Super Bowl Snack - BBQ Pulled Chicken Bites with Tex-Mex Feta Slaw

With the Super Bowl less than a week away, I thought it was way past due to share this super snack I made for last year's festivities! One of my favorite things to do when making a food item for a particular event is to take classic types of foods and give them a new spin. For example, the Super Bowl is all about American snack foods, meat, and beer. I went with BBQ and made a tasty treat that while a little higher end than what you might find at a Super Bowl party it fit in perfectly. Unfortunately the photos I took were not very good but I promise you the food is delicious! I probably could have made twice as many!


BBQ Pulled Chicken Bites with Tex-Mex Feta Slaw

The slaw was inspired by the Feta Slaw in Cooking Light.

1 package Trader Joe's BBQ Pulled Chicken (or your favorite local brand or restaurant)
1 package Trader Joe's Puff Pastry, thawed (2 sheets, total weight 1lb)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (I substituted red wine vinegar and it turned out fine)
1 tablespoon canola mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups angel hair coleslaw (I used one bag (10 oz) Trader Joe's Shredded Green Cabbage)
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I used Trader Joe's Fat Free Feta)

1. Heat the oven to 400. Combine vinegar, mayonnaise, and black pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add coleslaw, cilantro, jalapeno, feta and green onions; toss to coat. As with most recipes, I suggest that you work with this as to your own preference. Want a little more heat? Add more jalapeno. Want more moisture in your slaw? Make more dressing. For best results, make at least an hour before serving so the flavors and meld.

2. Cut puff pastry into approximately 2 inch squares. I suggest that you measure you puff pastry and take those measurements into account so that your squares are even.

3. Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and press a piece of puff pastry into each muffin cup. Top with pulled chicken.

4. Bake for approximately 15 minutes (you may wish to check beginning at 10 minutes. They are ready with the pastry is golden brown.

5. Serve either with the slaw on the side or top each bite with the slaw before serving. This will make about 36 bites though you will likely have leftover slaw. It was even better the next day!

Super Bowl Decor

Last year I posted some fun decor items for your Super Bowl party. There are so many great inspirational sites out there with great ideas from the simple to the elaborate. I was impressed that Target has created some cute items of their own for game day. You don't have to be crafty to elevate YOUR Super Bowl game! Here are two of my favorites - mini foam fingers and astroturf coasters! Of course the foam fingers aren't in either team's colors but they are in MY alma mater's colors (hint: Ohio University - buy these out!).

Have a great Super Bowl everyone!

Simple (and Relatively Healthy) Recipes for the Holidays

With only a couple weeks until Christmas, I am looking at recipes and trying to figure out what delicious contributions I can make to my family's holiday meals. In the process I realized that I have a few recipes I could share with you might make your search a little easier!

Cocktail

Holiday Floats

Last month I shared a couple signature drinks I have made for previous Thanksgivings. This year I created "Thanksgiving Floats" which are easily rebranded "Holiday Floats". I used Martha Stewart's Everyday Food recipe for Cranberry & Apple Cider Sorbet for these floats. I followed the recipe as it was written with the exception of doubling the recipe. This meant it froze on a different timeline and even though I forgot about it in the freezer and mashed it late, it turned out wonderfully once I put it in the food processor. The flavor is quite strong but really mellows out once made into a float.

The assembly is quite simple. In addition to the sorbet you will need sparkling wine - I personally like Prosecco as it's not too dry or too sweet. Despite what my directions say in the photos below, I think the best way to assemble the floats is as follows:

1. Pour a small amount of sparkling wine in each glass. Allow the foam to subside.

2. Put 1 or 2 (depending on taste) small scoops of sorbet in the glass. I used a melon baller to get the right sized scoop for a champagne flute.

3. Slowly and carefully top with sparkling wine. The combination of the bubbly drink and the cold sorbet really causes it to foam up!

In order to keep the sorbet frozen, I took an ice bucket, filled it with ice, and then placed the bowl of sorbet on top. If you are hosting a party and want this drink to be self-serve, I would recommend doing something similar.

Appetizers

Tortellini Caprese Skewers

1 package whole wheat cheese tortellini
cherry tomatoes (I used Sweet 100s from my garden)
basil, cut or torn into skewer size pieces
Trader Joe's Balsamic Glaze
olive oil
coarse sea salt

1. Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Cool. If you don't have time to allow the tortellini to cool on their own, you can prepare an ice bath (ice & water) and plunge them for a quick cool down.

2. Assemble skewers using toothpicks sandwiching the basil between the tortellini and tomato. Be sure to skewer through the "meatiest" part of the tortellini and tomato for a sturdy appetizer.

3. Arrange dipping "sauces". Balsamic Glaze (can be substituted for a balsamic reduction) in one bowl, good quality olive oil in another, and coarse sea salt in another (or via a salt grinder) with small serving spoons. While I prefer to offer the selection of classic toppings, you could also just drizzle one or the other over a platter of skewers.

Note - I actually originally made these for a picnic at the end of summer but the colors and simplicity make them a perfect appetizer for the holidays!

 

 

 

Caramelized Onion, Gruyere and Bacon Spread

 

I made this delicious spread last year for Christmas and it was a huge hit! I found the recipe on the Cooking Light website. At only 100 calories for 3 tablespoons, you can feel free to indulge! The creamy cheese, caramelization of the onions and subtle saltiness of the bacon makes this dip seem much more decadent than it actually is.

 

Something to note - you have to cut up A LOT of onions for this recipe (this is what makes it so low cal despite all of the other delicious ingredients). If you are sensitive to the aroma, you may want to wear eye covering. I had to keep stopping because I couldn't stop crying! Also, I prepped the entire spread the day before with the exception of adding the final layer of cheese. If you are trying to get a number of items ready, just having to pop this in the oven is a big time saver. I served this spread with Trader Joe's Rye Crisps and crostinis.

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

 

 

 

Side Dish/Salad

 

Rosemary Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Shallots

 

This was another great find from Cooking Light! Our main dish last Christmas was a pork roast and these potatoes went wonderfully. I think this dish would go equally well with any number of proteins as the shallots and rosemary really help tame the sweetness of the potatoes.

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

 

 

Christmas Spinach Salad

 

This is a salad that was inspired by one my friend brought to an event several years ago. I just love the contrast of the pomegranate seeds against the spinach leaves. Unfortunately no photos of this one but I promise it is very simple.

 

1 bag of pre-washed spinach leaves

feta cheese, crumbled (I like the fat free or reduced fat.)

fresh pomegranate seeds (dried can be substituted but it isn't as good)

walnuts, chopped & lightly toasted

balsamic salad dressing

 

1. Fill a large bowl with spinach leaves and top with the feta cheese, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts - use your best judgement as to proportions. You want to garnish the salad - not have the toppings in equal proportion to the spinach.

 

2. Just before serving, toss with dressing or allow everyone to dress their own salads.

 

 

I hope these recipes have given you a place to start when planning your holiday meals and gatherings. The options really are endless! I am a crazy Pin-aholic so please check out my Pinterest page for lots more recipe ideas!

 

 



 

 

The Bachelor Pad Dinner, Part 1

First off, I will admit that the title of this post is misleading. While the train wreck known as Bachelor Pad is currently airing, this recipe (and those to follow) are actually from LAST summer. Yes, I'm a recipe hoarder. The good news is that if the items were in season last summer, they certainly are in season THIS summer! I've got a few great meals that you're not going to want to miss! They make even the worst reality tv delish.

Smoked Sea Salt Salmon
1 large piece of salmon
Trader Joe's Smoked Sea Salt
black pepper, finely ground
3 slices of lemon
3 cloves of garlic

1. Top salmon with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Bake to desired temperature. (I wasn't the one doing the baking so hopefully the salmon chef will weigh in on oven temperature. Otherwise I would just use your favorite salmon recipe for guidance.

Mediterranean Green Beans
2 cups French style green beans
1 cup mini heirloom tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup fat free feta cheese, crumbled
4 basil leaves, chiffonade
olive oil
sea salt, finely ground
black pepper, finely ground

1. Cook green beans according to directions (this will vary depending on whether the green beans are fresh or frozen. Fresh is preferred).

2. Top with tomatoes, feta, and basil.

3. Drizzle with olive oil and finish with salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet & Spicy Summer Salad
4 cups butter lettuce
1/2 medium orange, cut into small pieces
1/2 avocado, chopped
1/4 cup wasabi almonds, finely chopped
lemon olive oil
sea salt, finely ground

1. Toss lettuce, orange, avocado and wasabi almonds with lemon olive oil. Salt to taste.


A super easy and light summer dinner is served!

The Bachelorette Dinner, Part 5

Yes, the most recent season of The Bachelorette is over (thank goodness) but there are still some delightful dishes to share! This particular week we supplemented our homemade dishes with Trader Joe's Balsamic Rosemary Chicken. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend it for a quick and delicious dinner.

Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing

3 cups kale, chopped

1/2 cup edamame, shelled

1/2 cup garbanzo beans

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

3/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced & pitted

1 green onion sliced

1/4 cup fennel seed

handful parsley, chopped

Tahini Dressing

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, roasted

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl.

2. Combine dressing ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Just prior to serving, add a little water to dressing while stirring constantly to thin out.

3. Top with dressing and mix well.

Caprese Style Couscous

1 cup whole wheat couscous

20 mini heirloom tomatoes

1/3 cup fat free feta

6 large basil leaves, chiffonade

splash olive oil

sea salt

ground pepper

1. Cook couscous according to package instructions. Allow to cool.

2. Cut up heirloom tomatoes into small pieces.

3. Combine couscous, tomatoes, feta and basil.

4. Drizzle with olive oil and top with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Stir and serve.

Iron Chef West Hollywood, Part 3

As promised, here is the best in the recent "Iron Chef West Hollywood" series! The secret ingredients were: portobello mushroom, kale, chopped cucumber, roasted garlic, red grapes and almonds. Yes, these were a lot of items to work with but that don't really go together. Once I had the secret ingredients I did a quick scan of what I had and decided that kale and tomatoes went together. This brought me to Real Simple's Enhanced Recipe Search where I found the great pasta dish below! We made some changes (of course) so rather than write out the entire recipe, I have just noted our changes.

Whole-Grain Spaghetti with Garlicky Kale and Tomatoes

1. As we were only making two servings, we adjusted portions of ingredients accordingly.

2. Ingredient substitutions: baby heirloom tomatoes for grape tomatoes, roasted garlic for regular garlic, and parmesan for pecorino cheese.

3. Prep changes: Since the garlic was already roasted, we did not saute this at the beginning of the recipe. Instead it was added towards the end to heat through. Also, we did not combine everything with the pasta but rather place the kale/tomato/red onion/garlic mixture on top of the pasta. We then garnished with parmesan cheese, almonds, salt and pepper.

Cucumber & Grape Salad

Please note that measurements are approximate.

1 cup cucumber, chopped

1 cup red grapes

1/3 cup fat free feta

olive oil

2 tablespoons mint, chopped

sea salt

1. Combine cucumber, grapes, feta and mint.

2. Drizzle with olive oil and top with coarse sea salt.

3. Stir and serve.

This salad was so delicious and refreshing! It is a perfect warm weather salad and will keep well in the heat.

Portobello Mushroom with Balsamic Reduction

1 portobello mushroom top

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1. Place portobello mushroom and balsamic in a saute pan and cook over medium heat.

2. Turn the mushroom regularly to make sure it is cooked through.

3. Watch temperature and balsamic closely as the balsamic may reduce faster that you expect. Add additional balsamic if needed.

4. Once mushroom is cooked through, discard the remaining balsamic reduction or use for another purpose. The mushroom will have soaked up an adequate amount.

The Bachelorette Dinner, Part 3

So there is a pretty good chance I am losing my mind. I SWEAR I posted this entry but apparently only in Gretchenland. I know I had intended to post it prior to the 4th of July weekend because it would have been perfect for all of your outdoor soirees. Alas, you will just have to have more fabulous people over this weekend and give it a whirl. Trust me when I say that the photo does not do these dishes justice. I am still working on my food photography skills. :)

Salmon "Pistou"

Note: This is not a traditional Pistou but is a great compliment to the salmon.

16 oz salmon, approximate

1/3 cup dill, chopped

1/3 cup green onion, chopped

1/3 cup pistachios, toasted & chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients except for the salmon and set aside. Pistou can be made up to 2 hours in advance.

2. Grill salmon to desired temperature.

3. Top salmon with pistou.

4. Slice and serve.

Serves 4 (makes great leftovers!)

Whole Foods Kalameta Olive and Feta Couscous

Note: This is a copycat version of a prepared food item at Whole Foods. The portions of each ingredient were approximated based on taste.

1 cup of whole wheat couscous (use butter or oil per instructions on box)

1/3 cup red (or red and orange) peppers, chopped

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

1/3 cup fat free feta (regular feta can be used too)

1/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped and approximate (dried can be used instead but it is not as good and requires a lot more to get the desired flavor)

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil, approximate

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar, approximate

fresh ground sea salt

1. Prepare couscous per package instructions using either butter or oil. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Mix red peppers, onions, feta, kalamata olives, oregano, and parsley with couscous.

3. Combine olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a separate bowl. Pour onto couscous.

4. Combine dry couscous salad and dressing well.

5. Grind (or sprinkle) sea salt on top and mix well.

6. Taste and adjust seasoning or dressing as needed.

Serves 8 sides (at least)

Besides these delightful items, we enjoyed Trader Joe's Tomato and Olive Focaccia Bread (which while not low calorie is extremely delicious and made a great sandwich the next day).

As is par for the course this season, our meal outshined The Bachelorette. When I say outshined, I am referring to how the sun outshines a mud puddle. Will we keep watching? Of course. It is like that proverbial train wreck and we can't look away.

Farmers Market + Pantry = Dinner

A couple weeks ago Katie and I decided to throw some dinner together based on what I had in my fridge/pantry and what she had leftover from a farmers market cooking demonstration. The result was a delicious, healthy summer pasta dish! We enjoyed the recipe below with veggie sausage (her) and turkey meatballs (me) but it would also be wonderful on its own or with chicken.

Fresh Vegetable Pasta

1 cup whole wheat pasta (we used rotelle but you can use whichever you prefer) - This amount is approximate as you may prefer a higher pasta to topping ratio or like me you like a little leftover pasta to enjoy later in the week.

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

1 white squash, chopped

3 artichoke hearts, chopped

2 handfuls cherry tomatoes

15 kalamata olives, pitted

6 large basil leaves, chiffionade

1/3 cup fat free feta

garlic olive oil (We used Trader Joe's)

fresh ground sea salt

1. Cook pasta according to directions.

2. Saute garlic, zucchini, and white squash.

3. When pasta and vegetables are almost ready, add artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and basil to the sauteed vegetables. Heat through.

4. Top pasta with vegetable mixture and sprinkle with fat free feta and drizzle with garlic olive oil.

5. Add a protein if desired.

Serves 2

The Bachelorette Dinner, Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, dinner for our weekly viewing of The Bachelorette had a theme that many of you are probably familiar with - leftovers! Amie and I both surveyed our kitchens and ended up with an amazing meal that required only the purchase of crackers.

Stuffed Yellow Squash

1 large yellow squash

1/4 tomato, diced

1/4 red onion

8 oz ground beef (we used the frozen Kobe burger from Trader Joe's but you can use any you like)

1/4 cup feta cheese (light or fat free is fine)

butter

1. Cut yellow squash in half and hollow out each side. Discard inside of squash or save for another recipe.

2. Cook ground beef as desired. We were using a burger patty that had been cooked the day before so the only prep was to crumble.

3. Caramelize the onion using butter in a skillet.

4. Combine ground beef, tomato, and caramelized onion.

5. Stuff squash with beef and vegetable mixture.

6. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

7. Warm through in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

Serves 2

The stuffed squash could easily be made vegetarian by substituting a vegetable protein or even just additional vegetables.

Orzo and Vegetable Salad with Lemon Yogurt Vinaigrette

Please Note: Measurements are approximate.

1 cup orzo

1/3 cup carrots, diced

1/3 cup asparagus, chopped

1/3 cup green beans, chopped

1/3 cup English peas

1/8 cup pistachios, shelled

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

herbs de provence

1/2 lemon, juice only

2 tablespoons non-fat Greek yogurt

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

1. Prepare orzo according to package instructions.

2. Blanch carrots, asparagus, green beans & peas.

3. To make vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt, and herbs de provence. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Combine orzo, vegetables, pistachios, and vinaigrette.

Serves A LOT. Can be kept refrigerated for several days.

We enjoyed our meal with an appetizer plate of leftover salami, sausage and cheese from Trader Joe's. This was accompanied by gherkins and Rosemary Raisin crackers also from Trader Joe's.

The Bachelorette Dinner, Part 1

As you may recall, Amie and I love our Bachelor Monday dinners! Past dinners can be found here: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, & Week 8. With the new season of The Bachelorette in full and very annoying swing, we are back to our whipping up our weekly dinner delights! Due to schedule conflicts, we did not cook for a few of the first episodes and I am a week behind in posting as well. So without further ado, enjoy our most recent "recipes"!

A couple of notes about this week's dinner:

1. It it by far one of the easiest dinners we have made and it was so delicious!

2. It includes another great use for Greek yogurt as previously discussed.

Roasted Chicken Greek Pitas

1 package/2 patties Trader Joe's Roasted Chicken Patties (8oz of cooked chicken or other chicken patties can be substituted)

1 dozen cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

1 whole wheat pita

Homemade Tzatziki (recipe below)

1. Heat chicken patties per their instructions (I use the microwave) or prepare chicken as desired. Dice into cubes.

2. Slice whole wheat pita in half in order to make two "pockets".

3. Fill pita pockets with chicken, tomato and mint.

4. Serve with homemade tzatziki.

Homemade Tzatziki

1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

juice from 1/2 a lemon

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small cucumber, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

chopped mint, salt & pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

2. Enjoy!

Sweet & Spicy Salad

2-3 handfuls Trader Joe's Wasabi Arugula

1/3 cup fat free feta

Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar (regular champagne vinegar with a little orange juice would probably be a fine substitution)

Olive Oil

Salt

1. Combine wasabi arugula and feta in a bowl.

2. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil and a dash of salt.

3. Toss and serve.

We enjoyed our meal with an appetizer platter of meats, cheese, etc from Trader Joe's and The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

Even though these blog entries are not specifically about The Bachelorette, is it just us or do you all want to throttle Ashley too?

The Bachelor Dinner, Part 8

I know it has been well over a month since The Bachelor wrapped and I still have yet to share all of our dinner recipes. I figured I had better get with it since The Bachelorette starts on Monday! Also, since these meals took place in January, my memory is starting to slip. For the sake of time and interest level, I will include all of the missing items (that I can remember) in one post. Please note that while we are giant pigs, we did not eat everything in one sitting. These are probably some of the easiest items we made all season and guess where I did nearly all of the shopping - that's right - Trader Joe's.

Roasted Chicken Patties with Onions & Feta

1 Package/2 Trader Joe's Roasted Chicken Patties

1/2 Cup Trader Joe's Balsamic Glazed Grilled Sweet Onions (approximate amount) - alternate recipe available here.

1/4 Cup Trader Joe's Fat Free Feta

Chives - optional garnish

1. Heat chicken patties per instructions. If using fresh ground chicken, prepare as desired.

2. Heat balsamic onions in microwave per instructions. If making from scratch, prepare according to directions available here.

3. Top chicken patties with onions. Sprinkle feta on top.

4. Garnish with chopped chives if desired.

We enjoyed our chicken patties on a plate but I think this would be equally good on a roll. Our sides this evening included a salad and Trader Joe's Sun-dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Basil Olive Oil.

Turkey Bolognese with Meatballs

1 Package Trader Joe's Turkey Bolognese "Just Sauce"

4-6 Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs

Whole Wheat Pasta (You choose the shape and amount. I tend to use fettuccine or fusilli and no more than 3/4 cup cooked per person.)

Shaved Parmesan Cheese - optional garnish

1. Cook pasta to desired level of doneness. Drain and set aside.

2. When pasta is nearly done cooking, begin heating bolognese sauce. I use the microwave instructions and find that it takes a bit longer than stated on the box. Be prepared to adjust to work with your microwave.

3. Once the bolognese sauce is heated, heat the desired number of turkey meatballs. Again, I use the microwave for both items but the stove top is also an option.

4. Place pasta on plate, top with meatballs and finish with bolognese sauce.

5. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.

This very filling (and quite possibly the easiest) meal with accompanied by an arugula salad and homemade garlic bread made with roasted garlic and Parmesan cheese.

So there probably will not be a menu for the premiere of The Bachelorette next week due to some scheduling challenges but new Monday dinner recipes will be back soon! If you have ideas or suggestions of things you would like us to try and make simple & healthy, let me know!

The Bachelor Dinner, Part 5

So as you can see, I'm not really one for recipes. I like to think of them as jumping off points. Well this week I made on of the dishes from an actual recipe! Ok, I made a few small adjustments but more or less followed the recipe. This week we enjoyed Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Arugula, Lemon Chicken, and Green Beans with Red Onion and Creamy Feta Dressing.

Lemon Ricotta Pasta

I didn't follow a recipe when I made this particular dish. I looked at a number of similar recipes online and they all included extra oil, butter or cream. I wanted to keep it light and healthy. This is the closest recipe I could find online after the fact - Lemon Ricotta Pasta for those of you that would prefer a standard recipe. Here is the Gretchen version:

1/2 lb Whole Wheat Rotelle Pasta (Penne, Fusilli, or other similar pasta would be a good substitute)

15 oz Fat Free Ricotta Cheese (I used slightly less because I already ate part of it. :) )

1 Lemon - Zest & Juice (I only used juice from 1/2 the lemon but it could have used a bit more. Adjust to your taste.)

1 Bag of Arugula - rinsed and chopped

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

1. Cook the pasta until it is al dente.

2. While the pasta is cooking, combine the ricotta cheese, lemon zest (do yourself a favor and buy a microplane instead of a standard zester. So much easier!), lemon juice (squeeze through your fingers to catch seeds), garlic (to taste), salt (to taste) and pepper (to taste).

3. When the pasta is done, first scoop out 1/3 cup of the pasta water.

4. Place desired amount of arugula into pasta strainer. The heat of the pasta will wilt the arugula. You may not choose to use the entire bag but I would recommend at least half a bag because it shrinks up a lot.

5. Dump pasta into strainer.

6. Mix reserved pasta water into ricotta mixture until desired consistency is reached. The recipe I linked to above says to use the entire 1/3 cup but I didn't even use half that much. It is up to you how thin you want your sauce to be.

7. Throw pasta and arugula back into pot and top with ricotta mixture.

8. Stir all items together and serve!

Servings - 4 to 6 healthy sides

Lemon Chicken

This was not made from scratch but purchased from Trader Joe's. If you choose to make your own lemon chicken, I recommend using real lemons and not lemon juice from a bottle no matter what the recipe says. I have horrible memories of that flavor from when I was a kid. (Sorry Mom. I know you were just trying to expand our menu options. I will share your amazing Blueberry Muffins in a future entry!) When enjoying pasta leftovers, I made some turkey meatballs and they were also pretty good with the pasta. I nice chicken sausage would probably also be quite good.

Green Beans with Red Onion and Creamy Feta Dressing

As I mentioned, I basically followed the recipe on this on. This recipe is from the I Heart Trader Joe's Cookbook but it is easy to make even if you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby. I'll note my substitutions in parenthesis. Also, I only made about 1/2 the dressing as I wasn't sure how long it would keep and there were only two of us for dinner. It still turned out great!

1 16 oz Package Fresh Green Beans, trimmed & steamed (12 oz Haricot Vert Steam in Bag)

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced

Dressing

1/2 cup Plain Yogurt (Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt)

3/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled (Fat Free Feta Cheese)

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice or Red Wine Vinegar (I used the vinegar)

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Chopped Basil, for garnish

1. Arrange green beans on a serving plate and scatter most of the red onion slices over the surface, reserving a few.

2. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Note: The dressing will be thick with pieces of feta throughout.

3. Dollop the dressing over the salad and garnish with reserved red onion slices and basil.

I mixed the onion into the dressing as I was plating up individual portions and it worked just fine.

Servings - 4 to 6

We enjoyed a rose wine with our meal though I think I crisp white would also be good.

This meal was SO easy and pretty healthy. I hope you'll try it out soon. Please let me know what you think!