Caribbean Jerk Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Salsa and Pina Colada Cremá

Seafood, Seafood, Seafood (admit that you just read that in a "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha, kind of Brady Bunch voice) is my food of choice. I seriously think I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So when I found a recipe for jerk shrimp tacos, I just knew I had to try it. Now granted, these days I am on the low carb band wagon, so I had mine without the shells, but I did try one small bite of my hubbies with the shell. It about knocked my socks off. Ok so it's summer in Southern California  and I definitely was not wearing socks, but if I  had been, they would have been knocked right off! So get outside, stoke up the grill and get to cooking!

Recipe Adapted From: http://www.closetcooking.com/2013/08/jerk-shrimp-tacos-with-pineapple-salsa.html
 ** Note: I found the crema a little runny, so next time I would add a little extra plain yogurt to it to thicken it up

1 pound (16-20) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup jerk marinade (recipe follows)
2 cups red cabbage, sliced or grated
1/2 cup pina colada cremà (recipe follows)
12 small corn tortillas, fried or warmed
2 cups pineapple salsa (recipe follows)

Jerk Marinade: 
1 Jalapeno Pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
2 green onions
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon allspice
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 orange, juice and zest
1 lime, juice and zest

Puree all the jerk marinade ingredients in the food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare your pineapple salsa (recipe follows) and set aside in the refrigerator until time to assemble your tacos. 
Prepare your Pina Colada cremà (recipe follows) and set aside in the refrigerator until time to assemble your tacos . 
Toss the cabbage in half of the pina colada cremà. Set aside

Marinate the shrimp in the the jerk marinade for at least 20 minutes and up to over night. 
 Place the shrimp on a skewer and grill over medium-high heat for about 1-3 minutes per side, or until cooked through. 
Assemble your tacos by placing slaw on the warmed/fried tortilla, then some pineapple salsa followed by the shrimp and a drizzle of pina colada cremà. 

Pineapple Salsa

1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 red onion
1/2 red bell pepper,
1 jalapeno pepper
1 lime, juice and zest
1/2 cup cilantro
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in the food processor by pulsing until you reach salsa consistency. If you don't have a food processor, just chop everything finely and mix together.

Pina Colada Cremà 
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (you can also use sour cream)
3 Tbsp fresh pineapple chunks
2 Tbsp coconut cream
1 Tbsp coconut rum

Mix all ingredients together  in the food processor or blender until thoroughly combined and smooth. I found this a bit "runny" for my taste so I added a little extra plain yogurt to mine.

Killer Garlic Shrimp

Recently a friend from work loaned me a cookbook she thought I might like. Well, I more than like it, I LOVE it! It's called Two Dudes One Pan. It is definitely worth buying. This is the 3rd recipe I have made from there so far and I have liked all of them. I know, I know...I  haven't blogged them all. Don't judge...life gets busy. The thing I loved about this recipe is that  it requires absolutely no thinking to put it together or to cook it. So for those days that you don't feel like cooking or that you don't have a lot of time to fuss over something special, this is a winner!

Recipe Source: http://www.amazon.com/Two-Dudes-One-Pan-Minimalist/dp/0307382605/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332945024&sr=8-1

2 lbs. medium or extra large  shrimp, peeled and deveined

10 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

4 limes, cut into wedges

Place shrimp in a large bowl and toss with garlic and oil.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  

Heat a skillet over medium high heat until very hot. 

 Add the salt to the shrimp and toss to combine.  

Add the shrimp and the marinade to the hot skillet.

Cook the shrimp approximately 2-3 minutes or until they are slightly firm to the touch, stirring often.

Transfer the shrimp to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and chopped cilantro.  Serve immediately, with limes on the side.

Fennel and Apple Salad with Maple Cinnamon Vinaigrette

A friend at work loaned me the book "Two Dudes One Pan". I found this amazing recipe in there and I just knew it would be the first one I would try from the cookbook. Boy oh boy am I glad I did. My daughter came by for dinner the night I served this and it was so nice to hear everyone eating saying "mmmm" while they ate it. I love those kind of meals. It was so light, refreshing and had so many things about it that I loved. Slightly (and I mean oh so slightly) sweet, crunchy, a little anise taste from the fennel and a little punch from the Pecorino cheese. Now I can't wait to go through the book and find my next recipe to try. If you get a chance to look at or buy this book, I would suggest doing so. It really is a great cookbook!

Original Recipe From: http://www.amazon.com/Two-Dudes-One-Pan-Minimalist/dp/0307382605

For  the Salad:
2 fennel bulbs
2 apples
1/2 lemon (used only if you make the salad in advance of the meal, to stop browning)
1/2 cup very small grapes or grapes cut in half
3 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 tsp chives, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
2 oz Pecorino cheese, shave with a vegetable peeler (This is a kind of Romano cheese)

For the Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp champagne vinegar (This can be found at the grocery store next to all the red wine vinegars etc)
1 tsp pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 shallot (or 1/4 of a very small white onion)
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp olive oil

Halve and core the fennel bulbs and trim the stalks. Chop up one Tbsp of the green "fronds" (the green feather stuff at the end of the stalks) to garnish the salad and set aside.
Slice the fennel and apples very thin into matchstick cuts. (If you slice the apples and fennel more than 10 minutes before you serve this salad, then here is where you would squeeze the 1/2 of a lemon over the slices to prevent browning.)

Toast the pine nuts by placing them in a dry skillet and turning the heat on medium. Continuously stir the nuts or "swirl" the pan to keep them from burning. The pine nuts are toasted when they begin to turn a darker shade of brown. Remove immediately and set aside. 

In  a bowl, whisk the champagne vinegar,, maple syrup, cinnamon  and salt. Add the shallot and drizzle in both oils while whisking to incorporate it.  Add the fennel, apples, grapes, toasted pine nuts, chives and salt. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl or platter and top with the Pecorino cheese. Garnish with the reserved, chopped fennel fronds. Serve

Serves: 4-6

Shark Fruit Salad

So this is what happens when my hubby is at work on a Saturday and I am bored. I missed shark week by a couple of weeks, but thought I would make an honorary "shark" fruit salad. This was super easy. It only took about an hour and I think it turned out quite cute! Definitely not as good as the one I saw on Pinterest, but not bad for an amateur.

Toffee Bars

Sweet and salty really has to be one of my favorite combinations. These sure hit the spot when it comes to just a tiny bit salty and good and sweet. They are not so sweet that they make you sick or that you feel as though you can only eat one, but they do satisfy a sweet craving. The students at school today loved these and kept coming back for more. Good thing I cut them into very tiny squares. It's also a good thing that they all got eaten, because I'm sure I wouldn't be able to stay out of these!

Recipe Found at: http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/skor-squares/

1 (11.3 oz) box Ritz crackers
1 (8 oz) bag toffee bits
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Instructions

Heat oven to 350°

Spray an 8x8 pan with Pam.

Place the Ritz crackers in a food processor and process until they are fine crumbs. Add 1 cup of the toffee bits and  all of the sweetened condensed milk to the food processor. Process for just a few seconds until it's all combined well. Press the mixture into the Pam sprayed baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven.

Immediately pour the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the bars. Allow them to sit for a few minutes to melt, then spread evenly over the top. (If they aren't melting, stick the pan back into the oven for a minute or two.) Sprinkle on the remaining toffee bits. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

 

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.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Salsa makes everything taste bettter. Seriously, I mean salsa on chips, on meat, on eggs, the list keeps going and going. I would like to personally thank the first person who decided to invent this amazing food. Since I am growing tomatillos in my little backyard garden, I figured this would be a good way to use some of them up. I have always loved salsa, but I also truly enjoy salsa verde. If you have never tried growing tomatillos, they are super easy to grow and there is nothing better than going outside to your backyard and picking a few to make this wonderful salsa.

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos
1 med onion, quartered
1 pasilla pepper, halved lengthwise and stem removed
2 jalapeno peppers, halved
 1 cup cilantro
juice of 1 1/2 limes
pinch of sugar
salt to taste

Heat oven to 400°
Peel and wash your tomatillos. Cut them in half and place them cut side down on a Pam sprayed broiler pan. On the same broiler pan, place your onion quarters, pasilla pepper halves and your two jalapenos that have been halved. Place the broiler pan in the oven and roast the vegetables until the tomatillos are soft. This might take anywhere from 10-20 minutes depending on your oven. Just keep checking to see if they are soft. They don't need to be mushy, just soft enough to blend up. Remove from the oven and place the roasted vegetables into a food processor along with the cilantro, lime juice sugar and salt. Process until it is the consistency of a salsa. Place in refrigerator to cool.

Lime, Blueberry and Coconut Loaf

This is what happens when summertime boredom sets in. Being home from work for 10 weeks is so relaxing and at times fun. But then there are those times, when you find yourself with no money and nothing to do. Today was one of those times. So what is a girl to do when she is bored and has no money?? BAKE! Since I am staying away from sugars, this was a tough one for me to not eat. I did take a very small bite of my hubbies piece and oh my goodness....I wanted to go outside and sit in my garden (which just happens to be my happy place) with a fork and this entire loaf and eat the whole thing with nobody watching. But...I figured even my garden gnome would be watching me. I guess it's a good thing he's out there or I really might have considered eating the whole thing. So if you are bored, hungry, in the mood to bake or any other reason, you have GOT to make this loaf. It's so delicious, so moist and could just be one of my favorite new things! :)

 Recipe Adapted From:
http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/05/lemon-blueberry-yogurt-loaf/print/

For the loaf:
1 1/2 cups flour                            
 2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp lime zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 Tbsp flour

For the Lime Syrup:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup sugar

For the Lime Glaze:
1 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Heat the oven to 350°.
Grease bottom and sides of one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and dust with flour.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lime zest, vanilla and oil. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir in the coconut.

In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with 1 Tbsp of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter (the flour prevents the berries from sinking to the bottom of the loaf while it's baking).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing the loaf to a wire rack.

While the loaf is cooling, make the lime syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir together the lime juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, continue to cook for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Use a toothpick to poke holes in the tops and sides of the warm loaf. Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lime syrup. Let the syrup soak into the cake and brush it again. Let the cake cool completely.

To make the lime glaze, use a small bowl and whisk together the powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp of lime juice. The mixture should be thick but pourable. Add up to another tablespoon of lime juice if the mixture is too stiff. Pour the lime glaze over the top of each loaf and let it drip down the sides. Let the lime glaze harden, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Zucchini and Pepper Frittata

Breakfast for dinner? Yes please! Especially when I have peppers and zucchini growing in my garden this time of year. Now if I just had the time or the room for some hens, I could almost make this meal straight from the yard. This is one of those meals that you just can't go wrong with. I mean it's healthy, it's light, it's filling and most of all it's easy to prepare. It happens to be vegetarian, but if you are just dying to put some meat in it, throw in some bacon or some crumbled, cooked sausage and you have your self a non vegetarian frittata! :)

Recipe Adapted From: 
 http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/debi-mazar-and-gabriele-corcos/frittata-with-zucchini.html

2 Tbsp Olive Oil 

1/2 small onion, finely chopped 

1 medium zucchini (or 2 small zucchinis), diced  

1/4 green bell pepper, dicedd

1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 small jalapeno, diced (Optional, leave out if you don't want it spicy)

6 eggs 

2 Tbsp milk 

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Salt/Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp butter

3-4 zucchini blossoms, Stamen removed (this is the stem on the inside bottom of the flower) and torn in half

Heat the olive oil in an 10-inch nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini, green bell pepper, red bell pepper and jalapeno and cook until just beginning to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs with the milk. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until combined.

When the zucchini and peppers have softened, remove the pan from the heat and add the zucchini mixture to the eggs. Stir to combine.

Add the butter to the same pan and swirl to melt. Add the egg and zucchini mixture and place the torn zucchini flowers onto the top of the frittata,  if using. Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat until the edges begin to brown and the center has set and is puffed slightly, about 8 minutes.

To serve, slide the frittata out onto a cutting board. Slice and eat! 

Brown Rice Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

As I sit here trying to type up some story or something interesting to put here, I realize my mind is blank. I am plagued with a dreaded annual sinus infection. Last year in July, the night before I was due to fly home from my vacation to Portland, I got hit with the worst sinus infection of my life. Thankfully, Kaiser was able to get me a prescription and I thought I would be ok on the flight home. Well....everything was fine until the plane started it's descent. Oh my goodness, I thought my head was going to explode from all the pressure. Trust me when I say I would rather give birth to another child, before ever doing that again. So you are probably wondering why I would pick that story to tell you. WELL...guess who is leaving again for Portland soon and guess who has another sinus infection? Me..that's right. Let's hope this time, I get rid of this bad boy BEFORE my flight. No more head exploding episodes this year! Oh yeah...so back to this salad. I wasn't feeling so well, so I decided to whip up this super easy salad. So glad I did, because it takes hardly any cooking, just slicing, dicing, stirring and cooking rice...yep that's it! In fact, I think this is what I will have today for leftover lunch. Yummy...I can't wait!

Recipe Adapted From: 
http://thecozyapron.com/cozy-cameo-asian-style-brown-rice-salad-a-salad-for-modern-times/



For the Salad:
4 cups brown rice, cooked and cooled
1 cup edamame 
1 carrot, grated, or thinly sliced
1 cup brocccoli, cut into bite size chunks
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

For the Dressing: 
 1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup canola oil

For the top of the salad:
Juice of 1 whole orange
Toasted sesame seeds


To prepare the salad: 
In a large bowl, place the cooled brown rice, edamame, carrot, broccoli, bell pepper, cilantro,green onion and sesame seeds. Toss to mix. Set aside.

To prepare the dressing:
In  a small bowl, stir together all the dressing ingredients. Stir until mixed thoroughly. Pour over rice salad. Toss to coat. When ready to serve, squeeze the juice of one orange over the salad and toss again. Sprinkle the top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve cold.

Baked Parmesan Tomatoes

I am always so thankful to find new tomato recipes this time of year. My garden is bursting with huge tomato plants and there is only so much salsa one girl can make. ;)
So when I stumbled onto this find on Pinterest, I just knew I had to try it. Like everything else, I "tweaked" the recipe a bit to suit my fancy. I was so happy to be able to use up some of the basil and jalapenos growing like crazy in my garden also. Now if I could only think of a way to grow some fresh mozzarella in my garden, I would be ONE happy girl!

Recipe Adapted From:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/baked_parmesan_tomatoes.html

2 large tomatoes, cut into 8 thick slices

8 fresh basil leaves (or you can use dried basil, just sprinkle it on sparingly)

1-2 fresh jalapenos, diced
Italian Seasoning
Salt/Pepper to taste
8 pieces fresh Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced

Olive oil

Heat oven to 450°.
Place tomato slices on a Pam sprayed cookie sheet. Top each slice with a basil leaf, and a few diced jalapenos. Lightly sprinkle on some Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Top each slice with a thin slice of Parmesan cheese. Repeat with all tomato slices until they are all finished. Drizzle olive oil lightly over each cheese topped tomato slice. Bake in the oven, until tender, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

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.

Coconut and Rum Banana Bread with Lime Rum Glaze

I feel like banana bread is so versatile. You can add peanut butter, chocolate, chocolate chips etc. I have made coconut banana bread before, but this is the first time I found a recipe adding lime and rum.. I mean seriously, who doesn't like lime, coconut, banana and rum together? I know this girl does! To be honest, I wish that all those ingredients were blended together in a nice, big frosty tropical drink. On top of that, I wish I was sipping it with my feet up on a beach in Hawaii! But here I am in Southern California, choosing to bake on a hot summer day. Brilliant? Yes, I thought so, until the sweat started pouring off of me inside my own house lol. Maybe I should have stuck a little drink umbrella into the top of my bread to decorate it. This might have been the ultimate way to fool my sweaty body into thinking I truly was on a beach in Hawaii. So drink up, or eat up....but either way...relax, put your feet up and bite into some yummy coconut and rum bread with lime rum glaze! ;)

Recipe Adapted From:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2167855

For the bread:

2 cups flour 
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 2 1/2 - 3 bananas) 
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (you can substitute vanilla yogurt also)

3 1/2 Tbsp coconut rum
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1 tbsp additional flaked sweetened coconut (for the top)

For the glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice 
1/2 Tbsp coconut rum
*You can add more rum if you would like more rum flavor in your glaze. You will need to also adjust the sugar so as not to make it too thin 

Heat oven to 350°.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.

In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until blended well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the banana, yogurt, rum and vanilla. Beat until blended together. Add the flour mixture and only beat until it's moistened. Do not over mix! Stir in the 1/2 cup coconut. 

Grease a 9X5 inch loaf pan with Pam. Spoon the batter into the pan. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp coconut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

While your bread is cooking, make your glaze by combining the powdered sugar, lime juice and rum in a small bowl. Stir together with a spoon until completely smooth.  

Once your bread is done cooking, cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Remove the bread from the pan onto a wire rack. Drizzle with glaze while warm.