Grilled Chicken and Veggie Skewers

Like I said in my last post, I am all about Our Best Bites. Haven't made a recipe from them that I didn't love. So with that being said here is another of their gems. The dressing in this recipe that is used to baste and marinate is incredible. It may some day replace ranch dressing in my life. Alright, you can't replace ranch dressing, but it may come close. I excluded the mushrooms and cherry tomatoes because I despise them both and they were still AMAZING. Fire up your grill and give these babies a try.

1 lb. chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
8 oz. small whole mushrooms, stems removed
1 each yellow and green zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
sweet cherry tomatoes
2 -3 bell peppers (in a variety of colors), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small red onion, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 recipe Zesty Italian Dressing:
1/4 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 c. canola oil
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese (can be fresh or from a can)
3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

In a blender, combine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mustard, salt, seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes. Blend. While blender is running, slowly add oil in a steady stream. Turn off blender and add Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese. Pulse blender 2 -3 times to combine the herbs and cheese. Remove 1/2 c. of dressing for basting during grilling and set aside. Place cut up chicken in a shallow dish and pour a little less than half of the remaining dressing over the chicken. Place in refrigerator for 2 -3 hours or until ready to use. Place chopped veggies in a 9x13 pan and pour remaining dressing (except for reserved 1/2 c.) over veggies. Toss gently to combine. Set aside. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for about 30 minutes to avoid burning while grilling. When chicken is done marinating, skewer veggies and chicken (use about 2 -3 pieces of chicken per skewer with as many veggies as needed). Preheat the grill and cook skewers for about 10 -12 minutes over medium heat, basting with reserved 1/2 c. of dressing, until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender-crisp, turning at least once.

Cream Cheese Chicken and Vegetable Soup

I love creamy soups! They are one of my fond childhood memories of autumn time. Mom's potato soup, tomato soup and vegetable chowder. Oddly enough I don't have a recipe for any of them. A problem I will soon remedy. In the mean time, this was a great substitute. The cream cheese makes it SO smooth and creamy. You'll love it.

*From My Kitchen Cafe

2 Tbsp. butter
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 diced carrots
3 c. chicken broth
2-3 potatoes, peeled and finely diced (I used red potatoes and left the skin on)
1 c. milk
4 Tbsp. flour
1 - 8oz. pkg cream cheese
2 -3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Saute, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook partially covered, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn't burn. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave until it is very soft / melty. Place the unwrapped cream cheese on a plate and microwave for 1 minute at 30% power. (I did it for 2 minutes, checking after the 1 minute.) You'll want it really, really soft so that it doesn't leave lumps in the soup. Add the cream cheese to the soup in small tablespoon-size pieces. Let the pieces sit in the soup and warm through then whisk or stir the soup until the cream cheese melts and mixes in well. Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

Buttery Peas with Thyme

My 2 year old LOVES vegetables. I have yet to find one that she will not eat. Yeah, weird huh. My husband and I on the other hand a little more picky about them. So I am always looking for ways to jazz up vegetable for us adults. I found this again on My Kitchen Cafe. Very yummy!

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 c. yellow onion, chopped

2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 c. frozen peas

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. black pepper

In a non-stick skillet melt butter on medium heat then add onion, sugar and salt. Cook until onion is softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in peas and thyme and cook, stirring often, until the peas are just heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with black pepper and serve immediately.

Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus

3 Tbsp. butter, melted
Lemon Pepper seasoning

Wash asparagus and pat dry with paper towel. Snap off the “woody” bottoms of each stalk and discard. Place the stalks on a foil covered baking sheet. Using a pastry bush, coat the asparagus with melted butter and sprinkle with Lemon Pepper. Next, place the baking sheet in oven preheated to 350˚ F and cook for 10 – 15 minutes or until tender crisp. You can also use the grill instead of the oven.

Zucchini Cakes

1 large zucchini

½ - ¾ c. seasoned bread crumbs
1 heaping tsp. minced garlic

½ - ¾ c. Italian cheese blend (Asiago, Romano, parmesan, provolone)
1 -2 eggs

a pinch of kosher salt
olive oil

black pepper

Start by chopping the ends off the zucchini, then using a cheese grater shred the zucchini. Next, place the shredded zucchini in a clean towel and squeeze out the liquid. You should see a good bit of liquid come out of the zucchini. This will help to create a less runny version of what we are making. Then toss the semi-dry zucchini into a large bowl. Add garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese, 1 egg, salt & pepper and stir with a fork. If mixture looks to dry add an additional egg. The mixture should look batter-esque. If it is too dry, mixture will fall apart in the pan. In a frying pan, heat olive oil on medium heat. Use enough oil to cover the bottom of pan by about ¼”. When the oil is nice and hot, drop a glob of batter and flatten it down a little. After about 2 minutes or when cakes are golden-brown, turn them over. Cook for approximately 2 minutes more and then transfer to plate. Can be served with ranch dressing for dipping sauce. (The Pioneer Woman)

Sweet Potato Fries

2 Large Sweet Potatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes into French fry chunks. Drizzle with olive oil.Mix sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a sealable plastic bag. Add fries and shake to coat evenly.Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and lay out sweet potatoes so that they are not touching. Bake for 30 minutes turning every 10 minutes.If you have leftover sugar mixture, you can sprinkle on the last 10 minutes of baking. (Sadie Lyman)

*These fries are also really good if you drizzle with oil and then sprinkle with Lawry’s Season Salt. Yummy! A good dipping sauce for that is fry sauce mixed with barbeque sauce. I don’t bother to turn them while they are cooking.