Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

It's May...and it's raining today...and it's snowing in the mountains.

This may not be unusual for most places in the country but this is Southern California.  The land of sunshine, and this is just plain weird!

Regardless of the weather I'm still grilling today.  Inside, that is.  I have two favorite grilling pans that I use ALL the time! You can find them here and here.  They are staples for me and make indoor grilling a cinch. One is non-stick and lightweight.  It is easy to use and leaves good grill marks.  The other is cast-iron with superior heat distribution.  Both are excellent pans.  You should definitely get one if you don't have one already.

This light and healthy dish is gonna knock your socks off! The flavors of lime and cilantro are perfect together and when you throw in some California avocados the dish just takes off.  Light and healthy is the theme here.  I served this with some saffron rice and some tropical ice tea.  A perfect way to have dinner in the rain.

So be prepared to wow yourself and your family with this dish.  Guaranteed...there won't be any leftovers.

Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa

adapted from CookingLight.com

serves 4

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless chicken breast cutlets
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Roma tomatoes chopped
2 Tbls finely chopped red onion
2 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and cubed

Combine cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil in a small bowl. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken, turning to coat.  Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove from the marinade, discarding remaining liquid.  Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken to pan and cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until done.

To prepare salsa, combine tomato, onion, lime juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add avocado, stirring gently to combine. Serve salsa over chicken.

Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry Sauce

Mother's Day will be here soon but can you think of a better way to celebrate than by making her a fabulous dessert?

You may want to make her a breakfast, or a celebratory dinner, but dessert just captures the heart.  This dessert is to DIE for!

When I read this recipe in Ina Garten's cookbook, "Barefoot in Paris" and saw that it was a french version of cheesecake well....let's just say she had me at cheesecake.  I love me some cheesecake! (Plus I love all of Ina's recipes...)

Boy, were we in for a treat on this one.  This is the creamiest, delicate, light and fluffy dessert you will ever want.  It's cheesecake kicked up 100x over!  No, really, this dessert is   d a n g e r o u s.  It is very hard to control yourself from eating it, I mean ALL OF IT!  Oh, and the raspberry sauce? Holy moly...this is a must!

Now, I will say, while this is easy to make, it does require some equipment you may not have readily available.  I'm sure you can substitute the mold for another form and be just fine, but this heart shaped Coeur a la Creme mold is so adorable I had to have it.  You can purchase it here.  You will also need some cheesecloth, for the straining, so make sure to have that on hand as well.  Other than that this is easy to put together.  This does need to sit overnight and strain through the cheesecloth, so I made it the night before.  You may want to plan to make this ahead of time.

This truly is a fabulous recipe, thanks to Ina for her ingenious cookbooks and foolproof dishes!  You can buy her cookbook here, which I highly recommend. 

You may also find the recipe here.

Happy Mother's Day!



Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry Sauce

(Serves 6 to 8 )

Adapted from :  Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris Cookbook

12 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp of vanilla paste
Raspberry Sauce
2 half-pints fresh raspberries

Raspberry Sauce:
1 half-pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam

Place the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for two minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla paste and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.

Line a 7-inch sieve with cheesecloth or paper towels so the ends drape over the sides and suspend it over a bowl, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the sieve and the bottom of the bowl for the liquid to drain. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, discard the liquid, unmold the cream onto a plate, and drizzle Raspberry Sauce around the base. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce.

For the Raspberry Sauce: Place one package of raspberries, the granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries and the jam, into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.

Parmesan Chicken with a Tomato-Mozzarella Salad

Time for another healthy, fresh, yet quick dinner...

This is a fresh spin on Chicken Parmesan without all the ooey, gooey loveliness that I adore.  I really do love a good Chicken Parmesan dish.  As a matter of fact I recall someone saying that this is the dish they order each time they go to a new Italian restaurant, judging the restaurant on how well they make it! Hmm...funny how I think about that every time I order one too.

Today's rendition has all the flavors of the traditional without the calories.  Bringing in fresh tomatoes instead of a marinara sauce, and substituting fresh mozzarella balls for the melted cheese (hail to melted cheese..oops!) makes this dish light and bright and easy to assemble.  So the traditional is for another day.  Today we are going springtime fresh, quick and tasty!

Serve this quick dinner with a nice chopped Italian salad and some pita wedges and you are all set.  I hope you really enjoy this version.  It was a hit all around the block at my house.

If you're in the mood for the original version, I make a mean Chicken Parmigiana which you can find here.



Parmesan Chicken with a Tomato-Mozzarella Salad

Serves 4

1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 (4 ounce) chicken cutlets or thin cut breasts
Salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved (I used mixed colors)
7 oz container fresh mozzarella balls, Bocconcini, cut in half
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Place flour in a breading dish or pie plate. Beat eggs in a pie plate. Combine panko and Parmesan in a third pie plate. Make sure chicken is about 1/4" thick, if not pound to attain thinness.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg, then coat with panko mixture, pressing to adhere.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook cutlets, 2 at a time until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.  Add another 1 Tablespoon of oil and remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter to the skillet and heat.  Add remaining cutlets and cook 2 minutes per side.

Toss tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic, balsamic vinegar, basil and remaining 1 Tablespoon oil together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, place chicken on a dinner plate and top with the tomato-mozzarella salad.