Honey-Lime Cilantro Marinade

Today I wanted to use my leftover Pineapple Mango Salsa on top of grilled chicken. I found two recipes on Pinterest that would go perfectly with it - Honey Lime Chicken and Cilantro Lime Rice. I took a few things out of the chicken marinade that I didn't think were necessary (pepper flakes and siracha). I made three pounds of chicken and cut them into tenders so they'd grill faster. The chicken was very tasty. I boiled the remaining marinade so I could put more on my chicken. I topped my chicken with my leftover pineapple mango salsa, which made it even better!

The rice was also good, but with all of the other flavors I could have just made plain rice and put the extra marinade on it as well. The recipe called for basmati rice, which I did not have so I used jasmine rice (my favorite). I cooked the rice according to the directions on the bag rather than on the recipe, and just added the lime juice, oil, and cilantro to the cooked rice.

Honey-Lime Cilantro Marinade

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Juice of one lime

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tablespoons cilantro

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (halved or cubed)

If making kabobs, cube the chicken. Otherwise, halve the chicken or cut into tenders. Mix all ingredients together and pour over chicken in dish or Ziploc bag. Let chicken marinade for at least one hour. Cook chicken as desired. Boil leftover marinade and use on top of cooked chicken.

Top with pineapple mango salsa if you wish.

Chicken cut into tenders

Chopped garlic

Marinade mixture

Chicken grilling

Finished!

Chicken topped with pineapple mango salsa

Photos by JoJo

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons vegetable oil

Juice of ½ lime

3 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 teaspoon oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 15 minutes. Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining 2 teaspoons oil and toss until completely mixed.

Jasmine Rice

Photos by JoJo

Pineapple Mango Salsa

All summer I've been wanting to make a mango salsa and finally got the chance to. I looked online for recipes and found a few that looked good. Most of them had the same general ingredients, but this one also had pineapple which seemed the most summery out of all the ones I found. It was easy to make, but time consuming cutting everything up (I made a double recipe). In the end, the salsa was delicious so it was worth the time! I thought the flavors blended together very nicely. I served the salsa with Tostitos Hint of Lime chips. I found the recipe here, although the original recipe is from this blog. I have about half of what I made leftover from the party I went to and it would be delicious topped on teriyaki grilled chicken and served with cilantro lime rice. This is perfect for a cinco de mayo party or summer cookout!

Pineapple Mango Salsa

1 mango, diced
1½ cups diced fresh pineapple (about half a pineapple)
½ of one red bell pepper, diced small
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
1 Tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
Juice of one lime
Pinch of coarse salt

To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss to mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, allowing flavors to blend.

Serve with your favorite chips (recommended: Tostitos Hint of Lime chips).

Photos by JoJo

The Original Old Bay Shrimp Boil Shrimp Fest

A few weeks ago I was searching the Old Bay website for recipes and found one that caught my eye, and Old Bay Shrimp Boil. I had just been to Joe's Crab Shack with a friend and had ordered one of their steam pots, and this recipe is the same kind of idea. I love how everything in the steam pots tastes like Old Bay (at least that's the one I always get!). I made my shrimp boil this past weekend for my family and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It's a great summertime meal and with a nice variety of food. This recipe combines shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes together, all seasoned with Old Bay! It is a quick recipe which makes it perfect for those summer nights when you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. The timing in the recipe worked perfectly for me. Everything was cooked just right by the end. The only things I did different were that I added a lemon to the pot (I saw it in a similar recipe), and I used spicy Italian sausage instead of smoke sausage. I boiled 4 sausage links in a separate pot for about 10 minutes before slicing them up and adding them to the big pot. Some of the amounts of ingredients that I used were different from the recipe (1 onion, a little less shrimp). I added more Old Bay to my plate as well for a little extra taste.

This recipe makes a lot - I served 7 people with it and still had enough left over for another 3 or 4 people. I will definitely be making this recipe again this summer!

The Original Old Bay® Shrimp Boil Shrimp Fest

4 quarts water (16 cups)

1 can (12 ounces) beer (optional)

½ cup Old Bay® Seasoning

2 Tablespoons salt

8 medium red potatoes, quartered

2 large onions, cut into wedges

2 pounds lean smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces

8 ears fresh corn, shucked and halved crosswise

4 pounds unpeeled jumbo shrimp (21 to 25 count)

Bring water, beer, Old Bay Seasoning and salt to boil in 12-quart stockpot on high heat. Add potatoes and onions. Cook 8 minutes. Add smoked sausage. Cook 5 minutes. Add corn. Cook 7 minutes.

Stir in shrimp. Cook 4 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.

Drain cooking liquid. Pour contents of pot into large serving bowl or platter. Or, mound on paper-covered table. Sprinkle with additional Old Bay Seasoning, if desired.

My beer of choice for this dish

The key ingredient - Old Bay

8 Red Potatoes, quartered

8 ears of corn, shucked and broken in half

The first of the food to go in the boiling water/beer/Old Bay pot

Second to go in - 4 links of sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces

Add the corn

Last addition - 3 pounds shrimp, unpeeled

Almost done!

Finished product!

Photos by JoJo

Caprese Pasta Salad

Over the weekend I had a potluck to go to. I usually bring a dessert, but decided to make a Caprese Pasta Salad instead this time. I used grape tomatoes, marinated mozzarella, basil, and rotini pasta. I made two pounds of pasta and used the olive oil and seasonings from the mozzarella marinade to season the pasta salad, along with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. I didn't measure how much tomatoes or mozzarella I put in, but below is a guide to use. I had this both at room temperature the first night, and cold as leftovers the second day. Both ways tasted good, but I prefer it cold. This is a very simple, healthy, and delicious meal that also makes a great addition to a cookout. I will definitely be making it more this summer!

Caprese Pasta Salad

1 pound pasta, cooked (recommended: rotini, farfalle, fiore or gemelli)
2 cups red grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 cups or 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cook your favorite pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta through a strainer. Transfer the pasta to a large wide bowl and coat with a little olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking. Set aside to cool completely.

Cut grape tomatoes in half. Cut mozzarella into bite-size pieces or about the same size as the tomato halves. Chop fresh basil.

Toss the cooled pasta with the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and enough olive oil to coat (and a bit of lemon juice). Season the pasta salad, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve either at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold.

NOTE: You can also use mozzarella marinated in olive oil. If you do this, you do not have to add extra olive oil and lemon juice – just use the mozzarella marinade to season your pasta salad.

Rotini Pasta with mozzarella marinade, sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Marinated Mozzarella

Mozzarella balls cut into quarters

Grape tomatoes cut in half

Caprese Pasta Salad

Photos by JoJo