Ok, one last stop around the world. Mexico!! I love Mexican food. I miss Fajitas N Ritas. I love cheap margaritas and decent food to soak up the alcohol. So it was an amazing experience to be able to do this again.
Tonight was Chicken with Lime dressing, avocado mash, and a blackbean and corn salsa. All Gluten Free, all dairy, soy and other evil nasty for me free. Again I prepped most of this last night, so I could enjoy hanging out with my friend who came up with his cute little puggie. The lime dressing came together pretty easily with only one war wound. My DH stabbed himself on the ip of his pinkie with my Global knife. OW!! He was in charge of juicing the limes. I was a bit disappointed as these particular limes were not really giving up the juice. They were thick skinned as well. After 4 limes I got enough to juice to work with. I decided to marinate the chicken in most of the dressing overnight and leave just a bit for the avocado mash. The salsa was also done last night so the flavors had a chance to mix all together.
I made several modifications to the recipe. The first was the marinating. This called for 10 minutes. No way. Meat needs longer than that. The second was I actually forgot about the peppers and the lemon juice. The funny thing was, no one missed it in the least, including me. The avocado mash needed serious help. The avocados were at the perfect point of ripeness. They scooped right out of the shells and were pretty easy to mash all up. I put the rest of the dressing in, thinking we were all set. Nope - the recipe as it stood was bland. It was really missing something. I played around with it, adding salt, pepper and more lime juice (sweetened lime juice). In the end I got it, but I think a bit more cilantro would make it dazzle.
Oh yes, and the margaritas. :D Cocktails can be a bit of a challenge. Some people are fine with grain-based alcohol, others, despite the distillation, cant tolerate them at all. I do better with the potato vodkas than I do the grain based, for example. But then there’s tequila. White 100% blue agave tequila. Mix that with some Cointrea and Rosa’s lime juice. I’m a purist at heart so to me, that’s a margarita (unless you dd some awesome bitters or sour mix), but feel free to use Mr & Mrs T’s. It’s gluten free.
The dinner was really fabulous. The salsa was well blended in flavour, so that was no issue. Chicken was juicy and tender and the avocado really set everything off. I konw this sounds complicated, but honestly, it was a snap to throw together.
The chicken recipe came from the SBD cookbook and the salsa came from my WW’s Cook it Quick cookbook. Enjoy!
Chicken with Lime Dressing
For the dressing/marinade:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (That took about 4 limes for me. YMMV)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp chopped scallions (green onion)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (you can use other oil)
1 tsp sugar substitute
1/2 tsp salt
For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2” thickness (I honestly didn’t bother - this just helps make it cook quicker)
2 medium avocados, peeled and pitted (I used 3 of the smaller black ones)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp picante sauce
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
2 Tbsp gluten free flour (optional)
To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl.
If you are marinating for a while, put the chicken in a ziplock bag with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Let marinade for at least 2 hours up to 24 hours. Otherwise, place the chicken in a large glass dish with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
In a medium sized bowl, mash the avocados with 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Stir in the lemon juice and the picante sauce. Reserve the remaining dressing.
Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 6 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove to a large bowl and add the almonds, if using.
Remove the chicken from the dressing and if desired, pat dry and sprinkle both sides of the chicken with flour.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes each side or until done. Place chicken on 4 serving plates and equally divide the pepper mixture, sprinkling over the chicken. Drizzle the reserved dressing over each serving. Serve with the mashed avocado.
Blackbean and Corn Salsa
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (or the equivalent of dried beans that have been soaked and cooked til tender)
1 (10 oz) box frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 tomato, coarsely chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced (I personally caramelized the onion - I don’t like raw onion)
1 (11 oz) jar GF salsa (any of your favorites that are gluten free)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (I would throttle back on this - it’s really a bit much. I ended up adding some Splenda to cut the tang)
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Combine everything and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Serve.
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