Southwestern Inspired Salad with Cilantro and a Lime Vinaigrette

I've been on a huge salad kick lately... as well as a cilantro and lime kick. I was trying to figure out how to incorporate them together and one thing led to another which led to this flavorful semi sweet, semi salty and semi tangy salad.

Feeds 4 adults (or 2 adults and 3 kids!)

2 bags of Boston, Bibb or Romaine lettuce, washed and rinsed. (I used a Boston and Arugula mix and when in season I buy locally from our local farms or farm stand)
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 can or 1/2 bag of frozen corn thawed to room temperature
1 can black olives, drained
1/2 cup Queso Fresco or mild Feta
1 handful Peppadews, sliced
1/8 Cup cilantro leaves (approx), leaves should be whole, pulled from the stems
1/2 Cup Grandma's Dressing
Juice of 1 lime (if lime doesn't yield much juice use 2)


In a large salad bowl add all of the ingredients and mix well. Let bowl sit and make the dressing.
Just prior to serving add about 1/8 Cup of the dressing. If you need more feel free to add.

Serve with tortilla strips or sliced chicken if desired.

Raspberry Citrus Muffins

I'm a morning person but I am not. I love to get up early and write but I need to be in bed with my cappuccino while doing so. I don't want to have to get up unless I absolutely have to. I love the idea of getting up early and baking so that the kids will have some fresh out of the oven muffins ready for them for their breakfast. As much as I aim to do this I fall short. Way short. I have even thought about having the batter ready and scooped into muffin tins the night before. But with the after school rush of sports and homework and dinner this never happens. So I will stick to using my weekends. I'll bake a couple of batches and freeze them and take them out as needed. I still pop them in the oven before serving... so they still have that warm out of the oven feel and taste. This is the best I can do for now!

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter, room temperature
2/3 C sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 eggs
1/2 C sour cream
1/4 C orange juice
Zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
2 C flour
2 tsp. baking powder

- beat together sugar and butter
- add eggs and beat well
- add OJ and zest
- add sour cream
- add baking powder and flour, mix well
- fold in about 1 1/2 C raspberries -- I used frozen, thawed, about 1/2 bag


Pour batter into lined or greased muffin tins and bake at 375 for 25 - 30 minutes. (Test with a toothpick)

Makes 12 muffins

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

We love cilantro around here. This time of year, as the temperatures start to rise, cilantro becomes a staple. I decided to make a cilantro dipping sauce for our chicken and based it loosely on a Tzatziki sauce. The result was nothing less than delicious, cool and refreshing. We also decided that this would be wonderful served with grilled or chilled salmon. Last night we had it with grilled chicken.

I prepared the chicken by rubbing each piece, trimmed and de-fatted, with a little bit of olive oil (to keep it from sticking to the grill) and seasoned lightly with sea salt, garlic powder and freshly ground pepper. Then I handed it over to the husband to toss onto the grill!

For the Cilantro Yogurt Sauce:

1/2 cup of low-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup of low-fat mayonaise
1 heaping tablespoon freshly minced cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 large lime (or 1 1/2 smaller limes)
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Holy Guacamole!

My nine year old made this. This is seriously the best guacamole I have ever had! I went out to lunch with my husband to a fabulous South American/Pacific Rim restaurant with a guacamole that is sublime. I wanted more and my son always wants to cook. We took a basic guacamole recipe and tweaked it. Rick Bayless, watch out!

Ingredients

• 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1 ½ lime, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• A good shake of ancho chili powder (or any red chili powder)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and dice, or 3 Plum or Campari tomatoes
• 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced


Directions

Scoop the avocados (discard pit and skin) and place the meats in a large bowl. Squeeze the lime, set aside. Dice the onions and tomatoes, set aside. Using a mortar and pestle or a potato masher mash the avocado, add the lime juice, tomatoes, garlic, onion and cilantro and mix well. Add spices, mix well. Let sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Spicy Pan Seared Pork Chops

Sometimes we get in a cooking rut and cook what's easiest or most familiar. Last night I decided to climb out of my box. (Daddy was too busy to grill!) I wanted something with flavor, a little kick and something that would taste as good from the stove top as it would from the grill.

I could not be any more pleased with the result of this fabulous dish!



I have to warn you, if you like bland foods, this might not be for you. If you like a little heat, this is a must try dish. I made this with Cilantro Lime Rice, which was the perfect refreshing accompaniment!

To make your dry rub you will need the following:

2 tbs paprika
2 tbs cayenne pepper
2 tbs garlic powder
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs Italian Seasonings
just less than 1/3 cup of salt

You will also need the following for the sauce:

1/2 cup dry white wine
2 - 3 cloves of minced or finely chopped garlic
1/2 chicken stock


Mix together the marinade ingredients really well. You will have extra that will keep well in a tightly sealed jar for a month of so.

In a large saute pan add a table spoon or two of olive oil and heat.
As the oil is heating, rub generous amounts of the dry rub on to both sides of the pork. Add the pork to the pan. (The meat will sizzle nicely when the oil is hot enough.)

Sear each side, (about 2 to 3 minutes per side) until nicely golden brown. Reduce heat and cook for 20 - 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the chop.

When the chops are done, remove from the pan, and to the pan juices (there should be a good amount) add 2 - 3 cloves of freshly pressed or crushed garlic, 1/2 cup of dry white wine, 1/2 cup of chicken stock and gently stir all the spices and seasonings off the pan. Pour sauce in to a small pitcher. Toss the chops back into the pan for to keep warm until everyone comes to the table.

If you would like to serve this with the Cilantro Lime Rice, simply cook regular long grain white rice as you normally would. As the water is boiling add juice of 1 lime. While rice is cooking, finely chop some fresh cilantro leaves, and add to the rice when it has finished cooking. Toss well so that the cilantro is well blended.

For vegetable I simply served a green salad.

Cruchy Asian Chicken and Noodle Salad

My friend Laurie makes this incredible Asian Coleslaw... It's crunchy, loaded with flavors and textures and is a wonderful accompaniment to any Asian inspired meal. My original plan was to make it and serve it with the Asian Chicken we love so much. But it was getting late in the day (7:00pm!) and I hadn't done a darned thing about dinner and there was certainly no time to be marinating chicken if we wanted to eat dinner before Midnight! So I decided to add the chicken right into the salad... and a I tweaked the recipe and dressing a bit to try to cut out some of the oil and sugar and yet keep it as true to the original flavor as possible. The result: Another outrageous success!

I will post Laurie's original recipe and my changes will be highlighted in red.
Asian coleslaw:

1 large napa cabbage - shredded in food processor
5 diced scallions -- I used 6 and would even add a couple more next time
1/2 cup butter -- I used 2 tbs canola oil and a drizzle of sesame oil
2 pkgs ramen noodles - crushed
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 small pkg sliced almonds -- I measured out 1 cup since I had a large bag, was perfect

mix cabbage and onions in bowl- set aside.

In a sauce pan melt butter (or oils) noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds - brown for about 15 minutes on low - med heat. Cool and drain on paper towels.

Dressing :

1 cup vegetable oil -- I used 3/4 cup of canola oil
3 tsp soy sauce -- I used 2 Tbs. soy sauce, low salt
1/2 Cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar -- I used 3 Tbs, brown sugar
Juice from 1 lime -- I loved the zing the lime flavor added!

Mix all and microwave a couple of minutes to dissolve sugar. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving. Since brown sugar mixes well I did not need to heat the dressing to mix. In a small mixing bowl whisk the ingredients until well emulsified. You will not need to use all the dressing.

While the noodles are cooling and draining, dice up (into small, bite-sized pieces) 2 - 3 chicken breasts and place them in a pan coated with about 2 tbs of canola oil. Season to taste with sea salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook until browned on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set on paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Let cool. (For faster results place in fridge or freezer for a few minutes.)

Add noodle mixture, cabbage, onions and chickens to a large salad bowl and add desired amount of dressing.

Raspberry Mojito

One of my favorite blogs is Hostess with Mostest. I love everything about her blog... and I love this twist on the mojito!

Happy Birthday to Moi! Champagne Mojito

This might very well be the most fabulous beverage ever... E-ver!

To make this Sparkling Champagne Mojito you will need:

1/8 Cup of white rum
3-4 tbs of simple syrup

3 slices of lime

1 tsp crushed mint leaves
ice
1/2 Cup Champagne or Proseco

In a small bowl crush mint and lime with the simple syrup
Pour into Champagne Flute
Add rum, ice if necessary and fill remainder of flute with champagne

Sip, enjoy, sip some more....

Cheers!

My Fabulous Cocktail, "The Poolside"

(Thanks for the great name Mamma Bickie!)

Ingredients:

Vodka, one shot
1/2 cup of seltzer water
1/2 cup of limeade
2 or 3 thin slices of lime
2 or 3 thin slices of cucumber, skin on.

The first time I ever had cucumber in a drink was when I was in Wimbledon. (My grandparents were members and I went often in my youth.) You cannot go to Wimbledon without having a Pimms... Pimm's Cup is a wonderfully tasteful and refreshing British cocktail that is garnished with a slice of orange, lemon and cucumber. The cucumber adds such a great flavor and refreshing quality.Pour all into a tall glass, add some ice, and garnish with an umbrella!

Below, picture of my shot glass!