Easy Grilled Broccolini Recipe

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NestleHoliday #CollectiveBias 

It's December, so you know what that means: the holiday rush is on!  Since it's my first recipe this month, you are probably expecting an elaborate holiday dish... but truth be told, when things are so hectic, I hardly have time to cook!  That's why today, I'm sharing one of my favorite quick and easy recipes that I frequently use as an appetizer or side dish (my Easy Grilled Broccolini), along with one of my tried-and-true shortcuts.

I love how the broccolini is so flavorful and spicy, along with the nutty shavings of Pecorino Romano on top.  It also looks so green and gorgeous, don't you think?  There's also zero chopping involved and just a couple of ingredients needed to whip this up.  I think you'll be making this dish, even when you do have extra time to spare because it's just that delicious!

First of all, let me know if you can relate to any of these situations.  Work hours are even longer these days due to the upcoming holidays, so when I get home, I want to eat something super quick to prepare.  It's dark out so early, that I just can't wait to get right home after a long day and stay inside (so no eating out or grocery shopping).  Family and friends pop over during the week and expect to catch up over a little dinner, sometimes unexpectedly!

Well, I found the perfect solution to all of those holiday predicaments: pizza and broccoli!  Actually, it's not just ANY pizza and broccoli, it's kicked up a notch: the CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN® Crispy Thin Crust Oven Ready Pizza, Sicilian variety and my Easy Grilled Broccolini!  See, it sounds SO much better and grown-up, right?

Why do I rely on this delicious combo?  It takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, including clean-up time, and it's so flavorful and fancy that no one will know how easy it was to get everything cooked up.

Step 1 of being prepared is to head to Walmart and get a CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN® Crispy Thin Crust Oven Ready Pizza, Sicilian or two.  It'll last in the freezer until you need it, so keep at least one on hand for emergencies!  While you're there, pick up the broccolini ingredients below!  Another reason this is a great dish is that you can buy the ingredients even a week beforehand, and they'll keep.  There's nothing worse than having your vegetables go bad before you have a chance to cook them!

Step 2 is to follow the easy directions on the back of the package.  While your pizza cooks for 16 - 17 minutes, that's when you get to make the recipe.  Let's get to it!

Easy Grilled Broccolini
A Vintage Zest original recipe

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Flaming Sweet Pepper Poppers

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #VivaLaMorena #CollectiveBias 

Happy Thanksgiving week!  I've noticed that this busy holiday season, there is at least one party every week and I have so many more coming up!  Since everyone knows I cook and bake, I have to bring a homemade dish.  Since I want to mix it up (and I don't always have the time to bake), I have a few quick and easy party-ready appetizers in my recipe arsenal.  These Flaming Sweet Pepper Poppers are my newest delicious obsession because they are colorful, spicy, sweet, creamy, easy to make, and such a crowd pleaser!

These pepper poppers are actually a twist on a dish that my man already makes, but bumped up a notch!  Since I am such a spice fanatic, I decided to add some La Morena jalapeños and adobo sauce.  Oh. Em Gee.  They are so fantastic that we actually decided that these are even better than the original recipe!

Since I wanted to make these with quality peppers, I headed to my local Cardenas market, where they have almost an entire aisle of chilis.  Seriously!  Then, I spotted the easy to find La Morena labels,  because they have such a huge selection of peppers.

Just a few more ingredients and you'll have everything you need to prep these pretty party-ready pepper poppers.  Say that five times fast!

Flaming Sweet Pepper Poppers
A Vintage Zest original recipe

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Patacones (Fried Green Plantains)

Remember a couple weeks ago when I shared my tips on how to pick and prep plantains?  This week, I have a savory recipe for you!  Although I am referencing the Colombian recipe of patacones, there are similar dishes in other Latin American countries.  In fact, when I searched for one of tools traditionally used to make this dish, I found it online as a tostonera, named after the tostones dish from Puerto Rico.

In either case, patacones utilize the savory green plantain and are double-fried in a flat pancake shape.  They are crispy, salty, and often topped with a fresh salsa.  They are usually  served as appetizers or side dishes, but either way, they are devoured super fast.  Yum!

Patacones (Fried Green Plantains)
Adapted from here

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20 Recipes for July 4th!

Have you decided what is on the menu for your July 4th party?  It's only a week away!  Fortunately for you, I put together a round-up with a bunch of dishes for you to make complete with appetizers, salads, easy entrees, grilled entrees, desserts, and even a kid-friendly dish!

Appetizers

Red Pepper Spread with Roasted Eggplant & Garlic

Creamy Jalapeño Poppers with Sausage

Lettuce Wraps

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Red Pepper Spread with Roasted Eggplant & Garlic

Today, I am sharing one of my new favorite recipes!  I love this recipe for a couple of reasons: it is a creamy, delicious spread that is wonderful on sandwiches, as a dip for flatbread or veggies, or even over pasta or chicken!  Although it is a tasty addition to nearly every dish and tastes decadent, it is completely healthy, made with only vegetables.  Not only is it delicious and nutritious, it is super easy and requires very little effort.  That's a winning recipe in my book!

Oh, and for those of you who think that you dislike eggplant (like my man), this recipe will convert you.

After the recipe, you will want to see a couple of serving suggestions for this delicious spread, and a couple of modifications that you can try out.  Yum!

The inspiration for this recipe came from a trip to one of my favorite stores: Trader Joe's!  I love trying out healthy spreads, and as much as I love hummus, I was in the mood for something a bit different.

Also, I had a few eggplants from my huge $2 box of produce, and I already used one for my Easy Eggplant Parmesan recipe.  So I was determined to recreate this delicious spread ASAP!

Red Pepper Spread with Roasted Eggplant & Garlic
A Vintage Zest original

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Creamy Jalapeño Poppers with Sausage + Win $1 million in Lay's "Do Us A Flavor" contest!

#Sponsored by Mom Central Consulting #MC

Football tailgating parties are over, but March Madness has just begun!  I love my game day recipes and snacks, and today's dish is a definite crowd pleaser!  But before we get to the jalapeño poppers, I have a super exciting opportunity for all of you.  Remember all of those commercials last year with Eva Longoria and Michael Symon about Lay's potato chips picking a new flavor of chips?  Well, I'm not sure if you remember this, but the winning chip flavor won $1 million!!!  They are having another contest this year, so if you want the chance to submit your flavor and win big, visit the Do Us A Flavor page.  I will have more details after the recipe too, so stay tuned!

For my flavor, I went with one of my favorite pre-game recipes!  Basically, it's a jalapeño popper (or sweet pepper in my pictures) stuffed with cream cheese and turkey sausage.  It is so delicious!  It is one of my favorite recipes to make and eat because it is always exciting when someone bites into it for the first time and finds all of the different spicy, creamy, and tangy flavors.  Yum!  Hopefully, it can turn into an awesome chip flavor, and this is just what it would look like if I won.  Nice!

Creamy Jalapeño Poppers with Sausage
A Vintage Zest Original

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