Chili Lime Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

• Juice of 3 limes
• Zest of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormack® Peppercorn Medley
• Extra chopped cilantro for garnish, optional

Directions:

Zest two of the three limes and set aside.

Place lime juice, cilantro, and chicken breasts in a glass bowl.  Make sure the chicken breasts are covered in the mixture.  Let marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, turning the meat half-way through to redistribute the lime juice mixture.

While the chicken is marinating, make the rub.  Mince the garlic cloves.  If you have a large zester (makes curls), mince the lime zest together with the garlic.  Then, in a small bowl, combine the lime zest, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and black pepper.

Remove the chicken breasts from the bowl and discard the marinade.  Place the chicken on a plate and cover breasts generously with the rub mixture.

Brush cold, clean grill lightly with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken breasts until chicken is cooked through, about 5-8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chicken.  Remove from the grill and let the meat rest for a minimum of 5 minutes, tenting with foil to keep warm.  Garnish with cilantro, if using.  Serve warm.

Myrtle's Note:  I have the Oxo zester that makes curls, so I always mince my zest before I use it.  Here, I minced the garlic along with the zest.  This was my first time of making a rub and the recipe turned out rather succulent.  I am very impressed.  The changes I made were to add a clove of garlic, use dried cilantro, and to switch out my favorite ground pepper.  Next time, I might use Ancho Chili Pepper or Chipotle Pepper instead.  This will most definitely be a regular on my menu.  Finally, I used the chicken to make a Southwest Chicken Salad.  I plan to use my leftovers in tacos, too.

Yield:  4 servings

Source:  http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/chili-lime-grilled-chicken/

Honey-Lime Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Corn Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoons paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon McCormack Peppercorn Medley®
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 small yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 (14.5) oz can black beans
• 1 cup frozen yellow corn
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Corn or flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Directions:

Mix together the cumin, paprika, coriander, peppers, and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt in a small dish.  Peal and cube the sweet potatoes and place in a wide bowl.  Drizzle on 3 tablespoons of olive oil and toss.  Then, as you continue tossing the potatoes, sprinkle on the spice mixture until evenly coated.  Spread the potato cubes on a metal pan and roast for 30 minutes, removing from oven and tossing once halfway through baking.

Whilst the potato cubes are cooking, mince the garlic and set aside.  Mince the onions and set aside.  Juice three tablespoons of lime and set aside.  Rinse and drain the beans and set aside.  Thaw and drain the corn and set aside.

Approximately ten minutes before the potatoes are done, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.  Once hot, add onion and saute until caramelized (golden brown on edges and tender), about 5 - 6 minutes.  Whilst the onions are browning, mince the garlic and then add it to the onions, along with the other 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.  Reduce heat to medium-low, add in drained black beans, corn, honey. and lime juice. Heat until warmed through. Toss in roasted sweet potatoes. Serve over warm tortillas with desired toppings.

Topping options:  cotija or feta cheese (monterrey or manchengo would also be good), diced avocados, shredded romaine lettuce or purple cabbage, fresh salsa, and/or pico de gallo and hot sauce

Myrtle's Note:  I totally forgot to slice up the avocado waiting in the refrigerator.  However, these vegetarian tacos were really tasty to someone who is very decidedly not a vegetarian!  I would recommend not forgetting the avocado and combining it with the cotija or feta cheese!  As to alterations, I dropped the cilantro (UGH) and increased the garlic.

Yield:  4 full, two-taco servings, with perhaps another taco left over.

Source: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/09/honey-lime-sweet-potato-black-bean-and-corn-tacos/

Thai Honey Peanut Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 dollops Gourmet Gardens® Garlic (or approximately 2 large cloves minced)
• 2 heaping tablespoons natural peanut butter 
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (optional)

Directions:

Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a wide, shallow bowl.  Cut up the chicken in bit-sized cubes.  Put the chicken in the marinade and stir thoroughly until completely coated.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate for  an hour (or longer).

Sauté over medium heat until cooked, approximately 7-8 minutes.

Serve over Jasmine rice.


Myrtle's Note:  So authentic!!!  Simply great!  Since I just love Thai peanut sauce, I doubled the sauce ingredients for the next time I make this.

Yield:  4 servings


Source:  http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2010/11/a-tasty-recipe-thai-honey-peanut-chicken/

Honey Lime Chicken with Rice

Ingredients:

• 4 servings of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (if large, cut into planks)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 limes worth of juice, stripping a bit of pulp out as you do so
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chili powder 
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup uncooked Jasmine rice.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Directions:

If using larger or thicker chicken breasts, cut into smaller or thinner strips.  Salt and pepper and place into cooking dish.  You want to use one that will allow the marinade to pool around the chicken breasts.

Whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, minced garlic, minced ginger, cumin, and chili powder.  Pour over chicken.  Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for up to 24 hours.  If a longer marinating time, turn the chicken before bedtime and then against before placing it into the oven.  If marinating a shorter time, turn the chicken a few times to evenly marinate.  I prepared this dish whilst cooking another so that it could marinate a full day.

Cook the chicken for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.  

While the chicken is cooking, cook one cup of Jasmine rice.  Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving, pouring the marinade over the rice.

Myrtle's Note:  Again, I changed the cooking time. I prefer cooking chicken at 350 degrees for a longer time than 400 degrees or higher for a shorter time.  The recipe also has cayenne pepper as an alternative, but I personally believe chili powder is the choice that works with the rest of the ingredients.  The ginger was also marked as optional, but who wouldn't want to include it ... as well increase the amount a bit?  

I also changed this to a chicken and rice recipe because the marinade never thickened into a sauce and, thus, essentially did not really coat or strongly flavor the chicken.  To me, the rice was a perfect compliment because it soaked up the sauce and allowed me to eat up all that flavor from the marinade.  

Finally, I paired this with sautéd thin asparagus, cooked in olive oil and Kulp's garlic seasoning salt.

Yield:  4

Source:  modified from http://hungryhannahs.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/honey-lime-baked-chicken/

Baked Mustard Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breast
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees


Directions:

Combine lime juice, mustard, olive oil, chili, salt and pepper and whisk together until ingredients are well combined.

Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry and place in a baking dish that will keep them snugged together so the marinade surround them.

Pour marinade over chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 6 hours

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes uncovered.  Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with extra sauce spooned over top.

Yield:  4 servings


Myrtle's Note:  I am not a cilantro fan, so I made it without (see original recipe for how much to add).  I also cooked the chicken much longer than the original recipe.  Since the chicken was barely cooked at the original time, my recipe states the adjusted time.  I also cooked mine in the French Oval dishes, since I need single servings.  I liked that there was extra marinade around each breast, but it meant that the chicken did not look the way the original recipe photo looked.  However, it was tasty, and the sauce thickened as I cut and dipped each bite of chicken into it.


Source:  http://www.elanaspantry.com/baked-mustard-lime-chicken/

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Cheese and Lime

Ingredients:

• 4 ears corn
• 1/4 cup crema (or half mayonnaise/half sour cream)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 
• 3 ounces cotija (or feta)
• Lime wedges

Directions:

Pull the husks back from the corn and clean off all the silk.  Put the husks back in place and immerse in water to soak for 10 minutes. Drain well.

While the ears are soaking, lightly grease the grill and pre-heat to medium-high.  Cook the corn for 10 minutes with the husks still in place.  Then, pull back the husks and cook an additional 5 minutes to brown and finish cooking the corn.  Turn at least once during the final 5 minutes.

While the corn is grilling, whisk together crema and cayenne pepper.  After removing the corn from the grill, spread the corn with the crema mixture.  Then crumble cotija on top of the ears.  Serve with fresh lime wedges.

Yield:  4


Source:  The Gourmet Cookbook, Ruth Reichl, p. 536