Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

This recipe was found *HERE*

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks


    Directions
    1. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.
    2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.
    3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

*NOTE* The leftover avocado salsa was divine on my Boca Burger the next afternoon! YUMMY!

Menu Plan Monday - Khrista - Edition 8


Moving over more meals this week! Maybe next week I will only plan 4 meals.
You can find the Eggplant Parmesan recipe *HERE*
Trying two new recipes this week. The Mexican-Style Lasagna and Veggie Burgers with Tahini Mayonnaise. (Both recipes are from the Everyday Food program on PBS.) I will let you know if they're any good.
I will be back later today to post the Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa recipe and photo, and I will also share the recipe for Stress-Free Pasta.

Menu Plan Monday - Bonnie - Edition 8



Ya'll KNOW we had pizza for dinner Friday night. We tried Pam's version of my asparagus pizza (it's mine not her's pictured here). We had friends join us for pizza and movie night this week so I wasn't takin' food photos !!

Plans to go to the beach Saturday had me preparing this vegetarian lasagna in the afternoon so I could just pop it in the oven when we got home. Unfortunately, when we got home there was no power !! Still none by time to eat dinner ... so, we went out.

Sunday was a crazy day around here ... dinner was sporadic. Grab a bite and run. The kids had hot chips at the cafe after church. Rory had a milkshake and some of those chips. I had a Sprite and called it good. Actually, I had a piece of the leftover pizza about 4:00 and that was pretty filling !

Monday - tonight - we will FINALLY eat the lasagna !!! I'll be posting the recipe later in the week.

Remember when I made a bunch of spaghetti sauce and chili and froze them ? We'll be having spaghetti Tuesday night and chili Thursday night.

Out of order, but that just leaves us with Wednesday since my menu's start on Fridays. We'll be having Lemon Baked Cod and trying Khris's lemon spaghetti. (her photo shown here)



And that's what we're havin' . What' s on the menu at your place this week ? Pop over to Laura's place and share ...



Beans Buttons



I've been meaning to put this buttons up for you guys for ages !!
Khrista made them to be used in sidebars on our personal blogs ... you may have seen mine.
If you know how to do links in your side bar, then use this button to link back to the beans blog.
If you don' t know how, and you want it to link, email me and I'll send you the code.

Asparagus Pizza

I made Bonnie's asparagus pizza last night, but changed a few things because of certain circumstances. It was SUCH a huge hit that I was told I HAD to write down EXACTLY what I did so that we can make it JUST that way EVERY TIME! :-) So, here is my modified version of Bonnie's asparagus pizza.

The mushrooms (1 1/2 packages) we had gotten were going a little bad so I sauted they with corsely chopped garlic (~ 5 large cloves) and the asparagus (cut into bit size-ish pieces) in a bit of olive oil. Then I needed more oil because the mushrooms soaked up all of it, so I threw in a couple squirts of this roasted garlic and onion oil. Then, I didn't want to overpower the dish, but I still needed more oil so I threw in a glug (like my exactness??) of peanut oil. The last minute or so of sauting I threw in a couple of generous handfuls of pine nuts. After the last minute I turned off the heat, but did not remove the pan from the hot burner.

I mixed 1 small can of tomato sauce and 1 can of chopped black olives and spooned that over the crusts (I also discovered that the bobali crusts are nice if thrown in a 250 degree oven for 5 minutes or so - just on the rack). I spinkled a bit of italian seasoning over the the sauce. I then spread the veggie mixture on. Next, I sprinkled a generous amount of green olives, which I had cut in half. Then, I sprinkled a generous amount of kalamata olives around. I sprinkled one package of feta around and topped with a three cheese pizza mix. Into the oven till the cheese was melted and just barely starting to turn brown in a couple of spots. Serve and enjoy! YUM!!!!!!

Kung Pao, Chili and the Picky Palate


We had the chili last night and it was delish !! Just thought I'd share a photo.
Tonight we had the Kung Pao Chicken and man oh man was it tasty !!
LOVED IT but didn't take a photo.
(Frustrating afternoon and just wanted to get dinner on the table !!!)
~
I've discovered a new blog that I really love.
It's called Picky Palate.
Check it out !
Today there was a post for Chicken Artichoke Panini with Proscuitto and Swiss.
Does that sound fabulous to any one else ???


French Bread

I really wanted to title this : Slice of Heaven & if I can make it anyone can!
(Don't laugh at my picture - my loaves loook a little . . . . . well, not perfect




























Last week when I was sick I received a bit of this bread made by my mother-in-law. It was just like eating a slice of Heaven!!! I hesitated to try this recipe because I have not been very successful at home made bread despite my many attempts. But this turned out great and I'm again enjoying a slice of Heaven!

Recipe as follows ~


Dissolve in a small bowl:
2 T yeast
½ cup warm water
½ tsp sugar

In large bowl combine: (I used my bread mixer)
2 cups hot water
3 T sugar
1 T salt
½ cup oil

Add to the mixture in the mixer bowl 3 cups of flour and mix well. Stir in yeast mixture (note: my yeast mixture didn't completely dissolve so before I added it I stirred it until it was mixed well). Add 2-3 cups more flour (I needed 3) and mix until well blended. (At this point my dough still seemed a little sticky but not sticking to the edge of the bowl as it was being mixed). Leave in mixer and let rise for 1 hour mixing a few strokes every ten minutes. Divide dough into 2 or 3 pieces. Roll each out on a flour surface into the length desired then roll up length wise like a jelly roll. Put on greased cookie sheet sealed side down. Slash the top diagonally across the top with a knife. Brush with egg white. Let rise 30 more minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. (Note: to help the dough not stick to my hands I spray a little pan spray on my hands and rub it around - works like a charm!)



MMM!! Good luck :)

Lemon Spaghetti


Giada De Laurentiis from Food Network

Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

*NOTE*
We use whole wheat spaghetti and like to add toasted pine nuts as well. This is a super easy dish! One of our favorites!

Menu Plan Monday - Khrista - Edition 7

I was feeling a little run down by the end of last week, so I moved two meals over from my previous menu.
Again here's some of the recipes:
Jimmy Jambalaya *HERE*
Eggplant Parmesan *HERE*
We're also pulling the extra Turkey Loaf To Live By out of the freezer for an easy meal before AWANA on Tuesday!
I'll post the three other recipes soon! The Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa is absolutely delicious!

Onigiri

After reading this post, I decided to make Onigiri for lunch.

Photobucket

Want to know how to make it ?
It's easy.
One of my favorite ladies in the whole wide world, Ruth, taught me how to make these.
Years and years (and years!) ago in Japan.


Cook your rice. I use a rice cooker ...
I use short grain, but have also used medium in the past.
Short sticks together best.


Have a bowl of water and a salt shaker handy.
Wet hand, put salt on it, grab a palm full of rice and form into triangles.
See how I'm doing it in the photo above ?
Do you know how hard it was to take that photo !?!?!
Go tripod, go timer, go go !!


I left some of them plain.
Others I added toasted sesame seeds to the rice.
Put whatever you want in the middle.
I use kombu.
Or ... like I do for the kids, you could just wrap in seaweed and eat !


The finished product.


To store the leftovers :
Don't wrap in seaweed. Do that when you are ready to eat them.
Otherwise, the seaweed goes soggy !

Menu Plan Monday - Bonnie - Edition 7

On Saturday I did a big cook up. Those meals will be included this week.


Friday :
We had pizza, of course !
Very yummy.
Rory reckons I've mastered home made pizza.
We certainly have it down to a bit of an art now !!
The favorite this week was the "pepperoni".
Only I know it wasn't actually pepperoni ... but rather mild hungarian salami and a bit of bacon !!








Saturday:
The Great Aussie Burger
Corn on the Cob















Sunday:
Fish. It was cod.
Rory rubbed it with sea salt.
Two different kinds.
One was Lemon Lemon Lemon.
The other Big Chili and Garlic.
Both were delicious !!
Then he cooked it on the BBQ.
I made rice in the rice cooker.
Sauteed diced garlic and onion. Added to rice.
Scrambled 2 eggs ( no water or milk added).
Added to rice.
Also made asparagus, carrots, spring onions, and garlic
THIS WAY.





Monday:
Spaghetti


















Tuesday:
Chili














Wednesday:
Khrista's Kung Pao Chicken
This will be the first time I've tried making it !!










Thursday:
Leftovers ... and if their aren't any, maybe
the kids can make us some toast !













So, that's what's cookin' at our house this week. What's on at your place, or more to the point ... what time will I be there for dinner ?? : D Pop on over to Org Junkie's Menu Plan Monday to see what's cookin' at people homes all around the world.

The Great Aussie Burger


I got this recipe from a Coles (grocery store) junk mail flyer years ago. In my quest for the perfect burger ... this is the best I've found. My only qualifications are:
1. It tastes good.
2. It doesn't fall apart !!!

Ingredients:
500g (1lb) mince (ground beef)
1 small onion, very finely diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbls chopped parsley or choice of fresh herbs
1 large egg
1 and 1/2 tsp Worchestershire sauce
2 teaspoons seeded mustard
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (just put a couple of slices of bread ... I use the ends ... into your food processor ... process for a few minutes and voila ... bread crumbs !!)

Combine all ingredients and season.


Shape into burgers. The recipe says it makes 4 burgers but I got four big burgers and 4 little burgers out of it.


If you are like me and hate getting raw meat on your hands ... make sure you put your latex gloves on. You know, like at the doctors office ? I keep a box of those under my sink !!!

I made these in the afternoon while I had the mince out for my big cookup. I covered and put them into the fridge til we were ready to eat. Doing them ahead of time always makes them that little bit better ! When you are ready ... BBQ burgers. Serve. EASY !! And they are sooo yum. We haven't had burgers in ages ~ man were they a taste sensation !!

The photo above has my burger topped with ketchup, mustard, mayo, cheese, onions sauteed on BBQ, tomato and dill pickles. Usually we have lettuce and avocado as well but I forgot to buy them ! DUH !! And if you want to go really Aussie ... sliced beetrooot (beets) from a can !! AND Rory put a fried egg on his as well.


Bon's Spaghetti and Shay's Chili

What ? Don't you like the sound of spaghetti and chili ? Well, you'll be glad to know, we don't eat them together ... but I did a big cook up on Saturday and thought I'd share.

I made these at the same time. We didn't have either of them for dinner that night. We actually had hamburgers. :D I'll list the ingredients separately in case you only want to do one of them but then you'll have to pick the bits and pieces you need because I'm going to tell you how to make them together and get a whole bunch of good home cookin' into your freezer !!

For the Chili:
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
500g (1lb) mince (ground beef)
1 red capsicum (bell pepper), diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 can of corn (I use frozen - about a cup ??)
1 tbls chili powder ~ I only use a pinch as my chili powder is SUPER DOOPER STRENGTH
1/2 tble cumin
2 chipotle chilis with some adobo sauce
pinch oregano
pinch and 1/2 salt
2 cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cans diced tomatoes
to serve:
rice
shredded cheese
sour cream
spring onions

For the spaghetti sauce:
I don't use exact measurements. I add how much I like and then adjust for taste !
500g (1lb) mince (ground beef)
1 onion, diced
garlic to your taste preference, chopped to your size preference
mushrooms
kalamata olives
red wine
brown sugar
oregano
parsley
basil
bay leaves
a few big cans of tomatoes
tomato paste
tomato puree
I sometimes add a jar of Five Brothers but this time I didn't ...
to serve:
pasta

Ok ... here's how you do it. Start by sauteeing all the garlic and onions together. Add ALL the mince (ground beef) and brown.


When the mince is browned, remove half of it for the spaghetti sauce. To the remaining half, add the veggies. Cook a few minutes til they soften.


Put the other half in a big sauce pan with all your cans of tomatoes, some tomato puree, and tomato paste. I use as many of the herbs fresh as I have in my garden. This time I had oregano, parsley and garlic chives. I added dried basil and bay leaves. As you can see, I like it herby !! Chop up your mushrooms and add them, nope, I don't cook them first but you could if you wanted to. You can also use canned mushrooms but we prefer fresh. Add your kalamata olives. A bit of a weird ingredient but if you like olives you will probably love this ! It gives the sauce such a nice flavor !! Add your red wine and a bit of brown sugar. I probably add a couple tsp to a huge pot. It just takes the edge of the acidity of all those tomatoes !!


Oops ... don't forget to add the corn to your chili like I almost did !! There, that's better. Once the veggies are softened, add the spices. Stir well. Add kidney beans and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Turn way down low. Cover and cook. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick.


Once the spaghetti sauce is boiling away, turn it down too. Let it simmer. The longer the better but don't let it burn to the bottom of the pan. I set a timer and come back to stir it every now and then. Of course, if I had a good heavy bottom pan, that would probably help !!


That's if for the preparation !


Now for the cleanup !! UGH. Here's what my kitchen looked like after making spaghetti, chili and hamburgers ... oh, and I see the pizza trays from the night before !!!


Not too worry though. Took very little time to clean up and look what I was able to put into my freezer !! 4 meals of chili and 9 meals of spaghetti sauce !!! WOOOOO HOOOOO !!


To serve the chili : Put on top of rice and add shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped spring onions ! It's pretty spicy. I probably should have done a non spicy one for the kids but I'll probably just let them have rice with cheese and sour cream on top on the nights we eat the chili. Maybe stir a bit of scrambled egg through as well ...

To serve the spaghetti : On top of pasta of your choice !

OR ... we have put both of these on top of baked potatoes for a bit of something different !!!