Chicken Banh Mi

When I saw this recipe in Sunset magazine, I knew I had to make it!  Anything involving chinese five-spice is always good in my opinion.  Plus adding on all the condiments - there's no way it could be bad.

This is a super easy meal to make! But when the recipe says to matchstick cut your veggies, don't do that unless you feel ambitious and not very hungry yet - it's not necessary. Just cut, grate or slice them in whatever manner sounds easy and appetizing to you. Also, I used chicken tenders instead of full breasts which made the cooking time even faster. And I also subbed out the mayonnaise on the bread for Sriracha. Yummy in the tummy!

Tilapia with Olives, Pine Nuts, Artichoke Hearts & Basil

This dish is definitely one that you will want to make again and again...at least I do!  It is super easy and so fresh tasting. Here is what the mise en place looks like.

To start, preheat the oven to 350.  Spread 1/4 cup of pine nuts out on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes or so.  Then raise the heat to 400.  Season 4 tilapia filets with olive oil and S&P, and place then in a baking dish.  Pour 1/3 of a cup of dry white wine over the fish, as well as 1 large chopped garlic clove, and about 3 TBS of chopped fresh basil.  Nestle in among the fish 1/2 cup of pitted Kalamata olives and 4 artichoke hearts (cut in half).  Cover the dish with tin foil and bake until the fish is opaque and cooked through, about 10-15minutes.

I used a dutch oven in order to minimize the number of pans I had to wash

Once the fish is cooked, remove the filets from the baking dish and transfer all the juices to a small pan.  Set the pan over medium heat and stir in another large chopped garlic clove, 2 TBS of chopped fresh basil and the toasted pine nuts.  You can also add a little more olive oil if needed.  Once it is nice and fragrant, spoon the sauce over the filets and serve.

I served mine up with some roasted potatoes. I tossed them in olive oil, S&P and put them in the oven just before the fish went in .  Oh boy! it was SO good!!!  All the different flavors come together perfectly in each bite.

Shauna:  I'm curious if this will trump the other tilapia that's in your permanent rotation. Let me know!

Caprese Salad

I love a caprese salad!  Anytime, anywhere!  It's so easy and so good!  Last night I went to TJ's and they had these brown tomatoes called Kumatos that looked like they could be tasty, so I decided to try them and make a caprese salad.

I sliced the "kumatos" and mozzarella and topped them with some chopped basil.  Then I put a pile of arugula in the center, and drizzled olive oil over the entire thing along with some freshly ground salt & pepper. Yum! Yum! and Yum!