Caprese Ciabatta Recipe

Caprese Ciabatta Recipe

To think I was a picky eater when I was a child. Thank goodness my palate changed as I would have missed out on one of my favorite combinations, Caprese, a simple Italian salad made with tomato, basil, and mozzarella cheese. Add that to fresh grilled Ciabatta bread, and the result is a colorful, flavorful sandwich that screams summer. I introduce our Caprese Ciabatta Sandwich Recipe.

Caprese sandwiches are impressive by themselves, with bright green pesto, juicy ruby red tomatoes, and creamy mozzarella cheese, but add Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz to the pesto, and it will elevate this sandwich to the next level.

With a bounty of summer tomatoes and fresh basil abundantly available this time of year, you have no excuse but to make this delicious classic Italian-inspired sandwich. You will not be disappointed.

Comment below and let us know if you tried this tasty recipe. Thank you for visiting and come back again.

Ingredients

• 4 Ciabatta rolls, sliced

• Cooking spray

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (could substitute Olive oil)

• 1 Tablespoon Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

• 1/2 cup Perfect Pesto Recipe

• 1 or 2 large, ripe tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

• 1/4 cup white Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Preparation

Spray grill with a light coating of cooking spray.  Light grill and turn to high for five minutes, then turn down to low.

Slice Ciabatta rolls in half, and spread each half with 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) of mayonnaise (or olive oil).

Sprinkle Garlic Seasoning on rolls.  Place rolls mayonnaise side down onto grill for about 3 minutes, or until bread has grill marks.  Remove bread from grill.

Now it's time for the pesto...my mouth is already salivating!  Spread 1 Tablespoon of the pesto on one slice of the Ciabatta.  (Feel free to put the pesto on all the slices at this point to save time.  I chose to do it this way for the "glamour shot" later).

Next add the tomato, mozzarella, and another Tablespoon of pesto to the other slices of Ciabatta (see my comment earlier).  You could drizzle the balsamic vinegar at this point, but this is optional.  

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Now for the assembly of the sandwiches!  Once these beauties were assembled, I placed the Caprese sandwiches on a plate and placed them on the grill (which was cooling from earlier) for a few minutes.  It was worth the few extra minutes, as the cheese melted ever so slightly, and then heaven:)  Buon Appetito (that's Italian for enjoy your meal)!

Baked Coconut Shrimp With Spicy Apricot Sauce Recipe

Baked Coconut Shrimp With Spicy Apricot Sauce Recipe

Do you have a favorite food that makes you weak in the knees? For me, that would be coconut shrimp, but this dish is often an occasional indulgence because of the fried factor. But behold Baked Coconut Shrimp! Hello!

This delicious recipe (adapted from tablespoon.com), featuring Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning and Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend, is a lighter version of its cousin, fried coconut shrimp, as it uses egg whites and is baked to a golden brown in the oven.

Engulfed in a blanket of sweet crispy coconut and served with a spicy apricot-pineapple sauce, this easy-baked shrimp recipe is the perfect treat for dinner, lunch, or as an elegant appetizer for guests. It is healthy, easy, and tasty, and although this dish may be low in fat, it is high in flavor! You may want to grab some for yourself because these succulent morsels will disappear right before your eyes!

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have made this recipe. Come back again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (if using frozen shrimp, thaw in the refrigerator)

• 2 egg whites

• 2 1/2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon (tsp.) Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning

• 2 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

• Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub & Seasoning Blend

• Cooking Spray

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) Lime juice

• Hot sauce (a few drops will do ya!)

• 1/2 cup Apricot Preserves

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Clean and dry shrimp. Carefully separate the yolks from the egg whites, using the shell as a separator, and reserve the egg yolks for another yummy recipe.  Add the Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning to the egg whites and mix.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand held mixer until the egg whites make soft peaks, about a few minutes.

Arrange three bowls on your prep surface and place the following ingredients in the bowls in this order, corn starch, egg whites, and the shredded coconut.  Hold shrimp by the tail and dip into the cornstarch, then the egg whites, followed by the coconut and place on the parchment lined baking sheet.  

Place the shrimp on the baking sheet, sprinkle them with Cherchies® Select Grilling Rub, lightly spray with cooking oil, and bake the shrimp in the oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

 While the shrimp are cooking, prepare the dipping sauce.  Mix together the Apricot Preserves, the hot sauce (to taste), and the lime juice.  

When the shrimp are golden brown, remove them from the oven and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.  Enjoy!

Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Recipe

Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad Recipe

Cook Time: No cooking!  

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Difficulty:  Easy

Makes 2-3 crab stacks (or 1 if you're really hungry:)

If you want to wow your guests with a light, tasty lunch, salad, or appetizer, this stacked crab tower bursting with flavor is the perfect recipe for you! Your guests will think you spent hours creating this mouth-watering masterpiece. 

I recently had a variation of this recipe at a local restaurant, and since then, I have been obsessed with recreating it at home; however, the thought of making it myself seemed daunting. That was until I learned I could make this crab stack with a soup can rather than buy another kitchen tool. Hello! Determined to satisfy my crab craving and make something other than our usual crab cakes (which are delicious), I was going to create this tasty culinary tower!

And create I did. I made and treated myself to this delicious stacked crab salad featuring crab, mango, and avocado and drizzled it with a tangy citrus cilantro dressing. And I felt like Mrs. Fancy Pants:) This delicious recipe was not daunting; it was easy, delicious, light, and bursting with flavor, and it all came together in minutes! I will make this for my next "girl's night out" and serve it with crackers as an appetizer.

So, are you ready to get stacking? Grab your soup can and make this delicious crab mango and avocado salad today. Have fun creating different combinations, but report back. We would love to hear about your variations. I may add chopped red onion and our Pretty Peppers to the layers the next time I make this.

Thanks for stopping by; here is how we made it!

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz. can of lump meat crab

• 1 large avocado, chopped

• 1 large mango, chopped

• 1 lime, sliced in half

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) orange juice

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) rice vinegar

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend

Preparation

Slice an avocado in half, remove the pit by inserting a knife and twisting, score the avocado with a knife, and scoop out pulp into a small bowl. Squeeze one half of the lime over the avocados and gently mix.  Set aside.

Peel mango with a vegetable peeler, cut the fruit off the mango, cut into small chunks, and place the mango in a separate small bowl.  Open both ends of a soup can and reserve contents for another time (perhaps you want soup with this delicious salad).  Thoroughly clean the can.  (If using a can of crab, simply open both ends, empty contents, clean and use in your crab stack).

Drain the crab and place in another small bowl.  Prepare the dressing by mixing the rest of the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, and Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning.  Set aside. Now, let's get stacking!

Place the can on a plate.  Carefully add the avocado to the can and gently press the avocado in the mold with a spatula or spoon.  Next add the mango followed by the crab and tamp down just as you did with the avocado.

Carefully push the stack through the can with a spatula onto the plate.  Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.  Behold, the Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad!  Enjoy:)

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Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad Recipe

Tex-Mex French Bread Pizza Recipe

Tex-Mex French Bread Pizza Recipe

Cook Time:  10-15 minutes

Difficulty:  Extremely Easy!

I know there are some leftover haters out there. It's okay...I confess, I used to be one of them! Growing up, I did not understand the concept of eating a meal twice in a row, so as you can imagine, our dog was well-fed...sorry Mom if you're reading this...now you know;) Also, when it came to leftovers and wasting food, another thing I did not understand, my mom would often refer to a money tree growing in the backyard...except I never saw one!  Crazy parents! :)

As a mom of three, I totally get the concept of leftovers, saving money, wasting less, and of course, the money tree. (I have been known to tease our teenage children occasionally...they look at me like I am crazy...crazy kids).  

I see leftovers as a creative challenge to create new masterpieces, to save money, and to waste less. Amen!  For this round of leftovers, I made Tex-Mex French Bread Pizzas, using leftover chicken, sweet and robust Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa, savory Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend, and of course French Bread and gooey cheese!  Sounds dreamy, right? These pizzas hit all the flavor notes and were devoured in minutes!

If you have not added French Bread Pizzas to your recipe cache, you need to do so, and this Tex-Mex version will quickly become a family favorite!  Your pizzas will disappear and so will your leftovers! The money tree?  Not so much!

What is your favorite French Bread Pizza Recipe?  We would love to hear from you!  Thank you for stopping by:)

Ingredients

• Leftover cooked chicken or turkey, diced (leftover ground meat or any meat for that matter would work)

• 1 baguette or Italian bread, sliced in half vertically

• Spaghetti or pizza sauce

• Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa

• Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend

• About 2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese (but who's measuring?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice a baguette or Italian bread in half vertically.  Place bread halves on a baking sheet.  Spread each slice with a generous amount of spaghetti or pizza sauce (maybe 1 cup?  It all depends on the size of the bread).  Sprinkle the diced chicken or turkey over the bread halves.

Next, add the Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa over the chicken.  Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning (or to taste).  Of course, what pizza wouldn't be complete without the cheese?  Add the cheese to you heart's delight...add some more...you decide, it's ok!

If you're wondering about the brown stuff in the first picture, it's taco meat.  I also had leftover taco meat I added to one half of the pizza (a previous pizza night:)  Plop the pizzas into the oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until pizza is golden brown and the cheese is melty.  Slice into individual portions and enjoy!

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Tex-Mex French Bread Pizza Recipe