#SundaySupper Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

May 27, 2012 By 38 Comments

Greetings from cow country, ya’ll (sorry, but we’re in cow country, and in cow country we say ya’ll)! I’m in Pennsylvania for the weekend visiting my family for Memorial day. The drive up here was beautiful and smelly all at the same time- Pennsylvania air is tinged with cow manure, skunk, and road kill. Pleasant, right? It may be smelly, but it’s the smell of my childhood. We’ve been traveling up here since I was born, and the  smell reminds me of long hours in the car, I spy games with my brother, “are we there yet” whines, and my grandparents. The smell meant that we were getting closer to seeing two of the very most special people I know, my mom-mom and pop-pop. Today, I get to spend my first #SundaySupper with them.

I decided to make grilled chicken caesar salad for supper since my grandmother is diabetic. It’s low carb and delicious. I marinated the chicken in a lemon, olive oil, and dill mixture. It imparts mucho flavor into the chicken and helps the chicken stay super moist and juicy.   It gets grilled to perfection, topped on fresh salad greens, and drizzled with homemade caesar dressing. I promise, this salad does not disappoint.

I let my mom choose the cocktail for #SundaySupper, and when I asked her what she wanted me to make, she got all giddy and excited and breathlessly replied “cocojitos.” Here’s a look at what my day was like:

I juiced over a dozen limes for a measly cup of lime juice. The limes weren’t giving up their juice as easily as I would have liked, and I ended up with a gimp hand. It’s okay, though. God gave us two hands, so I held my cocojito with my other, non-gimpy hand.

I know what you’re thinking, “Jennie, why are you showing us a picture of raw chicken?” Well, because this is my favorite part of the chicken making process. It’s the part where you get to beat the chicken into submission. I like my chicken to be consistent in size, so I beat it.

Place the chicken in-between two pieces of plastic wrap and beat it with a meat tenderizer or improvise, like I did, and use a sauté pan. It’s a great method if you need to take out some unruly anger. Bad day at work? Beat the chicken. Troublesome mother-in-law? Beat the chicken. Kiddies plucking your nerves? Beat the chicken. You get it. Plus, it’s just plain old fun.

Add the chicken to a bowl and pour in the marinade. Chill for at least 2 hours before cooking, longer if you have the time.

Have a wonderful #SundaySupper gathered with family and friends around the table.

Happy eating,

Jennie

Make sure you stop by the other sites and check out what everyone is cookin’ up for Memorial day:

Perfect Cocktails:

Salads:

From the Grill:

Classics:

Desserts:

Our recipes will be perfectly paired by Wine Everyday

 

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

4 chicken breasts

2 lemons, juiced

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tsp. lemon and pepper seasoning

1 tsp. dried dill (3 tbs. fresh dill, chopped)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

In a medium-sized bowl, add the lemon juice, olive oil, lemon and pepper seasoning, dill, garlic, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Pound out the chicken to 1/2-inch thick. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour in the marinade. Chill for at least 2 hours (I chilled my chicken for 5 hours before cooking and the flavor was amazing).

Heat the grill or a grill pan. Add the chicken to the hot grill and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until the chicken is fully cooked. When the chicken is finished cooking, let set for 5 minutes before slicing.

Caesar dressing:

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

4 anchovy filets

3 tbs. mayonnaise

1 tbs. dijon mustard

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

4 tbs. fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a bowl of a food processor, add the garlic and anchovy filets, pulse to combine. Add the mayo, dijon, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, pulse to combine. Through the small hole at the top of the food processor, add the olive oil in a steady stream while pulsing. Add the parmesan cheese, and pulse to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Salad:

3 romaine hearts, chopped

Grated parmesan cheese

Croutons

Add the sliced lettuce to a bowl and top with croutons, grilled chicken, and parmesan cheese. Drizzle with homemade caesar dressing.

 

Filed Under: Salad Tagged With: ,

#SundaySupper Red Potato and Grilled Corn Salad

May 6, 2012 By 51 Comments

Happy Sunday! Today’s #SundaySupper theme is garden recipes. I was thrilled when I found out what this weeks theme was going to be. I love growing fresh herbs in the summer and using them in my recipes. They really brighten a dish. I made red potato and grilled corn salad with a chipotle lime vinaigrette for this week’s #SundaySupper. It’s perfect for summer picnics, barbecues, and deck parties. Not only is this salad delicious, it’s healthy. There is no mayo in this salad.

This salad is full of fresh garden ingredients:  red potatoes, radishes, grilled sweet corn, scallions, and fresh cilantro.

The vinaigrette that tops the salad is amazing. It’s made with spicy chipotles, tart limes, and sweet honey. Sweet, tart, and spicy is my favorite combination.

This salad is extremely easy to throw together. That’s what I love about. If you have a last minute party to attend, don’t worry, this salad can be made in 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Check out the other garden recipes that my fellow foodie friends are cookin’ up for this weeks #SundaySupper:

Cocktails and Wine Pairings: 

Appetizers:

Entrees:

Side Dishes:

Dessert:

XO,

Jennie

Recipe:

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 lb. red potatoes, scrubbed and chunked into 1-inch cubes

3 ears fresh corn, husked

6 radishes, thinly sliced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tbs. fresh lime juice

2 tbs. chipotle in adobo (I keep a bowl in my fridge already chopped and ready to use)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup light olive oil

4 tsp. honey

pinch of cayenne

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan cover potatoes with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. When the water begins to boil, add some salt to flavor the potatoes, about 1/4 cup. Reduce heat to medium and cook potatoes until tender when pierced with a knife or fork, about 15 minutes. When the potatoes are tender, drain and rinse with cold water. Add potatoes to a large bowl.

While the potatoes are cooking, preheat a gas or charcoal grill (feel free to use an indoor grill). Drizzle corn with olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook the corn directly over the heat until the kernels are brown all over, turning often, about 8 minutes. Remove from grill and set aside. When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut kernels off the cob. Add corn, scallions, radishes, and cilantro to the bowl with the cooked potatoes.

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, chipotle in adobo, garlic, honey, and cayenne. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour vinaigrette over potato mixture. Toss to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Salad, Savory Tagged With: , , ,

Quick Pickled Salad

April 12, 2012 By 6 Comments

My girlfriend and I went to P.F. Chang’s for lunch today. It was tasty. I haven’t been there in so long that I forgot how much I enjoy their food. I ordered the pepper steak, and it was delicious. The part I liked most about the dish was the small salad that accompanied it. It was what I call a quick pickled salad. It didn’t actually have a name, but that’s what it tasted like to me. It was so good that I came home and recreated it. I was able to match up the flavors perfectly. I love it when that happens.

The salad was made up of cucumbers, red bell peppers, red onions, and grape tomatoes. Simple, yet delicious. The only down side was the small portion they gave me. I scarfed it down in no time and was craving more. Luckily, I was able to recreate it, and now I can have all the salad I want.

This salad is zesty, sour, sweet, and salty all at the same time. It’s going to make a perfect summer side dish at barbecues. Enjoy!

Happy scarfing,

Jennie

Recipe

1 seedless cucumber, sliced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 cup grape tomatoes halved

1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

4 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Add all the veggies to a medium bowl and toss to combine. In a medium-sized bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk until salt and sugar dissolve. Pour over veggies and toss. Let the salad set in the refrigerator and pickle for 1 hour. Enjoy!

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Greek Pasta Salad

April 8, 2012 By 22 Comments

Happy Easter! I hope everyone is enjoying copious amounts of Easter candy. I’ve been stuffing jelly beans, sour gummy worms, and cupcakes in my mouth all weekend. Starting tomorrow, I’m quitting cold turkey. No more candy, no more cupcakes, and no more caramel sauce in my iced coffee. I may go through sugar withdrawals, but I’ll have to stay strong. From now on, it’s back to fruit, whole grains, and veggies.

Not only are we celebrating Easter today, but it’s time to celebrate #SundaySupper. I was going to share my mac and cheese recipe with all of you, but I forgot to measure the ingredients. I’m not used to measuring when I cook. Don’t worry, next time I make it, I’ll make sure I remember to measure. However, I did remember to measure the ingredients for the greek pasta salad I made. This is one of my favorite pasta salads. It’s packed with veggies, feta cheese, and kalamata olives. Yum!

We celebrated Easter a day early since some of our family members had to travel home on Easter day. We had a very casual dinner- barbecue style. We grilled chicken, hamburgers, and sausage. I made corn on the cob, greek pasta salad, and a few desserts. My mom made her famous green beans and was the grill master for the day. When the food was done, all of us gathered together and enjoyed the little time we had with each other.

To top the day off, we sat around the fire and had a few cocktails and roasted marshmallows. Enjoy your Easter!

Love and sweet treats,

Jennie

Recipe:

1 pound pasta

1 pint grape tomatoes, whole or halved

1 seedless cucumber, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped

1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup feta cheese

1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup plus 1 tbs. red wine vinegar

1 lemon, juiced

6 tsp. honey

2 tsp. dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Set aside.

Combine tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, beans, onion, and olives in a large mixing bowl. Add cooked pasta and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Pour over pasta and veggie mixture. Add feta and chopped mint. Stir to combine. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. Enjoy.

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