Quick, Easy, Healthy Side Dish

So over the weekend I had a great group of friends over to help get the house painted. To show my appreciation for all of their hard work I made dinner for everyone after we were done with the painting. One of the things that I made was a great healthy side dish that is really easy and quick to make. I hope that you give it a try.

Wild Rice Salad

1 package of Mahatma Long Grain and Wild Rice
1/4 cup of chopped green onions
1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
1/4 cup of toasted chopped walnuts or pine nuts
4 tablespoons of orange juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking mix all other ingredients in a bowl. Let rice cool slightly and mix into the bowl with other ingredients. Serve warm or chilled.

Tequila and Lime Chicken

Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken



3/4 cup of Tequila (make one that you would be willing to drink too, little "airplane" bottles are great for this dish)

5 limes

1/4 cup of diced onion

2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

a splash of orange juice

a splash of Tapatio

1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs



In a large non-reactive bowl mix tequila, onion, cilantro, orange juice, and Tapatio. Zest two of the limes and add zest to tequila marinade. Juice all five of the limes and add the juice to tequila marinade. Place chicken in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Heat the grill on high and when the temperature hits 350 degrees F, place chicken on grill, reserving the marinade, and cover. Cook for five minutes on one side, flip and continue cooking till done. While chicken is cook pour reserved marinade into a small pot and reduce till liquid slightly thickens. Remove chicken from grill and pour reduced marinade over the chicken, keeping the solids in the pot. Garnish with diced onion and cilantro, serve with lime wedge.



Katrina's Tequila Lime Chicken

Carne Asada Revisited

There are times when my husband really misses San Diego, that is probably every day, but I think part of why he misses it so much is the Mexican Food. We have tried a few Mexican restaurants here, but seriously, I have never had nachos covered in Enchilada Sauce before in my life, nor do I ever hope to be served something like that again. Trust me, if the menu had said there was a sauce on the nachos, I would not have even ordered them. That is just one of the experiences I have had. Another, I was being cussed at in Spanish because the waiter did not listen to my order. Seriously I lived in Southern California for close to 20 years, I know what is being said in Spanish, especially when it is negative. Needless to say that experiences like this have turned us off of going out for Mexican or at least what passes as Mexican here. So I made some yummy Baja style food for my man last night.

Easy Carne Asada

Flank Steak or other thin cut steak

1 cup of orange juice or enough to cover steak

2 green onions chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 Tablespoons of Tapitio

1 onion diced

1 bunch of chopped cilantro

corn tortillas

3 limes, sliced

Place OJ, green onions, and Tapitio in a dish, taste to see if you want more hot sauce, add steak and cover for 1 to 3 days. Heat grill on high and cook steak until just done about 6 minutes. Slice with a pizza cutter into strips. Serve with diced onion, chopped fresh cilantro, warm corn tortillas, and lime slices. Enjoy.

Grilled Pork Chops with Apricot Orange Glaze

So we eat a lot of pork here. I get bored with just cooking it in the typical ways so I am always experimenting with it. I had really wanted to do something with apricots and pork so I came up with this recipe. I served the chops with some stuffing and a salad with red onion, yellow bell pepper, and feta. If I wasn't having to feed John too I would have added some red pepper flakes to glaze to add some more flavor and a touch of heat.

Pork Loin Chops

Salt and Pepper to season

1/2 cup of Apricot Preserves

1/4 cup of Orange Juice

1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorns

In a small saucepan add apricot preserves, orange juice, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and then simmer until glaze becomes thick and is reduced by almost half. While glaze is reduce preheat grill on high. Season pork chops and set aside. When glaze is done place chops on grill, cover and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Using a silicone brush paint glaze on both sides of pork chops and cook for about 3-5 minutes more on each side. Remove from grill and serve.