Southwestern Black Bean and Grilled Chicken Salad

September 2, 2013 by Mackenzie

Okay, this salad is so good that I ate it for dinner one night, and then lunch and dinner the next day. Ha! Fine, I’ll admit that I was going out of town the following day so needed to get rid of it and I had nothing else to eat. But… I still really enjoyed it every single time and look forward to making it again!

I love that this salad has a southwestern flare, but isn’t overloaded like a taco salad is. It’s perfect for late summer with the refreshing cherry tomatoes and vibrant colors from the avocado and tomatoes. I adjusted the original recipe to make it “clean-eating” complaint and I don’t think you’d ever notice the changes! It is a bit more time consuming than your average salad – but it’s easily filling enough for a main dish so it’s worth the extra effort!

Southwestern Black Bean, Tomato, and Grilled Chicken Salad
Serves 3
Recipe adapted just slightly from CookFresh Magazine 2011

Ingredients:
2 organic, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
2 teaspoons maple syrup
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons honey
Freshly ground black pepper
1 can black beans
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large scallion, thinly sliced
1 package of pre-washed romaine lettuce, chopped
2 medium firm-ripe avocados

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, coriander, cumin, 3/4 teaspoons salt and maple syrup. Then, cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, creating four thin, chicken cutlets. Rub both sides of the chicken with the spice mix. You can cook the chicken either by grilling it or in a skillet (I’ve done it both ways, since I don’t have a grill at school). If you’re grilling it, heat grill to medium-high heat and grill chicken for three minutes on top side and about two minutes on bottom side. If you are cooking it in a skillet, head some olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat and cook, flipping occasionally until done, about ten minutes.

2. While the chicken cooks, prepare the dressing. In a glass jar with a lid (if you don’t have one, a small bowl works fine too), combine the olive oil, lime juice, 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, the honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Whisk or shake well to combine. (I’ve found this makes extra dressing so I do it in a glass jar so I can save the extras for another salad!)

3. In a separate bowl, combine the black beans, tomatoes, scallion and remaining 2 teaspoons of cilantro and a pinch of salt. Add about 2 tablespoons of the dressing and toss gently.

4. In a large bowl or on a serving platter, toss the lettuce with a little bit of the dressing to lightly coat. Slice the chicken breast very thinly and pit and slice the avocado. Arrange the chicken, avocado and black bean/tomato mixture over the lettuce. Drizzle more dressing over salad if desired.

Avocado Chicken Salad

August 28, 2013 by Mackenzie

This recipe has been one of my go-tos all summer – I’ve probably made it at least five times in the last month! It’s super easy, super fast, summery, and made with all “real food.” Can’t get any better than that!

This recipe is great because you can scale it up or down very easily depending on how many people you are feeding or how much leftovers you want to have. I go with a 1:1 ratio of avocado to chicken breast and usually do half a chicken breast per serving. It’s also a great recipe because of how versatile it is – you can eat it hot or cold, plain, in a wrap, in a sandwich… I’ve tried it all these ways – and loved it each time!

Avocado Chicken Salad
Serves 2 (easily scaled up or down)
Recipe from Gina’s Favorites

Ingredients:
1 organic, boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 avocado
1/4 red onion, chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tablespoons cilantro
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Dice chicken into 2-inch pieces (doesn’t have to be exact, you’ll shred it later). Heat the coconut oil in a medium-sized skilled over medium heat. Add the chicken, sprinkle some salt and pepper of it and begin to cook it. When the chicken is almost done, add the red onion and let them soften. Take a wooden spatula or a fork and shred the chicken into smaller pieces. Cook the chicken and onion together until the chicken is cooked through.

2. In a medium bowl, mash the avocado. Add the chicken and onions, the lime juice, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together and enjoy! Keeps well for up to two days in the fridge.

Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole

August 20, 2013 by Mackenzie

Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole - amazingly delicious, full of "real foods" so it is healthy, and easy to prepare! Spencer and I are enroute to St. Louis! We are driving all the way there – 33 hours in the car with my bro 🙂 While he was driving today, I thought I would be productive with my passenger seat time and write up a recipe! Now that we’ve got wi-fi in the hotel – I can post it!

At the beginning of this trip, this Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole was divided into about 10 tupperwares in the cooler in the back of my car. Now there’s only about half left! It’s one of the super-easy, on the go meals that I made up before we left so that I could stick to my Clean Eating lifestyle and also have quick yummy meals on the road!

I’ve now made this dish twice in the last two weeks – it’s so good and very easy to take with you on the go because it is just as good cold as it is warm. Everything in it is “real” – nothing processed or genetically modified. I think you’ll love it!

Mexican Chicken Quinoa Casserole

Serves 10, fills one 9×13 dish
Recipe adapted from MJ and Hungryman

Ingredients:

2 organic, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, cut into one inch pieces
1 cup organic frozen corn, thawed
1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed (squeeze out as much water as possible)
1 (15 oz) can black beans
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup organic chicken broth
1 cup of your favorite salsa (I love the emerald valley brand at Whole Foods)
1 cup shredded cheddar

Directions:

1. Prepare chicken: heat coconut oil in a medium-sized skillet. Cut the chicken breasts into smaller pieces (doesn’t matter how big because you will shred them later) and add to skillet. Cook, turning often, until cooked through. Allow to cool and when cool enough to handle, shred the chicken.

2. Cook quinoa: pour quinoa into a saucepan and add 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Bring liquid to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil and sauté onion until softened, about five minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the bell pepper, corn and frozen spinach and combine well. Add tomato paste, cumin and salt and pepper and mix. Then add the shredded chicken, quinoa and black beans. Mix well. (If this gets too big for your skillet, you can transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add everything in that).

4. In a medium saucepan (I just used the same one I had made the quinoa in), add the chicken broth and salsa. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add to chicken mixture and combine well.

5. Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Top with avocado and salsa.

Lemon Dill Chicken

July 11, 2013 by Mackenzie

For the month of July, I’m doing a “real food” challenge! I’ve cut out all processed food, grains and dairy. I’m twelve days in and I feel fantastic! I’ve got much more energy (even with no coffee!), I feel strong and lean and I’ve learned so much about real food and how much better it is for your body.

This is the reason I haven’t posted a new recipe in awhile… I’ve been eating pretty simple meals and lots of fruits and vegetables – nothing too exciting to post here. However, on the Fourth of July, we made a fantastic meal and all of it was “real food”! We made this Lemon Dill Chicken and a potato salad (which I’ll post tomorrow!) – both definitely blog-worthy, so here you go!

This chicken tastes so fresh and summery with the lemon grilled onion and asparagus topping. Plus, it’s easy and quick – so a perfect summer meal on a hot night!

Lemon Dill Chicken
Serves 5
Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients:

2 lemons
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
8 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced horizontally to make cutlets (pasteurized is best)
4 red onion slices, each 1/4 inch thick
1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Marinate chicken: Zest and juice two lemons. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon zest and juice, dill, 2 tablespoons olive oil and pepper. Place chicken in a medium baking ban and add 2 tablespoons of the lemon mixture. Coat chicken pieces evenly then allow to refrigerate for 30 minutes. Add salt to remaining lemon mixture and set aside.

2. Heat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium high and lightly brush grate with olive oil. Place chicken, onions and asparagus on grill and brush all with olive oil. Grill onions and asparagus for 5-10 minutes, removing them from the grill when they are cooked through. Grill the chicken for about 5 minutes on both sides, or until no longer pink in the center.

3. Coarsely chop the grilled onions and asparagus and add them to the bowl of remaining lemon mixture and toss to coat. Place chicken on a serving platter and spoon the lemon vegetable mixture over the chicken to serve.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette

June 14, 2013 by Mackenzie

This galette accompanied our meal from last weekend with the Roasted Sweet Pepper Rolls with Caper-Pinenut Stuffing and Lemon Risotto – yet it was the star of the show! The crust is flaky and just melts in your mouth, while the filling of butternut squash, caramelized onions, and fontina cheese make each bite truly heavenly. This is a really outstanding dish!

We thought it was especially good when it was hot, so I’d recommend reheating it in the oven just before you eat if you make this ahead of time (which is what we did). We also halved the original recipe to make just one 9-inch galette. I’ve given the halved ingredient quantities but you could easily double it to make a large, pizza size dish or to make two smaller galettes.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette
Recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
Makes one 9-inch galette, serves 3-4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

Pastry:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 cup ice water

Filling:

1 small butternut squash
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced in half moons
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for glaze

Directions:

1. Pastry: in a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the whole stick of butter and pulse until butter is no bigger than peas. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, vinegar, and water. Pour this over the dry mixture, mix briefly, then transfer to a bowl and combine the mixture with a rubber spatula or your hands. Add more flour or water if needed to get a slightly sticky dough. Pat dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.

2. Squash: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the squash, then halve it and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch chunks. Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil over a baking sheet and then spread the squash out on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground pepper, then place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, until the squash is tender. Set aside to cool.

3. Onions: while the squash is roasting, caramelize the onions. Melt the butter and one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet, add the onions, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook over medium-low heat, until soft, tender and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Combine the squash, caramelized onions, cheese, and herbs in a large bowl.

4. Assembly: on a floured surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch round, or about 1/4-inch thick (think pie crust). Transfer to a baking sheet. Spread the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a two-inch border. Fold the border over the filling, pleating it, to make it all come together. Brush the crust with the egg wash. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and slide onto a serving dish. Serve hot or warm. You can make this ahead of time and reheat it in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Rolls with Caper-Pinenut Stuffing

June 10, 2013 by Mackenzie

Indonesia cooking marathon #2 occurred Sunday! We cooked and baked all afternoon, in their hot, unair-conditioned kitchen – and had a blast! The menu was a bit of everything and it turned into a delicious meal!

The main dish was roasted sweet pepper rolls with caper-pinenut stuffing, served with a garlic cream sauce, lemon risotto and sugar snaps. These sweet peppers were QUITE a process but I really enjoyed them in the end – and I always love a good cooking challenge! The lemon risotto has a separate post because it was quite outstanding and thus, deserves its own post! On the other hand, the garlic cream sauce wasn’t all that great – and the dish would have been fine without it – so I’m not even going to include it here. The sugar snaps were just barely steamed, but added a great crunchy texture to the dish. Overall, recipe #1 of this marathon was a success!

Roasted Sweet Pepper Rolls with Caper-Pinenut Stuffing
Recipe from The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup capers
2/3 cup breadcrumbs
fresh parsley, chopped
Black pepper, to taste
6 red or yellow peppers

Serve with risotto and sugar snaps

Directions:

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add cream and mustard and bring mixture to a boil, the reduce the heat and let simmer for about five minutes to thicken. Allow sauce to cool, then stir in pine nuts, capers, breadcrumbs, and parsley. Season with black pepper.

2. Meanwhile, roast the peppers in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until blistered. Remove from oven and place in a large bowl and cover with a plate to allow them to steam and the skins to begin to peel off. After 5 minutes, remove the rest of the peel and slice peppers in half.

3. To stuff the peppers, place a few teaspoons of filling on the edge of each pepper and carefully roll it up. Place the pepper, seam side down, on a baking dish and repeat with all the peppers. Brush lightly with olive oil and bake at 350 for ten minutes.

4. While peppers are baking, steam the sugar snaps for 3-4 minutes, just barely cooking them. Serve the peppers with lemon risotto (next post) and sugar snaps!

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