Grilled Chicken with Mango Avocado Salsa

We have been buying produce like it's nobody's business lately! At one point this week, we had the following items in our kitchen: cantaloupe, watermelon, avocado, tomatoes, mangoes, plums, nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, cherries and bananas. For only two people, that's a lot of fruit! So I decided to make some delicioso salsa. It could have been paired with just about any type of fish (mahi mahi, halibut, salmon, tilapia), but I decided to keep it simple and convenient (translate: I didn't have any fish in my fridge) and serve it with chicken. The result was simple, fresh and tasty!

(Bonus: we had some leftovers, so I served it up the next morning in an omelet. Who knew mangoes could taste so good with eggs!)

Inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow

INGREDIENTS:

2 servings simple blackened chicken

1 ripe mango, diced

1 ripe avocado, diced

2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and diced

5-6 green onions, finely chopped

1 teaspoon lime juice

garlic salt, to taste

lemon pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Mix mango, avocado, tomatoes, green onions, and lime juice. Season to taste with garlic salt and lemon pepper. 

Using a sharp knife, cut blackened chicken breasts in half, lengthwise.

On a plate, place chicken breasts. Spoon a generous serving of the mango avocado salsa over the chicken. 

Enjoy!!

Catherine's Enchiladas

My favorite way to cook involves no recipe. No set rules to follow, no cleaning of measuring cups in between uses, no boundaries. The risk of this is that there is also no guarantee of a delicious meal at the end of the cooking. Fortunately, in this case, there was a very delicious meal at the end of my enchilada cooking venture. 

I hope you try this.

INGREDIENTS:

2 chicken breasts

garlic salt

lemon pepper

olive oil

6 large flour tortillas

16 oz. green salsa (maybe substitute with red enchilada sauce)

1 small can diced green chiles

1/4 cup milk

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cumin

dash cayenne papper

1-2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Start by making simple blackened chicken. Using two forks, shred cooked chicken and set aside. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add green chiles, green salsa, milk, shredded chicken, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper and mix all together. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. 

Warm tortillas in a microwave or oven.

Spread 1/4 cup of chicken mixture in the bottom of the dish. One by one, fill each tortilla. Using tongs, spread chicken down the middle of the tortilla, add cheese, roll and set seam-side down in the baking dish. When finished rolling, top all enchiladas with remaining chicken mixture. Top everything with cheese.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!!!

White Chocolate Raspberry Bread Pudding

Some foods are a bit more difficult to photograph than others. Bread pudding is one of them. I can only hope that this photograph does justice to the decadent, comforting, and mouth-watering taste and texture of this delicious white chocolate raspberry bread pudding. It is really, really good, and it gets better with age. I made it with the intention to eat it as dessert (which I did), but the last 4 mornings in a row I've found myself dishing this up for breakfast. The chocolate in this recipe is really subtle, so it doesn't feel overly indulgent. Such a great way to start the day.

Are you ready for another amazing fact about this recipe? It is BETTER with stale bread. One of my biggest annoyances and challenges as a cook is not letting food to go waste. So when you buy a french loaf and it starts to get stale, don't fret! Make bread pudding!

Just one day after I made this, I watched an episode of Kelsey's Essentials where she made a tres leches bread pudding in a slow cooker! It looks equally delicious. Check it out here.

From Maureen Wittman

INGREDIENTS:

1 loaf of french bread (16 oz.)*

1 cup of white chocolate chips (or the whole bag if you're really feeling chocolate-y)

1 pint of fresh raspberries (this is two of those small rectangle packages)

6 eggs

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

*I used a whole wheat french bread loaf and it is delicious and nutritious!

DIRECTIONS:

Cut up the bread into bite-size pieces. (This recipe works best when the bread is stale.) 

In a bowl mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and sugar. Pour over the bread and let sit for an hour to allow the bread to soak in the liquid. You can also do this ahead of time (or the night before) and let it sit covered in the fridge.

Fold in the chocolate chips and raspberries. 

Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray and put the bread pudding into it. Put dabs of butter all over the top. 

Place into a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. 

Let cool and enjoy!!!