Spaghetti all'Cacio e Pepe / Spaghetti with Cheese and Black Pepper

Next up in my series, Great Roman Pasta recipes, Spaghetti all'Cacio e Pepe. A more simple Roman pasta dish would be hard to find. I made this for the first time and I was just blow a way, it's so so good. Anthony Bourdain in an episode of "No Reservations," is quoted saying "cacio e pepe could be the greatest thing in the history of the world." 

The key to this dish is properly incorporating the reserved hot pasta water, Pecorino Romano and Parmesan cheeses creating a sauce that coats all the noodles and with just the right amount of fresh black pepper.   

Ingredients:

3/4 pound Barila spaghetti

2 tablespoons salt for pasta water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup fine grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fine grated Romano cheese

Fresh ground sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Italian parsley

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, firm to the bite. When done, drain the spaghetti reserving 2 cups pasta water.

Heat a 12" saute pan to medium and add the olive oil. When the olive oil is hot add the spaghetti and use a pair long tongs with rubber or plastic ends to mix the pasta. Here's the part you want to get right! Add 1 cup reserved pasta water and mix using your tongs. Sprinkle on 1/4 of the cheese on to the pasta and mix. Repeat the process 3 more times until all the cheese is mixed into the noddles. At this point, add a couple tablespoons of water and mix. Next, add some salt and a generous amount of fresh black pepper. Toss for 30 seconds until piping hot and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate and grind on some additional pepper and garnish with chopped Italian parsley. 

Sauteed Green Beans with Water Chestnuts and Sliced Garlic

Here's a simple way to kick up those wonderful green beans. Water chestnuts don't have much flavor, but have a great crunch. Saute the water chestnuts with some olive oil, sliced garlic and salt and pepper and it a beautiful thing. 

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh green beans 

1 can sliced water chestnuts

6 sliced garlic cloves

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Take the green beans and trim off the ends. Use the stove top steamer to cook the green beans  in about 10 minutes. When done rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Heat a 10" saute pan to medium. Add the olive oil, water chestnuts, sliced garlic and some salt and pepper. Saute slowly for 5 minutes or so not burning the garlic. Add the green beans and heat to serving temperature. 

To serve, place the green beans on a serving plate and top with the water chestnuts and sliced garlic. 

Spaghetti all'Armatriciana / Spaghetti with Bacon, Cheese and Tomato

Second in my series, Great Roman Pasta Recipes is Spaghetti all'Armatricana. This is essentially the same recipe as Pasta all'Gricia I made last week, but with the addition of tomato's. All'Armatriciana originates from the town of Armatrice in the Sabine hills not far from Rome. It is said that the shepherds of Armitrice took the recipe to Rome when on their seasonal wanderings and the Romans adopted the dish as their official Cuisine of Rome. 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Barila spaghetti

2 tablespoons salt

1/3 pound gaunciale, a cured meat made from pork jowls or cheeks. Gaunciale is not generally available in the US, so pacetta is the closest substitute. However, even pacetta can be hard to find so I'm using:
1/2 pound bacon. 

2 crushed garlic cloves
pinch red pepper flakes

1 - 14 ounce can chopped tomato's, strained

1/4 cup fine grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

Italian parsley

Preparation:

Take a 12" saute pan and heat to medium high. Cut the bacon into 1/3 inch pieces and add to the saute pan. Cook the bacon until crisp, but not burnt. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute and turn off the heat. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan. Add the chopped tomato's to the pan. Set a side until the pasta is ready.

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, firm to the bite. When done, drain the spaghetti reserving 1 cup pasta water.

When the pasta is done, heat the 12" saute pan to medium high and add the spaghetti and toss with the bacon, garlic, red pepper flakes and tomato's for a minute. Add the cup of reserved pasta water, toss for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the cheese on to the pasta and toss. Add some salt and pepper to taste and toss for 30 seconds until piping hot and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate and garnish with Parmesan or Romano cheese and chopped Italian parsley. 

Pasta all'Gricia / Spaghetti with Bacon and Cheese

This month I'm going to do a series on the great Roman pasta recipes. I'll be making 4 dishes; Pasta all'Gricia, Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe and all'Amatriciana.

Tonight I'm making Pasta all'Gricia. Pasta all'Gricia is 1 of the 4 "Seriously Roman" pasta dishes you must try. The recipe comes from Grisciano, a small beautiful town in the mountains of the Lazio region, see map below. While least famous of the group, many will say that it's their favorite!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Barila spaghetti

2 tablespoons salt

1/3 pound gaunciale, a cured meat made from pork jowls or cheeks. Gaunciale is not generally available in the US, so pacetta is the closest substitute. However, even pacetta can be hard to find so I'm using:
1/2 pound bacon.
2 crushed garlic cloves

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup fine grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
Italian parsley

Preparation:

Take a 12" saute pan and heat to medium high. Cut the bacon into 1/3 inch pieces and add to the saute pan. Cook the bacon until crisp, but not burnt. When cooked add the garlic and red pepper flakes, toss and remove from the heat. Remove 1/3 of the amount of bacon from the pan and save for garnish. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pan.

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, firm to the bite. When done, drain the spaghetti reserving 1 cup pasta water.

When the pasta is done, heat the 12" saute pan to medium high and add the spaghetti to the bacon, garlic and red pepper flakes and toss for a minute. Add the cup of reserved pasta water, toss for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the cheese on the pasta and toss. Add and some salt and pepper and to taste and toss for 30 seconds until piping hot and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate and garnish with crumbled bacon, Parmesan or Romano cheese and chopped Italian parsley. 

Coconut Rice with Red Beans

I saw this recipe for coconut rice which also incorporated red beans and I had all the ingredients on hand so I gave it a shot. What I really liked was that the recipe started with sauteed garlic and green onions added to the rice cooker before cooking. This gives the cooked rice a nice savory flavor and the flavor of the coconut milk is just so awesome. All I can say is that I made the exact same thing the next night, it was so good! All I needed was some coconut half's to serve the rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
3 diced green onions
1 cup red beans or red kidney beans
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
Salt to taste, about 1/4 teaspoon

Preparation:

Heat a small saute pan to medium and add the olive oil, garlic and green onions. Cook for a couple of minutes until the garlic and green onion are softened and translucent.

Take a medium saute pan and add the all the ingredients; sauteed garlic and green onions, rice, beans, coconut milk, water and salt. Heat to boil and then simmer on very low heat for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from the heat just before all the moisture is absorbed, this will keep the rice from burning on the bottom of the sauce pan. Let the rice rest 10 minutes with the lid on and then fluff with a fork and you're ready to serve.  

Chicken Breast stuffed with Kale, Cranberries, Apple and Cheddar Cheese

I saw this dinner entree at Costco in the frozen section a couple weeks ago and thought I'd give it a try. The chicken breasts come frozen raw, so you'll need to defrost and then they easily bake at 350 degrees in about 25 minutes. I thought that the stuffed chicken breasts were exceptional. The meat was properly seasoned, moist and the stuffing of kale, cranberries apple and cheddar cheese really worked well. I went back to Costco to get another package and found out they're a seasonal item and sold out for the season :(  Look for these stuffed chicken breasts next year, you'll be happy you did!

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the defrosted stuffed chicken breasts on a non stick baking pan. Bakes for approx 25 minutes. Make sure the chicken breasts are done to 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve the chicken breasts as is, or with your choice of starch and or vegetable. Kick it up a notch by making a simple chicken gravy. 

Ingredients:

1 cup water

2 packets Trader Joe's savory chicken broth 

2 tablespoon Wondra flour

Preparation:

To make the chicken gravy, combine the water, savory chicken broth mix and Wondra flour in a small bowl and mix well. Heat a small 8" saute pan to medium high and add the gravy mixture. Stir continuously and as the gravy heats up to a boil, it will also thicken because of the flour.

Farfalle Pasta with Chicken, Red Onion, Garlic and Arugula

Here's a wonderful pasta dish that is super easy with just a few ingredients. Typically, I'll make a pasta dish like this when I have some left over chicken. I don't know about you, but I've always got left over chicken.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Farfalle pasta 

1 - 2 tablespoon olive oil

1 cooked diced chicken breast

1 medium rough chopped red onion

1 bunch green onions

4 crushed garlic cloves

Large handful of arugula

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook the Farfalle pasta according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, firm to the bite. When done, drain reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Take a 12" saute pan and heat to medium. Add the olive oil and red onion. Saute the onion until soft. Add the chicken, garlic and green onion and cook a couple minutes until the chicken is warmed. Add the pasta and arugula and toss to heat. Check the seasoning, add salt and pepper. After a minute or two, add the reserved pasta water and toss. Cook one minute and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and diced green onions.

Grilled Salmon Tostada Salad

I love the Costco coho salmon, but you always need a plan B because you get so much. This is a nice light grilled salmon tostada salad with a little smashed avocado and sour cream.

Ingredients:

Trader Joe's Flour tortillas

1/2 head shredded ice burg lettuce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

6 diced green onions

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

1 large or 2 medium avocado's 

Lite sour cream

Preparation:

First prepare the tostada bowls. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. I've used a lot of different tortilla brands and I highly recommend Trader Joe's. They're healthy, meaning no trans fat and taste great.

Place the tortilla's into the metal mold and bake at 400 degrees for 6 - 7 minutes. At this point, the tostada bowls are almost finished. Take the tostada bowls out of the oven and turn off the oven. Remove the tostada bowls from the metal mold and place them back into the oven directly on the wire rack and cook for another 10 minutes. At this point you will have a wonderful crispy crunchy tostada bowl.

Preheat a stove top grill pan to medium high. Brush some olive oil on each piece of salmon, season with salt and pepper and cook 4 minutes. After 4 minutes, rotate the salmon 90 degrees. This will give the salmon the nice cross hatched grill marks. Cook the salmon for another 4 minutes and turn the salmon pieces and repeat and you're done.

  

Shred the lettuce and place into the tostada bowl. Add some shredded cheese, green onions, cilantro and a few pieces of grilled salmon. Add some smashed avocado and sour cream and garnish with some chopped cilantro. 

Pesto Chicken Sandwich

Whenever I make fresh pesto there's always going to be some left over. Here I'm making a grilled chicken pesto sandwich on crusty Italian bread. The key to this sandwich is keeping it simple with sliced Roma tomato's and arugula.  

Ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken breast

Sliced provolone cheese

Pesto

Mayo

Roma tomato's

Arugula

Crusty sliced Italian bread

Preparation:

Take the chicken breast and cut in half so the chicken breast is half a thick. Place the chicken breast on your cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and pound the chicken breast so it's about a 1/2" thick. Repeat the process with the rest of the chicken breast pieces.

Heat a stove top grill pan to medium high. Brush some olive oil on each piece of chicken then some salt and pepper and grill for about 5 minutes per side. When the chicken is almost done, spoon on some pesto and add the cheese and let melt.

To assemble the sandwich, toast the sliced Italian bread. Take the bottom piece of toast add some mayo and then the chicken breast. Next, add some sliced tomato's and arugula. Take the top piece of toast and spread on some mayo and place on the sandwich. Cut in half and serve with fries or simple salad.

Sweet Soy Glazed Chicken Breast on Chow Mein Stir Fry Noodles

I'm always on the look out for new products to try. Sometime ago I found this Sweet Soy Glaze from Kikkoman and I use it a lot, love it. In this dish I'm trying these chow mein stir fry noodles from Wel-Pac. The noodles very tasty with a nice bite and was a really good pairing with the Sweet Soy Glazed chicken breasts. 

Ingredients:
Boneless chicken breasts with skin
1 package Chow Mein stir fry noodles
Soy glaze
Sliced green onions

Preparation:

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the chicken breasts and rinse in cold water and dry with paper towels. Make 3 slits about 1/4 inch deep through the skin on a diagonal. Place the chicken breasts on a baking pan and brush on some Sweet Soy Glaze. Bake for about 20 minutes brushing on some additional Sweet Soy Glaze half way through. 

Once the chicken breasts are cooked, turn on the broiler and cook until the skin turns a dark brown and starts to burn. When done, let the chicken breasts rest 5 minutes before serving.

To cook the chow mein noodles, place the noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain the noodles and place in a bowl with some canola oil. The oil will keep the noodles from sticking together. Add a little salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, place a portion of chow mein noodles on a serving plate. Place a chicken breast on the noodles and garnish with slice green onions.

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes

Garlic and red pepper flakes are one of my favorite spice combinations. Here I'm using rough chopped garlic that I cooked in the microwave for just 30 seconds with a tablespoon of butter. By briefly cooking the garlic this way, I'm softening the garlic and taking out the raw spicy taste. 

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

6 - 8 garlic cloves very rough chop

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Take the green beans and trim off the ends and cut on an angle into 1" to 1-1/2" long. Use the stove top steamer to cook the green beans about 10 minutes. When done rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Take the garlic and rough chop into pretty big pieces. Place the garlic in a small microwave proof bowl with 1 tablespoon of butter and cook in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Heat a 10" saute pan to medium high. Add the olive oil and green beans and toss. Add the garlic, butter and red pepper flakes and toss until well incorporated. Heat to serving temperature. Season with salt and pepper and you're done.

Spaghetti & Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Red Pepper Flakes

This pasta dish is simple delicious. The classic combination of pasta with garlic and red pepper flakes, but with the sweet nutty flavor of the spaghetti squash. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash

1/2 pound Barilla spaghetti

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 crushed garlic cloves

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take the spaghetti squash and carefully slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and place face down on a baking pan. Cook the spaghetti squash for about 30 minutes or until you can easily pass a knife through the squash. Once cooked remove to a plate and let cool. When cool, take a fork and pull out the strands squash. 

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, firm to the bite. When done, drain the spaghetti reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Take a 12" saute pan and heat to medium high. Add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook the garlic and red pepper flakes for 1 minute. Turn up the heat to high and add the spaghetti squash and spaghetti and toss. Add the cup of reserved pasta water, salt and pepper to taste and toss for 1 minute until piping hot and you're done.

To serve, place a portion of pasta on a serving plate. Add a drizzle of olive oil, some grated Parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped Italian parsley.

Spicey Ramen

I love Ramen, but can you actually buy a packaged product that's any good? Today I'm testing a a product that I bought at Safeway from Nongshim which is their spicy black label premium noodle soup. First, when you make this, only add 1/4 the pepper spice mix, it will be plenty spicy. Overall, I liked the quality of the noodles and the soup was tasty. If you've got a craving for Ramen, this will get the job done.

Ingredients:

1 package Nongshim Ramen

Preparation:

Even thought he product comes in it's own serving container, cook the Ramen in a medium saute pan. Place the dried noodles in a medium saute pan. Fill the container the product came in with water and pour into the saute pan and bring to a boil. Add the flavor packets and about a quarter of the spice mix. You can always add more if you like. Boil until the noodle are soft and you're ready to serve. 

To serve, place the Ramen in a serving bowl and garnish with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro.

   

Sauteed Bok Choy with Chopped Garlic

Here's a quick and tasty vegetable dish that pairs well with sauteed tofu and rice or grilled chicken and noodles.

Ingredients:
1 bunch Bok Choy
4  - 5 rough chopped garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil.
1 tablespoon butter
Garlic salt
Pepper

Preparation:

Take Bok Choy and cut off the bottom part of the stalk and wash in cold water. Slice the stems into 1/2 inch pieces and the leafy parts into bite size pieces.

Heat a 12" saute pan to medium high. Add the olive oil and Bok Choy and saute tossing frequently. Season the Bok Choy with garlic salt and pepper to taste and cook about 5 minutes. Take the garlic and rough chop so it's still in pretty big pieces. Add the garlic to a microwave proof bowl, a tablespoon of butter and cook in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the garlic to the Bok Choy, toss and you're done.

Pesto Chicken and Couscous

My wife and I were at our friends Jennifer and Bob's for dinner and Jennifer made this wonderful pesto chicken dish. She said it was very easy to make and I thought that it was so good I was going to make it and that she'd find her recipe on my blog very soon. Thanks for the recipe Jennifer!

Ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken breast

Pesto Sauce. Kirkland makes a nice pesto sauce or make your own.

Fresh pesto sauce; basil, garlic, walnuts, salt and olive oil

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

2 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt

Preparation:

If you're making your own pesto sauce Trader Joe's has the best basil going. Place 2 big handfuls of basil in the food processor. Add 3 or 4 garlic cloves, a couple tablespoons of chopped walnuts, 1/8 cup olive oil  and some salt. Blend until you have a nice smooth pesto sauce.  

Rinse and dry the chicken breasts. Place into an baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Spoon on some pesto sauce, cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

To make the couscous, take a medium sauce pan and heat to medium high. Add the olive oil and couscous and toast the couscous to a golden brown. Carefully add 2 cups water, cover and simmer for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat and let rest while your waiting for the chicken to finish cooking 

To serve, place some couscous on a serving plate and add the sliced pesto chicken breast. Garnish with some chopped basil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Burrito

I remember when this style burrito which is called a wet burrito was becoming really popular in San Francisco. It's a regular burrito covered in enchilada sauce and cheese and put under the broiler until the cheese melts. The combination is awesome and if you've never had a wet burrito, do so soon!

Ingredients:

Flour tortilla's from Trader Joe's. No bad oils!

1 diced chicken breast

1 can black beans

1 cup cooked Rice or Mexican rice

1/4 cup Monterrey Jack cheese

1/2 bunch diced green onions 

1/4 bunch chopped cilantro

1 medium tomato

Sour cream

Preparation:

When I make burrito's, I toss everything into a medium sauce pan to make the filling. I start with black beans, heat them up and give them a quick smash to make them thick. Next, add the chicken, rice, cheese, green onions, cilantro and tomato. Mix all the ingredients and heat to to serving temperature.

Take a 1 gallon Ziploc bag and put in 1 tortilla. Place into the microwave for 15 seconds. Remove the tortilla to a plate and place about 1-1/2 cups burrito filling. Add some sour cream and roll up into the burrito shape. Spoon on some enchilada sauce and top with more cheese and place under the broiler for about a minute until the cheese melts. Garnish with chopped cilantro and a couple lime wedges.

Moroccan Spiced Chicken

This is a really tasty stew with an exotic flavor. I'm using the classic North African spice combination with a tomato base. It takes some time to get all the ingredients together, but it's well worth the effort! Here I'm using a tagine to cook the Moroccan spiced chicken. A tagine is an eye catching piece of cookware that is made of ceramic and has a very wide base and tall conical lid. The tagine provides a hot moist cooking environment and as the food cooks, steam rises to the top of the cone, condenses and trickles down the sides and back into the dish.

Ingredients:
6 bone in chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon mace
1 cinnamon stick
1" piece peeled ginger root
1 yellow onion coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 medium tomato's quartered
3 or 4 yellow new potato's halved
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 fresh ground sea salt
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup clack olives
4 cups cooked couscous

Preparation:

Combine the spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, mace, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper) in a small bowl. Add the olive oil and mix. Place the chicken and spice mix in a Ziploc bag and marinate for a couple of hours.

Prepare your tagine or crock pot by coating with a some olive oil. Add the chicken and the rest of the ingredients; cinnamon stick, ginger root, tomato paste, onion, tomato, potato, olives and chicken stock. Cook in the crock pot on high for 4 hours Cook in the tagne on the stove over lowest heat for 2 hours and you're done.

Prepare the couscous according to instructions, which is usually 4 cups water or chicken stock, pinch of salt if you're using water and 2 cups couscous. Place the water or stock in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and add the couscous and cover, turn off the heat. Let stand a minimum of 5 minute and when ready to serve, fluff with a fork.

To serve, place a portion of couscous in a flat bowl and top with the Moroccan spiced chicken. Garnish with chopped Italian parsley. 

Spaghetti with Rao's Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce

A couple years ago I had dinner at Rao's in Las Vegas and it was pretty awesome. Rao's which is pronounced Ray O's now sell pasta sauce by the jar which is available at Safeway, but it's fairly expensive at $8.99. I was getting some pasta for dinner and notice that Rao's pasta sauce was on sale for $7.99, so I picked out the roasted garlic and thought I'd give it a try. In short, I was blown away! My family was like "what is this, this is the best pasta sauce I've ever had" and I agree! Give this one a try even if it's not on sale. 

Ingredients:

1 pound Barilla spaghetti

1 jar Rao's roasted garlic pasta sauce

Parmesan cheese

Fresh basil or chopped Italian parsley

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Take a large stock pot and fill with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to boil. Cook the spaghetti according to directions, which is usually 9 - 10 minutes to al dente, which is firm to the bite. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of pasta water. 

Place the pasta sauce in a medium sauce pan, cover and heat to simmer.

Take your 12" sauté pan and heat to medium. Add the spaghetti and half of the pasta sauce. Toss until the sauce has coated all the spaghetti. Add the cup of reserved starchy pasta water. Toss and you're ready to serve.

To serve, place a portion of spaghetti on a serving plate. Top the pasta with some sauce, a grind of salt and pepper and some Parmesan cheese. Garnish the dish with chopped basil or chopped Italian parsley. 

Chicken, Pear, Blue Cheese and Pecan Salad

I've wanted to make this salad for a while now and while traveling a week ago, I had this in a restaurant and it was awesome. I'm using Brianna's French Vinaigrette dressing which is an all time favorite and I'm using plain pecans instead of candied pecans because I want to keep the salad savory, not sweet

Ingredients:

Mixed salad green

Brianna's french vinaigrette dressing

1 poached chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces

1 bartlett pear, chopped

Maytag blue cheese, crumbled

chopped pecans

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Rinse and dry the salad greens and place in a large salad bowl. Add the chicken, pear and salad dressing and toss well. 

To serve, place a portion of salad onto a serving plate and top with crumbled Maytag blue cheese, chopped pecans and a grind of salt and pepper.

Barbecued Chicken Sandwich

It's National Sandwich day so I'm making a barbecued chicken sandwich. I made this a few weeks ago and it was so good that I've made several times since and I'm sure it won't be too long before I make it again. 

Ingredients:

Chicken breast sliced thin

BBQ spice rub

Lettuce

Sliced Tomato

Sliced red onion

Mayonnaise

BBQ sauce

Sourdough Hoagie roll 

Preparation:

Cut the chicken breast into 1/2" steaks and lightly coat both sides with BBQ spice rub of your choice, I used Kirkland Sweet Mesquite Seasoning. Place the chicken in Ziploc bag and marinate for an hour.

Grill the chicken over medium high grill for 3 - 4 minutes per side. When done, set on a plate and let rest 5 minutes.

Take the hoagie roll and place some BBQ sauce on the bottom piece. Place some lettuce, tomato, red onion and then the chicken. Place some mayo on the top piece of the hoagie roll and place on the chicken. Slice in half and plate.