Chicken Pesto Tart

Chicken Pesto Tart

The main downside of this recipe, adapted from TheKitchn, is that the kids devoured it and there were no leftovers for lunch! I was savoring my second piece, thinking that the kids surely would be happy with one and thinking of the yummy lunch I’d be having the next day, when they both asked for seconds. This is a quick and delicious meal, the puff pastry might not qualify it as supper healthy, but yum!

Chicken Pesto Tart

MealsWeLike.com, adapted from TheKitchn.com
A delicious, quick chicken pizza on frozen puff pastry
Print Recipe
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed
  • 1 head garlic peeled
  • 1-2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Fresh basil leaves chopped
  • 3-4 chicken breast 1lb, cooked and diced
  • 1 cup mozzarella shredded
  • 2 Tbs Parmesan grated

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F.
  • While the oven is heating, thaw the puff pastry and peel the garlic. Put the garlic on a baking sheet and bake until soften and golden brown, 10-15 minutes.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Unfold the puff pastry onto the lined sheets and stretch it out a bit. Prick all over with a fork to prevent the pastry from rising too much.
  • Brush the olive oil onto the pastry, then top with the chopped basil.
  • Top with the diced chicken and then the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes--until the cheese is melted and nicely browned.

 

Meals for the Week August 25-31

  1. As close as we can get to this Fig-Glazed Grilled Chicken without fig preserves…
  2. Ravioli with Apples, Bacon and Spinach
  3. Samosas with sweet potatoes and ground beef
  4. A modified, coconut free version of Creamy Plantain and coconut chicken with a corn on the cob
  5. Mojo marinate pork with black beans and rice and fried plantains
  6. Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with canned chicken
  7. Burgers and grilled veggies

Meals for the Week August 18-24

We’re back from vacation and ready to get back to home cooked meals instead of eating out all the time!

  1. Chicken with soy-lime sauce
  2. Ricotta Gnocchi, with spinach
  3. Chickpea, Barley and Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Mint and Feta
  4. Turkey, fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil paninis, with salad
  5. Pizza
  6. Something along the lines of these Chicken tacos with mango jicama salad

Portobello mushroom wraps

Portobello mushroom wrapsThese wraps from FoodandStyle.com were easy to make and delicious. This is a great weeknight recipe as everything comes together quite quickly. We used spinach tortillas which, surprisingly enough, were a hit with the kids.

Portobello mushroom wraps

MealsWeLike.com, adapted from FoodandStyle.com
Portobello Mushroom Wraps with Mozzarella, Peppers and Spiced Mayonnaise
Print Recipe
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

For the mushrooms:

  • 3 Tbs olive oil
  • 4 large Portobello mushrooms – stems trimmed caps brushed clean
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste

For the wraps:

  • 4 to rtillas we used spinach tortillas
  • 3 Tbs Mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 8 oz jar roasted bell peppers sliced
  • 12 oz mozzarella sliced kind of thick
  • 1-2 handfuls baby spinach

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 500°F.
  • Cut the mushrooms in 1/4” slices.
  • Lightly brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.
  • Spread the mushroom slices onto the sheet in a single layer.
  • Brush with the rest of the olive oil and grind some pepper over them. Bake for 6 minutes.
  • Turn the mushroom slices over and continue baking for another 6 to 8 minutes until the slices are golden-brown at the edges.
  • While the mushrooms are cooking, mix the mayonnaise, lemon juice and paprika.
  • Arrange the mushrooms in a row across the bottom third of the tortillas.
  • Spread the mayonnaise on top of the mushrooms (about 2 tsp of mayonnaise for each tortilla).
  • Top with the mozzarella slices and sprinkle pepper to taste.
  • Top with peppers and the baby spinach leaves.
  • Roll each tortilla, cut in half and serve.

 

Saving extra fresh basil

A few weeks ago we planted a pot herb garden. We actually have 5 pots, one with basil, one with mint, and 3 with cilantro that we started from seed–the only cilantro plants we could find in town looked really pathetic! The garden has been doing fairly well, though after the recent rains, I need to remember to go back to watering it almost every day now.

Photo of basil in ice cube tray, adding olive oilThe basil plant keeps getting taller and taller, so we decided to trim it back quite a bit to keep it from bolting too much. That lead to the “problem” of having too much fresh basil. of course I hadn’t thought far enough in advance to plan a meal needing pesto or using lots of basil, so we wanted to find a way to save it for later.

The best idea I found online was to chop it up, put it into an ice cube tray add some olive oil and freeze. Worked out really well. This morning I threw a cube into a skillet and scrambled up some eggs for breakfast–oil and seasoning all in one!

Basil in ice cube try with oil ready to freeze