Summer Garden Dinner

cooking
Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Summer Air Fry Dinner

Air frying chicken and zucchini and adding a few more dishes makes a great meal and it is so easy.

  • oven
  • cutting board
  • blender
  • knife
  • pitcher
  • Air Fryer

Air Fried Chicken and Zucchini

  • 8 ounces chicken tenderloins
  • .5 cup Greek yogurt
  • .5 cup panko bread crumbs
  • .5 cup flour
  • 2 each eggs
  • 2 each zucchini (spiralized)

Sliced tomatoes

  • 2 each tomatoes (sliced)

Salad

  • 4 cups lettuce (seasonal lettuce like romaine, leafy, bibb, etc)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 each carrot
  • 2 each radishes
  • 2 tablespoons salad dressing

Air Fried Kale Chips

  • 1 bunch kale (lacitano or curly)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pinch salt

Blueberry Buckle

  • 2 pints blueberries (fresh is best but frozen works too)
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • .5 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon butter (unsalted)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons milk (skim)

Cucumber Aqua Fresca

  • 2 each cucumbers
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 each lime (juice)

Air Fryer

  1. Bread the chicken by dipping the tenderloinsin the yogurt followed by the bread crumbs. Place in one layer on plate then refrigerate until ready to cook, up to 8 hours.

  2. Spiralize the zucchini and set on tray. Flour it then dip in eggs, back in the flour and back on the tray.

  3. Cut the kale in large squares. Toss with olive oil and salt.

  4. Cook the chicken, zucchini, and kale in the air fryer separately until done, approximately 10 minutes for the veggies and 20 minutes for the chicken. You can also bake in a 430 degree oven for the same amount of time. Place all on serving platters to serve.

Dessert

  1. Toss the berries in the corn starch and sugar. Place in a casserole. Prepare the topping by mixing the flour, baking powder, and butter until pea sized pieces form. Add the milk and stir together. Place on top of the berries. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cucumber Aqua Fresca

  1. Blend the cucumbers (skin on) with the water. Add lime juice and ice. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Tomatoes and Salad

  1. Slice the tomatoes and stack neatly on a plate. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

  2. Place all items for the salad in a large salad bowl, lettuce on the bottom, veggies on top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. At service time, toss iwth dressing and serve family stle.

You can make this whole dinner ahead of time and just cook at the last minute to serve. It is a beautiful feast that is rich in veggies and low in calories. It is great for using seasonal summer and summer garden ingredients. 

To assemble and serve:

  1. Place the air fryer ingredients in an air fryer or oven.
  2. Bake the dessert. 
  3. Toss the salad.
  4. Plate the tomatoes.
  5. Make the drink.
  6. Place all on the table.

Optional garnishes used: parsley for the fried chicken and one scoop of frozen yogurt for the blueberry buckle.

Main Course, Side Dish, Salad, Dessert, Drinks, Entree
American
summer, air fryer

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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