Veggie Pita Pizzas

I've been sitting on this post for quite awhile but with getting ready to move and all, life has gotten in the way. But, no more excuses!

I saw several recipes for baked pitas and took what I liked from each of them and came up with this menu staple. This is a super easy and quick weeknight dinner item. It's also great when you have leftover fresh veggies you need to use up before they go bad!

Veggie Pita Pizzas

4 pitas, I like to use whole wheat
1 large chicken breast, diced
barbecue sauce
1-2 large carrots or several baby carrots, cut into strips
1/2 large green pepper, cut into strips
1/2 large red pepper, cut into strips
1/2 onion, cut into thin strips
shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400°

Cut your chicken and place in a skillet with a little bit of oil, not too much though. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. You could also add some other seasonings, I sometimes do, but there isn't too much of a need. Drizzle a little of your favorite barbecue sauce over the chicken so it is lightly coated. Cook thoroughly.

While the chicken is cooking, arrange your four pita breads on a large cookie sheet. Divide your vegetables evenly between the four breads.

Divide the chicken evenly between the pita breads. Drizzle more barbecue sauce over the chicken and veggie piles. I like to do it in a striped pattern to make sure it's covered.

Top each pita with a good amount of cheese. I use cheddar, but a Monterey Jack works well too.

Place in oven and back for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melty and bread is slightly crunchy.

These can be really messy to eat, so I suggest cutting in half or quarters with a pizza cutter.
Feel free to mix up based on the veggies you have on hand (I think tomatoes would be really yummy!) - these are just my typical ones!

Chicken Salad

I had some of the best chicken salad I've tasted a few months ago at a cute little bistro while we were out of town for a wedding. Since then, I've been trying to recreate it. It's not the exact same, but I'm satisfied with how close I came with this recipe!

Chicken Salad

1 chicken breast, boiled and shredded (mine yielded a loose 2 cups)
2 green onions, diced
1/2 C diced celery
1 Granny Smith Apple (about a cup)
1/3 C fat free mayonnaise
2 T light sour cream
1 t lemon juice
1/4 t celery salt
1/4 t black pepper

Combine the first four in a bowl. I waited until I was ready to combine with the sauce before I cut and added the apple so it wouldn't turn brown. I also used an apple slicer that cut my apple into 8 slices - I had one slice leftover which made a nice snack for the cook ;-)

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and stir well until blended. Pour over the dry ingredients. I used a spatula to make sure I wiped the bowl clean and got all of the sauce.

Serve on fresh wheat bread for great summertime sandwiches!

Mastering the Green Onion

This is an easy tip shared with me quite a long time ago. Maybe everyone is smarter than I was when I first started in the kitchen, but if you're on my level, here ya go!

I love to make Mexican or Spanish dishes, which often call for green onions. There are quite a few other dishes, but when I menu plan, I try to use up all the ingredients I buy. Cutting and dicing up those slippery, slender onions can be cumbersome, but there is an easy solution!

Whip out those kitchen shears! There are so many uses for these things!

I love just grabbing my scissors and snipping away at my green onions. It makes preparing the onions such a breeze and is so much faster! I wish I could snip all my vegetables instead of cutting them!