Caprese salads are great, but sometimes they can’t be an entire meal. In this post, T.W.O. adds a caprese salad to the top of the turkey burger. It’s a great weekend or weekday meal to add to your menu. Continue reading “Caprese Turkey Burger”
Tag: Cooking
Kitchen Sink Summer Salad
Schools back in session and the weather is still hot, so no need to spend hours in the kitchen whipping up meals – try this simple, quick and flavorful salad. It’s a great idea for weeknight side dishes or your Saturday barbecue. T.W.O. calls it the ‘kitchen sink’ because it contains such a variety of vegetables and ingredients that you have in your pantry or refrigerator. Enjoy! Continue reading “Kitchen Sink Summer Salad”
Polenta Croutons
Ever need a crunch in your salad that is healthy and doesn’t contain sugar or carbs? Well, T.W.O. has an idea for your – Polenta Croutons. It’s easy, fast and will be sure to add a crunch to your next meal!
Polenta Croutons
Ingredients:
– 1 log organic polenta
– Krazy Salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 415º.
2. Cube the polenta and place on an cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.
3. Sprinkle Krazy Salt to the polenta cubes and mix.
4. Cook for about 30 minutes or until crispy on the outside.
5. Add to your favorite salad!
Quinoa Salad with Pineapple Lime Chicken
One more day closer to Memorial Day weekend and T.W.O. has one more recipe for you to make! It involves pineapple, mint, lime and honey – – – and no it’s not the drink of the day on the cruise ship. Sounds like it though, right? Anyone want a topper!? Well, we will let you decide after you try this recipe out!
Quinoa Salad with Pineapple Lime Chicken
Ingredients:
– 2 large limes, juiced
– 1 Tablespoon Fresh Mint, chopped
– 1 Tablespoon honey
– 2 skinless chicken breasts
– ½ cup uncooked quinoa
– 1 cup water
– 1 teaspoon coconut oil
– ½ sweet onion, sliced
– 4 pineapple rings
– ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
– ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
– 2 Tablespoons coconut flakes
– ¼ cup pineapple juice
– ½ avocado
– Salt
– Pepper
Directions:
- In a bowl, combine lime juice, mint and honey. Add the washed chicken breast and mix. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.
- To make the quinoa: heat 1 teaspoon of coconut oil on medium-high heat in a medium pan. Toast the uncooked quinoa until slightly brown.
- Pour the quinoa into a large pot filled with the water. Bring to a boil and then cover and turn down to low. The quinoa will be ready once all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooking, heat up the barbeque and cook the chicken about 5 minutes per side or until fully cooked. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, mint, cilantro, mint, pineapple juice and coconut. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the onion rings and pineapple slices on the grill over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes each side. You want to char is a little.
- For the assembly – place the quinoa on a plate, top with sliced chicken, a side of pineapple and onions covered with 2 slices of avocado and cilantro to garnish.
Happy Cooking!
Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
Imagine, lounging on the beach looking at the crisp blue ocean waters of the Mediterranean in the warm sun. Besides rose, what else is missing? Of course, some Mediterranean orzo pasta salad! Its refreshing, light and satisfying. See you in paradise!
Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
– 2 cups orzo
– 4-6 cups water
– ¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
– 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
– ½ cup red onions, chopped
– ½ cup lemon juice
– 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
– 2-3 garlic cloves, diced
– 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts (optional)
– Salt
– Pepper
Directions:
- Cook orzo as directed on the box.
- Once the orzo is done, strain all the water out. Place in a bowl.
- Mix in chopped mint, cherry tomatoes, garlic, red onions, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add artichoke hearts if deserved.
- Plate and serve! Store leftovers in the refrigerator. If the pasta gets dry, add more lemon juice.
bon appetite,
Mushroom & Basil Quinoa
Need a fast and easy side dish – T.W.O. has you covered with this mushroom and basil quinoa recipe. It’s light, flavorful and fresh. If you are a mushroom lover, you will love this recipe!
Mushroom & Basil Quinoa
Ingredients:
– 2 cups chicken broth, low sodium
– 1 cup quinoa
– 1 shallot, chopped
– ¾ cup fresh basil, chopped
– 1/4 cup manchego, shaved
– 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
– 3 garlic cloves, diced
– 2 teaspoons garlic powder
– ¼ cup lemon juice
– Salt
– Pepper
– Olive Oil
Directions:
- Bring 2 cups of water to a bowl. Add quinoa. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 20 minutes.
- While the quinoa is cooking, sauté mushrooms, cloves, shallot in olive oil. Add fresh salt and pepper. Cook for about 8-10 minutes.
- When the quinoa is done, place in a bowl and mix mushrooms in. Add lemon juice, basil, manchego, salt and pepper to taste.
- Plate and serve hot.
Happy Cooking!
Grilled Tri-tip Tacos with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers
Taco Tuesday! Today, T.W.O. will be featuring a carne taco con batatas. Batatas? Yes – Batatas….Sweet Potatoes! Grab your apron and lets start grilling!!!
Grilled Tri-tip Tacos with Sweet Potatoes and Peppers
Ingredients:
– 1 tri-tip roast, seasoned*
– 3 bell peppers (yellow, red, orange)
– ½ sweet onion, chopped
– 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
– ¼ cup lemon juice
– 3 Tablespoons olive oil
– 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
– 1 teaspoon garlic powder
– Salt
– Pepper
– Corn tortillas
– Sour cream
– Fresh guacamole
* Season tri-tip roast with Montreal Steak seasoning prior to putting on the grill.
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°. Place the cubed sweet potato on a cookie sheet. Season with 1 Tablespoon, olive oil, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place in oven for about 25-30 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, place the tri-tip on a heated barbeque. Cook for 30 minutes or until done.
- In a sauté pan, add 2 Tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice. Add the vegetables. Sautee for 10-15 minutes or until done to your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- When all the ingredients are done cooking, place the tortillas on the barbeque to heat up.
- Final steps – assembly! Create your masterpiece by combining all your ingredients into a freshly grilled tortilla!
Cheers to another T.W.O. Taco Night!
Steak Tacos with Roasted Corn Salsa
Taco Tuesday! T.W.O. loves incorporating fresh vegetables in their meals and what better way to complete tacos than making a fresh roasted corn salsa. The sweet, savory grilled steak and the crunch of the corn makes this one of our favorite Taco Tuesday recipes. Grab your friends, chips, salsa and guacamole and getting ready for a real treat!
Ingredients
– 2 ½ pounds flap meat steak
– 2 cups Island Soyaki marinade (Trader Joes)
– 12 green onions
– 4 ears of corn, husked
– 2 Tablespoons olive oil
– 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
– 2 teaspoons lime zest
– 2 Tablespoon lime juice
– 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
– 1 can Embasa chipotle peppers, in adobe sauce
– 12 corn tortillas*
– Salt & Pepper to taste
* T.W.O. uses La Tortilla Factory corn tortillas.
Marinate steak for a minimum of 2 hours prior to barbequing. When you are ready to start barbequing, remove the meat from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.
In the meantime, brush the corn and green onions with olive oil. Place the corn on the barbeque for about 20 minutes. Make sure you flip the corn so that all sides cook. With 5 minutes remaining add the whole green onions.
Once the corn and green onions are done, remove from grill and replace with the steak. Cook for about 15-20 minutes.
While the steak is cooking, cut the corn off the cob and green onions. Place in a bowl. Mix in cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, lemon juice, chipotle peppers and salt and pepper. Set aside.
Remove the steak from the grill and heat the corn tortillas. Warming up the tortillas is optional. Once done, place the tortillas on a plate. Thinly slice the flap meat and place on the tortillas. Add the corn salsa. That’s a wrap!
Enjoy your Taco Tuesday!
T.W.O.’s Thursday
Sorry we missed you today, but we were T.W.O. busy in the kitchen!
See you tomorrow!
Orange Chicken
Orange Chicken. Yes – the popular dish people order for take-out or pick up in the frozen section at the market. Well, now it’s time to learn how to cook it! T.W.O. whisks up this recipe, the healthy way. There is no deep-frying or added fat, but T.W.O. can assure you that after you try this easy recipe, you won’t want to eat the bad stuff. It’s an easy dish the whole family will love!
Ingredients
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
– 2/3 cup orange juice
– 3 Tablespoons honey
– 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
– 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
– 1 teaspoon chili sauce (sriracha or sambal oele)
– 1 Tablespoon orange zest, grated
– 1 clove garlic, minced
– 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
– 1 Tablespoon water
– 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
– 1/4 cup green onion, diced
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and 1/3 cup orange juice over medium heat. Add the chicken cubes and cook for about 6 minutes. Make sure to mix the chicken so it cooks on all sides.
While the chicken is cooking, begin mixing the wet ingredients together. In a bowl, add the remaining orange juice, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili sauce, garlic, orange zest, ginger, water and cornstarch. Mix well.
Add the wet ingredients to the chicken and cook for about 4 minutes on medium to low heat. The sauce will thicken. Make sure to coat the chicken in the sauce when cooking.
Remove from heat and put over a bed of quinoa, rice, and sautéed vegetables or even rice noodles. Top the dish off with green onions. T.W.O. put theirs over quinoa and added a side spinach salad.
See, we told you this was going to be an easy recipe for your weeknight or weekend dinner. Warning – make extras so people can go back for seconds!
T.W.O. 