Southwest Cobb Salad

I really meant to post more this month...To pay at least partly as much attention to this blog as I pay to my other two...Well regardless...I'm here...

For those who believe you should be quote- "Eating the rainbow" Whatever that is supposed to mean... can get any more literal than this Southwest Cobb Salad with Smokey Chili Lime Dressing. I mean look at the photo above!

This really is the healthy version of tasting the rainbow...Skittles aint good for you...Everybody knows that...too sweet...might give you Diabetes....Just kidding...

So check out this recipe..

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise ( Paleo )
1 limes ( Juice of 1 large lime )
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 clove(s) garlic ( minced )
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chives ( chopped )
1 tablespoon cilantro ( finely chopped )                              

For the Chicken Marinade

4 chicken breast ( large )
Olive oil,
Vinegar,
Balsamic Lime juice pinch chili flakes ( large )
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika                                   
Salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper ( coarse )

For the Salad

6 romaine lettuce ( Small Romaine Hearts, chopped into bite-sized pieces )
1/2 cup cilantro ( roughly chopped )
1 red onion ( small, chopped )
1 Red Bell Pepper ( chopped )
1 Orange Bell Pepper ( chopped )
1 Yellow Bell Pepper ( chopped )
2 avocados ( pitted and sliced into 1/2\" cubes )
1/2 cup pico de gallo
1 black beans ( can, drained )


 DIRECTIONS:To make the dressing: Add all of the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and c ombined.

Add the oil, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, chili flakes, cumin, salt, and pepper to a mixing bowl and whisk together until combined.

Add the chicken, turning until all breasts are well coated.

Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.

Cook chicken on a hot grill until both sides have nice grill marks and chicken is cooked through.

Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing.                             
                                   

Xtra special thanks to Megan from "My Recipe Magic" for this recipe..

Taste the rainbow....Enjoy...Eat well my friends!

Turkey Pesto Panini

It's been awhile since I wrote anything for this blog too...What can I say? I'm finding a new energy for writing now of days...

Bread...turkey...cheese...avocado..pesto—do I have your attention yet? If so...let me turn you on to Turkey Pesto Panini...

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 loaf of French bread, cut into 3-4 equal pieces

1/2 cup pesto, homemade or store-bought

4-8 ounces mozzarella, sliced

2 cups chopped leftover Thanksgiving turkey

2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and sliced

DIRECTIONS :

Heat olive oil in a grill pan over medium-high heat.

Spread 2 tablespoons pesto over 1 side of French bread and top with mozzarella, turkey, tomatoes, avocado and top half of bread. Repeat with remaining slices of bread.

Add sandwich to pan and grill until the bread is golden and the cheese is melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Just to remind you of how good this really is...

Ummmmm, enjoy!! Eat well my friends.

General Tso's Chicken

An Air Force Buddy turned me on to General Tso's Chicken in the 1990's....And No, I wasn't in the Orient or in Europe somewhere on assignment...I was right here in Philadelphia and I got it from a neighborhood Chinese Food Store right in my West Philadelphia neighborhood...

I've been a fan ever since.

The recipe was created by chef Peng Chang-kuei who cooked for national banquets and eventually caught the eye of Chairman Mao Zedong himself. Chinese food’s popularity in the West exploded in the 1970s, with New York City as the capital of the western embrace of regional Chinese cooking (due to the influx of Chinese immigrants after a change in immigration policy in 1965). Two chefs, David Keh and T.T. Wang, traveled to Taiwan to learn from chef Peng in 1971, and promptly returned with a recipe for General Tso’s Chicken that they featured in their New York Times review of Hunan-style restaurants.

I didn't know this then....I didn't know it until yesterday, to tell you the truth...I've been eating this chinese delicacy for years...Now I can finally share the recipe with you...

INGREDIENTS:

For the sauce

• 1 Tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1/2 Teaspoon potato flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons chicken stock or water

For the chicken

• 4 boneless chicken thighs (about 3/4 pound)
• 2 Teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1/2 Teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 Tablespoons potato flour
• 2 Teaspoons plus 2-3 tablespoons cooking oil, plus more for deep-frying
• 6-10 small dried red chiles, snipped into 3/4-inch sections and seeded
• 2 Teaspoons finely chopped ginger
• 2 Teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• 2 Teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon thinly sliced scallions, green parts only (optional

DIRECTIONS: 

For the sauce

Combine all of the ingredients mentioned above in a small bowl.

For the chicken

Unfold the chicken thighs and lay them, skin side down, on a cutting board. (If some parts are very thick, lay your knife flat and slice them across in half, parallel to the board.)
Use a sharp knife to make a few shallow criss-cross cuts into the meat — this will help the flavors penetrate. Then, cut each thigh into 1 ½- to 1 ¾-inch-long slices, an uneven 1/8 inch or so in thickness. Place the slices in a bowl.

Add the soy sauces and egg yolk to the chicken and mix well. Then stir in the potato flour, and lastly 2 teaspoons of the oil. Set aside.

Place a wok over high heat and line a plate with paper towels. Add just enough oil to submerge the chicken (you may need to do this in batches) and heat to 350-400 degrees. Add the chicken and fry until crisp and golden. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to the paper towels. Pour the oil into a heatproof container and clean the wok if necessary.

Return the wok to high heat. Add the remaining cooking oil and the chiles and stir-fry briefly until they are fragrant and just changing color (do not burn them). Toss in the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds more, until you can smell their aromas. Then add the sauce and stir as it thickens.
Return the chicken to the wok and stir vigorously to coat the pieces in sauce. Stir in the sesame oil, then serve, with a scattering of scallions, if using.

Enjoy!! Eat well My friends!