Grilled Chicken & Vegetable Penne with Basil Pesto

I went to the Farmer’s Market a few weeks ago and was in heaven with the beautiful fresh produce. They were selling huge bunches of basil for $1.00! So I initially thought pesto. Then with the tomatoes and onions from the market along with what was in our fridge, plus a quick run to the grocery store (who keeps pine nuts on hand, really?), I came up with this colorful, fresh, delicious dish. If you haven’t caught on, everything I usually make feeds about 5-6 people, aka my family. So if yours is smaller or it’s you flying solo, I would cut this in halve. Other than the basil pesto, you can alter whatever you want. If anything, hopefully it inspires you to make something you’ll love.

Grilled Chicken
• 3-4 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Basil Pesto- makes 2 cups
• 6 Cloves Garlic
• 4 cups Fresh Basil Leaves, lightly packed
• 1/3 cup Pine Nuts
• Generous pinch of Maldon or other flaky Sea Salt
• 1 cup Olive Oil (extra-virgin of course)
• ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
• 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano, grated

Vegetables
• 3-4 Tomatoes, halved then quartered
• 1 Red Onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 Orange Pepper, sliced in thin strips
• 1 Yellow Pepper, sliced in thin strips
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2-3 cups Arugula

Pasta
• 1 lb. Penne Pasta
• Salt

Directions
Toss the chicken breasts in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Heat the grill. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 3 tablespoons kosher salt.

For the Basil Pesto, with the motor running, drop the garlic into a food processor to chop it. Add the basil, pine nuts and salt and pulse until the basil and nuts are coarsely chopped, then process until finely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the parmigiano and pecorino.



Combine the tomatoes, red onion, orange and yellow pepper into a large mixing bowl, lightly coat with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.



*I just wanted to show how amazing and colorful the vegetables look!

Add to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat to slightly cook the vegetables.


Return to the large mixing bowl and toss the vegetables with the arugula.


Begin grilling the chicken and drop in the pasta and cook until just al dente. Once the chicken is cooked, cut into bite size pieces and add to the vegetables.


Finally, toss the penne, basil pesto, chicken and vegetables together (you will likely need a very large bowl).


Since my brother is allergic to gluten, we make a separate gluten-free penne in addition to the other penne. In this case I can’t toss everything together, so I did it separately in each dish. First add the pasta, then the vegetables and chicken, top with some pesto and toss. It’s obviously more time consuming since you have to make a few smaller dishes, and be cautious or cross-contamination, but this way we can all eat it! And it was very good!!

Grilled Chicken Salad with Parmesan Breadcrumbs

There was an interesting article in the most recent Food Network magazine that took favorite dishes and turned them into salads. This salad was created to taste like Parmesan Chicken. The recipe states that it serves 4, but I doubled it and had enough for four adults with a little left over (I guess my family eats a lot). Salads are usually a healthier option and can be doubled or tripled easily to feed a small crowd, as long as you have a large salad bowl!

Ingredients
• 1 plum tomato, halved
• 4 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, plus 2 tablespoons oil from the jar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bunch fresh basil, torn
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 8 cups Italian-blend salad greens or baby arugula
• 8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella balls), quartered

Directions
Preheat a grill to high. Puree the plum tomato, sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, oregano, a few basil leaves and 2 tablespoons parmesan in a blender, drizzling in the sun-dried tomato oil until smooth. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons water, if needed; season with salt and pepper. This pureed tomato mixture will act as the salad dressing so if you add extra salad greens, it is important to double this mixture as well.



Halve the chicken breasts horizontally to make four 1/4-inch-thick cutlets. Brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken until marked on the bottom, about 4 minutes, then turn and grill until cooked through, about 3 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board.


Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon parmesan and the parsley and cook until toasted, about 1 more minute.


Toss the salad greens and remaining basil in a large bowl.


Cut the chicken into pieces and add to the greens along with the mozzarella. Toss with the dressing, and then sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.



This salad is perfect for a nice summer evening. It is a great take on Parmesan Chicken, so if you are a big fan, I suggest you try this salad.

The Taco Burger

When proposed with the challenge of what to make for dinner with ground beef, my family has their go to hamburgers or tacos. Well my dad and I decided to combine them. And it was pretty good!

Begin by seasoning the ground beef with chili powder, cumin, and oregano. We had 4 pounds of meat, so I used about 3 tablespoons chili powder, 4 tablespoons cumin, and about 2 tablespoons oregano. Once the spices and herbs are mixed in, form the patties.


Prepare the toppings: you will need guacamole, salsa, grated cheese (I used the Mexican blend), shredded lettuce, and sour cream. We had some refried beans in the refrigerator that I heated up as well.


Grill the burgers to your preference. Once the burgers are finished, assemble with the toppings of your choice. I did guacamole on the bottom, then hamburger patty, salsa, cheese, and shredded lettuce. I’m not big into sour cream but if you are, I would suggest putting it on the top of the bun.


They are different than the typical burger; obvious lacking ketchup, mustard, and pickles. But if you’re sick of making burgers and you’re sick of making tacos, make these taco burgers. It’ll be a nice change, I promise!

Salad Pizza

This pizza was very good. It was a lighter, refreshing pizza. Not heavy like others, if you can believe that! When I found this recipe in the Food Network Magazine I was intrigued because normally one doesn't think to put leafy greens on a pizza, so I had to try it. It was a success and I will experiment more with leafy greens in the future.

For this pizza, you will need:
• Pizza Dough, about 1 Pound
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Thyme
• Oregano
• ¾ - 1 Cup Feta
• 6-8 Ounces Ricotta
• 4-6 Ounces Bocconcini
• 1-2 Cups Arugula
• 2 Tomatoes
• Pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly coat the pizza pan with cornmeal to prevent the dough from cooking to the pan. Press the dough into the pan until about 10-12 inches in diameter.

Top pizza dough with the olive oil, salt, thyme, oregano and the feta.


Bake until crisp and remove from the oven, about 7-9 minutes.


Spread with ricotta and top with slices of bocconcini, olive oil and salt. Bake until the cheese melts, about another 5-8 minutes. You’ll have to watch it.


Bocconcini is a fresh mozzarella that is packaged like this:


Meanwhile, toss arugula and sprinkle tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper.


Pile on top of pizza after baking. I stuck it into the oven again for another 2-3 minutes to warm the tomatoes, but that is simply what I prefer- it’s not necessary.


If you are looking for an alternative to the usual pepperoni or sausage pizzas, I encourage you to try this one. It is very easy to make and I am sure you will love it!

Note: The measurements and cooking times will vary depending on how big you decide to make your pizza.

Sautéed Shrimp in a Lemon Butter with Tagliatelle

The recent Spring weather inspired me to make a dinner that is light and fresh. Shrimp in a lemon butter with pasta. This quick and delicious meal is the perfect spring dish.


The hardest part of cooking shrimp is deciding how much to buy. I was making dinner for four adults. The man helping me at Byerly’s said “well that depends on how much shrimp you want in your pasta.” I prefer about equal pasta to shrimp; so with each bite of pasta there is a piece of shrimp. The shrimp that I purchased was a 41-50 count, meaning there are roughly 41-50 shrimp per pound. They were little guys. I ordered 1¼ pounds and I could tell my brother was still hungry. If you are feeding any big guys I would suggest getting 1½ pounds for four people. That comes out to 15-18 small shrimp per person assuming you buy the 41-50 count.

You will need:
• 1 Box Pasta of your choice (a long noodle is best; spaghetti, linguini, etc.)
• 1½ Pounds Shrimp; raw, peeled and deveined
• 1½ Lemon
• Olive Oil
• 4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• ½ Cup Butter, 1 stick
• ¼ Cup White Cooking Wine
• Salt & Pepper
• Basil, sliced
• Parmesan, grated

Bring 1 gallon of lightly salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente. For the pasta, I used tagliatelle nests (photo below) which worked really well. When the pasta is done, strain and rinse with cool water to immediately cease the cooking.

While the pasta is cooking, you can start the shrimp. If frozen, rinse the shrimp in cold water until thawed. Microwave a whole lemon for 15-20 seconds; this makes squeezing the juice easy. Squeeze ½ of the lemon over the raw shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan at medium heat. Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the entire pan. Add the garlic and sauté 30-60 seconds, and then add the shrimp. Once the outside of the shrimp has cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes (depending on the size), begin adding the butter tablespoon by tablespoon. Once the butter is all melted, add the white cooking wine and squeeze the rest of the lemon halves over the pan. Let simmer allowing the shrimp to finish cooking, another 1-2 minutes.

Toss the cooked pasta into the sauté pan with the shrimp. This allows the pasta to warm while being coated with the lemon butter. Sprinkle the slices of basil and grated parmesan over the shrimp and pasta mixing everything thoroughly.


Serve in a bowl or on a plate. Garnish each dish with more basil and parmesan if desired. Finally, Enjoy!

Again this serves 4-5 people and takes about 20 minutes.

Shrimp Stir-Fry

One of the features in the newest food network magazine is about stir-fries. The recipe is set up so you can mix and match different proteins, vegetables and sauces to create your favorite stir-fry in five easy steps. It was very easy! Here is the tasty stir-fry I came up with:

1. Pick a Protein: Shrimp. ¾ of a pound, raw, peeled and deveined, no tails.

2. Marinate: Whisk 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry (I used dry sherry) and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Toss with your protein; cover and refrigerate, 1 hour.


3. Prep 3 cups Vegetables: Whole Snow Peas, Edamame, Slice Baby Bok Choy


Fun Fact: When slicing bok choy, you use the all of it; the leafy lettuce like part as well as the celery looking part.


4. Choose a Sauce: Clear Sauce. Mix ¾ cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon sugar.

5. Stir-Fry. Drain the excess marinade from the protein. Place your sauce, vegetables and protein near the stove. Heat ¼ inch peanut oil or vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat (it is important to make sure the bottom of the pan is covered completely in oil, the egg from the marinade will cause your protein to stick to the wok or skillet if you don’t). Add the protein; slowly stir until almost opaque, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to plate; discard the oil and wipe out the pan.


Heat the pan over high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons oil, then 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 to 2 tablespoons minced ginger, 2 minced scallions and a pinch each of salt and sugar; stir-fry about 30 seconds.


Add the vegetables, starting with the ones that take the longest to cook; stir-fry until crisp-tender. I started with the edamame, then snow peas, then baby bok choy.




Add the protein and sauce and stir until the sauce is thick and the vegetables and protein are cooked through, about 3 minutes. I put the lid on the skillet to trap the heat and help thicken the sauce. Garnish with sliced scallions, peanuts, sesame seeds, or sliced cilantro. I used sliced scallions, sliced cilantro, and served over white rice.




I doubled the recipe (plus another half) and that fed 5 adults with little to spare. You can switch out the vegetables with others you may like more. Also, as far as the protein goes, you can use ¾ lb. of flank steak, pork tenderloin, skinless/boneless chicken breasts or thighs, or 12-ounce package extra-firm silken tofu, cubed.

This stir-fry was very good! It was a perfect mix of flavors. Not too salty, nor too sweet. The shrimp kept it light and the green veggies made it a refreshing dish with a nice, crisp texture. Everyone loved this stir-fry so I encourage you to make it and put your own twist on it!

Pizza Dough

I’m doing a theology project that requires me to be a vegetarian and not eat any sugar for three weeks. This creates a big hurdle because sugar is in everything and I love meat. I’ve been making lots of trips to Whole Foods and buying organic products with no sugar. I was craving pizza so I decided to find a pizza dough recipe with no sugar. The recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen and this dough is really easy to make and really good!

1 ¾ cup Warm Water
1 (¼ ounce) package Active Dry Yeast
2 teaspoons Salt
5 cups Bread Flour
3 tablespoons Olive Oil, plus more for bowl
Cornmeal, for pan
Desired Toppings

Measure the warm water and sprinkle the yeast on top of the water allowing it to activate, about 10 minutes. Put the salt and 2 cups of the flour into a food processor. Pulse 5 times to blend. Pour in the yeast and water and pulse 5 times. Add the olive oil. Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time, pulsing and scraping the sides of the bowl until well blended. As soon as the mixture is combined, dump it out onto a well-floured board and knead for 15 turns, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grease the side of a bowl with some olive oil and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes, until doubled in size, and then punch it down. Divide it in half; each half will make 1 (12-inch) pizza.


Place on a cornmeal-dusted pizza, pizza pan, or cookie sheet. Roll up edge slightly to create a ridge around the pizza. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil to prevent the sauce from making the pizza soggy.

Note: If only using half of the dough, freeze the other half. Place the dough in a resealable freezer bag. To thaw, remove the bag from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Roll the dough out while cold then allow it to come to room temperature before adding toppings.




Top your pizza as desired and bake 16-18 minutes, or until crust is light brown. I topped my pizza with fresh mozzarella, a little cheddar, sliced garlic, shallots, and green onions. I froze the other half of the dough so when I can eat meat, I will make a delicious meaty pizza!

A Good Burger

I know burgers are more of a summer thing but I can always go for a good burger. The concept of putting the cheese inside the burger started in our wonderful little city of Minneapolis and is my favorite way to make burgers. I have enjoyed a handful of burgers that were stuffed with not only cheese but all sorts of stuff. It’s all about getting creative with different flavors. So this is my recipe that I found to be pretty delicious. It makes two burgers.

• 1 lb. of ground beef (you need ½ lb. per burger)
• Worcestershire sauce
• Fresh Chives, chopped
• Salt or Garlic Salt, Pepper for seasoning
• 2 tbsp. Butter
• 2 Onion Slices
• Chopped Mushrooms
• ½ of a Garlic Clove, chopped
• Swiss Cheese, sliced

In a bowl mix the ground beef with some Worcestershire sauce. I used my best judgment and poured it over the beef; you don’t always need to measure when cooking. Do as much as you think looks good. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of freshly chopped chives, and sprinkle some salt and pepper over the meat. Then with your hands mix it all together.



In a sauté pan, melt the butter and add the slices of onion, chopped mushrooms (these are for the inside so use as many as you want in your burger), and the little bit of garlic. Sauté until the onions are caramelized, they should look a little brown and clear. Once the onions slices are caramelized, it is a good idea to chop them into bite size pieces.

Divide the meat into fourths and form each section into a patty. You want the patties to be thin and wide in diameter. On one patty add 2-3 small pieces of Swiss cheese, some of the caramelized onions and the chopped mushrooms. Make sure you stack the ingredients in the middle of the patty so there is about ¾ of an inch of meat around on all sides. Place a patty on top and pinch the edges together tight making sure you cannot see the seam. This part is very important otherwise the patties will split while cooking. Make the second burger and more if you decide to double the recipe. The burgers will be pretty thick.



In the summer, I would grill these outside however cooking them in a sauté pan is the way to go when you live in Minnesota and its February. They take a while to cook since they are very think, about 25-30 minutes. The cheese on the inside must be melted otherwise you know the inside of the burger is still cold and therefore raw. If you really like cheese, then melt some on top too.



I don’t think these need ketchup but if you can’t eat a burger without ketchup then use some. I would suggest eating this burger with a nice cold beer. I enjoyed Goose Island’s India Pale Ale with my burger and highly recommend it. In fact, I am drinking one right meow…Yummy!