Tag Archives: avocado

Cooking Chronicles: Spicy Turkey Cheddar Melts

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My spicy turkey cheddar melts are one of my favorite quick, easy and guilt-free sandwiches.  While in a rush to throw together a quick and easy dinner one night, I skimmed through my fridge and pantry, pulled out a few simple and fresh ingredients and ended up with this yummy sandwich.  These melts are an awesome lunch or dinner option.

I purchase most of my bread, fruits, veggies, cheeses and sliced deli meat from my local farmers’ market.  The fruits and vegetables you buy at your local farmers’ markets are the freshest and tastiest available. The fruits and veggies are allowed to ripen in their fields and are brought directly to you — no long-distance shipping, no gassing to simulate the ripening process, no sitting for weeks in storage. The farmers’ market food is as real as it gets — food fresh from the farm. The breads and cheese are all homemade and extremely tasty.

These melts are yummy  and fulfilling.  Hungry yet? Check out the recipe below! Continue reading →

Cooking Chronicles: Grilled Chicken, Fruit and Avocado Salad With Honey Garlic Vinaigrette

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So, as you know, there’s always a story behind the food. While visiting New York City, my Love insisted that we check out a Cuban restaurant, Cubana,  where he’d previously eaten.  He raved about their amazing salads, and I must admit, the salads listed on their menu looked pretty impressive.  I couldn’t try them all, so I made a mental note to recreate a few and put my own twist on them.  🙂  My favorite is the grilled chicken, fruit & Avocado Salad with homemade honey garlic vinaigrette.

Ingredients

  • 2 seasoned grilled chicken breasts, thinly sliced
  • 10-12 fresh sliced strawberries
  • 1 avocado, seeded and sliced
  • 1 mango, peeled and sliced into chunks
  • 2 pineapple spears, sliced into chunks
  • 1 small red sweet onion, diced
  • 3-4 handfuls of spinach (or whatever leafy green you like)
  • Candied walnuts (optional)

Honey Garlic Vinaigrette

  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tbsp. honey
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

Whisk olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey and garlic together in bowl and set aside.  Combine all salad ingredients.  Top salad with desired amount of vinaigrette.

This salad is soooo good with or without the chicken.  It’s light, healthy and fulfilling. The Mr. loved it!  🙂

*The salad pictured below does not include mango or candied walnuts.  I normally include both, but I didn’t have them on hand at the time.  This was still very yummy!

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