Chicken Avocado Caprese Salad

Ingredients:

Marinade/Dressing:

• 1/4 cup SOOC 18 year Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tablespoon SOOC Basil Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad:

• 4 chicken thigh fillets, skin removed (no bone)
• 5 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup mini mozzarella
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Whisk marinade ingredients together to combine. Place chicken into a shallow dish; pour 4 tablespoons of the dressing / marinade onto the chicken and stir around to evenly coat chicken. Reserve the untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat about one teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, or grill marinaded chicken until golden, crispy and cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
3. Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with lettuce, avocado slices, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and chicken. Top with basil strips; drizzle with remaining dressing; season with salt and pepper.

 

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Olive Oil Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 cups warm 110 degree water
• 1/3 cup SOOC Extra Virgin Olive Oil (natural or flavored)
• 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions:

If using a bread machine follow the instructions for adding ingredients to the machine.  If mixing in a mixer or by hand, combine the sugar and water and yeast in a large bowl or mixer bowl.  Allow to sit for five minutes.    Add the olive oil and salt.  Begin mixing in the flour.  It will be fairly wet but avoid the temptation to add more flour.  Knead for approximately 3 minutes until the dough is relatively smooth and cohesive.  Allow to rise for 1 hour covered in a warm place.  Divide and shape or roll the dough in to two large thin crust pizzas or three medium thin crust pizzas.  Depending on how hot you can get your oven or grill, the cooking time will be anywhere between 5-10 minutes.  You are looking for golden brown crust and bubbling cheese.

makes enough dough for 2 large or three medium thin crust pizzas

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Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Ingredients:

– 1/2 C SOOC Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar
– 12 slices French bread
– 1 tbs SOOC Basil EVOO
– 1 pound strawberries, diced
– 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
– 1 C goat cheese, room temp
– Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

– Dice strawberries and combine with the thyme leaves in a bowl. Set aside.
– Pour vinegar into a small skillet over medium-low heat. Simmer about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until reduced to about half. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
– Prepare grill for high heat. Place bread slices on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush bread slices lightly with SOOC Basil EVOO. Grill approximately 2-4 minutes per side, until slightly crispy.
– Spread goat cheese on bread slices, and salt and pepper to taste. Add reduced vinegar to the strawberry and thyme, coating evenly. Spoon mixture over the goat cheese topped bread. For a sweeter option, try substituting SOOC Strawberry Balsamic for SOOC Dark Chocolate Balsamic!

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Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients
2 medium eggplants
½ lb of chopped tomatoes
1 lg garlic clove
5 basil leaves
5 bay leaves
2 tablespoons Mission EVOO
(Basil, Garlic, or Tuscon Herb
oil would be great too!)
a pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 slices of pancetta
3 oz. of goat cheese
9 oz. of mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cut the eggplants lengthwise into slices about 1/2” thick. Sprinkle with coarse salt and olive oil, let drain in a strainer for at least 30 minutes.

Mince the garlic. In a nonstick frying pan, saute the pancetta till crisp (like bacon) remove and drain the fat off leaving a small amount in the pan. Add the chopped tomatoes, pinch of sugar, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and basil leaves over a medium flame. Set aside. Brown the drained eggplant over high heat for 2 minutes on each side.

Preheat oven to 350°. Place the eggplant slices in a large baking dish. Add slices of mozzarella, then the grilled pieces of pancetta and bits of goat cheese. Top with tomato sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm with fresh basil.

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Portobello Fries with Basil Aioli

For Portobello Fries:

1/2 cup of bread crumbs (store bought or homemade)

1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese or Pecarino

Pinch of red crushed pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon of oregano

Salt and Pepper

2 -3 portobellos

2 large eggs, beaten

For Basil Aioli:

2 Tbsp. Basil Extra Virgin olive oil

¼ cup packed basil leaves

½ tsp. lemon juice

1 medium garlic clove, pressed

Pinch of salt

½ cup mayonnaise, either homemade or commercial

Directions for Portobello Fries:

Preheat oven to 425˙F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with cooking spray.  On a plate, mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, red crushed pepper flakes, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper.  In a small to medium bowl, beat the two large eggs.

Cut the portobello mushrooms into 1/8″ slices.  One by one, dip the portobello slices in the beaten eggs and transfer to the place with the bread crumb mixture, being sure to coat the mushrooms thoroughly.  Place the bread crumb covered mushrooms on the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, checking on them after 10 and flipping them to ensure thorough baking.

Directions for Basil Aioli:

In the jar of a blender (or a small food processor), combine the olive oil, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Process until the mixture is smooth like pesto, pausing every now and then to scrape down the side of the blender jar with a small spatula or knife.

Put the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Add the basil mixture, and stir well to mix.

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