Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad

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Looking for a great salad?  This Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad is the perfect choice!  It's filled with fresh veggies and protein for a light and delicious main salad or side dish.

About a month ago I had some friends over for a "Girls That Lunch" party.  It's not often that we all get together, so this party was the perfect way to reunite, laugh, gossip, and just be "girls".   The menu consisted of grilled chicken and a few types of salads.  Of course there was some heavenly wine involved too!  This Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad was an obvious choice for the menu.  

There is nothing better than a cold and crisp salad that uses fresh vegetables, and is laced with a heavenly lemon vinaigrette.  I knew this would be a big hit with the girls.  

This chickpea salad takes only minutes to throw together.  The flavors and bright and bold, leaving you wanting more.  Fresh, crisp cucumbers are mixed with mint, tomatoes, and bell peppers, then tossed with the most heavenly lemon vinaigrette!  Oh boy was this salad a hit!  Everyone loved it so much there weren't any leftovers to be found. (Sorry MGG, there's none left for you...)

This salad is a great lunch idea.  Use it as a main dish or a side dish.  Another perfect way to serve this would be to buy mini pita pockets, and stuff them with the salad.  The perfect treat!  Super Bowl anyone?

Enjoy!

Middle Eastern Chickpea Salad

1 large English cucumber, seeded and diced
1 15-oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup of fresh mint, minced
1/3 cup of crumbled feta

Lemon Vinaigrette 

3 lemons, zest removed and juiced
2 teaspoons of Gourmet Garden Basil Stir In Paste
1 tsp of garlic, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 

salt and pepper

In a large bowl, toss together the cucumber, chickpeas, tomatoes, bell pepper, and mint.  To make the vinaigrette add Lemon zest, and lemon juice, basil paste, garlic, and oil to a mason jar.  Shake vigorously to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine.  Top with feta and serve.  

Lighter Burrito Bowl

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Christmas is over and it's time to look forward to the new year. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday filled with family and friends.  Oh, the food and indulgence of the holiday is always rampant but it's time to start looking toward some lighter food. 

Let's talk burrito bowls!  The new phenomenon that's taken the food world by storm.  So why go to your favorite fast food joint when you can make one that tastes 1000x better and is healthier. 

Making a burrito bowl at home allows you to make a dish that is healthier, using the freshest ingredients. That's so much better than takeout.  We make this healthier, first off, by using brown rice.  Brown rice is full of nutrients and fiber and tastes wonderful in this dish.  The use of turkey meat instead of beef adds another healthy touch by reducing the fat content.  Using my homemade taco seasoning up the flavor profile, along with the fresh vegetables and wonderfully flavored black beans.  This dish has soooo much flavor!  It's definitely a keeper.  You are  your family are sure to love this dish.  It will have you craving Mexican food to a whole other level.

Enjoy!

Lighter Burrito Bowl

serves 4

1 cup yellow or sweet onion, diced
1/2 pound ground turkey (7% lean)
1 cup brown rice (10 min. instant rice)
1 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup salsa
2 teaspoons taco seasoning (homemade or store bought)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
3/4 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 cups cherry tomatoes, diced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Garnish: (Optional) diced tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, green onions, avocado

In a skillet over medium heat add the onion and the ground turkey. Cook until turkey is cooked through and no longer pink.  Use a wooden spoon to break up the turkey into small crumbles as it cooks.  Push the turkey mixture to one side of the skillet and add the rice and toast for about 1 minute.

Add the broth, salsa, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, corn, and the beans. Stir together making sure the rice is submerged in the liquid.  Bring to a boil then lower the heat to simmer.  Cook 10-15 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the flame and add the cheese.  

Serve each portion in individual bowls and garnish if desired.  

Note:  This recipe calls for instant brown rice, if using regular long grain brown rice you will need to increase the cooking time to around 45-50 minutes to ensure the rice is fully cooked.  Instant brown rice is suggested.

adapted from skinnyms.com

Food to Go: Spicy Hot Ham & Swiss Croissants

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We are going on a picnic this weekend!

MGG and I found a wonderful place to relax and have a picnic in Griffith Park.  It's a beautiful area with lot of shade trees, flowers, and a huge grassy area perfect to laze away the afternoon and have a picnic with great food.

On the menu will be some favorites of our such as my Garden Fresh Pasta Salad, Fruit Salad with a Red Currant Raspberry Sauce  , Orange Ice Tea, and Banana Pudding Jars, but the star of the show will be these outstanding sandwiches. 

Steamy hot sandwiches fresh from the oven that are so mouthwatering, and travel like a dream!  One of my favorite sandwiches is a Hot Ham & Cheese.  I've upped the anti on these by making a spicy condiment and placing it all on a hot flaky croissant.  Heaven!

SPICY HOT HAM & SWISS CROISSANTS

These sandwiches are bursting with flavor.  Melty Swiss cheese is the perfect compliment to the delicious deli ham.  The spicy mustard sauce bumps up the flavor and gives them that extra POW that takes these to the next level!  

Oh! and they travel soooo well.  Wrapped up in aluminum foil and hot from the oven just pop them in a bag.  They will stay warm until you reach your destination which could be a park, beach, potluck party or a pool party. We've even taken them to an outdoor concert and they were easy to eat and they taste outstanding.  

These sandwiches will change the way you look at Food to Go....they are a game changer for sure!

Enjoy!




Spicy Hot Ham & Swiss Croissants

serves 4

4 Tbls Spicy Brown Mustard
2 Tbls Mayonnaise
8 slices of Swiss Cheese
1 lb of deli sliced ham
4 Croissants
Aluminum Foil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl add the mustard and mayonnaise and mix well.
Split each croissant and spread the mustard mixture on each side.  Add 1/4 of the ham to the bottom slice and top with 2 slices of cheese.  Place the top of the croissant on the sandwich.  Repeat with remaining croissants.

Wrap each sandwich with aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet.  Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.  You want to heat the ham and melt the cheese really well.  Remove from the oven and serve, or pack and take to your destination.

Garden Fresh Pasta Salad

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We're ramping up here on Slice of Southern to celebrate Memorial Day!

We've talked about my Refreshing Quinoa, Fennel and Grape Salad as a great side dish, and my Attention Grabbing Jalapeno Mushroom Sliders as a grilled entree.  Today I'm bringing you another side dish to go with any main dish whether you grill, BBQ, or use the slow cooker!

GARDEN FRESH PASTA SALAD

Growing up my mom always loved a good pasta salad.  She made it often because they go with everything.  I don't remember a cookout or potluck growing up that didn't have a big bowl of pasta salad in attendance!

During the summer we have a habit of making a big pasta salad on the weekend so we can and eat it all week long with everything from sandwiches to grilled chicken. 

They are easy to throw together and this one screams summer.  Fresh vegetables from your local farmer's market or grocery store are the star!  Filled with fresh spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, and bell peppers, this pasta salad is just delishhhh!  And don't forget the basil, garbanzo beans, and mozzarella, they create a balance to this salad that makes it irresistible.

Make sure to make this salad at your next gathering.  Memorial Day calls for reflection, good friends, family, and good food!  Everyone will rave about this and the bowl will be the first one empty!

Enjoy!






Garden Fresh Pasta Salad

serves 6-8

2 cups uncooked rotini pasta
15 oz garbanzo beans, drained
3 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/4 c mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup basil & sun-dried tomato salad dressing


Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 5 minutes of cooking add the broccoli florets and blanch until bright green.   Drain pasta and broccoli and transfer to a large bowl.

Add beans, vegetables, cheese, and basil to pasta. Drizzle with dressing toss to coat. Refrigerate to chill or serve at room temperature.  

Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing over a Garden Salad with Avocado

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There's nothing like a good salad made at home, and even better is a great salad dressing.

Salad dressing is so easy to make at home, and tastes far superior to the bottled dressing you get in the grocery stores.  Once you do it you may never buy bottled again.

We make many of our salad dressings from scratch.  We usually go with an oil based vinaigrette but tonight we are craving a creamy dressing on a cool salad to tame the heat from the main dish.

PARMESAN PEPPERCORN DRESSING

This dressing is full of Parmesan flavor and bit of bite from the peppercorns.  It's perfect on a garden salad with it's cooling flavors.  We decided to make a simple Garden Salad with Avocado and top it with this dressing, which compliments it beautifully.

The dressing is easy to put together.  I just throw everything in a mason jar and shake it up.  I do like my creamy dressing cold so I make this about 1 hour ahead of meal time and refrigerate it well so the seasoning blend well and it is properly chilled.

The dressing is creamy and thick, and if you want a thinner version add more milk to the mix to loosen it up a bit.

Now for the salad.  Sometimes you need a quick salad to round out the meal.  In our case we were eating some spicy Grilled Cuban Flank Steak and wanted something cool to offset the flavors.  This simple salad of butter leaf lettuce mixed with tomato, cucumber, and buttery avocado is the perfect side dish.  Quick to throw together and the Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing is the perfect topper.  Add a few sunflower seeds for a little crunch and you are all set!

Enjoy a fresh salad and make your own dressing!  You'll just love the freshness and ease of making them.  Find both recipes below.

Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing


1 tsp. onion powder
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
dash of hot sauce (I used Siraccha)
1 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup 2 % low-fat milk
juice from 1 lemon
dash of salt
2 tsp. ground peppercorns
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium jar or a bowl, add all ingredients but the Parmesan cheese. Mix together with a spatula. Add Parmesan cheese and mix until blended.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour before using. Drizzle over your favorite salad.

Garden Salad with Avocado

1 head Butter lettuce, torn
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 Persian cucumbers, sliced lengthwise and diced
1 avocado, seeded and diced
sunflower seeds
Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing

In a large bowl add the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado. Toss salad and drizzle with dressing. Sprinkle on sunflower seeds.  Serve.

Simple Homemade Meximelts

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Happy April!  It my favorite month of the year.  I'm a little biased because it's my birthday month, plus Spring is in full swing in Southern California and it's actually tinging on being hot!  Warmer weather means lot of outdoor activities.  We are just about to head out to the California Poppy Reserve to see the 'sea' of wild poppies in bloom.  So that calls for a quick lunch before we go.

Have you ever had a Meximelt from Taco Bell?

It's sort of a cross between a quesadilla and a soft taco.  Seasoned ground beef with fresh salsa and lot melted cheese round out the ingredients.  Very tasty...enough to make a homemade version that's done in 20 minutes!  Forget takeout fast food and skip that drive through.  Let's make a new dish for Taco Tuesday!

SIMPLE HOMEMADE MEXIMELTS

We love Mexican food around our house so today's recipe was just a natural progression to wanting to satisfy that craving along with a need to a quick lunch.  This dish comes together in about 20 minutes.  It comes together easy using ingredients that you probably have already on hand.

I did a small variation to the original.  They use pico de gallo, which is a fresh chunky salsa.  Since I didn't have that on hand I used our favorite jarred salsa. My homemade salsa would be great as well.   Either one will do but the flavor changes just slightly. 

So if you are craving Mexican food and want it FAST...or wanting to try a new variation on Taco Tuesday these Simple Homemade Meximelts will fit the bill.  Perfect, simple, tasty!

Enjoy!

Simple Homemade Meximelts

serves 4

3/4 lb of 10% ground sirloin
1 pkg. store-bought taco seasoning or my homemade version
⅔ cup water

1/2 cup jarred salsa
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 small flour tortillas ( I used low-carb flour tortillas )

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a skillet over medium heat brown the ground sirloin, crumbling with a wooden spoon as it cooks. 

Add the seasoning and water, stirring to combine.  Allow to simmer until most of the water is absorbed and a nice sauce is formed. 

Place tortillas on a baking sheet.  Add taco meat to the center of the tortillas.  Spoon salsa over the meat and top with cheese.  Fold one side of the tortilla over the meat mixture.  Bake in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese melts.  You want the tortillas soft and not crispy to watch the time closely.  Serve.

Naan Pizza - 2 Variations (Pesto Chicken Pizza and Pepperoni)

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Individual Naan Pizza made your way!

We love pizza in our house but don't eat it as often as I would like.  So when we decided to throw a  get together with friends MGG asked if we could make pizza. So I had the idea of letting our guests make their own individual pizzas and knew that Naan Bread would be the perfect way to accomplish that.

Now I've made pizza using many vehicles as the base.  My recipe for homemade Pizza Dough is the best.  I've also made grilled pizza using pita bread.  English muffins, tortillas, and even a can of biscuits will work in a pinch.  Naan Bread is another perfect platform for pizza and a great way to serve kids at a birthday party, friends over for game day, or just a quick lunch or dinner for your family!

NAAN PIZZA - 2 VARIATIONS

(PESTO CHICKEN PIZZA AND PEPPERONI PIZZA)

Pepperoni Pizza

Pesto Chicken Pizza

We decided to do a dry run before the actual party.  So we made 2 variations of Naan Pizza.  Pepperoni (my all time favorite) and Pesto Chicken Pizza.  I must say that I loved my Pepperoni pizza but the Pesto Chicken Pizza was to DIE FOR!  And the best part is that you can get it in the oven in no time and in 10 minutes dinner is served!

Pesto Chicken Pizza

Enjoy!





Naan Pizza - 2 Variations
(Pesto Chicken Pizza and Pepperoni)



Pepperoni Pizza

1 Naan Bread (individual size)
4 Tablespoons pizza sauce
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced (from fresh whole mozzarella)  (I used Galbani)
Pepperoni

Spread pizza sauce on naan bread.  Top with pepperoni and sliced cheese.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes until cheese has melted and edges of the bread has browned slightly.

Pesto Chicken Pizza

1/2 cup precooked chicken, shredded

4 Tablespoons pesto

4 Tablespoons pizza sauce

1 Naan Bread (individual size)

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, sliced  (from fresh whole mozzarella)  (I used Galbani)

Red, Yellow, and Orange Bell pepper, sliced into rings

fresh tomato, diced

1 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated

In a skillet over medium low heat, add the shredded chicken and 2 Tablespoons of pesto.  Stir to combine and heat.  In a small bowl add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of pesto and the pizza sauce and mix until blended. 

Spread pizza sauce on Naan bread.  Top with chicken pesto mixture.  Top with slices of mozzarella cheese, bell pepper slices, and chopped tomato.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan.  Place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes until cheese has melted and edges of the bread has browned slightly.

Sizzling Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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If you've got some leftover chicken just hanging out without anything to do I have the recipe for you!

Whenever I cook chicken I cook extra because I know I'm going to make a scrumptious dish with it later in the week.  That goes for roasting, poaching, grilling, pan frying...whatever!  Extra chicken is the bomb! 

Today, I'm craving Mexican food!  Living in Southern California you are exposed to it everywhere.  Although Mom never really made anything other than tacos, I adore all Mexican food and make it often!  So no one was surprised when I planned to whip up this Sizzling Chicken Enchilada Casserole using the leftover chicken from the Super Bowl feast we had.

SIZZLING CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Did I mention how easy this casserole is? 

5 ingredients...that's it!  Chicken, beans, cheese, corn tortillas, and enchilada sauce.  It's so easy to throw together you can't hardly call this a recipe.     

The key is to get a really good enchilada sauce.  I prefer one from Sprouts Market that is in a bottle.  It's a little zippy on the spice, but has none of the tinny flavor I find with canned sauces. This is the basis of your flavor, so make sure it's one you like!  Then you just layer the ingredients and you come out with melty, cheesy chicken goodness!  It tastes just like an enchilada without all the fuss of rolling them!

Do yourself a favor and make this dish the next time you have leftover chicken.  Everyone will ask for seconds!

Enjoy!

Sizzling Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1 14 oz jar or can Enchilada sauce (I used Sprouts brand)

2 cups cooked and shredded chicken meat

1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

6 corn tortillas, 6 inch each

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In an 8x8 baking dish pour a little of the enchilada sauce over the bottom.  Add 2 corn tortillas on the bottom of the pan, overlapping if necessary.  Layer 1/2 of the chicken, the beans, 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the cheese.  Repeat the layer with 2 more corn tortillas, the remaining chicken and beans, 1/3 of the sauce and cheese.  Add the last 2 corn tortillas to cover.  Over the top pour over the remaining sauce and cheese. 

Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes to brown the top.  Serve warm.