Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

During the warm weather seasons I find myself craving light dinners.  But I don’t want to sacrifice taste in order for it to be light.  (Just to note – this is probably why I’m in love with Cooking Light magazine.)  I don’t want funky, expensive ingredients.  I want real food.  Delicious food.  Spicy Thai Basil Chicken is 100% real and 100% delicious.  \

I didn’t change up this recipe much or make many substitutions but I did forget to grab a serrano chili so I ended up using some spicy chile garlic sauce.  It worked like a charm – Big Guy was sweating (he’s a light weight, so don’t be scared of the recipe).  You could honestly leave the heat out if you like milder dishes and it would simply be Thai Basil Chicken.  But don’t leave out the basil, please!!!  The freshness of the herb gives so much flavor and brightness to this spicy, salty dish.  And the lettuce wraps provide some crunch while also taming the heat.

spicy thai basil chicken

Don’t add in the basil too soon or let it remain on the heated stove top – that will make it wilt a little too much and it actually may brown from the heat.  Also, when purchasing ground chicken, be sure to look 93% lean or less.  If you’re not careful, ground chicken can be more fattening than ground beef.

lettuce wraps

Light, fresh, delicious and 100% real.  That’s the name of the game around here.

Spring Stir-Fry

This week it’s all about quick dinners.  And this stir-fry is no exception.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can substitute in what you have on hand.  I made my portion vegetarian with edamame while Big Guy enjoyed the addition of chicken.  Additionally, instead of carrots I went with sliced red bell pepper.  If you don’t use the chicken, dinner will be ready in under 15 minutes.  I served our Spring Stir-Fry over white rice.

 

I almost didn’t get green onions at the store but I’m so glad I did!  The freshness really brightens up the dish.  Also, I didn’t come armed with an intense grocery list.  Who knew I was out of soy sauce (tamari)?  I sure didn’t.  Fish sauce came to the rescue.  Seriously – don’t freak out if you’re missing an ingredient.  There is almost always a substitution.  Have fun in the kitchen!  Don’t make cooking dinner a chore.

 

The calorie count is rather low for this dish (without the rice) as a dinner – so if you’re not into rice, you might want to double your portion or add another starch.

 

Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro

I love a good purging of a closet.  Call it Spring cleaning, call it organizing.  Whatever you want to call it, I did just that on Sunday.  Closets were emptied, piles were made and only the things I have used and/or worn in the past year (at most) were put back.  Only stopping for a quick lunchtime smoothie, I wanted a comforting,  yet light, dinner on Sunday night.

Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes and Cilantro is a quick and easy dinner yet full of flavor.  Shrimp is cooked in a coconut-tomato broth that is brightened up with cilantro and lime juice.  The plump shrimp and broth were served over white basmati rice to soak up all the deliciousness.

Don’t be afraid of the coconut milk.  It’s super light and the tomatoes and garlic balance the sweetness.  If you’re not a fan of shrimp, chicken would be fantastic.  Simply brown your chicken first since it takes longer to cook.  Or you could keep it vegetarian by using chickpeas.  That would really cut down on the cooking time.

But whatever you do, don’t leave out the garlic and cilantro.

 

The most difficult part of this dinner, deciding if using a fork or spoon was easier…

Charred BLT Salad

I think Spring is finally here!  This weekend was unbelievably gorgeous.  Unfortunately I spent a good part of my Saturday in a mall, frantically searching for a white dress.  However, I found a dress and was able to get home in time to enjoy the 70 degree afternoon with Big Guy on the back deck with a glass of champagne.

this is the life.

Once the sun started to set, I got to work on dinner.  We kept it simple with Charred BLT Salads.  I knew we had to welcome Spring by firing up the grill but I also wanted to keep it light (19 days!  but who’s counting?).  This recipe is so simple and you can play around with the ingredients to make it work for you.

I got to work on the salad toppings while Big Guy got BQ ready to grill romaine.  I crisped some pancetta on the stove and then removed and allowed to drain on a paper towel.  I think cooked grape tomatoes (halved) in the pancetta drippings to make sure the salad was full of flavor.

To grill the romaine, simple dress with EVOO, salt and pepper and throw on the grill until it begins to wilt and earns it’s grill marks.  I would suggest cutting the romaine in half (lengthwise) before grilling – I step that I didn’t do until after cooked.

To complete the salad, top the romaine with the crisped pancetta (or bacon or prosciutto), tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles and green onions.

BLT-inspired

How did  you welcome Spring this past weekend?

Pasta with Toasted Garlic, Dried Cranberries, Kale and Feta

Al dente [brown rice] spaghetti.

Sweet and plump dried cranberries.

Vibrant green kale.

Salty, crumbly feta.

Crispy garlic chips.

One of the most amazing flavor combinations ever.

I had all the ingredients in my kitchen when I ran across this recipe (for the 38th time) and I knew I had to try “the best pasta dish. ever.” for myself.

I couldn’t get over the flavors!  Each bite was different.  But my favorites included the garlic chips.  I see garlic chips making another appearance very soon.  Very, very soon.

Please, go get the recipe from the link above and make this for dinner tonight.  It comes together in a flash and the flavors will not disappoint.

Barbecue Turkey Meatballs

I’ve never made Big Guy meatballs (that I can recall).  But don’t think I made the traditional Italian meatballs.  That would be too predictable.  This dinner got chosen in the truck on the way back from a Easter weekend at the beach.  It’s a 20-minute recipe and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand.  A short grocery list was the goal on Sunday.

The barbecue turkey meatballs made the house smell like I’d been slaving in the kitchen all day long.  Such a comforting smell!  Instead of blending up the sauce in a blender, I used my food processor which worked like a charm.  I also used cinnamon instead of cloves.  I used the leanest turkey I could find which is why the meatballs were drier than I would have liked.  But I’m trying to watch our figures a little more carefully now that the wedding is months weeks away.  I also left out the breadcrumbs.

barbecue meatballs

Big Guy was struck with an okra craving while walking around the grocery store so that’s what went on the side.  Simply roasted with a drizzle of EVOO, salt and pepper.

Delicious Sunday dinner.  (We had our Easter ham, potato salad, asparagus and peas on Saturday with all of my family – so don’t think we’re not into the traditional Easter dinner.)

Detox Smoothie

Wedding Month is here!  And there’s no April Fool’s about that.   I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend.  I got to spend lots of time with Baby Haines and I savored every moment!  That little  monster bunny has such a personality these days.  I can’t wait to (hopefully) see her in two weeks!

In addition to kissing Haines to death, we went to our favorite bar for a drink before dinner on Saturday.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!

This cocktail had me dreaming of our honeymoon!

After dinner on Saturday, we dyed Easter eggs.  A tradition that will never stop!

Easter eggs!

We also came home to discover that our asparagus had grown.

Spring asparagus

And I can’t think of any better end to an Easter weekend (other than Monday off work) than a mini bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs.  My absolute favorite Easter candy!

Easter favorite

This morning, I woke up ready to tackle the week (thanks to a 8:15pm bedtime)!  After my morning trip to the gym, I knew that a green smoothie was just what I needed.

This detox smoothie recipe came from the latest issue of Self magazine.

green breakfast

In the blender: 1 cup almond milk (instead of skim milk), 1/2 banana (frozen), 1/2 pear (chopped), 2 handfuls spinach (instead of kale), 2 tablespoons pistachios, sprinkle of ground ginger and 1 tablespoon flax seed.  Blend until creamy!

 

32

And I’m not talking days until I get married.

Happy Anniversary to my parents!!!!!!!!!!!!

Momma and Dadom -
You two have shown me what a marriage should be.  I know your marriage isn’t perfect because y’all aren’t perfect.  But then again, who is?  But you do love each other and all of us kids (plus the additions) more than anything in the world.  There is no way that I will ever be able to show you how much I appreciate and thank you both – but I’m hoping that by mirroring your marriage I’ll show you the respect your deserve.  I hear it takes a lot of work to make a marriage last (and I believe it) but I also think that at the end of the day you have to remember why you fell in love in the first place.
Thank you.
I love you more than Moon Pies and Mountain Dew.
And that’s a lot.

And since I haven’t posted a recipe in awhile, here’s what I made Momma on Tuesday night.

Not only is it delicious and healthy but there are only 6 ingredients (not counting S&P and EVOO) and it was ready in about 20 minutes.  Spinach, balsamic vinegar, chicken breasts, avocado (optional – Momma went without), mozzarella and pre-made Trader Joe’s (or any other brand) bruschetta.  Here’s the link to the recipe for Avocado, Mozzarella and Bruschetta Chicken.

Tequila Lime Flank Steak Salad with Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa

I’ve always said “salads aren’t boring” and this salad only further proves that statement.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that on Sunday I was putting a recipe to the test that involved limes.  Lots of limes.  Well now I’m here to tell you that the tequila lime marinade for the flank steak is worth making twice.  I was working on picking out a marinade for the flank steak that Big Guy will be grilling up next weekend for a party we’re helping to host for one of our favorite couples, Kristen and Adam (heeeey, KP!).  Well, this will be the marinade we use.  No need to try any others.  It’s easy and doesn’t have a long ingredient list which is awesome when you’re cooking for 40 people.

We threw our tequila lime flank steak on a salad along with a healthy helping of Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa.  This salsa will also be making an appearance at the par-tay.

Y’all – this stuff is insanely delicious.  Forget needing a chip, I could eat this stuff straight from a spoon (or fork).

On top of my not-boring salad:  flank steak (cooked to perfection by Big Guy), avocado, grilled bell peppers, corn salsa and drizzle of the chile lime vinaigrette.  (For the dressing, I used red pepper rice vinegar instead of the red pepper oil – why?  Because it’s cheaper.  Just keepin’ it real, y’all.)

I can’t get over how good this salad was.  So many textures.  So many flavors.  A little heat – but not too much.  Tons of freshness from the corn salsa and the creamy avocado.  I’m sure that cheese, black beans and chips would be an awesome addition but I didn’t miss ‘em.

Black Bean, Hominy and Kale Stew

A hearty, vegetarian dinner that will please anyone eating dinner with you!  Don’t let the “vegetarian” part scare you away.  It’s full of flavor that is beyond whatever you’re thinking when you hear the word “vegetarian.”  I typically eat vegetarian 3 or more days a week.  Not necessarily on purpose but it just happens that way.  I will say, though, that I eat lots of beans, hummus, eggs and nut butter, all of which have protein.  Big Guy has never complained about eating a vegetarian meal.  But I make sure that it’s delicious and hearty enough to keep a grown man satisfied until breakfast.

This dinner does take a little preparation but once all the ingredients are prepped, the meal comes together in a flash.

The “meat” of this soup is the black beans, hominy and kale (hence the name, I suppose) but there’s also pureed tomatillos and roasted poblanos that add a huge depth of flavor.  Roasting poblanos is easy – simply place in the oven under broil and let them get nice and charred.  Once their charred, place in a plastic bag, seal and let them “sweat it out” for 10 or 15 minutes.  Remove the char and chop – that’s it.  There also some heat in this stew from a jalapeno (deseeded for us).

I’ve actually never cooked with tomatillos or hominy before so that was fun.  And yes, I find cooking with new ingredients to be fun.

 

I topped my comforting bowl of stew with cilantro, Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) and white cheddar cheese.  Talk about an incredible flavor combination.  Even the texture of this stew is fantastic – lots of stuff going on in this bowl of goodness.