There’s nothing quite as satisfying as sitting down for a home-cooked meal on your back porch. At Friendship at Home, we love knowing that our members will be able to enjoy cooking in their kitchens for years to come.
Here are three of our staff’s favorite summer meals:
Pesto Grilled Chicken and Avocado Salad
This recipe originated at Café Delites and is one of our favorites for a quick, satisfying summer dinner. With only 346 calories per serving, it’s a filling meal without excessive calories.
Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons basil pesto
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
Cracked pepper, to taste
4 skinless, boneless chicken thigh or breast fillets
Salad:
4 cups Romaine, or Cos lettuce leaves, washed and dried
1 large cucumber, diced
1 cup grape tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Lemon wedges, to serve
2 tablespoons extra pesto, to serve
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil or parsley, to garnish
Instructions:
Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a large jug. Pour out half of the dressing into a large, shallow dish. Refrigerate the remaining UNTOUCHED marinade to use as a dressing later.
Add the chicken to the marinade in the bowl; marinade chicken for 15-30 minutes (or up to two hours in the refrigerator if time allows). While waiting for the chicken, prepare all of the salad ingredients and mix in a large salad bowl.
Once chicken is ready, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a grill pan or a grill plate over medium-high heat. Grill chicken on both sides until browned and completely cooked through.
Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes; slice and arrange over salad. Drizzle salad with the remaining UNTOUCHED dressing. Serve with lemon wedges, extra basil pesto AND chopped basil or parsley, to garnish
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Originally from Delish, this easy-to-make sandwich takes only 25 minutes and will leave you with a smile on your face.
Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 slices lemon (optional)
6 sprigs dill (optional)
1 green apple, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2/3 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. chopped dill, for garnish
Baguette, for serving
Butter lettuce, for serving
Instructions:
Poach chicken: In a large pot, arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer. If using, place lemon slices and dill sprigs on chicken.
Pour water over the chicken breasts, covering by at least an inch. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until the center of the chicken reaches 165° with an instant-read thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, check that the thickest part of the chicken is opaque.
Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine chicken, apple, onion and celery.
In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.
Pour dressing over chicken mixture and toss.
Garnish with dill and serve on a baguette with lettuce.
Summer Squash Pizza
Our final favorite is a bit different, but just as delicious. From myrecipes.com, this summer squash pizza replaces pepperoni with zucchini — making it the perfect dish for our health-conscious or vegetarian members.
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into slices
1 medium yellow squash cut lengthwise into slices
1 (12-inch) packaged pizza crust
2 plum tomatoes, cut into thin slices
1/4 cup finely grated pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
Instructions:
Prepare grill.
Combine oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, zucchini slices, and yellow squash slices in a large bowl, tossing gently to coat. Place squash mixture on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until tender.
Reduce grill temperature to medium.
Lightly coat pizza crust with cooking spray; grill 1 minute on each side or until lightly toasted. Arrange zucchini and squash over crust. Arrange tomatoes over squash; sprinkle with pecorino Romano cheese. Grill 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from grill; sprinkle with basil and oregano.