Marty, Author at What the Forks for Dinner?

Thai Chicken Pizza

It’s the weekend….busy Saturdays call for take out? How about take in? Thai Chicken Pizza is the best of two carry out favorites.

When I think of carry out, I think of pizza and Chinese………..Thai Chicken Pizza is carry out combined.

Pizza is a weekend staple for us, and if you have read my blog you know, we love pizza, and have it at least once a week. I love Chinese food, Tim not so much, but he does like spicy, this pizza is all of those things.

Pizza, Chinese, spicy, plus easy to make! What could be better?

Now, pizza has to have sauce, Thai needs peanut sauce. I see a combo……no tomatoes here, but a spicy smooth peanut butter sauce than is the perfect “pizza sauce”.

Pre-made pizza crust make a pizza easy to make at a moment notice. I keep them on hand for that impromptu pizza moment……you know when you just gotta have a pizza.

Pre-grilled chicken strips……in the freezer section, makes it easy to have grilled chicken at the ready.

For toppings, chicken, bean sprouts, carrots, and green onions. Now I know that mozzarella cheese is not Thai or Chinese, but, no self respecting pizza is sans of cheese!

Mozzarella is a bit neutral so….perfect. Compliments but doesn’t over power.

Once the crust is loaded with toppings into the oven for about 10 minutes. I like a brownish cheese, so a few minutes under the broiler helps give that golden color.

But remember, it only take a minute to go from perfect, to slightly more than golden…..a.k.a. burnt! So watch your pizza carefully if you broil.

Once you have that perfect golden cheese, remove the pizza and garnish with the green part of the green onions, cashews, cilantro, and if desired the cooling coconut cream.

Funny story……the day I made this pizza, I made the coconut cream and put it in the frig, so when the pizza was ready and I was taking pictures I could garnish with the cream………I forgot the cream until the next day…..yikes!

So, none of the pictures have the cream in them but, when I reheated a piece the next day I put the coconut cream on the pizza……..OMG it was awesome!

So, this weekend when you want take out – in…….. Thai Chicken Pizza.

But be sure to set the coconut cream out when asking the pizza so you can enjoy the total taste experience…..you won’t be sorry!

Thai Chicken Pizza

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Author: Marty Boyd
Yield: 4

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Ingredients

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1 pre-made pizza crust, I like Boboli
1/2 of 22 ounce bag Tyson Grilled and Ready Chicken Breast Strips
Peanut Pizza Sauce
1 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha/Asian hot chili sauce (optional)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry basil
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 cup peanut butter
Toppings
6 green onions onion, thinly sliced, separating the white and green parts
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup white bean sprouts
1/3 cup shredded carrots
Cashews, chopped
cilantro, chopped
Coconut Cream
1/2 of a 5.3 oz coconut yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon lime juice

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Instructions

Coconut Cream: Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. Store in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a medium sauce pan whisk all the peanut pizza sauce ingredients. Heat over medium high heat until the peanut butter has melted and the sauce is smooth.
Place pizza crust on a pizza stone or baking sheet.
Spread peanut pizza sauce over crust.
Top with sprouts, carrots, white part of green onion,and chicken.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over pizza.
Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is starting to brown. You can broil to achieve desired brownness.
Garnish with, green part of the green onion, cashews, cilantro and Coconut Cream.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Kabobs

Whether Mother Nature like its or not, its time to grill…… Sweet and Spicy Chicken Kabobs.

When boneless skinless chicken is on sale……. you stock up! After all you never know when a chicken idea will come across your mind.

Kabobs are a perfect summer griller. I did not use them for this recipe as I only have two and we had a few more people than that for dinner, but if you can find kabob baskets……buy them. Much easier to turn, and nothing falls off the skewer or spins around……you know what I’m talking about!

But, I used bamboo screwers for this recipe and soaked them for a few hours so they didn’t burn during cooking.

The biggest part of the recipe, is making sure you have similar size chunks of meat and veggies. I prepped my meat and veggies ahead, so when the time came I just had to skewer them.

Strips of bacon, woven in-between keeps the meat moist and gives the kabobs that smoky bacon flavor.

The real start of the show, is the sauce, sweet and spicy……..pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, and a nice pinch of red pepper flakes for heat.

So, you all know that a pinch wasn’t really how much I used, being the house of spice. But, for normal folks, a pinch will add just the right amount of heat.

Cornstarch thickens the sauce and gives it that nice shine you get from cornstarch. Brush the sauce during just the last few minutes of grilling as the sauce will burn quickly.

Serve the extra sauce on the side along with some steam rice and you have a perfect summer meal.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Kabobs ………get your grill on!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Kabobs

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Author: Marty Boyd
Yield: 6

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Ingredients

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2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 chunks
1 large fresh pineapple, cut into 1½ inch chunks
2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1½ inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1½ inch pieces
12 strips of thick applewood smoked bacon
FOR SAUCE:
1½ cups pineapple juice
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Pinch of red pepper flakes or to taste.
6 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for several hours.

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Instructions

To make the sauce: Combine cornstarch and brown sugar in a large sauce pan, whisk until combined. Add remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes or until thickened. Set-aside until ready to use.
Begin with a pieces of bacon and weave around each piece of chicken and pineapple, then place the bell pepper and onion together and weave the bacon around both of those. Continue weaving until you have 4 pieces of chicken on each kabob. Spray kabobs with non stick cooking spray ( I use coconut oil spray)
Preheat the grill to medium high. Grill the kabobs for 10-15, turning a couple of times, until done.
Brush with sauce during the last few minutes of grilling.
Serve with remaining sauce and steamed rice.

Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato

Just a quick little post for a quick little salad……. Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato

It’s Saturday and after my favorite thing in the world……almost……..buying groceries, I needed little lunch. I bought some beautiful tomatoes, even though they aren’t in season….yet! Of course if the weather doesn’t start to cooperate, we will not have tomatoes, it’s freezing!

I am un-deterred and I made myself a spring-ish salad for lunch. So simple really……I have stuffed tomatoes frequently in the summer, egg salad, tuna, salad, chicken salad…….. so why not with a salad???

I used baby spinach that I shredded and stuffed inside the tomato. At first I was thinking, just a tossed salad inside of a tomato, then Caprese crossed my mind.

Caprese salad, meaning “Salad of Capri” is a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and green basil, seasoned with salt, and olive oil. It’s made to resemble the colors of the Italian flag: red, white, and green.

I love, love, love the combination of fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil. So, the spinach was in the tomato, and I topped it with cubes of fresh mozzarella….pretty!

For the basil, I made it into a dressing, a pesto dressing. Basil, walnuts, parmesan cheese, white balsamic vinegar, and olive oil with a touch of water to make it easy to pour.

For my money, the pesto dressing made this dish. Basil is extremely aromatic, with the initial scent of pepper, anise, and mint. The taste is sweet, but savory. Perfect for Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato.

This salad is a great light lunch and would be a side side salad for any grilled meat……steak sounds good!

It’s so quick and easy you can make it in a flash for those unexpected guests, or if you just need a quick lunch……like I did today!

Caprese Spinach Stuffed Tomato

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Author: Marty Boyd
Yield: 2

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Ingredients

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Pesto Dressing
1/2 c. fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
 Salad
 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed
2 large vine ripened tomatoes
1 cup baby spinach leaves, shredded
Additional fresh basil, sliced for garnish if desired

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Instructions

For pesto dressing, in a food processor combine basil, garlic, walnuts and Parmesan cheese. Cover and pulse until combined. Add vinegar, water and oil. Cover and process until thoroughly combined.
Wash and dry the tomatoes. Slice each tomato into 6 wedges, leaving the bottoms of the tomato intact. Spread open the wedges of the tomatoes slightly and evenly divide the spinach and mozzarella between the tomatoes. Drizzle each tomato with the dressing and finish with fresh cracked pepper and salt if desired.