Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was enjoyable.

Ever get tired of the same ole run of the mill sandwiches?  I have an idea for you to try.  A different type of spread than your typical mayo or mustard.

Try this as your next sandwich spread: Avocado, cilantro, lime juice, hint of salt and pepper  and a spoon full of salsa – DELISH!

It is a simple spin on guacamole for the base of your sandwich.  The results speak for themselves.  For me, the sandwich quality is usually driven by the bread then followed by the toppings.  If you try this sandwich – you will be impressed with the flavor combination and treat the bread as a vehicle.

Ingredients

• Cooked chicken breast, sliced,
• 2 pieces of bacon, cooked
• Handful of spinach
• Pepper
• Avocado spread – see above
• 2 Slices of bread toasted

Method

1. Begin by making the spread, combine 1 avocado and handful of cilantro, squirt of lime juice, and spoonful of salsa
2. Toast your bread
3. Smear some of the avocado mixture
4. Top with chicken, bacon and spinach
5. Set the other slice of bread on top .
6. Slice it up.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  Use this avocado spread in many variations.  This would work very well as a base for baked nachos or even on a white fish.  Be creative and keep your taste buds guessing.

Alright, the first of the week is back again.  I hope you have a great start to your week.  I will be back on Wednesday.

Question:  What is your favorite sandwich?

Take care

zesty

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Hey fellas!  Thanks for dropping by over.  Are you hungry?  I am not sharing anything fancy here today just a simple dish that you can whip up at home in no time on a week night and maybe impress that special someone – or even your own stomach.

For this little number, I took boneless skinless chicken thighs gave them a little crack with the mallet to flatten them, seasoned them, breaded them with panko and baked them in the oven.  After the bake, I hit them with some homemade basil tomato sauce, and topped them with a hint of feta.

My spin on chicken parmesan without the parmesan…

Ingredients

• 8 Chicken thighs, boneless skinless
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tsp. Oregano
• 1 Clove garlic
• 6-8 ripe tomatoes, chopped or from a can
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil chopped
• 1/4 Cup goat cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
3. Place the bread crumbs in a large bag and season it with th1 tsp. of the oregano and salt and pepper.
4. Using wax paper and a meat mallet, gently smack the chicken thighs so they flatten out slight to a more even thickness
5. Drop the flatten chicken thighs in the bag of bread crumbs, tossing to ensure they are coated well.
6. Distribute the chicken on the baking sheet and cook for 350 for 45 mins until crispy and tender.
7. In a large pot, add the tomatoes, garlic and remaining oregano.  Begin to cook the tomatoes over medium heat allowing them to break down.  after about 10 minutes you can puree the sauce with a hand blender and let simmer.
8. Add the basil at the final moment to the sauce.
9. Remove the chicken, pat dry with a paper towel the underside as there may be some excess fat.  Plate, top with the sauce and feta cheese.
10. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  When using fresh herbs versus dry herbs you want to add the fresh in at the very last minute versus early on as you would with dry.  The aromatics and freshness will come through in a short time with fresh herbs brightening your dish with both color and flavor.

I hope you enjoyed this spin on a classic.  Let me know if you try it at home.  It was well received here and will make the February calendar as well.  Have a good Wednesday and I will see you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

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Brrrrrrrrrrr…  It is -22 degrees Celsius as I write this post.  Sitting with my warm fuzz socks, fireplace blasting, and fingers just clicking on the keyboard.  Today is Monday yet again and as I listened on the radio – it is chilly!

I might have something that will warm you up.  You know how I am always looking for simple and easy ways to cook for both my family and for you.  This dish is no exception.  This literally takes 10 minutes to put together and the results speak for themselves.

Take the rich meaty white fish of halibut and pair with a simple peach salsa with cilantro and cabbage and you have yourself a great lunch/dinner.  Follow below to get the details.

Ingredients

• 4 Pieces of Halibut
• 1 Tbsp. butter  ( for searing)
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 Lemon, juice
• 1 peach, peeled and diced
• Handful of cilantro
• 1 Tsp. Olive oil
• 1 Cup of cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp. Jalapeno pepper, diced
• Dash of hot sauce

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a medium size bowl, combine peaches, cabbage, cilantro, hot sauce, olive oil and jalapeno pepper.  Give it a quick stir and set aside in the fridge.
3. In a medium sauce pan, warm to medium high heat; Season the halibut with salt and pepper.
4. Add butter to the now heated sauce pan.  Place the fish down in the pan and let sear on one side.  About 3 minutes.
5. Turn fish over and sear on the other side for a minute.
6. Transfer to the oven and finish cooking for about 3-4 minutes depending on the thickness.
7. Remove from oven, hit it with some fresh lemon juice, plate it and top with the salsa.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  Do not over cook the halibut.  it is a little expensive so you don’t want to turn it into chewy rubber.  Watch for the flesh to become flakey.  About 6-8 minutes an inch.  Today’s process is somewhat fool proof by searing it first for flavor and then finishing in the oven ensure even cooking.

Alright, there you have it.  A simple yet elegant dish that will make anyone smile.  Mrs. Zesty gave this one a full double thumbs up and between you and me… that is a very good thing.  Have a super Monday and I will talk to you on Wednesday.

Take care

zesty

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Good day to you!  Sometimes dinners can be rushed and you need a quick and easy solution but still keep the food “somewhat” healthy.  Today’s feature is dead easy and if I might add quite tasty.  I might be biased as I love salmon – especially fresh Atlantic salmon.

However, any salmon will work and be just as yummy.  It is all about the flavoring combination and individual taste buds. For this dish I went with a lemon dill combination hit with a little heat of the red pepper flakes.  Over the years, I have cooked salmon in many different ways whether it be roasted, poached, grilled or as today – just a simple pan sear.

I will not get into the specifics but I will say… 8 mins to salmon!  Hello…. that is faster than grabbing dirty bird on the way home.

Ingredients

• 4 Pieces of Salmon
• Onion flakes, or powder
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• Pinch of Dill, dried
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• Juice of Lemon
• Drizzle of olive oil

Method

1. Bring a sauce pan up to medium high heat.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, leaving out the lemon and rub it all over the salmon.
3. Add half the butter and the olive oil to the preheated pan and lay the salmon in the pan.
4. No need to move the salmon in the pan.  let it get a nice sear about 3-4 minutes.
5. Once the sear is achieved, flip the salmon and let cook 2 more minutes on the other side.
6. Remove from pan and set aside.
7. Add the other half of the butter and the juice from the lemon.
8. Let reduce to a little sauce to drizzle over the salmon upon serving.
9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: By adding a little bit of olive oil to the butter in the pan, it prevents the butter from burning as the oil has a higher heat tolerance than butter.  It also adds a nice flavor to the slamon.

OK well another recipe complete.  Now you just have to go make it and tell me if it was thumbs up or down.  If it was mediocre you can tell me it was thumbs sideways.  Zesty Junior started that the last couple of years… I find it funny.  The most recent was on the blueberry muffins.  Hey Dad, ” something about these tastes weird, I give them thumbs sideways”.  Haha what a cat.

Talk to you all on Friday – whooo hoooo.  have a super day and keep smiling.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

How To Enter the Kitchen Aid Giveaway Today:

For today’s entry – Tell me your favorite holiday movie in the comments below.  And just because it is the holiday season you should tell all your friends about this giveaway ( well at least 10 people)  just joking but feel free to do it if you would like.

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Happy Monday to you!  OK, before reading this recipe, slightly unloosen your pants and don’t start calculating the calories.  Just prepare, bake and eat.  Deal?

This dish is very good to say the least.  Not one to eat 4 days a week but if you are reaching for comfort food that will make you smile I strongly suggest you push a fork of this in your mouth and tell me how it feels.  Super easy to prepare with simple ingredients and instructions but the labor of love on the sauce is really what counts.  Take the 10-15 minutes to make the sauce correctly and all will be rewarded with flavor and texture.

Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1 Tsp. salt
• 1/4 Tsp. pepper
• 2 1/2 Cups milk
• 1 small onion, finely chopped, or onion powder/flakes
• 1 Cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 Cup Bread crumbs

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly.
3. Gradually stir in milk, 1/2 cup at a time. Heat to boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute.
4. Arrange potatoes in greased 2 quart casserole in 3 layers, topping each layer with part of the onions and 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the cheese.
5. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the microwave and incorporate into the dry bread crumbs.
6. Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs.
7. Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 60-70 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minute before serving.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: This scalloped potato recipe goes with so much, from ham, to meat loaf to just about anything you want to pair it with.  Will also work well with a nice side of beef or even something as simple as oven roasted fish.

How to Win the KitchenAid Giveaway Today

Just leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite HOLIDAY MOVIE  Remember, you can still enter the contest from previous days!

1. Please “like” the Zesty Cook facebook page and come back and tell me you did it. If you are already a “liker,” leave a comment telling me you are already a fan.
2. Tell me your favorite holiday tradition and leave a comment telling me.
3. Tell Zesty your favorite Holiday dish
4. Tweet about this contest and leave a comment telling me you have tweeted.
5. Tell me the first thing you would make with the mixer.

Please be sure to leave separate comments for each entry to increase your chance to win!

Have a super start to your week and i will talk to you all on Wednesday.  If you try these potatoes or make something very similar let me know what you think and your variations.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Halloween!!  Sorry for the rush in the day but i have 17 things to do this morning and only about 45 minutes to do it.  Including getting my costume on for work.  Depending how I look I may share a photo or two on Wednesday!

OK OK – the weekend is over and it is back to the normal weekday grind.

On Sunday morning I had some time to prepare lunch as the rest of the gang was out.  I knew I wanted something simple cause we had to be on the move shortly after 1:00 so I came up with a simple pasta dish.  Mrs. Zesty loves pasta and mushrooms - so what better way to use up some mushrooms than kick them up a notch with both some heat and some noodles.  As I was looking around the fridge and pantry, I noticed some white wine that was begging to be finished as well as some fresh arugula and some button mushrooms.

My mind was made up and we were good to go.

Ingredients

• 1 handful Fettuccine
• 10 -12 Mushrooms ( chopped)
• 1 Tsp. Red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 12 Grape tomatoes
• 1/2 Cup white wine
• 1 Cup Arugula
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tsp. Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan; salt and add pasta.  Cook according to directions and drain.
2. In a large pan, turn on medium heat and olive oil and half the butter.  Add mushrooms and begin to cook down – 4-5 minutes
3. Season with salt and pepper, add red pepper flakes and cumin.  Cook another 3 minutes
4. Add tomatoes and cook for about 5 more minutes.
5. With heat still on medium, toss in the white wine and cook down for 1 minute.  Add remaining pat of butter and stir.
6. Toss in the arugula and let wilt for 2 minutes.
7. Add cooked drained pasta and toss gently.  Shred Parmesan cheese before serving.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For the sauce, if you are finding it too dry, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water before draining down the sink.  This will bring a nice starchy salty flavor to the sauce and give it a nice balance.

OK there you have it.  A simple yet rich dish great for a Sunday lunch or any meal throughout the week.  Nothing special but a nice hearty dish to serve with a hunk of homemade bread and a tall glass of mil to battle the heat.  I hope you have a super Monday and I will see you in 48 hours.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Why did I write wake up in the title…. I think it was more for me.  I am a little sluggish today but things will change.  It’s Friday!  Whooo Hooooo.  Alright, enough shenanigans and let’s get right to the serious parts.

Ever have basil pesto?  Of course you have… did you love it?  I am assuming so!  Well last week on our camping expedition we experimented, of course, and made some cilantro pesto because well we didn’t have basil but we had cilantro.

Genius, I know!  Am I impressing you yet?  I didn’t think so.  Well well well, I knew I loved cilantro in all things such as salsas, chutneys, with lime and fish but you make a pesto with this stuff and you will be over the moon.  I paired it with the black bean burgers as a condiment and well – the crowd loved it.

It had a nice bite to it but the Parmesan cheese and pine nuts were such a nice balance.  At one point I thought I could smear this on the side of the camper and eat it.  The recipe is super simple.  Here is the low down.

The recipe below assumes you have a food processor. But all I had at camping was a blender.

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Parmesan cheese ( cut into 1/2 inch pieces ) ( I only had grated )
• 1 Clove garlic
• 2 Cups fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. lightly toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 Tsp. salt

Method

1. With the machine running, drop the cheese down the feed tube and chop about 10 seconds. Remove and reserve.
2. Chop Garlic, then add cilantro and pulse about 20 times ( Scrape down sides).
3. With the machine running, drizzle Olive Oil down the tube and process until mixed. (Scrape down Sides)
4. Add pine nuts, reserved cheese and salt and pulse until nuts are chopped.
5. Let sit and store in a jar
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: As you build the pesto, make sure you taste it along the way. If you find it needs more salt, add some extra cheese and a little pinch of salt. If it is too thick and not blending/mixing properly add a little olive oil. Experiment and have fun!

Give this a try, I am confident you will like it.  Have a super weekend and I will touch base with you on Monday from the “WINDY City”.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

‘ello food lovers!  Happy Wednesday!  Ever since last week I have had Greek on my mind.  Yesterday when I left work, Mrs. Zesty called and asked what we were having for supper.  We were tight on time because Tuesday is soccer night so I made a pit stop at the grocery store and went right back to Greece.  I picked up some feta cheese, some tzatiki sauce, a few fresh tortillas, some roasted chicken already cooked and a Greek wrap was born.

Quick, easy, very tasty and filled the spot in 7 minutes.  Basically the amount of time we had before soccer was calling out our name.

Ingredients

• Whole wheat Tortillas
• Chicken, cooked
• Tzatziki Sauce
• Feta cheese
• Tomatoes, diced
• Lettuce, washed and chopped
• Black pepper

Method

1. Smear some Tzatiki sauce on the base of the tortilla.
2. Start with the lettuce and tomato, than layer some chicken on top, followed by some feta cheese.
3. I add a little more Tzatiki at the top to hold it all together.  Sprinkle with black pepper and wrap it up
4. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  Don’t overfill the wrap like I tend to do as it will be difficult to close and you make a mess all over your chin and shirt…. and no I didn’t do that.

Around the Blogsphere

A New Cookbook

Jeff Pirtle from Dinner Revolution has created an amazing e-book that is going to change the way we do dinner.  He has included me in a special offer for all my readers.  Normally the book retails for $27 but right now he is giving away Dinner Revolution for FREE for all the zesty readers.

What do you think of that deal? I say SUPER job Jeff and thanks so much for including zesty and all of you. To get your free copy of the book just visit here.

Blogger Fundraiser

A fellow blogger, Susan from the Great Balancing Act,  was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma and the food blog world got together with the organization from Janetha at Meals and moves and put together an online auction to raise money for Susan.

Read more about Susan and the auction that was over at Janetha’s blog.

The results were amazing, inspiring and very proud to be a part of.  Zesty chipped in and donated to full blog makeovers which raised over $1050 dollars.  Kind of exciting but the real excitement comes from the over $26,000 that was raised in a mere 12 hours through the online community.

The only words I have for that is AMAZING.

Alright, back to the grind for me.  Have a super Wednesday and we will talk soon.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

The end of the week is here… one must return to a normal life. But not until I share with you a Greek feast that will make your mouth water. On Wednesday night we were invited down to our friends camper for a little Greek. A little Greek was sure an understatement. I ate way too much and I had to unbutton my shorts in hope that I could stand up without exploding.

The lineup included homemade tzatziki, warm fresh pita rubbed with olive oil and done up on the grill, pork skewers, chicken skewers, amazing Greek salad and a couple of beers to wash it down.  Combining the tzatziki, chicken and pork with a bit of the salad on the warm pita bread to create a souvlaki… was out of this world.  I inhaled 4 of these bad boys plus a couple of servings of salad…. hence why the unbuttoning of the shorts.

The flavor was amazing. I ate so much that the next day when I woke up, I could smell garlic oozing out of my forearm… haha oh well. Live life and eat well.
I want to include the whole meal in this post even though I should break it out into three posts so you can get all the details. So first I will start with the tzatziki and move on from there.

Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 500mg Tub of plain yogurt, strained over cheesecloth
• 1 Cucumber, seeded, peeled and grated
• 2-3 Cloves garlic, grated
• 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Place a bowl underneath a strainer. Set the cheesecloth over a strainer and pour the yogurt inside and let starin for a few hours.
2. Peel and seed the cucumber and than grate it on a towel. Once grated, ensure that you squeeze the water out of the cucumber. This will prevent the sauce from being to thin.
3. In a large bowl, add the strained yogurt, the cucumber, olive oil, garlic, vinegar and salt and pepper.
4. Mix well with a fork and taste for seasoning.
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Do not mix with anything but a fork as it will remove more moisture from the cucumber and make the sauce thin. Leave the food processor away and go old school.

Chicken and Pork Marinade

(Based on 2lbs of both pork and chicken)

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 Head of garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Oregano
• 2 Tbsp. Cumin
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Cut your chicken and pork into cubes and set aside. Depending on the amount of chicken and pork create the marinade accordingly.
2. In separate bowls place the chicken and pork. Toss in half the ingredients in each bowl.
3. Mix and cover with saran wrap for up to 4-5 hours
4. Soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes and let start placing the meat on the skewer. Once assembled, preheat the grill and set the skewers on to cook.



5. Let these brown on each side turning occasionally. Cook time is about 10-12 minutes.



6. ENJOY

Greek Salad

This salad was awesome. Simple and fresh but the flavor was out of this world. Crisp romaine lettuce, red onion, fresh tomatoes, cucumber, oregano, some olive oil and fresh salty feta cheese. YUM.

We left the olives off to the side as there were some nay-sayers on the olives. This is definitely a salad to have at least once a week. Amazing.  I actually was so excited to eat I forgot to take a picture of the final plate with the souvlaki…. oh dear.

I am heading back to the campground.  I just popped home to drop off some laundry and post for you.  Not sure if it is a beach day as of yet but we are having a big barbecue party tonight… I will fill you in next week.  Have a great weekend.

Take care

zesty

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Top of the week to you from the campground. The internet access here at the campground is terrible (hopefully the owners are reading this post) as it is pretty much unuseable. With that said, I took the show on the road and am getting the post done at a local CAP site down the road.

Yesterday was a great day for camping, sun was shining, nice breeze and lots to do.  We got up and loathed around for a few hours and then hit the beach.  The beach was very nice and relaxing, kids had a lot of fun in the sand but the water was “FREEZING“.  I went in with Carter for a little jolt and I thought my toes were going to be frost bitten.  I quickly darted back to the towel and assumed my normal position of lying down.  Yeah I am somewhat lazy at the beach.

After the beach we had too pick up a few things for supper.  We invited our friends over for a little snack which turned out quite well.  I had marinated a couple of small chickens in the fridge before we left as I wanted to roast them on the bbq upon return.

The bird... ready for eats

The marinade was pretty simple but offered a great aroma while the birds were roasting.

The marinade on the chicken getting ready to wait for 4 hours while we go to the beach.

I paired the chicken with roasted caluiflower on the grill served with a mango chutney, some grilled zuchini topped with feta cheese and balsamic vinegar and a nice fresh salad with toasted walnuts and blueberries.  All in all it was a good meal and everyone enjoyed themselves even most of the kids except for picky Mr. Carter who opted for a peanut butter sandwich.

Ingredients

• 2 chickens (prepped and cleaned)
• 1 Tbsp. mustard
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• 1 Tbsp. corriander
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 Tsp. onion powder

Sauce

• 1/2 Cup Butter
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4-5 sprigs of basil , torn

Method

1. Mix together all the ingredients except the chicken in a bowl and set aside.  Place the birds in a tinfoil roasting pan.
2. Rub the marinade all over the chicken ensuring it is covered and than wrap it in saran wrap for a few hours. The longer the better.
3. Preheat the grill to medium heat.
4. Place the roasting pan on the grill and let cook for about 90 minutes.  you can turn the chickens to get them really golden brown if you like to eat the skin.
5. For the sauce, preheat a pan over medium heat and melt the butter.  Add the lemon juice and zest and cook together  for 5 minutes.
6. Add the basil and serve.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When doing dry rubs, I like to add a little olive oil to bind the ingredients together and make it into more of a paste.  I find it allows the flavors to adhere to the meat better.

So there you have a simple roasted chicken done on the grill outside.  The flavors were really good especially with that little hint of mustard.  I am going to get going and enjoy camping.  I will talk to you on Wednesday.  Have a good start to your week.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty