It’s Summer (well almost) and the living is easy –and the corn is delicious. There are times I buy fresh corn but don’t feel like serving it on the cob even though it is perfectly delicious this way. This corn salad is a suggestion for you as a side dish with very little ingredients and pretty much all corn. I like to serve as a side dish in the summer because it can be made ahead and served at room temperature. It’s a most perfect side dish. It doesn’t get more basic or easier than this recipe. My absolute go-to summer side dish. Super Easy.
Enjoy the rest of the summer and keep on Cooking with Candi.
Ingredients:
5-6 ears of corn , shucked
1/2 cup small diced red onion
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons good olive oil
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt – you can always add more salt after you finish and taste for salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper the same applies for the pepper as for the salt
app. 1/2 cup cut up fresh basil leaves–use as much or as little as you like –it adds wonderful flavor
*add a few small cut up grape tomatoes for another variety on this
Directions:
In a large pot of boiling water, cook the corn for app. 3 minutes (just to let go of the starchiness) Drain and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. When the corn cools down , cut the kernels off the cob , cutting close to the cob to get the whole kernel. I use a bundt pan to catch all the kernels.
Toss the corn kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.
I used bone-in skin on but you can easily make this with boneless skinless chicken thighs just watch your timing it may vary. Chicken thighs pack a lot of flavor and this was a perfect weeknight meal using a few pantry staples. This is a spicy chicken recipe and if you don’t like it “hot” and spicy it’s not for you. Original recipe is from. Vallery Lomas on NYT cooking site. I made a few changes to suit myself but basically followed the recipe. I would maybe try olive oil instead of butter next time but this was delicious. I would also double down on the sauce —
You can serve hot out of oven with rice/potatoes a vegetable or Cole Slaw or any salad to compliment this tasty dish.
Ingredients:
3lbs. bone-in skin on chicken thighs
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce — I used Cholula Hot sauce
1 lime for zesting and juicing
2 Tablespoons mild honey
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. I sprayed a baking sheet with Pam cooking spray for easier clean up or you can cover with foil whichever you prefer.
Pat chicken thighs dry and then season all over with spices — Salt , Pepper, Onion Powder and Garlic Powder — fresh garlic will burn here as oven is very hot
Arrange the chicken skin side up then post until browned for 20 minutes.
While the chicken is roasting, combine the melted butter and hot sauce and whisk to combine.
transfer 1/2 of it to a separate bowl and set aside for later. After the chicken has roasted for 20 minutes, brush the chicken all over with the butter mixture. Continue to roast until chicken is golden brown and cooked through, probably 10-15 more minutes — keep an eye on it after 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven when done.
Zest the lime, then cut in 1/2. Add the honey and zest to the remaining butter-hot sauce mixture and whisk to combine, then brush over the hot chicken thighs and squeeze the lime over the chicken.
This is one of my most favorite salads of all time. The flavors meld together beautifully to make a most delicious salad. I highly recommend this salad if you’re just looking for something new to make for brunch, lunch or even dinner! Perfect for dinner, brunch or lunch anytime of the year.
I made cauliflower and orzo in the morning and put together ingredients as they cooled down. The cooling off of orzo and cauliflower was the only time-consuming event in making this recipe. You can refrigerate salad once cooled down, but I would bring it to room temperature prior to serving.
If you want to add a protein like chicken this would make a most perfect dinner salad. Or just eat it veggie style! Nothing bad here!
Ingredients:
Cauliflower and Orzo Prep
1 head cauliflower broken into small florets, any color cauliflower will do and purple would be beautiful if you can find it
4 Tablespoons olive oil
3 minced cloves of fresh garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup orzo pasta
Dressing and the rest of the salad
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2/3 cup dried cherries
4 cups baby spinach
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a bowl toss the cauliflower with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the fresh garlic, the salt and pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until softened and the edges of cauliflower start to brown up. ( not burned) I did it for 25 minutes. Set cauliflower aside and let it completely cool down.
Cook orzo according to box directions, I cooked for a minute less so it would be more al dente ( just a bit undercooked ) Drain in a colander, rinse under cold water, drain well and while draining toss in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil right in the colander.
In a big bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, mustard, salt and pepper.
I allowed about an hour for complete cool down of cauliflower and orzo and added to bowl with dressing along with onion , feta, and cherries . Toss well until completely coated with dressing. Throw in the spinach and toss again till spinach is incorporated. Taste for Salt and Pepper and adjust seasonings to your liking. I added a sprinkle of black pepper but no more salt.
I first came upon this recipe from Melissa Benishay on Instagram . It is simple , delicious and nutritious. I make it my way which means I pretty much follow her recipe but add chicken, chopped bacon (sometimes), feta, scallions and cucumbers. I also will add chopped up jalapeños for a spicy kick and avocado would be perfect as well. You can make this completely vegan of course but I just like to zuzh it up a bit. Add whatever you like and make it your way. Enjoy!
The ingredients are interesting and you may need to buy a few of these items. For the dressing
Lemons — which give it the fresh taste and the acid it requires
Olive Oil– for the good Fat
Rice Vinegar– a bit of sweet flavor and tang
Shallot– for the sweeter onion flavor
Garlic– because it’s garlic– need I say more
Basil–for that pesto like consistency and flavor
Spinach– for extra nutrients and a lot of green color and don’t tell my hub
Nutritional Yeast– I know I know why???? Because it adds cheesy like consistency and B12 vitamins –it’s kind of like powdered cheese and full of flavor but vegan and has now become a shelf staple in my house for vegan cheese sauces, vegan dips, soups, scrambles, stews and you get the drill.It’s super nutritious and full of protein, B Vitamins, and anti-oxidents.
Walnuts– a nutty base
Salt– to pull it all together and highlight all the layers of flavors and way to bland with no salt
*you’ll need a blender for this one
You can make the dressing ahead like I do in the morning or the day before and it will keep in the fridge for 2-3 maybe 4 days.
Salad Dressing Ingredients:
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
2 largish cloves of garlic
1 smallish shallot
1/3 cup chives
1/4 cup walnuts, cashews, or nut of your choice — I always have chopped walnuts so that’s my nut of choice
1 cup fresh torn Basil Leaves
1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast– I got mine at Trader Joes but you can get this in almost any supermarket
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
For the Salad:
I like 1 head ofIceberg Lettuce chopped up and finely diced or you can use a head of green cabbage
3-4 mini cucumbers finely diced–optional see above paragraph on ingredients
1/4 cup chives, finely diced — also optional I used green onions/scallions tonight — use what you have even red onion diced is fine
1 bundle green onions / scallions
Directions:
Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl once they’re chopped up
Add all liquid dressing ingredients to a blender give it a whirl, and then add dry dressing ingredients and blend until smooth.
Yummmmmmmm and Thank You to Melissa Benishay or Baked by Melissa as most of you know
I absolutely love this recipe and I must admit to making a few small changes but if you want to see her original recipe you can google it. You’ll have to buy a chicken some place that will be able to spatchcock it (butterfly it)– Whole Foods butcher will do this as well as your local butcher. Then when you get home and are ready to cook with it just press down on the chicken and sort of flatten it out. You’ll also need a cast iron pan large enough to hold it. I used a 12″ size pan and it was perfect. Believe me this is one of the most satisfying meals I can think of. Serve with whatever sides you like — we had homemade cranberry sauce , rice pilaf and roasted string beans. Perfection on a plate. Ina Garten has created some of the best recipes for home cooks today. The ingredients are all accessible and the presentation is beautiful and the food is delicious. This particular way of roasting a chicken is particularly delicious. This is what I did the other night and it was nothing short of fabulous.
Enjoy and thanks again to Ina Garten.
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
Kosher Salt and Freshly ground coarse black pepper
1 Lemon — sliced 1/4″ thick slices
2 large garlic cloves, minced she says thinly sliced but I prefer to mince
Place the thyme, fennel seeds, 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt and 1 Teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor and process until ground.
Pour the olive oil into a small glass measuring cup and add the herb mixture and set aside
Distribute the lemon slices on bottom of 12″ cast iron skillet and distribute the onion and minced garlic on top of the lemon slices.
Place the chicken on a separate baking sheet and pat it dry then turn the chicken skin side down and using a brush add about 1/2 the olive mixture to chicken. Turn the chicken skin side up, make sure it’s dry using paper towels ( very important for crispy skin) and brush remaining mixture all over the top of the chicken. Place chicken on top of the onions and lemons skin side up.
Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and pour the wine into the pan but not on the chicken just into the area that’s open around the chicken. Roast for another 10-15 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155-160 degrees.
Remove the chicken from the oven and sprinkle with the lemon juice, cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Cut the chicken into quarters or however you like and serve hot with pan juices, cooked lemon and onions. I spoon some of the juice onto the top of chicken before serving.
This was a delicious twist on chicken meatballs. The meatballs were so amazingly moist and tasty and I served over Jasmine Rice and it was just perfect. The original recipe is from Bon Appetit and I took a few liberties with it. We like spicy food so I used some Sriracha along with the ketchup — you can make this as spicy as you like or not spicy at all depending on how much or how little Sriracha you use or use none at all. If you’re in the mood for something a little different this one’s for you. We just love meatballs and we’ll eat them any which way. Have fun with this one. And you all know that my husband absolutely still refuses to eat broccoli so it was his loss because it was delicious.
*a little note I use my mini chopper to chop ginger and garlic and I use it for onions as well . It gets it finely minced. If you don’t have one of these mini choppers I highly recommend it’s use to get garlic, ginger and onions and other vegetables finely grated when recipe calls for that.
Enjoy!
Ingredients: Sauce
2/3 cup Ketchup — I decreased the ketchup and added about 1/3 Sriracha – and it was very spicy but we like very spicy . So please either keep it 2/3 of ketchup for totally not spicy or decrease a little ketchup and add a little Sriracha.
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp. Water
2 Tbsp. Honey
4 tsp. Soy Sauce
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 garlic clove — finely grated — see note above about finely grating
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Ingredients: Meatballs and Broccoli
app. 1 lb. of Broccoli — you just want florets so if you’re starting with a head of broccoli you’ll have to trim and cut etc. I just bought a 1 lb. package of broccoli florets available in most grocery stores these days. ( not frozen)
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil divided — 1 for broccoli and 1 for Meatballs
2 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt divided — 1 1/2 for Broccoli and 1 for Meatballs
* a pinch of Crushed red Pepper which is also optional
1 lb. ground chicken– I try to use 85/15 chicken the 90/10 tends to be very dry and really the best is ground dark meat if you can find it
1 large egg beaten to blend
4 scallions , thinly sliced
2 garlic cloved, finely grated
1 ” small piece of ginger , finely grated
1/3 cup Panko ( Japanese Breadcrumbs)
1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil — I use regular Sesame Oil but you can use Toasted as well
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Rice for Serving any kind you like , I used Jasmine this time but any kind will do
Directions:
Mix ketchup, Sriracha ( if you’re using) , Worcestershire Sauce, water, honey, soy sauce, grated ginger, and pepper in a small saucepan. I measured out about 1/4 cup mixture into a small bowl for glazing meatballs, later. Bring remaining mixture to a simmer over medium high heat stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary, let sauce thicken , about 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to a small bowl or leave in pan and remove from heat.
Meatball and Broccoli Assembly:
Place a rack in upper third of the oven; pre-heat to 450 degrees. I sprayed a sheet pan with cooking spray and lined it with aluminum foil. In a separate bowl I tossed florets with 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil, 1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, and a few pinches of crushed red pepper ( optional) I brushed the sheet pan with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of Vegetable Oil and then placed broccoli florets on the edges of the baking sheet to create space for my meatballs.
Mix chicken, egg, scallions, garlic, ginger, panko, sesame oil, pepper , 1 1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt, and 4 Tbsp. Water in a medium bowl and mixed all ingredients together till just combined — don’t overmix
Using wet hands form into 12 meatballs — Probably 2 inches apiece though I didn’t measure but I got 12 beautiful sized meatballs. Arrange on baking sheet; brush with some of the reserved glaze ( 1/4 cup) ( see photo) Bake until meatballs are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven; heat broiler. Brush meatballs again with glazing mixture; broil until broccoli is charred and meatballs are browned in spots, app. 5 minutes but keep an eye on them. At the end of 5 minutes if you’re meatballs look ready but your broccoli isn’t charred enough, remove meatballs and continue to broil broccoli till it’s charred enough.
Spoon meatballs and broccoli over rice in a bowl. Drizzle with sauce and there you go!
One of my most favorite go -to meals is my Greek Chicken- Sheetpan style with Potatoes and Lemons but the trick to that recipe is marinating at least 6-8 hours and it needs some planning which is just fine if I make the plan. Yesterday I decided to make this while I was in the supermarket and came home – no marinating and voila — not exactly the same but satisfied the craving for those flavors and didn’t have too marinate.
Easy peasy ingredients and you can adjust the seasonings to your own liking. Again , I prefer thighs to breasts but if you insist just watch your cooking time as the breasts tend to dry out. And this is skin-on bone in thighs.
The potatoes crisped up beautifully and if you’d like you can have some tzatziki sauce on the side for them. I used small Yukon Gold potatoes leaving the skin on– the skin is paper thin and eliminates the need for peeling.
This was just delicious — serve alongside a green salad or any veggie you’d like and you’ll have a most perfect meal.
Ingredients:
For Chicken:
1 package of chicken thighs, skin on bone in — app. 2 lbs
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper and a drizzle of EVOO ( extra virgin olive oil) — for chicken
For Potatoes:
1 1/2 -2 lbs. potatoes I used Yukon Gold small potatoes, wash and cut into 1″ pieces
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 lemons– I used 2 small lemons for marinade and I sliced 1 for sheet pan
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. heaping dijon mustard
1/4 cup EVOO ( extra virgin olive oil)
*pinch of crushed red pepper — totally optional but we like the kick
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Dry off chicken thighs and drizzle with olive oil and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, set aside
In a large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, salt, pepper, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, garlic, water, dijon mustard, and EVOO , Mix well
Pour potatoes onto a well sprayed ( cooking spray like Pam) sheet pan. Arrange lemon between the potatoes, place chicken thighs on sheet pan — I like to make sure that the chicken is directly on the sheet pan
Bake at 400 degrees for an hour and check on it. I baked for about 1 hour and 15 minutes for perfect crispy skin and perfectly crispy potatoes
I got this recipe from Pamela Salzman’s cookbook Kitchen Matters. I absolutely loved it. I made the chicken and then proceeded to turn it into a rice bowl. The rice bowl accompaniments can be whatever you like. I use Tzatziki Sauce instead of Tahini white sauce. You can also serve over salad which is quite delicious as well. Greek Salad in particular would be great! Add some delicious pita or Naan bread and it’s perfection! I made a side order of roasted peppers and onions and you can add mushrooms as well. I did this in the oven about an hour before dinner. (cut up peppers and onions add a little olive oil to coat and salt and pepper and 400 degrees for about 45 minutes )Big thumbs up on the peppers and onions in the rice bowl. Feta cheese is a must here! (buy a good one) and pepperoncini in mine!
I cooked on my outside grill but this can be cooked indoors on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. Or use a grill pan which would probably cook faster — either way it is delicious.
I also highly recommend marinating for as long as possible. I prepared the chicken in the morning and probably marinated for about 7 hours. Minimum of 1 hour and you can do overnight as well. This marinade was very flavorful.
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice– I used 2 average sized lemons
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon — I used a heaping 1/8 teaspoon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper– I used a heaping 1/8 here too
Several grinds of freshly ground black pepper –probably 1/4 teaspoon as well
4 minced garlic cloves
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs– we obviously prefer thighs but if you must use white meat go ahead but be careful it doesn’t dry out this is why we prefer the thighs to the breast especially in this recipe.
Directions:
prepare the marinade– Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large glass bowl. Add the raw chicken and toss to coat. Marinade in the fridge for as many hours as you can — this was key. Remove the chicken from the fridge about 1/2 hour before cooking.
I cooked on my outside grill for about 7 minutes on each side. I like the outside edges a little crispy since I don’t have a revolving spit to cook my chicken on this is as close as I could get. When I can’t grill ( like in the city) I cook in 400 degree pre-heated oven for about 30 mins. then broil for just a few minutes to get it all crispy. Keep an eye on it in the oven though.
*Another perfect thing to do is to double it up on the day of prep. Take out what I will need for that night and freeze the remainder of the marinated chicken. The next time we’re in the mood for this yummy dinner I just have to take it out of freezer in the morning and defrost and cook! Saves me the time of making the marinade again.
Enjoy! I know you will.
I sliced up chicken served it in a rice bowl and we each used different accompaniments. The peppers and onions were perfect with it. Highly recommend it and you can buy store bought tzatziki which would be just fine. Would be good with some delicious toasted pita or naan bread.
This is my go to rice recipe — sweet and salty delicious recipe. Perfect served alongside a savory BBQ or any meal for that matter. Always a hit at our house. I like Chrissy Teigen’s recipe of all the coconut rice recipes. And don’t skimp on the toasted coconut. This is not diet food — but it’s delicious and worth the few extra calories. Absolutely yummy!
Don’t forget to rinse the rice and let it dry — it takes another 1/2 hour or so and is absolutely worth it. I just rinse it through a mesh colander– run cold water over rice and move rice around a little with your hands and let it dry . Rinsing or washing rice removes that excess starch, resulting in grains that are more separate when cooked.
Enjoy and thanks again to Chrissy Teigen for this wonderful recipe.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups Jasmine Rice ( rinsed and drained)
1 14 oz. can coconut milk– full fat not light
1 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Directions:
In a dry pan, toast coconut over medium-low heat, stirring until lightly brown and fragrant. About 4-5 minutes. Watch carefully . Transfer to a plate to cool.
In a medium saucepan, combine all other ingredients including rice, coconut milk, water, sugar and salt.
Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Once it boils reduce heat to a barely simmer until rice is fully cooked and liquid absorbed keep covered. About 20 minutes. I time it for 20 and check on it at 15 minutes. Remove from heat when all liquid is absorbed and fluff with a fork. Then re-cover the saucepan and let it stand for at least 5 minutes before serving. Last night I made an hour ahead and let it sit and it was perfect.
Transfer to a sering bowl and top with toasted coconut.
This is one of those perfect sheet pan meals easy to assemble and delicious to eat. Although I usually make this recipe on the stove-top I decided to experiment with it in the oven and all on one pan. Since I used white meat chicken breasts I cooked for about 13 minutes because you want to make sure not to dry out the chicken which is pretty easy to do. You can use dark meat chicken — thighs ( skinless and boneless ) if you prefer . I may use them next time out. Just make sure you spray the sheet pan with cooking spray and really spray or you’ll have a hell of a time cleaning that pan. It’s very tasty served over any rice you’d like or no rice , I used brown rice this time.
I have to say this is a perfect any-night meal.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
6 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 Bell Peppers cut into chunks ( see pic) I used a Red and an Orange but you can use whatever colors you like
1 Red Onion, cut into chunks ( see pic)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks ( use thick breasts) or use boneless skinless thighs –thighs will definitely be less dry
1 cup cashews — I used roasted unsalted cashews don’t use salted ones you can also use raw unsalted cashews
Chopped fresh scallions and sesame seeds for topping — you can toast the sesame seeds in oven for about 7 minutes if you’d like or in a toaster oven — totally optional
*Rice — optional — any rice you like
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees
In a bowl , whisk together the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, sesame oil , garlic and ginger
Place the peppers and onions on sprayed rimmed baking sheet and pour 1/2 the sauce over it and mix it well.
Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
Place the chicken in a bowl with the remainder of the marinade.
After the first 15 minutes, remove baking sheet from the oven , move vegetables around so there is room for chicken , add the chicken and the cashews.
Roast until the chicken is cooked through– 12-15 minutes depending on the size of your chicken.
Toss everything together on the sheet before serving.
Serve over rice and sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds.
Cooking with Candi 