Chicken or Steak Fajitas

FILLING

1-1 1/2 pounds chicken (boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs) or steak (sirloin or flank steak)
2-3 red, orange, and/or yellow bell peppers, halved (or use a few handfuls of baby peppers)
1 large onion, sliced into 1/2″-thick slices

MARINADE

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke (see note)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder or chipotle chili powder (chipotle chili powder will have heat and smoke)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

Place meat in a Ziploc bag or shallow dish.  Place vegetables in another.  In a medium bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and whisk well.  Reserve 3-4 tablespoons of marinade for later use. 

With remaining marinade, add a splash to the vegetables (enough for a light coating) and the remaining to the meat.  Marinate for 4-6 hours and up to overnight.

GRILL INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat outdoor grill (our preference) to medium heat. When the grill is hot, place everything on at the same time in a single layer when the grill is hot. Cook until desired doneness is reached, flipping once (about 7 minutes per side for chicken breasts, 3-4 minutes per side for chicken thighs, or see this tutorial for steak.) You may need to remove the vegetables before the meat is done–just transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil. When the meat is done, transfer to a plate and allow to stand for a few minutes, then slice the meat.

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS

 After you’ve sliced the meat, toss the meat and vegetables with reserved marinade and serve along side any or all of the following:

Flour Tortillas
Black Beans
Lime-Cilantro Rice
Pico de Gallo
Salsa 
Diced avocado
Guacamole
Sour Cream 
Shredded cheese 

via: Our Best Bites

Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients
1 28 oz. can whole tomatillos, drained, ½ cup juice reserved
1/4 to 1/3 bunch fresh cilantro
¼ cup canned jalapeños or 1 fresh jalapeno, stemmed and seeded according to taste
4 TBS sugar
3 cloves garlic
1/4 white onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
juice from 1/2 fresh lime

Directions: In bowl of a food processor, pulse onions and garlic until combined, about 5 pulses. Add tomatillos, jalapenos, cilantro, sugar and salt. Pulse until smooth; add reserved tomatillo juice and fresh lime. Pulse one more time and serve. Refrigerate leftovers, makes about 2 cups and will keep about 1 week.

Cowboy Caviar

• 5-6 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14 oz) can corn, drained
• 1/2 medium onion, diced (I used a purple onion)
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons diced jalapenos (more or less, depending on how hot you prefer it)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup Italian dressing (I used Wishbone Robusto Italian)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix together tomatoes, black beans, corn, onion, avocado, green pepper, and jalapenos in a large bowl. Sprinkle garlic powder on top, then stir in dressing and cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips (I suggest using the "scoop" chips- you are going to want to get a lot of this with every bite!).

via: Six Sisters Stuff

Greek Pitas

Place as many chicken tenders as you need in a ziploc bag with 1/2 a bottle of Cardini's Light Greek Viniagrette Dressing. Marinate for a few hours. Grill on the bbq until chicken is done. Slice & serve with the following:

Greek pita flat bread (Papa Pita brand is the best!)

olives

Tzatziki sauce

Feta cheese

Sliced red onion

cucumber

tomatoes

The Best Corn on the Cob

corn on the cob

salt

1 T sugar

1 T white vinegar

Put corn in pot when water is boiling. Boil for 3 minutes then remove from heat. Let sit, covered, 10 minutes then remove from water. 

Poppy Seed Dressing

1/3 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. Kosher salt
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. mustard
1 green onion, ends removed (both the “hairy” end and where the green part starts to get floppy)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds

In a blender, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard. While the blender is running, add the green onion. Continue running the blender and add the oil in a steady stream and is fully incorporated into the dressing.

Pour the dressing into a serving or storage container and whisk in poppy seeds. Serve over leafy greens.

Recipe from Our Best Bites

Chicken Mozzarella Pasta

• 1 pound Penne Or Rigatoni
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Plus More For Drizzling
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Small Bite-sized Pieces
• Salt And Pepper
• 1 whole Large Onion, Finely Diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 jar (25 Ounce) Good Quality Marinara Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
• 1/2 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley
• 8 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella, Cut Into Medium Cubes
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Shavings
• Extra Parmesan, For Serving
• 12 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces in a single layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to cook without stirring for 2 minutes, or until golden. Stir chicken around to brown on all sides. Remove to a plate.

In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the onions and garlic and stir immediately to start cooking. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden. 

Reduce the heat to low and pour in the marinara sauce, red pepper flakes, and the water. Stir until the onions and garlic are mixed in, then add the chicken back into the pan. Add the parsley, stir to combine, then allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 7-8 minutes. 

Make sure the sauce is bubbly and very hot, then gently stir in the mozzarella. Let it sit, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes, until you can see that the mozzarella is very soft. 

Drain the pasta and pour it onto a platter. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Immediately sprinkle on 1/4 cup Parmesan shavings (or grated Parmesan.) Pour on the sauce, sprinkle with extra Parmesan and the chiffonade of Basil, and serve immediately!

* NOTE: The mozzarella should be very soft but should still be in visible chunks rather than distributed throughout the sauce. It's better for the chunks to be on the firm side than the falling-apart side! You can always heat it a little more to get the cheese to the consistency you want.

via: Pioneer Woman