Hawaiian Sliders Recipe

Sliders are the perfect party food, and they’re super simple to make!

Ingredients:

• 2-2oz packets ham
• 1 4oz block of cheese
• 1 package Hawaiian buns
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 can pineapple slices (optional. I didn't do this when i made them)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Slice the Hawaiian buns in half as a sheet.
3. Layer the ham, cheese, pineapple, and then the top half of the buns.
4. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Pour the butter mixture over the buns.
6. Cover the sliders with tinfoil and bake 30-40 minutes until butter is fully absorbed.

Summer Pesto Pasta Salad

8 oz. whole grain of brown rice fusilli 

• 4 oz. grilled chicken, chopped 

• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame 

• 1 cup sugar snap peas, halved 

• 1 cup broccoli florets 

• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced 

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 

• 1/4 cup minced shallots 

• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 

• 1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds 

• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 

• 1/2 cup pesto sauce {I use Kirkland brand} 

1⃣Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 5 minutes. Add edamame and cook 2 minutes. Add peas, mushrooms, and broccoli. Cook another 1-2 minutes. Drain. 2⃣Return pasta to pan. Stir in pesto sauce, then stir in tomatoes, nuts & cheese. Top with fresh basil. Serve hot or cold.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash and cube sweet potatoes. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray tops with cooking spray {I use Spectrum Coconut Spray Oil}. I sprinkled this batch liberally with Grill Mates Chipotle & Roasted Garlic seasoning + sea salt.
3. Bake 20 minutes. Flip. Bake an additional 15 minutes. They should be golden brown and crispy on the outside, soft in the middle 😋
If you have extra, store in the fridge and use for a quick complex carb in your breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Greek Zucchini Salad

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  Makes 6 side servings
  6 oz. grilled chicken, chopped
  4 zucchini squash, spiralized
  1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  1 can large pitted olives
  1/4 cup feta cheese
  Pinch of fresh basil, chopped
  Fresh Lemon Dressing:
  2 Tbs. avocado oil
  Juice from 1 lemon
  1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
  Dash sea salt
  Dash black pepper
  1. Using the smallest blade attachment on your spiralizer, spin zucchini creating "zoodles". Place in a large bowl. Add chicken, tomatoes, olives, cheese & basil. Set aside.
  2. Blend together all dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and mix well. Add extra salt & pepper to taste. Enjoy cold.

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Spinach Artichoke Dip

3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
14 oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup low-fat cream cheese
3 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix spinach, artichokes, Parmesan and mozzarella together in a bowl. In a separate bowl beat cream cheese, yogurt, garlic & lemon juice together. Combine both bowls and add salt & pepper to taste.
3. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve with your favorite chips and/or veggies. #cleansimpleeats

Buffalo Chicken & Pesto Sandwich

Makes 1 serving
350 calories; 13g fat; 32g carb; 25g protein
2 oz. chicken breast, raw
1 Tbs. Frank’s hot sauce
1/8 tsp. dried basil
½ Tbs. pesto sauce
1 Tbs. plain Greek yogurt
1 slices pepper jack cheese
1 multigrain bun
½ tomato, sliced
¼ cup spinach
¼ cup red cabbage
Sea salt & pepper to taste
1. Coat chicken in hot sauce and dried basil. Place in a pan over medium heat sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from heat and top with cheese.
2. Combine the pesto sauce and yogurt. Toast the bun then spread the pesto cream sauce on the bottom. Add chicken, veggies and the top bun. Enjoy!

Italian Calzones

Makes 6 servings
335 calories; 13g fat; 32g carb; 21g protein
2 1/4 cup Kodiak Power Cakes Mix
3 Tbs. olive oil
9 Tbs. hot water
6 oz. chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup part skim, ricotta cheese
1/2 cup low-fat, shredded mozzarella cheese
Dash of Italian seasoning
1 egg white, beaten
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onion, minced Marinara sauce
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place mushrooms, bell peppers and onions in a greased pan and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Combine the Kodiak Cakes, olive oil and water together. Knead with hands until well combined and smooth. Separate into 3 balls of dough. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll out into thin circles.
Combine chicken, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and the Italian seasoning. Add the veggies and stir until well combined. Spoon mixture evenly into one side of each circle of dough. Fold the other side of the dough over the mixture. Roll and pinch edges tight until sealed. Brush top of the calzone with remaining egg white.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

(from @cleansimpleeats)

BBQ Ranch Grilled Chicken and Veggie Bowls

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

• For the chicken and veggies:
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (16 oz) bottle Hidden Valley® Honey BBQ Ranch® Dressing
• 1 zucchini, washed and sliced into 1/4'' thick rounds
• 1 red bell pepper, washed, seeded and sliced
• 4 ears of grilled corn on the cob (or substitute 1 1/2 cups cooked corn) 
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish, if desired
• For the rice:
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 can black beans, washed and drained

Instructions

1. For the rice:
2. Add oil to a saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and rice and saute, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes or until rice begins to get golden brown. Add cumin, chicken broth and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff gently with a fork. Set aside.
3. For the chicken and veggies.
4. Meanwhile, place chicken in a shallow dish and baste with 1 heaping cup of Hidden Valley Honey BBQ Ranch Dressing. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. 
5. To grill the zucchini and bell peppers you can use a grill basket and cook them over medium heat on the grill, or use a grill pan on the stove. You can also cook the ears of corn on the grill (instructions here), or on the grill pan on the stove.  
6. After the veggies are cooked, add the marinated chicken to the grill over medium heat. Cook for several minutes, flipping once, until cooked through. Remove to a plate to rest for 5 minutes before cutting.
7. Spoon cooked rice into bowls. Top with chopped, cooked chicken, grilled zucchini, bell peppers, corn and sliced avocado. Drizzle Honey BBQ Ranch Sauce on top. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Note:

I couldn't find the Hidden Valley Honey BBQ Ranch at the store...So I just mixed up some Ranch dressing + BBQ sauce + a little honey and it was good! 

Mexican Fiesta Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ready In: 2 Hours 30 Minutes Servings: 16

INGREDIENTS:

1 (16 ounce) package dried rotini pasta 1 1/2 cups medium chunky salsa 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 (11 ounce) can Mexican-style corn with red and green peppers, drained 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

2 green onions, sliced thin 1 (4.25 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro, or to taste 1 teaspoon salt ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil; cook the rotini in the boiling water until the pasta is cooked through yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold running water until completely cooled; drain thoroughly.
2.	Whisk the salsa, mayonnaise, sour cream, black beans, Mexican-style corn, red bell pepper, green onions, black olives, garlic powder, cumin, cilantro, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl; add the cooled pasta and stir to coat evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight before serving.

{original recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-fiesta-pasta-salad/ }

My friend made this for our LunchBunch today and used half the mayo, left out the olives, added more green onions and used fresh cilantro