Spicy Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes

You'll probably start to notice my blog take a turn toward eating healthier in the upcoming months...which is a good thing!  However, before you run screaming, just know that I made a pan of brownies last night so I'm taking baby steps.  Sometimes you just need brownies...

This was my first time preparing and even eating quinoa.  Seems a little intimidating, but to be honest, it's not hard at all.  You do have to rinse it first to remove the bitterness, but I found it very similar to preparing rice.  To make this salad, it was simply cooking all the other ingredients, then adding it to the cooked quinoa. 

  

Once the weather starts to turn warmer, I immediately become obsessed with all things lime and cilantro.  This quinoa dish is spicy from the ancho chile powder and jalapenos, but you get this freshness from the cilantro and lime juice tossed in right before serving.  The sweet potatoes add this chunky bite of sweetness.  So many flavors in this dish that all compliment each other so well!    

I started using coconut oil as a substitute for vegetable oil (again, healthy kick!), so just know that you can use vegetable oil in this dish if you prefer.  Also, since I love lime juice so much, I definitely used at least 2 tablespoons, but start with 1 tablespoon and keep adding to suit your taste.    

Serves 4

Spicy Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons quinoa

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided in half

1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/4 red onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tablespoon ancho chile powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon jalapeno, minced 

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse completely through two times.  Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan and add 3/4 cups chicken broth, 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then cover the pan, leaving the lid slightly ajar to let steam escape.  Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the red onion and garlic and cook until slightly softened.  Add the chile powder and cumin and cook, stirring and cooking for about 1 minute.  Add the remaining 3/4 cup chicken broth, the jalapenos, sweet potatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the liquid is almost absorbed, about 15 minutes.    

Add the sweet potato mixture to the quinoa, then add the cilantro and lime juice and toss.  Season with salt to taste.  Serve warm.  

(Source:  Adapted from the Food Network)

Cilantro Lime Rice

Talk about a light, fresh side dish.  Fresh cilantro, lime zest and lime juice make this an amazing accompaniment to your summertime dinner - especially if you're grilling.   I served this with my Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers and it was the perfect addition!      

I used 5-minute rice so this dish was done in no time.  Keep this recipe to use in burritos or as a burrito bowl, a la Chipotle (how much do we LOVE Chipotle?).  You may want to add more lime juice after the rice has been cooked (and when you add the cilantro).  I know I wanted a stronger lime flavor, so I added the juice of a second lime, but do so according to your taste.  

Serves 3-4

Cilantro Lime Rice

3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth, or water

3 cups minute rice

zest of 1 lime

juice of 1-2 limes

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped 

In a medium saucepan, combine the 3 cups of chicken broth or water, lime zest and juice of 1 lime. Bring to a boil.  Add the minute rice, stir, remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork, add the cilantro and the juice from the 2nd lime if desired .  Serve warm.  

You may also like:

Chicken Fajita Tostados

Mexican Chicken Soup with Limes

Layered Chicken Taco Salad

Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas

Chicken and Veggie Egg Rolls

Grilled Corn with Lime and Chili Powder

Grilled corn on the cob has become our go-to side dish this summer.  With burgers, chicken, shrimp - you name it - if we're grilling for dinner, then we are grilling corn.  

The flavor on this is just outstanding.  Butter, salt, fresh lime juice and a little kick from the chili powder.  So, so good.  So fresh! 

    2-4 servings

Grilled Corn with Lime and Chili Powder

4 ears of corn, shucked and cleaned

butter

salt to taste

chili powder

2 limes, cut in wedges

Preheat grill on medium-high with the lid closed for a couple of minutes.  Brush the ears of corn with vegetable oil.  Place directly on the grill, turning frequently for about 10 minutes.  The kernels will brighten in color and char marks will appear.  Butter, salt, dust with chili powder and squeeze one wedge of lime on each one.

Summertime Salsa

I know it's not the official start of summer yet, but it was just Memorial Day weekend, and that pretty much makes it feel like summer.  This salsa is the epitome of summer - fresh ingredients and the freshest of flavors.  

I'm trying to pay a lot more attention to my garden this year - as opposed to other years where I didn't really bother to prune, just kind of picked off what I needed.  It paid off!  I just picked my first (huge!) batch of cilantro.

This salsa is so easy - everything rough chopped, into the food processor, pulse and done. 

Puree it as smooth or chunky as you like it.  My husband and I have to compromise a little so I puree mine so everything is in teeny tiny dices.  You'll actually end up with more of a liquidy salsa the longer it's in the food processor. 

The colors are gorgeous and looks even prettier topped with a little more fresh cilantro as a garnish.  And by the way, I typically double this recipe, even if I'm making it just for our family.  If I don't, it's gone in one sitting.  We are addicted!

Makes about 2 cups

Summertime Salsa

5 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons diced jalapenos (from the jar)
2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, leaves removed from stems
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and pulse until it's the consistency you prefer.  Serve with tortilla chips for a snack or as a garnish with tacos, nachos, etc.

Fresh Limeade

On a whim at the grocery store I bought an entire 3 pound bag of limes.  Just because they looked so pretty!  And I knew they would look especially nice in my black and white striped bowl from Crate and Barrel.  And they do, right?  

So, I have this overabundance of limes.  What to do with them?  On Mother's Day, after a wonderful afternoon at the beach, we stopped at this BBQ restaurant where we had fresher than fresh limeade.  Literally squeezed to order...so refreshing!  So I thought I'd give that a try.  Talk about fresher than fresh!!  This is so good!  And perfect for a hot summer day.  Would be even so good as a replacement for lemonade in my Light and Easy Margaritas.   

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts

Fresh Limeade

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lime zest

3/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 5 limes)

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and lime zest with 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and once the sugar dissolves (usually it happens simultaneously), remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the simple syrup into a pitcher to remove the lime zest.  Add the lime juice and 4 cups of water.  Serve over ice with a sprig of mint.

  

Cilantro and Lime Vinaigrette

I found this recipe on Pinterest and just had to give it a try - cilantro and lime together just sounds so refreshing and summery doesn't it?  And I don't know about you, but I'm addicted to chopped salads.  A friend of mine once said that she loves salads but hates making them at home because they are never as good as when you get them out.  So true, right?  But honestly, this vinaigrette will NOT disappoint!  And using good, fresh ingredients like crisp Romaine, tomatoes, good cheese and of course something crunchy like nuts or tortilla strips will make you feel like you are sitting in your favorite little cafe enjoying a fantastic, light and refreshing dinner.    

I just love the colors of this dressing.  I doubled the recipe so I had enough that I could eat it for a couple of days (made about 2 cups versus the original 1 cup). 

Here's where you can make the salad completely your own.  I used Romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, shredded cheddar cheese and spicy tortilla strips.  If I had a tomato, that would have gone in too.  

Cilantro and Lime Vinaigrette

2/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)

1 teaspoon garlic

2 tablespoons chipotle chilies in adobo (or a bit more if you like it really spicy)

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste if  necessary

1 1/2 cups canola oil

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients except for the canola oil and cilantro.  Pulse to combine.  Slowly add the canola oil to emulsify to the vinaigrette.  Add the cilantro and pulse to combine.  Serve over salad with all your favorite toppings!   

(Source:  Adapted from Your Home Based Mom)

Mexican Chicken Soup with Limes

This is a very light, although very spicy, quick and easy soup!  It could easily be thrown in the Crock Pot but I started it too late in the day so I used my stove top.  The ingredients came together in minutes and I even threw in my chicken breast still frozen.  It will simmer for about a hour to cook the chicken, but I didn't even look at until the hour was up and it was time to shred the chicken.

I found this recipe on the blog, Budget Bytes, which I love because she breaks down the cost of each ingredient and the total recipe cost.  So, this soup is tasty and super cost friendly!  

I love the sourness from the lime juice that gets squeezed in at the end.  And the creamy, coolness of the avocado takes the bite out the spiciness.  And it is spicy!  That tickle the back of your throat spicy...my husband I were clearing our throats and coughing a bit while eating this.  You can absolutely omit the jalapeno if you want to cut down on the heat.  

 Serves 4

Mexican Chicken Soup with Limes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno (I used from a jar, but you can use 1 medium fresh)

4 cloves garlic, minced (I used minced from a jar which would be 2 tsp)

1 large chicken breast

6 cups chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes with chiles, 14.5 oz

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 or 2 limes

1 avocado

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Cook the onion, celery, jalapenos and garlic in the olive oil for about 5 minutes or until tender.  Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, tomatoes and cumin to the pot.  Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low, place a lid on top and let simmer for one hour.  

After simmering for an hour, remove the chicken breast from the pot and shred with two forks.  Return the meat to the pot.  Squeeze the juice of 1 or 2 limes into the soup.  Serve and top with a few chunks of avocado and tortilla chips.  

(Source:  Adapted from Budget Bytes)

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

One of the many things I love about Savannah is that is stays summer-like for a pretty long time.  This means that we can enjoy being outside and do outdoorsy things like grilling well into October.  The weather was exceptionally warm this weekend - like high 80's -so we finished some landscaping in our backyard, fired up the grill and hung outside with a couple of cold beers.  Ahhh....

I liked this recipe and marinade from Kitchen Meets Girl because it's simple, full of flavor and it only needs to sit for about an hour.  Easy.  I actually made double the amount of the marinade because we ended up dipping our chicken in it - it is just too good!  In fact, I served rice with this and honestly, I just poured a bunch of the sauce over my rice and mixed everything all together.  

And you know, I soaked my Bamboo skewers like they always tell you to and I still burnt the ends - happens every time...

Serves 2-4

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

3 tablespoons soy sauce**

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

juice of one lime

2 garlic cloves

1-2 teaspoons Siracha

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, oil, lime, garlic and Siracha and mix thoroughly.  Pour into a large zip lock plastic bag and add chicken breast.  Seal bag and toss around a bit to ensure all the chicken breast pieces are fully coated.  Place bag in a bowl and allow to sit in the fridge for at least an hour.  

In the meantime, if you are using Bamboo skewers, soak your sticks in water for at least 15 minutes.  Remove your chicken pieces from the marinade and skewer.  Grill on medium high heat for 6-8 minutes per side, until juices run clear.

** This is the original recipe for the marinade.  You can make double like I did, just make it all together and divide it half - half will be used to marinade the chicken and the other half to use later on your rice or just to dip.  

(Source:  Adapted from Kitchen Meets Girl)

Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Avocado Salsa

 This meal is the like the epitome of summer time meals.  In fact, when the weather turns warm, this is one of the first meals we crave.  It's my husband's favorite dinner and he will request it for special occasions (actually he had me make this on Father's Day for him!), but I love it just as much and so does our toddler.  And great for me, because there's really nothing to it.
  

So this is the really easy (but just as delicious) way to make these tacos, but I'm also going to give you a couple of hints on how you can go above and beyond if you have the time.  Like using fresh corn and grilling it before making the salsa.  If I had the time, I would do this every time - grilled corn is fabulous!!  I have another amazing recipe for grilled corn that involves lots of butter, lime and chili powder, but that's for another day...soon, I promise!!

P.S. These are amazing with my Light and Easy Margaritas!

Makes 2-4 servings

Shrimp Tacos with Corn and Avocado Salsa

Salsa

1 Roma tomato 

1 can whole kernel corn (or 4 ears of fresh corn, shucked)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno (I used jalapenos from a jar but you can use 1 small jalapeno if you want to use fresh)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 avocado, diced

Shrimp

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon spicy McCormick grill seasoning

8 flour tortillas

1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese 

To make the salsa:  Cut tomato, remove seeds and dice.  In a medium bowl, combine tomato, drained corn (or corn cut from the grilled corn cob), lime juice, jalapeno, olive oil, cumin and salt.  Fold in avocado.

To make the shrimp:  Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl.  Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.  Saute over medium high heat until shrimp turns pink, 3-5 minutes (or place on skewers and grill for 2-3 minutes on each side).  

While shrimp is cooking, place tortillas between 2 damp paper towels and microwave for 45 seconds to warm.  

Assemble tacos with tortillas, shrimp, corn salsa and cheese.

                        

Light and Easy Margaritas

I'm back!!  Did you miss me?  :)  I was visiting friends and family in Pennsylvania for two weeks and am so happy to be getting back to blogging!  We had an exhausting weekend...drove all day Saturday to get from PA back to Savannah - with 2 kids mind you.  A 2 1/2 year old and 7 month old.  Yup.  We're nuts.  Took us 14 hours, and it was painful.  If we hadn't gotten in so late on Saturday, I absolutely would have made this drink that night after the drive.  Instead, I made a great dinner on Sunday, Shrimp Tacos (stay tuned!) and these margaritas were just the right match.  I adapted this recipe from here, but it only had the recipe for an individual drink.  I mean, who are they kidding, right?  I had to play around with it to make a batch because when I just doubled or tripled everything it was way too sugary and sweet.  My pitcher version of these is so good and refreshing.  We love ours with salt, but you can obviously omit that.  Cheers!! 

Serves 4-6

4 cups Spite Zero (or Diet)

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon of lime juice (fresh or from the bottle - I've used both with no taste difference)

2 tablespoons lemonade mix (I used Country Time, but you can use Crystal Light for an even lighter drink!)

4-5 oz of Tequila 

Combine Sprite, lime juice and lemonade mix in a pitcher.  Stir to combine and add Tequila.  Stir again.  Pour salt out on a plate and wet the rim of your glass, dip in salt.  Fill your cup with ice and pour the margarita.  Enjoy!  

(Source:  Adapted from finallychelle on My Fitness Pal)