Kicking It In The Kitchen

I have been busy in the kitchen, trying all kinds of new things. Several weekends ago I had Matt’s parents over for dinner and it was so much fun. For an appetizer, I made Mexican dip with Tostitos, and for dinner we had Tequila Lime Chicken with Pico de Gallo, blue cheese mashed potatoes and green pea salad. The Mexican dip, blue cheese potatoes, and green pea salad were family recipes but I stole the Tequila Lime Chicken and Pico De Gallo from The Pioneer Woman. This was definitely something I would make again!

Tequila Lime Chicken

Ingredients
3 whole Limes, Juiced
5 cloves Garlic, Peeled
1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ cups Cilantro
½ cups Tequila
5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese, Grated
Pico De Gallo (recipe below)

Preparation Instructions
Combine lime juice, garlic cloves, sliced jalapeno, salt, cilantro, and tequila in a food processor or blender. Pulse until combined. Turn on the blender/food processor and drizzle in the olive oil until it’s all combined.
Slightly flatten chicken breasts with a mallet or the bottom of a heavy skillet. Place in a plastic bag and pour in marinade. Seal bag and marinate for several hours or (preferably) overnight.
When ready to cook, remove chicken from bag and place on the grill. Cook until completely done. Toward the end of cooking, top chicken breasts with grated Monterrey Jack and allow to melt. (You can also top chicken with cheese and melt under the broiler.)
Serve topped with Pico de Gallo!

Pico De Gallo

Ingredients
5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes
½ whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion
3 whole Jalapeno Peppers
Cilantro
Lime Juice
Salt To Taste

Preparation Instructions
Pico de Gallo:Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onions into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir.
Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again.

On Sunday night my friend Jenna hosted a dinner at her house and all the girls brought a side item while the boys were in charge of grilling the meat! Since we were utilizing the grill I decided to make veggie kabobs. The marinade was so easy and the flavor was wonderful. I love kabobs because they are the most convenient way to get a serving of veggies into your day. I made so many kabobs that I have been adding the leftovers to my salads at lunch this week! Roasted veggies on a salad..YUM!

Veggie Kabobs

Ingredients
2 medium red or white potatoes
1 cup red, yellow and green bell pepper chunks
1 cup red onion chunks
1 cup white button mushrooms
1 cup zucchini chunks
1 cup yellow squash chunks
1 cup cherry tomatoes
Marinade, recipe follows
Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Preparation Instructions
Cook potatoes in salted water until fork tender; let cool and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place potatoes and the vegetables in a shallow dish or container. Pour marinade over vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat.

Marinade:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. The marinade can be prepared in advance and held covered in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.