BBQ Chicken Pizza Rollup

This dish was super simple to put together! I could see making this again with different pizza combinations. I highly recommend making this if you are a beginner or something to do with kids. 

Ingredients:

1 refrigerated pizza crust

½ cup BBQ sauce

1 ½ cups shredded rotisserie chicken

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 cup shredded cheese 

¼ cup parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. 

2. Roll out the pizza crust into a rectangle. Spread on the BBQ sauce. 

3. Top with chicken, onion, cheese, and parsley. Roll it up longways, and cut into slices. 

4. Bake face-up for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Mediterranean Orzo Salad

This is a great make ahead dish because the longer it sits, the more the flavor melds together. You could mix it up with any veggies you like. I added a little extra cheese when serving mine so feel free to customize this dish to your tastes!

Ingredients
1 box orzo
1 bell pepper, medium dice
1 container cherry tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced
1 container pearl mozzarella balls, drained

Dressing:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 lemon, zseted and juice
1 TBS chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
2 tsp salt
1tsp pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

1. For dressing: combine all ingredients in a jar. Put lid on tightly and shake to mix. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

2. Boil water and cook orzo to package directions.

3. While water boils, cut up vegetables.

4. Drain pasta and add orzo to a bowl. While orzo is warm add half of the dressing (mix dressing before adding). Toss gently to combine.

5. Allow orzo to cool on the counter for 5 minutes so you don't cook the veggies when you add them.

6. Add veggies and rest of dressing and mix. Serve now or better yet let it marinate in the fridge overnight and serve at room temp the next day!

Grilled Skirt Steak and Arugula Salad with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

I wanted to start off the new year trying to eat healthy but I know it needs to be satisfying and flavorful if I'm going to stick with it. I came up with this salad because I wanted meat and potatoes but in a way that was better for me. I've already made this dish again since the first time I made it and it's really great. The roasted tomatoes are a great way to add flavor and moisture to this dish and I plan to add this to more recipes!

Ingredients:

Dressing:
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of 1/2 large lemon, about 2 tbsp.
1 tbsp. champagne vinegar
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 1/2 large lemon

Salad:
2 pounds skirt steak, grilled and sliced
1 pounds baby yukon gold potatoes, sliced
2 large tomatoes, sliced into eigths,
salt and pepper
4 cups arugula (about 4 ounces)
parmesan curls, optional
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted, optional


Directions:
1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a heavy baking sheet with foil. Set aside.

2. Arrange potatoes on 1/2 of the sheet tray in an even layer. Arrange the tomatoes on the other 1/2 of the sheet tray in an even layer. Season with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast until cooked through and browned about 30 minutes.

3. For the dressing: Put garlic and shallot into a small sauce pan over low heat and add olive oil. Cook stirring occasionally for 3 minutes to slightly cook the shallots and flavor the oil. Do not let garlic get too dark. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil mix, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt, pepper and lemon zest until smooth.

4. In a large bowl, toss together 3 tbsp. of the dressing with the arugula. Arrange on a platter. Place the roasted potatoes, tomatoes, and steak on top and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and chopped walnuts if using.