Jicama, Avocado and Mango Salad

I love salads. Like more than any other meal on the entire planet. I know, I know...what girl doesn't love salads. But, really, I could eat a salad for every meal and be truly content. It's not really about the health factor (although I suppose that doesn't hurt) because I am a judgement-free zone when it comes to salads, including the unhealthy ones doused in a delicious ranch or honey mustard dressing. Regardless, Josh? He doesn't get excited about salads. He does get excited about the Green Bay Packers, a really good beer, history novels and fly fishing. But this salad was an obvious winner because he wouldn't stop talking about how good it was. All of the ingredients worked so well together - the sweetness of the mango, the crunch of the jicama and the creaminess of the avocado all brought together by a little heat in the cumin and tart from the lime. I can't take all of the credit - I recently saw a similar Tyler Florence recipe in a magazine, so thanks to him for the inspiration for this. Give it a try!

*Inspired by this Tyler Florence recipe.
Ingredients

1 small jicama

1 avocado

1 mango
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves

1 tsp cumin

2 limes, juiced

Kosher salt 


Preparation Instructions
Peel and cut the jicama into long thin strips. Slice the avocados in half, remove the pit and then cut into strips similar in size to the jicama strips. Peel the mangoes and then slice into wedges. Carefully combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl with the chopped cilantro, cumin, lime juice and a dash of kosher salt.


ps: this is being shared over at Cast Party Wednesday!

Tandoori Chicken Sandwiches

So I'm driving to the grocery store a few weeks ago with zero inspiration for dinner. It's official, my brain is fried. We have 15 days until our wedding and work has become a complete s**t show...perfect timing. Knowing I had a package of my favorite organic chicken thighs at home, I called my savior for moments like this...my mom. I can always count on her to have a brilliant idea for dinner...among other things! She had come across a fantastic-looking Tandoori recipe in her Cooking Light magazine and gave me the ingredients over the phone. Sounded easy, tasty and healthy...perfect. I put my own spin on the meal, one that includes carbs - cause this GF girl could not survive without her carbs! You don't need to make extra sauce for drizzling over the top, but I highly encourage this behavior. Regardless, I wanted to publicly wish my fabulous mother a VERY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. Throughout the last ten months, you have been such an amazing support system to me and I couldn't have done it with you. Josh and I are so excited about our big day. Love you MOM! 


And to all the other amazing mommy's out there (especially my sister, E, who truly amazes me every day and my soon to be mother-in-law, J!!) I hope it's a great one and you do something extra special for yourself!


Enjoy this recipe!

Inspired by Cooking Light’s Tandoori Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs

12 ounces plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated onion
2 TBSPs grated peeled fresh ginger
1 TBSP ground cumin
2 tsps cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 TBSP canola oil

Optional toppings:

GF pita or Naan

Rice

Lettuce

Grilled green peppers and onions

Preparation Instructions
Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well. Set aside ¼ of mixture and puree using a blender or food processor. Scrape the remaining yogurt mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag. Add the chicken to yogurt mixture in bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with salt.

Preheat grill (or grill pan) to medium-high heat.

Brush grill rack with oil. Arrange chicken on grill rack. Grill 6 minutes on each side or until done. 

Serve with rice, grilled green pepper and onion, and/or GF pita or naan bread. Top with some of the pureed mixture.

Chicken Teriyaki

As anyone with Celiac Disease knows, eating Asian food in restaurants is challenging. Not only are you dealing with foods that have been breaded and fried, but even with the healthy fare, most soy sauce is not gluten free. All hope is not lost. Cooking Asian-inspired food at home doesn't have to be complicated...case in point, this super easy and tasty meal of Chicken Teriyaki.Give it a try and enjoy!

Ingredients

1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup GF tamari low sodium soy sauce

2 TBSPs light brown sugar

1 TBSP grated fresh ginger

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp peanut oil

Cooked rice, to serve over

Preparation Instructions

Combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and sesame oil in a bowl or dish that you can marinade the chicken in.

Add the prepared chicken pieces and marinade for 15-20 minutes.

Heat the peanut oil in a large shallow frying pan with a lid over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces from the marinade to the pan. Saute them until they look cooked on the outside.

Add the marinade to the chicken pieces and bring to a bubble, then turn the heat down to low, put the lid on and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove the cooked pieces with a slotted spoon and turn the heat up under the pan to let the liquid boil down to a thick dark syrup. 

Return the chicken pieces back to the pan, stir well so that all the chicken pieces are coated in the syrup. Serve over sushi or brown rice.


This is being shared over at Tasty Tuesday!