Grilled Chicken Pita Sandwich with Basil Spread

This was a leftover meal - you know, a meal made from all the extra bits lying around the fridge and freezer. We had some bean & basil spread leftover, and a half a roasted red pepper from our artichoke dip, so we pulled some pita that Nick had made a while back from the freezer and grabbed a chicken breast from there, too. It all came together in this Grilled Chicken Pita Sandwich with Basil Spread. It was a pretty tasty meal and I was happy to use up some of the odds and ends. 

We simply grilled the chicken and reheated the pitas in our toaster oven. Spread some of the bean spread and shove a slice or two of red pepper in the top. We served alongside some extra bean spread.

a taste of what's to come

Our garden is doing well. The herbs are huge, and we're starting to get ripe, red (and purple) tomatoes. Our green bean surprised us with a handful of big, tender beans the other day, so we made a mini side dish of green beans so we could enjoy them while at there peak.

I simply cut them into uniform lengths and sauteed them with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Towards the end of the cooking, I threw in a little fresh thyme as well.

They were fantastic. Better than any green beans that I've had prior. I can't wait for our other veggies to start producing. 

How are your gardens doing? 

Pork Tenderloin with Lime, Chiles & Cilantro

Nick found this recipe on Food Network a while back and it does make a super tasty and moist tenderloin. You do have to start the marinating process either the morning of or night before you intend to make it, so it does take a little forethought. But it's worth the wait.

Ingredients:
1 whole pork tenderloin
1 lime, zested 
1/2 c lime juice
1/4 c. honey
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 chipolte pepper in adobo sauce
1 tsp vegetable oil 
1 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped


To make the marinade, combine the lime zest, lime juice, honey, salt, garlic powder, chipolte pepper, and oil in a bowl or container, stir or shake to combine. Place the tenderloin in a ziploc bag and pour half the marinade into the bag. Seal and move around so that the marinade touches all of the pork. Let rest overnight if possible, or for at least 6 hours. Keep the remaining marinade in a container in the fridge.

When it's time to make dinner, pull out the pork tenderloin and turn up the grill. Once the meat has come to room temperature, place it on the grill. Cooking time is about 15 minutes, turning/ rotating the meat every two minutes. A bit high maintenance, but well worth it! Use a meat thermometer if possible to avoid overcooking. Once it's reached 140 degrees internally, remove from the grill. It should have a nice char on the outside. 

Place the cooked pork onto a sheet of aluminum foil. Fold up the sides of the foil and pour in the other half of the marinade. Fold the aluminum shut, making a little pouch. This keeps the liquid inside to get absorbed by the resting pork. Let it rest for about 10 minutes. 


Once it's done resting, cut into rounds, garnish with cilantro and serve. 

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries with Cool Avocado Dipping Sauce

Mmm...Sweet Potatoes. I didn't like, or didn't think I liked, sweet potatoes for years. They always were topped with marshmallows and butter and brown sugar and the like and I just couldn't get into it. Were they side dishes or dessert? However, I love this side dish. Nick found this on Food Network and since then, I can't stop eating them. It's a great way to eat sweet potatoes without the usual other sweet toppings that are usually associated with them. It's a spicy, savory version of the veggie (with their natural sweetness of course) with a cool and creamy avocado dipping sauce. And ya'll know that I love avocados.

We served these with a pork tenderloin with lime, chili and cilantro that I'll post tomorrow.

Ingredients (for fries):
2 sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut it into fries. Ours are usually around a 1/2" square, and anywhere from 3-4" depending on the size of the potato. Make sure that they are all about the same size so that they cook evenly.

Once you have them cut, place the potatoes into a plastic ziploc bag (or a bowl) and add the olive oil, paprika, chili powder and ground coriander. Shake (or mix) until all the fries are evenly coated with the spices. Using a ziploc is also great if you are making these in advance, or want to save 1/2 for another time. If you are doing that, just place in the sealed bag in the fridge and they will keep for a day or two (any longer I can't say, since they never last that long in our house).

Since we were making these as a side (for two), we placed half on a piece of foil, spread out evenly, and kept the rest for another day in the ziploc. Once they are on the foil, salt and pepper them to taste.

Cook in a 450 F oven for about 15 minutes on the bottom rack. Your cooking times may vary, but just cook until they are soft. Then, place on the top rack for 8-10 minutes, until crispy. Ours got a bit charred, but I kind of like the crusty bits because they have a nice, smoky flavor.

Ingredients (for dip):

1 avocado

1/3 c cream cheese

1/3 c mayonnaise

1 jalapeno (I subbed a 1/2 poblano just because we had one)

2 scallions, white and light green parts only

1 lime, juiced

salt and pepper

Blend the avocado, cream cheese, mayonnaise, jalapeno, scallions and lime juice in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is so delicious. I actually bought more sweet potatoes this week just so I can eat this again. Yum!

Artichoke & Goat Cheese Dip

Nick was in the mood for some pumpernickel, so he made us a few loaves. To accompany the bread, we made this fantastic artichoke dip. It's a pretty flavorful and hearty dip that went well with the pumpernickel and also went nicely with some crackers when we ran out of bread. The original recipe can be found here on Food Network. We cut the recipe in half, which ended up being *almost* the perfect amount for one loaf.

Ingredients:

1/2 can artichoke hearts, about 3 should work, drained and cut into large pieces

1/2 lb chevre (plain)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp garlic, minced

1/2 bell pepper, roasted and sliced or cut into large chunks

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

1 tbsp chives, chopped

1/2 tbsp basil, chopped

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

After giving everything a quick chop, throw everything into the food processor or blender. Mix until everything has combined and it a smooth consistency.