Recipe Review from 8/6/2018

An absolutely beautiful week in my corner of the world.  Mid 80's during the day, mid 60's at night...just perfect summer weather. 

Cooking Light still hasn't posted the recipes, which is really a bugger because I can't Pin them to my boards on Pinterest.  IF they ever get around to posting July and August, I'll have to remember to come back and update.

A great week meal-wise!  The first three recipes listed below are part of Cooking Light's article for Plan. Shop. Cook.  Three meals, three nights (assuming four adult people are eating - these provided meals for me for the whole week, plus one lunch).  You will also observe, that all four recipes use zucchini... If you have a garden and you planted zucchini, you understand. 

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Spicy Salad with cibatta   (S) Polish sausage with potatoes
Sun (L)  Spicy Salad with cibatta  (S)  Skillet fajita pitas
Mon (yoga)  leftovers fahitas
Tues - Orzo Salad with Grilled chicken
Wed - ckicken and sweet potato kebabs
Thurs (yoga)  leftovers
Friday - leftovers
Sat (family in town)


Spicy Zucchini Salad (Ckng Lght, Aug 2018)  gluten free, vegetarian, vegan
This was simple to assemble and was so different than your standard lettuce with zucchini salad.  I did cut back on the chipolte a bit, because you never know just how much zing your going to get.  I used red pepper instead of tomatoes because I had red pepper in the fridge.  I really liked this salad, it's perfect for a warm summer day with a glass of ice tea or chilled white wine.

Serves 4.  Recommended. 

 2 (6 inch) whole wheat pita rounds, split (I used cibatta buns)
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1 medium zucchini
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped chipolte chilies in adobo sauce, divided
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 cups chopped Bibb lettuce
1 (14.5 oz) can unsalted chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used red pepper strips)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup unsalted roasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
2 tbsp chopped scallions (I forgot...)

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.  Brush uncut sides of pita rounds with 1 tbsp oil, and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Place directly on oven rack, and bake at 400* until crispy, 5 to 6 minutes.  Cool slightly about 5 minutes.  Slice pitas into thin triangles.  Set aside.

2.  Using a Y-shaped peeler, peel thin strips from zucchini to measure about 1 cup.  Reserve remaining zucchini for another use.  Toss togethre zucchini strips and 1 1/2 tsp chipolte chilies; let stand at room temperature 10 minutes.

3.  Whisk together lime juice and remaining 1 tbsp chipolte chiles in a small bowl.  Gradually whisk in remaining 3 tbsp oil.  Toss together lettuce, chickpeas, tomatoes, and dressing.  Season with remaining 1/4 salt and remaining 1/4 tsp pepper.

4.  Divide among 4 bowls.  Top with zucchini strip mixture, pita triangle, sour cream, pumpkin seeds and scallions.


Skillet Fajita Pitas (Ckng Lght, Aug 2018)
Two observations:

• This could easily be converted to vegetarian by dropping the chicken.  I think I used maybe 1/2 lbs of grilled chicken and I preferred the veggie mix to the chicken.  
• This could easily be converted to a gluten free dish by skipping the pitas and serving more like a fajita salad. 

A major deviation from the recipe:  I grilled everything, chopped, and combined chicken and veggies in a large bowl with the first "sauce", keeping the lettuce (Swiss chard in this case) separate until stuffing the pitas. 

Ultimately, this was a tasty dish and I would consider making it again.  Used up one zucchini...6 more to go!

2 tbsp fresh lime juice, divided
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tbsp chili garlic sauce, divided (I used curry paste because I had some in the fridge)
4 (6" rounds) whole wheat pita rounds
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, thinly diagonally sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups chopped Bibb lettuce (I used Swiss chard)

1. Stir together 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp oil, and 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce in a small bowl.  Set aside.

2.  Stir together sour cream, remaining 1 tbsp lime juice, and remaining 1 1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce.

3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high.  Working in batches, add pitas to skillet and toast until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side.  Cut in half; set aside.

4.  Increase heat to high.  When skillet starts to smoke, add remaining 1 tbsp oil.  Add chicken in a single layer and cook, undisturbed until browned, about 1 minute.  Stir and cook until browned on both sides, about one more minute.  Move chicken to sides of skillet.  Add bell pepper and cook, undisturbed, until slightly charred, about 2 minutes.  Add zucchini to bell pepper, and cook 1 minute.  Add scallions, salt, pepper, and sauce mixture; stir together, and cook 1 minute.

5.  Fill each pita half with 1/4 cup lettuce and 1/2 cup chicken and veggie mixture.  Drizzle with sour cream sauce and serve immediately.
  
Chicken and Vegetable Kebobs  (Ckng Lght, Aug 2018)  gluten free option**
I weighed out my sweet potatoes - 18 oz of sweet potato is a lot of sweet potato.  And what the recipe doesn't tell you, is you need to select the longer skinnier potatoes, not the roundish plump ones.   I also don't have a microwave, so I wrapped my potatoes in aluminum foil and grilled for about 20 minutes.   I did have a recipe brain fart and didn't read to skewer the meat separately (some I knew I should do, but spaced).  This is a case of I should have been paying more attention to the recipe and the photo.

I skipped the orzo - the skewers were plenty.  This made two meals for two of us, and I ended up giving a couple sweet potato wedges to the pups. 

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 tbsp lime juice, divided
1 tbsp minced chipolte chilies in adobo sauce, plus 1/2 tsp adobo sauce
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
3 (6-oz) sweet potatoes
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 bunch scallions
2 cups cooked whole-wheat orzo**  (Skip if need gluten free)
1/4 cup sour cream

1. Toss chicken with 1 tbsp lime juice, chipolte chilies, adobo sauce, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Thread chicken onto 3 (12 inch metal) skewers.

2.  Pierce potatoes with a fork. Wrap with a damp paper towel, and microwave on HIGH until slightly tender, about 3 minutes.  Cut into 1/2 inch rounds.  thread sweet potatoes and bell peppers alternately onto 2 (12 inch) metal skewers.

3. Whisk together 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp oil, 1/4 tsp salt and remaining 1/4 tsp pepper.  Brush half of dressing on vegetables.

4.  Preheat grill to high (450* to 550*).  Place chicken on oiled grates; grill, uncovered, until cooked through, 6-8 minutes.  Grill vegetables, uncovered, brushing with half of remaining dressing, until tender, 4-6 minutes.  Brush scallions with remaining dressing; grill, uncovered, until charred, 2-3 minutes.  Chop scallions; toss with orzo, remaining 1 tbsp oil and remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Combine sour cream and remaining 1 tbsp lime juice.  Serve with skewers. 

Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Orzo Salad (Ckng Lght Aug, 2018) vegetarian option**
I enjoyed this dish, and would have enjoyed it more without the chicken - but that could just have been because I was using one of my homegrown chickens and not a store-bought mega chicken breast. 

I really liked the dijon mustard/lime dressing - tangy and zingy without being overwhelming.  I used a combination of Swiss chard (in the garden) and some bib lettuce (in the fridge) instead of arugula.  I think this could have benefited from a grilled and chopped red pepper. 

This made enough for two of us for two suppers, plus one lunch for me.  It makes a lot.  Recommended. 

6 oz uncooked whole wheat orzo (about 1 cup)
3 (8 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I grilled a chicken and shredded)** skip if doing vegetarian or making dish as a side
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
2 ears fresh corn
1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into quarters (what does Ckng Lght define as "large"?)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp honey
2 cups baby arugula (I used chopped Swiss Chard and Bib lettuce)
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled (I used feta - was in the fridge)

1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Preheat grill to high (450* to 550*).  Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Place chicken on oiled grates.  Grill, uncovered, until chicken is done, about 16 minutes, turning after 8 minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices.

3.  Place corn and zucchini on oiled grates, and grill, uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes, turning frequently to create grill marks on all sides.  Cut kernels off corn and coarsely chop zucchini.

4.  Whisk together oil, lime juice, shallot, mustard honey, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.  Add cooked orzo, corn kernels, chopped zucchini and arugula; toss well to coat.  Divide orzo mixture evenly among 6 plates.  Arrange chicken slices over orzo mixture and top with goat cheese.