Lemon Lime Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa

Good evening!

Tonight, I made lemon lime chicken tacos with a mango salsa. 

The recipe for the tacos was found online: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chicken-tacos/Detail.aspx.
I followed the recipe on this one.  I have made these before, and I really enjoyed them.  The toppings are your choice, of course, but I thought a mango salsa would be very nice for these.

The mango salsa is my own idea twisted with ideas from Ellie Krieger and Robin Miller (both of the Food Network).  The recipe is as follows:

1 mango - peeled and chopped into small cubes
1/2 cucumber - peeled, sliced into 1/3" pieces, and those pieces quartered
1 jalapeno - seeded, de-ribbed & minced
2 tbsp. cilantro - chopped
Juice & zest of 1 lime
Salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

Top tacos with the salsa and/or other ingredients, including, but not limited to: lettuce, tomatoes, onions (ew), sour cream, etc. 

Russian Tea

Good morning!

I have to say that I am totally looking forward to the warm-up this weekend!  It's about time that this snow melts.  I am so SICK of it! 

Anywho, I thought I would do a little post on Russian Tea.  It's a mixture of various things that you may or may not have in your pantry.

Recipe for Russian Tea:

2 cups Tang
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup instant tea
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves or nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a container that you will store it in (i.e. Tupperware), seal it tightly with the lid and shake it to mix it up.  Be careful as you open the container, as there could be a dust storm billowing out once you take off the lid. 

To make it to my taste, I cut out about 1/3 cup of sugar, use a full container of Tang, and I also do 1/4 tsp cloves and a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. 

I had the hardest time finding Tang, which was annoying, but I found it at Wal-Mart...eventually.  So, I bought two containers of it, so that I would have plenty of this Russian tea on hand.

To drink, put some of the mixture (enough for your taste) in a mug.  Boil some water and add it to a mug.  Stir until dissolved.  I find it easier to stir & dissolve by putting the tea mixture in first, then adding the water.  You can always add some more of the mixture if it isn't strong enough.  My ratio is 3 tablespoons Russian tea in a "regular-sized" coffee mug and fill the mug close to the top with boiling water. 

A couple pictures of the mixture are below.  Let me know what you think!

Bell Pepper Pizzas

Hi, my faithful readers!

This evening, I made some pizzas with bell peppers.  I bought some whole grain flatbread for the crust.  I put the crust onto a baking sheet then I brushed on some garlic and red pepper flake infused olive oil.  To make this, just put some olive oil in a small pot and heat it on medium low.  Throw in some smashed garlic cloves and a pinch of red pepper flakes and heat til it is fragrant.  Remove from the heat and let it sit until you are ready to use it.

Start assembling by sprinkling on some shredded cheese.  I used mozzarella.  I put on some dried oregano that I crushed between my fingers as I sprinkled it on the crust.  Then I layered on some red, orange and yellow bell peppers and poblano peppers that I cut into strips. I sprinkled on some more red pepper flakes and put some more mozzarella cheese on top.  Be careful not to put too much on because the crust won't crisp up.  I topped it off with some freshly ground black pepper and put it in the oven at 425 degrees for 12 minutes.

The end result is below.  It is a colorful and tasteful pizza that will leave you satisfied.

No Butter Chicken

Good evening.

Tonight, I made no butter chicken, a recipe from Everyday Indian by Bal Arneson.  The recipe is also available on the internet: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/bals-no-butter-chicken-recipe/index.html.

It has onions in it, but, as usual, I left them out.  I find this to be a very satisfying dish.  I serve it over rice.  I don't add the water at the end it says in the recipe because I find the yogurt is enough liquid to finish the dish. 

For the brown sugar, I use light.  Dark has a lot more molasses in it, and it would compete with the other flavors of the dish. 

This dish will become one of your favorites because it is one of mine!  It is so easy to make, even on a weeknight.

Bolognese, Jerk Asparagus & Cheesy Garlic Bread

Good evening, everyone!

Tonight was a meal with lots of work involved, and I started it right after I got off work at 5pm! 

I made bolognese with whole grain fettuccine, jerk asparagus, and cheesy garlic bread.

Bolognese:

The bolognese is a Rachael Ray recipe from her book Look + Cook, given to me by my sister-in-law and brother-in-law.  :)  Luckily, the recipe is on the internet as well (http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/bolognese-pappardelle/).

First of all, I did not use ground pork or sirloin.  I used a pound of ground chicken and a pound of ground turkey.  I made this before with the same proteins, and the result was amazing! 

I did use the pancetta, and it is my one vice (other than pepperoni) that is pork-related.  I rarely eat pork, and when I do, it is in the form of pepperoni.  Pancetta is only consumed when I make this dish. 

The onion and celery were both left out, but I added an additional carrot for good measure.  I used 5 cloves of garlic, fine sea salt, and LOTS of freshly ground black pepper.  I grated my nutmeg fresh, used two dry bay leaves, dried thyme, dried marjoram, and almost doubled the amount of red pepper flakes.  Of course, with the red pepper flakes, use them to your taste.  The tomato paste and red wine stayed the same.  Instead of beef stock, I used some leftover turkey stock and the remainder in chicken stock (still 3 cups total). 

I could not find pappardelle noodles, so I used fettuccine.  For the milk, I used whole milk and some shredded parmesan cheese.  I did not do the flat-leaf parsley because it is a fresh herb I feel is unnecessary. 

Jerk Asparagus

The recipe for the jerk asparagus came from the same book as the previous two nights' recipes:  Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. 

I used a cast iron skillet to cook this dish.  It calls for sauteing garlic and fresh ginger in some olive oil, as well as some red pepper flakes, dried thyme, salt, allspice, freshly-grated nutmeg and cinnamon.  All of this is used to coat the asparagus.  It is a good combination. 

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Because the other two dishes were homemade, I used some boxed garlic cheese bread.  [insert collective gasp here].  To make it better, I added some freshly ground black pepper and some crushed red pepper flakes.  It was good.  I like my bread to be well done, so I put the bread in for the maximum time given in the directions, then I put the broiler on high to brown the top quickly. 

The Finished Plate:

Lentil & Eggplant Chili Mole

Good evening!

Tonight, I made lentil & eggplant chili mole.  It is from the same book as last night's blogged recipe (Arabian Lentil & Rice Soup from Appetite For Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz). 

This a yet another recipe that calls for onions, and I left them out.  What I did was saute the red bell pepper and the garlic (I used 5 cloves, recipe calls for 3) together for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently to not let the garlic burn. 

The mole calls for a variety of herbs & spices, all of which complement the recipe very well.  They are chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano and cinnamon.  The lentils in this recipe are green, and they are delicious.  Lentils are, according to the book, high in protein, iron and fiber.  I always enjoy every dish I make that includes lentils.  I recommend buying lentils in the bulk section of your grocery store.  You can save a lot of money that way. 

The next ingredient is unsweetened cocoa powder.  I use Ghirardelli.  Only the best!  A can of diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and a couple pounds of chopped eggplant finish the dish.  You can add some pure maple syrup or agave nectar at the end (per the recipe), as well as some chopped cilantro for garnish. 

I served this mole over some white jasmine rice (I had white rice I have to use up).  It was delicious!

Arabian Lentil & Rice Soup

Good evening on this day of the Snowpocalypse!

Today, I decided to make a soup.  It is kind of a perfect day for it, no?  In any event, the recipe is from Appetite For Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (http://www.theppk.com/books/appetite-for-reduction/). 

This is another recipe that calls for onions, and I left them out, as usual.  The rest of the recipe stayed the same.  It uses some ground cumin and ground coriander, as well as some chopped carrots, red lentils, brown basmati rice, and lemon zest & juice.  I bought the red lentils and brown basmati rice from the bulk section at Whole Foods.  It saves a lot of money, and you only need to buy what is necessary to successfully make the recipe! 

I like the book this recipe came from because 1. it has a lot of delicious recipes and 2. it lists the nutritional information for each recipe which is always handy when you are on a diet (I am not).  In addition, the paragraphs/explanations before each recipe contain humor in them, which is always a delight.

Below are a couple of pictures of the soup and the book.

As always, thank you for reading!