Smoky Chicken Corn Cakes

We went berry picking this morning with our favorite adventure family, and the farm also had a great selection of other types of fresh produce. Our little A really wanted to get some fresh corn, and I obliged, but I couldn't bring myself to eat corn on the cob AGAIN with dinner. I thought about an old recipe I had that used rotisserie chicken and frozen corn to make dinner corn cakes. I knew I had chicken breasts in the freezer, which I could simply grill and shred, so I improvised to make this delicious recipe with our fresh corn.

You need:
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded OR 1# grilled chicken breasts, shredded
1 tbsp. canned chipotle chiles, chopped
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1 small red onion, sliced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1/3 c. fresh cilantro (or 1 tbsp. dried), chopped
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 large eggs
1 c. ricotta cheese
4 ears of corn, husked and kernels removed (or 1 10oz. bag frozen corn)
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 c. sour cream

Shred the chicken, discarding skin and bones (or simply shred boneless chicken breasts). In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, chipotle, lime juice, 1/4 tsp. of the salt, onion, tomatoes, and cilantro. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, pepper, and the remaining salt. Stir in the eggs and ricotta until no lumps remain. Fold in the corn. Heat the oil on a large griddle or skillet over medium heat. Spoon 1/4 c. batter onto the skillet and cook until golden brown and set on one side, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook 1 minute more. Divide the cakes evenly and top with the chicken mixture. Top with sour cream. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Grilled Rib Eye Steaks and Panzanella Salad

This is a really great recipe to make when you've got leftover fresh bread and you aren't interested in throwing it away (but it has lost it's delicious fresh taste). Most of the time, when I make this, I actually use the bags of baguette rounds, already sliced, from Wegmans and cut those into cubes. Anyway, t's another hot day today, so I wanted to make something light and yet filling for dinner. We can finally get outside to eat (the heat index has been so severe that we've been eating in the finished basement), and that means that it's time to grill again! This is a really easy meal that requires little indoor cooking. For those of you, like us, without central air conditioning, it means that you can actually enjoy cooking without risk of heat stroke. Wait, maybe that's just what happens when it's 98 degrees and you're 36 weeks pregnant!!

You need:

2 small boneless rib eye steaks
1/2 loaf of day old Italian bread, cut into cubes
1/2 red onion, peeled and diced
1 c. fresh basil, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 pints cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 pkg. escarole blend salad mix
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed


Preheat the oven to 350. Toast the bread cubes for 12-15 minutes until slightly browned but still soft inside. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let set at room temperature for 1 hour. Right before serving, add mozzarella and bread cubes. Toss to combine. Serve over salad mix.

Meanwhile, right before putting the finishing touches on the salad, grill the steaks until cooked to your liking, at least 8 minutes on each side (more if you like it well-cooked). Slice the cooked steaks. Serve sliced steak atop or on the side of the salad. Enjoy!

Grilled Fish Tacos

This recipe is courtesy of Wegmans (one of the great wonders of the world). It's super easy and light, especially on hot and humid nights like tonight.

You need:

4 tilapia fillets
1/2 c. Wegmans Mojo marinade
1 c. mayonnaise
3 tbsp. milk
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
6 taco tortillas, soft
2 c. shredded cabbage
1 small red onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced

Preheat your grill. Marinade the fish, covered, for 20-30 minutes (or up to 2 hours). Right before you are ready to cook, make the sauce. Combine mayonnaise, milk, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper (to taste) in a small bowl. Grill fillets 3 min on one side. Flip and cook an additional 5 min. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees. Transfer, when cooked, to a plate and cut into bite sized pieces. Warm tortillas on grill for 10 seconds on each side. Top tortillas with fish, cabbage, onion, avocado, and a drizzle of sauce.

Serves 6

Frosted Banana Bars

Although this is not V's recipe (she's out of town and I'm home stuck with bananas), it delivers moist bars that are a great way to use up overripe bananas, especially when the heat and humidity (which has FINALLY arrived) turn bananas in less than a week. Just a hint - don't substitute the sour cream if you can help it. In most recipes that aren't baked goods, you'll notice that I substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream - a healthier and tastier change. However, when baking, there is something about the sour cream that cannot be matched with yogurt. And make it real sour cream. If it's low in fat, it's high in something else.

By the way, this is is NO way a super healthy treat. It might start out that way, but the frosting alone takes it to dessert decadence. Still, if you use good ingredients, it's a great way to make a snack that lasts for a while and allows you to feel like because there are bananas in it, it's healthier than brownies :-)

Let's start with the bars...

You need:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. sour cream
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
4 ripe and mashed bananas

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time. Then, add the vanilla extract and the sour cream. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the mix. Finally, add the bananas. Mix together and pour into a 10x13" baking pan. Bake for 20-25 min.

While the bars are cooking, start on the frosting. For the frosting, you'll need:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Then, add the vanilla extract. Mix well until fluffy. After the bars have cooled, generously frost the bars and then cut to your desired size.

Creamy Ravioli with Squash, Lemon, and Chives

This recipe comes from Real Simple magazine. I chose it because it was a quick meal, with simple and inexpensive (yet healthy and delish) ingredients, and it was something that I could easily throw together before the art show at A's school tonight. It's a great way to use all of that summer squash and zucchini that seems to grow in number throughout the summer. And A gives it two thumbs up!

You need:

1# frozen ravioli
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
3 summer squash (I used yellow and zucchini), thinly sliced
1 c. heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1/2 parmesan, grated
2 tbsp. fresh chives, grated
salt and pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 c. of the pasta water, drain the pasta, and return to the pot.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the squash and some salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and lemon zest and cook for another minute or two, until the cream is thickened.

Add the squash mixture, parmesan, reserved pasta water, and a little more salt and pepper to the pasta and toss gently to coat. Serve with a sprinkle of chives and parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

Summer's Bounty Tomato Sauce

Ok, technically we're not even close to summer yet, but a local greenhouse has great hydroponic tomatoes that make for a great transition to the delicious tomatoes of summer. Granted, they aren't nearly as sweet and luscious as those vine-ripened ones you get in late July or early August, but they are wonderful cooked. This recipe is good all summer long!

You need:

5 vine-ripened red tomatoes, chopped
3 yellow tomatoes, chopped
1 orange tomato, chopped
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 small bunch of basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the garlic in a little olive oil, just for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes and cook over medium heat until they soften. Season with salt and pepper. Add basil just toward the end of the cooking. Serve over your favorite pasta, hot or at room temperature!

15-Minute Burritos

Wow. It's almost May. And FINALLY I'm cooking again. And most of you know why. From early December through early April I was suffering from the most uncomfortable and exhausting....morning sickness. Yep. We're expecting again! A little boy, to be exact. So, fellow readers, that's EXACTLY why I haven't been posting. I was barely eating. However, my appetite seems to be making up for lost time, because I've been cooking up a storm. Many of the recipes have been old standbys (I'm so tired after work!) but I've tried a couple of new things that I've really enjoyed.

Last night, we made Jamie Oliver's Sizzling Beef with Scallions and Black Bean Sauce . We made it with cilantro-lime rice instead of noodles, and we had LOADS left over! Today, we had our first warm day - 83 degrees - since late October. The sun even came out. I had forgotten what it looked like. I wanted to make something that was quick with minimal cooking, and this recipe was born. It was fresh and light and yet remarkably filling.


You need:

4 whole-wheat burrito-sized tortillas
1 can black beans, drained and heated through
1.5 c. cilantro-lime rice
1 avocado, chopped
5 baby roma tomatoes, chopped*
1 c. chopped romaine lettuce*
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese (we love to shred up Dubliner cheese - perfectly sharp!)
1/2 c. plain greek yogurt

Simply fill each tortilla with a spoonful or so of each of the ingredients, top with greek yogurt, wrap it up, and eat. SOOOO good!

Serves 4

*just a reminder - tomatoes and lettuce are two of the "dirty dozen," so be sure to get organic or local produce!