Making Dinner with Simone from Sassool

If you watched my Facebook or Youtube last night you saw, where I had the amazing Simone from Sassool located in the Raleigh/ Durham area cooking with me last night. I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate women’s history month. I promised to drop the recipes that she prepared on the blog today. So here they are. Also, check out the video if you missed it.

Guava Mint Lemonade – makes 3 drinks

Ingredients:

• 8 oz Guava Nectar
• 8 oz Lemonade, fresh squeezed or store bought.
• 12 ounce Sparkling water of choice
• 1 lime, sliced into rounds
• Mint for garnish, if desired

Directions:

1. In a punch pitcher, combine the first 3 ingredients.  Stir to mix well.  Refrigerate if enjoying later.
2.  Slice the lime into thin rounds.  Prepare a drinking glass by adding ice and sliding a few lime rounds in the sides of the glass (between the ice and the glass).
3. Pour the mixed beverage into the glass. And top with mint if desired.
4. IF you’d like to make this an alcoholic beverage, add 1-ounce vodka to each drinking glass.  Otherwise, enjoy with the family while you prepare dinner together!

Semolina Crusted Chicken Marinara – serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces chicken breast, cut into tenders
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper, ground
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups semolina, fine
• 3 T sesame seeds
• 1 T thyme, dried
• 2 tsp garlic, powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 12 ounces Marinara 
• 8 oz Armenian String Cheese, chopped small
• 8 fresh Basil Leaves

Directions:

1. After washing the chicken and cutting into tenders (about 8), season the chicken strips with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix the milk, eggs, and baking powder together. Place the chicken tenders in the “marinade” and set them aside for a few minutes.
3. In a gallon size bag, add in the semolina, herbs, and sesame seeds.  Seal the bag and shake to mix everything together.  Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
5. Drain each chicken tender a little before adding to the bag of coating.  When all the tenders are in the bag, seal the bag and shake to coat the chicken.  
6. Remove the chicken from the bag of coating, and place in a single layer on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Discard any remaining coating mixture.
7. Bake for 20 minutes in the oven.
8. While the chicken is cooking, prepare a baking dish (about 9×9 or close to this size) by spraying with cooking spray, followed by adding ¾ of the marinara to the baking dish.  Also take this time to slice the fresh basil into thin strips, as well as chopping the Armenian string cheese into very small pieces.
9. Remove the chicken from the oven, place it on top of the marinara in the baking dish.  Add the remaining marinara across the top of the chicken tenders.  Then top with the Armenian String Cheese and fresh basil.  
10. Put back in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese and warm the sauce. 
11. Enjoy warm!  For variations of this meal, this recipe can also be paired with pasta OR stuffed in a sub roll.  

Zaatar Seasoned Roasted Vegetables – Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

• ½ C Baby Carrots
• ½ C Celery, chopped into 2” pieces
• ½ C French Green Beans, trimmed
• ½  C Sweet Potatoes, chopped into 2” pieces
• 15 oz Baby corn spears (in can)
• 1/3 C Olive Oil 
• 2 T Green Zaatar
• 1 tsp Salt 
• 2 tsp of fresh thyme

Directions:

1. Wash and dry your vegetables.  Cut the celery and sweet potatoes to about 2” pieces.  
2. Drain the liquid from the baby corn can.  Add all vegetables into a mixing bowl, and add the olive oil, zaatar and salt.  Toss to coat well.
3. Spread onto a baking pan and bake on 400 for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven, plate and sprinkle the fresh thyme leaves over the vegetables.

Trail Mix Energy Balls – Makes 24 balls

Ingredients:

• 3 C Rice Cereal
• 1 C Steel Cut Oats
• 1 C Peanut butter, or any nut butter
• ½ C Tahini
• 1/3 C Toasted sesame seeds
• ½ C Dried cranberries or sour cherries
• ½ C Roasted cashews or pistachios
• ½ C Roasted almonds or walnuts
• ½ C Shredded Coconut or Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut
• 13 oz Baking Dates
• 1/3 C Orange Blossom Honey

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine nuts and coconut, they pulse until coarsely ground.
2. In a LARGE mixing bowl, add in all the ingredients, and mix until everything is sticking together.
3. Ball up into 1” balls and layout on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Enjoy room temp (and soft), OR refrigerate and enjoy with more of a firm texture.  If you make too large of a batch, refrigerate to firm up, then transfer to a gallon size bag and freeze.

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