Thai Peanut Chicken with Cilantro Lime Broccoli Slaw

On Monday night, I had a dinner date with a friend, butwanted to make sure Mr. S. had some dinner to eat too.  So, I went in search of crockpot recipe that I could have waiting for him when he got home.  Turned out that he didn't get home until 10:30pm because he was working super late on a big presentation.  So, we ended up eating the chicken for dinner last night.  I have a feeling it was even better the next day!

I sometimes find that crockpot recipes can be a little bland because they are cooked for such a long time. So, I think it's essential to add some freshness at the end.  Fresh herbs and a broccoli slaw were the perfect combination.  In the end, (after the lovely photo of course), we mixed it all together and made a thai rice bowl of sorts. YUM!

Thai Peanut Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 red pepper, diced

• 1 white onion, chopped

• 1/2  cup creamy peanut butter

• 1 lime, juiced

• 1/2 cup vegetable broth

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tsp of red pepper flake (more if you like spicy food....or omit if you don't)

• Chopped scallions

• Crushed peanuts

• Cilantro

• Rice, rice noodles, etc (to serve it on)
• Lime wedges for squeezing on top
  

Place chicken in the base of crock pot. Top with red pepper and onion.
In a bowl, mix together peanut butter, lime juice, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and cumin. Pour sauce over chicken.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours. 

Remove chicken from slow cooker and cut/shred into bit sized pieces.  Return to the sauce and mix.  
Scoop chicken and sauce over rice (we had jasmine rice) and top with scallions, peanuts, and cilantro. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over it.

Cilantro Lime Broccoli Slaw

• 2 12 oz bags of broccoli slaw  (or use 1 and half the dressing recipe)

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 Tbsp honey

• 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp chili powder (we used Mexican for some kick)
• 1 tsp diced jalapeno (if desired)
  
  Combine all ingredients (except broccoli slaw) in a small food processor (or shake together).  Add additional salt, cilantro, and spices to taste. Toss with broccoli slaw.

Blue Cheese Balsamic Grilled Chicken

Mr. S and I are always in search of new and creative ways to cook boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Before that fateful day when I came into his life, Mr. S. much preferred chicken thighs or legs...but he's been a good sport, indulging me and my hatred of dark meat chicken.  So, I am constantly looking recipes that make these sometimes dry and tasteless chicken pieces into something tasty.  This recipe is both TASTY and EASY!

Ingredients

• 3 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (5 to 6 ounces each)
• 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons McCormick Gourmet Herbes de Provence
• 1 3-to 4-ounce wedge blue cheese, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch 6 slices

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, 1 tsp herbes de Provence. salt, pepper in small bowl.  Pour into resealable plastic bag.  Pound chicken breasts with a mallet until about 1/2 inch thick (here are directions on how to pound chicken breasts if you are not already familiar: http://www.wikihow.com/Pound-Chicken-Into-Cutlets).  Add to chicken; seal bag. Chill 2-3 hours, turning bag occasionally.

 Chicken can be cooked on an out door grill or on a grill pan.  We cooked ours inside since there was a huge thunderstorm going on at the time.  Heat grill pan to medium high.  Place chicken in grill pan and sprinkle with remaining herbs de Provence and a little salt and pepper (to taste).  Cook 4-5 minutes per side.  Chicken will be nearly cooked, but still slightly undercooked.

To finish them off, place chicken breasts on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Top with blue cheese slices and bake for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and chicken registers 160 with meat thermometer.  (melting of cheese can also be done outside on the BBQ if desired).

Serve immediately!  We served it with a green salad with blue cheese and strawberry balsamic vinaigrette.

Adapted from Epicurious

Grilled Steak, Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Blue Cheese Salad

With the arrival of summer has come A LOT of outdoor grilling in our house.  Many of our meals consist of some sort of grilled meat or seafood and a bunch of grilled veggies (recipes to come).   Since Mr. S buys his lunch at his work cafeteria, the leftover grilled meat usually becomes my tasty lunch!

Last night, Mr. S grilled EXTREMELY tasty t-bone steaks for dinner.  We also whipped up a tasty berry balsamic vinaigrette, that I knew would find it's way to my plate for a repeat today.  The salad is easy, tasty, and a perfect way to use up leftover grilled steak (or chicken)...and use some of the deliciousness harvested from your garden.

I'm also sharing a secret for perfectly cooked sweet corn.  Mr. S truly thought I was crazy the first time I let him in on this little trick.  But now that he knows he can have a perfectly cooked, juicy, piece of corn in under 5 minutes, he's come around.

Salad Ingredients  (makes 2 dinner salads)
1 head of romaine lettuce (red lettuce, or favorite variety), chopped into bite sized pieces
1-2 (depending on preference) ears of sweet corn, cook, and cut from cobb (see instructions below)
10 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cucumber chopped into bite sized pieces
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/8 cup blue cheese crumbles (or more if you love cheese like us!)
8-10 oz. of grilled steak, sliced thinly against the grain

Put lettuce, tomatoes, corn, cucumber in a bowl and toss.  Top with corn, blue cheese, and steak.  Drizzle with berry balsamic dressing.

Power Berry Balsamic Vinaigrette
3 Tablespoons Trader Joe's Organic Super Fruit Jam (or any fruity jam) (more if you want it sweeter)
4 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon onion power
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
sprinkles of mexican chilli powder (if you want it to have a kick)

Place all ingredients in a a mini food processor and pulse for one to two minutes.  Taste, and add more seasonings to taste.  If you want it sweeter, you might need to add more jam (depending on what kind you are using).  Additional salt might also be necessary.

Quick, Easy, Perfectly Cooked Sweet Corn
Place corn IN HUSK in the microwave.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Flip the ear and microwave another two minutes.  If cooking 2 or 3 ears, microwave 3 minutes, flip and microwave another 2 minutes.  Let corn cool in the husk for about a minutes.  Peel off the husk an serve immediately.  **Be careful when peeling off husk and corn is likely to be quite hot still**

Balsamic Tomato Bruschetta

We picked up a bunch of tomatoes from the farmer's market this week, and wanted to figure out a way to use them up.  I have a feeling, with the MANY tomatoes and green/purple basil currently growing in our garden, we will be making this recipe many times this summer!  I'm looking forward to evenings of bruschetta and wine on the deck.

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1/3 cup  fresh basil, chopped into thin ribbons (we used green and purple from our garden)

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (more for sprinkling if desired)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil (plus more for drizzling)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black

pepper

1-2 baguettes sliced into 3/4 to 1 inch rounds (or a loaf of French bread) - amount depends on how much

 

In a bowl, toss together the tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese, and garlic.  Mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a jar and shake until well combined.  Toss the tomato mixture with the dressing.  

 

Toast bread rounds and drizzle with some olive oil while still hot.  Top with tomato mixture sprinkle with a little extra grated parmesan if desired.