Memorial Day Barbeque

On the Menu:

Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Lime-Cilantro Quinoa Salad

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Fresh Cut Watermelon

Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa

I make this rub and keep it in a tightly lidded glass container in my pantry to use as needed.  It's a great spice mixture to have on hand.  Try it on chicken, fish, beef, or pork.  For best flavor, rub it on the meat the night before, but in a pinch, you can apply it just before the BBQ.

Rub:
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon allspice
2 tablespoons ground ancho chile
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper

Chicken:

If chicken breast is too thick, pound it to thin it for even cooking.  Rub chicken with spice mixture.  Let it sit in the refrigerator over night if possible.  Prepare Grill.  Grill chicken 6 minutes on each side or until done.  For additional flavor, place some applewood chips in a foil bowl, and place on the hot grill while grilling the meat.  Close the BBQ lid to keep in some of the smoked flavor.  Remove chicken from grill, top with avocado salsa.

Avocado Salsa:

1 cup diced roma tomatoes

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped

Combine all salsa ingredients in a bowl.  Toss.  Serve over chicken.

Cilantro-Lime Quinoa Salad

Salad: 

3 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry cooked with 2 cups chicken broth)

1 cup black beans

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 red bell pepper, chopped

Dressing:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 teaspoon salt

Toss all salad ingredients together in a bowl.  In a separate small bowl, stir together all dressing ingredients.  Drizzle dressing over quinoa mixture.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for later use.

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Salad ingredients:
Fresh sliced Strawberries
Fresh baby spinach
chopped walnuts, toasted

Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire

Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl.  For dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a blender.  Process until smooth.  Drizzle dressing on salad.  Save leftover dressing in refrigerator for a later use.

Guacamole

From the beloved avocado and in honor of Cinco de Mayo...

This guacamole recipe comes from Chef Jeff Smedstad of the Elote Cafe in Sedona, AZ.  Great food and great recipes!  Eat there next time you're in Sedona and you won't be disappointed!! 


Guacamole
3 medium ripe avocados
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 jalepeno, stemmed and finely diced
juice of half a lime
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
garnish: chopped tomato, queso fresco, and radishes

Add all ingredients and roughly mash together.  Top with garnishes and serve with tortilla chips.

Posole-- Tomatillo, Chicken and Hominy Soup

Posole, sometimes called "mexican chicken noodle soup", is made of fresh tomatillo, chicken, and hominy. It is a wonderful soup that brings a lot of fresh flavors to the table. Top it with a squeeze of lime, chopped cilantro, diced avocado and a dollop of light sour cream. Serve it with home-made cornbread and some fresh sliced fruit of the season, like pineapple or watermelon.

Bountiful Baskets Note: Great for the mexican ingredient pack (tomatillo, onion, jalepenos, cilantro, lime) . If your not familar with tomatillos, have fun experimenting!




Posole: Tomatillo, Chicken and Hominy Soup
(recipe adapted from cooking light)

Soup:
1 pound tomatillos
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and quartered
1 (30-ounce) can white hominy, drained
1 teaspoon salt

Toppings:
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
8 lime wedges

Preparation

Discard husks and stems from the tomatillos. Cook whole tomatillos in boiling water 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Place tomatillos in a blender; process until smooth; set aside.

Place broth and the next 5 ingredients (stock through hominy) in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and shred. Stir in pureed tomatillos and salt; cook for 5 minutes or until heated. Stir in chicken, and serve with cilantro, sour cream, avocado and lime wedges.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups soup)

Hominy is made of dried corn kernels from which the hulls and germs have been removed. It looks like a cooked and puffed up corn kernel. You can find it in the canned-vegetable section of the supermarket near the corn. I have come to really enjoy hominy because it offers that masa corn taste and texture that you get in tamales, but with out all added fat and hard labor.

Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

This recipe is simple, fresh, and comes together very quickly. I had an abundance of tomatoes, avocados, and limes from my bountiful basket, some yellow rice and beans left over from Rochelle's 30th birthday party (thanks Shell!), and broccoli and cauliflower ready for harvest in my back yard.... so this dinner was a sinch. I used boneless center-cut porkchops for a change from chicken breast, but this zesty lime marinade works well with both. Sorry no picture! In the winter time there just isn't enough natural lighting in the evenings to get a good picture!

Chicken or Pork:
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon saltCooking spray

Salsa:
1 cup chopped plum tomato (about 2)
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and finely chopped

1. To prepare chicken or pork, combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; toss and let stand 3 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.
2. To prepare salsa, combine tomato and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add avocado; stir gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken.Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and about 1/4 cup salsa)
Recipe source: Cookinglight