Tropical Chicken Salad Sandwiches

We love the combination of flavors in this sandwich filling. The pineapple gives this slight hint of sweet along with a marvelous texture. The sesame oil along with ground ginger gives just a hint of Asian flavor too which is a really popular flavor profile at our house. And then there is the lovely crunch of the sliced almonds. I really love these.

Tropical Chicken Salad Sandwiches

1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, juice pack

1 teaspoon cornstarch

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

¼ cup chopped green pepper

¼ cup  sliced almonds (toasted)

2 sliced green onions

bread

lettuce

In a small saucepan combine the canned pineapple (with the juice) and the cornstarch, heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 more minutes.

Transfer to a medium bowl and allow to cool to room temperature

When pineapple is cooled to room temperature add the mayonnaise, sesame oil, ginger and salt and stir to combine.

Add chicken, green pepper, almonds and green onions.

At this point the mixture can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.

I like to add lettuce to these sandwiches when serving.

Makes 3 to 4 sandwiches.

Greek Chicken Pasta

I have made an observation this last month or so while posting recipes to this blog. We eat a lot of foods that are inspired by the flavors of Greece and the Mediterranean, at least in the summer. I love the flavor profile of that area: olive oil, olives, Feta cheese,tomatoes all of these flavors are so wonderful especially in the summer months.

This pasta dish is great anytime of year and works equally well with either chicken or turkey. Most of the ingredients are things that are always on hand at my house so I can make this when I don't want to make a trip to the store. Also it is just impressive enough to serve to guests so it is a perfect dish to pull out when you get unexpected guests around meal time.

The only down side to this dish in my opinion is that some of the ingredients are a bit on the pricy side (sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts) I do try to watch for sales on these ingredients so I can get them for less and just have them when I need them. I do admit to a bit of sticker shock when I went to make this for the blog picture. I had run out of sun-dried tomatoes and had to buy them at regular price but that got me to thinking how do I use these ingredients to really make them stand out. First off don't chop them up too finely! I know there is a school of thought that if you chop them up really finely then you get a little bit in every bit. I say NO! cut them in larger pieces so they really show up. I would rather see fewer large pieces of these ingredients than to have tiny bits of stuff I can't identify in every bite. So I just cut the olives each in half they show up so much better that way. Then I cut the rest of the expensive stuff into about the same size pieces.

Also I used the marinade from the artichokes as the base for my vinaigrette for our salad. I simply added some extra virgin olive oil, a bit of balsamic vinegar and some dry herbs. After all you paid for both the artichokes and the marinade they come in.

Also in this recipe (like in many of my recipes) I make the white sauce in the microwave. I do this all the time, it is practically fool proof and really pretty fast.

Greek Chicken Pasta

½ pound uncooked dry penne pasta

¼ cup butte

1 cup chopped onion

¼ cup flour

1 (14 0z) can chicken broth

1 cup (about 4 oz) crumbled Feta cheese

3 cups (approximately, use what you have) chopped cooked chicken or turkey

1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

½ sun-dried tomatoes (oil packed) drained and chopped

1/3 halved kalamata olives

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Grease an 11”x7” casserole dish

Cook pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile melt butter in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave (about 30 seconds to a minute)

Add onion to butter and heat in microwave on high for about 2 minutes at a time until soft and starting to cook through.

Add flour, stir well and heat in microwave for 30 seconds.

Stir in chicken broth. Microwave on high at 1 minute, stir and repeat until mixture starts to bubble and thicken.

Combine all ingredients and put in prepared casserole dish.

Bake uncovered 25 to 30 minutes until hot.

Garnish with additional parsley and oregano if desired.

Three Potato Medley

I know I have already shared a few potato side dishes that are cooked on the grill. That's because I make a lot of them, especially in the summer. I love to have as much of the meal coming off the grill as possible. It is just easier, it's tastier and it saves me time.

This one is a little bit faster because we start cooking the potatoes in the microwave before we put them on the grill.

You will need some kind of grill basket to cook the potatoes this time but I use my grill baskets for so many different things. If you don't already have one and you grill very often you really need to check them out.

The three potatoes in this recipe are small red potatoes, Yukon golds and a sweet potato. The flavors of these go so well together and when you add your favorite barbecue sauce and the smokey flavor from cooking on the grill it would be hard to find a better side dish.

As for the barbecue sauce use whatever you already have/ love. I have made these with several different sauces and it is always good.

If you don't have the frozen pearl onions called for, just substitute a handful of cut up green onions. They are wonderful here too.

Three Potato Medley

½ lb small red potatoes, cut into bite size pieces

½ lb small Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite size pieces

1 medium dark-orange sweet potato, cut into bite size pieces

1 Tablespoons barbecue sauce

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon fresh sage (if you have it, totally optional)

1 small green pepper, cut into bite size pieces

16 frozen pearl onions, thawed (or a handful of green onions cut-up)

Heat grill and grill basket

Place all the potato pieces in a shallow microwave safe dish and cover. Cook on High for 8 to 10 minutes (stirring once) or until tender. Be sure to check the sweet potato, it takes the longest to cook. Cool slightly

Meanwhile in a bowl combine the barbecue sauce, lemon juice, oil and fresh sage. Add potatoes, green pepper and onions and stir to coat.

Carefully put the potato mixture in the hot grill basket.

Cook over medium coals 10 to 15 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and nicely browned. Stir 2 or 3 times while cooking

Jicama Orange Salad

What’s not to love about a jicama? They are wonderfully refreshing and crunchy they pair with almost any other flavor.

This salad is a wonderful mixture of cold, crunchy jicama, juicy orange and wonderfully creamy avocado. It pairs well with the flavors of the southwest and soothes the palette if the rest of dinner is a bit on the spicy side.

I know once you try it this salad will become a regular on your menu.

Jicama Orange Salad

2 cups cubed and peeled jicama

2 large oranges, peeled, halved and sliced

½ cup orange juice

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

½ teaspoon salt

1 large avocados (or 2 small ones), pitted, peeled and cubed

In a large glass or plastic bowl combine everything except the avocado, mixing well.

Cover and chill until serving time, at least 3 hours.

Just before serving add the avocado mixing in gently.

Pineapple Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Here is another of my sandwiches that can be made ahead and frozen to put into the lunch bag/box. I really love these time saving recipes. And the bonus of saving me time on busy mornings really is just what I need so often.

This sandwich is for your peanut butter lover. As a mom I love that it is sweet without all the sugar from jelly or jam or honey. By mixing in the crushed pineapple and some shredded carrot you are giving a little boost to the nutrients in the sandwiches and if you have kids that don't like veggies this is a great way to sneak some in on them.

Pineapple Peanut Butter Sandwiches

2/3 cup crunchy style peanut butter

1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple in juice, well drained

1 medium carrot, shredded (about ¼ cup)

2 oz cream cheese, softened

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and combine with an electric mixer.

Sandwiches made from this can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Place frozen sandwich in lunch bag and it should thaw in about 4 to 6 hours at room temperature.

Makes 4 sandwiches

SW Patty Melt

We love these sandwiches and they are a wonderful change up to the normal burger. Face it by the end of the summer we all get a bit bored by just a burger. We love the combo of the slightly spicy (and it really is slightly, my son thought they needed more spice) with the garlic Texas Toast.

The Jalapeno Ranch Sauce makes way more than you will need with the burgers but it is just so good. We use it to dip fries or veggies in. It is also a fantastic salad dressing. It is best to make this sauce up and let the flavors marry in the refrigerator for about an hour before using

SW Patty Melt

Jalapeno Ranch Sauce

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

dash garlic powder

dash onion powder

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

SW Patty Melt

1 lb ground beef

grill seasoning, (your favorite brand)

3 thick (¼”) slices of red onion

olive oil

6 slices frozen Texas toast garlic bread

3 slices Pepper-Jack cheese

guacamole

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Prepare grill

Form ground beef into 3 patties and season both sides with you favorite grill seasoning.

Coat the onion slices with olive oil

Cook the beef patties and onion slices on grill over medium coals for about 15 minutes turning once.

Add cheese to meat patties and heat Texas toast on grill following instructions on package.

Serve with Jalapeno Ranch Sauce and guacamole.

Parmesan Potatoes and Carrots in Foil

Here is another recipe for potatoes in a foil pouch to cook on the grill. I do lots of different recipes like this and this one is always very popular.

I like the ease of cooking the potatoes in the foil right next to the main dish on the grill. Everything can be cooked out on the grill and it keeps in out of the hot kitchen on a hot day. Especially nice when entertaining guests in the summer.

Parmesan Potatoes and Carrots in Foil

¾ lb small red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into bite size pieces

¼ lb baby carrots, halved lengthwise

½ medium onion, grated

2 Tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon dry Italian herb seasoning

½ teapoon lemon peppercorn

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

2 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons chopped chives

On an 18”x12” piece of heavy duty aluminum foil layer everything except the chives in the order given. Wrap the foil up to form a pouch. Cook on medium grill for 45 to 50 minutes or until vegetables are all tender.

Sprinkle with chives just before serving.