Independence Day ft. Erin and Michael

My 4th of July was celebrated in true American style: Biking, Gardening, Beers, BBQ, Fireworks and Team America. 

We BBQ'ed at Ian and Michael's house and Erin made these lovely desserts!

She is so patriotic :)

Delicious and beautiful cake!

Those skewers were gone in no time at all.  

After all the meat was eaten, Michael introduced us to grilled pineapple! I'm not a big pineapple fan and I thought it was good so if you like pineapple definitely try it. He made some with a little brown sugar on them but the consensus was to grill sans sugar. 

Michael's latest grilled obsession.

Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients

6 no boil required lasagna noodles

2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes (You can do one Rotel or both Rotel too)

1 can black beans

2 cups of grilled corn

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 cups extra sharp cheddar

1/2 cup mozzarella

2 TBS Franks hot sauce (add more if you like it hot!)

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper

1 bag tortilla chips

Directions

1. Grill your corn. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix together the corn, beans, onion and cilantro in large bowl. Add hot sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

3. Start layering your lasagna. Tomatoes, noodles, bean/corn mix, tomatoes, cheese, noodles, bean/corn mix, tomatoes and cheese!

4. Cook for 45 minutes.

I made this the night before and cooked it the next night before going to OMSI After Dark with my sous chef and friend from high school, Bryce.

Top it off with crushed tortilla chips!!

Chinese Chicken Pasta Salad

Source: Foodie Crush

Ingredients

(serves 2-3)

1 package ramen noodles

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce or shredded lettuce

1 chicken breast, shredded

2 green onions, chopped

2 cups cooked fusilli pasta noodles, cooled

dressing

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil (add more to taste if you prefer a strong sesame taste)

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, chicken breast, green onion and pasta.

2. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk well until sugar dissolves. Dress lettuce mixture with 2-3 tablespoons of sesame dressing and top with ramen and serve.

dressing

not the best pairing on my part but everything was still good

Marinate your chicken in sesame seeds, rice vinegar and sesame oil.

Mini Banana Cream Pies

Source: Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients

1 tub Cool Whip

1 package vanilla pudding

2 bananas, sliced

for shortbread cookies:

6 TBS butter, room temp

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

3/4 cups flour

Directions

1. Make shortbread cookies: Cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Add vanilla and salt and mix. Spoon in flour 1/4 cup at a time and mix. Shape dough into ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes. I left it in for much longer and it kind of got hard so try to stick to 30 minutes if you can. 

2. Make your pudding and refrigerate.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray cupcake tin with nonstick spray. Divide the dough into 20 balls and press into the cupcake tins. Use your thumb to make an imprint in the middle so that the cookies will hold the pudding better. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool for 5-7 minutes.

4. Construct your mini pies: Put some pudding on the shortbread cookies, a slice of banana and some whipped cream! Enjoy! 

These were pretty good but I could only have two at a time, they were pretty rich. They were yummy though, great combination of flavors!

Coconut Oil Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Source: NY Times

Ingredients

(Serves 2-4)

1.5 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

4 medium to large sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2 teaspoons light brown sugar, packed

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Melt coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat. 

3. Toss the potatoes with the coconut oil, sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

4. Roast for an hour tossing occasionally.

Ian and I loved these! A little crispy on the outside and soft on the inside plus flavorful. Great side dish. 

Chicken Sausage Pasta with Cashew Sauce

Ingredients

(serves 2)

2 chicken sausages (I used Al Fresco Roasted Garlic)

2.5 cups cooked pasta

1/2 cup grilled corn

1/2 cup or more Cashew Sauce

Directions

Make your pasta and put it in the fridge (or freezer if you are pressed for time). Grill your corn on the BBQ or cast iron skillet. Grill your sausage. Mix everything with your cashew sauce and serve with grilled pita. 

This was a refreshing and cool dinner.