All I Eat Food!

Dear Tyson® Grilled & Ready®,

Ever since I was asked by the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program if I wanted to try your products, I became a little curious. Of course I wanted to try! I was really excited when I was sent a coupon to purchase either chicken or steak products and I quickly began dreaming of delicious things I’d create. Pasta, sandwiches, salads…my creativity was working overtime. But then it came to me. Create my favorite part of a meal…an appetizer!

So here is my creation. I hope you like what I’ve done with you. I’m not too worried because everyone raved about how delicious you tasted!

Grilled Chicken Artichoke Pepper Crostini

Yields: 30 appetizer bites

Preheat oven to 350°

You will need:

•1 baguette

•4 TBS EVOO

•¼ cup light mayo

•6 oz. of roasted red peppers

•6 oz. of quartered artichoke hearts

•About 10 strips of chicken

•1 yellow onion

1.) Begin by slicing the baguette in thin slices. I had around 30 pieces. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle EVOO on bread. Bake for 12 minutes or until crispy.

2.) Meanwhile, combine mayo and roasted red peppers in a food processor. Make sure the peppers are dried well to prevent the spread from becoming too runny. Taste to make sure there is a good balance between the ingredients. Next, add the artichoke hearts. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble crostini.

3.) Put chicken in a sauce pan until evenly heated. While the chicken is getting ready, slice the onion into thin rings. Sautee onions with cooking spray and remove once they are golden brown and soft.

4.) To assemble, begin by taking a piece of the bread, adding enough of the pepper spread to evenly coat, top with half of a chicken strip, then the onions.

So, Tyson® Grilled & Ready®, what do you think? I love how easy you are to prepare and that you are 98% fat-free and contain no preservatives. Not to mention that I could have eaten all of the Grilled Chicken Artichoke Pepper Crostini! My only complaint? I wish you had been around when I was in college!

Isn’t it peculiar how as the months become warmer our stomachs somehow know that it is no longer needed to eat warm foods? Okay, so maybe this is just me. All I know is that whatever the temperature is outside, I want the opposite type of food.

Cool weather = hot food

Warm weather = cold food

In fact, during the summer months I’m pretty sure I could just live off of fresh fruit and tomatoes. Especially Jersey tomatoes!

My favorite way to eat tomatoes is A.) A tomato sandwich, which I will have to demonstrate at a later time. And B.) Bruschetta

Best Ever Bruschetta, 2 Pts+ per piece

Yield 13 servings

You will need:

•4-5 medium tomatoes

•1-2 cloves of garlic

•1 TBS olive oil

•2 TBS red onion

•About ¼ cup basil

•1 tsp balsamic vinegar

•pinch sugar

•pinch salt and pepper

1.) Begin by washing and dicing tomatoes and put in a large bowl.

2.) Mince garlic and onion and add to tomatoes.

3.) Chiffonade basil by layering all the pieces on top of each other,then rolling the pieces tightly. Make small slices so that basil looks like thin ribbons.

4.) Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

4.) Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow ingredients to meld and become even more delicious!

To me, bruschetta is the perfect warm weather food. It is juicy, full of flavor and can be quite filling. And the best part is you can eat it with bread or use it as a topping for a salad, chicken,fish…cereal, oatmeal, ice cream. Okay, fine I got a little carried away. My point is, bruschetta is amazing.

And I realize that this is a pretty well known recipe but everyone has their own take on things and this is mine. And who knows, maybe this will inspire you to make your own!