all the way through and no longer pink in the middle. Don’t overcook otherwise they will be too dry.

Sauté zucchini and garlic with a little EVOO and salt until tender. Once rice is finished, add zucchini. In same pan, add spinach, sauté until wilted. Add to rice, and mix everything together.

Plate rice and meatballs together and sprinkle with feta cheese for a very tasty dinner!

Fajita Burgers

1 lb of ground beef
1 tsp of seasoned salt
Few dashes of Worcestershire
Red and/or orange bell peppers, sliced in strips
2 onion slices, separate rings
1 tsp EVOO
1 large, ripe avocado
¼ fresh lime juice
Salt
Lemon pepper seasoning
Pepper Jack cheese
2 sesame Kaiser rolls
Frozen steak fries

Heat oven according to package directions for fries. Heat up grill for burger patties.

Add Worcestershire and seasoned salt to beef, mix well with your hands. Shape beef into two patties. Add to grill once fries are half way through cooking.

Slice veggies and cheese. Make guacamole by mashing avocado with lime juice, salt and lemon pepper. Season to taste.

Heat EVOO in a frying pan. Sauté peppers and onions until tender.

Cook burgers until barely pink in the middle. Add cheese until melted. Toast rolls on grill.

Plate burgers (in order from bottom up: bottom bun, patty with cheese, peppers and onions, guacamole and top bun). Serve with fries and a cold cerveza.

Mac n Cheese with Grilled Chicken Jalapeno Sausages

Mac & Cheese
2 cups of elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
3/4 cup shredded extra sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of gruyere cheese, in two parts
2 ounces of Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup of milk
4 Tbsp of butter

2 Chicken Jalapeno sausage links
A few cherry tomatoes, halved

Fruit Salad
Strawberries, chopped
Blueberries
Cantaloupe, chopped
Blackberries
Red grapes

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook macaroni according to package directions. In a saucepan, under medium heat, add butter, flour s & p and whisk until smooth. Gradually add milk and whisk in until blended and thickened. Stir in all of Cheddar, Velveeta and ½ of Gruyere, stirring until cheese is melted. Drain macaroni. Add macaroni to sauce pan with cheese mixture and mix until pasta is covered with cheese.

Transfer macaroni to a greased casserole dish. Top with second half of Gruyere. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes until top is golden brown.

Grill sausages until cooked all the way through. Cut fruit for salad.

Served mac & cheese with sausages, sliced bread and a few cherry tomato halves. Serve fruit salad for dessert.