Thai Pepper Lettuce Wraps

This low carb recipe is delicious with any leftover cooked chicken, or ground beef or pork and amazing with crab!

Serves 4

2  C Shredded cooked chicken, ground meat / poultry or crab
1  Shallot or small red onion, diced
1/4 C Cilantro, chopped
2 Tsp Sesame oil
1 Thai chili, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Head of Boston or bibb lettuce - outer leaves

Toss together shredded cooked chicken, cooked ground meat or crab with the shallot, cilantro, sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap up the filling in lettuce leaves for a fast and easy dish (or appetizer)!

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Veggie Taco Slaw with Smoked Chorizo

This is a delicious blend of vegetables, corn, beans with some diced chorizo for a for a delicious smokey flavor. This no cook recipe is on the table as fast as you can chop some veggies, whirl up a good dressing and top with crunchy corn chips. Perfect for a hot summer night.

Serves 4

1 Head Cabbage - shredded
1 Can Black beans - 15 oz, rinsed and drained
2 Tomatoes, chopped or 1 can diced tomatoes
1 Red onion, chopped
1 Bell peppers - red, chopped
1 Avocado, chopped
4 Oz Smoked Chorizo (cooked), chopped
4 Oz  Queso Fresco or feta, crumbled
1 C Corn chips, crushed
1 Bunch Cilantro, stemmed
1/4 C Lime juice
1/4 C Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 C Crema or sour cream, to serve

In a large bowl toss all ingredients together up to the corn chips. Top with corn chips. In a food processor whirl together oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, cilantro and some red pepper flakes if you like. Add dressing to chopped veggies and serve with crema to drizzle on top.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Grilled Chicken Salad - Light and Delicious!

Okay, so those of us that are food focus, occasionally need to watch their weight, or at least I do. This salad is one of my favorite go-to meals when I am counting calories and carbs. The great thing is, my family loves it too.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Cool and Cream Cottage Cheese

4 C Salad greens, washed and spun dry

1 Cucumber, sliced

4 Mushrooms, sliced

2 Tomatoes, minced

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1 C Cottage cheese, fat free

2 Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless - 8 oz each

1 tsp oil (I use MCT oil)

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Seasoning salt

Italian salad dressing, fat free and low carb (no added sugar - I use Cysco)

Pound the chicken to an even thickness, about 1/3 inch. (I use a rolling pin.) Season with seasining sal, drizzle with oil, lemon and zest. Let stand which the grill preheats. Grill the chicken on both sides until cooked through, about 8 minutes. (I turn it every 2 minutes to get crosshatched grill marks.)Remove the chicken from the grill and let rest.

Meanwhile in a large salad bowl, combine lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumbers and mushrooms, and toss to combine. Dress with salad dressing. Top with cottage cheese and spread it a bit to cover the top of the salad. Finely chop the chicken into small pieces and scatter warm chicken over the salad. Serve.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Creamy Crab and Avocado Soup

This is an amazing summer soup than is an excellent starter, or a great light supper. Pair it with a nice chardonnay.

Creamy Crab and Avocado Soup

2 Avocados, peeled and chopped

2 C Chicken stock

8 oz Sour cream

2 Tb Lemon juice

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 lb Crab meat

1/2 C Diced tomatos

Cilantro leaves for garnish - optional

Combine first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. In a small bowl mix tomato and crab. Ladle soup into bowls and divide the crab mixture among the servings. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Seared Chicken with Rosemary Fig Sauce

This recipe is delicious. It cooks in about 15 minutes, has few ingredients, but is packed with flavor. It is a great dish to serve to company. I served it on the deck last night to rave reviews and was then rewarded with a lovely sunset.

Seared Chicken with Rosemary Fig Sauce

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts - 6 oz ea

1/2 tsp each salt, pepper and garlic powder

Butter flavored cooking spray

2/3 C Fig all fruit spread

1 Tb Rosemary - fresh, minced

1/4 C port or other sweet wine

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Combine the 3 spices and season chicken on both sides and coat the chicken with cooking spray. Brown chicken on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. In a small bowl whisk together remaining ingredients and pour into the pan with the chicken. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Uncover and cook for another minute to allow the sauce to thicken slightly. Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce drizzled over.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Grilled Halibut with Lemon Pesto

This is a perfect summertime dinner. It is on the table in 10 minutes! It is light and fresh and delicious.

Grilled Halibut with Lemon Pesto

4 Halibut (or tilapia or other white fish) fillets, about 6 oz each

Cooking spray

Salt and pepper

2/3 C Basil leaves, firmly packed

1/4 C Parmesan cheese, grated

2 Tb Olive oil

2 tsp Garlic

1 Tb Lemon zest, grated

1 Tb Lemon juice

Preheat the gill and spray it with cooking spray. Season the halibut on both sides with salt and pepper. Combine remaining ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth and thick. Grill halibut about 4 minutes per side, or until done. Serve the halibut drizzled with pesto.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planner

Quick and Easy Gazpacho

With bathing suit weather looming, it is time to break out some lean and delicious recipes. This is a go-to recipe for me, and I keep canned tomatoes in the fridge so my gazpacho is already chilled and ready to eat immediately.

Quick and Easy Gazpacho

I can Diced tomatoes - preferably Italian or Mexican style - 14.5 oz

1/2 Englich cucmber, chopped, plus 2 Tb minced for garnish

2 Green onions, chopped, plus 2 Tb minced for garnish

1/4 tsp Salt

2 Tb Cider vinegar

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Add all ingredients (except garnishes) to a blender and whirl until well blended, but not completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve topped with garnishes.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash dot com - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Planning

Crispy Two Potato Pancakes with Ricotta Filling

Not just one potato pancakes, but two potatoes! Sweet potatoes, russets and carrots combine in this savory, sweet, crispy, creamy recipe that is filling, economical and a huge hit with the kids. It is also a great way to get them to eat their vegetables!

Crispy Two Potato Pancakes with Ricotta Filling

Potato and vegetable pancakes fried crispy and golden sandwiched with creamy ricotta. Yum! Frugal, company worthy and kid friendly! Serve these on top of a big salad and you’ve got a complete meal.

Serves 4

1/2 C Flour
3 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 C Potato, grated
1 C Carrots, grated
2 1/2 C Sweet potato or yam, grated
1/2 C Parmesan cheese - grated
2 Tb Parsley - flat leaf, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil - for frying
1 C Ricotta cheese

Heat a skillet with a little oil over medium high heat.

In a bowl add flour and whisk in eggs, Add vegetables, parmesan, parsley and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Spoon 3 TB piles of the mixture in the pan and flatten slightly. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden. Work in batches until all pancakes are cooked. Sandwich together potato pancakes spread with cheese. Serve hot.

Julie Languille - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planning

Mussels Oreganata

We had guests for dinner last night, our neighbors Scott and Christine came over for a visit and dinner. Casting about for an appetiser, my husband suggested I make Mussels Oreganatta, a dish we first had at a local restaurant. Gerry, the chef there was testing appetiser recipes, and being such a foodie he said he knew he could count on us for some feedback. They were delicious!

We started with the Mussels Oreganata, and served grilled streaks, risotto and salad. For dessert we had fresh strawberries over angelfood cake with whipped cream. It was really good.

Mussels Oreganata

1 package mussels - probably about a lb

4 Tb Olive oil, divided

2 Tb Garlic, minced

1/2 Dry white wine

1/2 C Dry breadcrumbs

2 Tb Butter

2 Tsp fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp dried

1/3 C Parmesan cheese, grated

In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm 2 Tb or olive oil and add garlic. Cook briefly then add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, discarding any open ones which do not close when pressed. Steam until the mussels just open then spoon them out of the pan and set aside to cool, reserving the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, toast the breadcrumbs in the butter and the oil, and add the oregano and cheese. Add enough reserved mussel cooking liquid to form a moist but still crumbly mixture.

When mussels are cool enough to handle, open them all the way, removing and reserving half the shell and loosen the mussel in the remaining shell so it is disconnected. Top the shells with the mussels with a spoonful of the breadcrumb mixture pressing to form a mound. Place mussels in a shallow, rimmed pan or baking dish.

If you are making these ahead, they may be refrigerated at this point.

Preheat a broiler (or a toaster oven) and toast the mussels until heated through and golden brown and serve immediately.

Julie Languille - busy wife and mom, owner

Dinners In A Flash - Easy Dinner Recipes and Online Dinner Planning

Easy Recipe for Cream of Any Vegetable Soup

I love universal recipes that work in a variety of seasons with a variety of ingredients. If you learn 10 recipes by heart that can each be made 10 different ways, that is 100 recipes. Adapt them to the season and the ingredients will be the best and your soup will be amazing!

Cream of Any Vegetable Soup

Serves 4 - 6

1 Onion, chopped

2 Leeks, white part only, washed and chopped

2 Tb Butter

2 Tb Flour

3 C Milk

3 C Vegetables (your choice) - onions, asparagus (save the tips to garnish), cauliflower, etc.

1/2 C Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the onion and leeks in butter until softened. Add the flour and cook over medium heat for a minute. Add milk and the vegetables and simmer until vegetables until tender, 5 - 20 minutes. Stir in cream and bring back to a simmer. Transfer to a blender and puree. Season to taste and serve.If it is too thick, thin with a bit of milk or water. If to chunky for your taste, you can press it through a strainer.

Julie Languille - Busy wife and mom and owner

Dinners In a Flash (dot com) - Easy Dinner Recipes and Dinner Planning

Note: An emersion blender works really well here.