Aggie's Kitchen

For some reason I find myself constantly ordering Greek salads when I go out to eat.  I think it started during our Friday night family outings to the local pizza place for a “night out” right after my little girl was born (this tradition, though less frequent, still exists by the way…same place, same night, same waitress, same food ordered…it’s “comfort”).  The family would order a nice greasy pepperoni pizza while I tried to be “good” and order a Greek salad with grilled chicken, dressing on the side.   My salad came out  as my meal and I just tried to ignore the ooey gooey cheesy pizza on the table.  I did treat myself with my son’s pizza crust each time as a reward though.  And not that I didn’t enjoy every minute of eating my yummy salad full of almost-every-single-thing-that-I-love-in-the-world-foodwise (garlic, tomatoes, peppers, onions, olives, feta cheese…)…I mean really, what’s not to love about Greek salad?

I made this dinner the other night for a sweet friend of mine who gave birth to a precious baby boy a little over a week ago.  I wanted to bring her a nice dinner salad, one that could be easily eaten at any time and one that filled you up.  Greek salad with grilled chicken immediately came to my mind…and now after writing this I am almost wondering if there was a subconscious connection to the whole “new baby thing” … hmmm.

Whatever the reason, I made one for my friend and I made one for us.  I started by making a good size batch of my homemade version of Greek dressing.  I marinated some of the chicken breast in that same dressing before cooking on the grill.  Lots of therapeutic chopping later…dinner.

(don’t forget to shake shake shake…)

Greek Salad Dressing
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

(printable recipe)

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
2-3 cloves pressed or minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
pinch of dried thyme
big pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper

Combine lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, thyme and salt and pepper in bowl.  Using a whisk, slowly stream in olive oil and whisk into vinegar mixture.  You will see it thicken up a bit (emulsifying) while combining.  Store in a jar with a tight lid in the refrigerator after using.  Always give the dressing jar a couple of shakes before serving.  In my opinion, best at room temperature, so take it out a few minutes before using.
For the salad, any, some, or all of the following:

chopped romaine lettuce
chopped green and red peppers
chopped cucumbers
chopped tomatoes
sliced red onion
feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
peperoncini
kalamata olives
cooked and sliced grilled chicken (or shrimp), marinated in Greek Salad Dressing

Make it look as pretty or messy as you want to be. Layer it nicely on a plate for presentation or toss it all in a bowl and mix it up if that’s what you are in the mood for.

Serve with Greek Salad Dressing and this quick focaccia bread.

Enjoy.

PS…I’m also over at Reluctant Entertainer today featuring my super easy and fun Grilled Banana Boats! Go check it out!

I know a lot of you will be entertaining over the upcoming July 4th weekend holiday so I really wanted to share this great recipe with you.  I originally came across it sometime last year here and then recently saw it again where it was originally created on Big Red Kitchen.  Robin Sue shows a great step by step that I always love to see on recipe sites (and secretly wish I could provide you all…but my kiddos and dogs just are not for it!)…

So here’s the deal with these sliders…they are awesome.  And part of the awesomeness is that they are super easy to prepare.  They are a little tedious in the plating department but if you set yourself up a little assembly line (pre-sliced rolls, plate of pickles and serving plate is all you really need) you will breeze through it.  The recipe makes 24 little sandwiches, so alongside some grilled hot dogs and some summery side salads then you are set to feed your family and friends without too much trouble!

Enjoy!

White Castle-like Sliders

Recipe from Big Red Kitchen

(printable recipe)

1/2 cup dried onion flakes
2 pounds ground chuck- 80/20 ground beef
1/2 t. seasoned salt (I used Montreal Steak seasoning)
6 slices cheddar cheese
24 small party rolls- (recommended:  Martin’s Potato Bread Party Rolls)
24 dill pickle slices

Evenly spread the onions on the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Gently press the ground beef on top of the onion flakes. Press evenly making one giant pattie. Sprinkle with seasoned salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Using a paper towel, pat the excess grease from the top of the pattie. Top with cheddar cheese, return to oven for 2 more minutes. Remove from oven, let set 5 minutes then cut into 24 patties. Slice open and separate each party roll. Place bottom of rolls on a large platter. Using a spatula lift patty with onion layer onto each bun bottom. Top each slider with a pickle slice then the bun lid. Serve immediately. Makes 24 Sliders.

Note- Store these upside-down in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will prevent the bottom bun from getting soggy from the onion layer. To reheat, place a few on a microwave safe plate and heat in the mircowave for 20 seconds then 5 second increments after that until warm through.

My trip to Utah this past week could not have gone any better.  I was in Park City for a few days attending the first Evo Conference hosted at the beautiful Canyons resort. The views and scenery were just breathtaking and I had to pinch myself a few times…let’s not forget, I’m a Florida girl so I hardly see a hill in my day to day living, not to mention a green plush mountain range landscape like the one I was surrounded by in Utah.

Why was I at Evo ’10?  Hard to believe, but my new friends at Bush’s Beans took me with them (along with Amy, Sandy and Tina) to the conference as part of a team of hosts for the closing dinner they were sponsoring.  In addition to attending the conference, my recipe would be actually served to about 400 people at the closing dinner.  Before the trip I was asked to create a side dish recipe that fit into a Western style theme and of course used Bush’s Beans.  I came up with two, one that I’ll have to share with you at another time, but my Chickpea and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Poblanos and Chili Lime Vinaigrette is what was settled on for that dinner.

Not that that wasn’t exciting enough, I also got to meet up with some other fantastic food bloggers that I have known virtually for quite some time now.  What’s so cool about finally meeting up with bloggers is that you feel like you’ve known them forever already…you are reading their stories and recipes almost daily so you really already have a snapshot of what they are like and what goes on in their lives.

(me and Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod)

(another member of “Team Bean” Sandy, of Reluctant Entertainer, and I sampling just one of the many delicious desserts we were offered)

(my Bush’s Beans family)

(fun foodies and friends…. Tina of Mommy’s Kitchen, Kristen of Dine and Dish, Amy of She Wears Many Hats and Sandy of Reluctant Entertainer)

And the FOOD!  Oh my goodness, I have to share with you some of the food…it was unbelievable and don’t think that I’m not going to try to recreate some of the yummies I ate at the conference at home (as a matter of fact, just finished up a delicious salad for lunch totally inspired by one of my dinners during the trip – recipe to come!!)…

(…refreshing Watermelon Punch)

(…Mountain Berry Salad with Chantarelles)

(…Lobster Pea Bisque with Coconut)

So much to share with you but I’ll leave you with this link to my Facebook photo album that you can browse at your leisure.  I hope you enjoy the photos along with the recipe!  I can’t thank Bush’s Beans enough for providing me with this awesome experience!

Chickpea and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Poblanos and Chili-Lime Vinaigrette
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

(printable recipe)

Makes 8 servings

2 cups uncooked wild rice  (recommended RiceSelect Royal Blend)
3 cups water
2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1 can Bush’s Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Chili-Lime Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil then stir once.  Cover tightly with lid and reduce heat.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand, covered for 10 minutes.  Fluff with fork and put in a mixing bowl.  Let rice cool completely.

Once rice has cooled, add chopped peppers, beans, cilantro and 3/4 cup dressing to rice and gently toss to combine.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let flavors blend.  Remove from refrigerator a few minutes before serving, adding more dressing if desired.  Can be served slightly chilled or at room temperature.

Chili-Lime Vinaigrette:

juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon California chili powder
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

makes 1 cup of dressing

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar with a tight lid.  Whisk or shake to combine.

(Disclosure: I’m excited that I’ve entered into a paid, formal partnership with Bush’s Beans but the post above isn’t a part of that agreement.  I just love the recipe. )

Hi everyone, it’s Tina from Mommy’s Kitchen guest posting for Aggie today while she is in Utah. First off I want to thank Aggie for asking me to be a guest blogger here at Aggie’s Kitchen. I was tickled pink when she asked. The first time I met Aggie was back in February. We both attended the same Bush’s Beans Blogging Event in Napa Valley, California.

When my trip began all I remember was being scared to death. I was going so far away from home all myself not knowing anyone or what to expect. Talk about nervous. All the bloggers that attended the event were so nice and Aggie and I hit it off right from the start. We even got to cook together in the Culinary Institute of America Kitchen and it was so awesome. Aggie is such a great person but if you’re a reader of Aggie’s Kitchen then I am sure you already know that.

While we were in Napa we learned so many things about the power of beans. We learned how to incorporate them into different dishes and just how nutritious beans are. All that bean talk really got me excited about trying new recipes at home. I knew this was going to be a big challenge for me, because my youngest son Carson is the pickiest eater. Especially when it comes to eating beans and vegetables, so I knew had my work cut out for me. I was going to have to find a way to try and disguise them as best as I could if I wanted him to eat them.

My little guy loves muffins and quick breads so I thought maybe I could add beans to some baked goods and he just might eat them. Well I am happy to say it worked!!! So today I want to share with you two recipes that are a huge hit in our house. The first one is Homemade Black Bean Brownies made with pureed black beans

and the second is a recipe for Mini White Bean Banana Nut Breads

made with pureed White Cannellini Beans.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do. If you like family favorite recipes and old fashioned classics then I hope you can pop over and visit Mommy’s Kitchen, because I would sure love to have you.

Gratefully, Tina