What a mouthful of a title right? I just didn’t know what else to call it honestly, and I didn’t want to miss a thing when I told you what it was.

I hold fresh figs near and dear to my heart. If you are Italian, and have an Italian grandpa, then maybe you can relate. I grew up with major fig trees in my back yard. Like major. I remember them in our yard when we lived up in New York and I remember even more in our yards (my parents’ and my grandparents’ yards) here in Florida. Picking a warm fresh fig off the tree, peeling it gently and eating it right there barefoot in the grass was an everyday thing for me. I don’t remember my family making anything fancy with figs, basically just eating them pure and simple as they were. They were so sweet – like nature’s candy!

Since I don’t live as close to my family as I used to, I really miss out on the figs. It makes me sad! The last couple of years I have actually started purchasing them from my grocery store (skeptically) when they are in season and on buy one get one sale. I’ve learned that I love the Brown Turkey ones the best. They aren’t my grandpa’s figs, but they will do.

This little sandwich is something my grandpa would never think to make with his figs – I am not really sure he’s ever tried goat cheese honestly. I have a feeling he would love it, because really – what’s not to love about a crispy almond panini filled with tangy goat cheese, a drizzle of honey, crunchy almonds and sweet sliced fresh figs. Oh my…this is truly one of my most favorite things to eat right now (well this and this avocado-feta toast too)!! And I can’t help but imagine that this little sandwich would go perfectly with a crisp glass of Pinot Grigio…in fact, I highly recommend you cook up a few paninis, slice them up and serve them as appetizers at your next wine happy hour with some friends. At least that’s what I would do. 🙂

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I’ve mentioned this before on the blog, but when my kids go back to school, I get back what I refer to as my special lunchtime meal. Cooking for your family is obviously part of a mom’s job, yes, but it’s so nice to have the chance for one meal to be entirely yours every now and then. Lunch during the school week is that meal where I can really have whatever I’m craving or wanting and not worrying about who likes what and who will eat what. It can be a treat, really.

Avocado toast is one of my favorite lunches. It’s quick, easy, healthy and tastes absolutely delicious (if you are an avocado lover of course!). The last time I made avocado toast for lunch I decided to play around and change things up a bit. I gently added a little crumbled feta to the smashed avocado and sprinkled it liberally with my new favorite seasoning za’atar (last year I was obsessed with lemon pepper, apparently this year that obsession has evolved into za’atar). The toast was topped with slices of ripe summer tomatoes that turned this into one of my most favorite lunches ever!

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More often than not, I find myself with a small container of leftover roasted vegetables in my fridge. I don’t love eating leftover roasted vegetables on their own, but I do love adding them to other foods – especially frittatas.

This Roasted Zucchini and Onion Frittata Wrap came together in literally just a few minutes. I found myself extremely hungry at lunchtime one day (no surprise) and eggs seem to be my go-to lately. As I look at the picture of the wrap, I have to laugh because it looks HUGE. I was definitely a stuffed pregnant lady after I ate this so I will say this could easily become 2 wraps instead of one. All you would have to do is cut it down the middle after it’s all cooked up, and put each half on a tortilla. Or if you are finding that you have a monstrous appetite one day, then go ahead and eat it all up yourself, no judging here that’s for sure!

And of course, a little ketchup or sriracha only makes it better. 😉

What I love about this frittata wrap is that it would also make a fantastic “breakfast for dinner” option as well.

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I’ve heard my friend Maria mention her favorite go-to lunch being her Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich more than a few times. Every time she mentions this avocado sandwich I immediately begin to crave it, but for whatever reason, I have never actually gotten around to making it for myself. Don’t you hate when that happens?

The other day Dara asked the question “what are some of your favorite go-to lunch ideas?” on her Facebook page and after seeing Maria’s comment about what hers was, I figured it was finally time to make it for myself – especially since I had nothing planned for lunch but happen to have an avocado and a can a chickpeas in the pantry (like I pretty much always do).

I didn’t have everything I needed to make it exactly how Maria does, but I improvised and used what I had in my kitchen. The fresh whole wheat bread from the bakery and the zippy arugula along with the lemony smashed chickpea and avocado mixture made this sandwich one of my favorite lunches I’ve had in a long time. As a matter of fact, I’m having it for lunch again this week.

I don’t recommend waiting as long as I did to try it. 😉

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I’m pretty excited about today’s post and giveaway, it’s my biggest giveaway I’ve had here on the blog and it’s for a product I love and have been using for a long time. I’m asked often about what kind of nonstick skillets I use and over the years, I can tell you, I’ve gone through quite a few and have stuck with Calphalon for as long as I can remember now.

I think it’s safe to say that my family uses our nonstick skillets almost daily. My husband is always cooking up eggs for us for breakfast, and I like to use them for frittatas, fish and quick vegetable sautes. Since I’m usually trying to keep the amount of oil and butter I use to a minimum, a good nonstick skillet is something I really depend on in my cooking.

(this is the Calphalon Unison Nonstick 10″ Omelet Pan – with only 1/2 a teaspoon of coconut oil that I used for this recipe)

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I just recently started eating chicken more often again, and grilling it is definitely my method of choice. As I was trying to pull together new ideas of serving it (because we all know plain old chicken breast can get a bit…hmmm, shall we say – redundant?) I figured I’d compile a nice list of recipes for you all here as well.

What I love about grilled chicken is that if you plan ahead and throw some extra on the grill, your leftovers can become a totally new meal, usually in the form of a salad or sandwich for me (in pasta would be good too!).

Enjoy this round up of deliciousness, hope you find yourself a little inspired to add grilled chicken to your menu….and happy grilling!

Grilled and Stuffed Chicken Caprese from Eclectic Recipes

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Baby Bella Philly Sandwiches

Doughnut Love…

Baked Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Black Bean Quesadillas

Creamy White Bean and Artichoke Spread

Sesame Tofu Noodle Bowl with Peanut Sauce

Pesto, Pasta and Peas with Cherry Tomatoes

Bruschetta Patty Melts

Sweet and Sour Peppers

And in addition to the recipes…I’m hosting a cookbook giveaway for Real Housewives of NJ Teresa’s Fabulicious!

Also read about Mominations…Babble’s way of recognizing the amazing women in our lives!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

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Earlier this summer I was contacted by the editor of CBSNews.com asking me to contribute a healthy recipe to their Health section.  Of course I was totally flattered and thrilled by this request considering how much I love to talk about food and share healthy recipes with just about anyone and everyone who crosses my path…and let’s be real, it’s CBS!!  My first assignment was “sliders” and I decided to recreate a tried and true turkey burger I’ve been making for some time now.

To me, a slider is basically a mini burger.  I think sliders are genius because if you are really trying to watch your portions, it really forces you to eat less.  That is, if you stick to the one slider…which I really try to do.  That’s the whole point in my opinion…you get a “taste” of the good stuff and then fill up on the actual “good for you” stuff on the side.  But that’s just me…

What makes these BBQ Turkey Burger Sliders awesome is the sauteed green onion and celery along with the smoky Chipotle Tabasco and paprika that is added into the ground turkey mixture before being shaped into patties.  The combination of all those ingredients really adds flavor to the normally pretty bland turkey.  Also, adding shredded cheese directly to the mixture adds a little fat to the lean meat and keeps them juicy.

Visit the Health Section of CBS.com to read the article for this recipe along with a newer one featuring Summer Vegetable Gratin and Baked Zucchini Fries.

Smoky BBQ Turkey Burger Sliders

Ingredients:

CARAMELIZED ONIONS

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large Vidalia (or sweet) onion, thinly sliced
• Pinch salt and pepper

BASTING SAUCE

• 1/3 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 2 TB mango chutney

CHIPOTLE SAUCE

• 1-2 TB Chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt or reduced-fat mayonnaise

PATTIES

• 1.25 lb extra-lean ground turkey
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 TB Chipotle Tabasco sauce
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• good pinch salt and pepper
• 8 whole wheat potato rolls

Directions:

1. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or pre-heat a gas grill to medium-high. For best results, use a non-stick grill which helps to avoid adding oil.
2. On the stove, heat 2 tsp olive oil in a non stick skillet. When oil is hot, place celery and green onion in pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. We are going to add these to our burger mixture later.
3. In the same nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp olive oil in . When oil is hot, place sliced onion in pan. Season with good pinch of salt and pepper and cook. Saute onions until browned and caramelized, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. While onions are caramelizing, prepare basting sauce and Chipotle Sauce.
5. Combine Greek yogurt (or mayo) and Chipotle Tabasco in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
6. Combine barbecue sauce and mango chutney in small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make patties:

1. Combine ground turkey, Chipotle Tabasco, smoked paprika, low-fat cheese and cooked and cooled green onions and celery in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Gently combine and mix using hands or large spoon. Form into 8 even sized patties, do this by scoring meat mixture in half, then quarters, then eighths.
2. Use a non-stick canola oil spray, to prevent patties from sticking to grill.  Spray patties directly with spray before placing on grill.
3. Place patties on grill rack, cover and cook until bottoms are browned, about 4-5 minutes. Using spatula, flip patties and cook additional 4-5 minutes. After flipping, use brush to baste turkey burgers with mango BBQ sauce. After cooking for 4-5 minutes, flip and baste other side.

To assemble burgers:

1. Spread chipotle sauce on both sides of open potato rolls. Place patty in bun and top with caramelized onions. Take a big bite and enjoy!
2. For those sauce lovers (like my hubby!), can be served with additional Mango BBQ sauce on side!

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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.

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#4 Bbq Pulled Pork and Chipotle Onion Sandwiches

Bbq Pulled Pork and Chipotle Onion Sandwiches
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

(Printable Recipe)

1 Boston butt or pork shoulder roast (4-6lbs, depending on the size of your slow cooker)
1 large onion, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 whole, crushed garlic cloves
1 cup water
your favorite Barbeque sauce

1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons of oil
2 teaspoons of chipotle chili powder
couple – few dashes of Tabasco Chipotle hot sauce

Place pork roast in the slow cooker; add water, sliced onion, salt and pepper and garlic cloves. Cover and cook on low for about 9 to 11 hours, or until very tender. Drain all juices off, discard any fat and bone. Shred or chop pork. Continue cooking on high for about 1 hour.

Prepare onion topping by adding 1-2 tablespoons of oil in non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add onions to pan, salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until soft. Add 2 teaspoons of chipotle chili powder and a couple of dashes of Tabasco Chipotle sauce to onions. Combine and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. If onions are sticking to bottom of pan, deglaze by adding a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to pan.

Serve shredded pork on potato rolls with your favorite barbeque sauce, top with caramelized chipotle onions.

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