A beautiful plate of sliced tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil drizzled with a rich balsamic reduction was always a mainstay on our Italian table growing up. You have come to know and love it as Caprese or Insalata Caprese. (Have you ever noticed that this dish reflects the colors of the Italian flag?) Besides being a delicious and light salad or appetizer, Caprese is as versatile as a dish gets. So much so, that you’ll now find it in many variations and combinations with other foods. The Marinated Chicken Caprese is the perfect example and is sure to be a new favorite for you and your family! You can make the pesto and balsamic reduction from scratch or use store bought. The Chicken Caprese also answers that age-old pesky question; How can I come up with new ways to cook Chicken? Well, maybe I can help you at least for this week!
pesto
Cheesy Pesto Crack Bread
It’s a shareable cheesy, pull-apart round of ridiculously delicious bread! Oh, and that’s just the beginning of the experience you’ll have making and devouring this tasty appetizer! It’s really so simple to make—maybe ten minutes of prep time, then into the oven it goes until its golden brown, and the cheese is melted to perfection so when you pull a chunk of bread apart , the mozzarella just stretches and pulls just like those pizza commercials! I love this recipe because it’s fun to make, the ingredients are readily available and I always really enjoy dishes that you plop in the middle of the table and share! You can make this with a round sour dough bread boule, an oblong French or Italian loaf or even mini sour dough rounds for individual servings. For the pesto, it can be store bought or homemade, the recipe of which I have included here. Once you see the reaction to this tasty treat, you’ll be making it time and time again!
Watch my How To Video for Cheesy, Pesto Crack Bread here!
Cheesy Pesto Crack Bread
Garden Churkey Burger
The Story
You’re looking for something yummy and a little different for your Memorial Day menu. You’re trying to eat lighter. You’re craving a burger. You’ve come to the right place! How about a Churkey Burger? It’s a delicious combination of ground turkey and chicken (no, it’s not redundant… really!) with moistness and flavor added to the mixture from pesto, onion, and crushed red pepper. Then, once it is grilled to perfection, top it with avocado, sliced tomato, onion, arugula, and your favorite cheese. Your craving is about to be satisfied! So why use both ground turkey and ground chicken? You could certainly use just one or the other – they’re pretty much equal in calories, fat, and protein. But while turkey has a nice flavor, it tends to be a bit dry. Chicken, it seems, has a little more moisture and it acts more like ground beef when mixed together with other ingredients for patties. Add the pesto for even more moisture, and the Churkey Burger becomes a hearty and satisfying alternative to the usual burger fare. Now here’s a tip for a delicious condiment for your Churkey Burger: if you have some leftover pesto, let it drain through a sieve to get most of the olive oil out. Place the pesto in a bowl, add a little mayonnaise, and stir. It makes a wonderful slather on your bread and the perfect complement to the burger. Dive in and enjoy!
Cauliflower Pizza Crust and Butternut Squash with Pesto Pizza
The Story
Move over, kale. There’s a new Superfood Superstar that has, until now, been relegated to being roasted, steamed, smother with cheese, or made into a creamed soup. But cauliflower is a wallflower no more, and is catching the wave of popularity because of its newly discovered adaptability to favorites like pizza! In fact, cauliflower pizza crust has put it on the map for a whole new generation to enjoy. Add your favorite toppings to the crust or try this unique butternut squash recipe!
