Bruchetta

2 C diced tomatoes (squeeze out seeds before dicing)
1/3 C diced red onion
1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
a few cracks black pepper
1/4 C chopped fresh basil leaves
1 french baguette or bread of your choice
Butter & additional olive oil
1 large garlic clove
optional- fresh mozzarella cheese


Combine tomatoes, onions, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp olive oil in a bowl and mix to combine. Add basil and gently toss to distribute. Give it a taste and add additional salt and pepper if necessary. Cover and chill.

Slice baguette into half inch slices. Lightly spread both sides if sliced bread with real butter. In a lg pan over medium heat drizzle a little olive oil and then brown both sides of the bread. Remove from pan. Slice garlic clove in half and rub cut side down on each piece of bread. Top with about 2 tablespoons of the tomato mixture.

Recipe by Our Best Bites

I made this tonight for our cousin Garden Party and they were a HIT!!! Rubbing the garlic on the bread was great and the kick of balsamic vinegar was a great addition all together the flavors made the PERFECT BITE!!! I can't wait to make this all summer with garden fresh tomatoes! Even my son Mahonri loved this and he usually HATES tomatoes!

Chicken Oriental Pasta Salad

1 box Bowtie pasta
3 Chicken breasts, cubed
2 Green Peppers
1 Yellow pepper
1 Read Bell pepper
1 Bag spinach
Candied almonds or pecans

Dressing:
¼ c. Sesame seeds
½ c. Chopped parsley
1/3 c. Red wine vinegar
1/3 c. Soy sauce
½ c. Canola oil
3 Tb. Sugar
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper

Boil pasta, drain, chill. Cook the chicken breast at 375 degrees for 1 hour, sprinkled with lemon pepper. Cut vegetables. Toss all ingredients together. Mix with dressing and serve. Dressing: Blend all ingredients together.

This recipe is submitted by Valerie Crawford.
She brought it to our farewell to the Agrens moving party and it was Super!!! I had to have the recipe!!! I just made it tonight for our cousins Garden Party and again it was absolutely amazing! The only this I did different is I just cut the raw chicken breasts into chunks and browned them in a pan with olive oil and some lemon zesty seasoning then chilled them before adding them to the salad. Just an note this makes a HUGE bowl of salad, so it's great for big gatherings.

Sorry no picture I will have to take one the next time I make it.

Green Smoothie

1 Banana
2 1/2 c. Cold Water
2 Tb. Flaxseed
2 Tb. Oatmeal
1/2 Tb. Chia seed
1 tsp. Maka Powder
1 Tb. Acai and Gogi Berry Powder
2 BIG handfuls of fresh Spinach
1 1/2 c. Frozen Mango Chunks
1/3 c. Frozen Pineapple Juice Concentrate
1 heaping c. Ice

Blend all together in a really good blender, til smooth. Enjoy!

My cousin Kristina Agren shared this recipe with us. I tweaked it a little by adding the oatmeal and pineapple juice. Our family really LOVES this smoothie and all of Mahonri's friends rave about it! Even Kulesa asks for it daily and usually any green vegetable is Kriptonite to my Superman! This has really been a great way of getting some really good stuff into our diet that we wouldn't normally eat!