Mexican Pork Salad

I love when I can take a bunch of leftover bits of nothing and turn them into something wonderful. This one was so good, I may have to conjure up a bunch of leftovers, just so I can make it again.


1/2 lb Pork, cooked & shredded (left over Herbed Pork Roast)
1/2 c Water
2 c White rice, cooked and cooled (left over from stir fry)
1/2 c Bell Peppers, chopped & grilled (left over from kabobs)
1/4 c Tomato, diced
2 c Lettuce, chopped
1/2 c Salsa
1/2 c Sour Cream (or tofu sour cream)
2 T + 1 tsp Taco seasoning, divided

In a saute pan, add pork, water and 2 T of taco seasoning. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally until most of the water has evaporated. Stir in rice and peppers and heat thoroughly.

In a small bowl, wisk together salsa, sour cream, and 1 tsp of seasoning. Toss together all ingredients and serve. It makes for a great zesty salad.

For The Love of Pineapple

So, mention pineapple and you are bound to get mixed reviews. Usually people either love or hate it. I love a good pineapple. After having fresh ones in Hawaii, the store bought kind are just not the same, let alone canned. However, years later the memory of great pineapple has faded and I've learned to enjoy what's available on the mainland.

By far, my favorite way to eat pineapple is to grill it. I like to cut a fresh pineapple into long wedges and put them on skewers on the grill. It's an entirely different taste. The heat helps caramelize the sugars and yum. I've never tried to fry it, but I can imagine it would have similar results if you can leave it alone to brown slightly.

Skewer chunks of pineapple with chicken, pork, or shrimp and the juices help keep the meat moist. The grilled pineapple paired with grilled peppers, chicken, and mushrooms (which I don't usually like, but grilled with pineapple it was awesome) last night's cook out at our friends - was fabulous.

They had canned pineapple rings that they drained and threw on the grill and it was great as well. Sounds like a great summer treat to pull out mid-winter to me. Best of all, it's inexpensive. So happy fruit grilling to you.

NOTE: let it cool down before eating. Hot pineapple is not nearly as enjoyable.

Grilled Chicken's & My Favorite Marinade

Summer is all about simplicity and cooking for me. Summer is too short to spend it all in the kitchen. We grill almost all summer long (and much of spring, fall, and winter). It doesn't get much simpler that grilled chicken breasts with this marinade from items you are almost certain to have around the house.

To be honest, I've never measured the ingredients. I put the chicken in a gallon size ziplock bag, drizzle oil over the top of it and then sprinkle the seasonings over it. It's really a preference thing. So I'm giving you my best guess based on 4-5 chicken breasts.

4-5 Chicken breasts
2-3 T Olive Oil
2 t Italian Spices, crushed* (or combo of parsley, oregano, rosemary, basil)
1 t Sea Salt
1 t Garlic Powder

Allow the chicken to marinade for 30-60 minutes - or throw it on the grill right away if you must.

* to crush the spices, put them in the palm of your hand and use your fingers to crush the spices until you can smell the spices more strongly.

Jicama Lime Chicken Salad

It just tastes like summer or an island treat. Lime and cilantro - what's not to love about that? A college friend of mine passed along a recipe for a creamy jicama chicken taco that I adapted into this salad. I waited until my manly meat eaters left the house on day and celebrated my solitude with this salad. Someday my my boys will appreciate it. If not, more for me.

2 Romaine hearts or 1 leaf lettuce, chopped
1-2 T oil
1 Lime
1/4 t Salt
1 t Ground cumin
1/4 t Chili powder
1/4 t Garlic powder
1/4 t Pepper
2 Chicken breasts
1/2 sm Jicama*, shredded
1/4 c Cilantro, chopped
1 sm Mango, chopped (optional)
1/4 c Tomatoes, chopped (optional)
1 avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)
2 T Almonds, toasted - your pick of sliver/sliced/chopped (optional)

Chop and rinse lettuce and set aside. Mix together salt, cumin, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder. Rub chicken with oil and sprinkle seasoning on top. Allow to sit/marinade 20-30 minutes. Grill or fry the chicken until done. Squeeze lime juice over chicken and allow to rest a few minutes before slicing/chopping up to keep juices from running out.

Meanwhile shred the jicama (I used my box cheese grater) and chop cilantro. Toss together with lettuce and top with chicken and desired toppings like mango, tomato, almonds, and/or avocado. I used the Lime Vinaigrette for a cool and refreshing summer salad.

* NOTE: I had no idea what a jicama (pronounced HICK-a-mah) was. It's a root vegetable from Mexico (a.k.a. Mexican turnip or yam). It's round, white and has a crunchy and mildly fiberous texture and a hint of sweetness. Becomes a bit wet while shredding, not so much when chopped, much like a carrot would. New users I would recommend shredding into small pieces to introduce yourself and move on to small pieces.

Lime Vinaigrette

I'll be posting soon the DELICIOUS summer Jicama Lime Chicken Salad I made to go with this dressing. It has to be almost as good as it gets for summer flavors.

1/4 c Lime juice, fresh squeezed if you can
1/4 c Canola oil
1 T White wine vinegar
1 T Sesame Seeds
1/2 t Ginger, freshly grated
1 T White sugar (adjust to taste or use agave nectar)
dash of salt

Wisk all the ingredients together until well mixed. Serve over your favorite salad, or use as a marinade for chicken or shrimp. I'm thinking about adapting this sauce for a rice or quinoa dish. More to come on this later.

Fried Couscous

This is a little take on fried rice but with couscous instead. I made WAY too much one night and my boys decided they didn't like it so that left me with LOTS leftover. So that left me with time to experiment with it for lunch the next several days.

So here is a couple of takes on a light tasting lunch. Let me tell ya, I'm hoping for more leftovers to try this again. I'm also gonna try this with quinoa for a gluten-free take on this...

(for 2)
2 c Cooked couscous (or quinoa)
2/3 c Steak, finely chopped
1/3 c Carrots, finely chopped
2 T Fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 t Garlic, minced
2 T Lime juice
1 T Olive oil
1/4-1/3 c Water or beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add steak and carrots to pan and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and stir frequently, 1 minute. Add water or broth to deglaze the pan (pick up the drippings). Add couscous and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and add cilantro and lime juice. Serve immediately.

(serves 2)
2 c Cooked couscous (or quinoa)
2/3 c Chicken, finely chopped
1/3 c Carrots, finely chopped
1/3 c Tomato, finely chopped
1 t Garlic, minced
1 T Olive oil
1/4-1/3 c Water or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and carrots to pan and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and stir frequently, 1 minute. Add water or broth to deglaze the pan (pick up the drippings). Add couscous and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and add tomatoes.

Total Costs: $2.50 *
Couscous - $1.00 (Sunmart)
Steak/Chicken - $1.00 (Cashwise)
Veggies - $.50 (Cashwise)
Seasoning - from stock

* I made this completely with leftovers both days so I count as free since the costs were figured into other meals!

I'm Back

After a couple of weeks away (visiting family in MI), I'm back with a better perspective on life and lots of resources on how to best feed a child with lots of food allergies. It is a learning experience to be sure.

So I'm back to the kitchen with a bunch of things to try and new recipes coming your way. Thanks for hanging in there with me. If you have any suggestions of resources for me in the kitchen, I'd love to hear from you.

Let the cooking begin.