Skirt Steak Salad with Arugula, Heirloom Tomatoes and Bruschetta

Skirt Steak Salad with Arugula, Heirloom Tomatoes, Garbanzo Beans and Bruschetta Toasts, Garnished with slivers of Parmesan

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Chicken Parmesan with Grilled Romaine Lettuce

Chicken Parmesan with Grilled Romaine Lettuce with balsamic vinegar and crumbled blue cheese.  Dinner!

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Pizza with Eggplant and Zucchini

I am still experimenting with Pizza.  Such a versatile medium, right?  So I wanted to create a pizza with some interesting flavors.  I thought about making an Eggplant Parmesan instead but I really didn’t want something that heavy.  Then my thoughts moved to the realm of pizza; lighter and less work.  The end result was this Cheesy pizza crust covered in marinara sauce, topped with grilled eggplant and zucchini, sprinkled with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, finished with pepperoni slices and some ribbons of Parmesan. Red pepper chili flakes on the side. Delicious.

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Spring Vegetable Risotto

One of my favorite and easiest dinners is a simple risotto with spring vegetables.  I knocked this one up a notch by grilling the asparagus and the chicken.  I used fresh-shelled peas, homegrown asparagus and some organic chicken.  I had some wonderful Australian chardonnay (a gift from a recent guest) to use in the risotto (and then for drinking along with it) and a touch of onion, garlic and lemon with a palm full of Parmesan to bring the flavors to a taste bud high.  It worked.  I decided to garnish the dish with some fresh chopped parsley and some toasted walnuts with a hint of walnut oil.  Nothing else was necessary for dinner except that chilled crisp glass of wine.  Dessert?  Hmm, would you believe Girl Scout cookies?  Yes, that’s the truth.  Served with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a squirt of local honey.  Break the cookies up with a spoon, mix them with the yogurt and honey.  Divine.  Trust me.

Here’s the small dish:

And here is the large dish:

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