Grilled Jerk Chicken and Pineapple

My family just made a wonderful trip to Arizona -  a little vacation to visit family and enjoy some warm weather.  :)  While we were there, Dean and I ate this amazing jerk chicken meal at a restaurant.  I wanted more, so I did my own version of it the other evening for dinner.  It was really good.  I was able to combine the spices just right to make this sweet and spicy.  And who doesn't love grilled pineapple?!  If you haven't tried it you are really missing out! 

Jerk Chicken Marinade

1 T. wheat-free Tamari

1 T. olive oil

2 t. allspice

1 t. dried thyme

1 t. chipotle chili powder

1/2 t. of each: cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, pepper

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until combined and a paste forms.  

Chicken

4 chicken breasts

1 lime

Place chicken breasts in resealable bag, squeeze lime juice over chicken.  Spread marinade over chicken.  Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.  Remove chicken from fridge 30 minutes before grilling.  Grill over medium heat for 8-10 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Pineapple

1 (20 oz) can sliced pineapple

(fresh pineapple would work, too.  I just opted for the cheaper version this time)

Spray/drizzle a little olive oil onto each slice.  Grill over medium heat for about 4 minutes per side, or until grill marks show and surface of pineapple looks a bit dryer.

Pork Meatballs

Who would have thought little balls of meat could be so yummy?  :)  I love how quick and easy it is to make and eat meatballs.  These were so good for dinner, but even better as a tasty little snack.  

Pork Meatballs
2 lbs. ground pork
1/2 T. sea salt
1 T. caraway seeds
1 T. black pepper
2 T. dried parsley
1 T. dijon mustard
Mix all ingredients together.  Form into meatballs.  (Mine are kinda big because I was in a hurry).  Bake at 400º for 15 minutes.  Enjoy!




This is my slightly altered version of the original recipe from The Clothes Make The Girl.

Caribbean Jerk Steak

This is a really easy and very tasty recipe to spice up your steak life.  :)  I got the recipe from Cosmopolitan Primal Girl.  We made it for the first time and had some friends over to test it out.  They seemed to like it as much as we did.  I will warn you, though, it is a bit spicy.  I am a huge fan of spicy food and thought it was the perfect amount of spice.  The husband of the couple we invited over thought it was so spicy that it may have burned a hole through the plate.  Hee hee.  The leftovers are perfect for breakfast, over a salad, or even as a snack.  


Caribbean Jerk Steak
1 lb. flank steak
1/2 T. of: onion powder, garlic powder, allspice, coriander
1 T. thyme
1 t. of: nutmeg, cinnamon, chipotle chili powder, cayenne pepper
3 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. olive oil
1 T. tamari sauce
fresh ground pepper
Combine all ingredients, except steak, in a bowl and mix.  Rub onto steak and marinate in a sealed bag in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.  Bring steak out of fridge for 30 minutes before grilling.  Grill on high heat for 2-3 minutes per side (depending on thickness and how rare you want it).  Remove from grill and tent foil over the meat and let it rest for 5 minutes.  Slice into thin pieces and serve.

Pork Tenderloin with Bacon-Onion Sauce

I got to try this meal last week and thought it was so good that I asked for the recipe right away.  I made it this week and was just as happy with it!  The tenderloin is so juicy and so easy to make.  The sauce is a very tasty companion to the loin.  This got a thumbs up from everyone in my family.  Yay!  :)


Pork Tenderloin
2-3 lbs. tenderloin
salt/pepper to taste
Sprinkle salt and pepper on tenderloin.  Sear meat 4 minutes per side in large skillet.  Bake at 400º for 30-35 minutes.


Bacon-Onion Sauce
6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1/2 c. diced onion
1 T. minced shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. red wine
1 c. chicken broth
1 T. grass-fed butter
In large skillet, brown bacon until crispy.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Use bacon fat to cook onion.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Add shallots and garlic, cook for 1 minute.  Add red wine, bring to boil.  Add chicken broth and cook until liquid is reduced by 1/3.  Remove from heat.  Stir in butter and bacon.  Serve over cut up pork tenderloin.  

Spaghetti Squash

Everyone is always talking about how great spaghetti squash is and I just had to give it another try.  I tried making it way back when I first started testing out all of the new veggies I now eat.  This one did not make the cut back then.  One of the coaches at the gym was eating some and it smelled so good, so I made it the next day.  I loved it!  I made a homemade spaghetti sauce that a friend had shared with me years ago and some ground beef to mix in with the squash.  Delicious.  :)

Spaghetti Squash Directions

Cut squash in half, lengthwise.  Scoop out seeds and discard (or roast like pumpkin seeds).  Place rind side up in baking dish.  Bake at 375º for 30 minutes.  (Or keep squash whole, pierce with fork several times.  Place whole squash in baking dish.  Bake at 375º for 1 hour. )  When squash is tender, remove from oven.  Separate strands with fork.

Spaghetti Sauce

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. olive oil

28 oz. diced tomatoes

1 t. dried basil

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/2 t. red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)

Saute garlic in olive oil until golden brown.  Add rest of ingredients, heat over medium heat until heated through.  Serve and enjoy! 

Coffee Garlic Chicken

Roasting a chicken is one of my go-to meals every week.  They are super easy to prepare and makes enough leftovers for lunch the next day.  I came across this recipe in a 5 Ingredient Cookbook that I checked out from the library.  Not sure if this is known, but I LOVE coffee!!!  So, when I can flavor something with coffee I know it is going to be delicious.  This was so yummy!   

Coffee Garlic Chicken

1 whole chicken

1 T. grapeseed oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. dark roast ground coffee

salt/pepper

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Mix oil, garlic, coffee grounds.  Rub over chicken.  Bake at 350º for 1 hour 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Enjoy!

Pepper-Sausage Burgers and Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries

My husband was out of town when I made this meal, so I invited my good friend over to test out my new recipes.  (I like having people over who are willing to try out new recipes!  Thanks Tracee!)  Both were so very tasty!  I just love how easy burgers are to make and this recipe is no exception.  My friend, Emily, suggested I try the bacon-wrapped sweet potato fries (The Foodee Project) and I am so glad she did!  They were so good and the sauce was the perfect amount of spice to go along with the fries.  I used a different pepper than the recipe called for and I am sure it tasted just as delicious the original.  I would have to say this dinner was a success (hoping Tracee felt the same). 

Pepper-Sausage Burgers
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 pound Italian Sausage
10 1" pieces bottled roasted red sweet peppers
salt/pepper
Mix beef and sausage in bowl.  Shape into 10 patties.  Place peppers onto 5 of the patties.  Top each patty with another of the remaining 5 patties.  Press edges gently to seal.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Grill over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until desired doneness.  Enjoy!


Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potato Fries with Serrano-Lime Dip
2 sweet potatoes, cut into thick matchsticks
1 package bacon, not thick cut
1/2 c. olive oil mayo
2 serrano peppers (I used canned peppers)
1 lime, juiced
Preheat oven to 425º.  Soak sweet potato matchsticks in a bowl of cold water for up to 6 hours.  This removes a lot of the starch from the potato.  Drain water from the potatoes and pat dry.  Slice each piece of bacon in half, lengthwise.  Wrap 1 strip of bacon around 1 matchstick sweet potato.  Lay on a baking sheet.  Repeat until all bacon is gone.  If you have leftover sweet potatoes, toss them on the same pan, too.  Bake fries for about 25 minutes on one side.  Use tongs to flip fries over and bake for another 10 minutes, or until bacon is browned.


For the dip
In food processor, pulse up serranos and lime juice into the mayo until peppers are all chopped up and mix is smooth.   


Serve hot with dip.

Chocolate-covered Bacon

I have been wanting to try chocolate-covered bacon for some time now.  I was invited to a Super Bowl party and needed to bring a sweet treat.  I figured this was my perfect opportunity.  My daughter ended up getting sick, so we weren't able to go.  :(  The bright side of that situation was that my husband and I got to eat all of the bacon ourselves (and no, we didn't eat it all in one night :)).  It was sooo good!  

Chocolate-covered Bacon
1 package bacon, sliced in half
1/2 bag of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips 
Preheat oven to 400º.  Cover baking sheet with foil.  Lay bacon down on foil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned.  Allow to cool on paper towel - gives it time to get crispy.  Warm chocolate chips in small bowl in microwave for about 2 minutes or until melted.  Spoon chocolate onto bacon.  Place chocolate-covered bacon on parchment paper.  Allow to cool in refrigerator. Enjoy!  

Apple sandwiches

One night while I was at the gym, Dean decided to make an apple a little more exciting for the girls.  He cored it, sliced it and called it an "apple donut."  The girls loved that it was called a donut!  I decided to make it even more of a treat for me and Dean.  Very filling and very satisfying.  Yum!


Apple sandwiches
1 apple, cored and sliced
Almond butter
Sunbutter
Shredded, unsweetened coconut
Raisins


Spread desired amount of either the almond or sunbutter on the apple slices.  Add raisins and coconut.  Top with another apple slice or eat it open-faced.  Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken

Looking for a really quick, tasty recipe?  Look no further.  :)  Ha!  I sound like an infomercial.  This is about a 15 minute dinner - prep and cook time.  I just chose spices I had and I really liked the combination.  This is great recipe to fix on a busy day or when you  just don't feel like being in the kitchen all night.


Spicy Chicken
2 large chicken breasts, cut in half
2 t. garlic powder
1 t. chipotle chili powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. paprika
2 t. lime juice
Combine garlic powder, chili powder, salt, paprika in small bowl.  Rub mixture on chicken breasts.  Heat small amount of olive oil (just enough to coat pan) in large skillet over medium-medium high heat.  Brown chicken on both sides.  Drizzle lime juice over chicken.  Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Herbed Pork Tenderloin

Another quick, easy recipe.  I was had this recipe all planned out to make one evening, but had totally forgotten to get some fresh ingredients I needed.  I used dried herbs I had in my pantry instead and came out with an amazing pork tenderloin.  

Herbed Pork Tenderloin
1 boneless pork tenderloin
1/2 T. dried rosemary
1/2 T. Herbes de Provence
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 t. olive oil, divided
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper


In small bowl, combine rosemary, Herbes, garlic, 1 t. olive oil, salt and pepper.  Rub tenderloin with herb mixture.  In large pan, over medium-high heat, brown roast in a remaining olive oil.  Place tenderloin in greased baking dish.  Cover and bake at 350º for 1 1/2-2 hours.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Pineapple Chicken Fajitas

I have been on a mission to find easy, quick recipes.  I have been spending so much time in the kitchen cooking some amazing recipes, but some of them just take too long.  When I came across a recipe in a Taste of Home magazine I knew I could change it up just a bit and it would be the quick recipe I needed.  It was so fast, easy and delicious!


Pineapple Chicken Fajitas
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 T. olive oil
1 each green, red, yellow peppers, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 T. fajita seasoning mix
1/4 c water
1 T. honey
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. dried parsley flakes
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c pineapple chunks (or more if you really like pineapple)


In large skillet, cook chicken in oil for about 5 minutes.  Add peppers and onion; cook and stir for an additional 5 minutes.  In small bowl, combine fajita seasoning, water, honey, garlic powder, parsley, salt.  Stir into skillet.  Add pineapple.  Cook and stir for about 2 minutes.  Done!  Enjoy with some lettuce wraps or over cauliflower rice.

Tomato Baked Chicken

I love when I come across recipes that are easy and require less than 7 ingredients!  I have this old stack of food magazines in my kitchen cabinet and decided to go searching for a new recipe for dinner.  I really enjoy coming across something I know we will like and getting to change it to make it healthier for my family.  This was one of those; it came from a little Kraft recipe book.  My husband took the leftovers for lunch the next day and asked that I make this meal again really soon - it was a success!  

Tomato Baked Chicken

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes drained

1/4 c. balsamic vinaigrette

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/4 c. almond flour

Place onions in greased 9x13 baking dish.  Top with chicken.  Combine tomatoes, dressing, garlic powder; pour over chicken.  Sprinkle with almond flour.  Bake at 425º for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

We served ours over sliced, cooked zucchini "noodles"

Fish "Tacos"

I have had some great fish tacos living in southern Arizona!  I was having a craving for some, but needed to make them gluten-free.  I came across a recipe in a magazine and made a quick mental note of ingredients and recreated it when I got home.  It seems like a lot of ingredients as I look back, but it was super easy to prepare.  I even had the salsa and sauce prepared earlier in the day, so all I had to do was cook the fish.  These were so refreshing and very tasty!

Fish Tacos
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. halibut fillets


Sauce:
2 medium avocados
1/2 c. olive oil mayo
1 T. lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t. dill weed
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. oregano
dash cayenne pepper


Salsa:
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 small red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 T. fresh cilantro, minced
1 t. lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
dash salt


In large resealable bag, combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic.  Add fish, seal bag, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
For sauce and salsa, peel and cube avocados.  In small bowl mash about 1/4 c. avocado.  Stir in remaining sauce ingredients.  Place remaining cubed avocados in small bowl, stir in remaining salsa ingredients.  Refrigerate sauce and salsa until ready to serve.


Drain and discard marinade.  Broil halibut for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Place fish in center of piece of lettuce, top with sauce, then salsa.  Enjoy!