Toasted Turkey and Smoked Mozzarella Subs

I saved my favorite recipe for the last update of the day. I have a unnatural affinity for sandwiches. I feel like Joey from Friends. I think it was the trivia game episode when Joey and Chandler faced off against Rachel and Monica to see who would win the apartment. They had to play a game of who knows whom better with random personal facts, and there was a lightning round. One of the questions was "what is Joey's favorite food?"...the answer: "sandwiches". Trust me, it was HI-larious. (If you don't get that Friends reference, I will be sad because that means I am really old and the 90's were the highlight of my pop culture existence.)

Anyway, I digress...

Where were we? Ah yes...sandwiches! They are yummy. This one was particularly yummy. Like really yummy.

Joey would've approved. ("Heeeeeeyyy, how YOU doin'?")

Try it and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Toasted Turkey and Smoked Mozzarella Subs
From: America's Test Kitchen Simple Recipes cookbook

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
2/3 cup basil pesto (homemade or jarred is fine...just use your favorite kind)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 (6 inch) sub sandwich rolls, slit partially open lengthwise
1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced deli turkey
12 ounces smoked mozzarella, sliced into thin rounds

Directions:
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees. Heat oil, garlic, and pepper flakes in large skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until mixture is dry, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in 2 tablespoons pesto and season with salat and pepper to taste.

Spread remaining pesto inside each roll, then layer with turkey, tomato mixture, and cheese. Place sandwiches on baking sheet and bake until edges of bread are golden and cheese begins to melt, about 5 minutes. Serve.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

My friend, Claire was telling me about this dinner that they had recently. Oddly, I'd not seen it before--even though she blogged about it a year ago and had it saved on Pinterest. I follow her boards fairly closely, and I don't know how I missed it! We were randomly talking about dinner ideas and she suggested this again. She sent me a link to the recipe from her blog, and I still didn't make it for a whole extra week. Yeesh. I don't know why I stalled, because I had both the Brussels Sprouts and chicken sausage on hand. Roasted Brussels sprouts are one of our favorite veggies and anything with pesto usually gets devoured around here. It is definitely a recipe that should have caught my attention!

Well, we finally got around to trying this meal and it was fantastic. Everyone loved it, including the kids. My son asked for the leftovers to go in his lunchbox to take to school the next day. I don't think he's ever done that before!!! I liked that it was super-delicious and basically a balanced meal in one with the pasta, veggies, and sausage. I doubled the amount of Brussels Sprouts and used a mild Italian chicken sausage. Also, I did save a cup of pasta water, which made the pesto more of a sauce consistancy and let me get away with using less than I probably would have normally. All in all, I highly recommend this one and I'm kicking myself for not finding it sooner!

Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Brussels Sprouts
Adapted From: Cooking Claire blog


Ingredients:
2 lb fresh Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and sliced in half
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
1 lb orecchiette pasta
5 mild Italian chicken sausage links
5 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 cup pesto (I used half of a fairly small jar)
Parmesan cheese, for serving
1 cup of cooked pasta water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread brussels sprouts on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir around until well combined. Roast for about 20-30 minutes, stirring once partway through, or until they are crispy on the outside and cooked on the inside. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until nearly-browned, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from pan, slice, and add back into skillet to brown sliced sides. Add the garlic, and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the sausage is browned.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water (reserving 1/4 cup pasta water), and then toss together the pasta, pesto, cooked sausage and garlic, and brussels sprouts. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if needed for extra moisture.

Serve warm, and sprinkle with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Pesto Chicken Salad

I've been sick with an awful head cold, so I haven't been able to (a) go grocery shopping in over a week, (b) cook anything new and exciting, & (c) update the few recipes I did try over the past couple weeks on the blog here. I'm going to have to go back and see if I can track down photos, but I have three posts I can remember making recently that need to be cataloged. I guess I'll start with the most recent one first (the one for our dinner this evening) and then back track.

Sooooo, as I mentioned, I am really, ridiculously low on groceries. We even ran out of coffee for goodness sake! That hardly ever happens!!! I think this has been the emptiest my stores have been ever. All I have in the pantry is some dried beans and other snack-y type food for the boy's lunch box treats. My fridge and freezer are also in a similar, sorry state. Sadly, I'm not going to have time to get to the store for at least another day, so I needed to forage for something for us to eat tonight. My first thought was breakfast for dinner. Then I realized that's not gonna happen, since I only have a few, hard-boiled eggs left in the deli drawer. (I think my family would riot if I gave them hard-boiled eggs for dinner.) My next thought was Nutella straight outta the jar for everyone...but then I wouldn't be nominated mother of the year :::snort:::.

(Although, Nutella sounds like a perfectly reasonable dinner idea.)

Me: "Hey kids, grab a spoon...it's Nutella time. Pass the jar this way!"
Family: "Yay, mommy is the coolest mom ever!!!!! Daddy should buy her diamonds!"

(Anyway...that was a total tangent.)

I did have a store-bought partially-devoured roasted chicken leftover, along with one cooked/grilled chicken thigh from last night's meal. The thighs and legs were in tact on the whole chicken, and the separate grilled thigh was a decent size. My bff, Claire mentioned that she was making a pesto chicken salad for dinner one night this week. I thought that would be a pretty clever use for my sparse chicken meat, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a frozen container of store-bought pesto in the waaaaay back of my freezer. Woot! (I didn't know I had it, and I'm happy I went exploring in there. Now I'm in business!!!) I scrounged together a few small celery stalks from the center of the bunch, a half an onion (of the very last onion in the house), and scraped out the final bits of mayo and plain yogurt from their containers. I don't know if I'm going to serve my pesto chicken salad with a singular sliced tomato over salad greens (fingers crossed they are not wilted and gross) or if I'm going to make the hubs stop on the way home for a loaf of bread to tide us over and make sandwiches. Either way, I'm able to pull a meal together with hardly any ingredients and I don't need to serve dried beans or hard-boiled eggs for dinner. Whew! Crisis averted!

Pesto Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked, diced chicken (I didn't measure)
1/2 diced onion
1-2 celery stalks, diced finely
1/2 cup of mayo
1/3 cup of Greek non-fat plain yogurt
1 (6 oz.) container of store-bought pesto
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and stir to mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve on salad greens or as a sandwich with sliced tomatoes on toasted bread.

NOTE: This was easy, inexpensive, and very yummy.

Turkey Pesto Burgers

I'm always on the lookout for a new and interesting twist on a turkey burger. It's funny because there seems to be no in-between when it comes to turkey burgers. If it's bad, it's really bad. However, if it's good, it's fantastic. I find that there is no middle ground whatsoever. (The spectrum is from "flavorless cardboard" to "it's delicious and I don't miss the beef at all".) Thankfully, these Turkey Pesto Burgers were on the delicious meter. They were moist and flavorful. The pesto really added some zip to them. Also, I only had to use a wee bit of the mayo mixture on each bun, since the burgers already were seasoned with the pesto. All in all, this was one of the fantastic versions of the often unpredictable turkey burger.

Turkey Pesto Burger
Adapted From: Confessions of a Foodie Bride via Pinterest

Ingredients:
1 lb. package of extra-lean ground turkey
4 Tbsp pesto (purchased or homemade)
Salt and pepper to taste

For serving:
4 slices of fresh mozzarella
4 Burger buns (whole wheat buns or whole wheat Sandwich Thins preferred)
Pesto mayo (stir together equal parts mayo and pesto with a couple drops of Balsamic)
Tomato slices
Basil leaves
Balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Heat your grill to high.

Break apart the ground turkey into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Add basil pesto. If your pesto is very thin, consider using the low end of the range. If it's thick, you can add more. Lightly mix with your hands to distribute the pesto and then form 4 patties.

Cook ~4 minutes each side (to desired doneness or internal temp) and then top with slices of cheese during the last minute so it has time to melt.

Serve the turkey pesto burgers on buns with pesto mayo, fresh basil leaves, sliced tomato, and a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

For the past couple of days, I've decided to quit stalling and do some blog updating. I didn't realize how many recipes I had made lately and didn't post until I went back through my camera photos. Yeesh! I forgot about this dish entirely, which is kinda mystifying because it was darn tasty. I guess I'll chalk it up to mommy-brain and move forward. I can't remember a whole lot about this recipe, other than kids and adults enjoyed it and I will make it again at some point.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
Adapted From: What’s Cookin’ Chicago, via Pinterest

Ingredients:
1 box of jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
6oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan + 1/4 cup for topping
1 jar of prepared pesto (homemade or store bought)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
3 cloves garlic, grated
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
cooking spray

Directions:
In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese over filled shells.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

To make ahead/freezer meals -
Prepare as directed but place filled shells in an oven- and freezer-proof baking dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells, cover and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

Cheese and Pesto Chicken

Yes, there has been a serious lack of recipes on here lately. I need to check the photos on my camera, because it's been so long since I've cooked anything new I can't even remember what new stuff I have made in the recent (or maybe not-so-recent) past. So in the interim of me getting my act together and uploading some new recipes and photos, I decided to pop on the old blog and at least post this easy, yummy dinner. I threw this dish together the other night out of necessity (I was missing some main ingredients for what I had planned to make originally...duh) and it turned out great. I didn't take a photo, but this was one tasty dish!

Cheese and Pesto Chicken

Ingredients:
cooking spray
4 chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 container of herbed soft cheese (I used Allouette brand)
1/2 jar of pesto
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in bottom of dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. With a spatula, spread the herbed cheese over the seasoned breasts. Then top with pesto and cover dish with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until breasts are cooked through. When time is up, remove foil and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over top of cooked pesto chicken mixture. Switch oven over to broil and cook uncovered for another 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted, slightly browned and bubbly. Serve and enjoy!

The Result:
This was easy, fast, and delish! Also, we've started Phase 1 of South Beach Diet over again to lose some extra holiday pounds. This chicken recipe fits in nicely with the SBD repertoire; especially with our sides of salad and roasted asparagus. Yum!

Pesto Baked Potatoes with Chicken

This is my last post, and then I'm all caught up. Hooray!

Kayotic Kitchen is a website that I normally check in on with regularity, ever since it was recommended a few years ago by Pioneer Woman. Kay's food and photos are drool-worthy, so it's one of my favorite places to stalk recipes. Since life got really busy for us recently, I fell away from looking at some of my favorite food websites...Kayotic Kitchen being one of them. I almost forgot about the site entirely! One day last week, I was poking around on either Foodgawker or Pinterest (maybe both) and I came across this recipe for twice baked potatoes. When I saw the source was Kayotic Kitchen I knew I had to try these spuds STAT. I'm so glad I did, because it was a great adaptable recipe, and it reminded me of one of my favorite foodie sites.

Pesto Baked Potatoes with Chicken
Adapted From: the Kayotic Kitchen website

Ingredients:
5 potatoes (8 oz each-1 potato per person)
oil
kosher salt
1 large shallot or 1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken (I used some leftover thigh meat)
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 jar of pesto
1/2 cup of any combination of your favorite nuts, crushed (i.e. walnuts, pine nuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.)
pepper and salt to taste
Lemon juice
Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
Place whole nuts in a zip-top bag and seal. Crush nuts into small pieces with a rolling pin or heavy object. Set aside.

Preheat oven for 400 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with a Silpat mat or piece of parchment paper.

Scrub your potatoes clean and prick a few times with a fork. Dry potatoes thoroughly with a kitchen towel or paper towel. Brush oil onto each potato and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. When potatoes are oiled and salted, place onto the baking sheet. Roast the potatoes on the bottom rack of the oven for 1 hour.

While the potatoes are baking, saute onions (or shallot) in a skillet with a little bit of oil (maybe 1 tablespoon) over medium heat. When onions are soft, add garlic and chopped chicken and cook for an additional minute or two. Add half and half and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper and let the liquid thicken and reduce a little. Add lemon juice to taste and remove from the heat. Set aside.

When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven. Using tongs, transfer the potatoes to a cutting board and cut each potato in half. Scoop out the insides of the halved potatoes and place in a large bowl. Remember to leave a thin layer of potato in each "shell". Place the shell(s) back onto the baking sheet. Repeat with all the potato halves.

In the bowl of potato filling, add the jar of pesto, additional salt and pepper to taste, crushed nuts, and chicken/cream mixture. Stir until all the ingredients are well combined.

Take each potato "shell" and spoon heaping amount of filling into it. Top with some grated Parmesan cheese and return the filled shell to the baking sheet. Repeat with the additional shells and filling. Return the prepared potatoes to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.



The Result:
These were awesome! Is it weird that it is 10:30 in the morning right now and I just ate a leftover potato half???? No, I didn't think so either. I mean, they were THAT good!!!!

NOTE: The original recipe did not use chicken or chicken broth. Instead, it was sans chicken and used vegetable stock. Kay had these potatoes as a side item, but I added the chicken to bulk 'em up for a main dish. Also, I had leftover chicken I wanted to use up. You could omit the chicken and sub in the veggie broth to keep this recipe vegetarian or as a little bit lighter side dish.

Bacon Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This. was. awesome. Seriously, you should try this sandwich immediately; if not sooner. Thank you. Over and out. Ten-four, good buddy.

Bacon Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Adapted From: Three Many Cooks website

Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter, softened (use more or less if needed, depending on the number of sandwiches)
sour dough bread slices
ripe tomatoes, sliced (I used heirlooms)
8-10 pieces of crispy, cooked bacon (use more or less, if needed)
jarred pesto
fresh mozzarella, sliced

Directions:
Cook bacon and set aside. On inside of bread, spread pesto on both halves. Top with cheese slices, tomato slices, and a few slices of bacon. Put top piece of bread on sandwich. Slather butter on outside of both ends of the bread. Cook in a dry skillet over medium high heat until cheese is melted and bread is crisp and golden brown. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove sandwich to a cutting board, cut in half, and serve immediately. Repeat with additional sandwiches.



The Result:
Nom, nom, nom. (Insert lip-smacking noises here.)

Cliantro Almond Pesto

This is a quick and easy "no cook" recipe that will compliment either beef, chicken, or fish. We had it last night as a condiment for grilled steaks and it was darn tasty! Once again, thanks Gertrude.

Cilantro Almond Pesto
From: myrecipes.com via the Cooking Claire blog

Ingredients:
3/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeno pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 tablespoons plain fat-free yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Directions:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a blender; process until finely chopped (about 15 seconds). Add yogurt and juice; process until smooth.

The Result:
See???? Totally easy!!! All you need is a blender and a smile to whip up this yummy pesto topping.

Baked Pesto Chicken

Smother anything with pesto (and/or cheese for that matter) and my family will eat it! This is a really easy chicken recipe that will please the pesto lover(s) in your house.

Baked Pesto Chicken
From: South Beach Diet iphone app; found on the Cooking Claire blog

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup pesto (from a jar)
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
halved grape tomatoes (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 375. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Spread 1/4 cup of the pesto in a 9x13 baking dish. Lay chicken breasts over pesto in an even layer and spread with remaining pesto.

Cover baking dish with foil and bake chicken until cooked through, 20-25 minutes. Uncover and top with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 5 more minutes. Garnish with halved grape tomatoes and serve (optional).



The Result:
This was a crowd-pleaser! My family gobbled it up, and it was super-easy to put together. My cooking time was a little longer by about 5-10 minutes, since my chicken breasts were on the thick side (I didn't bother pounding them out to be of uniform thickness). The tomatoes were a nice touch and made the whole dish remind me of yummy caprese salad. Delish!

Pesto Caesar Salad with Chicken

I hate the inevitable weight gain that usually happens to me over Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I hoping to outsmart it this year. When I devised this week's meal plan, I made sure to build some healthy salads into our dinner slots. My rationale is that if we have only one day of eating splurges on the actual Thanksgiving holiday--and eat fairly healthy the rest of the week--we won't have any huge eating regrets after the holidays are over. Makes sense, right??? Hopefully, my craftiness will work out in my favor.

Anyway, I found this recipe in Cooking Light magazine and modified it slightly. I think my way is easier to prepare and a little more hearty as a dinner salad (I made the addition of the chicken); but I will link to the original Cooking Light version, too. Either way, this was an excellent salad and one of my favorite versions of Caesar that I have made, thus far. Yum!

Pesto Caesar Salad with Chicken
Adapted From: Cooking Light magazine, September 2009

Ingredients:
extra virgin olive oil
2 stale dinner rolls, or any bread that you have on hand
2 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
1/4 cup mayo
3 tablespoons jarred pesto
4 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 head of romaine lettuce, torn

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. Place bread on a baking sheet; drizzle with a small amount olive oil. Then sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat all the bread pieces. Arrange bread in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until golden, turning once. When cooking is over, set aside to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.

Grate Parmesan cheese, divide in half, and set aside.

Turn the oven broiler on high. Place chicken breast on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; all on one (the top) side of the chicken. Turn with a pair of tongs to coat both sides of the chicken with the oil and seasoning mixture(this allows the chicken to be evenly coated). Broil on high for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked all the way through. Remove to cutting board and let chicken rest for 5 minutes. Cut into cubes and set aside.

For the salad dressing: Combine half of the grated cheese, mayonnaise, and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Combine croutons, the other half of the Parmesan cheese, and the lettuce in a large bowl. Add cooked cubed chicken. Drizzle mayonnaise mixture over lettuce/chicken mixture; toss to coat. Place salad on plates, and serve immediately.



The Result:
This was a satisfying and delicious salad! We all loved it; even my sometimes-hard-to-please son. (My husband was actually eating the salad dressing from the bowl...TMI, I know.) I think this would be equally great with sauteed or grilled shrimp (as a substitute for the chicken), too. I didn't toss the salad dressing in with the salad, but instead served the dressing on the side. (That way, it is much easier to control how much dressing I use.) I loved this salad; it was sooooo exactly what I wanted for our evening meal! This recipe was a great way to help lighten up an upcoming week of heavy eating.

Almond-Apricot Chicken with Mint Pesto

I am not feeling very verbose today, so I think I will just get right to this recipe. I lost my favorite pair of sunglasses at the gym this morning, and I am very sad about it. Hopefully, someone will turn them in. I hate it when I lose stuff! Boo!!!

In other news, this was a fantastic dinner choice!!!

Almond-Apricot Chicken with Mint Pesto
From: Everyday Food magazine, May/June 2003

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (6 ounces each)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 ounces goat cheese
4 dried apricots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (3 tablespoons)
Salt and fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mint Pesto (see below for recipe)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut a slit in one side of each chicken breast to create a pocket about 4 inches long.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almonds with the goat cheese and apricots. Stuff each breast with 1/4 of the mixture. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

On a plate, combine breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Dip each breast into egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until golden, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to oven; bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve hot with pesto on the side.

***********************************************

Mint Pesto
From: Everyday Food magazine, May/June 2003

Ingredients:
3 cups lightly packed fresh mint
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt

Directions:
In a food processor, combine mint and almonds; process until finely chopped.

With motor running, gradually pour oil through the feed tube. Season with salt. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.



The Result:
Do yourself a favor and make this chicken and pesto soon. Also, if you happen to find my favorite sunglasses please let me know. ;)

UPDATE: Someone did find my sunglasses at the gym and turned them in!!! Yipee!

Jen's Turkey & Roasted Red Pepper Melt with Pesto Mayo

There is a cafe at my gym where I eat lunch with the kids at least once or twice a week. All their food is yummy and healthy, with the calorie content posted on the menu. I borrowed this idea from my favorite gym cafe sandwich and tweaked it a bit. I always seem to have turkey on hand, so this sandwich is fast and simple to assemble. Dare I say it is quickly becoming my busy night go-to dinner plan!

Jen's Turkey & Roasted Red Pepper Melt with Pesto Mayo

Ingredients:
For sandwich:
olive oil
1/4 of a large red onion, sliced thin
1 cup of baby spinach
1 jar of roasted red peppers, blotted dry & cut into strips
1/2 lb. of lean, white deli turkey meat (nitrate/nitrite free)
4 slices of provolone cheese
4 sandwich thins, any shape
pesto mayo (see below)

For Pesto Mayo:
1/2 cup of mayo
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2-3 Tablespoons of pesto (adjust to suit your tastes)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine mayo, lemon juice, garlic, and pesto in a small bowl. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Heat grill pan on medium high. Rub both top and bottom pieces of sandwich thins with a few drops of olive oil, on both sides of the bread. Assemble sandwich ingredients by spreading a small amount of pesto mayo on both sides of the bread. Next, layer the bottom half of the sandwich with red onion and spinach leaves. On the top half layer provolone slices, roasted red pepper strips, and turkey. Press both halves of the sandwich together. Place sandwich on grill pan, then press it by weighing it down with a sandwich press or another heavy pan. Grill for 3 minutes and flip the sandwich over, making sure to press the reverse side. Grill for another 3 minutes. Remove sandwich to a cutting board, cut on a diagonal (it's prettier that way), and serve.

Jen's Notes:
The pesto mayo makes enough for leftovers. I like to slather it on a veggie burger for lunch, or make a yummy breakfast sandwich by substituting scrambled eggs for the turkey in this recipe. Either way, it is freakin' awesome!



The Result:
This is such an easy dinner and a total crowd-pleaser. Both my husband and son love this sandwich. I served our melts with a cheater-baked (i.e. microwaved) potato and a side salad. Yum! As I said before, this meal was great busy-night food!

Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken

I have had some real stinker recipes lately. Stuff that was not even post-worthy. Thankfully, this was not one of those meals. I had a completely different dinner slotted for tonight's menu, but I did not want to chance another sucky experiment. I just didn't have it in me. I switched a few nights up, so we could have this dish instead. My friend, Claire told me about this pasta salad that she found in her copy of America's Test Kitchen "30-Minute Suppers Summer 2010" special issue magazine. They tried it and loved it, so I was pretty confident that it would be great. Sure enough, it was fantastic! Hooray!!! I think both Claire and America's Test Kitchen saved our dinner plans.

Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken
From: America's Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers Summer 2010 Special Issue

Ingredients:
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp juice from 1 lemon
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 pound)
1 pound fusilli
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
3 ounces (about 4 1/2 cups) baby arugula

Directions:
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Combine pine nuts, cheese, garlic, basil, and lemon juice in food processor and process until smooth, about 10 seconds. With processor running, slowly pour in 2/3 cup olive oil and process until smooth.

Brush chicken with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over hot fire until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and tent with foil. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken.

Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon salt and fusilli to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, drain fusilli, and rinse fusilli with cold water. Transfer cooked fusilli to large bowl.

Toss pesto, chicken, tomatoes, and arugula with fusilli, adding reserved cooking water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.



The Result:
So, I cheated a little. I didn't make the pesto, but used good quality jarred pesto instead. It was just easier. I also used rotini whole wheat pasta, chopped heirloom tomatoes, and added some shredded asiago and sharp provolone cheese for fun. Come to think of it, I cheated a lot. It still turned out fabulous!!! We served it at room temperature, and the flavors were so refreshing. Our meal was certainly a tasty summertime treat. Yum! This recipe is another keeper!

Grilled Greek Chicken Pizza

I follow Aggie's Kitchen on Facebook, and I was inspired by her take on a Greek Chicken Pizza. I started with the recipe for Grilled Lemon Parsley Chicken and modified it with some Greek herbs. Then, I hit up the olive bar at our local supermarket and let the plethora of choice ingredients guide me the rest of the way. Oh man, was this one fantastic pizza! We had some friends over for dinner and they loved it, too. I am a sucker for a good pizza, and this one is my new favorite (although, I think I say that about every pizza I make). Anyway, if you like Mediterranean flavors, I would highly recommend playing around with this pizza and adding or subtracting items that you like...I really don't think you could go wrong!

Grilled Greek Chicken Pizza

For the Chicken:
Use 1 batch of Grilled Lemon Parsley Chicken, with 1 teaspoon of fresh or dried thyme and 1 teaspoon of fresh or dried oregano added into the marinade.

Cut 1 or 2 of the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and set aside (save the other cooked chicken breasts for another purpose or leftovers).

For the Pizza:

Ingredients:
1 batch of Quick Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (see recipe below)
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup of shredded fontina cheese
1 (6 oz.) container of pre-made pesto
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 Grilled Lemon Parsley Chicken breasts, diced (see above for directions)
1 can of artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
1 cup of assorted green and black olives, sliced
1/3 cup of roasted red or marinated peppers, sliced
1/3 cup of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup of feta cheese, crumbled
sliced pepperoncini peppers (optional)

Directions:
Heat grill to high heat (about 550 degrees). Roll crust out into a 1/8 inch thickness round or oval shape (it does not have to be perfectly round). Set aside.

Prepare grill by placing some canola oil in a bowl, and using an old rag and a pair of long, heat-resistant tongs, dip rag in canola oil and wipe the grates of the grill. This will prevent the crust from sticking. Be careful not to burn yourself...stand as far back as possible when doing this, because oil can flare up.

Grill both sides of pizza to desired doneness. Remove cooked pizza to large baking sheet. Smear pesto over cooked crust evenly. Sprinkle the fontina and mozzarella cheese over the pesto. Top with crust with fresh tomatoes, red onion slices, minced garlic, cooked chicken, artichoke hearts, olives, peppers, and sun dried tomatoes.

Return crust (now on baking sheet) to the grill for 2 minutes, or until pizza is warm and cheese slightly melted. Turn off grill and remove crust. Top cooked pizza feta cheese crumbles. Cut and serve.

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Quick Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in flour, salt, & olive oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round.

Cook on grill, as indicated in the above directions --OR-- according to your recipe instructions.

The Result:
I forgot to take a photo, but let me tell you...this pizza looked (and tasted) spectacular. Yum!!!

Claire's Pesto Pasta Surprise

For some reason, Italian food just seems like the right thing to serve on major holidays. Usually for our Christmas Eve family dinner, we have an Italian food feast; maybe that is why I associate Italian food and holidays together. Since I did not do the usual Italian food spread this past year for Christmas (my pregnancy and lactose intolerance issues precluded my meal plans), I decided to change it up and make an Italian-inspired dinner for our Easter celebration instead.

For our main dish, I decided to try a recipe that my friend Claire recently made with good results. Since pasta is so filling, I decided to do some simple accompaniments of garlic bread and green salad to finish off our meal. It was not fancy, but everything was certainly delicious. My mom, husband, son and I really enjoyed it!

Claire's Pesto Pasta Surprise

Ingredients:
1 package whole wheat penne
1 jar marinara sauce -OR- 1 cup of homemade marinara
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup pesto
Additional mozzarella for topping

Directions:
Prepare penne (or pasta of your choice) per package directions; set aside. Combine cheeses and pesto in medium bowl; set aside. In 8x12 pan, layer as follows: half of the cooked pasta, half the marinara sauce, all the cheese/pesto mixture, remaining half of the pasta, remaining marinara, additional mozzarella.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Jen's Notes:
I used Jenn Nelson's Fabulous Marinara Sauce (see previous post).

Also, here is the link that has the garlic bread recipe.

Ina's Garlic Ciabatta Bread





The Result:
Even though our Easter meal was on a much smaller scale than the usual Christmas gut-buster, it was still a fantastic choice. This was so good; I will make this dish again and again and again.

Karen's Baked Pesto Salmon

We are having an exact replica of the below post for tonight's dinner. What can I say?!?!? This is my favorite go-to salmon recipe and I love it paired with wild brown rice pilaf and steamed veggies. All in all, this is a tasty and healthy dinner!

Karen's Baked Pesto Salmon

I forgot to mention again how simple this meal is to put together. I am all about easy lately, so I am excited to have another home-cooked meal without a lot of fuss.

Karen's Baked Pesto Salmon

We are having a pretty relaxed Father's Day, so far. The husband decided he wanted this dish for dinner; so under official Father's Day rules, I must comply. I am not sure what I am going to serve with this fish, but potatoes kinda sound good. I think I am going to look online for an easy potato recipe and go from there.

Karen's Baked Pesto Salmon

Yum! This is my new favorite salmon recipe, so I am glad the husband chose this for his special Dad's Day dinner.

Jen's Pesto Chicken and Gnocchi with Broccoli

This is the meal that I slated for yesterday, but changed at the last second. The gnocchi would have been a little too filling right before my Bunco game...considering all the snacks and drinks that I consumed.
This is an easy meal to put together and one of our family favorites! We haven't had this dish in a while, so I am happy that I put it back on the menu. I will pair this with a spinach side salad to round out the meal.

Jen's Pesto Chicken and Gnocchi with Broccoli

This recipe is always a hit at our house!!!

Karen's Baked Pesto Salmon

I love easy and tasty salmon recipes, and this one delivers on both fronts. I am always at a loss with what to do with salmon, and most of the recipes I try are just okay. Not this one...this recipe is exactly what I have been looking for. I've finally found a go-to salmon recipe!!!
Claire's mom, Karen, made this dish for one of our meals in San Diego. The moment I tasted it, I knew I had to copy it as soon as I got home. I would have never had thought to pair salmon and pesto together, but the flavors meld perfectly. When Karen made it, I think I actually had "thirds" on the fish. It was so freakin' delicious!!!

I am going to pair our salmon feast with some steamed veggies and a wild rice pilaf blend from Trader Joe's. As always, I am looking forward to a great dinner. Thanks for the yummy recipe, Karen! (I hope I rewrite this recipe accurately...I am going off of memory, and that can be dangerous.)

Karen's Baked Pesto Salmon

Ingredients:
3-4 6 oz. salmon fillet pieces OR 1 large (1-2 lbs.) salmon fillet, with skin on
1 jar of pesto OR 1 cup of homemade pesto
cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place salmon fillets on cookie sheet (skin side down, if applicable). Sprinkle a little bit salt and pepper on fish. Pour pesto on salmon fillet(s), spreading with the back of a spoon, so the fish is evenly covered. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until desired doneness is achieved. Remove from oven. If skin is present, lay knife parallel to the skin(horizontally) and wiggle a sharp knife between skin and flesh until the meat of the fish is cut loose and the skin is removed. Serve and enjoy!

Jen's Notes:
I am using frozen (then thawed) salmon fillets from Costco. Also, I can tell you first hand that this meal goes great with a glass of crisp, chilly white wine!



The Result:
Hands down, this is my new favorite salmon recipe! It is awesome! The husband and boy loved it, too. They both agreed this dish has been the best 'at-home' salmon recipe to date. The husband identified that the olive oil in the pesto gives the fish a slightly buttery flavor. I agree...the pesto/olive oil literally makes the fish luscious. I used some homemade pesto that I had frozen/thawed, and that was all that was needed. A 25 minute cook time prepared the fish to a perfect doneness. Fan-freakin'-tastic!!!

(As a side note: Both the husband and Claire pointed out that I use the adjective "fan-freakin'-tastic" a lot. I was using that particular word as a kind of 'good recipe identifier'. When I liked something, I would just quickly scan the comments and if I saw the word "fan-freakin'-tastic" I knew that the dish was a winner. It seems like I have a limited vocabulary, but truly, I was using that word on purpose. At Claire's suggestion, I decided to create a "fan-freakin'-tastic" tag to try and cut down on my over-use of that word. We will see how it goes.)