1. Sicilian Inspired Blood Orange Salad- Courtesy Recipes From The Kitchn
Sometimes I have a hard time experimenting with my salads, they always seem like an afterthought to my main dish. But when I saw this colorful blood orange salad (on Pinterest of course), I had to give it a try. I didn't have pistachios but I added roasted pine nuts instead as well as added avocado, for obvious reasons. I always use a homemade vinaigrette dressing, store bought dressing can be expensive! This dish may be fine with just a drizzle of olive oil, but for your other dinner salads, try my Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe as follows:
1 clove garlic minced
1 t. dijon mustard
2 T. balsamic vinegar- or combination fresh lemon juice and vinegar
1/2 t. sugar, or sometimes I use honey
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
6-8 T. extra virgin olive oil
*Whisk together to emulsify. TASTE. If its too tangy, add more oil or sugar. If too oily, add lemon juice.
I love everything spicy, so of course I had to give this chicken thigh recipe a try. I actually did not make the rhubarb-cucumber salsa, mainly because I was feeling lazy, but I am sure it would have been a nice compliment. I did pair it with a creamy coconut rice (recipe here) though, which balances the spice nicely!
3. Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Cream and Avocado - Courtesy of www.howsweeteats.com
Another Pinterest find...it wasn't long before I turned this 'pin' into a party in my mouth. The best part is that it really required no kitchen skills, however I roasted my first garlic heads (I felt fancy). Because I was just making this dish for two, I kept the remaining patty mixture in the fridge until we wanted to make it again a day or so later, I noticed it was easier to form the patties the longer it was refrigerated. We served the patties over a bed of greens the second time around and it was delicious!
This is the best pork recipe that I have ever made. I can't wait for the Summer to try it again! I do remember the glaze making somewhat of a mess on the grill but it is so worth it (plus I never have to be on grill duty) :) It came out cooked just right and juicy and the glaze had just the right amount of kick.
For most of my life, I was terrified of shrimp, but when I tried this dish for the first time, I couldn't stop eating it! I think I was originally not a fan of the texture of shrimp, but fried in a crunchy sweet batter? What's not to love (now I can eat it in any form). The attached recipe is the closest I could find to my usual, they just choose to bake the shrimp and I fry them in a pot of oil... There are also several dipping options you can try. I usually do two, an orange marmalade and rum mixture and a sweet chili sauce dip. This is a great party pleaser!
I just made this dish last night and it was the easiest thing to make and great for leftovers! This is a great dish you can make ahead as it tastes better cold, straight from the fridge. I added a touch more of the Adobo sauce, because I like heat, but make sure to taste your sauce first before pouring it over the pasta. Now I have almost a whole can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that I can use for another recipe this week... any suggestions? I also added some kalamata olives and sun dried tomatoes because I had some handy. You could easily add shredded chicken pieces if you want as well. The website thepioneerwoman.com has tons of delicious looking recipes, I will be going back for more!
I have many more recipes that I wish I could have added to this post, but will save for another time. Let me know if you give these recipes a try and how you made them your own!
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2012/04/spicy-chicken-thighs-with-rhubarb-cucumber-salsahttp://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/09/smoky-sweet-potato-burgers-with-roasted-garlic-cream-and-avocado/http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/blackberry-jalapeno-glazed-pork-tenderloin-recipe/index.htmlhttp://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/12/skinny-coconut-shrimp.html
