Cilantro Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

This is by far my most favorite recipe I've made this year. It works really well with grilled corn and lime. Just a heads up on the black bean sauce...it makes a lot and does not keep well in the fridge. No more than a day or two at the most. It will stink up your fridge if left too long. This is such a great summer time meal! Enjoy. 

Grilled Chicken Ingredients:

Juice of 4-5 limes
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup+ (more to taste) chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 red onion, halved then sliced into 1/4” strips

Black Bean Sauce Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained, rinsed 
1 quart filtered water
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic (minced and crushed - I use a garlic press)
Stems from one bunch of cilantro, chopped into 1/4” bits (approx. 1/2 cup)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 Combine the lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, oregano, salt and pepper in a glass bowl and mix well. Trim the chicken breasts, then add to the marinade. Cover lightly and marinate, turning the chicken occasionally, for 2 hours at room temp (or overnight in the fridge).

2 Prepare Black Bean Sauce while chicken is marinating. Place beans in a large sauce-pan or soup pan, and add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 1/2 hours. Add additional water if needed. Remove bay leaves, then transfer the bean mixture to a food processor. Process well, adding water if needed to make desired consistency. (I haven't needed to add any, and I like the sauce moderately thick).

3 Preheat oven to 350° F, and prepare grill (gas or hot coals). Place the red onion slices in the bottom of a shallow, oven-proof dish, then cover with chicken breasts and marinade. Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil, then bake for 15-20 minutes (only until the chicken is opaque). Remove the chicken breasts and onions to a platter (separate them) and set aside. Save the marinade for grilling.

Optional: If you prefer the onions cooked more, heat a skillet with an additional 1 tbsp of olive oil and cook over medium heat until the onions are very soft. Drain and set aside.

4 Place the chicken breasts on the grill over very hot coals or gas flame, and grill until they are thoroughly cooked but still moist (approximately 2 minutes on each side). Drizzle with remaining marinade while cooking. Remove to platter when grilled.

Serve the grilled chicken with the red onions, drizzle with the black bean sauce. Garnish with sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes or fresh cilantro - or serve with a leafy green side salad - as desired.

Serves 4.

Ricky Martin

This recipe is actually a joint effort between Andy, Christy, & Fax. If you're trying to go low-carb or even sugar-free, you'll enjoy this refreshing drink. It's called a Ricky Martin because it's a little like a lime ricky, but fruitier. Ha! Ha!

Ingredients:
Diet Mountain Dew (Regular or Caffeine-free)
Sugar Free fruit punch drink mix made into juice (like Crystal Light, I use Walmart brand)
Lime wedges

Combine part Mt. Dew with fruit punch. ~Everyone has their own preference of how much of each. Then squeeze some lime in.
P.S. I hate Mt. Dew, but I love a good Ricky Martin!

Salad with Marinaded Chicken

This is a recipe that I got from Fax's sister, Maureen. It's another build-your-own recipe, so everyone can make their's the way they like it. It's great for summertime because it's a salad. The marinaded and grilled chicken would also be good with rice because it has a teriyaki taste to it. I made this tonight and Andy and Christy were over. Everyone seemed to like it, including all 5 kids. You will want to marinade the chicken for at least 6 hours (or overnight), and make the dressing at least 3 hours prior, so you'll need to plan ahead a bit. Which worked well today, because I had time this morning, but not this evening. Anyway, enough talk, here's the recipe.

Chicken Marinade

(This is enough to marinade up to about 5 lbs. of chicken breasts.)

Ingredients:
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves of pressed garlic (I used the jarred, crushed garlic.)

Directions:
Trim fat off chicken and put in large ziploc bag. At this point I like to pound the chicken so that it is a more even thickness throughout. It seems to cook more evenly on the grill when I do this. You don't have to, but that's what I do. Then pour the marinade on top and allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. Grill on medium low heat until internal temperature of 165 F. Just a note from experience: place the ziploc bag inside of another container before you put it in the frig. I've had ziploc bags leak in my frig, and it's a major pain to clean up and super yucky!! Plus you have to use bleach because it's raw chicken. But if it leaks in a bowl, no big deal.

Dressing

(Make at least 3 hours prior.)

Ingredients:
juice from 3 lemons
1-1/2 cups olive oil
6 cloves of pressed garlic (I used jarred, crushed garlic)
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend on lowest speed, and gradually increase speed until well blended and smooth. Store in refrigerator. Be sure and shake before each use. Makes 2 cups of dressing.

Salad

Ingredients:
2-3 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 lb. bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1-2 cups grated Swiss cheese (I used an Italian blend with Mozzarella and Provolone)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
croutons
marinaded and grilled chicken, cut in strips or chunks
dressing

Directions:
You can combine all these ingredients into one bowl, but we prefer to put all the ingredients in separate containers and serve it buffet-style. That way people can make their salad the way they like it. I also have ranch available for my children and others who may not like variety when it comes to salad dressings. (My kids, except Jake, like to have every ingredient separate, with some ranch to dip in if they choose. Thank goodness for homemade, Hidden Valley Ranch.)

Pavlova

INGREDIENTS  *Serving Size: 16*

• 4 egg whites
• 1-1/3 pinches salt
• 1-1/3 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1-1/4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1-2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2-2/3 cups fresh strawberries

INGREDIENTS  Serving Size: 12

• 3 egg whites
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 pint fresh strawberries

DIRECTIONS  Original directions were set for serving size of 12.  This recipe's Ingredients were scaled to yield a new amount. The directions below still refer to the original recipe yield of 1 - 9 inch cake.

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Draw a 9 inch circle on the parchment. An easy way to do this is to draw around the outside of a 9 inch pan with a pencil.
2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar gradually, while continuing to whip. Make sure sugar is completely dissolved. Mix together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the cornstarch; lightly fold into meringue with lemon juice.
3. Spread a layer of meringue to fit circle on parchment, approximately 1/4 inch thick. With remainder of mixture, pipe or spoon swirls around the edges to form a shallow bowl shape.
4. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 1 hour. Turn off oven, but leave meringue in oven for an additional 30 minutes. When cool, the meringue should be hard on the outside, and slightly moist on the inside.
5. In a large bowl, combine the cream and half a cup of confectioners sugar, and whip until thickened. Decorate with fruit of your choice; strawberries are excellent.

Salsa and Guacamole

If you are familiar with Los Hermanos, you know they have fabulous salsa. Last year I did my best to come up with a salsa recipe that, to me, tasted like theirs. This was a close as I could get. It's super quick and easy and can be made year-round. I don't remember if I've posted this recipe before or not, but I always make it with the pork recipe I posted yesterday, so I figured I'd just post it again.

Salsa

Ingredients:

1 (14-1/2 oz.) can tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1 (14-1/2 0z.) can whole canned tomatoes, drained
2-3 tsp. diced or sliced jalapenos, (not pickled)
1/4 of a yellow onion
3/4 tsp. garlic salt (NOT powder)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. sugar
juice from 1/2 a lime
1/4 bunch of cilantro (more or less to taste, none if you prefer)

Directions:
Combine everything in blender, and blend until desired consistency. Place in covered container and chill for at least 6 hours to blend and enrich the flavors.


Guacamole

Mash 2 ripe avocados. Mix in 1/2 cup of salsa (more or less to taste), 1/8-1/4 cup homemade ranch dressing, and juice from half a lime. Salt to taste.

Cafe Rio-Style Pork, Rice, & Dressing

This is one of my favorite recipes, but it makes a lot! So invite some friends and family over and have a party.

Pork Barbacoa

Ingredients:
5-7 pounds boneless pork spareribs
2 cans Mexican-style tomato sauce (Pato, yellow can, 7-3/4 oz.)
24 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 - 1 cup brown sugar
4 cloves minced garlic

Directions:
Mix tomato sauces, brown sugar and garlic in slow cooker. Add pork and stir to coat. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Remove meat and shred. Add shredded meat back to sauce in slow cooker and stir. I usually serve this right out of the slow cooker.


Cilantro Rice

Ingredients:
4 tsp. chicken bouillon
4 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 small can diced green chilies
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 onion
4 cups rice (not instant, I use Calrose)
6-1/2 cups water, divided

Directions:
(I use a rice cooker for this. If you do not have one, you can use a pot on the stove, but be sure to really watch it so the rice doesn't burn.)
In a blender, combine 2 cups of hot water (from total water), chicken bouillon, garlic, cilantro, green chilies, salt, butter, and onion. Puree. After rinsing rice, add puree, rice and remaining 4-1/2 cups water to rice cooker. Stir until blended. To protect rice from burning on the bottom, stir every 5 minutes.


Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonaise
1 cup sour cream
1 envelope buttermilk ranch dressing mix
1 cup cilantro (about)
2-3 tomatillos (depending on size -small 3, large 2)
3 cloves garlic
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1-3 tsp. of canned, diced jalapenos (not pickled, this is optional)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Jalapenos are optional. They just make the dressing spicier. I would suggest making the dressing without, tasting it, and then adding them a teaspoon at a time.


You can serve this with tortillas, taco shells, or tostada shells. Possible other toppings include (but are not limited to): black beans, pinto beans, cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and tortilla chips. I have some pretty good recipes for salsa and guacamole too. I'll see if I have time to post those tomorrow. All of my kids like this recipe. They all have their own preferences of toppings etc, but that's the beauty of this meal. It's create-your-own.

French Bread Pizza

Yesterday Fax texted me from Walmart and asked if we needed anything. I texted back that we needed bread, butter, and dinner. For the dinner part he brought home: a loaf of french bread, a jar of pizza sauce, a bag of grated mozzarella cheese, and a bag of pepperoni. This dinner is just so easy and inexpensive. (I had this all made by the time the oven had heated.) The worst part of making pizza is, of course, the crust. Not with this. Just slice the loaf in half lengthwise and position each half, inside-up on a cookie sheet. Spread each half with pizza sauce and top with cheese and pepperoni. We usually do one with just cheese and one with cheese and pepperoni. Then bake at 350 F for about 12 minutes. Once the cheese is all melted and the bread is crispy, I like to broil the pizza for a few minutes to lightly brown the cheese. Andy and Christy were over last night and Wynn and Gracie enjoyed the pizza too. I forgot to take a picture, so I stole this one from the interenet. And feel free, of course, to top the pizza with whatever your family likes!

Thanks for a great dinner Fax!