Chicken Lime Tacos

I decided to make salsa this past weekend, which was listed previously on the blog (if you're interested). Making salsa usually leads to me trying to think of different ways to use it with dinner...or even to top off my Chipotle Burrito Bol (on those occasions where I have to satisfy my craving). In any event, I decided this go around I would make my own version of tacos, but with shredded chicken! I must say, these were yummy with or without the corn tortilla.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts 
2-3 splashes of red wine vinegar
½ lime (juiced)
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
(6 inch) flour tortillas
¼ cup Monterey jack cheese
¼ cup salsa
Sour cream

Boil the chicken breasts in a pot of water with salt and pepper to season. This should take approximately 25 minutes. Once done, let the chicken cool and shred (I do this by hand). Add a little oil to a pan and sauté shredded chicken in the pan for about 5 minutes over medium heat with the following: vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic and oregano. To warm the tortillas, place them over a low flame on the gas stove (if you have a gas stove). Once the tortilla begins to bubble, flip. Add chicken mixture to each one evenly. Top with cheese, sour cream and salsa.

Mozzarella Topped Scaloppine with Rustic Tomato Sauce

Courtesy of The Washington Post
I'm a huge fan of Italian food in general...as in, I could eat it every day of my life. Therefore, it's no surprise this recipe caught my eye in the Food & Dining section of The Washington Post. It's a healthy alternative to chicken parmesan and its delicious breading and pasta :) I will say - this dish was very tasty. I decided to add the salad on the side with the best Ranch dressing, walnuts and feta! Mmmmm.

Ingredients:

• Four 4-ounce, thin-sliced skinless chicken cutlets
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, cut into very small dice (3/4 cup)
• 2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup canned crushed or chopped tomatoes (I recommend San Marzano)
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
• 6 large basil leaves, rolled together tightly, then cut into thin strips (chiffonade)
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper to taste and place in a shallow dish. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the oil over the cutlets; turn to evenly coat. Let sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt; reduce the heat to medium and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until the onion is soft but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, adjusting the heat so the onion-garlic mixture does not brown. Add the tomatoes, vinegar and the sugar and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring every 1 to 2 minutes, for 10 minutes. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Stir in the basil. Position the top oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler element; preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the foil-lined baking sheet. Broil, turning once, for 5 to 8 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Spoon the tomato mixture over each cutlet, then top each one with equal amounts of the mozzarella. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese melts and just starts to brown. Feel free to top off with some basil :)

Key Lime Oatmeal Bars

Courtesy of Nellie & Joe's Famous Lime Juice
For anyone that knows me, you know I despise baking....despise. It's not that I can't do it, I just don't enjoy it. I don't like the idea of measuring things. It just doesn't do it for me. However, I have become intrigued by key lime juice. I was looking up various recipes for this and came across something called "Choo Chew Bars". This name drives me batty, so I changed it to "Key Lime Oatmeal Bars". However, for someone that doesn't like to bake, I must say they were pretty easy, and came out pretty yummy...I've gotten many compliments! Oh, and they made my place smell nice when I was baking them :)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup all purpose flour, sifted
• 2½ tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice
• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon lime zest

Cream butter and brown sugar, stir in oats and dry ingredients. Mix until crumbly. Spread half of mixture in well greased 13x9x2" pan, packing firmly. Combine condensed milk, Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice, egg yolks and lime zest; let stand 1 minute to thicken. Spread over crumb crust; sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in pan. Chill several hours in refrigerator until firm. Cut into squares.

Red Wine Risotto with Peas

Let me start by saying that Giada de Laurentiis is my favorite Food Network star...and I make many of her recipes. This is one I've wanted to make for a long time, and I finally got the chance. My good friend Erin Bullock is done with grad school, so I thought I'd make her some dinner :) The meal came out great, and I'm pretty sure I'll be eating it for lunch tomorrow...and maybe Thursday too.

• 3 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup arborio rice, or medium-grain white rice
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/3 cup frozen peas, defrosted, optional
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the broth and keep it warm over very low heat.

Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is toasted. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Repeat, adding 3/4 cup of hot broth 2 more times, stirring often, about 12 minutes longer. At this point, the risotto can be made 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate the risotto (the rice will still be firm) and remaining broth, uncovered, until cool, then cover and keep them refrigerated until ready to proceed.

Bring the remaining broth to a simmer, then cover and keep it warm over very low heat. Stir 3/4 cup of hot broth into the partially cooked risotto over medium heat until the broth is absorbed and the risotto is hot, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining broth and simmer until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the peas and parsley. Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into bowls. Sprinkle additional cheese over and serve.

Beef & Bean Chili

It's that time of year where I constantly crave things like chili. I finally decided to just make some to have on hand...and to share of course! This was a pretty straight forward chili recipe, and didn't take long at all. It made my place smell wonderful, and it didn't taste too shabby either...especially with the sharp cheddar and sour cream on top!

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 diced onion
1 diced green bell pepper
1/4 c. sliced pickled jalapeno peppers (optional)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can kideny beans, rinsed and drained
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
2-3 dashes of hot sauce (optional)
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
light sour cream (optional)

In a Dutch oven, cook ground beef, onion, green pepper, and jalapenos over medium high heat until ground beef is browned and vegetables are tender, approximately 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, chili powder, cumin, coriander, red pepper, salt and hot sauce and stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired.

Honey Key Lime Chicken & Squash Zucchini Bake

Courtesy of www.allrecipes.com
Let me start off by saying I don't normally have an abundance of key lime juice in my house, but as of this week, it just so happens I do. The juice comes in this great, large bottle so that you can experiment with all kinds of recipes! Key lime pie is on my list for this weekend, but for now, honey key lime chicken! Aside from making sure you can marinate the chicken for at least one hour, this is simple. Ideally, you would grill the chicken outdoors, but since it's February in DC, I baked the chicken this go around. I decided to throw in some squash and zucchini as well, since I had some on hand. All I have to say is the smell of key lime juice baking is MMM MMM GOOD!

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons key lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• olive oil to grease the baking dish
• basmati rice

In a resealable plastic bag, mix the key lime juice, honey, garlic, and lemon pepper. Place the chicken in the bag, seal, and shake to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes, turning the bag occasionally.  Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Grill the marinated chicken about 8 minutes on each side, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Discard remaining marinade.The other option is to bake the chicken at 350 for about 25 minutes, or you could use a skillet or an indoor grill. I baked it this go around since grilling outdoors isn't exactly an option right now. Cook the basmati rice according to package and place the chicken on top of the rice.

 Squash & Zucchini Bake:

• squash, cut into slices
• zucchini, cut into slices
• approx. 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
• approx. 1/2 cup of shredded Italian blend cheese, or parmesan
• approx. 1 tb olive oil, salt, and lemon pepper 

Saute the vegetables in a skillet with about 1 tb olive oil, and some salt and lemon pepper. Once they get a little tender/brown on the edges, transfer from the heat and place into a dish for the oven. Top with the bread crumbs and cheese. Bake at 350 for approximately 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Chicken and Dumplings, anyone?

OK, so I had a request to put this on the blog. Erika asked, I delivered ... finally. My long time friend Erika, from JMU, went home with me one weekend in college. She had never had chicken and dumplings, but my Mom whipped them up one night and Erika fell in love. Almost 10 years later, she is still asking me for the recipe! My mom doesn't really "use recipes" half the time. I ask for them and her response is usually..."Honey, I don't really follow a recipe. I don't even remember what goes in it. Let's see -- put in a little of this, little of that, etc." You get the picture. This go around, I decided to merge the vague direction she gave me, love you Mom :), with a recipe I found online, and a few minor tweaks on my end. Ultimately, it came out pretty well, but I have a feeling it will be even better tomorrow!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/3-inch-thick slices
• 2 celery ribs, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
• 2 cups of cut yellow potatoes (I used the small potatoes and cut them in quarters)
• 2 teaspoons salt (more to taste if necessary)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (more to taste if necessary)
• few dashes of garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• Can of biscuits (or you can make these, but I frankly didn't have time)

Bring water and broth to a simmer in a 2 to 3 quart saucepan. Add chicken and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and cover, then let stand until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and cool 10 minutes. Reserve poaching liquid, uncovered.

While chicken is poaching, cook onion in oil in a 4-quart heavy pot, covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, salt, and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add poaching liquid and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into 1/4-inch-wide strips (about 1 inch long). When vegetables are done simmering, stir chicken into soup along with parsley and garlic powder to taste. Cut 3-4 biscuits into quarters and drop into soup. Put the lid back on the pan and simmer on low until biscuits plump up and briefly cook.

 

Key West Grouper

Courtesy of www.allrecipes.com
All of this cold weather has made me yearn for warmth -- which makes me think of seafood -- which makes me research various recipes, ultimately resulting in grouper with a key west flare! I like to buy whichever seafood is fresh and in the weekly spotlight at Harris Teeter (Arlington is blessed with a great Harris Teeter, in my opinion). Grouper isn't available as often there, and when it is, it's usually pretty pricey. Therefore, I took advantage of this sale! This was a very easy dish to make, and as always, was tasty as leftovers for lunch the next day :)  I served this with one of my now favorite orzo dishes, which can be found in the scallops recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup softened butter, plus more for baking dish
• 4 (8 ounce) fillets grouper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/4 cup key lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 12 slices lime

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9x13-inch glass baking dish and set aside.
2. Season the grouper fillets with salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder; place into prepared baking dish. Spread about 2 tablespoons of softened butter over the top of each fillet. Pour in the lime and orange juices, then cover each fillet with 3 slices of lime, and 2 slices of orange.
3. Bake in preheated oven until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes. Mine actually took a bit longer, probably closer to 25 minutes. Just keep an eye on it.