Savory Summer Recipes: Meals for Two

During the summer, nothing hits the spot like quick and easy meals made with bright flavors and seasonal ingredients. Skip going out to a restaurant to spend $50+ for one night's meal and instead, use that hard earned money on a week's worth of scrumptious meals for you and your loved one.  For Kyle and myself, homemade happiness is money well spent.

Cousin Tracy & Auntie Margaret's Summer Rolls

Summer Rolls

Ingredients

Vietnamese Summer (or Spring) Roll Rice Paper Wrappers, 8

Large Bowl of Hot Water

Hoisin Sauce 

Shrimp, 16 boiled and chilled

Basil

Bean Sprouts

Rice Noodles, boiled and drained

Lettuce (hearts of Romaine)

Lime Juice

1. Dip rice wrapper in hot water until pliable.

2. Spread a spoonful of hoisin sauce down the center of the wrapper.

3. Lay two shrimps on top of the sauce.

4. Cover shrimp with basil, bean sprouts, rice noodles, and lettuce.

5. Add more hoisin sauce and lime juice to desired taste.

6. Wrap, roll, and enjoy.  Best eaten right away.

Simple Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich

Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients

Roast Chicken Breasts, 2, chilled and cubed

Fuji Apple, 1

Fage Greek Yogurt, 1 cup

Mayonnaise, 1/4 cup

Curry Powder, 1 tbsp

Walnuts, 1/2 cup, toasted and chopped

Basil, chopped

Salt to taste

Combine:

1. Roasted chicken breasts (almost all grocery stores sell pre-roasted chicken for $4.99).

2. Fuji apple cubes

3. Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and curry powder.

4. Walnuts and basil.

Island Style Panzanella and a Turkey Burger

Island Style Panzanella (Bread Salad)

Ingredients

Day-old Baguette or toasted Baguette, cubed into crouton size pieces

Precooked Petite Shrimp, 1/2 pound

Cherry or Kumato Tomatoes, 1/2 cup, chopped

Avocado, 1/2 cup, cubed

Basil, 2 tbsp, chopped
White Onion, 1/8, small diced

Goat's Milk Feta Cheese, 2 tbsp, crumbled

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 tbsp

Red Wine Vinegar, 1 tbsp

Lime Juice, 2 tsp

Salt and Parmesan, to taste

1. Toss all solid ingredients together starting from the top of the list.

2. Pour in all liquid ingredients to taste.

3. Season with salt and parmesan to taste.

Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

Bacon, 2 slices

Ground Turkey, 1 cup

Egg, 1 large

Italian Style Bread Crumbs, 2 tbsp

Avocado, 1, sliced

Goat's Milk Feta, 1/4 cup, crumbled

Tomato, 1 small, sliced

Kaiser Buns, 2, toasted

1. Mix together raw turkey, egg, and bread crumbs with your hand until solid enough to form in flat, round patties. Set aside for now.

2. Fry bacon in a pan.  Keep bacon moving so it doesn't burn.

3. Set crisped bacon aside. Keep rendered fat in pan over medium heat.

4. Now, we're going to fry up the turkey patties in the bacon renderings. If you've flattened the patties enough, it shouldn't take long to cook them on both sides to well-done.

5. Spread avocado on both the bottom and top halves of the kaiser buns.

6. Set turkey patties on top of the bottom halves of the buns.  Top with feta, tomato slices, and a slice of bacon (snap in half, crisscrossed).  Close the turkey burgers with the tops of the buns, and down the hatch they go!