Grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, grilled chicken and tangy feta cheese made this a crowd pleaser around the table. Although next time, Carson suggested I hold the spinach (which I substituted for arugula). I’ll eat spinach when I’m 33, he tells me. Instead of pita chips I toasted up a few slices of of Dave’s Killer 21 Whole Grains. Aside from asparagus we usually have most ingredients on hand any given night so this will most likely be making it into the rotation, especially come summer.

Ingredients
*   2  boned, skinned chicken breast halves (1 lb. total)
*   About 6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
*   2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
*   1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
*   1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
*   1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
*   4 ounces block feta cheese, broken into chunks
*   2 cups halved grape tomatoes
*   1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
*   2 cups pita chips
*   2 cups loosely packed baby arugula

Preparation
1. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for high heat (450°  to 550°; you can hold your hand 5 in. above cooking grate only 2 to 4  seconds). Coat chicken breasts with 1 tbsp. oil and cook, turning once,  until no longer pink in the center and grill marks appear, about 7  minutes total. Let rest 10 minutes, then slice.

2. Meanwhile, in a  small bowl, whisk lemon juice, 1/3 cup oil, oregano, and pepper; set  aside. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, drop in asparagus,  and cook until bright green, about 2 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly  with cold water.

3. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, cheese,  asparagus, tomatoes, olives, and pita chips. Pour reserved dressing over  mixture and toss gently to coat. Add arugula and toss once more just to  combine

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4

Recipe from Sunset Cookbook

Or in other words cook dinner more. I’m spoiled and married a man who loves to cook and knows his way around a kitchen better than I. But truth be told, I’ve gotten a bit lazy. We have an agreement in our house that the person who prepares dinner doesn’t do the dishes. And after a long day, scrubbing a few pans and rinsing plates is much easier for me than whipping up a healthy dinner for four.

Inspired by the Food Network and armed with the recently published Sunset Cookbook {thanks Eric!}, I’m determined to learn new techniques and fall in love with the experience of preparing the family dinner.

About once a week I’ll be trying out a new recipe from the enormous volume and sharing it here. First on the plate: Crusted Portabella Burgers. I swapped out ciabatta rolls for sandwich buns and ended up guesstimating the amount of chipotle chilies (one whole one is probably equal to 4 minced teaspoons), so it was a bit hot for the kiddos. Each downed two glasses of milk to cut the spice. So if you’re looking to increase your kid’s dairy intake, this might do the trick:

Crusted Portabella Burgers

Ingredients

• 2  large egg whites
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1/3  cup  Italian-style fine dried bread crumbs
• 2  tablespoons  chili powder
• 4  portabella mushroom caps (5 in. wide; 1 to 1 1/4 lb. total)
• 4  round sandwich buns (4 in. wide; 3/4 lb. total)
• 1  cup sour cream
• 2  teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies or hot sauce
• 1/4  cup  thinly sliced red onion
• 1  cup  spinach leaves, rinsed and crisped
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation

1. In a bowl, beat egg whites and oil to blend. In another bowl, mix crumbs and chili powder.

2. Rinse mushroom caps; drain. Coat each cap with egg mixture, drain briefly, then coat with crumbs, shaking off excess. Set caps, gill sides down, slightly apart on a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet. Lay bun halves, cut sides up, side by side on another 12- by 15-inch baking sheet.

3. Bake mushroom caps in a 450° oven until browned and flexible when pressed, about 20 minutes. About 3 minutes before mushrooms are done, add buns to oven; bake until lightly toasted.

4. In a small bowl, mix sour cream and chipotle chilies. Spread mixture on cut sides of buns. Layer equal amounts of onion and spinach on each bun bottom, top with a mushroom cap, add salt and pepper to taste, and cover with bun top.

Recipe from the Sunset Cookbook