Summery avocado chickpea salad with chicken skewers

   It's summer, so you might want to try a light dinner. I have the perfect idea! It's a new recipe from "Yum and yummer" recipe book written by Greta Podleski. Super healthy and super nutritious! I love all Greta's recipes! :) 

Here it goes:

Ingredients for 3-4 people:
Salad:
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups peeled, diced cucumbers
- 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup minced or thinly sliced red onions
- 1 medium avocado, diced
* my addition: a can of corn (God knows how much I love it :D)

Dressing:
- 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp olive or sunflower oil
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh dill
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup or liquid honey
- 1/4 tsp each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Skewers:
- I bought marinated chicken skewers from Lidl, but you can marinate your own with chicken thighs or chicken breast

Steps:
1. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients, being careful not to squish the avocados.
2. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup.
3. Pour over salad and mix well. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
4. Grill your chicken skewers.
5. Serve immediately. Bon appetit! :)

Grilled Chicken and Viva Las Veggies!

   Today I want to present to you... a match made in heaven! You REALLY have to try this recipe! It's SO good you will love it as much as I do! I promise!

   "Viva las veggies" is a roasted veggie recipe from "Looneyspoons" book by Janet and Greta Podleski. If you're from/in Canada or have any connections with this country, you should definitely buy this book! It's full of healthy recipes that are written in such a funny way (hence the name of the recipe). Here's the cover of the book:

   So we tried this recipe before but we never paired it with a grilled chicken and Sawmill sauce (another sauce from Canada). I just died, went to heaven and came back on Earth. I LOVED this pairing so I really want to share it with you:

Ingredients for 3 servings:
Grilled chicken:
- a chicken breast, butterflied
- salt and pepper
- Sawmill sauce or any cooking cream based sauce you like on chicken

Roasted veggies:
- 2 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- a large mushroom, chopped
- a medium red onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 Tbsp each olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- chopped mixed fresh or dry herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano or thyme - we used basil and oregano)
- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh whole-grain bread crumbs (blend 2 slices of bread)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

1. Start with the veggies. They take a while. Put a bit of oil in a baking dish. Add tomatoes, zucchini, the mushroom, onion and garlic. Mix well. Add olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh/dry herbs, salt and pepper. Mix again to coat vegerables with dressing.

2. Roast, uncovered at 220ºC for 25 minutes. While vegetables are roasting, prepare topping. Combine bread crumbs and Parm cheese in a small bowl and mix well.

3. When the veggies have around 5 more minutes to go in the oven, start grilling the chicken on both sides until it's brown (aprox. 7-8 minutes). Check to make sure it's cooked through. Cover the grilling pan with a big bowl or a wok to keep the heat inside and help it cook evenly. 

4. After the 25 minutes, remove the vegetables from oven. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over the vegetables and then return to oven for 5 minutes, until cheese and crumbs turn a light golden brown. 

5. Pour the sauce generously on top of the grilled chicken and enjoy the decadence! Bon appetit!