a little inspiration

Two of my FAVORITE people sent along some easy breezy ideas, thanks Nikki & Karen!

I thought I'd share the wealth, so I added pictures (consider them a variation of the original) to inspire you to share some of your simple favs too!

See, I'm good for something.

Black Bean Salad

Salad greens

2-4 green onions

Tomato

Avocado

1 can drained black beans

1 can drained corn

ranch

shredded chicken in Bullseye BBQ sauce

Top with corn tortilla chips

Yumolicious!

Bagel Melts

Bagels, split and lightly toasted

Tomato slices

Bacon strips, cooked

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Ranch salad dressing, if desired

Place bagel halves cut side up on a baking sheet. Top each with tomato slices and bacon strips. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil 5 inches from heat for 1-2 minutes or until cheese begins to brown. Serve with ranch dressing.

Grilled Chicken Tostadas

Marinade:

½ c. lime juice

¼ c. soy sauce

¼ c. vegetable oil

1 Tbsp. honey

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 ½ tsp. chili powder

Tostadas:

1 ½ lbs. skinless chicken thighs or breasts

8 corn tortillas

shredded Monterey Jack cheese

shredded lettuce, guacamole, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, etc.

Combine marinade ingredients in a large Ziploc, add the chicken, and let sit for 4-8 hours. Remove the meat from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you start grilling. Preheat grill to medium-high, and grill the marinated chicken until it’s no longer pink inside. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for a few minutes before slicing it into ½ inch strips. Lightly brush both sides of the tortillas with oil. Grill them on each side until they turn slightly brown. To serve, layer the tortillas with the chicken, cheese and desired toppings.

Chicken Salad Caprese (just tried this, yum)

2 c. shredded cooked chicken

1 lb. fresh mozzarella, cubed

2 c. grape tomatoes, halved

1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, chopped

¼ c. fresh minced basil leaves

¼ c. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients together, and refrigerate until serving. Serve on French bread which has been sliced, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, and browned in oven at 425 for 2-4 minutes depending on how crunchy you like it.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin (may need to adjust recipe for size – I always do more than 1 lb. of meat)

½ c. Italian salad dressing

¼ c. soy sauce

1 lb. pork tenderloin

½ tsp. steak seasoning (like Montreal)

In a ziplock, marinade the pork in the salad dressing and soy sauce for several hours. Spray cooking spray onto grill rack before starting the grill. Prepare grill for indirect heat (on our grill, this means I turn on the two outside flames, and leave the one in the middle off. Then I cook the pork in the middle). Drain and discard marinade and rub pork with steak seasoning. Grill pork, covered, over indirect medium-high heat for 25-40 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160. Let stand for a few minutes before slicing.

Garlic Roast Beef Sandwiches

1 loaf frozen garlic bread (I use Costco’s and scrape some of the excess butter off before baking)

½ lb. sliced fresh mushrooms (or you can leave these off for non-mushroom lovers – still good)

1 lb. shaved deli roast beef, room temperature*

sliced Colby cheese, or your favorite kind

Bake garlic bread according to package instructions. Meanwhile, if using mushrooms, sauté them in a little butter until tender. Then top each half with roast beef, mushrooms, and slices of cheese. Return to oven; bake 1-2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Slice and serve (open-faced).

*I like to wrap the roast beef in foil, drizzle w/beef broth and let cook in crock pot on HI for awhile because I am a big fan of super-tender meat and not a big fan of the opposite. L

BLT Wraps

Mayonaisse & Salsa

OR ranch dressing

Whole wheat tortillas, room temp.

Dash of garlic powder, salt and pepper

Cooked bacon

Lettuce leaves

Sliced tomatoes

Avocado slices

Spread mayo and salsa, or ranch dressing, down the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with seasonings. Top with bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocados. Roll up and eat.