Asian Grilled Chicken Salad

The best thing about this dish is that there are no messy pans to clean. With the heat in this town still at triple digits, this meal was light and easy to throw together. No slaving over a hot stove.

Ingredients:

Raw chicken breast tenders or chicken breasts sliced thinly
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T worcestershire sauce
1/2 lime
2 garlic pods roughly chopped
1 box Spring Mix salad or head of butter lettuce
1/2 cup sliced or shredded carrots
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 cup crushed peanuts (put in plastic bag and hammer with a mallet)
SASS sesame-garlic salad dressing

Make a marinade for the chicken with soy sauce, worcestershire, lime juice, and garlic. Marinate chicken tenders for 30 minutes to an hour. Cook on the grill on medium heat for about 4 minutes per side or until done. Careful not to overcook. While chicken is cooking, combine lettuce with carrots and bell pepper. Pour SASS dressing over salad and toss.

On plates, place a generous salad portion, then top with crushed peanuts. Lay chicken tenders over salad and serve. Yum!

Toffee Crunch Brownies

My daughter, the Cookie Diva, loves to bake. She is always on the hunt for the best chocolate chip cookie and brownie recipes. She found Paula Deen's Toffee Brownies on the Food Network website. Cookie Diva tweaked it a little and switched out applesauce in place of the cooking oil and one egg. These brownies are unbelievable (and easy!)

Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines Family Style Brownies Dark Chocolate Fudge
1 egg
2 T water
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 regular or 2 over-sized Symphony Candy Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9 pyrex pan with foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, egg, water, and applesauce until well blended. Spread half the brownie mixture on top of the foil lined pan. Break up the candy bar pieces and lay them on top. Then spread the other half of the brownie mix over the candy bar layer. Bake for 27-30 minutes. After the brownies have cooled completely, pull them out of the pan with the foil for easy cutting.

Gigi's Banana Bread

My kids could have a quick-bread meal for breakfast every day. This is a low fat version of banana bread. My mother-in-law gave me this recipe and I think it might have originated in a Neiman Marcus cookbook.

3 ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1 egg room temperature
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 applesauce
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
chopped nuts (optional)

Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Lightly grease and flour the loaf pan. Pour batter in and bake at 325 degrees for 60-80 minutes.

Red Chicken Tacos

My sister used to work with a woman who gave her this recipe years ago. This is supposed to be an authentic Mexican dish, not really Tex-Mex. I try to cook my chicken the day before so it's ready to throw into the skillet the following night.

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts with bone or one whole chicken pre-cooked (either boiled or roasted). De-bone meat and set aside.
3 T olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 green bell pepper finely chopped
2-3 pods garlic finely chopped
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth
1 small can tomato sauce
cumin
salt, pepper
flour tortillas
shredded sharp cheddar
shredded lettuce
sour cream (optional)
guacamole (optional)

In a skillet on medium heat, cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, bite-sized chicken pieces, a big sprinkle of cumin, salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil, then simmer until liquid is reduced (about 15 minutes). If the liquid dries up too much, add more chicken broth.

Fill warm flour tortillas with chicken mixture and top with shredded cheese, lettuce, and sour cream or guacamole. Ole!

If you have chicken mixture leftover, then make tostadas the following night. Top them with refried black beans, chicken mixture, sauteed peppers, and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

My internet service died on Saturday but has recently come back to life. More recipes to come later today.

Basil Hummus

My kids really like hummus but I usually get the store bought kind. I saw this recipe in the Austin American-Statesman last week and since I have a ton of basil growing in the garden, I wanted to try it out. I have the tiniest food processor you've ever seen but all the ingredients fit at the same time. This is the perfect sized appetizer for a small group. The basil flavor gave it a nice summery tang. (The original recipe calls for 3 Tbsp. sesame tahini. I couldn't find it at the grocery store so I just left it out. It's your call on that one. It's my motto that if I don't have it and it's not a major ingredient, then it's my prerogative to leave it out!)

Ingredients:

1/2 can garbanzo beans, rinsed

4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

1-2 cloves garlic, peeled

large handful of fresh basil leaves

generous pinch of salt

Pita chips and/or cucumber slices

Put all ingredients in the food processor and blend until creamy smooth. Serve at room temperature or chill for 1 hour. Serve with pita chips or cucumber slices.

Coming soon: Desserts!

Tex-Mex Zucchini and Summer Squash

I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of plain jane steamed veggies. I like them with a little style. Over the years, I have lured my kids to new vegetables by disguising them with cheese, spices, sauces, oils, broths, and even tortilla chips. So, on this note, I give you my version of this plentiful pair of summer vegetables -- zucchini and summer squash. This is quick to make and nearly impossible to mess up. The kick of jalepeno makes it a zingier side dish. Plus, it's colorful and you can serve it with just about anything!

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini

1 large summer squash

1 small onion

1/2 jalapeno, minced and seeded

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil

salt, pepper to taste

1/2 cup sharp white cheddar, grated

1/2 crushed tortilla chips

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Slice zucchini, squash and onion and saute in the skillet with the minced jalapeno. Add salt, pepper to taste. Once the veggies are softer but still a little crunchy, place them in an oven proof dish. Sprinkle cheese over veggies with tortilla chips over all. Bake 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.