summer recipes Archives - Living La Vida Holoka

Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Peach Corn Salsa

July 30, 2020 by Jessica Leave a Comment

Fire up the grill to make these Grilled Shrimp Tacos topped with a fresh and flavorful peach corn salsa for the ultimate summer Taco Tuesday!

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Before the pandemic happened, I was doing really well with my relaxed version of the Fast Metabolism Diet. Then everything went to hell when the lockdown was put into place and grocery stores turned into a shark frenzy. It was hard to maintain any shred of normalcy in life and in our fridge.

I went food shopping twice before things got really bad in New Jersey. Then, I struggled to get grocery store deliveries. And when I got deliveries, we really couldn’t be picky with our choices and ended up with a lot of substitutions. Thankfully, I had our Hungryroot boxes to fill in the gaps, but keeping up my normal eating habits was hard to do.

Shopping for meat was difficult. Chicken was impossible to get, then pork, and the prices of what was available seemed to skyrocket. But seafood seemed to be spared the chaos. We’ve pretty much been able to get a bag of shrimp with every shopping trip and delivery.

Things seem to be getting back to normal – as normal as they possibly can get right now – around here. At least at the grocery store. I mean, the last time I was there, the toilet paper was stocked to the ceiling. That’s got to be a sign of hope! I was also able to fill my cart with a lot of the foods I was eating before life got weird.

So I’ve been trying to get myself back into my relaxed FMD way of eating. That means eating healthy carbs and fruit on Monday and Tuesday, protein and vegetables on Wednesday and Thursday, and healthy fats the rest of the week. Not only does my body feel better eating that way, but it keeps our menu interesting!

Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Peach Corn Salsa

For Taco Tuesday this week, I decided to make a taco recipe that, not only gave me a good excuse to use some of the shrimp in our freezer, but fit right into my “Tuesday foods.” It’s an amazing time for fresh produce and the peak of peach and corn season. So I wanted to make a really fresh, summery shrimp taco with a peach corn salsa.

Before I started the shrimp, I put the salsa together so it could sit and soak up all of that flavorful goodness. I chopped up a peach, some tomato, onion, jalapeño, fresh basil and added corn right off the cob (but you could use frozen or leftover). Then, I squeezed in some lemon juice and added a little salt and pepper to finish it off.

Grilling the shrimp was quick and easy. I skewered them for easy cooking and seasoned them with a sprinkle of chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice. The shrimp only took a few minutes to cook. Then, I charred some corn tortillas and filled them with lettuce, shrimp, and a few spoonfuls of peach corn salsa!

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Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Peach Corn Salsa

Serving Size: 6-8 tacos

Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Peach Corn Salsa

Ingredients

For the peach corn salsa:

1 large peach, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1 cup fresh corn, kernels removed from cob
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the shrimp tacos:

1 lb. large shrimp
Chili powder
Garlic powder
1/2 lime
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 package corn tortillas
Lettuce leaves
Peach corn salsa

Instructions

For the peach corn salsa:

In a large bowl, add the chopped peach, tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, and corn.
Stir in the lemon juice and fresh basil.
Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For the shrimp tacos:

Oil the grill and preheat over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle the shrimp with chili powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Then, squeeze lime juice over the skewers.
Place the shrimp skewers on the heat cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until opaque and cooked through. Remove the skewers from the heat.
Char tortillas over the grill for a few minutes on each side, if desired.
Then, fill with lettuce, shrimp, and peach corn salsa. Serve immediately.

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These tacos are basically the perfect summer taco! All that’s missing is a beach view, a summer breeze (AC will do), and an icy margarita! Not a fan of shrimp? Swap in some grilled chicken instead!

Did you make this Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Peach Corn Salsa recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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Italian Caprese Wraps with Prosciutto

July 28, 2020 by Jessica Leave a Comment

These Italian Caprese Wraps with Prosciutto are like having your favorite summer salad all rolled into a quick and easy sandwich wrap!

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Despite griping about how hot it is during the summer and how I can’t wait for the weather to cool down again, there is one thing that the heat is good for – growing tomatoes! We always grow a couple types of tomatoes in our garden every summer. We plant those big, ol’ juicy Jersey tomatoes and a smaller variety, like the cherry tomatoes we’re growing this year.

Our tomatoes are just starting to pop! Every morning, while watering the gardening, I can see little hints of red and orange through our tomato plants. We’ve been picking most of our tomatoes while they’re orange so they can ripen on our windowsill. We’re just getting to the point where our counter is going to be overloaded soon!

So I’ve been making a lot of tomato salads, or throwing some cherry tomatoes onto my breakfast plate in the morning, or in a sandwich for lunch. But a lot of times, I don’t even want to eat during the day. I spend most of my morning outside watering plants and feeding the birds. Then, I’ll get some work done and by the time lunch rolls around, I’m too hot to be hungry.

That’s where an easy dish like these Caprese wraps comes in. During hot summer days, a simple wrap is a quick bite I can grab and enjoy on-the-go! Make these ahead of time, pack them up, and take them to the pool or beach, or wrap them up and keep them in the fridge when you want a little something to nibble on!

Italian Caprese Wraps with Prosciutto

The main filling in these wraps is tomato, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil to replicate a classic Caprese salad. It’s one of my favorite salads to enjoy during the summer because it’s easy to make, refreshing, and delicious! But I also added a few slices of prosciutto (Italian ham) and spread my wraps with a quick pesto mayonnaise to add to those Italian flavors!

You could use store bought pesto and combine it with mayonnaise to keep things simple or make a quick homemade pesto with fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. You could even make this Kale and Sundried Tomato Pesto that I actually enjoy better than traditional pesto!

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Italian Caprese Wraps with Prosciutto

Yield: 2

Italian Caprese Wraps with Prosciutto

Ingredients

2 tbsp. prepared pesto
2 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 whole wheat wraps
6-8 slices prosciutto
1 medium tomato, sliced thin
6 slices fresh mozzarella
6 fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix pesto and mayonnaise together.
Spread the pesto mayonnaise onto each tortilla.
Then, divide the prosciutto between each tortilla.
Next, place the tomato and fresh mozzarella on top, followed by the fresh basil.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Carefully roll up each tortilla and serve.

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These wraps will stay fresh for a day or two in the fridge. Of course, the sooner you eat them, the better they’ll be! Wrap them in plastic wrap and keep them in an airtight container to prevent them from getting too soggy. Then, just grab one out of the fridge when it’s time to eat! These wraps make a great summer lunch! Serve them with a small salad or sliced melon.

Did you make this Italian Caprese Wraps with Prosciutto recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

July 9, 2020 by Jessica Leave a Comment

This flavorful Asparagus Pasta Salad is made with shell pasta, fresh asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and finished with a homemade lemon herb vinaigrette!

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Sometimes you clean out the fridge and magic happens. Last week, I gave the fridge a good clean out ahead of my latest shopping trip. Knowing I’d be buying another three week’s worth of groceries, I decided to use up some of the groceries in our fridge to make room. I had a bunch of asparagus, baby bella mushrooms, and some homemade sun-dried tomatoes that I desperately needed to use. So I decided to make a pasta salad.

This time of year, when it’s too hot to turn on the oven, I like to stock the fridge with a few cold salads, including pasta salad. Pasta salads make excellent summer side dishes or a quick lunch. Plus, they’re one of my favorite, easiest ways to use up fresh produce!

Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

In my opinion, asparagus doesn’t get enough credit for its versatility. You can steam it, saute it, throw it on top of a breakfast tart, or even turn it into fries!

To make this pasta salad, I cut the asparagus into small pieces and sauteed it with baby bella mushrooms and garlic in a little olive oil, adding the sun-dried tomatoes at the end. I let that cool down for a bit, then added it to cooked shell pasta (I used Banza) and some chopped red onion. So simple, but so good!

I could have easily thrown a bottle of dressing or some oil and balsamic vinegar on this salad and called it a day. But my herbs are growing like crazy right now (you should seriously see my oregano – it’s like a bush!), so I made a quick herby, lemon vinaigrette in my Blend-N-Go blender.

I used about half of the vinaigrette I made and saved the rest to keep adding to the pasta salad. As the pasta salad sits, it’s going to soak up all of that good flavor from the dressing. I always suggest adding more dressing the next day.

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Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the pasta salad:

8 oz. shell pasta
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups fresh asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into small pieces
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the vinaigrette:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp. honey
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar,
1 tbsp. fresh basil
1 tsp. fresh thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

For the pasta salad:

Cook the pasta according to package. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Once cooled, add the pasta to a large bowl with the chopped onion.
Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat.
Add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute, then add the asparagus and mushrooms, cooking just until softened. About 5-8 minutes.
Then, stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, cooking for about 1-2 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat and allow to cool. Then, add to the pasta bowl and season with salt and pepper.

For the vinaigrette:

In a blender, add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper. Blend just until smooth.
Add half of the dressing to the pasta salad, reserving the other half to add to the salad, as needed.
Serve salad immediately, or keep in the fridge in an airtight container.

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When it’s hot and gross outside, and the last thing you want to do is cook (it was 96 the other day, so I was thrilled to have salads in the fridge), pull out a pasta salad, toss in a protein if you desire, and you’re good to go! You’ve got lunch, you’ve got dinner, and you’ve got a veggie loaded pasta salad full of fresh flavor!

Did you make this Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs

June 30, 2020 by Jessica 10 Comments

These Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs are so juicy, super flavorful, and pack just the right amount of heat to really wake up your taste buds!

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It’s been pretty hot and humid here in Jersey the past couple of weeks. Summer has definitely made itself known! And yet, I’m still somehow craving spicy food. Does that ever happen to you? You’re already sweating your face off, but you really want to eat something spicy? Maybe it’s just me. But I recently decided to put our exceptionally large bottle of Sriracha sauce to good use last week and made a pretty banging marinade!

We had some chicken thighs in the freezer from one of our last grocery deliveries and I actually went grocery shopping in the grocery store a couple weeks ago. That was a pretty big feat for me since I’ve been avoiding it like the…well, you know. But I was able to grab a bunch of lemons and limes while I was there (and practically everything on my shopping list). I’ve been using them to infuse my water, but they’ve also been great additions to homemade marinades.

Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs

If you have big eaters in the family, you can count on serving two chicken thighs per person. But depending on the size of the chicken thighs you get, you could get away with serving one per person. Thighs are a super tender and juicy cut of chicken. If you’re not a fan of the skin, leave it on to seal in those juices while the chicken cooks and remove it afterwards. Marinading the chicken beforehand helps to keep it juicy, but also adds a ton of flavor that gets locked in while the chicken cooks!

This marinade starts with a 1/4 cup of Sriracha sauce. In my opinion, it’s just enough to give it a nice kick without setting your face on fire. It also helps that there’s the same amount of honey in it to offset the heat. I’ve also added orange and lime juices, plus some minced garlic. This marinade has a lot of great flavor that you can smell as the chicken cooks!

I cooked the chicken on our cast iron skillet grill to get a nice char and grill marks on the outside. Then, I finished cooking it in the oven at 350 degrees. The next time I make this recipe (and it’ll be soon because it was so good), it’s totally going on the gas grill!

If you cook them over medium heat, chicken thighs will take about 8 minutes on each side to cook through. Let them rest for a bit before cutting into them and serve them up with some grilled veggies for a super easy summer dish!

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Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs

Serving Size: 2

Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs, or 4 bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
1/4 cup Sriracha sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup orange juice
1 lime, juiced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together Sriracha, honey, orange juice, lime juice, and garlic.
Place chicken thighs in a container, or freezer bag, and pour marinade over chicken.
Place container in fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a cast iron skillet grill with non-stick cooking spray and heat over medium.
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Add them to the skillet, skin-side-down, and cook for about 7 minutes.
Then, flip the chicken thighs and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
Transfer the chicken thighs to a baking sheet lined with foil and non-stick cooking spray.
Continue cooking for 20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through.
Allow the chicken to rest 5 minutes before serving.

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If chicken thighs aren’t your jam, try this marinade on vegetables, shrimp, pork, or boneless, skinless chicken breasts before grilling! It’s so flavorful with just the right amount of Sriracha heat!

Did you make this Honey Sriracha Chicken Thighs recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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