Grilled Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

These mushroom pizzas make a quick and easy weeknight dinner.  The mushrooms are so hearty, you won't miss the meat and they are low-carb as well!  They are very filling and will fulfill your pizza craving. Hope you try them soon!  I served these with The Elliott Homestead's Smooshed Potatoes - they were awesome! It's my new favorite cookbook: From Scratch. 

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Pizzas

Ingredients:
4 large portobello mushroom caps
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Sea salt
Garlic powder
Black pepper
Organic pizza sauce
Italian seasoning
Mozzarella or Italian cheese (preferably raw-milk, grass-fed)
Optional toppings: red or green pepper, frozen spinach (thawed), crushed red pepper flakes, fresh basil, onion, etc.

Directions:
1. Clean the mushroom caps, scoop out the gills, and dry the mushrooms.

2. Heat the grill to medium heat (about 350 degrees).  Rub both sides of the mushroom caps with EVOO and sprinkle with sea salt, garlic powder, and black pepper, to taste.  

3. Place the mushrooms, bowl-side down, on the grill for about 7-8 minutes.  

4. Remove mushrooms to a plate and add in pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, mozzarella or Italian cheese, and any of the optional toppings you desire. I chose to add frozen spinach (that I had thawed), chopped green pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.

5. Place mushrooms back on the grill (topping side up of course), and grill an additional 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

6. That's it! Eat it with a fork or like a piece of pizza and Enjoy :)!

Bistro Chicken Tenders Salad

This salad was adapted from a recipe on the back of the Bare Chicken Tenders package (we buy this kind of chicken at our local Dierbergs).  It is a nice light salad, full of flavor, but also filling at the same time.  It is a great weeknight meal because it isn't too heavy and only takes 20-30 minutes to make. Hope you try it soon!

Bistro Chicken Tenders Salad

Ingredients:
About 1 lb. chicken tenders
1/4 c. dijon mustard
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp raw honey
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Sea salt & pepper, to taste
5-6 c. mixed salad greens
2 carrots, shredded
1 Tbsp parsley, dill, or cilantro
Optional toppings: thinly sliced red onion, crumbled goat cheese, or toasted walnuts

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, honey, EVOO, garlic, salt, pepper, and tarragon.

2. Place chicken tenders in a ziploc bag along with 1/2 of the vinaigrette.  Mix together well, seal ziploc bag, and let the chicken set for at least 10 minutes.

3. Heat a medium-sized skillet to medium-high heat.  Place chicken in a single layer in the chicken (discarding any marinade left in the bag) and cook about 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.  Set the chicken aside to rest.

4. While the chicken cooks, shred up the carrots and cut up any additional toppings for your salad.  Mix the salad together using your additional toppings, carrots, and herbs.

5. Serve the salad with your desired amount of dressing using the remainder of the vinaigrette and a few pieces of the chicken on each salad.  Enjoy!! :)

BBQ Chicken on the Grill

We love to grill in the summer! This BBQ chicken is easy to make and very moist and delicious!  I hope you try it soon.

BBQ Chicken on the Grill

Ingredients:
Thigh and leg chicken pieces with bones (about 4 lbs)
2 Tbsp sea salt
2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp Weber seasoning (I used Kick'n Seasoning)
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
about 1/2 bottle natural barbecue sauce (I used Hot & Spicy Weber sauce)

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, stir together sea salt, paprika, seasoning, chili powder, black pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper.

2. Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry.  Season both sides of the chicken very liberally with the seasoning.  Cover chicken and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or for the full day (the longer the better).

3. Preheat only the half of the grill to 350 degrees. Use a paper towel with some olive oil on it to oil the grill rack.

4. Place chicken on the half of the grill that has NOT been heated. Flip and rotate the chicken around the non-heated part of the grill to cook all of the pieces evenly for about 25-30 minutes (moving the pieces closer to the heat then away from it). The skin of the chicken should be golden brown and the internal thermometer should register 150 degrees. 

5. Apply the barebecue sauce generously on both sides of the chicken for about 10 more minutes, until the sauce becomes thick, syrupy, and carmelized. The internal part of the chicken should measure 165 degrees on a meat thermometer. 

5. Remove the chicken from the grill and let chicken rest for 5-10 minutes. (Sorry there is no picture of the finished product!! I will take one next time we make it!)

6. Enjoy!! :)

Peach & Berry Cobbler

Sorry for not blogging in awhile!  This recipe is adapted from the Healthy Treasures cookbook.  It is a great dessert in the summer to use your fresh berries and peaches.  It uses healthy sugars.  I hope you enjoy!

Peach & Berry Cobbler

Ingredients:
1 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp sucanat
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c. organic or raw mlk
5 Tbsp butter (softened)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 c. cold water
3 c. fresh peaches, sliced (about 6 or 7)
1 c. fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Stir together topping: Combine 1 c. flour, 1/2 c. sucanat, 1 tsp honey, and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder.  Add in 1/2 c. milk and 4 Tbsp butter and stir until smooth.

3. Slice up peaches.  In a medium saucepan, combine 1/4 c. sucanat, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 c. cold water, peaches, and blueberries.  Cook on medium heat, stirring, until thickened and bubbly.  Add 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp lemon juice.  Stir for a few minutes until butter melts.

4.  Pour fruit mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish  Spoon the topping in mounds over top of the fruit mixture.  

5. Mix together 2 Tbsp sucanat with 1/2 tsp honey and nutmeg.  Sprinkle the topping with this sucanat mixture.

6. Bake the cobbler for about 35 minutes until bubbly.  Serve the cobbler warm with ice cream or whipped topping.

7. Enjoy!! :)

Clean Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe was adapted from Clean Eating Magazine.  It is a very flavorful chicken enchilada without all the extra fat of most Chicken Enchilada recipes.

Clean Chicken Enchiladas
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken
2 Tbsp (pasture-raised) butter
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/4 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 oz. green chilies
1 tsp hot sauce
15 oz. (low sodium) tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (or black pepper)
4 large whole wheat tortillas
Shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in the microwave (30 seconds - 1 minute). Mix together cumin, 1 1/4 Tbsp chili powder, garlic powder, and sea salt.  

2. Drizzle both sides of the chicken with butter and sprinkle with seasonings.  

3. Place chicken in a casserole dish and cook in a 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.  Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. 

4. Shred or cut chicken into small cubes.  Combine chicken, hot sauce, and green chilies in a medium skillet. Cook on medium until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Remove mixture and set aside.

5. Put tomato sauce, garlic, 1 1/2 tsp chili powder, crushed red pepper (or black pepper), and more hot sauce, if desired, in the same skillet.  Heat on medium heat until heated through, about 8-10 minutes.

6. Put a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce mixture in the bottom of the casserole dish.  Build the enchiladas with 1/4 of the chicken mixture and a sprinkle of cheese in each.  Tuck in the sides of the tortilla and roll it up and place in the casserole dish.

7. After placing all enchiladas in the casserole dish, spoon the remaining tomato sauce over top and sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes.

8. Enjoy!!

Blackened Salmon on the Grill

I ordered some Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon from Green Bean Delivery this week...when it came it looked awesome!  I have never made salmond at home myself.  So, I found a rub to put on the salmon from a recipe on allrecipes.com, and talked with one of my friends about how he grills his salmon.  With those two components, I came up with this recipe for Blackened Salmon on the Grill.  It was amazing!  And, it only took about 15 minutes to make start to finish.  I served it with some steamed broccolini.  There is quite a bit of cayenne in the rub, so if you want to cut down on the spice a little bit just use less cayenne. Hope you try it :)

Blackened Salmon on the Grill
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
2 wild salmon fillets, skin on one side and bones removed
2 Tbsp (pasture-raised) butter
1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp of each thyme, basil, and oregano
olive oil (for grill)

Directions:
1. Preheat grill on high heat.

2. Melt butter and drizzle over both sides of the salmon fillets. 

3. Mix together cayenne pepper, paprika, onion powder, salt, pepper, thyme, basil, and oregano in a small bowl for the rub.  Rub mixture all over both sides of the fillets.

4. Put a little olive oil on a paper towel and rub on the grill where you are going to place the salmon, to prevent sticking (be careful of the heat).

5. Place salmon fillets skin side up on the grill.  Close the top and grill for 4 minutes.  Flip and grill and additional 3 minutes.  If the skin sticks to the grill, slide the spatula between the skin and the flesh and remove the salmon from the grill.  If not, remove the salmon from the grill and when it is cool enough to handle, the skin should peel right off of the salmon.

6. Enjoy!!

Summer Green Bean Salad

This recipe was adapted from one off of pinterest.  I needed a vegetable side dish for a father's day party and wanted a cold green bean salad.  This salad is easy to make and full of flavor!  Sorry there is only one picture for this one; when I make it again I will try to take some more pictures.  I think this would be good with some black olives as well, I will have to try that next time!

Summer Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. green beans, ends removed
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c. red onion, chopped
1 container cherry tomatoes
1/3 c. feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:
1. Remove both ends of all the green beans and wash well.  Steam the green beans for about 5 minutes.  For steaming, I use a double pot with the steamer on the top.  Put a cup or two of water in the bottom pot and bring to a boil.  Once the water begins boiling, place green beans in the steamer and replace lid.  Let steam about 5 minutes, until slightly soft but still crisp.

2. Rinse the green beans a couple of times to cool them down.  Add to the bowl.

3. In a small bowl, mix together dressing. The dressing is made up of balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, EVOO, and garlic.  Whisk together and set aside.

4. Chop red onion and cut cherry tomatoes in half and add to the bowl.  Pour dressing over top of vegetables and toss.  Chill in the refrigerator about 30 minutes.  Add feta cheese right before serving so the balsamic vinegar doesn't turn it brown.

5. Enjoy!!