Tag Archives: Pesto

Chicken Pesto Ciabatta Melts are perfect for your next weeknight meal!  Think of a classic bistro sandwich with warm, toasted bread, tender, juicy chicken, fresh, ripe tomatoes, melted cheese, and an herby pesto to top it off.  That’s what this recipe is, a wonderful hot sandwich option that fills the void for dinner (or lunch).  It’s filling without leaving you uncomfortably full.  The fresh ingredients make it feel like a light sandwich.  I personally think ciabatta is the perfect bread for a sandwich.  It’s soft and airy inside with a crispy crust so you can’t go wrong! The recipe can be found here. Start by baking the ciabatta bread according to package instructions.  Set the bread aside to cool.  Then slice the tomato and set it aside until ready to assemble.  I always but take and bake ciabatta vs fresh.  I think the taste holds up and I like that I can bake it when ready and feel like it … Continue reading

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I recently wrote a blog called Simple Summer Bruschetta Recipes and I’ve been craving something similar ever since.  I think bruschetta is the perfect summer appetizer because it’s easy to make, it’s a bite-sized snack, it’s customizable, and it tastes great!  One piece is never enough for me, so that’s why I like to prepare a variety and enjoy a smorgasbord of recipes 😊 Here are the recipes I have for you today: Roasted Tomato Bruschetta with Pesto Peach, Prosciutto, and Ricotta Bruschetta Cream Cheese, Avocado, and Dill Bruschetta   All are phenomenal in their own way.  The Roasted Tomato Bruschetta with Pesto has warm tomatoes that burst open while baking, and the sweetness really complements the pesto.  The Peach, Prosciutto, and Ricotta Bruschetta has juicy, ripe peach slices that pair well with the salty prosciutto.  The Cream Cheese, Avocado, and Dill Bruschetta reminds me of avocado toast and is something I would love to devour … Continue reading

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Chicken Pesto Naan Flatbread is a quick and easy meal that comes together with minimal effort and few ingredients.  It’s filling, flavorful, and done in about 20 minutes.  This recipe is great for spring or summer and can be made in the oven or on the grill. The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the flatbreads on the baking sheet. Top each with ¼ cup of pesto and spread evenly over the top.  Add more or less to taste.  We like pesto at our house, so I tend to go a little pesto crazy 🙂 Add ½ cup of mozzarella cheese to each flatbread. Add ½ cup of cooked and diced chicken to each flatbread.  This is the perfect way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese … Continue reading

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Pesto & Tomato Flatbread is a yummy recipe when you are in need of a quick meal.  It’s light and will leave you feeling satisfied without being overly full, and it has great flavor!  The Lavash bread is crispy, the pesto has a lovely, fresh taste, the mozzarella cheese is melted and pairs well with the pesto, and the tomatoes are tender and roasted.  It’s delicious!  Plus, if you’re anything like me, you probably have most of the ingredients at home already so it’s easy to whip up in a bind or when you don’t have other dinner ideas 😊 I like to use store-bought pesto for the convenience, but you can use homemade if you prefer.  If you aren’t familiar with Lavash, it’s a flatbread that is low in sodium, low in cholesterol, and is very thin, so it’s less doughy.  It’s great when you are looking for a paper-thin, crispy crust or are looking to cut some … Continue reading

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When I think of crisp and refreshing, I think of caprese salad.  It has juicy, ripe tomatoes, slices of soft mozzarella, and is finished with incredibly fresh basil leaves.  If you add some French bread and a smear of pesto and can turn a lovely caprese salad into a tasty pizza.  It’s bursting with flavor and is to toasted to perfection. The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice the French bread in half, horizontally.  If the bread is too long to fit on a baking sheet, slice the bread in half so it will fit.  Make sure you look for soft Italian bread or French bread.  You don’t want to use a hearty baguette or anything that will be too hard and crusty after baking. I like to use store-bought basil pesto, but you can make homemade pesto if you have … Continue reading

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Have you ever tasted gnocchi so good that it melts in your mouth?  Light, pillowy morsels that are tender and airy make the best gnocchi.  We recently had this experience at a restaurant near our house and wanted to recreate the meal.  Ultimately, our goal was to recreate the perfect Homemade Gnocchi, which is in fact what we accomplished. For those of you that aren’t familiar with gnocchi, it’s more of a dumpling than pasta.  Gnocchi is made from potatoes that have been riced and mixed with flour and eggs.  They also have these little ridges (or cavities) that are very helpful at holding sauce.  Once mixed with a homemade or store-bought sauce, you’ll have a gourmet meal! The first recipe I want to share with you is for Homemade Gnocchi.  The gnocchi really does melt in your mouth.  It’s very light and fluffy and pairs with the homemade sauces (I’ll share those recipes next) really well.  It’s less … Continue reading

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Sliders are one of my go-to ideas when it comes to meal prep.  I want something easy to make that will also last a few days.  Let me tell you, they are delicious!  If you’re unfamiliar with “sliders” they are basically small sandwiches that are served warm with various meats, cheeses, condiments and toppings (think finger sandwich size).  You can mix and match the sandwich ingredients to create different flavors and serve as an appetizer or entrée.  I like to make sliders for lunches.  Two of the mini sandwiches are the perfect sized lunch plus they hold up very well over the course of a few days and are perfectly tasty when reheated. I have 4 recipes to share with you today for sliders.  All are yummy in their own unique way! First up is Balsamic Dijon Ham Sliders.  All the flavor comes from the balsamic Dijon sauce.  It’s very … Continue reading

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Margarita Chicken is one of my new favorite dishes.  It’s quick and easy to make, healthy, and a tasty meal you can enjoy all year round.  The chicken is grilled to perfection, then topped with melted cheese, pesto, tomatoes, and basil. The recipe can be found here. Here’s how you make it: Start by combining the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning in a bowl.  Add the chicken and toss to coat. In a separate bowl, combine the tomatoes, basil and lemon. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat.  Cook the chicken on each side for about 8-10 minutes.  I like to cook the chicken low and slow, so I don’t burn the meat if the chicken breasts are thick.  You can always cover the skillet to help evenly distribute the heat.  If you are better with a grill it’s OK to cook the chicken that way too! … Continue reading

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Zucchini noodles are all the rage and a low carb way of enjoying pasta.  If you have a spiralizer you can easily make your own “zoodles” but if you don’t have a spiralizer you can find pre-spiraled noodles at your local Festival Foods.  I think zoodles are a light yet delicious substitution for traditional pasta noodles.  They will fill you up but without the heavy, overly-full feeling, if that makes sense. My new favorite recipe is Zucchini Noodles with Pesto Chicken.  It’s super easy to make and only takes a few ingredients! The recipe can be found here. Start by marinating the chicken.  Place the chicken in a Ziploc bag with some pesto, salt, and pepper.  Shake to combine and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.  I think this is the best method if you are going to grill or sauté the chicken.  I prefer to bake the chicken, … Continue reading

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We have been obsessed with flatbreads lately, specifically Naan flatbreads.  Naan is a leavened, oven-baked bread that is moist and tender.  And makes amazing flatbreads 🙂 One reason we love to make flatbreads is they are quick and easy, can be customized to any flavor preference, and taste great.  You simply buy a package of Naan bread, choose your toppings, bake, and enjoy.  The possibilities are endless! I have a few of our favorite recipes to share with you. Buffalo Chicken Naan Flatbread If you or your family likes spicy food, you’ll love this pizza.  It has the perfect amount of spice that is cut with celery chunks.  You can obviously make this as light or as spicy as you want by adding more hot sauce.  We usually make our own individual pizzas because Andrew likes his much spicier than I do.  Then the never-ending debate of Blue Cheese vs Ranch dressing starts…. but you can serve with … Continue reading

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