Sunday, July 20, 2008

Grilled Summer Vegetable Wrap with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

4 Each Tomato Tortilla Wraps (12)
1 Each Red Bell Pepper
1 Each Eggplant
1 Each Red Onion
1 Each Zucchini
2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic, Minced

1/4 Cup Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
1/4 Cup Fresh Mayonnaise

1 TBSP Fresh Chopped Basil
1/4 lb. Feta Cheese Diced

1/2 lb. Baby Lettuce Mix
To Taste, Kosher Salt; Black Pepper

Method of Preparation:
Cut Vegetables into thick Slices. Coat with oil, salt and pepper. Grill until tender. Allow to cool. Once cooled dice into large pieces. Toss with basil and feta cheese. Chill.

Mix Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Fresh Mayonnaise. Hold on the side.

Warm tortillas. Place equal amounts of vegetable mixture; baby lettuce and pesto mayonnaise on each one. Wrap tightly and cut in half. Serve.

Zucchini Bread

1 Cup sugar ( I use ½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup white sugar)
2 eggs
½ cup oil (can also substitute ¼ cup oil for applesauce)
1 – 1 ¼ cup grated zucchini
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cup flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp baking powder
¾ - 1 cup chocolate chips

Beat eggs and mix in sugar. Stir in oil, zucchini, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.

Asian Summer Salad

Salad

8oz uncooked vermicelli pasta

¾ cup julienne-cut carrots, 2 inches long

¾ cup julienne-cut zucchini, 2 inches long

¾ chopped red pepper

¼ cup sliced green onions with tops

¾ pound deli roast turkey or chicken breast, cut ½ inch thick

Dressing

¼ cup vegetable oil

3 TBS rice vinegar

3 TBS soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

1 tsp finely chopped, peeled fresh gingerroot

1 garlic clove, pressed

Break vermicelli into quarters and cook according to directions. Drain and run under cool water. Add all the ingredients to the vermicelli. Make the dressing and pour over noodles and vegetables. Allow the salad to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour. May be made a day in advance. Garnish with chopped peanuts and/or cilantro if desired.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Mojo Chicken Kabobs

I'm sparingly using up my precious Wegmans ingredients. We just grilled this one up tonight and, wow, was it delicious. It's from the Summer 2008 Menu magazine.

1 pkg (about 1 lb) Wegmans Mojo Marinated Chicken Breast Cutlets, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used my own chicken and marinated it with the Wegmans Mojo Marinade which I found on the salad dressing isle).

1 sweet red pepper, cored, 1-inch dice

1 large sweet onion, peeled

salt and pepper

Assemble kabobs: 1 piece chicken, pepper, chunk of onion, chicken, pepper, onion, chicken, pepper onion. Preheat grill on HIGH 10 min. Clean grill with wire brush. Using soft cloth, coat grill grate lightly with vegetable oil. Season kabobs with salt and pepper; place on grill. Sear kabobs about 2 min, until they have changed color one-quarter of way up from bottom; turn over. Sear 2-3 min, turning kabobs. Reduce heat to MEDIUM; close cover. Cook 8-10 min until internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Transfer to clean platter.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Brown Sugar Lemonade

6 lemons, juiced
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ice cubes

In a large pitcher, combine fresh lemon juice and water. Stir in brown sugar until it dissolves. Stir in ice cubes.


The brown sugar adds a great flavor to this lemonade. It's perfect for a summer barbecue! Found this on allrecipes.com

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Fresh Peach Dessert

I made this last night. It is a no-bake cheese cake, but the walnut crust is really yummy and it is great with any of the fresh fruits in the summer time. I usually make it with fresh strawberries or peaches.

Crust

2 cups flour

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream sugar and butter. Add the rest. Press into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 325° for 15. Cool. Crumble with fork and leave in pan.

Filling

8 oz cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

¾ cup powdered sugar

1 12 oz tub of whipped topping (cool whip)

Cream together the cream cheese and the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and then fold in the cool whip. Spread over cooled crust.

Topping

2 cups water

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 cup sugar

1 small package peach jell-o (or the flavor that matches the fresh fruit)

4 cups diced peaches (or other fresh fruit)

Bring the water, cornstarch and sugar to a boil. Add the jell-o and stir until dissolved. Cool and fold in fresh fruit.

Creole Pork Chops & Corn Salsa

Creole Pork Chops

4 large pork loin chops, trimmed *(7-8 thin pork chops)

4 tsp Emeril’s Creole Seasoning (see recipe below)

1 Tbl olive oil

Serve with Tomato Corn Salsa

Prepare Tomato Corn Salsa first. It can be done the day before. Sprinkle the pork chops with the Creole Seasoning , using ½ tsp per side. With your hands, coat the meat. Heat the oil in large skillet over high beat. Add chops and sauté for 7 minutes on each side, or until done. The pork should be very dark on the outside and pink and juicy on the inside. (serves 4)

*I usually use thin pork chops (found at Wal-Mart), and I grill them for 4 minutes on each side on medium heat.

Tomato Corn Salsa

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen, blanched (I use 1 can)

5 tomatoes, chopped

½ cup minced onion

1 tsp minced jalapeno (I omit)

3 Tbl chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tbl lime juice

1 Tbl lemon juice

1 tsp salt (I only use 1/2 tsp)

fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and stir thoroughly. This salsa improves in flavor after it sits awhile. Make approx 3 cups. Serve along side Creole Pork Chops.

Emeril’s Creole Seasoning

2 ½ Tbl paprika

2 Tbl salt

2 Tbl garlic powder

1 Tbl black pepper

1 Tbl onion powder

1 Tbl cayenne pepper ( I omit)

1 Tbl dried leaf oregano

1 Tbl dried leaf thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container. Make approx 2/3 cups.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Italian Pasta Stir-Fry

I've been going through recipes trying to find things to make with all of my zucchini. This one is really easy and tastes good, especially with homegrown zucchini and tomatoes.

8 oz linguine, uncooked
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley (or dry if I don't have fresh)
1 TBS olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp dried basic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup grated (about 1 oz) fresh Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine according to package. Drain and keep warm. Chop tomatoes and onions and cut the zucchini. Heat oil over medium heat until hot. Press garlic into skillet and stir-fry 15 seconds. Add zucchini and onion. stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add tomatoes, parsley and seasonings. Heat 1-2 minutes, stirring gently until heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in linguine and add grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.