Heirloom Tomato, Avocado, Chickpea and Bacon Salad

Sadly, my amazing tomato crop has now dried up and stopped producing, but not before I got to enjoy many a delicious caprese, margarita pizza and fresh salad. Fortunately, heirloom tomatoes are abundant at the grocery store and enable my almost no-cook dinner mentality. This salad is pretty and composed, but could easily be tossed together. And for a vegetarian main, simply take out the bacon and chicken and add more chickpeas.

Heirloom Tomato, Avocado, Chickpea and Bacon Salad

3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pieces bacon
4 ounces spinach
1 large avocado, pit removed and sliced
1 large heirloom tomato
A handful of cherry tomatoes (optional)
1 cup chickpeas (about 1/2 can)
2 green onions, sliced - divided
1/2 cup lowfat Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

Place chicken in a ziplock back. In a small bowl, whisk mustard, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper, then add to bag. Marinade at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours).

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a cast iron until crisp - then crumble. Remove and keep warm. Add chicken and cook until cooked through (about 7-8 minutes). Set aside and let rest, then slice.

Place spinach on each plate, then top with avocado slices. Slice heirloom tomato into slices and half the cherry tomatoes and put on top of the avocados. Sprinkle with chickpeas and half of the green onion slices, crumbled bacon and chicken.

 In a small bowl, stir remaining green onions, yogurt, vinegar, remaining olive oil and salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad. Grab a steak knife and enjoy!

Menu August 25, 2013

I have a confession to make - I've started shopping for Halloween decorations. I KNOW it's only August and still 100 degrees outside, but I can't help myself. So, with the hope of fall lingering in the Robison household, my menu planning is back in full force. Here's what's on the menu this week:

• Sunday - Hatch Chile and Chicken Enchiladas (recipe below)
• Monday - Pork Chops with Bulgur, Peach and Mint Salad from Cooking Light
• Tuesday - Shrimp Tacos with Corn Salsa from Cooking Light
• Wednesday - Crispy Cauliflower Cakes with Herb Sauce and Arugula Salad from Cooking Light
• Thursday - going out!
• Friday - Savory Corn Tart with Heirloom Tomatoes from Whole Foods Market

Hatch Chile and Chicken Enchiladas

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can red enchilada sauce
3 cups shredded chicken
6 mild hatch chiles, seeded and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 ounces spinach
18 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes and enchilada sauce. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together chicken, chiles, tomato and cumin.

Heat oil in a cast iron and add onions. Saute 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and stir in until just wilted. Add onion mixture to chicken and stir.

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Ladle 3/4 cup enchilada sauce and spread evenly.

Warm tortillas one at a time on a dry skillet (about 45 seconds). Add 1 tablespoon cheese and 3 tablespoons chicken mixture, then roll and place in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and pack in tightly. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle cheese evenly. 

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and let set for 5 minutes before digging in. Enjoy!

Maple Miso Chicken

Apologies for the delay! Honestly, when the thermometer reaches 100 degrees for several weeks in a row, real recipe planning goes out the door and we eat a lot of simple meals like salads and tacos. But, this little gem was a delicious weeknight meal - with a heavy focus on savory, then salt, and then a little sweet to balance it out. And, I had all the ingredients in my fridge already - love meals that I don't need to shop for!

 
Maple Miso Chicken

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons miso paste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon cooking oil (I used safflower)

Whisk first 5 ingredients together in a bowl (through sesame oil). Add 2/3 of mixture to a large plastic bag with chicken and reserve the other 1/3. Seal and let marinade at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour or two). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large cast iron pot on medium heat and warm oil. Add chicken and let cook until browned on one side - about 5-6 minutes, then turn. Brush with some of the reserved glaze. Place in oven and let cook 10 minutes (or until cooked through). Remove from oven and brush with any remaining glaze and enjoy!

I served with a super simple, but super flavorful side of orange tahini broccoli. Here's how it goes:

Orange Tahini Broccoli

1 pound broccoli
3 tablespoons tahini
Zest and juice of one small-ish orange
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim broccoli into bite-sized florets. Steam broccoli until ready (mine usually takes about 10 minutes). Meanwhile, whisk tahini and orange juice, then set aside. When broccoli is cooked, toss with orange zest and salt and pepper. Drizzle with orange tahini sauce and serve hot!