Zucchini & Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

I love quesadillas but always find my homemade attempts have led to inconsistent filling and structural issues (read: the filling falls out when I flip them). Inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s method, this veggie filling has the cheese folded in, which allows it all to stick together and create more even quesadillas. The cooked down zucchini makes these taste almost cheesier than they are because it takes on a jammy texture. Super filling with all that veg, but you would hardly know it’s there!

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Zucchini & Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

Makes 4 quesadillas, This recipe is inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s Zucchini Quesadillas

Ingredients/Method:

Chicken marinade:

• 2 chicken breasts

• 1/2 tsp ancho chilli powder (or any chilli powder)

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil

Let the chicken marinate for 30 mins at room temp (or in the fridge for 30 mins - 4 hours). Grill on bbq until internal temp reaches 165F.

Quesadilla filling:

• 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced

• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced

• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

• 1 clove garlic minced

• 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or havarti would work)

• Olive oil

• Salt n pepper

Sautée onions with olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add in garlic and red pepper, continue to cook until peppers are softened. Add in zucchini and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Continue to cook 5-7 minutes over medium until zucchini is translucent and jammy. Remove from heat and fold in shredded cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

To assemble, scoop 1/4 of veggie/cheese mixture onto flour tortilla (I used whole wheat!). Add sliced chicken. Top with another flour tortilla. 

Bring a clean non-stick pan to medium heat, with a little bit of oil. Cook one side of the quesadilla until crispy, about 3 minutes. Flip with confidence! Cook the other side until crispy. Remove from pan and keep warm in the oven on a cookie sheet while you repeat with the others.

Serve with sour cream, salsa and top with shredded lettuce with lime juice and a pinch of salt!

Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken

Sundays back home typically involve a large family meal. Growing up my grandmother would come over and later in my life after my brother had moved out, he’d be back home for Sunday supper. There was usually a roast of some type but the ritual, more than anything, was our family coming together over a shared meal before the week began again. Since living in Toronto I’ve tried to keep this ritual alive. Sundays are typically a slower day for me, so even if it’s just roasting a chicken for myself, it feels nice to keep up the tradition. This is my go-to roast chicken recipe because it doesn’t require a ton of ingredients and the flavour is easily malleable for leftovers. Throughout the week I cut it up for salads, heat it up with chilli powder and lime for tacos, and glaze the drumsticks with honey and sriracha for weekday dinners with rice and steamed broccoli. 

Another Sunday tradition of mine is going to my local farmer's markets. I can’t recommend enough buying your chicken from the market or a local butcher. Although it will be more expensive than the grocery store, the quality of the meat is so much higher. Plus a roast chicken will give you so many servings (not to mention the soup potential!) that on a per-serving basis, it’s quite economical.

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Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken

Time: 2 hours

NOTES:

The key to this recipe is to put most of the flavour UNDER the skin of the chicken. Don’t be afraid to get your hands a little messy! You can buy food-safe plastic gloves if you are uncomfortable touching raw meat.

You may also feel like this is a lot of salt. It is actually a modest suggestion for how much salt should really go on a bone-in whole chicken. The salt will ensure a moist, flavourful chicken with crispy skin.

Ingredients:

4-5lb whole chicken, ideally locally/organic

Rub:

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 - 1.5 tbsp kosher salt

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Fresh cracked black pepper

Other:

• 1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters

• Zested lemon cut in half

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375F and ensure the rack is in the centre of the oven.

2. In a small bowl combine the lemon zest, kosher salt, dried oregano, garlic, olive oil and pepper - stirring to create a coarse paste.

3. Prepare a roasting pan or 9x13 pan - add onion quarters to the corners.

4. Pat your chicken dry and place into the pan breast up. Using your pointer finger and your middle finger, lift the skin on each chicken breast away from the breast meat. 

5. Take ⅓ of your paste and push under the skin on one chicken breast, trying to spread evenly under the skin. Repeat for the other breast.

6. Rub the remaining ⅓ of your paste over the skin of the chicken, being sure to get the wings and drumsticks.

7. Place one ½ the lemon inside the chicken, ensure it isn’t fully blocking the air from entering the chicken. Place the other ½ lemon in the pan.

8. Cook for 20 mins per pound, between 1 hour and 20 mins and 1 hour and 40 mins depending on the size of the chicken. I recommend rotating the chicken halfway through as the back of your oven is hotter than the front.

9. Chicken is done when a meat thermometer reads 165F in the thickest part of the thigh meat.

10. Let your chicken rest for 15 minutes before serving.

11. The juice at the bottom of the pan makes a delicious serving sauce. Put it into a mason jar in the fridge to separate the fat, skim off, and heat as a jus.

Paprika Chicken Marinade

This is my go-to marinade for chicken - whether its thighs, breasts, or the whole chicken! The earlier you get this on the chicken the more flavourful it will be, so you can marinade up to 24 hours ahead of time. It also works applied just before cooking.

Tastes great with my Pantry Quinoa Pilaf!

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Paprika Chicken Marinade

Ingredients:

2 tbsp smoked paprika

½ tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

Method:

1. Mix the ingredients in a bowl until a smooth paste.

2. Slather all over your chicken of choice, and marinade for as long as time allows. Keep in the fridge if marinating for more than 20 minutes.

3. Bake in the oven (or grill!), time and temperature dependent on the cut of meat.

   1. For boneless chicken breasts, typically 20-25 mins at 375F will bring you to an internal temperature of 165F.

   2. For boneless chicken thighs, typically 30 minutes at 400F will bring you to an internal temperature of 165F.

*you can also use regular paprika here but I prefer smoked, much more flavour. You can buy this at the Bulk Barn

Pork Tenderloin with Grape Sauce

I have a major sweet tooth, and because of that I am a sucker for a savoury dish with a bit of sweetness. My mom first started making a dish similar to this after taking a cooking class in Charleston, South Carolina. We’ve played around with it over the years and it's now a staple of our family’s dinner repertoire. Grape jelly seems a little weird to put into a dinner dish, but the key to this sauce is adding in any pork juices and mustard that are left on the pan after the meat rests. The savouriness of the pan juices balance the cloying sweetness of the preserved jelly.

Spring is the perfect time to serve this dish, with seasonal asparagus roasted on the side.

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Pork Tenderloin with Grape Sauce

45 mins

Ingredients:

Roast pork:

• 2 pork tenderloins

• 4 tbsp of grainy mustard  (my favourite is Maile Old Style Dijon Mustard)

• Kosher salt and pepper

Grape sauce:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, sliced

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 cup of concord grape jelly (I use Welch’s)

• ¼ cup of water

• 2 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce

Perfect roasted asparagus:

• 1 bunch of asparagus

• 1 tsp of olive oil

• Kosher salt and pepper

• ½ lemon

Pork method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Prepare your pork tenderloins: clean off any excess fat and remove the silver skin if not already cleaned (I run a paring knife against it to pull it off). Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

3. Generously season each tenderloin with kosher salt and pepper (I use about a ½ tsp per tenderloin).

4. Rub 2 tbsp of grainy mustard onto each pork tenderloin.

5. Roast in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until a meat thermometer reads 145F.

6. Remove from oven and cover with tinfoil while it rests. This is a great time to pop in some asparagus in the oven (method below).

7. When you remove the pork to slice, pour the juices and mustard that remain on the baking tray into the sauce you’ve prepared (method below).

Sauce method:

1. Heat a medium sauce pan to medium heat with olive oil. Saute the onions until they become transparent (5-7 mins).

2. Add in the minced garlic and continue to saute until fragrant. Add in the grape jelly, soy sauce and water, scraping the bottom of the saucepan to ensure everything is lifted.

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer while your pork is cooking.

4. Before serving, add in the pork juices and mustard from the baking sheet to finish the sauce.

Asparagus method:

1. Trim the ends of your asparagus to remove the tough parts. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

2. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.

3. Turn the oven up to 425F once the pork is removed and bake the asparagus while the pork is resting (15 mins).

4. Remove the asparagus from the oven and squeeze the juice of ½ a lemon over top.

Serve the pork, asparagus and sauce with mashed potatoes.

Lemon Pepper Orzo with Shrimp and Snap Peas

My mom used to make a lemon pepper pasta growing up that was one of my favourite dishes. She added shrimp, snowpeas, and we always topped it with a generous serving of parmesean cheese (or as I used to call it “sprinkle cheese”). People often say that fish and cheese don’t go together, but many east coast dishes combine the two - I think lemon always being present cuts through the richness which is what makes it work.

Spring is a wonderful time for this pasta as there are many vegetables coming into season. Sugar snap peas are my favourite but snow peas would also work. I’ve also done this with roasted asparagus instead of peas - in that case just skip step 5 and go straight to cooking the shrimp. Add your roasted asparagus in when you add the orzo to the pan. Sugar snap peas, snow peas and asparagus are all about to hit their peak season so now’s the time to embrace this light, fresh pasta dish.

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Lemon Pepper Orzo with Shrimp and Snap Peas

30 mins total

Ingredients:

340g package frozen, raw shrimp

1.5 cups orzo pasta

1 shallot, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

227 g package of sugar snap peas (yields about 2 cups)*, cut into thirds

1.5 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp of water

2 tbsp of lemon juice

1 tbsp of unsalted butter

1 tbsp of olive oil

Parmesan-reggiano to serve

Method:

1. Place your frozen shrimp in a bowl and cover with cool water to thaw.

2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil for your orzo.

3. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, add olive oil and bring to medium- high heat.

4. Sauté shallot and garlic in the pan until shallot is translucent and garlic is aromatic (2-3 mins). Add in black pepper and allow the pepper to sizzle in the oil with the shallot and garlic for 1 min.

5. Reduce the heat to medium and add in your snap peas. Pour in 2 tbsp of water to the pan to deglaze the bits that have begun to stick and add some moisture to help steam the peas. Season the peas with salt and pepper.

6. Add a handful of kosher salt to your boiling water and then add in the orzo. Cook according to package - usually 6-7 mins for al dente.

7. Peel your shrimp and add to your pan. I like to push my veggies to the side and add the shrimp in an even layer directly onto the pan. Try not to disturb them until you see the pink peaking through to the other side (usually 1-2 mins) and flip them to the other side.

8. Drain your orzo (DO NOT RINSE) and add to the pan with the shrimp and vegetables - it’s ok if some pasta water comes with it! That will help the flavours stick.

9. Add butter and lemon juice and give everything a good stir. Taste - season and adjust if needed.

10. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top and some freshly cracked pepper.