Recipes from Sunday

Who likes easy recipes?  I do.  If a recipe is over a page long or has more than 7 steps, count me out.  These are easy as pie and make a great dinner or sides for a cookout!

Balsamic Chicken Recipe via

Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (I used Ken's light balsamic)
3 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper (I omited)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
Place chicken breasts in a zip-top plastic bag. Combine balsamic vinaigrette, garlic and crushed red pepper and pour over chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate for 1-4 hours (the longer, the better). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove chicken from bag and place in a baking dish. Pour remaining marinade over chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Alternately, grill chicken over medium heat for 5-7 minutes per side.

 *I always stick a fork in the chicken breasts multiple times so the marinate gets all in the inside of them.


Tortellini Vinaigrette (from my cousin)

Ingredients
9 oz. plain tortellini
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 red wine vinegar
1 TB dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 TB basil, crushed (I used dried)
2 TB dried parsley or 4 TB of fresh
4-5 chopped green onions
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Directions
1.  Cook tortellini al dente
2.  Whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic. 
3.  Transfer tortellini to large bowl and pour mixture over pasta, gently mixing to coat.
4.  Add the basil, parsley, green onions and cheese to pasta and toss together gently.
5.  Refrigerate until serving.  Can be served cold or hot. 

Corn Salad with Feta and Walnuts (via my friend Emily and Real Simple)

Ingredients
1 cup walnuts
4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 ears), raw or cooked (I sauted mine)
2 jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced (these didn't even seem that spicy in the recipe)
2 TB fresh lime juice
2 TB olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta (2 ounces)

Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragant, about 6-8 minutes.  Let cool and roughly chop. 

In a large bowl, combine the corn, jalapenos, lime juice, oil, walnuts, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper.

Sprinkle with Feta before serving.

*Note I left out the jalapenos and had them on the side in case anyone wanted them.  It was good without them too!

Grilled Okra (from my friend Fran)
AKA easiest recipe EVER.

1.  Buy okra at your farmer's market.
2.  Rinse okra.
3.  Season with salt, pepper and a little olive oil.
4.  Place in a basket on the grill.
5.  You have a green side to go with your dinner tonight.