Island Style Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa and Avocado

This is a wonderful meal that I should make more often. The key to this dish is that you have to let the flavors develop. Make the salsa a few hours ahead of time and see how all the flavors come to life. Secondly, a tablespoon of Melinda's Mango Habanero Sauce takes the salsa to the next level. Lastly, let the chicken marinate for at least 4 hours and you really will taste the great salty, sweet and spicy characteristics of the marinade.

Ingredients:

4 medium chicken breasts

2 large roma tomato's

1/4 medium red onion

1 clove garlic

1 ripe mango
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Melinda's Mango Habanero Sauce

1 avocado
1 cup basmati rice
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Marinade:
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 crushed garlic clove
1 small jalapeño pepper

Preparation:
Combine diced tomato, red onion, garlic, mango cilantro and Melinda's Mango Habanero Sauce in a bowl. Mix in the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and plastic and set a side for an hour or two so the favors to develop.

Combine the soy, honey, oil and crushed garlic clove in a bowl and mix well. Take the jalapeno pepper and slice into 1/4" rings. Use about 5 rings and add to the marinade.

Place the water, rice and salt into a rice cooker and let the rice cook while you prepare the rest of the meal.

 

Take the chicken breasts and rinse them in cold water. Place some plastic wrap on the cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound the chicken breasts so they are about 1/2" thick. Place the chicken breast into a 1 gallon Ziploc bag. Repeat the process with the other chicken breasts. Pour the marinade into the Ziploc bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
 

Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and place on paper towels. The chicken has already taken on the flavors of the marinade, but now you want the chicken to be dry before grilling. Heat the grill to medium high. Grill the chicken breast for about 5 minutes per side. When done, set on a plate covered with aluminum foil for 3 - 4 minutes.

To serve, place some basmati rice on a serving plate. Take the chicken breast and slice into 1/2" pieces and set on the rice. Add a scoop of mango salsa, avocado slices and a squeeze of lime.

Sautéed Kale, Garlic and Olive Oil

The mega super food called Kale. Here I keep it as simple as possible, chopped kale with minced garlic sautéed in a little olive oil, fantastic!

 Ingredients:
1 package organic kale
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation:

Wash, dry and cut the kale into medium size pieces. Down to the bottom of the leaves the stem can be pretty stalky so I don't use that part. Heat a 12" sauté pan to medium. Add the olive oil and garlic and sauté the garlic for 30 seconds then add the kale. Sauté the kale until all the leave have wilted and you're done. Serve with a grind of salt and pepper.

Chicken Mole Verde

 

I've been fascinated by this Mole Verde sauce for quite some time. It's rich, thick, earthy, nutty and so good. Mole Verde can be used as a base for a stew, like I'm doing here or as a condiment or even a sauce to make enchiladas.

 

Ingredients:
Dona Maria Mole Verde 

2 chicken half breasts

32 ounce low sodium chicken stock

3 chopped garlic cloves

Preparation:
Prepare the rice by combining 1 cup basmati rice, 1 1/2 cups water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a rice cooker. Press start and the rice will be done in 15 minutes.
 

In a medium sauce pan combine the Mole Verde with chicken stock and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Once heated, lower the heat to medium low.

In this case we're using the Mole Verde like a stew base. Cut the chicken breasts into 2" pieces and add to sauce pan. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 20 minutes. The Mole Verde will be done when the chicken is fork tender and falling apart.

To serve, Place a portion of rice on to a serve plate. Take a ladle and add a nice big scoop of the chicken Mole Verde on top of the rice. Garnish the chicken Mole Verde with Queso Fresco cheese, diced green onions and chopped cilantro. 

Tofu And Zucchini Stir Fry

I guess I was feeling like I needed to make something healthy. It's all about the tofu in this dish. When tofu is cooked properly the outside will have an almost crispy texture and the inside will be soft and creamy.

As with all fried tofu dishes, you need to place the tofu on paper towels and remove the moisture from the tofu in order for the tofu to get brown and crispy. Secondly, sauté the tofu in canola oil and always season with soy sauce and sesame oil right at the end.

 

Ingredients:

2 packages firm tofu

2 medium zucchini

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 bunch green onions

Preparation:

Drain the water from the tofu and dry with paper towels. In order to get the tofu to brown up it's important that the tofu is dry. Dice the tofu into 3/4 inch pieces. Heat a large skillet and add canola oil. Cook the tofu until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

While cooking the tofu, add the soy sauce. If you like it spiced up then add some Mongolian fire oil. In a separate skillet stir fry the zucchini. When cooked add to the tofu and heat through. Serve over brown basmati rice, top the dish with dice green onions and drizzle with sesame oil.

Black Beans

Well there nothing that kicks my can more than black beans that are actually brown. Therefore, when it comes to black beans I'm a little fussy on which brand I buy. My favorite black beans are by Teasdale, though Bushes are excellent. The reason I like these two is because the liquid they use to pack their black beans makes the best sauce when you mash up some of the black beans. Add a little tobasco sauce, salt and pepper and you're golden.

 

Ingredients:

1 29oz can Teasdale black beans

1 teaspoon tobasco sauce

Salt and pepper to taste
 

Preparation:

Pour the contents of the black beans into a medium sauce pan and heat to high simmer. Take a potato masher and mash some of the black beans to make a thick sauce. Stir in the tobasco and salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of cotija cheese.

Chicken Meatloaf

 

This chicken meatloaf is just ridiculously good. I have made this several times and have always gone back for seconds and even thirds. I think this chicken meatloaf is better than any traditional beef meatloaf I've ever made. The taste is exceptional, it's very moist and one more reason to eat more chicken. 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken 95/5 grind
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1 large egg
2 tablespoons bacon bits

1/2 large onion, diced

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 Tablespoon Worcestershire 

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 Tablespoon catsup

Preparation:

In a medium skillet add olive oil, diced onion, garlic and a grind of salt. Cook on low heat 10 minutes to translucent  and let cool to room temp.

In a large bowl combine all ingredients; ground chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire, tomato paste and sautéed onion and garlic.

Mix all the ingredients well. Place the meat loaf mixture on to an oiled baking pan.  Give your hands a quick rinse of water shaking off the excess, this will help you shape the meatloaf without the mixture sticking to your hands. Shape the mixture into the traditional meatloaf shape. Brush on a layer of catsup and then take the bacon bits and place on the surface and sides of the meatloaf.

Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. after 30 minutes brush on another coat of organic catsup and place back into the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let set 5 minutes.

To serve, place 2 or 3 pieces of meatloaf on a plate and garnish with chopped Italian parsley. If you ever tried Homemade Chili Sauce, this is a great condiment to serve instead of catsup. 

Marinated Soy Ginger Cod Fillets

This is a wonderful frozen product from Trader Joe's. The key to any frozen fish product is to let it thaw out slowly on paper towels either on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator. The fish should be completely thawed out and at room temp when you cooking the fish.

Ingredients:

1 package soy ginger marinated cod
1 cup basmati rice
2 green onions diced
2 tablespoon rough chopped Italian parsley
2 teaspoon chives
1 garlic clove minced
1 avocado
1 tomato
1/4 yellow onion

Preparation:

Place fish on aluminum foil covered baking pan and bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Finish under the broiler for a couple of minutes to add some color to the surface of the fish.

Make the basmati rice according to directions, usually 1 cup rice and 2 cups water and some salt. When the rice is cooked, remove and add to a 12" sauté pan. Add the green onion, chopped parsley, chives and minced garlic clove. Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, mix and cook on medium high for 5 minutes and you're done..

To plate, start by placing some avocado slices on the plate and topping with simple salsa of tomato, onion, salt and pepper. Place a serving of rice on the plate and top with the soy ginger cod fillet.

Salad Suggestion:
Sweet Kale Salad

Cole Slaw

I like making cole slaw because it's so tasty crunchy and goes with many dishes. Follow this simple recipe and enjoy with Asian and Mexican dishes.

Ingredients:

1/2 head of green cabbage
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Preparation:
Slice the cabbage as thin as you can and place into a large bowl. I like to use a mandolin to slice up the cabbage because it's much quicker and easier  Mix in the rice wine vinegar, mayo and salt and pepper. Let sit for at least 1 hour before service.

Garlic Shrimp Soft Tacos

 

Here we go, my first blog post, May 1st 2013.

These taco's are so good you'll think you just arrived in Cabo....

 

Ingredients:

1 pound uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined.

4 cloves of garlic, diced fine or use a garlic crusher

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ripe avocado
Red onion

Lite sour cream

Shredded cheese
Tortilla's

1/2 head green cabbage

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

2 tablespoon white rice wine vinegar

 

Preparation:

Make the coleslaw first because it's better when it sits around for a while. Shred the cabbage and put in a large bowl. Combine with the vinegar and mayonnaise and salt. Mix well and set aside.

 

In a small bowl combine the diced avocado and red onion and set a side. 

Dice the garlic and add to the shrimp and let marinate for 30 minutes. Preheat a 12" sauté pan and add the olive oil. Next add the shrimp and garlic to the sauté pan and cook for 2 minutes until the shrimp are pink and no longer translucent.

Heat a 10" sauté pan to medium hot. Add a few drops of olive oil and heat the tortilla for 30 seconds on each side. Place the heated tortilla in a taco holder if you have one. Start building your taco by adding some coleslaw to the bed of the tortilla. Next, add the shrimp and lay them up against one side of the tortilla. Place the diced avocado and red onion mixture next to the shrimp. Add a sprinkle of cheese. Top the taco with sour cream. Serve with a lime wedges.