July Archives

I have been traveling all day to visit my wonderful father in glamorous Alma, Georgia, and hurricane Irene is en route to my fabulous fan base [which I am fairly certain consists primarily of my loving friends & family in New Jersey & New York] which means I haven't cooked and no one is running out to the store for ingredients right now, so I have taken the time to compile July's recipes into one post for easy access once the skies clear and the sun is shining once again!

Smoky Chipotle Chicken Marinade
* this is my sister's favorite chicken recipe thus far, my favorite is the Balsamic BBQed chicken. Both yield an incredibly flavorful and juicy breast or thigh [we're still talking about food, perv.] as well as saving you an enormous amount of sugar and other empty additives and calories in bottled products and sauces.

Summer Pasta Salad
* sweet, oven-roasted grape tomatoes tossed with garlicked olive oil, basil, pasta and a splash of white Balsamic vinegar- an easy and impressive addition to any affair.

Oregano Chicken and quite possibly one of the best salad dressings you've ever whipped up from scratch
*  I don't like chicken and I prefer my salad on top of some meat, sandwiched between two buns, but both of these recipes displaced my "diet food" discriminations. In fact [don't judge me, Amara!], due to this dressing I have probably eaten more salads this past summer than I have in the past 10 years.

Asian Infused Pork Tenderloin with Shiitake & Grilled Scallion no-fry Brown Rice
* a versatile marinade suited for pork or beef coupled with high-fiber brown rice laced with nutty shiitake mushrooms & sweet, charred green onions.


Balsamic BBQed Chicken with Pesto Farfalle & Arugula
* better than BBQ sauce and only 5 ingredients [not including salt & pepper]! 

Healthy Ranch Dressing
* my greatest accomplishment yet! Creamy, tangy, and as flavorful as the crap in a bottle on the shelves... but without all of those nasty chemicals, stabilizers and whatever else is in there! 

Purple Kale, Chorizo & Baby Red Bliss Hash
* include this in your brunch menu or match it with seared Halibut or Scallops. I served mine for dinner with a couple of poached eggs. 

Sausage & Pepper Grilled Cheese
* elevate this favorite staple to the status it deserves: aged cheddar, crumbled sausage and sweet bell peppers trapped between slices of artisanal sourdough and grilled to ooey gooey perfection.