Grilled Mojo Chicken Salad with Asparagus and Oranges

Last night we had my in-laws over for dinner, and I served this recipe. It's a unique and flavorful gem I found on allrecipes.com, and everyone enjoyed it immensely.

Grilled Mojo Chicken salad with Asparagus and Oranges

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper, to taste
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 3/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 oranges
• 1 bunch medium asparagus, tough ends snapped off
• 12 cups mixed salad greens

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk first seven ingredients plus 2 Tbs. oil in a 2-cup measuring cup. Pour all but 3/4 cup of mixture into a gallon-sized zipper bag. Add chicken; seal and refrigerate 30 minutes to 4 hours. Whisk 1/4 cup of oil into remaining mixture for dressing. Peel and section oranges. Sprinkle asparagus with oil, salt, pepper.
2. Build a fire on only one side of grill (to conserve charcoal). When coals are covered with white ash, place chicken on rack over direct heat, cover and grill until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn, cover and grill another 4 to 6 minutes. Remove chicken and add asparagus, spears perpendicular to rack. Grill 3 to 5 minutes, until well browned and just cooked through.
3. Remove chicken and let stand for 5 minutes or up to 1 hour. Cut, crosswise, into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Toss greens, oranges, salt and pepper with most of the dressing. Arrange salad in six shallow bowls. Place chicken and asparagus over each. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Serves 6

The only thing I did differently from the recipe was to omit the chopped fresh mint, because I didn't have any. The dressing/marinade recipe would be good to make anytime for a salad dressing!

Jessica

Yummy Cashew Chicken

Tonight I made Cindy's Cashew Chicken, and we ate outside on our back porch. I am simply loving the Spring weather. We've taken to eating most of our meals outside before it gets too hot, and before the mosquitoes are out in full force!


This is really a great recipe. Tangy, and full of delightful flavor. The recipe can be found HERE. The only changes I made were to add bell peppers and onions to the vegetable mix, and to marinate my chicken for a bit in some orange juice and garlic. Served over brown rice, with a side of egg rolls, this is a delicious and healthy meal!

Elliot even enjoyed it!

Happy Valentine's Day

~Sugar Cookies aren't just for Christmas~



Happy Valentine's Day!

Maple Baked Pork Chops and Pears

I have been cooking and finding new recipes, but just haven't been getting around to posting. So here is my first new recipe find:

Maple Baked Pork Chops and Pears

6 loin chops, cut 3/4 inch thick
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sage
2 pears
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. hot water
1/2 c. maple syrup
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
Parsley

Rub pork chops with 1/4 teaspoon salt and sage. Brown slowly in hot skillet. Place in shallow baking dish. Core and slice pears. But do not peel. Arrange slices on top of pork chops. Blend cornstarch into fat drippings in skillet. Gradually stir in hot water and cook until thickened. Add syrup, vinegar and remaining 3/4 tsp. of salt. Pour sauce over pork chops and pears. Cover and bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour or until pork chops are tender. Garnish with parsley.

Jessica, you and Justin might like this since you cook with pork chops a lot. It has become one of our favorite dishes. Unfortunately, pork chops are not cheap in our area, so this recipe is a treat when I find pork chops cheap enough for me (or when I feel like splurging). I made them when my mom visited in November and she loved them too!

I've tried several other recipes that I wanted to post, but I cannot remember what they are right now.

The Wysocki Sandwich

Last week when we had sandwiches, I was teasing Justin about how mine was better then his because I folded and layered my lunch meat to look all pretty like the sandwich on the lunch meat package.

So...the next time we had sandwiches, he proceeded to make himself a special sandwich. In his best TV chef's voice he explained how to cut the lunch meat into quarters and then place the pieces on the bread in an extra-special spiral formation. Cutting the cheese was also very important, and integral to the art of making a sandwich. This sandwich was called a Wysocki Sandwich because it was inspired by the paintings of the early 1900s painter, Charles Wysocki. An example of one of his fine paintings can be seen HERE. Don't you agree, that Justin's sandwich is an excellent redefinition of a Wysocki painting?

Last week I made Cindy's Cashew Chicken recipe. It was AWESOME! Thanks so much for the recipe, Cindy! I think it will be come a favorite here, and Justin is even considering having it for his annual birthday party dinner instead of his longstanding tradition of having enchiladas. That would be great with me because Cashew Chicken is a lot easier to make than enchiladas!

Elliot's newest feats now include pulling himself up on stuff. He did this all by himself! He will be 11 months tomorrow, and is such a big boy. He's one of the biggest joys of my life right now.

That's all for now!
Jessica