Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

10 tbsp room temperature butter (1 1/4 stick)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
1/2 cup chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350.  (My oven runs hot, so if yours does not, bring up the temp a bit.)
• Chop the cherries roughly.  Let them drain on a couple of paper towels while you work on the rest.
• Cream sugar and butter together.  Add in vanilla and egg and combine.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
• Add the dry ingredients to the rest slowly, combining as you go.  Once fully smooth, throw in the cherries and chocolate chips and combine.
• Place tablespoons full of batter on a cookie sheet and bake ~12 minutes for softer cookies.

Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I can't even try to take credit for these, but since I had a special request, here is the link to what I lovingly call Chocolate Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes :)

Grapefruit Grilled Chicken

Grapefruit Grilled Chicken Marinade (pictured right)

• 1/2-1 grapefruit (depending on how juicy - ~1/2 cup. Mine was not juicy, so I used the whole fruit.)
• 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness if desired (makes it easier to cook evenly)
  

• Mix all ingredients in a plastic bag. Marinate for no more than an hour. Grill to desired doneness!
• I served it with my famous Shrimp Papaya Salad, except without the shrimp or any of the fruit - so just the broccoli slaw, cilantro and dressing.

Grilled Chicken Kumquat Salad

Anyone who has a kumquat tree probably has bags full of them. Here is a kumquat dressing used with a chicken salad. The chicken has an Asian spin, but I'm sure any type of chicken would work pretty well. Salad below serves ~4. Be sure to get a couple extra kumquats for garnish :)


Chicken Marinade
2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
salt/pepper

Mix these ingredients in a plastic bag. Add 2 chicken breasts and marinate for an hour or more. Meanwhile...

Kumquat Salad Dressing
~4 kumquats, finely minced
3 tbsp water
1.5 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tbsp white wine vinegar
1.5 tsp sugar
salt to taste
white pepper (or black if you don't have it)

Mix these ingredients together in a small bowl or cup.

Grilled Chicken Kumquat Salad
Chicken (from marinade above)
Kumquat dressing (above)
Mixed Greens (store bought)
1 extra kumquat, finely sliced
slivered almonds
finely sliced red onion (optional)

1. Take the chicken out of the marinade above and grill. Cut into 1/4" slices.
2. Spread mixed greens onto plates.
3. Top with chicken, sliced kumquat, almonds, and onion. Sprinkle with dressing and serve!
   

Grillled Steak Fajitas

Also adapted from a food network recipe.

1 bunch parsley (leaves)
1 bunch cilantro (leaves)
5-6 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion (chopped)
2 tsp paprika
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 c olive oil
generous salt/pepper
1 1/2 - 2 lb flank steak
mix of thick-sliced bell peppers and onion (I used one red pepper, one green, one Anaheim chile, and the other half of the red onion.)

• Use a food processor (or you can try a blender) to combine the first 6 ingredients until combined. While the processor is running, pour in the oil slowly to emulsify. Add generous salt/pepper to taste.
• Save 1/2 of the sauce to top the meat. Pour the other half in a ziplock. Add in the steak and marinate for 30 min to an hour (or more).
• When you're ready, grill the steak and sliced bell peppers. Throw away the marinade!! (Never keep a used marinade - raw meat and all.)
• Serve with tortillas, beans, salsa, your favorites!
  

Couscous Stuffed Chicken Breast with Feta, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives

This is from a FoodNetwork recipe but I changed it to make it healthier and I still thought it tasted really good!

For the couscous:

- just a little olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used a lot more and some cheyenne pepper and it wasn't that spicy at all_
• 4 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped (I used some that was in the pantry in like a bag and did like 3/4 of the bag in the couscous and the other 1/4 in the sauce)
• 4 tablespoons kalamata olives, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock (I used broth)
• 1 (10-ounce) box couscous ( I used the whole wheat kind
• Salt and pepper
• It called for 1/2 lbs of feta cheese, but that was a lot, I used like around 1/4 pound of reduced fat feta in the couscous and it was fine. And I love cheese and I still thought it was fine.

For chicken:

• 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used 2)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• (I didn't use the olive oil or butter for this part because I hate using the stove but left it in here in case you want to try it)

For the sauce:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine (I don't ever have wine just laying around so I didn't use any and just doubled the amount of lemon juice because I love lemony chicken and its less calories)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced (I used almost a full cup)
• 6 tablespoons julienned sun-dried tomatoes (just whatever was left from above)
• 4 tablespoons roughly chopped kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons butter (I used that yogurt fake butter stuff and only about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled, for garnish (I justed used the little bit I saved from the couscous, it was actually like 1/4 cup)

For the couscous:

Directions

In saucepan over medium heat add olive oil, when hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and saute a few minutes more. Add olives and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the box of couscous, turn off heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, and season with salt and pepper. Spread 2 cups on large plate, add in 1/2 pound feta, and let cool. Keep the remaining hot to serve with chicken. (Put in covered casserole and reheat in oven last 10 minutes with chicken.)

For the chicken:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Trim chicken with a boning knife, if needed. Start at top of breast and carefully make a lengthwise cut from top to bottom and making a pocket about 2 inches, making sure not to pierce the other side of the breast (We didn't do this part right, so good luck, I have no tips). When couscous is cool enough to handle, carefully spoon couscous mixture into pocket. Even out the stuffing by gently moving it around with your hands. Wipe off any excess couscous from outside of breasts and season with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil and butter in saute pan and brown off both sides of chicken. Place chicken on baking sheet and place in oven for 20 minutes. (I didn't do this part at all and it really turned out fine, I just cooked it for like 5 minutes more)

While chicken is baking, make the sauce.

For the sauce:

In saute pan that you cooked chicken breasts in, heat and add garlic (I just used a new pan). Deglaze with white wine and add lemon juice. Reduce by one third. (I just used the lemon juice and reduced) Add in sun-dried tomatoes, let reduce for 2 to 3 minutes, add the olives, turn off heat, add the butter and stir to combine.

To serve, place couscous from oven on plate, cut chicken breast in half, top with sauce, crumble remaining feta cheese over it.

I really liked it! I served it with the extra couscous and steamed broccoli and mushrooms.