The Wives Club (& a Recipe!)

I haven't posted a recipe in FOREVER. I haven't been making good use of my camera, and with my lack of cooking in general my last few months in Utah, I haven't really had any recipes to share. However... I've been cooking/baking up a storm since we've been in New York... It's honestly getting a little out of hand. I made a meal schedule with all new recipes I wanted to try from now until April, so Chin has had a lot of new meals lately, with a lot more on the way. They've all turned out pretty good so far, with my new favorite tacos recipe being the star. I'll get to those in a minute.

Besides Chin, there are three other LDS married guys in his med school class. So, the wives, being as awesome as we are, decided to have a Wives Club luncheon every week. The host changes weekly, and all the other wives contribute a little something to the meal each week. It's been a blast so far. I eat like a queen every Thursday (I'm talking turkey and cranberry sandwiches on homemade rolls and delicious tortilla soup good), and the company is even better. I'm a lucky woman to have come to Rochester and already have friends. Med school wives have to stick together! 

It was my turn to host this week, and we did some Valentine's crafts post-lunch, so I decided to dress up my table a bit.

I made Roasted Veggie Tacos with Avocado Cream and Feta, because they're my new favorite meal and are just purely delightful. Here are some pictures from the afternoon (c/o the talented Xan Craven), then I'll get to the recipe!

Hydrangeas were a great price at the grocery store, and made for a great centerpiece. Each girl had their own chinese take-out box with juju hearts in them!

Guacamole cups (won ton wrappers baked in cupcake tins, filled with guac and salsa) made for great appetizers.

Seriously you need to make these tacos.

I made red velvet cupcakes for dessert, and served some hazelnut chocolate cookies from Trader Joe's (the best).

We all made different types of garland for our crafts, here's how mine turned out:

AND NOW: the best taco recipe, ever! They are SO easy, so fast, and even Chin loved them (and they are vegetarian-friendly so that's really saying something)!

Roasted Veggie Tacos (with Avocado Cream & Feta)
Adapted from Naturally Ella
For the Tacos:
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small butternut squash, diced*
½ medium red onion, diced
1 C. frozen or canned or fresh corn kernels
1/2 carton cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 red pepper, diced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. salt
6-8 taco tortillas (corn or flour)
feta cheese for topping
extra cilantro for garnish
 
For the Avocado Cream:
1 ripe avocado
⅓ C. plain greek yogurt
¼ C. cilantro
1 Tbsp. lime juice

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your veggies as listed above, and place them all onto a cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper over the veggies and mix with a large spoon to coat. Roast until all the veggies are tender, about 20-25 minutes (Squash takes the longest- I test it with a fork to make sure it's tender). While the veggies roast, prepare the avocado cream by placing all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Heat up your tortillas if desired, then assemble with veggies, cream, and feta. Enjoy! 
*You could use any type of squash you like, our local grocery store just cuts and pre-washes butternut squash and puts it into a package so you don't have to cut it up yourself. But you could use acorn squash or even summer squash!

A recipe wouldn't be complete unless I instagrammed a picture of it, right?

Homemade Arnold Palmers

So, I haven't posted a recipe in a long time. I mean a long, longgg time.

I blame this on the fact that this summer I've barely been near an oven at all. 

So, now we finally made it back to Rochester (Chin's first day of school is on Monday!) and we're both done traveling for a little while. I don't have to go back to Provo for another 3 weeks, so hopefully I'll be able to have some fun in my mom's enormous kitchen.

I thought I'd share with you a quick little recipe that's my favorite summer drink.

I was introduced to Arnold Palmer -- a drink that consists of half lemonade and half iced tea -- the summer I graduated from high school. I loved the drink so much, that I couldn't get enough of it. However, there were two problems.

The first being that my personal religious beliefs don't support drinking caffeinated tea, and the second being that the manufactured brand is full of (and I mean really full) of sugar.

Eventually I found an even better solution:

Starbucks makes their own version of an Arnold Palmer, made with their delicious Tazo Passion herbal (and decaffeinated) tea. The only issue with their drink is that they fill it to the top with ice, leaving you with virtually no drink, and you pay an arm and a leg for 16 oz of ice.

No no no that just does not work for Hayley Pingree. 

So I finally just stopped complaining and here I am, showing the best of any option: making your own.

I love making favorite treats at home, not only do I feel like homemade treats are more delicious, but you can tailor what you make to exactly how you like it.

There's just nothing better.

So here we go...

Homemade Arnold Palmer

1 Tazo Passion herbal tea bag (I bought mine at Target but could be purchased at select grocery stores or at Starbucks)

1 1/2 - 2 cups water

Your favorite lemonade (I prefer Minute Maid Light or Simply Lemonade if I'm feeling indulgent)

Step 1: In a microwaveable bowl or liquid measuring cup, microwave 1 1/2- 2 cups water until water is boiling (about 2-3 minutes).

 

Step 2: Steep your tea bag in the boiling water for 4-5 minutes, then remove tea bag and let your tea cool completely (I speed up the process by putting mine in the fridge)

Step 3: Once your tea is cooled, take a nice big glass and pour it halfway full with tea...

Step 4: Fill the other half with lemonade, stir with a spoon to mix it all up, add some ice, and enjoy! If you prefer a sweeter drink, at a packet of stevia or splenda for a sweet twist. 

Makes about 3-4 glasses. 

Greek Quesadillas with Feta & Roasted Tomatoes

 There are some foods that I think even if I wanted to take out of my diet, there would be no way that I possibly could. 

The biggest one? Cheese.

I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I literally live and die off cheesesticks, I could eat sharp cheddar, pepperjack, and fresh mozzarella by the pound. Don't get me started on ones like gouda (the smokier the better), brie, gruyere and havarti. 

And last but never least, I literally could eat feta cheese every day for the rest of my life.

Needless to say I'm excited to try all the different cheeses over in Italy and Greece, I've heard you can't really beat it!

So let's talk about feta (because you all love it as much as I do right?). I understand it might not be for everyone. But you really can't deny that creamy, tangy taste that can add a kick to almost anything. 

Some of my favorites? Any summer salad, particularly a watermelon salad with red onion, feta, and a light vinaigrette. PERF.

Gorge any Greek food with feta, and I might as well be in heaven.

Which brings me to these quesadillas.

I wouldn't normally put Greek food and quesadillas together in the same category, but the combination is fabulous.

And don't be scared about roasting tomatoes. They are seriously so easy to do. All you have to do is cut up a tomato, drizzle it with some olive oil and salt, and pop it into the oven and wait for them to get soft and gooey and caramely.

Crisp tortillas with feta (feta on feta on feta on feta), mozzarella, ooey gooey flavorful roasted tomatoes, cool cucumber, red onion, spinach, and a little bit of spice. 

We topped ours with light sour cream, but a homemade (or store bought) tzatziki would be over the top amazing.

Maybe next time. 

 

 

Greek Quesadillas with Feta & Roasted Tomatoes

adapted from Annie's Eats

  1-2 tortillas per person (we use 2 per person because we layer our quesadillas for dinner. But you could use 1 per person and fold it like normal, not huge people)

2 cups chopped spinach

1/3 diced red onion

Sliced black olives (we omit simply for Chin, he won't eat them!)

1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

2/3 - 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese

Dried Oregano

Red pepper flakes

1/3 cup diced, seeded cucumber

1-2 large oven roasted tomatoes

Sour cream/ anything you want for topping

 Begin by roasting your tomatoes. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, chop up 1-2 tomatoes into large chunks and place them on a baking sheet. Brush or drizzle with some olive oil, then sprinkle some sea salt and fresh pepper (or just regular is fine).

When the oven is preheated, pop them in and let them roast for about 20-25 minutes or until they are sunken and a little bit charred on the outside.

Transfer the tomatoes to a cutting board and chop the roasted tomatoes as finely as you like. 

If you're making a 2-tortilla quesadilla, place a cooked tortilla on a flat surface and layer with mozzarella, feta, tomatoes, red onion, olives, cucumbers, spinach, and anything else you'd like (chicken or lamb would be divine!). Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and oregano, then top it all with another tortilla.

Place the tortilla in a heated pan (or grill pan or whatever you use to make quesadillas) on medium heat and brown the quesadilla on each side, making sure the mozzarella is melted before serving.

If you're making a smaller quesadilla with just one tortilla, just follow the same directions except only put ingredients on half of the tortilla, then fold over. 

This recipe makes about 3 large quesadillas (so 6 tortillas), or 6 normal sized ones.

Opa!

Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

This is actually kind of a blog post about everything.

First off, have you guys heard about the BYU BLOGGER MEET UP?! I am so excited about it. The blogger meet up I went to in October changed my whole perspective on blogging, and the girls I met were incredible and so nice. It ended up being a blast, even though I was SO worried about it!

You should all come please! Elisabeth, the Awkward Girls, and Brooke, are letting me help with the planning, and it's going to be so fun. More than 50 people have RSVPed so far, so you should totally get in on the action.

I put the button on my side bar, and will keep it up there until the event, so make sure to click on it and check out the details!

 Second order of business, I'm going to sell some of my clothes! I went through my closet this weekend, and will put up a post of clothes/shoes that are for sale sometime this week, so sit tight!

Third, tomorrow is FEBRUARY 1st! Which means that the 14 Days of Valentine's starts tomorrow! I can't even wait! We're going to have some awesome crafts and recipes, as well as some awesome guest posts. So you'll be seeing A LOT from me in these next two weeks. Hope you're okay with that.

And finally, this soup. It was on my list of things to make all last week, and it wasn't until last night that I finally had a chance to make it. 

Let's talk about curry for a second.

Asian food has always scared me a little bit. We rarely make Chinese food around here. I just grew up eating Chinese food from restaurants instead of at home (my mom just never made it!), and I had never even tried Thai or Indian food until I came to Utah (don't judge).

I'm really easy to please when it comes to ethnic food, and Indian food is one of my favorites. I love the combination of curry and garlic and the sweet of coconut and mango and other delicious fruits. I could eat at India Palace every day. But seriously. 

Now let's talk about the soup. YOU GUYS THIS STUFF ROCKS. I know I like caps lock a lot, but this soup will take you 20 minutes to make, can be made on a low budget, and will knock your socks off if you like Indian food.

It's a filling soup that even had Chin stuffed after only 2 bowls. Record people, it's a record.

All of these ingredients, besides the peanut oil, is low cost. And peanut oil is an investment. It may have been 1/6 of our grocery bill, but I know I'll use it again for many purposes, and it lasts forever. I highly recommend taking the plunge if you want to drown yourself in true cooking domestication. 

This recipe has only NINE ingredients, and requires little to no chopping, no sauteing, no stirring-until-your-hand-falls-off-trying-to-make-it-thick, and like I said a million times, is too tasty.

Weeknight meal of champions? CHECK.

Do it to it, lovers.

Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 4-5 large bowls

8 oz. lo mein egg noodles (they look like little white spaghetti sticks in the oriental section of your local grocery store)

1 tbsp. peanut oil

2 generous tbsp. yellow curry powder OR 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. yellow curry paste

4 cups chicken stock

1 can coconut milk 

juice from 1/2 a lemon

1 lb. chicken, baked/boiled, then shredded

fresh or dried basil for garnish

1/2 cucumber, shredded, for garnish

Boil noodles according to package directions, drain, then set aside in a medium bowl and toss with 1 tsp. of the peanut oil. 

Heat remaining 2 tsp. of oil in a stock pot, or medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Add curry powder or paste and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and turn heat up to medium high.

Stir the stock until the curry/oil mixture is dissolved into it, then let it come to a boil, stirring occasionally. 

Whisk in coconut milk (the coconut milk might be separated and relatively hardened, but don't worry, it will liquidize in the soup), and turn down the heat to medium-low. Let the soup simmer, but not boil.

Pour in the lemon juice and stir, then add the chicken and stir. 

Divide noodles and soup among your bowls, then garnish with cucumber and basil.

ENJOY.

Chicken Bacon Club Pizza

I can't believe it's taken me so long to share my no fail pizza dough with you. It is literally fool proof, and that's coming from a very bread-challenged me.

It takes 10 minutes to make, and only an hour to rise, and 0nly five very cheap ingredients! 

My sister gave me the recipe when we first got married, and it's my favorite to date. You can do anything with it. pizzas, breadsticks, flatbread, you name it.

So more about this pizza. There's a type of pizza at SLAB (can you tell it's like, my like favorite place, like ever?!) called the Chicken Club, and I order it almost every time. It's the perfect combination of ingredients. bacon and chicken, red onion and red sauce, topped with perfectly fresh and crisp romaine for an added crunch, with a tang of ranch dressing. It's like eating a salad. Except a really filling salad that's probably not very good for you.

So I decided to try and recreate it at home. And it was so easy! It obviously had a few different components (different sauce and dough), but this pizza is so good homemade.

 Pre-Oven

 Post oven. How good does that look?! I love crispy, bubbly cheese.

Whatever you do. Make this pizza. And if not the pizza, at least try the dough, it will change your life!

Chicken Bacon Club Pizza

For the No-Fail Pizza Dough:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 packet rapid-rise yeast (not active dry)

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. olive oil

1 cup water (microwaved for 30 seconds)

In the bowl of an electric mixer or a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast and salt. Pour in the olive oil and the warm water into the center of the flour mixture, then with a spatula, scrape down the sides to incorporate the flour with the wet ingredients slightly. 

If using an electric mixer, fit your mixer with the dough hook attachment, then put your mixer on medium-high speed. Let the dough come together, then knead in the mixer for 6-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth.

If using your hands to knead, mix the dough together in your large bowl with a wooden spoon, then put the dough onto a floured counter top and knead for 6-7 minutes.

Put kneaded dough into a clean greased bowl and cover with a towel. Place in a warm dry place (I use the microwave) for an hour.

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. After the hour is up, take your risen dough and roll it out onto a floured counter and roll into a pizza circle as thin or thick as you like. Take your dough and place it onto a floured pizza stone or pan.

Let cook in the oven for 7-8 minutes, until slightly cooked but not browned yet.

For the toppings:

Pasta sauce (we like homemade, but Ragu or something similar is great!)

3 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

1/4-1/2 of a red onion, depending how much you like, chopped finely

1 chicken breast, cooked and diced finely

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

3/4 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped

ranch dressing for drizzling 

Once the pizza dough has been slightly cooked (see above), take it out of the oven and cover with pizza sauce, cheese, bacon, red onion, and the chicken. Put back into the oven on the top rack and let cook 10-15 minutes more (depending on how crispy you like your pizza). 

Remove the pizza from the oven, let sit for 3-4 minutes, then top with chopped romaine and drizzle with ranch. Cut, serve, enjoy! 

Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto

i'm on a squash kick, and i think that's kind of a weird kick to be on. 

before Chin and I got married, i hated squash.

hate as in i'd rather go play soccer with squash and use it as the ball.

or go use a squash for target practice.

it was that bad.

but now there's something wrong with me.

squash is delicious. and it's not hard to make even in the slightest!

i loved this recipe, because risotto is a special treat for us. 

it's relatively hands on, much more so than regular rice, and on weeknights stirring something for 25 minutes doesn't cut it for me.

but it's unbeatable.

creamy, garlicy, a little sweet from the squash, salty from a little bacon, and the sage makes it taste like Christmas.

and i don't know about you, but I could eat anything that tastes like Christmas.

but it's our favorite, and Chin asks me almost every week if we can have risotto.

so his wish (and yours after i share this recipe- trust me) is my command.

Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto

adapted from fine cooking

serves 4

1 quart (4 cups) Chicken broth

1/2 cup white cooking wine

2 tbsp. olive oil

10 large fresh sage leaves

4 slices bacon cut into thirds

2 medium shallots, minced

2 cups diced butternut squash

1 1/2 cups arborio rice 

1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano 

salt and pepper to taste

Combine the chicken broth and cooking wine in a small saucepan and put over medium heat.

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Add the sage leaves and fry, turning once until they've turned dark green, but do not let brown. 

With tongs, transfer to a plate covered with a paper towel. Put the bacon strips in the saucepan and cook until browned, then transfer to the plate with the sage.

Add the shallots to the saucepan and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until softened. Add the squash and rice and cook, about 1 minute. Pour about 1 cup of the hot broth mixture (enough to cover the rice), and cook, stirring, until the broth is mostly absorbed. Add another cup of broth and repeat the cooking process. Add more broth when the previous addition is absorbed, until all the broth has been used. 

Set aside 4 sage leaves for garnish. Chop the remaining sage leaves and the bacon into the cooked risotto. Stir in the parmigiano and season with salt and pepper. Pour into bowls and garnish each with a sage leaf.

enjoy! :)

 

French Onion Soup

Until last night, I had never had french onion soup. As a kid we never had it because i think none of us kiddos liked onions, and it was something that i always skipped over on the menu at a restaurant.

but MAN ALIVE. i was missing out.

not only is it a soup that adds a touch of class and sophistication to a weeknight meal, but it's heart-warming, simple, and so delicious.

The broth is light but still creamy, and the sweetness of the onions complement the Gruyere baguettes perfectly.

with Winter approaching, it's going to be a weeknight staple in our home. STA-PLE i say.

French Onion Soup

adapted from food network and annie's eats

makes 4-5 servings

3 large onions, sliced into rings

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. flour

4 cups beef stock

1/8 cup white cooking wine

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

1 french baguette

sliced gruyere (or grated to go over entire bowl of soup)

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion rings and garlic, and saute until onions are soft, translucent, and slightly yellow. Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook a few minutes more, until the onions are browned. Add beef stock, white wine, thyme, and bay leaf, cover and let simmer on low heat 20 minutes+ (or as long as you want!). Add the salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile, the the baguette into slices, and slice the gruyere.

Put the oven on broil. 

Once the soup has simmered, ladle into ovenproof bowls, place baguette and gruyere on top. Put on an aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet and place under broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve hot! :)

have a fantastic weekend!

Moroccan Chicken with Roasted Squash & Kale

i'm aware that this recipe is way too healthy for monday morning.

don't hate.

i've been trying to make a few adjustments in the food category of our marriage, including making dinners that don't put me in a coma for the rest of the night.

i loved this recipe. it was my first time making squash and kale (um ever, yep.) and it all turned out great, plus, it was 30 minute meal.

the squash and kale together were so pretty, and it's the perfect time to make squash.

kale. what the heck even is this stuff? it's like a mix between spinach and broccoli all in one. it's chewy and robust, and scary. but as scared as i was, it turned out great. i think it's my new go-to veggie.

i love how pretty the squash is. and it balances perfectly with the sweetly seasoned chicken.

Moroccan Chicken with Roasted Squash & Kale

adapted from Real Simple

1 acorn squash, cut in half, seeded, and then cut into small pieces

3 tbsp. olive oil

dash of salt and pepper

3-4 chicken breasts

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves torn

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a baking sheet, place squash pieces on the sheet and brush with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Dash salt and pepper over the top. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn over the squash pieces and roast for 10-15 more minutes.

Meanwhile heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. In a small bowl, mix together coriander, ginger and cinnamon. Season chicken with spice mixture and cook in skillet until cooked through, about 8 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet and add the kale and garlic. Cover and cook, tossing occasionally, until kale is tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the squash and toss to combine. 

Serve with the chicken and enjoy!

Smoked Gouda & Spinach Mac & Cheese

so. this was a big step for me.

i am a HUGE fan of homemade mac and cheese.

one teensy problem, when it comes to making the roux and the white sauce, before adding the yummyness of the cheese,

i can't do it.

i literally am a failure when it comes to thickening milk and flour.

of all things, i can't do something as simple as that?

it's frustrating beyond belief.

BUT... i finally think i mastered it! 

i finally made a thick, bubbly white sauce, that perfectly melted the cheese to create a perfect combo.

now enough about me and onto this bowl of delight.

anyone else love smoked gouda? i could possibly eat it for every meal.

that and peanut butter. and maybe nutella.

anyways so the combo of spinach and smoked gouda is pretty great. i'm not gonna lie.

the spinach is robust and flavorful, and has a great texture when it's wilted.

and we all know that gouda is all sorts of smoky goodness.

Smoked Gouda and Spinach Mac & Cheese

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely minced sweet onion
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups 2% milk
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups spinach leaves, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup shredded Smoked Gouda
3/4 pound elbow macaroni , cooked according to package instructions

panko bread crumbs for topping (optional)

in a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Whisk in flour until mixture is golden, and you've created a roux. 

Add milk, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened and comes to a boil, about 10 minutes. Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Add spinach to sauce and stir once or twice, until spinach is slightly wilted. Stir in cheeses until completely melted. Add cooked pasta and stir. Serve immediately in large bowls, top with salt, pepper and panko bread crumbs.

enjoy!

Lemon, Garlic, & Herb Spaghetti

a little twist on a classic italian dish.

i've always loved pasta, and spaghetti is no exception.

but there is something about changing around the traditional spaghetti and meatballs that appeals to me.

i love fresh, light pastas, and this weeknight meal is the perfect dish for early fall.

freshly squeezed lemon, biting romano and parmesan, and fresh herbs make this meal a hit.

this is my very own creation, and i'm so excited to share it with you!

Lemon, Garlic, & Herb Spaghetti

8 oz. spaghetti

1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 c. shredded romano cheese

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp. chopped basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Boil enough water to cook spaghetti in a medium-large pot. While water is boiling, pour olive oil and garlic into a small skillet over medium-low heat. Let garlic start to brown then remove from heat and pour garlic oil into a large bowl and set aside. Add shredded cheeses, lemon juice, basil, and oregano to the garlic oil, set aside.

Once water is boiling cook the spaghetti until tender. 

Drain the spaghetti then pour over garlic-cheese-herbs mixture. mix thoroughly, add salt and pepper. serve immediately.

quick and simple!

enjoy! :)

Spinach & Chicken Quesadillas

two food posts in a row?

i must really be ambitious this week...

you guys are going to think i'm crazy when i say that this chicken was the same chicken i made in those holyfreakingawesome kebabs from last week.

new chicken, same marinade (does that even make sense?).

ANWAYS

i can't stop eating it. that marinade is seriously mind blowing.

and it adds so much pizazz to these quesadillas.

am i the only one here who loves quesadillas?

yes, they are easy college food, but they can be dressed up to look fancy and are perfect for weeknights when you're tired or busy.

plus, this marinade can be made 24 hours ahead of time, so this meal is really a no-brainer.

layers of gooey cheese, tangy and powerful chicken, and perfect barely-wilted spinach for a little kick and extra healthiness. yeahhhh baby.

besides the marinade, this is really my own recipe (ha! sort of, i mean how much can you claim a "quesadilla" as a recipe?), so the measurements might be a little weird. the nice thing about quesadillas is that they're very open to interpretation. :)

Spinach & Chicken Quesadillas

Serves 2

For the Marinade:

3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

4 tsp. chili powder (trusssttt me)

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. fresh black pepper

Combine all ingredients besides the chicken breasts in a small bowl. whisk until well incorporated. Put chicken breasts in a large ziploc storage bag. 

Pour marinade into the bag, zip the bag shut, and make sure marinade has covered all the chicken (there are several different methods for this... i usually just mush the marinade around with my hands from the outside of the bag). let marinade in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Once chicken is marinated, cook the chicken on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through. dice the cooked chicken into small pieces.

For the Quesadillas:

3/4 lb. marinated, cooked chicken, cut into small pieces

4 whole-wheat tortillas

1 bag pre-washed baby spinach

any shredded cheese (we used mozzarella because it's health(ier).)

Heat a grill pan or skillet on medium heat, spraying the pan with a light coating of cooking spray. 

Take a tortilla, layer one half of the tortilla with a small handful of spinach leaves, 2-3 spoonfuls of chicken, and sprinkle (or smother heavily) with your favorite shredded cheese.

Fold the tortilla in half, cook on each side until the tortilla gets crisp and browns slightly and the cheese is melted.

repeat with each tortilla until all have been made.

serve with diced avocado, salsa, and sour cream.

enjoy! :)

look at those grill marks yeah yeah yeah!