Friday, May 18, 2012

Caprese Skewers


Caprese Skewers

  • Mozzarella balls
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Place a tomato on a skewer, next add a basil leaf folded, and finally add a mozzarella ball. Arrange on a platter.

Drizzle with olive oil then season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Enjoy.

Chicken Bow Tie Pasta Salad

1. Bake 3 or 4 chicken breasts in the oven until done.  Cool and cut into bite size pieces.
2. Heat water to boiling and cook one 1lb. pkg. of bow tie pasta according to pkg. directions.
          Drain in colander and rinse with cold water.
3.While chicken and pasta cook, assemble the dressing.

          Blend in blender or food processor:
          2 cups (4oz.) of basil (stems removed)
          1/2 C. white vinegar
          1 C. olive oil
          2 cloves garlic
          2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
          1/2 tsp. sea salt
          1/2 tsp. pepper

    There is no need to chop the basil or garlic before blending.  Just remove the stems from the basil and husks from the garlic.

4.      In a large mixing bowl, mix together chicken, pasta and dressing.  Put mixture in a Ziploc bag and allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 

 Assembling the Salad

1. Wash 1 lb. spinach and remove the stems. 

2. Chop 4-5 green onions.

3. Cut 3oz. or about 20 salami rounds into strips.

4. Chop 2 C. (approx. 1-2) Fuji apples, with skin on, into bite size pieces.

5. Measure 1 C. Craisins, 1/2 C. Pine nuts (or sliced almonds), 4oz. Feta Cheese.

6. Wash 1 pint small grape tomatoes.

In a large bowl mix together the spinach, pasta/chicken mix, green onions, salami strips, apples, Craisins, pine nuts, cheese and tomatoes.  Stir well.

Fresh Fruit Bruschetta with Orange-Honey Cream

1 sliced baguette
4 T. butter, melted
2 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sour cream 3 T. honey
1 tsp. orange zest
1 1/2 cups diced strawberries (about 10 medium strawberries)
1 cup finely diced mango (about 1 medium mango)
1 cup finely diced kiwi (about 3 kiwis)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice bread into 1/" slices. Place in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush each piece with melted butter. Combine sugar & cinnamon & sprinkle evenly over bread slices. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are toasted. Set aside to cool.
2. While bread is toasting, combine sour cream, honey, and orange zest. Stir to combine & place in the fridge.
3. Gently combine strawberries, mango, and kiwi. When the bread is cooled, place about 1 T. of fruit mixture on top of each toasted bread slice & drizzle with sweetened sour cream mixture. If needed, thin the sour cream sauce with 1/2- 1 tsp. orange juice. Garnish with mint leaves if desired. Serve immediately.
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