Agave Glazed Carrots

I was looking for something to do with a pound of baby carrots and came across this recipe here.  I thought this would be perfect to go with out leftover Lemonade Chicken from the other night. 

Agave Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into julienne strips or sliced into rounds (or you could use a pound of baby carrots)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Enough water to cover carrots in the pan
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons agave syrup
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Boil enough salted water in a pan to cover the carrots once they’re placed in.
2. Place carrots in boiling water and cook until fork tender. The time will vary depending on how thick your carrot pieces are.
3. Drain the water and return the pan to the stove, over low heat. Add the butter let and let the heat melt the butter. Toss carrots until coated with melted butter.
4. Add the agave syrup and stir the carrots in the butter and syrup until the two form a glaze.
5. Taste and add salt and pepper as wanted.
6. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with chopped parsley (optional)

Lemonade Chicken with Cilantro Lime Veggies

Here is a recipe I made last night that turned out rather well.  And it was SO easy!  I made some for us to enjoy over the next few days and dished some up in freezer bags for dinner coop group. 


Lemonade Chicken (borrowed from Freezer Friendz) 
Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder

Assembly:
Place chicken in freezer bag.
Combine the lemonade, soy sauce and garlic powder and pour over the chicken.
Seal out air and freeze flat.

Serving Day:
Thaw completely.
Pour into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Uncover. Spoon juices over chicken and cook another 10 minutes uncovered.
Enjoy with a salad and your favorite side!


I was blessed with several fresh garden veggies from our friends Melanie and Lindsey, so I cut up a squash, zucchini, onion, 2 tomatoes, and 5 small potatoes (Pre-steam any potatoes first or they will end up hard.). I  used the following dressing since I still had lot of fresh cilantro in my fridge.  I concocted the following dressing for the veggies, allowed them to soak in it for several hours, and then hubby threw them on the grill with the chicken in our grill veggie basket. He wasn't a big fan of the bitter taste of the lime, but I liked them ok.  To cut down on the bitter taste, I decreased the amount of lime below.  


Cilantro Lime Veggie Marinade
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 
Dash of pepper
Dash of sea salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons of minced garlic (I like garlic)
Mix together in a bowl.  Pour over chopped veggies.  Allow to soak for several hour and then grill or place in oven. 

Summer's just around the corner...

Hello all!
The temps are climbing and the sun is shining.  School is gradually coming to an end.  It is time for SUMMER!  With summer drawing nearer, this weekend I was inspired to eat light, fresh foods.  My food choices are indicating that I am definitely ready for cookouts, cold beer, and lazy days!

I had some leftover shredded BBQ chicken in the fridge that I had previously made in the crockpot and had frozen.  Last week we enjoyed some hearty BBQ sandwiches, but I quickly tired of that heavy food and was avoiding the leftovers in my fridge like the plague.  Although it was tasty, I was burnt out on the typical BBQ chicken sandwich.  I also so did not want to be wasteful, so I was looked for some inspiration on www.pinterest.com to see how I could be creative. Ultimately, I ended up going back to my old post on Buffalo Chicken Wraps and recreated them with BBQ chicken instead!

I used ready-made shredded coleslaw mix in the bag from the store, cut up some red pepper and onions, and sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese on top.  I even squeezed a little bit of light ranch dressing and then rolled them up in some yummy cilantro-jalapeno wraps. Here are the steps:

I wrapped up 8 of them and stuck them in the fridge for the week.  YUM!  Cut one in half for a light meal, and you are all set!

I was also inspired by this yummy and EASY summer salad- Fresh Corn and Tomato Salad.  

To save time and since it is not quite corn season yet, this time I opted to use canned corn.  However, I cannot wait to make this again this summer with fresh corn, cut directly from the cob! I did use fresh vine tomatoes and basil, though.  With only a few ingredients, this was a simple 10 minute recipe. 

  We ate a bunch with our BBQ chicken wraps for dinner the other night, and then I prepackaged the rest into several small containers.  

I have been enjoying them for lunch this week at work along with some fresh snap peas,  low fat mozzerella string cheese, and baked Cheetos. I occasionally add a granola bar into the mix!

We had some leftover bananas that needed a purpose- and quick! Since my husband loves banana bread, I thought I would break out my beloved Kitchen Aid Mixer and whip up some banana bread last night, but I wanted to give it a new twist.  Looking for something with ingredients that I keep on hand, I was inspired to make this Peanut Butter Banana Bread. It turned out well, but you should know it is definitely more peanut butter tasting than banana if that is what you are craving!

With the coming of a new season, we are happy to announce our newest arrival...we went with Team Titan!  We really preferred the Tundra, but decided that the Titan was a more reasonable choice for now.  

What are your favorite summer recipes?