Orzo Black Bean Salad

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A wonderful vegetarian recipe that's full of flavor and simple to make!

I have a treat for you today!

I found some really great recipes that I'm going to share with you in a series this week.  They are all vegetarian and they are all from a new book I got called, "Forest Feast Gatherings: Simple Vegetarian Menus for Hosting Friends & Family", by Erin Gleeson.  What a fabulous book!

She has colorful illustrations throughout the book accompanied by simple vegetarian recipes that anyone can make.  I truly love the layout of this book.  Her recipes are simple and easy to follow and the food is fabulous.  

Each recipe I'm bringing to you this week are from this book and go together beautifully.  First up is a wonderful salad.

ORZO BLACK BEAN SALAD

Imagine tender, earthy black beans tossed with al dente orzo pasta and fresh vegetables and then doused with a fresh spicy lime dressing!  Heaven!  The southwestern flair of this salad really shines.  It was really easy to throw together, with a few items to chop while your pasta is cooking.  

Can I make this ahead? Yes, this salad can be made several hours ahead, even the day before, of your mealtime.  Serve at room temperature or chilled.  

What do I need to make this?  Simple everyday items like a good mixing bowls, 3 quart saucepan, colander, and wooden spoons, plus a good kitchen knife are all you need.

This salad is a great compliment to chicken, fish, or beef.  We chose to make this as a side salad for lunch and it was perfect!  Stay tuned for more recipes from my new cookbook that go along with this salad.

Enjoy!




Orzo Black Bean Salad

1 1/2 cups orzo
1/4 red onion, diced
1 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

Dressing:
3 T olive oil
juice from 1 lime
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder

Cook the orzo in salted water, according to package directions (about 9 min) and then rinse and drain under cold water.  If making ahead stir in 2 tsp of olive oil to avoid sticking.

Mix in onion, beans, bell pepper, corn, and cilantro.  In a small bowl mix together dressing ingredients.  Whisk well to combine.  Pour over salad and stir until well coated.

This salad may be made a day ahead but stir in the cilantro and dressing no more than 1 hour before serving.  Serve at room temperature of refrigerated.

This post contains affiliate links to items you can purchase, in which I get a small amount of compensation for at no cost to you. I bring you items that I actually use that are of great quality that I can pass along suggestions to you.

Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken

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I'm still on my quest to cook from my gazillion cookbooks in my collection.  The other day I brought you a wonderful side dish of Cajun Roasted Potatoes which were a major hit!

Today, to go with those potatoes, I've served up a main dish of Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken.  I found this recipe in the cookbook by Mary Younkin, The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook.  This sounded like the perfect dinner to serve on a weeknight.  Something quick and light, but slightly different than your usual chicken dish.

This recipe has the option of frying or baking the chicken.  I chose to bake them for a healthier meal.  The recipe also uses chicken tenders for ease of preparation and I chose to use chicken breasts that I cut into strips as I prefer them over tenders.

The dish has the perfect pop of flavors.  Tender juicy baked chicken strips drizzled with honey and lime make the perfect weeknight dinner.  Make sure and don't skip the honey or the lime as they make this dish a winner!

What do I need to make this?  Good baking sheets are a must.  I love these.  You want ones that are sturdy and hold up well to high oven temperatures.  A good cooling rack that fits the baking sheet is a plus.  I use these.  They fit perfectly on a half sheet pan and they elevate the chicken so that air can flow above and below to ensure a crispy crust all around.  No soggy bottoms!  Some items like these breading trays, and tongs  are nice to haves but very handy 

All in all we just loved both the Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken and the Cajun Roasted Potatoes together.  This was the perfect combo we needed for a quick yet tasty weeknight dinner.  Plus, any leftovers taste just as good the next day for lunch!

Enjoy!

Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken

slightly adapted from The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook
serves 4

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp. milk
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, toasted if desired
cooking spray
2 large limes, cut into wedges
1/4 cup honey

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Set a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a medium-size bowl.  Add the egg and milk and whisk until smooth.  Place the panko in a medium-size bowl.  Cut the chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch strips.  Add the chicken strips to the flour mixture turning to coat both sides.  Shake off excess.  Place the coated chicken strips in the panko and press into the mixture, turning to coat both sides.  Place the strips on the wire rack on top of the baking sheet.  Repeat until all chicken is coated.

Spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray.  Place in the oven and cook 10-15 minutes until chicken is golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from the oven and place chicken on a platter.  Drizzle with honey and squeeze lime juice over the chicken.  Serve with the remaining lime wedges.

Summer's BEST: Latin Grilled Chicken

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California cuisine is all about eating fresh.  Since our state is full of agriculture, local ingredients are treasured and are in abundance and often paired with lean meats or seafood.  Regional cultures are also a big influence in the dishes.

Today's recipe is influenced by all the Mexican culture around us in Los Angeles.  Bold savory spices mixed with bright citrus flavors hit all the right flavor notes when mixed together.  Since it's summer and we want to keep the heat out of the kitchen we are going to do some grilling outdoors.  Our go to meat is usually chicken, but this recipe would work well with fish or pork too.  To impart the most flavor in the chicken it is important to marinate it in a mixture of spice, acid, and oil.  Then the chicken is left to soak up all the flavors and produce a succulent and flavorful piece of meat.

Let's talk ingredients.  When cooking on a weeknight simple is best.  Cumin (a wonderful spice used in many Latin dishes) is used for the spice (salt & pepper to taste) along with lime juice as the acid, and a good olive oil.  This makes the BEST Latin flavored marinade.  This is all you need!  Trust me, this packs such a flavor punch that you won't believe it. 

It's all about the marinade!  You also want a quick marinade time for weeknight cooking.  So take out your chicken and place it along with the marinade in a sealable bag and leave it on the counter to come to room temperature about 30-45 minutes before grilling.  This will give it a quick, but powerful marinating time to seal in the flavors in the chicken.  A good marinade is the basis for flavoring your meat!

So did I mention that this dish is EASY to make?  It practically makes itself!  Really, this will become a go to recipe in your house this summer.  It's great during the week or on the weekend for entertaining.  This dish does it all!  

Enjoy!










Latin Grilled Chicken

Serves 4

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 lime juice, fresh squeezed
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
salt & pepper
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

In a large re-sealable bag add the ingredients for the chicken marinade and the chicken breasts.  Close tightly and toss to coat all the pieces.  Place the chicken mixture on the counter for 30-45 minutes allowing the chicken to come to room temperature.

Preheat a gas grill to medium high heat.  Remove the chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and grill, turning once, until the center is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees.  About 8- 10 minutes depending upon the thickness and size of the chicken breasts.  Transfer chicken to a platter and allow to rest 10 minutes.  Serve.

Tropical Coconut Lime Waffles

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Memories of my mom making weekend breakfasts for me revolve around homemade Biscuits or Muffins.  Waffles were usually made only once in a while, and I can recall always wanting to order them when we went on trips.

To this day, a nice waffle is a treat for me when we go out to breakfast (which is rare) or we stop in a great restaurant on a road trip or vacation.  The last time I had waffles MGG and I were sitting in a quaint mariner style restaurant on the water in San Diego.  Sitting outside with a slight breeze blowing and a nice stack of steaming hot waffles arrive covered with berries.  Oh boy!  As I dig in the tenderness of the waffles melt in my mouth along with a burst of tart berries sprinkled with a little dusting of powdered sugar.  Heaven!

Lately, I've had wanderlust.  I've been dreaming of a tropical vacation with warm ocean breezes and the smell of flowers and suntan lotion in the air.  This constant dreaming inspired me to dig out my trusty waffle iron over the weekend and make some island inspired, Tropical Coconut Lime Waffles, until I can get to my dream destination. 

Waffles are really easy to make.  The mix up quickly with items that you usually have on hand.  To make this more tropical I added coconut milk, unsweetened coconut flakes, lime zest, and juice to my usual waffle recipe.  Just as I was finishing up MGG woke up and shuffled in from the bedroom to a plate of waffles and the smell of the tropics.  The waffles were so light and citrusy that you will be tempted to put them in your weekend breakfast rotation.

These are the perfect tender and fluffy waffles with a taste of the tropics folded in.  To make these more decadent sprinkle some shredded coconut on the outside and dust with powdered sugar, or some warm maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Tropical Coconut Lime Waffles

serves 4

2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 Tbls sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups coconut milk (from a can)
2 eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tbls lime juice

1 Tbls lime zest
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Garnishes: shredded coconut, powdered sugar, maple syrup

Preheat waffle maker according to manufacturer's directions.

In a large bowl add flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, coconut milk, eggs, shredded coconut, lime zest and juice.  Stir together until combined. 

Coat waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray.  Add batter to the waffle iron and close the lid.  Cook until the escaping steam stops and the waffles are golden brown.  Remove from the waffle iron and keep warm.  Continue with the remaining portions until done. 

Serve warm.  You may sprinkle some shredded coconut over the top of the waffles and serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or warm maple syrup.  

Strawberry Lime Slushy

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I'm loving the California strawberries this year.  They are so sweet, plump and a juicy red!

There nothing better than biting into a juicy strawberry on a hot day, don't you think?

Well possibly one thing that could be better is drinking them instead, preferably while sitting in the pool cooling off!

So I grabbed my fresh strawberries and started out making us fresh drinks with a virgin strawberry margarita in mind but more on the slushy side with lots of crushed ice.  Perfect for a hot day while lazing by pool.

With very few ingredients and using all fresh fruits you can create a wonderful cooling drink!  Just throw it all in a blender and give it a whirl.  It's as simple as that...but tastes like HEAVEN!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Lime Slushy

serves 2

1 c water

2 T lime juice

4 T sugar
2 c fresh strawberries, hulled
2 c ice cubes

Optional:  Straws for drinking

Place all the ingredient in a blender. Blend until ice has crushed and everything is blended.   Pour into glasses and enjoy!