SO delicious! So delicious I want to eat dinner all over again right now. But it's gone. Absolutely nothing is left of it. My husband said it was really good. A daughter said it was amazing. It really was.
Note: The marinade/dressing is outstanding.
grilled chili lime chicken fajita salad (cafedelights.com)
marinade/dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
salad:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
5 cups romaine, cut
2 avocados, peeled and diced
Marinate chicken in half of the dressing for 2 hours to overnight. Save the other half of the dressing to use as the salad dressing.
Grill the chicken thighs. You know how to do that. Just grill until they're done.
Fry the onions and peppers in a frying pan.
On a large platter, arrange the romaine, grilled chicken, peppers & onions and avocados. Pour the dressing over the top. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves. Serve with toasted tortillas.
Sooo good. My kids thought it was a little spicy but there's no way I'll tone it down. We thought it was just right.
I lightened up the recipe a bit and it tastes so good we don't miss the extra oil and butter.
30 minute cajun salmon with salted lime butter (adapted from howsweeteats)
2 pound salmon filet
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salted lime butter
combine the following:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat the broiler in your oven to high and set the oven rack about 6 inches below it.
Place the salmon on a baking pan that is lined with aluminum foil.
In a bowl combine the paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the salmon filet and press gently to adhere.
Broil the salmon for 6-8 minutes or until just opaque and flakey with a fork. Remove from the oven and cover with the lime butter. Serve with rice and lime wedges for spritzing.
We had a salad bar for dinner tonight. I always forget how much I love a good salad bar with lots of options. I love this 3-bean salad because there's no added sugar. Too many times 3-beans salads are mostly sugar. I thought this recipe was perfect for me.
three bean salad
1 (15 ounce) can cut green beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Pour all the beans into a large bowl. Add the pepper and onion and gently combine. In a small bowl combine the oil, vinegar, garlic powder, pepper and salt. Pour over the beans and careful mix to combine. Allow to marinate 4+ hours.
I was looking for a whole wheat bread recipe without sugar or fat. This bread is terrific and SOOOO quick and easy to make. Delicious bread in under 2 hours. Did I mention it has only 4 ingredients?
easy whole wheat bread (spartanlifeblog.com)
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, or 1 packet
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (I thought this was too much!)
2 cups warm water
optional: rolled oats to sprinkle on top before baking
In a large bowl mix together the flour, yeast and salt. Then pour in the warm water and knead with your hands until a dough forms (the dough will be sticky and that's ok).
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest in a draft free place for 1 hour.
After I hour preheat your oven to 400 F and line a round baking dish with parchment paper.
Transfer the dough to the round baking dish. Shake the dish so the dough settles into the space of the dish evenly, or pat it gently with your hands to fill it.
Let the dough rest another 30 minutes.
Score the dough with a knife (criss-cross shape in the center) and sprinkle it with oatmeal (I rubbed my bread with a little olive oil first).
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown.
These were exactly what I wanted and I knew it! They were so delicious, in fact, that I ate more than one. But less than two.
skinny sloppy joes (adapted from skinnytaste)
1 pound lean ground beef (the good stuff- lean and without antibiotics or hormones)
1 tablespoon steak seasoning
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Chop the onion and red bell pepper until minced. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat to the pan and break it up as it cooks. Season the meat with steak seasoning and cook the meat until it browns. Add onion, garlic and red peppers to the skillet. Add the red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and cook 5 more minutes. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir until everything is well combined. Simmer 5 minutes. Use a spoon to scoop mixture onto toasted whole wheat hamburger buns.
The flavor of this dish was OUTSTANDING! My little culinary queens from culinary camp used the marinara sauce they made the day before (it was a 5-day camp) to make this baked chicken parmesan and I am sure it was their marinara sauce which made this dish shine. My only complaint was the chicken. I have always bought Foster Farms chicken from Costco. I got a really bad batch that was tough and stringy. Had we known we would've pounded out the chicken to tenderize it. The whole bag was that way. Disappointing.
baked chicken parmesan
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used the thin sliced from Costco)
3/4 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
handful of mozzarella cheese
1 cup classic marinara sauce (use the homemade recipe found on this blog!!)
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese on a plate. Melt the butter in a shallow bowl.
Dip each chicken breast into the butter (both sides) then dip both sides into the breadcrumb mixture. Place each piece in the casserole dish.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Remove chicken from the oven and spoon some marinara sauce over each piece of chicken and top each chicken breast with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 more minutes until the cheese is melted.
I planned to teach a cooking camp the week my oldest left for college as a distraction. It turned out to be a great distraction. One of the recipes my little culinary queens made was this classic marinara sauce. The next day they used it to make baked chicken parmesan, which was divine.
This sauce is so good I made it tonight and served it over tortellini. I'm going to declare it Hall of Fame.
classic marinara sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, strongly recommended
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes (and fresh basil if using). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for at least 10 minutes.
