summer soiree Archives - Page 3 of 6

Grilled Chicken Cutlets, Pickled Sweet Cherry Pepper Sauce

Grilled Chicken Cutlets
Pickled Sweet Cherry Pepper Sauce

Grilled chicken breasts can be pretty boring, right? But here, a vivacious sweet cherry pepper sauce adds bright tangy flavor and a pop of color to simple chicken cutlets. Serve the smoky juicy chicken over mixed greens, and the sauce doubles as a dressing.

In fact, this sauce has so much personality that the chicken needs no marinade. Just coat the cutlets with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then toss them on a hot grill. An efficient cook could have this fabulous low-carb dish prepped and plated in less than 15 minutes. Here’s to summer grilling season!

Pickled Sweet Cherry Pepper Sauce Recipe

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“Margarita” Salmon Burger with Tequila, Lime, and Hatch Chiles

“Margarita” Salmon Burger with Tequila, Lime, and Hatch Chiles

This unconventional salmon burger – spiked with flavors of a refreshing Margarita and studded with spicy-hot fire-roasted chiles – captures the essence of summer’s last days and our beloved Hatch chile season. Where the tequila and fresh lime add zing, and the Hatch chiles add heat – these fresh ground salmon burgers are lively, sure to perk up the last long hot days of summer. Relax on Labor Day, enjoy a Margarita or sip some tequila, and savor a spicy “Margarita” salmon burger!

How to Make “Margarita” Salmon Burgers

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Grilled Peach Salad, Maple Bourbon Dressing

Grilled Peach Salad

Bourbon Grilled Peaches, Arugula, Farro
Blueberries, Red Onion, Bleu Cheese, Pistachio Nuts
Maple Bourbon Rosemary Dressing

The kinship between peaches and bourbon is the foundation for this wildly flavorful summer salad. The natural flavor attractions and diverse tastes and mouthfeel of pickled red onion, bleu cheese, and pistachio nuts pull it all together like a molecular bond. Blueberries add a fresh sunny pop while farro adds a chewy texture and nutty earthy notes. It is all harmonized by the dressing, an over-the top sweet & savory maple-bourbon-rosemary blend that will have the adults swooning.

Grilled Peach Salad Recipe

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Korean BBQ Chicken, Lettuce Cups, White Seaweed Salad

Spicy Korean BBQ Chicken with Iceberg Lettuce Cups
garnished with
White Seaweed Salad, Sliced Scallion & Chiffonade of Perilla

Warning: This is not your ordinary barbecued chicken. Here, grilled Korean-style spicy smoky chicken with a hint of sweetness (dak bulgogi) is nestled in refreshingly crisp iceberg lettuce cups, topped with a white seaweed salad dressed with garlicky mayonnaise and sesame seeds, then finished with slices of scallion and herbaceous ribbons of perilla.

The chicken marinade’s main ingredient is gochujang – a Korean red chili paste with sweet heat and a fermented umami richness. It is definitely spicy – but also has a balanced fruitiness, slight smokiness and depth of flavor from the sun-dried Korean red peppers.

The chicken is served in “under-appreciated” iceberg lettuce cups. Iceberg is the perfect vehicle for transporting the chicken – the leaves are pliable, just the right size, with a beautiful pale green color, and adequate crunch. My unique white seaweed salad is made of crunchy springy kelp noodles. Perilla (wild sesame leaf) is sliced into thin ribbons and sprinkled over the chicken, adding a complex herby flavor. It’s all very fresh and summery. Low-carb too.

Korean BBQ Chicken, Lettuce Cups Recipe

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Quiche with a Black Quinoa Crust, Heirloom Tomatoes, Spinach, Goat Cheese

Quiche with a Black Quinoa Crust
Heirloom Tomatoes, Spinach, Goat Cheese

The wild, crunchy supergrain of the Andes makes an interesting crust for this tomato, spinach, and goat cheese quiche. Organic Royal Black Quinoa is grown 13,000 feet up on an arid, desolate salt flat in Bolivia.

My gluten-free friends will appreciate quinoa as a replacement for a pastry crust. And everyone can appreciate the nutrition, extra protein, and fiber that quinoa adds to the quiche. For me, I like the unexpected striking black color – even if I have to explain that no, no, it’s not burnt.

Black Quinoa Crust Quiche Recipe

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