Last week I re-invented a few dinner classics that took minimal effort and came with easy clean-up. As intended, our summer fun was barely affected by the necessity of dinner eats and those yummy classics of salad and pizza still tasted yummy.
Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Apple Smoked Turkey Bacon
I get salad-ed out very easily so I'm always looking for a leafy green twist to keep it fresh. I've been hearing lots about grilling romaine and decided that with the grill begging me for some summer lovin' it was time to give it a try. As far as salads go, it was spectacular.
Ingredients (serves 2):
3 romaine heads
1-2 tbsp Olive Oil
salt and pepper
a handful of cherry tomatoes
Apple Smoked Turkey Bacon (Or any other type of bacon you enjoy. Trader Joe's sells a few great Turkey Bacon options that are delicious and reasonably priced to give you that more gourmet feel.)
Directions:
Slice Romaine down the middle length-wise. Spritz, brush, or drizzle (Whatever method you use. For me and all of my non-fancy kitchen gadgets it was the back of spoon.) the romaine with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. A very light coat - you don't want the lettuce to get too soggy. Add a little salt and pepper and send it off to the grill. Being the virgin romaine griller that I was I set the temperature to 350 degrees and also decided to leave the
lid ajar. They were perfectly done in only 2-3 minutes on each side so I would recommend this method. Insert joke here about losing my romaine grilling virginity (I don't do smiley faces, but come on that is deserving of one).
Meanwhile, simmer up some yummy bacon, turkey bacon, or if you are bacon shy I think a chicken breast would taste delicious sliced on this as well.
Place your grilled romaine on a plate. Duh. Add your protein and toss on your cherry tomatoes. Viola! The hubby ate this up as though it was a real man's man salad. Hello grill and bacon; no salad shame for him. It was delicious sans dressing, but you could add a bit if you need a little extra flavor. Caesar would also make for a zingy twist.
Kale Pizza
Maybe it is my Italian heritage, but I could eat pizza for every meal. I can eat it hot, cold, or room temperature (Otherwise known as left out on the counter overnight. Please note this was primarily during my college days, but I'm not gonna lie if there was a 'sat out overnight pizza' in front of me right now...I'd be pretty tempted.). I'm always looking for ways to add a little bit of something healthy to my pizza to remove the tiniest bit of guilt I endure from it's consumption. For instance, while pregnant with Baby Boy one of my favorite's was a Tombstone pizza topped with tons of spinach. Horribly delicious. Come on pizza totally doesn't count when balanced out with bushels of that vitamin K rich vegetable. And Baby Boy turned out just as smart and beautiful as can be...
This barely requires a recipe, but I'll throw a quick one out there at you anyway.
Ingredients:
1 thin pizza crust
3-4 tbsp olive oil (or pesto, definitely pesto. realized as soon as I made this I had a jar in the fridge and I cursed myself through the whole rest of the meal)
6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (fresh buffalo mozz would make for a delicious variation)
salt and pepper to taste
6-8 slices of fresh pepperoni - we obsess over Boar's Head brand (or not, for the meatless)
a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes
6-8 chopped kale leaves
You know the order of pizza so just through it all together and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Bet you can't wait to try a slice. Go ahead; I won't tell anyone...
Oh Janie darling how I love to read your posts. This one is so good as always. I copied both recipes and will try them....love the pic of your little guy, too cute!!! So blessed are you!!! <3
ReplyDelete