Honey Mustard Broccoli Slaw

I made this freaking awesome dinner the other night- which all revolved around this broccoli slaw recipe I wanted to try. So I pulled this idea together of a BBQ picnic themed dinner. With a little bit of everything that I would love to have at a picnic lunch.  This included 1/2 a grilled zucchini, a little scoop of a simple potato salad made with just a little red onion in it. Some BBQ chicken and this honey mustard broccoli slaw. It was the perfect amount of food, texture and flavor. It really was the perfect summer meal. Here is the recipe for the broccoli slaw I made.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt 
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
• 1 package of broccoli slaw
• 2-3 Tbsp dried cranberries
• 2-3 Tbsp chopped peanuts

Whisk together the first 6 ingredients. Place broccoli slaw in a large bowl, pour dressing on top. Mix well to combine then add in cranberries and peanuts. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, and stir before serving.

I think the next time I make this, I'm going to do BBQ chicken and Broccoli slaw soft tacos. Yummm. I just love the flavor combination its really the best broccoli slaw I've ever made! Cheers!

Adapted from: Broccoli Slaw with Honey Mustard Yogurt Dressing

Easy Lemony Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is one of my absolute favorite things to get at an Italian restaurant. I came across this recipe a few weeks ago and knew that I was destined to try it. It was freaking delicious. Even my husband who's not a huge fan of capers- loved this dish. I can't wait until I can make this again!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon flour, divided
• 1 package of thin sliced chicken breasts cutlets
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine
• 4 (2-inch) strips lemon peel
• 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 package of egg noodles

Dry each chicken cutlet off with a paper towel then season with salt and pepper. Place 1/4 cup of flour on a plate- and dredge 1 side of each cutlet in flour.

Heat veggie oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot place 2 cutlets flour side down in the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes, until golden brown then flip the chicken over. Continue to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes until cooked through. Remove from skillet- and set aside then repeat the cooking process with the remaining chicken, cooking about 2 at a time as to not over crowd the pan. 

Once all the chicken is cooked, lower heat to medium and throw the capers and garlic into the pan, cook until fragrant about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of flour until it is incorporated. Whisk in the white wine and deglaze the pan for about 1-2 minutes, scrapping all of the bits off of the bottom of the pan. Then add the chicken broth and lemon peel, simmer and reduce until slightly thickened about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat, remove the lemon peel and stir in the lemon juice and butter. 

Place the chicken back into the pan with the sauce and spoon sauce over the chicken. Serve with egg noodles. 

Just typing this recipe out again makes me want this so bad! It is delicious and really easy to make. Try it out, and surprise yourself! Cheers!

Adapted from: Skinny Lemon Chicken Piccata

Bangers and Mash with a Guinness Onion Gravy

I'm always asking my husband to give me ideas of new thing to try for dinner. I love when I can take his suggestion, find a great recipe and then nail it. This truly came out amazing. The gravy was just awesome- and all of the components together, perfect. I felt like I was eating out at an authentic pub. I wish that I could have found some traditional banger sausage, but the bratwurst was a great substitute. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound of bratwurst sausage (or banger sausage if you can find it)
• 1/4 cup guinness beer
• olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup of Guinness beer
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can of beef broth
• 1 tablespoon of Worstershire sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• 1/4 cup of water
• Mashed potatoes
• 1 package of birds eye steamers frozen peas
• green onion for garnish

Place sausage in a large skillet and over medium heat add in the 1/4 cup of beer and a drizzle of olive oil. Cover and leave lid off a little- cook until beer is evaporated. Cook each side until it starts to brown- slowly cooking sausage until it's no longer pink in the middle. When the sausage is almost cooked, add in 1/2 of the onions and start to brown them with the sausage. 

While the sausage is browning you can prepare your mashed potatoes- here is one of my favorites - Cheddar Chive Mashed Potatoes.

Once sausage is completely cooked, remove from the pan. Add in the remainder of the onions and butter into the pan over medium high heat and cook until the onions are softened. Add in the 1/2 cup of beer and scrape all of the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Let simmer and reduce for about a minute, and then add in the beef broth and worcestershire sauce. Mix the cornstarch and water together, then whisk into the gravy. Cook over medium high heat and reduce until desired thickness. 

Serve sausage over the potatoes with gravy and peas. Green onion to garnish- optional.

This is a serious dish. I highly recommend making it the next time you get a hankering for some pub fare. Do it yourself and you won't disappoint! Cheers!

Adapted from: Bangers and Mash with Guinness Onion Gravy

Jalapeño Popper Quiche

I made this a few weeks back for a "Brinner" night. Thats breakfast (or brunch like items) for dinner. It's a favorite in my house, and I'm always trying to find something new to try. This definitely was a hit, even with the kiddos.

INGREDIENTS:

• 9 inch frozen pie crust
• ½ cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 jalapenos, diced (take out the seeds for less heat)
• 1 jalapeno, sliced into rounds for topping
• 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• ½ cup whipping cream
• ½ cup half-and-half
• 5 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• salt
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Thaw the frozen crust for 10 minutes, then roll into pie dish. Prick all over with a fork and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove crust and lower temp to 350.

While crust is still hope, spread cream cheese all over the bottom. 

Put cream and half and half into a pot and heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes until it starts to scald. 

In a bowl whisk together the eggs. Then whisk in the cream mixture. Combine. Add in the bacon, salt and paprika. 

Pour into crust and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, arrange jalapeño slices on top and shredded cheese. Then continue to bake for another 20 minutes.

This was phenomenal. And super easy to throw together. Great for any meal of the day really. Cheers!

My Brinner- Jalapeño popper quiche, sausage, grapes and peanut butter english muffin

 

Adapted from: Bacon Jalapeño Popper Quiche

Shrimp and Black Bean Enchiladas with Jalapeño Cream Sauce

Sorry it's been so long since I posted! I have a few great recipes to share. I Made this one a little while ago and I remember it was so good! I had a few little tweaks to what I originally did with this recipe, so when you make it - it will be even better!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound medium shrimp- peeled and deveined 
• olive oil, salt and pepper
• 3 cups of baby spinach
• 1 onion diced
• 1 green pepper diced
• 1 small can of corn drained
• 1 small can of black beans - rinsed and drained
• 2 cups of monterey jack cheese
• Flour tortillas

For Cream Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

To Start off we are going to roast the shrimp. Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread shrimp out and toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper- so they are all coated. Roast in oven for about 8 minutes or until they are pink and cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

In a large skillet over medium high heat add a little olive oil, then the diced onions and peppers. Add a little salt and pepper and Sauté for about 3 minutes. Add in the baby spinach and cover. Allow the spinach to wilt down and stir occasionally. This should take only a few minutes. Once the spinach is wilted- season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat- stir in corn and black beans. Don't mix the filling up to much - the more you break apart the black beans the darker the whole filling becomes.

To make the sauce, in a pot melt butter and stir in the flour- cook for about 2 minutes to make a roux. Slowly add in the chicken stock and allow to thicken up. Stir in the sour cream, jalapeños, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and add in the cilantro.

To assemble the enchiladas place a little of the veggie filling in the center of a flour tortilla, then some shrimp and a little cheese. 

Tuck in the edges and roll up. Spray a cooking dish (9x13 if making more than 4 enchiladas), and line up the enchiladas seam side down so they don't open on you. Pour the cream sauce on top.

 I like a little sauce and then able to use the extra for dipping after- so the tortilla edges crisp up in the oven. Mike however, likes them drowned in sauce- so he did the pouring and put it all on top. I found they got really soggy doing it that way- so use your own discretion of how much sauce you want to put on top. Add some of the remaining cheese to the top too if you'd like. 

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until it is bubbly.

I really need to try making this again - but doing it the way I described above. (Less sauce on top next time too, so they get crispy and not soggy). Can't wait! Cheers!

Adapted from: roasted shrimp enchiladas with jalapeño cream sauce