Grilled Pineapple

Pin It So I'm always trying to be healthy and this is the perfect dessert for those of you wanting to jump on the healthy train without sacrificing all sweets.  It's sweet, crisp and tangy.  Sometimes I enjoy mine with a scoop of ice cream on top (ok, not so healthy...).  This would be a great end to a summer BBQ.

This recipe was shared at Trick or Treat Tuesday and Weekend Potluck.

Grilled Pineapple
1 pineapple, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp honey
sprinkle of cinnamon

1. Slice pineapple into 1/2 inch rounds.  There is no need to core it before grilling.  I think the pineapple would  fall apart on the grill if you did.
2. In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, honey and cinnamon.
3. Grill pineapple for about 3 minutes per side over medium-high heat.  Brush on lime juice mixture.
4. Pineapple is done when the outside starts to caramelize and there are nice grill marks.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

Pin It Albert has a sweet tooth, but he is super picky about his treats.  I usually just buy refrigerated cookie dough at the store and bake them about once a week so Albert has something to snack on.  Well he decided that store bought cookies have too many chocolate chips in them and that they get stale quicker than homemade cookies.  (He's crazy, I know).  Well my track record with chocolate chip cookies is not great.  They usually turn out hard as a rock and they don't spread out.  I always just use the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag.  I have had this problem my entire life despite constantly trying to improve them.  Well, I'm happy to say that I finally found a recipe that turned out perfect!  These are moist, chewy and the perfect thickness for a good cookie.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
*Recipe from Lovin' From the Oven
2 cups all-purpose flour
 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 3/4 cup butter, melted
 1 cup packed brown sugar
 1/2 cup white sugar
 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
 1 egg
 1 egg yolk
 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Cream melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar in a mixer.  Add vanilla and eggs and mix well.
2. Sift the dry ingredients and slowly add them to the mixer.  Mix until just combined.
3. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
4. Dough will be very sticky.  Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
6. Using a medium cookie scoop, place cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
7. Bake 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.

Strawberry Nectarine Poppyseed Salad

Pin It I've been on a salad kick for lunches lately.  I think it has something to do with all of the fresh produce that we have in the house from going to farmer's markets.  It inspires me to eat healthy.  I also just recently started making my own salad dressing.  It is surprisingly simple and so much healthier than bottled stuff because you know exactly what is in it.  I also used some of my Glazed Pecans for this salad to add some crunch.  This salad is crisp, sweet and healthy...all around summer perfection.

Check out Trick or Treat Tuesday for some craft and recipe ideas!

Strawberry Nectarine Poppyseed Salad
**Adjust amounts depending on the crowd you are feeding
Romaine lettuce
Nectarines, thinly sliced
Strawberries, thinly sliced
Glazed Pecans
Red onion, thinly sliced

Poppyseed Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp white sugar, or to taste (I like mine a little sweeter)
2 tsp poppyseeds

1. Whisk all dressing ingredients together until well combined.
2. Arrange salad with romaine on the bottom and nectarines, strawberries and onions on top.  Sprinkle with glazed pecans.
3. Drizzle with dressing when ready to serve.

Glazed Pecans

Pin It So I know this might seem like more of a winter/holiday item, but it's not.  I love having glazed pecans in my salads.  They are also a delicious snack.  My mom has always made these and I always shied away from making my own for fear that it would be a mess to clean up and that they had to be complicated to taste so good.  With only 3 ingredients and 5 minutes total cook time you should be able to make these year round, not just at Christmas.  You don't just have to use pecans either, any nut can be glazed the same way. 
Come back in the next few days to see how I used these up!

Glazed Pecans
1 cup chopped pecans
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp water

1. Place all ingredients in a skillet on medium high heat.
2. Stir continuously until sugar melts and coats nuts.  Cook for about 3 minutes after the sugar melts.
3. Spread nuts onto a piece of wax paper to cool.
**Clean up is a breeze if you wash your pan while it is still warm.  I didn't want to wait to find out what would happen if I let the sugar harden.

Boneless Hawaiian Pork Ribs and Veggies

Pin It So here's one meal we used the Hawaiian sauce on.  This meal just screams summer.  Fresh veggies, grilling, delicious sauce...mmmm.  I also liked that almost the entire meal could be cooked on the grill.  The only thing I had to cook inside was some rice.  The leftovers were delicious the next day too!
This recipe was shared at the Weekend Potluck.  Check out all of the delicious recipes!

Boneless Hawaiian Pork Ribs and Veggies
2 lbs boneless pork ribs, country style
1 green pepper, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 small summer squash, diced
1/2 cup pineapple, diced
Hawaiian Sauce

**any vegetables would be delicious.  Next time I plan on using some red pepper and shredded carrots.

1. Heat grill to medium high heat.  Cover a grilling basket with foil for the veggies.  My basket is from Target or Kohls.  If you don't have a grilling basket, fold a piece of foil to make a shallow dish.
2. Cook meat on one side of the grill, basting with sauce and cook veggies on the other side.  Boneless pork ribs should cook about 5 minutes per side depending on the size of your pieces.
3. When vegetables start to brown, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the Hawaiian sauce and let the sauce and veggies simmer for 3-5 minutes.
4. When pork is almost done cooking, add it to the veggie pan so that it really gets coated in the sauce.
5. Serve over rice, with extra sauce if desired.

My grilling basket

Just before serving

Hawaiian Sauce

Pin It I'm the queen of sauces.  I choose restaurants based on their condiment selection.  For example, I love Bandana's BBQ because they have about 8 different sauces just sitting on the table for me to enjoy.  I go to Red Lobster just because of their pina colada sauce and TGI Friday's because of their balsamic vinaigrette.  My husband makes fun of me all the time because of my obsession with smothering food in sauces because he is the complete opposite and hates adding sauce.  I was thrilled when I found a recipe for a sweet and sour type sauce while browsing Pinterest.  Silly me didn't pin the recipe and didn't bookmark the page so I can't give credit to the original inspiration.  If it is you please let me know!  Anyway, this sauce is fabulous.  Get excited for several yummy recipes coming later this week using this delicious sauce.

Hawaiian Sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Soyaki sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Whisk to combine the cornstarch.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until sauce thickens. 
3. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Sauce will thicken when cooled so I bring mine to room temperature before using.

Garden Vegetable Quinoa

Pin It I'm always looking for interesting side dishes for dinner.  While I do love baked potatoes and pasta, I get bored.  I had a box of quinoa and had just gone to the farmer's market and inspiration struck.  I chopped up some veggies and tossed them with quinoa.  Simple, delicious and healthy.  Use any fresh vegetables that you have on hand.  Next time I make this I plan on adding some asparagus, squash and eggplant.   A great summer side dish!

Garden Vegetable Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa, cooked according to package directions
2 cups diced fresh vegetables (I used onions, peppers and cherry tomatoes)
olive oil
garlic powder
salt and pepper

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside.
2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Saute vegetables for 3-5 minutes or until starting to get tender. 
3. Season veggies with salt, pepper and garlic.
4. Stir quinoa in with veggies.  Allow to cook for about 3 minutes or until quinoa is heated through and flavors combine.