Roasted Garlic-Edamame Spread

During my trip to Chicago my best friend Martina made this Edamame spread for me and I fall in love with it. This is the perfect substitute for the traditional chips and dips. There is so much calories in tortilla chips compare to fresh vegetables. This is a much healthier alternative choice. I used cucumber and zucchini chips with the spread.

Ingredients:
1 garlic bulb
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups fully cooked, shelled edamame (green soybeans)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Assorted fresh vegetables

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Cut off pointed end of garlic; place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, and drizzle with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Fold foil to seal. Bake 30 minutes; let cool 5 minutes. Squeeze pulp from garlic cloves into a bowl.
2. Process edamame in a food processor 30 seconds or until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Add roasted garlic, ricotta, basil, and lemon juice; pulse 2 to 3 times or until blended.
3. With processor running, pour 1/4 cup oil through food chute in a slow, steady stream, processing until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables.

Chicken and Guacamole Tostadas

This is a great summer no cooking meal from cookinglight.com. I love adding the smoked paprika to the chicken. It gives the chicken rich grill-like flavor—with no cooking.

Ingredients:
1 ripe peeled avocado
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped tomato, divided
3 tablespoons minced fresh onion, divided
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
8 (6-inch) corn tostada shells

Direction:
1. Place avocado in a small bowl; mash with a fork. Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato, 1 tablespoon onion, 1 tablespoon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and garlic.
2. Combine remaining 1 cup tomato, 2 tablespoons onion, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cilantro, and jalapeño; toss well.
3. Combine chicken, remaining 1 tablespoon juice, and paprika; toss well to combine. Spread about 1 tablespoon guacamole over each tostada shell; top each with 1/4 cup chicken mixture and about 2 tablespoons salsa.

Spicy Quinoa, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

This refreshing summer salad can sit in the refrigerator for a few hours without deteriorating, so it makes a great choice for bringing to work or to a summer picnic.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

Salt to taste
2 cups diced cucumber
1 small red onion, finely minced
2 cups finely diced tomatoes
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 avocado, diced

Directions:
1. Add the 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring the water and quinoa to boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and translucent; each grain should have a little thread.
2. Combine the tomatoes, chiles, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice and olive oil in a bowl. Add the avocado cucumber and onion, season to taste with salt, and add the quinoa and cilantro. Toss together, and taste and adjust seasonings.

Vietnamese BBQ Beef Vermicelli

This dish takes some work to prep but taste so refreshing on a hot summer night. I often make a large batch of the Fish Sauce Dip (Nuoc Cham) and store it in the fridge for making this dish a few times a week in the summer time. You can substitute the meat with firm tofu. This is such a healthy dish with lots of fresh veggies.

Ingredients:
1 lb beef sirloin flank steak sliced into thin strips
1/2 lb shrimp
1 package of fish ball
12 bamboo skewers
1 tablespoon oil, for brushing
7 oz rice vermicelli noodle (cooked as package direction)
1/2 head lettuce, leaves washed and separated
1 medium cucumber cut into matchsticks
1 small carrot cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup basil
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

Marinade:
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks lemongrass, thick bottom part only, outer layers discarded, inner part sliced
1 teaspoon slat
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce

Fish Sauce Dip (Nuoc Cham):
2 finger-length chilies, deseeded and sliced
3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar

Directions:
1. Make the marinade first by grinding the onion, garlic and lemongress to a smooth paste in a blender. Add salt, black pepper and fish sauce into mix until well blended. Transfer the marinade to a large bowl, place the beef in the marinade and mix until well coated. Allow to marinate for 1 hour.
2. Prepare the Fish Sauce Dip by grind the chilies and garlic to a coarse paste in a blender, then combine with lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, salt, water and sugar. Mix until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Thread the marinated beef strips onto the bamboo skewers and brush with a little oil, then grill it with the shrimp and fish ball.
4. To serve, place the rice vermicelli into the individual serving bowls and top with the grilled beef, shrimps, fish balls, lettuce leaves, cucumber, cilantro, and carrot. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve immediately with a bowl of Fish Sauce Dip on the side.

Sesame Chicken Salad

This a great recipe from Real Simple Meals Made Easy. Such a simple but super tasty salad. I didn't use a whole rotisserie chicken in my salad. I used frozen grilled chicken breast from Costco.

Ingredients:
1 carrot, peeled
1 5-ounce bags baby spinach
1 small red onion, sliced into thin circles
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
boneless, skinless meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions:
1.Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrots into long, thin ribbons.
2.In a large bowl, combine the carrots, spinach, onion, sesame seeds, and chicken.
3.In a separate bowl, whisk together the ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and oil. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss, and serve.

Acapulco-Style Shrimp Cocktail

This recipe was from Rick Bayless' website. This is my first time trying out his recipes and it turned out great! I brought this to my friend Erin's Mexican tamale pot luck dinner. Thanks for having us over Erin!

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked shrimp
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons hot sauce (Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 small white onion, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 ripe avocado

Directions:
1. Place the shrimp in a large bowl and add the lime juice. Measure in the ketchup, hot sauce, Worcestershire, onion and cilantro. Mix well.
2. Cut the avocado in half, running a knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back again. Twist the two sides apart and scoop out the pit. Scoop each half out onto your cutting board, cut gently into small cubes, then scoop the avocado on top of the shrimp mixture. Carefully fold in the avocado, then divide the mixture between 4 to 6 serving dishes (martini glasses make a dressy presentation). Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and prepare for a taste of beach-side dining.

Roast Chicken With Olives, Garlic, and Thyme

I found this recipe from Real Simple Meals Made Easy. This is a great one-pot meal. It requires just a single pan and hardly any clean up. I love the flavor of the olives and thyme. One great thing about this dish is roasting the chicken in pieces, as opposed to an entire chicken, takes slightly less time and hassle of carving.

Ingredients:
1 3 1/2-pound chicken, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon honey
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon, slivered
1 cup pitted olives
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 small bunch fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

Directions:
1.  Rinse the chicken pieces under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a baking dish large enough to hold the pieces in a single layer.
2.  In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice with the lemon zest, honey, shallot, olives, garlic, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Pour the mixture over the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight.
3.  Heat oven to 425° F. Season the chicken with the pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Roast until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° F. Continue to roast until the chicken is cooked through, about 60 minutes more.
4.  Spoon the olives and pan juices over the chicken and serve.