Italian skillet chicken

This was one of those spur of the moment meals where I needed something fast and came up with this!

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8-10 small white button mushrooms
Seasoned Salt or Garlic salt to taste
8-10 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped
Fresh oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary (you can use dried as well)

Saute onions in olive oil until transparent. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes more. Add chicken and watch constantly until it is browned on all sides. Add mushrooms and salt. Stir until mushrooms are wilted. Add tomatoes and herbs and simmer on low heat until the tomatoes are to your taste. Sometimes I just let it simmer for a few minutes to get the fresh taste. Sometimes, I let it simmer for a while to get more of a 'sauce'. Serve with pasta (spaghetti or angel hair is yummy!) or rice, a side salad, and some fresh french bread!

(*If you want a quicker version, use one can mushrooms--6-8 ounces, and one can tomatoes.)

Black Bean Dip

One of my most favorite dips in the entire world!

4 cups cooked black beans (you can use two cans if you would like, I prefer to prepare them myself. If you use the cans, make sure you drain all the liquid!!)
3-4 whole cloves garlic
1/4 c Fresh cilantro (or parsley, if you can't find cilantro. Dried does work, just not as flavorful. Use about 2 Tbsp if substituting dried.)
1/4 c Water
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed Lime Juice (lemon juice can be substituted, but, again, just doesn't taste quite as good...)
1tsp Salt (or more, to taste)
1 tsp ground Cumin

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth! Tada!! (If you need to add more liquid, alternate adding more lime juice and olive oil by the 1/2 tsp.)

Quick Meal ideas:
Eat this with your favorite chips as a light lunch (I sometimes sprinkle the beans with feta cheese and that adds a very Central American taste to it.)

Use in a burrito for a fun replacement of the usual refried beans!

This is always a hit at parties!

Lemon Herb Quinoa

This is a grain from South America. Pronounced 'Kee-no-ah'. It tastes like a mix between brown rice and cous cous. Super yummy!!

1 c quinoa
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 c water

First, rinse the quinoa under fast running cold water. (It has a somewhat bitter taste to it, so the rinsing washes it away. The amount of bitterness you can handle will tell you how long to rinse it! Like bitter? Don't rinse it! Don't like bitter? Rinse for 5 minutes!) While rinsing, pour the olive oil into a small sauce pan and turn on the heat! Add the rinsed quinoa plus all the herbs--not including the water and lemon--and stir constantly over med-hi heat until you see the little quinoas bouncing around with the heat. Add the lemon and water, and let simmer until the water is gone. (About 15 minutes) Serve warm. Goes well with chicken, fish, and pork, and veggies!!

Shrimp-Skewers

Barbequed Shrimp-Skewers

40-50 raw jumbo shrimp, peeled
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Seasoned Salt
Juice of 1 small lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine all in a small bowl to marinate at least 3-4 hours.

Soak shishkabob sticks in water (to avoid burning). Place about 5-6 shrimp on each stick. Place on barbeque and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn. Cook about 5 more minutes until all shrimp are evenly pink. Enjoy!

Quick meal Idea:
Shrimp Skewers
Lemon Herb Quinoa
Green Beans