Sauteed Swiss Chard

1 bunch Swiss Chard, chop stems into small pieces, leaves into bite size (~1 1/2 inches or so)
1/2 med Vidalia Onion
4 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
Butter
Black Pepper
Feta Cheese (optional)

Heat oil, melt butter, add onions and allow to soften for a few minutes. Add garlic, and stems of Chard first, then add leaves after a few minutes. cook 5 more minutes or so, until desired tenderness. Add feta and stir.

I read something about this being pretty at Christmas because of the red stems and green leaves and I guess the feta reminds you of snow...

Greek Zucchini

Zucchini and feta were definitely on the menu but I needed a recipe. The inspiration for this dish came from Veggie Mama. She posted a recipe for zucchini boats that looked and sounded delicious. I wanted something with a few less steps and did a little research to come up with this one... I also had some grape tomatoes that needed to be used up. Quite tasty for a clean out the frig dish! 

 2 med zucchini, sliced 1/2 grape tomatoes, sliced in half 3 cloves garlic Black Pepper Oregano 1/3 c feta cheese water Saute veggies, garlic, pepper and oregano in a little water with lid until just tender. Sprinkle with feta and allow to melt.

Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas

Move over Franklins, I finally made a chicken quesadilla as good as theirs! lol. Heres a good way to use up some of the adobo sauce from the chipotles. Super easy too.

chicken breasts

adobo sauce (from the chipotle in adobo)

oregano

cumin

garlic powder

tortillas

cheese

salsa

sour cream

cilantro

I cut up some boneless chicken breasts in to 4-5 long strips, coat with adobo sauce, sprinkle with seasonings, broil in toaster oven for about 5 minutes per side, chop in small bite size pieces.

Lightly toast tortillas, put chicken on one half, top with cheese, fold in half, place in toaster oven to melt, add toppings and serve with the yummy pinto beans (or whatever).

Notes:

Trader Joe's Whole Grain with oatmeal and flaxseed tortillas really went well with the smoky flavored chicken.

Tortillas taste much better toasted. The trick is to get them toasted enough to taste good without drying them out too much and making them brittle. Be careful to allow for the extra cooking time when toasting them since they go back in the oven to melt the cheese.

I have been using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream as a healthier alternative.

I also made this with an uncut chicken breast, which was easier, though not quicker since it took longer to cook, and did not have as much of the adobo flavor. It was fine though and I didn't have to dirty a cutting board, knife , etc. Lazy version takes more like 10 minutes per side. This went with the leftover beans for a quick Monday night dinner.

My favorite Guac recipe

Guacamole Ole

3 ripe avocados, peeled, seeded
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tomato, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ C minced sweet onion
2 jalapeno chilies, minced
1/3 C Cilantro leaves, chopped
juice from one lime
salt
black pepper

Cut avocado in large chunks and mash coarsely in large bowl with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and blend gently - leaving some small chunks is fine. Taste and adjust seasoning with more pepper sauce, salt and pepper if desired.

More uses for summer's bounty

Homemade Salsa

Tomatoes, chopped
Sweet onion, chopped
Jalapeno, minced
Garlic, minced
Cilantro, chopped
lime juice
Salt
Black Pepper
corn optional
black beans optional


Mix and serve. Can be eaten right away but better if allowed to sit and let flavors meld together.

An easy way to eat more vegetables

Roasted (or grilled) Vegetables
Slice or cut any of the following into bite size chunks, slices or wedges:

Sweet Potatoes (slices work well)
Potatoes
Squash
Zucchini
Eggplant
Asparagus (leave whole)
Bell peppers
Onion slices
mushroom

Coat with Olive Oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper; sprinkle with herbs ( Rosemary very good , try thyme, etc Roast 20-30 minutes depending on temp and size of vegetable pieces.

Try any veges you like!