Thai Chicken Coconut Quinoa Salad

This afternoon I happened to take some chicken out of my freezer with absolutely no idea what to make for dinner. I contemplated just putting the chicken on the good old grill and making something very simple. Then I sat down at my computer, supposedly to look up some hotels to make reservations for our upcoming vacation and I got seriously side tracked with Pinterest. (Don't judge.... admit it...it's happened to you too!" When I found this recipe, I was so happy because I had almost everything to make it. I knew the things I didn't have could so easily be substituted with food I had around the house. So instead of making hotel reservations, I made this wonderful dinner! Now our bellies are full, but honestly we still have no idea where we are going to lay out little heads down when we take our road trip. Maybe tomorrow night we can figure it out. Anyway, this is a really good salad. It's not only good for you, but tastes great too!

Makes 3 large salads:

For the Marinade:
 
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp + 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 cup chili/garlic sauce
1/8 cup all natural peanut butter
3 Tbsp agave nectar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp fresh, chopped ginger
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, sliced 
 1 tsp coconut oil
 
For the Quinoa 
 
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp lime juice
 
For the Salad:
 
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 cups spring salad mix
1 mango, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the marinade, except for the chicken and the coconut oil. Mix well.
2. Add the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
3. While the chicken is marinating, you can cook the quinoa. Rinse it in a mesh strainer well and add it to a medium-sized saucepan, followed by the coconut milk, cook over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
4. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat, remove from burner and allow it to sit for 5 more minutes.
5. Remove the lid. Fluff up the quinoa with a fork. Squeeze in the lime juice. Toss to coat and set aside.
6. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt 1 tsp of coconut oil. Add the chicken, but reserve the leftover marinade.
7. Cook the chicken pieces 3-4 minutes on each side, until fully cooked.  Remove from the pan and set aside.
8. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, add the reserved marinade. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!! You MUST cook the leftover marinade to cook the raw chicken juices that are left in it from marinading the chicken.  Bring the marinade to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently, until the marinade is reduced down to about 1/4 cup and is thick and shiny.
9. To assemble the salad, toss the spinach and  spring salad leaves together in a large bowl. Add the mango, cooked chicken, and the coconut quinoa. Sprinkle on some fresh chopped cilantro, and drizzle the desired amount of cooked marinade glaze over the top. Enjoy

Recipe Adapted From: http://fabtasticeats.com/2014/02/08/thai-chicken-coconut-quinoa-bowls-2/

Mom's Good Ole Grilled Chicken with Salted Butter Sauce

Do you remember that one "go to" meal as a child that your mom or dad would make and you just could hardly wait until dinner time? Well this chicken and my mom's famous chicken and dumplings are the two "go to" meals that I remember! I can just picture my dad out by the grill, in his wheelchair, basting the chicken with this butter sauce. I wish he was still around today to see how well his "baby girl" can make this chicken now. Every time I eat this chicken, I am reminded of just how much I miss him! So tonight was one of those nights when I got to remember my amazing dad, while I ate this chicken. Living in Southern California, means you can grill all year round. Since today was nice and warm, I stoked up the old grill and put it to work, even in the middle of winter what feels like summer! There is only 5 ingredients in the basting sauce and it's pretty much a great "I have no time and  need to throw something together quickly", kind of meal. So get out the old grill and get crackin on this one!

Serves approx 4-5

9 Chicken legs or any other of your favorite parts of chicken
 1 cube butter, melted (1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a small bowl, melt butter. Add in all the seasonings and stir well. Grill the chicken on an indoor or outdoor grill, only brushing the butter mixture onto the chicken close to the end of the cooking time, so as to prevent burning the outside of the chicken , due to the butter.  Serve warm.

Sweet and Sour Thai Chicken

Once again, I apologize for the cruddy picture. I seriously lack in the picture taking skill department. I can cook till the cows come home, but don't ask me to be able to take a good picture of my food ;)
I found this recipe on Pinterest and I knew I had to try it. Lately I seem to be on a serious Asian cooking kick. I think that's 3 nights out of 4 now that I have made Asian food. Maybe that's because I LOVE it! I think I could vary between Asian and Mexican cooking and be completely satisfied . So maybe next week I will find a new "kick" to get started on. Who knows? Anyway, I will definitely be making this one again. We loved it at our house and it was fairly simple to make.

Recipe Source: http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/sweet-sour-sticky-thai-boneless-oven-baked-chicken-wings/

For  the chicken:

3- 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunky bite size pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

2 Tbsp conrmeal

For the sauce:

1 cup sweet Thai chili sauce (I use Mae Ploy brand)

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp all natural peanut butter

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup apple juice

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp fish sauce

2 coves garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water (optional)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish

Chopped cashews, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 475°F. 

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with Pam.

Add the chicken to a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over it. Mix well and set aside.

In a shallow pie dish or large bowl add the panko, cornmeal and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.

Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk, and dredge through the crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been coated. Spray the top of the chicken pieces with non stick cooking spray.

Bake for 12 minutes, then gently flip the chicken pieces over and spray the other side. Bake for 10-12 minutes more, then remove the chicken from the oven. Reduce the oven to 400°.

While the chicken is baking make the sauce. 

Combine the sweet Thai chili sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, peanut butter, tomato paste, apple juice, rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper and pepper in a medium sauce pot. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly. If the sauce does not thicken enough, then add in the cornstarch/water mixture and boil 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

Gently toss each piece of chicken in the sauce, draining the excess sauce back in to the pot. Place the chicken back on the pan and repeat until all the chicken is coated in the sauce. Place the pan of chicken back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Serve with fresh cilantro, chopped cashews and any extra sauce for dipping.

Sweet Fire Chicken

I really don't like to eat out much. Since I love to cook, I find myself at restaurants thinking, "I could make this at home and it would probably taste just as good." So we don't eat out that much. I guess that's what happens when you love to cook! I would prefer to spend a couple hours in the kitchen creating a fabulous meal, rather than get dressed and head out to order something that I'm not even sure if I'm going to like. I had found a recipe on Pinterest for sweet fire chicken. I LOVE the sweet fire chicken at Panda Express, so I just knew I had to try this recipe. I looked forward to it all day. I could tell by the smell of the sauce cooking, that I was going to love this. I sure did. That's 2 Asian dinners this week that we have loved. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Recipe Source: http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2014/01/sweet-fire-chicken.html

For the chicken:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
salt/ pepper to taste
2 eggs
¼ cup flour
⅔ cup corn starch
1 Tbsp oil

 Place eggs in a bowl and whisk. Place flour in another bowl, and corn starch in yet another bowl. Season the chopped chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Toss about a half a cup of  the chicken pieces at a time, in the whisked egg bowl, then remove and toss in the flour bowl, then remove and toss in the corn starch bowl. Repeat with all chicken pieces until all are coated well. Set aside  on a plate. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large pan or non stick skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally.  Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until all chicken pieces are cooked through, browned, and slightly crispy. Place in a bowl or on a a  plate and set aside.

 For the sauce:

2 tsp garlic, chopped
1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don’t want it really spicy)
⅔ cup sugar
1 cup water
2 Tbsp sweet red chili sauce (I use Mae Ploy brand)
½ tsp salt
4 Tbsp cold water + 3 tablespoons corn starch

1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ white onion, chopped
1 (15 oz) ounce cans pineapple chunks, packed in pineapple  juice, drained

In a large sauce pan, combine first 6 sauce ingredients and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. In a small bowl whisk together cold water and corn starch. When sauce comes to a boil, add corn starch mixture and continue to stir until sauce thickens. Reduce the heat. Add peppers, onions, and pineapple chunks to pan  and cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes until onions start to turn translucent. Add the chicken to the sauce and stir. Cook until chicken is reheated all the way through. Serve hot with coconut rice.

Honey Sesame Chicken

This recipe really is a "winner winner chicken dinner." It tastes like you are eating Chinese take out food, but you actually made it yourself. It's really super easy and doesn't require a lot of time. Today this was a good thing, as I was gone the entire day, between work, running errands and going on a booty kicking 4 mile, almost all uphill walk! I felt so good afterward, but trust me when I say, I came home so hungry that I could have consumed this entire pan of chicken. You think I'm kidding? I seriously had to stop myself from going back for more and more and more. I didn't want my walk to have been for nothing! So my plan is to make this again soon and find a way to sneak some extra in without gaining 10 lbs!

Recipe Source:
http://therecipecritic.com/2013/09/baked-honey-sesame-chicken/

4 chicken breasts
1 cup cornstarch
3 eggs
salt and pepper, to taste
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil

Sauce:
¾ cup honey
¾ cup soy sauce
½ cup ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced garlic
2 T cornstarch
Chopped green onions for garnish
Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Heat oven to 325°. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In two separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a
9 x 13 greased baking dish.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, minced garlic, and cornstarch. Pour over the chicken and bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir the chicken every 10 minutes or so, to coat the chicken in the sauce. *If you need to thicken up the sauce, just stir in a tsp of cornstarch at a time and cook for a couple minutes and then check to see if it's thick enough for your liking, if not then do the same process again.
Remove chicken from the oven and sprinkle sesame seeds on the top and chopped green onions. Serve plain or over rice.

Spicy Cashew Chicken

Well hello blog. It's been awhile. Life got so busy, as it does for many of us when the holidays begin. On top of being busy, our household had a long run of stomach flu and nasty head colds. Needless to say, we were not quite in the state of health to enjoy good food. So that's why the blog suffered for quite some time. Today is honestly the first day that I can say I feel almost ok. I am probably getting a sinus infection and don't care for the headache that is ensuing because of it, but at this point I am getting used to feeling "not so great". Anyway, I didn't prepare a whole bunch of yummy meals through all this, but I did  take time one night to make this yummy cashew chicken. Oh it's so good and I cannot wait to make it again and this time, NOBODY will be sick when I make it! ;)

Recipe Source: http://mommachelleblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/cashew-chicken-with-kick.html

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 Tbsp cooking sherry
2 Tbsp soy sauce

 1/4 cup olive oil
 1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 green onions, sliced

 2 cloves garlic, diced

1/2 cup cashews
Toasted sesame seeds
 
SAUCE:
4 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp white vinegar

Combine 1 Tbsp soy sauce and the cooking sherry in a medium bowl. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place the chicken pieces in the soy/sherry mixture. Let the chicken marinade in the mixture while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a small bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients. Set aside. Slice the green onions, and measure out the red pepper flakes and minced garlic. 

Drain the chicken in a strainer to drain off some of the excess marinade.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add chicken and red pepper flakes. Cook for just a minute and then add the garlic. Cook chicken until it's cooked through. Drain any excess oil.  Add cashews. Add the soy/sherry sauce mixture. Stir the chicken to cover everything in sauce. Sauce should thicken quite a bit. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and add sliced green onions.

Serve.

Lime Chicken Pesto Burritos with Spicy Slaw

Today was the first day in quite sometime that I have actually had a little bit of extra time to put some thought into dinner. It seems like lately, I feel like a  hamster on a wheel, going around and around endlessly for days. So today was a good day to try out something new. It felt so good to be feeling creative again and to be enjoying cooking. It's hard to enjoy cooking when life gets too busy and you don't have time to get super creative! The "cheesy" tortillas were scrumptious and all the flavors went together very well. I hope to have time to make these again very soon.

*Below is a picture of what the "cheesy" tortillas looked like before I filled them and rolled them

Recipes Adapted From:
 http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com/gourmet-your-tacos-in-3-minutes-works-for-any-tacos/
http://joelens.blogspot.com/2010/05/cilantro-lime-chicken-tacos.html



Cilantro Lime Chicken with Pesto Sauce:
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
salt/pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup cilantro chopped
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp toasted, sliced almonds
3 Tbsp fresh garlic chopped
1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chicken broth


1 large tomato, chopped, for garnish
4 green onions, chopped, for garnish

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and place chicken in the skillet. Cook the chicken until it is cooked through. Toss with the cilanto pesto (recipe below) and serve in a cheesy tortilla (recipe below) with spicy slaw (recipe below), diced tomatoes and green onions. Roll up burrito style or fold and serve as a taco.


Spicy Slaw:
1 1/2 cups cabbage, chopped finely
2 tsp juice from a jar of pepperoncini
4 Tbsp pepperoncini peppers, chopped
juice from 1/2 of a fresh lime
2 small hot chilis, chopped *use less if you don't care for spicy food*
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Combine all ingredients in a medium/large bowl. Stir to mix thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cheesy Tortillas:
4 med/large flour tortillas
slices of mozzarella cheese *or your favorite cheese*

Lay slices of mozzarella or your favorite cheese on half of a flour tortilla. Fold it closed over the cheese. In a large skillet, cook on both sides over medium heat until the cheese in the center is melted. When all the cheese is melted, open the tortilla (be careful it's hot) and place the open tortilla, cheesy side down into the skillet. Cook for just a few seconds to a minute (depending on how high you have your heat) until the cheese is golden brown. Use the tortillas to wrap your favorite burrito or taco.

Spicy Crockpot Chicken

To  me, it can't get any easier, than taking chicken directly out of your freezer, dumping it in your crockpot and then proceeding to dump in 5 things on top of it and go on your merry way to work! That's exactly what I did this morning. I came home to a house that smelled delicious and a yummy tasting dinner tonight on top of that. If I had only had some tortillas and taco fixin's this would have been even better. But I didn't, so the hubby and I ate it just like this. We both loved it! Next time, I will be sure to get all the goodies for tacos and make this even better! :)

Recipe Adapted From:  http://eevanad.blogspot.com/2012/05/crockpot-cilantro-lime-chicken-tacos.html

2 lbs chicken breasts
2 packets Lawry's Hot taco seasoning
Juice of 4 limes
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
5 oz Las Palmas Red Enchilada Sauce
1 cup water

Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot and dump all the other ingredients in over the top. Turn the crockpot on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Take the chicken out of the crock pot, leaving the "juice" in the crockpot. Shred the chicken using two forks and place the shredded chicken back in the "juice" that is in the crockpot. Stir well and serve! This would be good as taco filling! :)

Enchilada Chicken

Yesterday was just "one of those days" and because of that, I just didn't want to use my brain too much when it came to  making dinner. I promise you that there wasn't much of my brain left to use anyway. With a 3 year old crying and attached to your hip, the phone ringing every 10 minutes and a family crisis to be solved (an upcoming surgical date for my mom) there wasn't room left to do anything except throw together a meal. That's how this meal came to be. So if you are having "one of those days" and just want a meal that's quick, painless and requires almost no thinking, then this is the recipe  for you!

Recipe Adapted From: http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/mexican_chicken.html

1 pound boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp Lawry's taco seasoning
1 Tbsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup red enchilada sauce
4 ounces colby/cheddar cheese mix, grated
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Heat oven to 350º
In a small bowl, mix together the taco seasoning, coriander, cumin and salt. Sprinkle it onto both sides of the chicken breasts. In a skillet, cook the chicken over medium-high heat, until cooked through. The time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. Place the cooked chicken in a baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Pour half the enchilada sauce over the top of the chicken and flip the chicken over. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on. Sprinkle the cheese over the chicken and bake for 10-20 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Garnish with sliced green onions and cilantro. 

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings

I have been on a chicken wing kick lately! I made these tonight, along with the wings from the last post. We loved both of them. I made wings a couple of times in the last few weeks, but sadly never got around to posting the recipes. That's what happens when you go back to work after summer and jump back on the proverbial hamster wheel. Anyway, these wings are slightly sweet and a just a little spicy. Perfect combination in my opinion.

Recipe Adapted From: http://www.franksredhot.com/recipes/sweet-chili-asian-chicken-wings-RE1779

1 1/2 lbs chicken wings
Salt/Pepper
Paprika
1/4 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili  sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger, diced
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp green onion, chopped

Heat oven to 400°
 Season the chicken wings with salt, pepper and a sprinkling of paprika. Place into the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

While chicken is baking, make your sauce by stirring together in a small bowl: Red hot, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, ginger and garlic.

After the chicken has baked for about 25 minutes, remove the wings from the oven and place them in a bowl. Spoon about 1/2 of your sauce over the wings. Set the remaining sauce aside. Mix to coat the wings thoroughly. Place the wings back in the oven for about 10-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your wings. Remove them from the oven. Toss the wings with the extra sauce and sprinkle cilantro and green onion over the top of the hot wings.

Sweet and Sticky Sesame Wings

Finger lickin good! That's the correct definition for these wings. In fact, I should hang my head in shame while telling you this, but I was trying to suck up the extra sauce out of the space between my fingers and my fingernails during this meal. I thought maybe I could find some extra sauce stored in those spaces later, but sadly the shower removed all of the extra sauce :( Ok my head is definitely hung in shame now. But seriously, this is the kind of meal that you need a few napkins for. But that's ok. I will sacrifice a few extra napkins to have something that tastes this great! If you like the combination of sweet and you like a sticky kind of terryaki-ish taste, then you will like these wings. No...you will LOVE these wings.

Original Recipe From: http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2012/02/sweet-sticky-baked-chicken-drumsticks/

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, diced
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Few sprigs Italian flat leaf parsley

Heat oven to 400°
In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and pepper. Place the wings in a gallon size baggie and pour the sauce over them. Make sure you seal and shake the marinade around to get on all sides of the wings. Let this marinade for a couple of hours.

Remove the chicken wings from the bag, but reserve the marinade. Set aside the reserved marinade and place the chicken wings on a broiler pan or large baking pan to go in the oven. Place them in the oven for 25 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, place the reserved marinade in a small saucepan. Heat until it comes to a boil. After it begins to boil, turn the fire to medium/low and cook it for 15 minutes or until it is slightly thicker.

After the wings have been cooking for 25 minutes, remove them from the oven and use a pastry brush to brush more marinade over all sides of the wings. Place them back in the oven for about 10 minutes. Remove them again and if you have enough marinade and want to repeat the process again for 5 minutes you can.
Remove the wings from the oven and sprinkle them with toasted sesame seeds and chopped Italian parsley.

Orange Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

Summer has been filled with a lot of barbecuing, salads, and summer type foods. Well, when we actually  had a cooler, though humid, Southern California summer day today, I decided to cook up some good, hearty food. You can always count on a healthy stir fry to fill you up and satisfy you, yet keep you healthy! This meal did just that. This has such a refreshing, light sauce and it goes perfectly well with the chicken and veggies. So get to stir frying and raise your glass to "good tasting healthy food."

Recipe Adapted From:
http://www.piarecipes.com/2012/11/orange-chicken-and-vegetable-stir-fry.html

For the sauce:

1/2 cup orange juice 
2 Tbsp soy sauce 
2 Tbsp rice vinegar 
1 Tbsp oyster sauce 
Zest of 1  large orange
2 large cloves garlic, chopped 
1 tsp minced ginger 
1/2 Tbsp honey (you can add more if you like your orange chicken on the sweeter side)





For the stir fry: 

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks 
salt / pepper to taste 
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 onion
3 green onions
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 large zucchini, chopped
1/2
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp Olive oil
Toasted sesame seeds
salt / pepper
 

In a medium sized bowl, stir all the ingredients for the sauce together. Set aside.

Chop up all the chicken and vegetables and have them ready to stir fry.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a bowl, toss the chicken with the corn starch and using your hands or a spoon, mix until the chicken is well coated with the corn starch.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the chicken and all the vegetables. Cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through. This should take a few minutes. (You can test a piece by cutting it in half if you are unsure if it is done. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and stir Continue to stir it until the sauce has thickened up some. Serve and garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Taste and add salt and/or pepper if so desired.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Honey-Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

Hot summer days always call for cool summer salads. This was just the right kind of salad and the right kind of dressing to cool off with at the end of a hot day. The tangy, light, refreshing dressing is a perfect blend of tastes. The lime and honey work perfectly together! I can't wait to  make this again and as hot as it's going to be in Southern California for the next couple of months, I'm sure I will be making it again soon.

Recipe Adapted From:
http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/05/salad-with-grilled-chicken-avocado-tomato-with-honey-lime-cilantro-vinaigrette/

For the Salad:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled and diced into strips
Fresh Spinach leaves
Tomatoes, sliced into quarters
1 cup fresh corn (cut from cooked corn on the cob)
1/4 small red onion, cut into strips or diced
1 green onion, cut into small slices or diced
1/4 cup fresh pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
2 Avocados, cut into strips
3-4 oz fresh parmesan cheese, grated

Build your salad however you would like. Add any ingredients you enjoy in your salads. Top with Honey Lime and Cilantro Vinaigrette Dressing.

For the Honey, Lime and Cilantro Vinaigrette

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Zest of 2 limes
1/2 tsp coriander
dash of cayenne pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

  

In a blender or food processor, combine lime juice, honey, rice vinegar, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, zest of limes, coriander and cayenne pepper. Pulse mixture until the cilantro is finely chopped. With the blender or food processor on, slowly drizzle the olive oil into it with a slow and steady stream, then blend until slightly thickened about 20 seconds longer.

Cheddar Jalapeno Chicken Burgers

We finally got our grill up and running again. The hubby had to take it apart, repair it and clean it. Thankfully he finished the job early yesterday, just in time to have a BBQ for the 4th of July. I had forgotten how great things taste when cooked on the grill. Also, let's face it, what is sexier than a man doing the cooking? ;)
Tonight I wanted to be able to grill again. My poor hubby hardly got any sleep last night due to fireworks and having to get up extremely early for work. So I wasn't sure how he would feel about manning the BBQ again tonight. But he is such a trooper and this is what he got rewarded with for doing the grilling. This is so tasty and for someone like me who doesn't even like burgers, this is a great solution to the problem. I stumbled onto this recipe on Pinterest and boy oh boy am I glad I did! This one is definitely a keeper.

Recipe Source:
http://whatsgabycooking.com/cheddar-jalapeno-chicken-burgers-with-guacamole/?crlt.pid=camp.TCBo6s4HcNQI#.Udd-eG1TC8D 

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped, fresh jalapeno
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/3 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Salt/Pepper to taste
Guacamole
Tomato slices
Fresh Spinach leaves

Place ground chicken in large bowl.
Add in the onion, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, paprika, cheese, salt and pepper. Use your hands and mix all this together thoroughly.
Form into 4 patties.
Grill over medium heat until cooked through. Approx 5-7 min. per side.
Top each burger with tomato slices, spinach leaves and guacamole.

Lemon Garlic Chicken and Veggie Brown Rice Bowl with Lemon Garlic Dressing

Tastiness and healthiness in one bowl for dinner! There is so much to be said for that. It's always nice knowing that what you are putting in your body is good for you and provides energy and the nourishment you need to survive. Since my last few posts have revolved around sweets and other not so healthy treats, I thought it would be good to blog last nights dinner. This was so simple to make and great for a healthy meal. I wish there were leftovers so I could eat it again today. There is some leftover dressing and I will more than likely use that for a salad at lunch today.

For the chicken and veggies:
1 cup brown rice, cooked according to pkg directions

2 chicken breasts, cut into medium/large chunks
Juice of 1/2 a large lemon
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 zucchini, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
7 asparagus spears, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
salt/pepper to taste
 olive oil (enough to drizzle over ingredients and cook them in the pan)

For the dressing: 
Juice from 2 lemons
5 Tbsp olive oil
3 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper


For the Garnish:
3 green onions, chopped
cilantro, chopped (as much or as little as you like)
Cocktail or dry roasted peanuts (as much or as little as you like)


Begin cooking your rice according to the package directions.
While your rice is cooking, make your dressing by mixing all the ingredients in the "for the dressing" section above. Place the dressing into the refrigerator until ready to use.

In a large skillet, place all the ingredients in the "for the chicken and veggie" section above. Cook until the veggies are firm, but tender and the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Place the cooked chicken and veggies on top of your hot brown rice and top with garnishes and the lemon dressing you prepared earlier. Serve warm.

Black Pepper Chicken and Veggies

This morning I went to the local farmers market. Wow, I can't wait to go back again. I found so many wonderful veggies at such great prices. That is one thing I love about Southern California... the fact that our weather permits farming and gardening at almost any time of  year! I walked up and down the aisles in complete awe of all the fresh fruits and veggies. For those of you that live in So Cal, you know that it's next to impossible to find fresh okra. Well guess what? I found some! None of that mushy frozen stuff...YUK!
By the time I was done shopping, I had a box that weighed more than I did to haul to my car full of fresh goodies. Ok so it didn't weigh as much as me, but clearly I had gone crazy shopping! I found fresh Cherimoya, and boy oh boy if you have never tried this fruit, you should! It's amazing.It's almost like eating yogurt in fruit form. I can't wait until the next one is ripe enough to eat.
So when I came home and decided what to make for dinner, I just knew I had to make use of some of these wonderful veggies. I wish I could say that I had made the black pepper chicken also, but I found it already seasoned at Sprouts Market. Oh boy I'm glad I did, I think it's great and I will definitely be buying it again. I didn't want to serve the chicken plain, so I got to work, chopping up some of my new beautiful produce. I came up with a very healthy, very tasty meal that the hubby and I loved!

2 Black Pepper Chicken Breasts, (Purchased at Sprouts Market)
5 asparagus spears, cut into bite size pieces
5 okra, sliced into bite sized rounds
1/2 med onion,, dice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced into bite size strips
1 zucchini, sliced into bite size pieces
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 fresh jalapeno, chopped
Olive Oil

Sesame oil
Soy Sauce
Salt/Pepper to taste

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. In a large skillet, place the chicken and all the vegetables. Drizzle olive oil, sesame oil and soy sauce over the top. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are firm but tender.
* This would be wonderful served over a bed of rice!

Enchilada Chicken

While on my walk today, a good friend saw me as I was passing her house. She called to me and told me that she had something for me. I was thrilled when she handed me a bag full of lemons from her tree and some dried New Mexico chiles, that she got on her last trip to New Mexico. I had a debate with myself, whether to  make fish with lemon tonight, or to try something completely different. Well, different won out, and I'm so glad it did. This was absolutely delicious! It had just the right amount of spice and I really loved the combination of flavors. Since I can't have the tortillas that would normally be in enchiladas, this was a great "lighter" version for me.

4 Chicken Breasts
10 Dried New Mexico Chilies
1 garlic clove, cut in chunks (you do not have to dice this, it will go in the blender or food processor)
1 Tbsp shortening
1- 1 1/2 tsp water
Salt to taste
Cheddar Chees, grated
Cilantro, chopped
Green onions, chopped

To prepare your enchilada sauce:
Remove the stems from all of the dried chilies. Place the chilies in a pan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes. (*If you want your sauce to be a little less spicy, after you remove the chilies from the water, remove the vein and the seeds.) Using tongs, pick up the chilies and place them in a food processor or blender with the garlic clove. Mix until completely smooth. Place the sauce in a sieve or small netted strainer with a bowl underneath and push the sauce through the sieve so it will catch all the seeds and pulp. Throw away anything left in the strainer and what is left in the bowl is your enchilada sauce. Set aside.
In a skillet, place the shortening over medium heat. Melt the shortening completely, then add the flour. Stir thoroughly and this will leave you with a roux. *(A roux is a thickening agent for sauces) It will resemble a paste. This is how you want it. After the roux has formed, add the blended sauce to it. Stir thoroughly to blend the roux into the sauce. Salt to taste. Stir and cook for about one minute to blend the flavors.

To cook your chicken and prepare the dish:
Season your chicken with salt and pepper. Cook your chicken any way you prefer. You can bake it, grill it, broil it etc. etc.
A few minutes before your chicken is done cooking, reheat your enchilada sauce. When the chicken is completely cooked, top with sauce and then put the grated cheddar cheese on top of the sauce. Place under the broiler or in the microwave just long enough to melt the cheese.
Remove and garnish with chopped green onions and cilantro. Enjoy!