Chicken Skewers with Avocado Dip
(From pjlibrary.org)

Ingredients for Chicken:

• Wooden skewers

• 1 ½-2 Lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch thick slices. (You'll have about 12 pieces total.)

• 2 navel oranges, juiced

• 2 lemons, juiced

• 6 cloves of garlic, finely minced

• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Ingredients for Grilled Avocado Dip:

• 1 large ripe avocado

• cooking spray

• ½ lime

• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

• salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Preparation:

1. Soak wooden skewers in water for 1 hour.

2. Put all of the ingredients into a zip-top bag, squeeze the air out of the bag, and seal the top. 

3. Squeeze the bag a few times to make sure the chicken is coated thoroughly. Have the kids help and squeeze like you're making playdough.

4. Let the bag of chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour--the longer, the better.

5. Take your bag out of the fridge and then thread the chicken onto the wooden skewers. If kids are helping, be sure they're wearing gloves for this part.

6. Grill the chicken over medium/high heat for about two minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Not sure how to grill indoors? Use a grill pan or a small personal grill.

Dip Preparation:

1. Carefully slice you avocado in half length-wise.

2. Hold the cooking spray a few inches away from the avocado and lightly coat the flesh with the cooking spray.

3. Place the avocado cut-side down on the grill over medium/high heat until char marks appear and the avocado is warmed through. This will take about three to four minutes.

4. Spoon the grilled avocado flesh into a bowl, squeeze the juice of the lime into the bowl, then add the chopped cilantro, and season with salt and pepper.

5. Stir everything together and serve with your marinated chicken skewers

Roasted Asparagus with Almonds

(From Food & Wine)

Ingredients

• 1 pound thick asparagus, trimmed

• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

How to Make It

Preheat the oven to 425°. On a baking sheet, toss the asparagus and garlic with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the center of the oven for about 18 minutes, until the asparagus is tender and charred in spots. Transfer to a plate, top with toasted almonds and serve.

Two Takes on Charoset

(From pjlibrary.org)

Sephardi/Mizrahi Charoset:

• 1 cup pitted dates, chopped (Medjool are ideal)

• ½ cup raisins

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1-2 tablespoons sweet red wine or grape juice

• ½ cup of chopped walnuts; ½ cup of chopped dried apricots; pinch of powdered ginger (optional)

Preparation

1. Put the dates, raisins, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and stir until everything is combined.

2. Add the wine or grape juice and stir again.

3. Alternately, to make it look more like mortar, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is a thick paste.

TIP: Spread this charoset with cream cheese on matzah for a special Passover treat.

Ashkenazi Charoset:

• 3 apples, cored and diced

• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (or, for a nut-free version, sunflower seeds)

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 tablespoon grape juice or sweet red wine

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy.

Coconut "Macaroonies"

(From Saveur)

Ingredients

• 8 oz. high quality white chocolate

• 1 cup coconut oil

• 1 1⁄2 cups (10 1⁄2 oz.) sugar

• 1 tsp. coconut extract

• 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt

• 6 egg whites, lightly beaten

• 1 1⁄2 cups coconut flour

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350° and spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray then line the bottom with parchment paper. Place the white chocolate in a large bowl and pour the coconut oil into a glass measuring cup. Microwave the coconut oil until it’s hot to the touch, then pour it over the chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Using a whisk, slowly stir the chocolate and oil together until smooth.

Add the sugar, coconut and vanilla extracts, salt, and egg whites and stir until well mixed. Add the coconut flour and stir until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake until golden brown and set, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and let cool completely. Unmold the macaroonies from the pan, discard the parchment paper, and cut into 12 bars to serve.