Good light summer recipes?

[Smurfette]

Threw some things in a skillet the other night and came up w/ this one... turned out pretty good, actually.

Cut 2 chicken breasts iinto strips. Season w/ Monterry Chicken seasoning, or whatever you have on hand)

boil enough angel hair pasta for two, (or pretty much any pasta would do.)

in a skillet, heat olive oil, add a tsp or so of minced garlic, let it cook for a minute to get the flavor going. Saute Mushrooms, carrots, and asparagus until nearly cooked. Season w/ salt and pepper.

Add a splash of red wine and the chicken. Cook a few more minutes. Toss w/ the pasta and serve.

We found this to be a nice, light-ish meal.

I'm sure you could liven it up w/ onions, peppers, or all kinds of things.



What are some good summer-ish things you've had lately?

 

[l00p]

Get a wok. Put some olive oil, cut up clove of garlic and chives in it. Make it hot. Put some chicken chunks that have been sitting in some Teriyaki sauce (go buy the sauce from Zen, it is cheap and damned good).

Cook the chicken and toss in some sesame seeds in the process.

Then put some brown rice you have already steamed in the mix and add some more teriyaki sauce but not too much. Cook till good and hot.

Being a wok you won't have to have it on too long to make the kitchen hot. This is a pretty fast process and having a hood or vent is a good thing.

If you like you can steam up some broc., carrots, you name it and put in the mix. This stores well and heats up nicely in the microwave for leftovers.

Light, healthy and delicious not to mention super simple.

also....

Steam some brown rice. Put in a large pot and add some frozen veggies. Cook a couple minutes till the veggies get warm. You now have some good fiber and flaver. Season as you see fit each time you eat it to mix it up. Makes a good lunch with fresh fruits. Leaves wiggle room for a nice sweet reward like a half a piece of pie. You get the flavor of the pie with half the damage of a full piece.

Or...a nice bowl of sorbet in place of the pie.

 

[TXHookem]

Buy shrimp... create a dry rub made up of paprika, cumin and cayenne. Add a dash of cinnamon. Sautee in a skillet with olive oil or grapeseed oil - either will do. Serve with a yogurt sauce made of natural yogurt, sri racha, lime juice and chives. Spinach salad on the side.

 

[THEU]

I like the nice Sashimi grade Tuna steaks that HEB has had. I take them and make a mix of peanut oil, worchestershire sauce, garlic salt and lemon pepper. Just a very ligh coating of this on each side for a couple of minutes each side.

Grill or pan grill the steaks until med rare, and serve with cooked spinach and couscous or quinoa of your choice.

 

[THEU]

Take a packet of spring greens I or some other slightly bitter greens mix. Add to that some smoked salmon from a package (found in just about any seafood section). Then add a bit of mixed Italian cheeses. Parm, Romano, Mozerella etc.
Dress with Gerard's Light Champagne dressing.

This is probably my favourite salad of all time. It is light, while still being substantial, EASY, and a bit fancy (at least for some reason it feels that way to me).

 

[Sock Monkey]

Wrap scallops or shrimp in bacon and grill. Place over a summer "slaw" of thinly sliced cucumbers, finely diced shallot, diced orange, mango, avacado, finely diced jalapeno, the juice of one lime, and two tablespoons of olive oil. Yummy.

 

[scottsins]

THEU:

if the tuna is sashimi grade, rare is way better and med rare is a bit too much, IMO.

I love the sauce/spice that you use though. simple, good stuff to let the tuna scream out its awesomeness.

 

[THEU]

scottsins, I agree with you on rare.... I also thought I more people on here would like it cooked a bit more.

I do notice that HEB's cooking instructions say to cook completely. Do you think that is just to cover themselves legally?

Heck, I sometimes just sear it on both sides and have never gotten sick or anything from it.

 

[Smurfette]

Got a new one from tonight. I'm calling it Southwest Pasta

1. Slice into strips and season 4 chicken breasts. Brown them in a skillet. (I used a garlic herb seasoning.)

2. Boil enough pasta for 4, (use Penne or other chunky pasta)Drain.

4. Saute the following in olive oil (a few turns) and about a tsp on minced garlic in a large wok::
1 diced onion, (small to medium)
1 diced green bell pepper
1 diced red bell pepper
1 can of corn, drained
around half a cup of fresh chopped cilantro, (I just tore off the top of the bunch I bought at HEB and used that much.)
Juice of one lime

5. Combine cooked chicken, cooked veggies, and cooked pasta in wok.

6. Add one package of Queso Fresco that you have cubed.
Stir in wok until cheese gets soft and warm, but not melted.

7. Serve w/ slices of avocado on top.

Since we're only two people in my house, I took out and saved half of the pepper/onion mixture, only used 2 chicken breasts and half the chunk of Queso Fresco. There was still enough left over for LHF68 to take for lunch tomorrow. And we'll be able to make this meal again soon

 

[scottsins]

THEU:

ignore that HEB instruction ********.

 

[THEU]

scottsins, I usually do, but I just am more wary getting the meat from HEB I guess than when I eat it completely raw or just seared in a restaurant. I don't know why.

Smurfette, just curious, but do you guys eat a good bit of pasta? Both of your recipes have included pasta, so I was just curious.

The wife and I eat very little pasta. I think I might try to substitute a nice rice or quinoa for the pasta in your dishes and see how that goes.

 

[TXHookem]

If you are going to eat a lot of pasta, I strongly suggest Barilla Plus (this is coming from someone born/raised in Italy)

 

[Smurfette]

I wouldn't say we eat a lot of pasta, but I guess we have recently because I'm trying to experiment with pasta dishes that don't involve heavy tomato sauce or cream sauce.

And we DO always buy Barilla pasta-- that stuff's the best. I don't like the normal whole wheat pasta stuff because I think it tastes like glue, (and yes, I DO remember what glue tastes like, I ate my fair share in the 1st grade.)

With the first once, you could really just add more veggies, like maybe some zucchini? Then you wouldn't even really need the pasta.

The 2nd one would probably go with rice too, but I personally think that takes away the "unusual" side of the dish.

I was also thinking that it would be a good pasta salad for a party, just cut out the chicken.

Ohhh. which makes me think #2 would go well w/ couscous. (but that's not helping get away from the pasta huh?)





THEU-- lemme know if you try it. LHF68 and I were both very pleased. I'm thinking this would be a good one for a dinner party, but I'm curious to see what someone else thinks before I break it out for the masses. And if you do, make sure you taste it-- I never measure spices, so those are just approximations.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Great "lite" pasta dish. I probably eat this (with various additions) at least once a week.

1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

 

[Mistadobalina]

Saw this on Barefoot Contessa a couple weeks ago and made it. It was a big hit. Roasted Shrimp and Orzo salad. Make sure you get good feta.

Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

 

[jmrob93]

cilantro chicken pasta

grilled chicken- cubed up

I use low carb rotini-- but to each his own

add Cilantro pesto
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch of cilantro
1 jalapeno
1 tbsp garlic
lime juice to taste-- 2-3 tbsp
S &P

this can be served cold or hot -- I add fresh Parmesan or feta--mix together and serve

 

[kbrown]

I think I'm gonna try the grilled Chipotle Portobello "Burgers" I saw on Raiclens "Primal Grill" last night. Recipes on his website for those onterested.

 

[TXHookem]

I'm going to make a frittata tonight... don't have portion amounts since I'm making it up but here's essentially what it looks like:

eggs or egg beaters
sliced chicken breast
spinach
either goat cheese or feta - still deciding which to use
sundried tomato
roasted red pepper

I'm going to serve this with a tomato salad maybe using heirloom tomatoes

 

[shorty]

I use leftover baked or grilled fish to make a nice cold salad that is a meal.

Cook about 1 cup of elbow macaroni, drain and refrigerate.

Thaw and drain a 16 oz. package of mixed vegies (corn carrots, peas, green beans -no potatoes). You can cook them a couple of minutes in the microwave if you do not want them as crisp.

Chop three boiled eggs.

1 jar of diced pimentos.

I small onion or several green onions.

1 clove of mined garlic

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

1 diced tomato

2 cups cold diced cooked white fish. I use striper but you can use another type white fish. I see no reason why cold salmon could not be used.

1 cup Mayo of MW with 1-2 tablespoons of ketchup. Use more if needed. Low fat yogurt could probably be substituted but may need to be thinned with a bit of milk.

Combine all ingredients and you have a cold salad that is a meal and is great to take for lunch the next day. Except for cooking the macaroni and boiled eggs, this keeps the kitchen fairly cool when you prepare it.