Thursday, January 5, 2012

The Big Chill: Easy Dinners with Easy Ingredients

I always have fresh food in my house. I love vegetables and herbs and fruits. They make dinners so much tastier, plus, if you have a jumble of fresh veggies, fruits, or herbs in your fridge, nine times out of ten, you'll be able to make a really fast, easy dinner. Here's a couple of my favorites. All of these recipes can be seasoned with salt and pepper, and any additional herbs or spices you prefer. 

Caprese Salad
 Tomatoes, Parmesan or Mozzerella cheese, fresh basil (also use chives if you have them), olive oil and vinegar. Slice and mix all ingredients.

Citrus Cilantro Salad
 Romaine, pineapple (or any fruit, but pineapple is my favorite), lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro. Cut the Romaine long-ways in half, top with diced pineapple and chopped cilantro, drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Add chives for extra flavor.

Crusty Coconut Almond Chicken
Raw chicken breast, Panko Japanese breadcrumbs, shredded coconut, sliced almonds, 1-2 eggs. Mix the breadcrumbs, coconut, and almonds. Whisk the egg(s), coat the raw chicken in it, then coat in breadcrumb mixture. Bake at 350 until cooked through. 

Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash, halved longways, pesto, marinara, or meat sauce. Lightly oil the squash, season with salt and pepper, and bake facing down (like a dome) for 1 hour (may take longer, check every 10 minutes after 1 hr) at 375. You'll know they're done when you can easily scrape the "spaghetti" off the squash with a fork, and it has the consistency of pasta. Top with any desired pasta sauce - pesto is my favorite. Add cheese if desired.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment!