Mango Quinoa Salad

2 cups cooked quinoa* at room temperature, or chilled
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper

*Quinoa can be cooked in water or broth. I suggest using vegetable or chicken broth for enhanced flavor, but plain water works great too.

Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro. In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice. Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad. Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

via: Our Best Bites

Basic Cooked Quinoa
by Our Best Bites

Yields: about 2 C cooked quinoa

2/3 C dry quinoa
1 1/3 cups water or broth (chicken, vegetable, or beef)
1 pinch salt

Place quinoa in a bowl and cover with 1 inch of water. Gently stir and carefully pour out excess water. Add water again until it covers quinoa by 1 inch. Let sit for 5 minutes.

While quinoa is soaking, bring 1 1/3 C water or broth, and pinch of salt, to a boil on the stovetop. Reduce heat to simmer. Drain quinoa from soaking water using a fine mesh sieve. Add grains to simmering water on stove top. Place tight-fitting lid on pot and simmer for about 15 minutes, until all the water is evaporated. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Chicken Lime Tacos

1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cubed
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
4-5 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp fresh cilantro (or to taste)
Flour tortillas

Optional toppings:
Pico de gallo
cheese
onions
tomatoes
jalapeno
guacamole
cilantro
sour cream

Sauté chicken in a medium skillet in a little oil for a few minutes until chicken becomes white all around. Combine vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and cilantro and add to chicken. Simmer for an extra 10-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add chicken to tortillas and top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, or any other taco topping you like!

via: Favorite Family Recipes

Orzo Salad With Corn & Tomatoes

1 lb. green beans, trimmed

1 & 1/2 cups dried orzo pasta (8oz)

3 ears fresh white sweet corn

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup shallots, minced

2 T. Dijon mustard

2 T. minced fresh tarragon (2 tsp. dried)

salt & pepper to taste

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Cut green beans into 2" lengths. Add to boiling water; cook 3-5 minutes. Drain, place in ice water until cold; drain. Fill pot with water again & bring to a boil. Add orzo; cook 8-11 minutes. Drain & rinse. Husk corn, rinse & cut off kernels in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, oil, shallots, mustard, tarragon, salt & pepper. In a large bowl, mix orzo with 1/2 cup dressing, salt & pepper. Spread out orzo. Layer corn, green beans & tomatoes over pasta. Pour remaining dressing over salad & mix.

Marinated Chicken Breasts

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup light olive oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 T. coarse grain prepared mustard

1 T. lime juice

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Place chicken breasts in a large shallow dish. Combine remaining ingredients; stir well & pour over chicken. Cover & refrigerate, for no longer than 2 hours. Remove chicken from marinade, discard marinade. Grill for about 8 minutes on each side.

Spicy Honey Chicken

Spicy Honey Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs
2 t vegetable oil

Rub:
2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

Glaze:
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.
Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it’s not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.
I’m gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It’s sugar, and it’s gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It’s totally worth it once you taste this stuff.

Drizzle the extra couple tablespoons of glaze on now.

via: Our Best Bites

Mandarin Pasta Salad

Dressing:

- 1 tsp. finely chopped, peeled, fresh ginger root

- 1 garlic clove, pressed

- 1/3 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar

- ¼ cup orange juice

- ¼ cup vegetable oil

- 1 tsp. sesame oil

- 1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix

- 2 teaspoons sugar

Salad:

- 8 oz. bow tie pasta

- ½ cucumber, scored, seeded and sliced

- ½ cup diced red bell pepper

- ½ cup coarsely chopped red onion

- 1 package (6 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves

- 1 can (11 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained

- 2 cups diced, cooked chicken

- ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

1. For fresh dressing, finely chop ginger root. In small bowl, whisk ginger root, garlic, vinegar, OJ, vegetable oil, sesame oil, soup mix, and sugar. Cover, refrigerate until ready to use.

2. For Salad, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold, running water. Place pasta in large bowl.

3. Meanwhile, score cucumber, remove seeds and cut slices in half. Dice bell pepper, coarsely chop onion. Add cucumber, bell pepper, onion, spinach, mandarin oranges, chicken and almonds to pasta. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Serve immediately.

Carnitas

Ingredients:

- Pork loin roast

- 1 can chicken broth

- 1 can pepsi/coke

- 1 can chopped green chilis

- 1 med. onion-quartered

- 4-5 cloves of garlic

- 1 med. Jalapeno-deseeded and chopped

- 1 bunch of cilantro-chopped

- 1 tablespoon of cumin

- salt/pepper

　 Directions: 1. Cut roast into 2 inch pieces

2. Add to pot on stove

3. Add all ingredients

4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours

5. Remove meat with slotted spoon into a roasting pan

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

7. Save broth

8. Shred meat somewhat with a fork

9. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes

10. Remove from oven and spoon some of the broth over meat

11. Serve with tortillas, salsa, guacamole, etc.