This week the requests were for Spatchcock chicken, Salads, and Strawberry Shortcake. Enjoy!

Sunday Spatchcock Chicken

Monday Cracker Salad (great with seafood)

Tuesday Avocado Salad

Wednesday Frisee and Endive Salad

Thursday Asian Pear Salad

Friday Fennel, Pear, and Endive Salad

Saturday Grilled Radicchio Salad and Fresh Vegetables

Bonus Strawberry Shortcake

Sunday

Spatchcock Chicken

Here is a video I found on youtube that should be helpful for you to see it, although the recipe he does is not the one below so you’re getting two versions! This is great for grilling a whole chicken fast.

 

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

pepper to taste

juice and zest of one lemon

 

Mix all ingredients together. Rub generously on chicken. Put chicken on grill and cook through.

 

Monday

Cracker Salad

Serve with seafood

1 bag oyster crackers, crushed

1 large tomato, finely chopped

1/2 red pepper, finely chopped

3 green onions, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 hard boiled egg, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

light sprinkle Old Bay Seasoning

Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately

 

Tuesday

Avocado Salad

3 cups cooked chicken, diced

2 avocados, peeled, diced, and tossed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice (SAVE peels as a bowl to put salad in if you can)

3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped

 

Mix all ingredients. Put in avocado peel bowl.  Serve (or chill then serve)

 

Wednesday

Frisee and Endive Salad

Dressing

2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped

 

Salad

1 head frisee

2 fennel bulbs, halved, cored, and cut into thin slices

3 heads endive, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch rings

1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled

1 pomegranate, quartered and seeded (keep seeds to sprinkle over salad)

 

In a small bowl, whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients together and set aside.

In a large bowl, arrange a bed of frisee. Top with the fennel and endive. Scatter the cheese and sprinkle the pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with vinaigrette before serving.

 

Thursday

Asian Pear Salad

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon chopped pecans

2 medium Asian pears, halved, cored, and thinly sliced

1 head romaine lettuce

 

Combine cottage cheese, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a bowl and blend well. Fold in pecans and set aside.

Squeeze lemon juice over pear slices to prevent browning.

Fan pear slices over bed of lettuce and top with cottage cheese mixture.

Chill before serving.

 

Friday

Fennel, Pear, and Endive Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 pinch dried tarragon leaves

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

2 large pears, cored and thinly sliced

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced, 2 tablespoons feathery fronds reserved and chopped

2 heads endive, leaves separated

1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

 

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. let stand about 5 minutes. Add the pears and fennel slices, toss gently to combine. Serve immediately over the endive, sprinkle reserved fronds and walnuts.

 

Saturday

Grilled Radicchio and Fresh Vegetable Salad

3 heads radicchio, halved

3 eggplants, halved lengthwise

1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

1 medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise

1 large red bell pepper, halved

1 large red onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 large tomato, halved and seeded

6 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth

3 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped

3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

6 cups romaine lettuce leaves

 

Prepare medium-high grill. Rub radicchio, eggplant, zucchini, squash, bell pepper, onion, and tomato with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables until browned and tender. Place vegetables on a large rimmed baking sheet as they finish cooking.

When vegetables are cool enough to handle cut into bite size pieces, working directly on the baking sheet and reserving all accumulated juices. Transfer the vegetables and juices to a large bowl and add the remaining oil, vinegar, broth, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss well to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes, toss again. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature over lettuce leaves.

 

BONUS!!!

Strawberry Shortcake

This is a recipe based on the traditional strawberry shortcake with a scone-like base.

Base

1 2/3 cups self rising flour

scant 1/2 stick unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing

1/4 cup superfine sugar

1/2-2/3 cup milk (by the way, subbing almond milk here is delicious for those who can’t have dairy)

 Topping

4 tablespoons milk

1 pound mascarpone cheese

5 tablespoons superfine sugar

1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered

finely grated rind of one orange

To serve

fresh mint leaves (I like to chop them, but it looks prettier whole)

confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 inch loose based cake pan.

To make base, sift flour into a large bowl, then add the butter and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar. Stir in enough of the milk to form a soft, but smooth dough. Gently press the dough evenly into the prepared cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until risen, firm to the touch, and golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

To make the topping, beat the milk and mascarpone cheese together with 3 tablespoons of sugar until smooth and fluffy. Put the strawberries in a separate bowl and sprinkle with remaining sugar and orange rind. (For a more adult version feel free to do a tablespoon of Grand Marnier, in with the mascarpone instead of orange rind with strawberries)

Spread the mascarpone mixture over the scone base and pile the strawberries on top. Spoon over any juices left from the strawberries in the bowl, then scatter mint leaves and dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve immediately.