Girls night and eatin' right...

This past week, it was my turn to host girls night, and I've been striving to make healthy and tasty meals for my friends, so, here's what I made:

Grilled Chicken Sausage and Warm Chickpea Salad

(adapted from Redbook magazine)

4 fully cooked chicken sausages (I used chicken/portabella mushroom)

4 Tbl. olive oil

1 Tbl. garlic paste (I used dried, minced garlic)

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 jarred roasted red peppers, diced

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

16-20 Kalamata olives, halved

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

2 Tbl. fresh lemon juice

4 cups arugula or mixed greens

1/2 cup shaved Parmesan-Reggiano or Asiago cheese (optional)

Heat grill to medium-high or heat grill pan.  Grill sausages, turning frequently, 6-7 minutes, or until browned and heated through.  Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 Tbl. of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic paste and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.  Add chickpeas and salt and pepper, stirring until coated and heated through, about 2 minutes.  Stir in peppers, tomatoes and olives until heated through, about 2 minutes.  Pour chickpea mixture in to a large bowl.  Stir in the remaining 2 Tbl. olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice. Arrange arugula or mixed greens on plates and top with the chickpea mixture. Top with shaved cheese, if desired.  Slice sausages into 1 1/2-inch pieces and serve aside salad.

I was so excited to use my grill pan for the first time, for the sausages!

 

Oh jeez, I forgot to tell you about the refreshing appetizer I made! I found it on Pinterest, but can't find the original source - sorry! The photo below is not mine, but it looks exactly like the appetizer I made.

Creamy Avocado Yogurt Dip (source unknown...)

1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1 clove garlic, minced (I used dried, minced garlic)
3 Tbl. chopped fresh cilantro (I used cilantro cooking base - love that stuff!)
2 Tbl. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Place the yogurt, avocados, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and cumin in a blender or food processor.  Mix until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Scrape dip into a serving bowl and serve with pita chips, tortilla chips or cut-up veggies.  

Here's an extreme close up of my dip; after we attacked it with chips! The chips I used (and this is not a paid product endorsement) were AWESOME: Pepperidge Farm "Baked Naturals" cracker chips (multigrain). Simply fabulous!