Cranberry Citrus Salad

A show-stopper salad that takes advantage of winter produce.  Filled with cranberries and oranges this salad will brighten up any meal!

Cranberry Citrus Salad

I love a really good salad.  This one uses produce found during the winter months and is a great side salad to all types of meat.  The presentation is outstanding on this salad and is completely company worthy but also perfect for the crowd at home.  I served this on Christmas Day and found that is was actually my favorite dish of the whole meal.  It's that good!

A light and fresh salad that is bursting with tart fresh cranberries and sweet juicy Cara Cara oranges.  You also get a little bite from some red onion, and crunch from the celery.  All of this sits a top of a bed of spicy arugula and is sprinkled with some mint for another pop of freshness.  This is one heck of a salad!

What goes with this salad?

• This salad can go with any type of protein, beef, fish, pork, or chicken.
• I served this at Christmas along with Filet Mignon's.
• Serve with a nice crusty bread on the side
• Serve with Grilled Balsamic Chicken, Red Wine and Rosemary Flat Iron Steak, Fig and Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloins

What Ingredients do I need?

• fresh cranberries
• Cara Cara oranges
• celery
• red onion
• sugar
• lemon juice
• ginger - i used pureed ginger
• arugula
• fresh mint - this really makes the dish
• olive oil

Substitutions and Variations

• Use Navel oranges instead of Cara Cara
• Use escarole or red leaf lettuce instead of arugula
• I would use fresh cranberries if available.  Frozen cranberries will work too, just be sure to thaw them
• don't like mint?  leave it off
• use shallot instead of red onion
• add sunflower seeds for added crunch
• Blood oranges would work nicely as a substitution

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Start this salad earlier in the day. The cranberry topping need to meld together for 1 hour before serving.
• A food processor makes quick work of chopping the cranberries.  Use the pulse feature.
• If you don't like a really strong onion flavor cut them and place them in cold water for 15 minutes.  This will cut down on the bite of the onion.
• Cutting segments from an orange is called supreme.  This process gets rid of the membranes between the segments and any bitter white pith. You will end up with prettier and tastier fruit slices.  YouTube has videos on how to do this technique.

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Cranberry Citrus Salad

serves 4

1 cup fresh cranberries
2 Cara Cara oranges
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
3 cups arugula
2 Tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil

In a food processor add cranberries and pulse 5 times to coarsely chop, or chop by hand.  Transfer to a bowl.  Cut peel from the oranges making sure that there is no with pith left on the orange.  Cut sections from the orange over the bowl with the cranberries to catch any juice.  Add sections to the cranberries.  Add the celery, onion, sugar, lemon juice, and ginger.  Stir to combine.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

In a medium bowl toss arugula with the mint and the oil.  Place on a platter and top with the cranberry orange mixture.  Serve.  

adapted from BHG.com

How to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo: Grilled Cuban Flank Steak

Yum

Los Angeles is integrated with the Mexican culture in it's people, architecture, and their food.  So it's only natural that we love to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

It's a great time to go out and have a margarita, but if you choose to stay home celebrate with some Latin food.  There are so many options such as tacos like my Grilled Chili Lime Fish or Chicken Tacos, or go for a family friendly, easy to make meal like this Sizzling Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

Today I'm going to share a different Latin dish, Grilled Cuban Flank Steak.  Man or man was this steak good!  Flank steak is a great choice of meat.  It feeds a crowd, takes well to a marinade, and slices up tender and juicy.  The marinade is a combination of citrus juices and Latin spices and it makes this steak so flavorful.  You are gonna love it!

Grilled Cuban Flank Steak

We cooked this out on the grill, but you can do it on an indoor grill pan just as easily.  We served this with Cinnamon Thyme Sweet Potato Fries and a salad.  Both were perfect side dishes, but you could easily serve this with rice and beans and some hot tortillas.  Perfect to celebrate the holiday.

Try this delicious meal at your next gathering and see for yourself how wonderful this Cuban dish is.
Enjoy!








Grilled Cuban Flank Steak

1 teaspoon grated lime zest plus 2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon grated orange zest plus 1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Kosher salt & pepper
1- 1 1/2 lb flank steak

In a medium bowl add zests and juices, plus olive oil, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.

Place you flank steak in a baking dish and pour the marinade over the steak and turn to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes on the counter.

Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium heat.  Oil your grate if using an outdoor grill.  Remove the steak from the marinade and let any extra drip off.  Cook turning once, for 12-15 minutes per side for medium doneness.  Remove to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes before cutting. 

Thinly slice the meat against the grain and transfer to a platter.  

Benefits of Oranges

Yum

There is still plenty of citrus in the markets, so before it goes away until next year I wanted to talk a little about Oranges.

Oranges are one of the greatest members of the citrus family.  Nutrients in oranges are plentiful and diverse. The fruit is low in calories, contains no saturated fats or cholesterol, but is rich in fiber.

Oranges, like other citrus fruits, are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and other antioxidants.  They also contain minerals like potassium and calcium.  Oranges are in season  from October to February/March, (depending on the variety) although I am still seeing these delicious beauties everywhere.  Some varieties of sweet oranges are Valencia, Navel, Persian variety, blood orange, and Cara Cara.

I'm IN LOVE with Cara Cara oranges right now!

Oranges can be kept at room temperature for a week or so. They will also stay fresh for a few weeks in the refrigerator.  

Celebrate the goodness of oranges while they are still around!  Here are some of my favorite orange recipes:




Orange Salad with Arugula and Spinach






Simple Asian Salad







Blood Orange and Pear Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette






California Salad

Orange Iced Tea

Pork Chops in an Orange-Cumin Sauce

Caribbean Chicken Salad


Enjoy!

Citrus Rosemary Glazed Turkey Breast

Yum

If you're sharing the holidays with a smaller group this year, I highly recommend cooking a full or half turkey breast. A turkey breast is easy to handle and a cinch to make, plus you'll still end up with plenty of leftovers!

My moist and flavorful Citrus Rosemary Glazed Turkey Breast is the perfect union of sweet and savory.

For 4 people I chose a half bone-in turkey breast that was about 3 pounds.  If you have 6 or more (or love lots of leftovers) to feed, go for a full turkey breast.  The glaze is the key to this recipe and I would double the glaze for a full breast.

You start out with a high oven temperature to get a great crispy skin on the outside and then reduce for the remaining time to ensure the juiciest turkey you will ever have!  No kidding this turkey was soooo moist. 

I also used a new "must have" thermometer.  You place the probe in the thickest portion of the breast up front, and it stays in the turkey in the oven during cooking time.  This ensures the perfect cooking temperature is reached.  No more guessing!  After tasting this turkey I think this thermometer was the best buy ever!

This Citrus Rosemary Glazed Turkey Breast never fails to impress in presentation and in taste.

Enjoy!

Citrus Rosemary Glazed Turkey Breast

serves 4-6

1/2 c apricot preserves
1/4 c orange juice
2 Tbls honey
1 Tbls Dijon mustard
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 c white wine
1/2 bone-in full turkey breast (about 3 -4 pounds)
Garnish:  rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, orange wedges, pomegranate arils

In a medium saucepan over medium heat add apricot preserves, orange juice, honey, Dijon, garlic, and rosemary sprigs.  Bring to a boil and then remove from heat and allow to cool.  Once cooled discard the rosemary.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Pat turkey breast to dry the outside.  Place rack in a roasting pan and spray with non-stick spray.  Place turkey breast on rack.  Pour wine in the bottom of the roasting pan. 

Place in oven and roast for 30 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and brush breast with glaze.  Continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reaches 155 degrees. (depending on size of the turkey breast possibly 1 hour more)  Brush with glaze every 30 minutes. 

Transfer turkey breast to a cutting board and tent with foil.  Allow to rest  20 minutes before slicing.  Turkey will continue to cook during this time and reach the proper temperature.  Remove the breast in one piece from the bone and then slice the breast crosswise into slices.  Place slices on a platter and garnish with rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, orange wedges, and pomegranate arils.

Summer of Grilling: Grilled Citrus Pork Tenderloin

2016 is going down as the summer of grilling for us.

This is the year that we are going to perfect our grilling skills and it all starts with a Master Grilling Class that we took.  What an excellent class!  It was a small group of 10 people with hands on grilling for about 2 hours.  We prepped, studied, grilled, studied some more, and then ate a delicious dinner.  We got to learn various grilling techniques on different types of food.  The menu was simple:  How to grill vegetables, How to make the perfect steak, direct vs. indirect heat, searing, and grill to oven with chicken.  As an added bonus we made several different sauces such as a chimichurri, a teriyaki for grilled shrimp and a lemon herb for the chicken.

The best part was all the Q&A sessions where we learned so many tips.  It really helps when you get to pick the brain of a chef.  "It's all about technique" chef Mike says.   You can take the same recipe and have 5 chefs make it and each one will be unique because their style and techniques may be slightly different.  Makes sense right?  Otherwise we wouldn't have so many restaurants with overlapping dishes.

To put our Master Grilling class to good use we promptly went and bought a wonderful pork tenderloin (you know, the other white meat...) to try out all the tips we learned on the grill.  We don't eat pork that often although we love it, and I usually roast my tenderloins, so this was going to be fun!  Pork, like chicken is a neutral bases that lends itself to so many different flavors.  Since summer gives us an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables I wanted to theme our dinner around light summery flavors.  I whipped up a wonderful Citrus Glaze to go on the pork, and we served it with my Sautéed Zucchini with Mint, Basil, & Pine Nuts as a side dish.   

Wow, the class was a hit, the grilling came off like a breeze, and the dinner was a fabulous success!  The pork turned out tender and juicy and the glaze was the perfect amount of light citrus, sweet and heat all rolled into one.  Could not have been any better.

We have so many things we want to grill this summer so be on the look out for more delicious food coming your way!

Enjoy some grilling this summer!

Grilled Citrus Pork Tenderloin

serves 2

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 - 1 1/4 pounds)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

¾ cup orange marmalade (I used one with pieces of fruit in it)

Zest and juice from 1 orange
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Garnish:  lemon slices

Remove the silver skin from the pork tenderloin.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Allow the meat to come to room temperature (about 15 minutes) while you heat the grill to medium-high heat. 

Meanwhile in a small saucepan add the orange marmalade, zest from the orange and the lemon, and orange juice and lemon juice.  Stir to combine.  Add the red pepper flakes and heat over low heat until the sauce starts to melt a little and combines well.  Remove several spoonfuls to a bowl to use for serving and the remaining glaze will be used during grilling.

Place the tenderloin on the grill and cook 8 minutes on the first side.  Turn the tenderloin over and baste with the glaze.  Cook another 8 minutes.  Turn over again and baste with the glaze.  Cook turning frequently so the glaze does not burn until the meat reaches 155 degrees.  Remove from the grill and allow to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing into 1/2" pieces.

Serve with additional glaze drizzled on top and lemon slice on the side if desired.

Three Citrus Muffins

Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man....

I can't believe that I recall hearing this song over and over as a child.  It's so appropriate as someone just called me the "muffin man" today!  Oh, I would say that it is probably true.  I do love a good muffin and it's something that I have been baking ever since I was in junior high school.

I've made all kinds of muffins through the years and have posted some of my favorites here on my blog.  Here are a few you may have missed.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins – Healthier Version

Simple Blueberry Muffins

Raspberry Sour Cream Muffins

Marshmallow Muffins

Today I'm channeling an early spring and wanted to bring you a bright, sunshiny muffin that uses the abundance of citrus available right now.  This tender yet moist muffin is laced with hints of orange, lemon and lime.  They came out so light to the taste that they instantly made me happy! These are certainly a new favorite, which will go into our weekend treat rotation.  

Enjoy your Three Citrus Muffins!





Three Citrus Muffins

makes: 6 

1 egg
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 tsp orange zest

Place egg, milk, orange juice and oil in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until light. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the three citrus zests. Stir just until moistened. Don’t overmix…batter should be lumpy and a little thick.

Spray a non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide batter among 6 muffin cups filling most of the way full.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 min. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Serve.

Grilled Lime Mustard Chicken

Ready to fire up the grill?

It think it's time...it's grillin' time!  The weather is warming up and the nights are long.  Time to enjoy the outdoors and eat dinner alfresco.  A perfect way to enjoy the evening by grilling your favorite foods. Did anyone say 4th of July grilling?? 

All sorts of food can be made on the grill.  From your typical burgers, to vegetables, to desserts!  Endless possibilities and outstanding unmistakable flavor!

Tonight we decided to make a favorite of ours.  Grilled Lime Mustard Chicken is a Latin take on sweet and spicy.  The lime and cumin add tang while the honey mustard lends the sweetness.  Oh, and don't forget the cayenne pepper for a little spice!

This dish is easy to put together.  You just mix the marinade and then allow the chicken to sit in it for a couple of hours.  I used chicken breasts (boneless and skinless are my fav) but you can use your favorite cut of meat.  I would suggest that you use a boneless cut though.  The sugar in the honey mustard will cause the chicken to burn on the outside is cooked too long.  
 

These would be perfect with some potato salad, a little coleslaw and some berry pie!  We served them with some wild rice mix and some crusty bread.  An excellent summer meal if I do say so myself.  Enjoy!

Grilled Lime Mustard Chicken

Serves 2

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 T honey mustard

2 t olive oil

¼ t cumin

1/8 t cayenne pepper

1/8 t garlic powder

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry with a paper towel.  Place in a plastic bag.  In a small bowl add lime juice, honey mustard, olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.  Whisk to combine.  Place in a Ziploc bag, pour marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours. 

Heat grill to medium high.  Remove chicken from marinade.  Throw away excess marinade.  Place chicken on grill.  Cook 6-7 minutes per side until chicken is done and no longer pink in the middle.  Serve immediately.

Lemon Cilantro Chicken Scaloppini

One of the wonderful benefits of living in California is it's unique cuisine.  A blend of fresh foods grown in the state along with a twist of regional flavor.


Such is today's dish.  A prime example of taking a basic, classic chicken scaloppini and incorporating regional flavors to turn it into a new, fresh dish.


Lemon Cilantro Chicken Scaloppini starts by making a basic chicken scaloppini, but adds spice with hot chili flakes, and citrusy flavors with lemon and cilantro.  It's just a beautiful combination of flavors.


This is an easy dish to make, and is perfect for a weeknight meal.  You only need several ingredients and most of which you probably have in your kitchen already.

Come join me in some of the flavors of California that I enjoy so much.


Kitchen Tip:  If you don't want to pound out your chicken breasts, try picking up chicken cutlets, or thin sliced breasts at the market.  They work wonderfully too!

Lemon Cilantro Chicken Scaloppini

serves 4


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2/3 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon hot chile flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


Rinse chicken breast and pat dry. Place halves between two sheets of plastic wrap; with a mallet or a rolling pin, gently pound chicken to an even 1/4 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Place flour in a shallow plate and add chicken turning to coat each side.  Shake off any excess flour.  

Add 4 teaspoons of oil to a large nonstick skillet that been heated over medium high heat.  Place chicken in pan and cook 4- 6 minutes until no longer pink.  Transfer to a platter and keep by tenting with foil.  If you need to cook in batches you can keep the chicken warm in a 200 degree oven.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil and garlic to hot pan used to cook chicken and stir over high heat until garlic is slightly limp, about 15 seconds. Add chicken broth, lemon peel, lemon juice, and chile flakes to pan.  Stir until mixture is boiling. Boil, stirring occasionally, until juices are slightly reduced, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then stir in fresh cilantro. Spoon sauce evenly over chicken. 


source: Sunset