Monthly Archives: July 2012

Peach and Brie Quesadillas with Lime-Honey Dipping Sauce

I took the day off yesterday and after going to the dentist in the morning, I spent the rest of the day reading and lounging around (a mental health day). It felt wonderful. The problem with me having time to myself is I come up with all of these crazy ideas of things to do that I spend a lot of time thinking about but never actually end up doing. Like writing a novel or traveling across the country – both things that I plan to do one day, even if I’m old and gray when I do it. In all of my reading and daydreaming, I paused to make myself a delightfully light summer lunch: Peach and Brie Quesadillas with Lime-Honey Dipping Sauce.

Thin slices of peaches are tossed with a touch of brown sugar and chopped chives before being folded into a tortilla with soft Brie cheese and toasted. The buttery, nuttiness of the Brie complements the natural sweetness in the peaches making them a perfect pair and the slight onion flavor of the chives gives this quesadilla an overall savory bite. I like the idea of using these ingredients in a panini or grilled cheese so go crazy and make this however you want. The dipping sauce is a simple mixture of lime zest, lime juice and honey tops off each bite with a bright, sweet ending. All of these flavors are terrific together.

The ingredients:

Combine peach slices, chives and brown sugar in a bowl, tossing gently to coat.

Spread Brie over half of one tortilla and top with peach mixture. Fold in half and repeat with other tortillas.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, heated over medium-high heat. Place folded quesadillas in the pan and cook 2 minutes on each side or until tortillas are lightly browned and crisp.

In a small bowl, combine honey, lime zest and lime juice with a whisk and set aside.

Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve with sauce.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Low-carb whole-wheat tortilla

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Rum-Marinated Chicken Breasts with Pineapple Relish

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I spent the weekend laying low, only going to dinner and a movie on Friday night with friends and spending the rest of my time engrossed in a new novel while watching either Food Network or reruns of various Bourne movies. That’s pretty much how I roll. Oh, and I made food. Like usual. Again, that’s how I roll. I usually scan the grocery store circulars to see what’s on sale before I decide what to make but this week, I decided to make what I was in the mood for. I sucked up the fact that chicken is ridiculously expensive in order to make Rum-Marinated Chicken Breasts with Pineapple Relish, a light chicken dish filled with vibrant tropical flavors.

Chicken breasts are marinated in a mixture of dark rum, barbecue sauce, Caribbean hot sauce and lime juice before being grilled to perfection and topped off with a golden relish of fresh pineapple and red pepper. Never had Caribbean hot sauce? I’m no stranger to Pickapeppa Sauce (a condiment made of tomatoes, mangoes, raisins and peppers, among other things) which was introduced to me by my old roommate who would pour half a bottle over cream cheese and smear it over Triscuits. True story. There was never a shortage of Pickapeppa in my apartment. But I digress. The rum marinade perfectly tenderizes the chicken and is then boiled to create a rich, silky sauce. The golden relish is tangy, slightly sweet, tart and a tasty complement to the chicken. Not a fan of pineapple’s acidity? Consider substituting any summer fruit, like mango, peach or nectarine. This is a chicken dish that I could eat, in any variation, nearly every day.

The ingredients (disregard the honey, my bad):

Combine dark rum, barbecue sauce, Pickapeppa sauce, lime juice, salt and vegetable oil in large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to the bag and seal, allowing chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

To prepare relish, place pineapple on grill rack coated with cooking spray and grill 3 minutes on each side or until soft and browned around the edge. Allow to cool slightly and chop.

Combine pineapple, bell pepper, lime rind, lime juice, dark rum, Pickapeppa sauce and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Remove the chicken from the bag and set aside. Reserve marinade, discarding any chicken bits remaining and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Set aside. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray and grill until chicken is cooked to 165ºF. (Remove and discard skin if using bone-in chicken.)

Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan and cook 1 minute. Drizzle cooked marinade over chicken.

Serve chicken with relish and lime wedges.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Boneless chicken breasts

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake

When I was coming back from a trip to Chicago a few weeks ago, I picked up Food Network Magazine in the airport and was very excited to find a little booklet tucked inside of 50 different kinds of milkshakes. Umm…whaaaaaa? Yes, please and thank you! So I settled in my airplane seat and read every single word of every single milkshake trying to decide which one I wanted to try first. Milkshakes seem so decadent that they only time I might allow myself the guilty pleasure is once in year in March when McDonald’s offers the Shamrock Shake. With ice cream being on sale now in grocery stores, a milkshake seemed like a perfect dessert to make when it’s oh-so hot outside. This Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake did not disappoint!

Marshmallows are toasted until golden brown (or jet black if you prefer) in the broiler and blended with vanilla ice cream and milk. Using light ice cream or frozen yogurt and reduced-fat or non-fat milk will help keep calories at bay so you won’t have to feel so guilty while you slurp this creamy dessert. I can’t really explain to you just how good this milkshake is. I just can’t. There are no words. All I can say is…try it. I can’t think of a better way to cool off from the summer heat than an ice cold milkshake like this one.

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake (makes 1 large or 2 small milkshakes)

(From Food Network Magazine)

8 marshmallows

1 pint vanilla ice cream

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Broil marshmallows on foil, turning, until browned. Blend 1 pint vanilla ice cream, milk, vanilla, pinch of salt and 6 toasted marshmallows. Top with remaining marshmallows.

The ingredients:

Broil 8 marshmallows until desired brownness on one side and carefully flip over to brown the other side. (I broiled mine 1 1/2 minutes on the first side and 45-50 seconds on the opposite side.)