OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle

15 Minute Meals

Grilled Chicken Caesar Spears

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Perfect for a summer soiree, these light and fresh Grilled Chicken Caesar Spears are bite size and packed with flavor. Grill your own chicken breast or use pre-grilled bite size chicken from your local grocery.

Light and fresh Grilled Chicken Caesar Spears are packed with flavor

These Grilled Chicken Caesar Spears are SUPER FUN to eat! Chicken breast gets coated in mayonnaise and my favorite spicy seasoning then grilled up to perfection on my Weber charcoal grill. Of course, you could make this even easier by purchasing pre-grilled chicken bites at your local grocery.

I know I’m always looking for quick and easy recipes during the hot Summer months. Recipes that get you away from the kitchen and outside where all the fun is at. These would be the perfect addition to any picnic at the park, especially if you buy the pre-grilled chicken. Just package everything up in your basket and assembly is a cinch when you get to your destination. Or how about on your Summer camping trip? I always welcome anything fresh while I’m camping. In fact, I CRAVE IT!

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Grilled Chicken Caesar Spears

Light and fresh Grilled Chicken Caesar Spears are bite size and packed with flavor
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine Chicken
Keyword 15 minute meals, Bite Size
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 12 romaine lettuce leaves
  • 3 thin chicken breast fillets
  • 1 tsp Zatarain’s cajun seasoning or your favorite seasoning
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • ½ cup Marie’s Caesar dressing
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup parmesan fresh grated
  • ½ cup croutons chopped
  • Lemon slices for serving

Instructions

  • Prepare grill
  • Coat chicken with mayonnaise and seasoning
  • Grill chicken getting nice charred grill lines
  • Remove chicken and let sit for 5 minutes
  • Mix together in a ziplock bag dressing and olive oil, cut tip of bag to create a “piping” bag
  • Cut chicken into cubes
  • Lay out all the romaine lettuce leaves
  • Using the ziplock “piping” bag squeeze a line of dressing on each romaine leaf
  • Arrange about ¼ cup chicken cubes on romaine (how much chicken depends on size of romaine leaf)
  • Using “piping” bag squeeze another line of dressing (I like zig-zag pattern over chicken)
  • Top with chopped croutons and parmesan
  • Serve with lemon wedge
  • * Ingredients are approximate and may need to be increased if using larger romaine lettuce leaves

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

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Spice it up with these chili rubbed pork chops and corn relish. Tender grilled pork that’s been rubbed with a blend of chili spices and topped with a seasonal relish of corn, peppers and tomatoes. Celebrate summer in just 15 minutes with this easy to follow weeknight meal.

Spice it up with these chili rubbed pork chops and corn relish.

When summer rolls around, it’s time to eat corn. I love coming up with creative ways to use corn. Anything from a quick relish, like this, to a corn puree and of course, just plain old buttered corn. It’s fresh, it’s seasonal and it’s budget friendly. All things that make me very happy.

I like buying my corn on the cob from the local farm stands, simply because you know where it’s coming from. There are still a few farms around here that go by the honor system. You know, pull up to a huge bin of corn, leave a few bucks in the drop box and away you go with fresh corn. This year is my first year trying to grow my own corn. My dad was an expert corn grower and very adamant that your corn had to be ‘knee high by the fourth of July’ and his was just that. I have a small garden where I planted 3 rows of sweet corn and 1 row of Indian corn (this may or may not be the correct term, but that’s what we call it). Only 4 stalks were knee high by the fourth of July, so I’m praying and hoping it all works out. If not, I’ve got some great decorations for fall.

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Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

Spice it up with these chili rubbed pork chops and corn relish.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Pork
Keyword 15 minute meals
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

  • 4 bone in pork chops
  • 1 can ginger ale
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Corn Relish

  • 4 ears corn cut off the cob
  • 1 cup red onion small diced
  • 1/2 jalapeno seeded, small diced
  • 6 mini sweet peppers sliced in rounds
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Chili Rubbed Pork Chops

  • Soak pork chops in ginger ale while the grill heats up.
  • Combine paprika, garlic, salt, cumin, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl. Remove pork chops from ginger ale and rub with spice blend. Drizzle with olive oil.
  • Grill until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. About 3-4 minutes on each side.

Corn Relish

  • Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add onion, jalapeno and peppers. Stirring for about 2 minutes. Add corn, stir for a minute. Add tomatoes and stir for an additional minutes. Remove and serve over pork chops.

Head On Shrimp with Chili-Garlic, Brown Sugar & Shallot

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Head on shrimp deliver all the flavor and are super fun to eat. Chili-garlic, brown sugar and shallot coat these delicious shrimp that are served with a refreshing papaya salad drizzled in hot honey and lime juice and fluffy coconut lime rice.

I used to love catching shrimp off the docks. My brother and I would lay on our stomachs with nets and scoop up the shrimp that clung to the piers down at the marina. Once we had a nice bowl full, off we went back to the boat to cook them up (well, my mom cooked them up for us).

Whenever I get the chance to buy local head on shrimp, I jump at the chance. Cooking shrimp with their head on adds a HUGE amount of flavor. You don’t have to eat their heads, just leave them on while cooking. And because this recipe comes together in just 15 minutes, you get all that flavor on the table with quickness. Almost like you’re on vacation in the tropics.

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The funnest way to eat shrimp is head on with garlic, chili and shallot.
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Head On Shrimp with Chili-Garlic, Brown Sugar & Shallot

The funnest way to eat shrimp is head on with chili-garlic, brown sugar and shallot.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Seafood
Keyword 15 minute meals
Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

Head On Shrimp with Chili-Garlic, Brown Sugar & Shallot

  • 1 lb head on shrimp deveined and cleaned
  • 1 tbsp chili-garlic sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp orange juice
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 shallot thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 lime squeezed for juice

Papaya Salad

  • 1 medium papaya skin removed, thinly sliced in long strips
  • 4-6 sweet mini peppers thinly sliced in strips
  • 1/2 lime squeezed for juice
  • 1/2 tsp hot honey
  • 1 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

Coconut Lime Rice

  • 2 cup water
  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 lime squeezed for juice and zested

Instructions

Head On Shrimp with Chili-Garlic, Brown Sugar & Shallot

  • In a large bowl, combine head on shrimp, chili-garlic sauce and brown sugar.
  • Heat vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and sear on one side for about 2 minutes. Add shallot. Flip shrimp over and add orange juice and white wine. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes or until opaque.

Papaya Salad

  • Gently toss all ingredients together.

Coconut Lime Rice

  • Bring water to a boil over high heat. Add rice and stir. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and fold in shredded coconut, lime zest and juice.

Grilled Chicken Pesto Kabobs & Blistered Tomato Spaghetti

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Quick & Easy Grilled Chicken Pesto Kabobs pair perfectly with summery blistered tomato spaghetti for a lovely evening on the patio. This is one of those brilliant summer dishes that comes together in very little time.

What’s the BEST thing about summer? Fresh vine ripened tomatoes! My favorite taste that is totally summer are vine ripened tomatoes. Plucked straight from the vine, they are warm and juicy and unbelievably sweet. I tend to go a little overboard and plant way too many tomato plants. By the end of the season I have GOBS OF TOMATOES..which is fine with me.

The easiest way to summerfy (I may have made up that word) your pasta dish is to add blistered tomatoes. These are quick sauteed in a hot pan until they burst or soften as in this recipe, since they are halved they won’t burst. This method really brings out the sweetness in the tomatoes. All those sweet juices get tossed with lightly oiled spaghetti noodles and fresh basil. Place your grilled chicken pesto kabobs ever so scrumptiously on top and viola! You have a SUPER EASY summer meal you can enjoy on the patio.

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Quick & Easy Grilled Chicken Pesto Kabobs pair perfectly with summery blistered tomato spaghetti.
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Grilled Pesto Chicken Kabobs & Blistered Tomato Spaghetti

Quick & Easy Grilled Chicken Pesto Kabobs pair perfectly with summery blistered tomato spaghetti.
Course Main Course
Cuisine italian
Keyword Grilled Chicken, Summer grilling
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 8 kabob sticks

Ingredients

Grilled Pesto Chicken Kabobs

  • 16 chicken tenderloins rinsed and patted dry
  • 1 tbsp pesto in the jar
  • 2 tbsp water

Blistered Tomato Spaghetti

  • 1/2 lb spaghetti noodles cooked according to directions on package
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large shallot thinly sliced
  • 1 large garlic clove minced
  • 2 cups multi-colored cherry/grape tomatoes halved
  • 1/4 cup white wine such as pinot grigio
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil chiffonade
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Parmesan grated

Instructions

Grilled Pesto Chicken Kabobs

  • Fire up your grill.
  • Mix together the pesto and water. Coat chicken tenderloins, thread two tenderloins per kabob stick and set aside as you wait for the grill to be ready.
  • Grill until opaque in the center and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
  • Serve with Blistered Tomato Spaghetti.

Blistered Tomato Spaghetti

  • Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat.
  • Add shallot and garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add halved tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Add white wine, reduce heat to medium low and add butter, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and fresh basil. Stir until butter is melted. Remove from heat and toss together with spaghetti noodles that have been dressed in 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper.

Crispy Beef Lettuce Wraps

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Crispy Beef Lettuce Wraps are going to be your new go-to weeknight dinner. Sweet and spicy ground beef, pickled cucumber, thinly sliced radish and crunchy hazelnuts wrapped up in butter lettuce.

Crispy Beef Lettuce Wraps are the perfect weeknight budget meal

These lettuce wraps are totally awesome for several reasons! First, they use ground beef, so you’re not breaking the bank here. Second, they come together is about 15 minutes, which is EVERYTHING. Because who wants to be hanging around the stove, right? Third, I mean do I even need a third? O.k. Third, they are beautiful. You’re getting your colorful veggies and a vibrant punch of flavor.

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If you’ve been following my blog posts, you know that I like to keep things short and simple. Let me tell you why…I’m ALL ABOUT the food. When I see a recipe that I like, I want to go straight to the recipe. Sure I’ll read about 1-2 paragraphs, but then I find myself scrolling through to find the recipe. Yes, the SEO helper says ‘type more Tamara’, but you know, I’m a little rebellious and I’m hungry…just give me the recipe!

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Crispy Beef Lettuce Wraps

Crispy Beef Lettuce Wraps are your new go-to summer dinner. Sweet and spicy ground beef get crisped up and paired with pickled cucumber, radish and butter lettuce. Top it with crunchy chopped hazelnuts and basil for a flavor packed bite.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword 15 minute dinners, Gluten free
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion fine diced
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic chili sauce
  • 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Pickled Cucumber

  • 1/2 English cucumber thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp salt

Other Ingredients

  • 1 head living butter lettuce leaves individually removed
  • 5-6 radishes thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup hazelnuts chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil torn

Instructions

  • Heat vegetable oil in a large pan over medium high heat
  • Add onion and cook until softened about 2 minutes. Push over to side.
  • Add the ground beef, cook crumbling as you brown until a little crispy on the edges. Drain grease and return to heat.
  • Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes.
  • Serve in a butter lettuce leaf with pickled cucumber, radish, chopped hazelnuts and fresh basil.

Pickled Cucumber

  • Place sliced cucumber in a bowl. Cover with apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.