Balsamic Roasted Veggies

Last night I grilled chicken, made balsamic roasted vegetables (on the grill!), and black bean spaghetti. It was delicious!

Olivia is away at camp, and Sophia had leftover pizza, so dinner was a breeze. Andy spent the week with my brother in Conway while he was attending classes in Little Rock, so I was happy to make him dinner. I was excited to serve a non-picky-eater when I remembered Andrew doesn't like brussels sprouts!

DANG.

Just kidding! I decided to mix it up a little bit. Normally I roast them in the oven and serve them with red pepper, pine nuts, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and parmesan cheese. DELICIOUS! Only, its just the sprouts and I think that may be why Andy doesn't like them very much. Too sprout-y. haha! I made little tin foil packets and roasted them on the grill with different flavors and he really liked them!

Balsamic Roasted Vegetables

12 brussels sprouts, halved

1 cup sweet corn

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

crushed red pepper

sea salt

black pepper

local honey

Once you've halved your sprouts, peel off the first 2-3 layers from each, and lay everything on your tin foil. Roll up the edges of the foil to create a sort of "tray" to hold your liquids in. Add the drained corn, oil, and vinegar. Sprinkle with the spices to taste, and then drizzle the honey over the top (optional). Roast on the top rack of your grill for about 10 minutes, and then move to the bottom rack for 3 minutes, or until sprouts are desired level of "roasted," (I like mine pretty crispy). Once they're finished, you can drizzle with a bit more honey to make them sweeter if you wish.

Super Green Salad

Hello there!

Today I'm sharing a cute little salad (that I had for lunch)!

I love having people over for dinner & entertaining, and I love love love plating. Nerdy, right? Anyway, this salad is meant to be an appetizer, however after I took the photo I tripled the ingredients and had it for lunch. :)

This is a very simple salad with only a few ingredients. I like to have simpler lunches when I'm on the go/in a rush to get out of the house.

Since these are all healthy things, I didn't measure any of them!

Cucumber, thinly sliced the long way
arugula + spinach mix
grape tomatoes
avocado
pistachios
pink sea salt
black pepper
I used a high protein yoghurt avocado cilantro dressing

Salads are so flexible and easy! These are fun for appetizers, and you could definitely skip the cute cucumber bowl and make a larger version, and add red pepper flakes, grilled chicken, sharp cheddar cheese.

To make this cute appetizer version, you'll need some toothpicks. I have TONS of cute picks since BENTO! :) Take your cucumber slice and secure the ends together to create a circle. Fill the cucumber "bowl" with your greens, and garnish with the avocado, tomato slices, salt, and pepper. I crushed the pistachios with a spoon so I could sprinkle them, and then drizzled the dressing over the cucumber bowl.

I promise, having your friends over for dinner will be so fun when you wow them with a tiny elegant salad! :)

Mediterranean Burgers {kandipie kitchen}

Grilling weather is here, y'all!

Fort Smith is experiencing those gorgeous, hot, drowsy summer days.. finally! All the rain has moved on, the Arkansas River is back in its banks, and the city pools are open! Helloooo summery summertime!

I love grilling. I love eating. I love a great burger! Who doesn't?! Today I'm going to share with you my spin on a Mediterranean burger. I love all things balsamic and feta, so these are easily some of my favorite burgers around.

You can always use ground turkey or chicken, but my husband has requested more beef in our lives, so these burgers are made with 93/7 ground beef. 

Measurements are kind of eyeballed, so use your taste preferences when adding ingredients.

2 pounds burger

1 egg white

1/2 cup ish crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup ish kalamata olives, minced

1/4 cup pepperoncini pepper juice

1/3 cup ish balsamic vinegar

crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix everything together, patty out, grill baby grill! I served mine on a bed of spinach and arugula with tomatoes, more kalamata olives and sliced pepperonicinis. I used parmesan risotto as a side, but I think home made potato chips or fries with a greek lemon dill dip would be fabulous!

Let me know how your burgers turn out! Tag me on social media with #kandipiekitchen! Also make sure you "like" my Facebook page, We Aren't Scared Of Sugar!