Bruschetta Chicken

Hiya!

I don't know about you, but I think that reality and routine are starting to set back in as we approach our first full week AS (After Summer).

And, the fabulous cooler weather this weekend is certainly helping ease the transition.

My tomatoes are finally in full ripening mode, so I wanted to share with you a great recipe to incorporate them into a colorful, flavorful delicious meal, Bruschetta Chicken.

It is easy as…1. Marinate 2. Grill 3. Top

The marinade started with 4 chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp balsamic vinegar. 

Then, about 10 leaves of fresh basil were chopped up

and everything was given a quick stir. 

Now that was an easy marinade! 

About 2# of thawed chicken tenders were placed in a ziploc bag, in a bowl.

Then, the marinade was pour right over top. 

In this picture, my Cucumber Avocado Caprese Salad was working double duty. 

The leftovers from the night before served as my marinade.  

The bag was zipped up, the chicken and marinade were massaged together a bit 

and then they hung out in the fridge for a few hours.

Just before dinner, the tenders were grilled up.

Be sure to keep an eye on the temp, as the tomato marinade makes them look a little pink.  

After their final flip, the tenders were topped with another* batch of the tomato marinade.  

* Be sure to use fresh tomatoes for topping…

you certainly don't want any uncooked chicken juice as part of your dinner.

Trust me on that!

Melt a half slice of provolone right on top. 

Finally, finish with the remaining tomatoes right on top and serve!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

6-8 tomatoes

2 tsp salt

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

15-20 basil leaves

2# of thawed chicken tenders

1 package of sliced provolone

Directions:

Make marinade by adding salt, balsamic vinegar and basil to chopped tomatoes. 

Add half of the marinade to the thawed chicken and refrigerate for a few hours. 

Save the other half of the marinade for topping the chicken later. 

Grill chicken until cooked, top with tomatoes and provolone. 

Pesto Chicken

Welcome September, back to school, routines and all good things that come along with it.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to reclaim my oven and slow cooker for warm, hearty and comforting meals.

Don't get me wrong, I love all of the grilling this summer....zucchini, wings, pizza, shrimp, burgers and more, but this mama loves me some soup and all of the wonderful smells associated with simmering and baking all day!

But, before we get to full-on cozy meals, I want to share with you a recipe for delicious and versatile Pesto Sauce, served here with chicken and zucchini noodles, but has since been used in pasta sauces and mayo for BLTs.

The options are endless!  

I'm so thankful for the bountiful basil growing on my deck and in my garden.  I love it for cooking, garnishing and moments of stopping-to-smell-the-basil.  Mmmmm!

After removing the stems, which can often be bitter, 

I loaded up my mini-chopper 

(not to be confused with a mini-cooper)

with fresh basil leaves, minced garlic and pine nuts.

Drizzle in about 1/3 cup of olive oil. 

Since I have to work in phases, this was the product of phase one,

before the remaining ingredients were added. 

Round out the ingredients with 3 cups of basil, 

1 tbsp garlic (could certainly use less), 

1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 cup pine nuts, in total. 

Blend it all up

to make about 1 cup of pesto…

which goes a long way! 

While all of this blending and chopping is going on, some chicken is browning in a sautee pan.

Just topped the chicken with the fresh, flavorful sauce and served over 

zucchini noodles for a 

fabulous, summertime dinner!

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

3 cups basil

1 tbsp minced garlic (use less if preferred)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 tsp salt

Parmesan - optional

Directions:

Blend all ingredients and serve atop pasta or chicken, in tomato sauce or mayo. 

So versatile, so delicious!  

Cucumber Avocado Caprese Salad

Welcome to late summer, otherwise known as tomato season!

I'm excited to switch up some of my zucchini recipes with tomato for the next few weeks…but don't worry, zucchini and other squash recipes aren't done yet.  

This salad came about as I was brainstorming ideas to combine tomatoes and cucumber, which are slowly but surely appearing in the garden.

We all love a good Caprese dish, but adding in some cucumbers brought about the perfect crunch…and you probably know by now that I'm a sucker for texture.

Started by gathering up lots of fresh ingredients... fruits, vegetables, cheese and herbs.  

Three different varieties of tomatoes were the base for the salad.  

A blend of one Big Boy, two Little Girls and one Roma. 

Then one cucumber was half-peeled, chopped and added.

Some fresh mozzarella was also cubed. 

Loved how this soaks up the flavors of everything for a party in one bite. 

Add one avocado for the creamy-factor. 

Just 1 tsp of coarse Kosher sea salt.

I'm a big fan of how salt draw the juices out of the fruits and vegetables to make it's own dressing. 

My kitchen helper, Landon, chopped up some fresh basil and mint. 

Fresh black pepper was ground in, to taste. 

Then, half of a lime was squeezed over the bowl, 

to keep the avocado from browning and for the fresh twist. 

Finally, two tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 

were streamed into the bowl. 

The salad was gently folded together and refrigerated until serving. 

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

4 Tomatoes - chopped

1 Cucumber - half peeled and chopped

Fresh Mozzarella - cubed

1 Avocado - chunked

1 tsp Coarse Kosher Sea Salt

Fresh Basil and Mint - chopped

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Juice from half of a Lime

2 tablespoons of Olive Oil 

1 tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, refrigerate and serve.