Chicken with Caribbean Rub and Mango Salsa

This came from The Sisters Cafe.  Their recipe called for pork chops-- I used chicken.  It turned out to be delicious and refreshing.  I think it would go perfect with rice or couscous.  I grilled my chicken on the George Foreman.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1- 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1- 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

mango peach salsa (I bought some from Lee's that had pineapple and mango.  Mmmmmm)

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub chicken with spice mixture.  Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; grill 3 minutes on each side or until a thermometer registers 145° (slightly pink).  *Even better, grill pork chops on a bbq preheated to medium-high heat.  Or if you don’t have a bbq or a grill pan, broil the chops in the oven about 6 inches away from heat – works great too!  Serve grilled pork chops with mango peach salsa.

If you prefer to make your own salsa, here is the original Cooking Light recipe for mango salsa.

Toss together gently:
1/2 cup diced peeled mango
1/2 cup diced plum tomato
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am on a quest to make my recipes healthier.  With my changes, this one amounts to 111 calories per muffin.  Not bad.  It comes from recipegirl.com

banana- chocolate chip muffins

Yield: 12 regular-sized muffins

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 25 min

I like to bake these up in mini muffin cups to utilize for after-school snacks...

ingredients:

3 medium very-ripe bananas
1 large egg
1/3 cup low fat buttermilk or nonfat milk
1/4 cup granulated sugar (I cut both sugars in half)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat regular-sized muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mash bananas with fork. Whisk in egg, milk, and sugars.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet mixture and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Spoon equal amounts of batter into 12 muffin cups. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Alisa's Favorite Chili

This is easy and delicious.  From KSL's Studio 5

Alisa's Favorite Chili

• 3 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cans (15 oz. each) Ranch Style Beans* (I couldn't find these so I used Western Style Beans)
• 2 cans (20 oz. each) enchilada sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. cumin

Method:

Brown the ground beef and chopped onion together. Drain any grease and place mixture in a large cooking pot. Stir in beans, enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, chili powder, and cumin (add more seasoning to taste if desired). Simmer until thickened. Serve with grated cheese and bread. Serves 8-10.

Note: Ranch Style Beans are a brand name of baked beans that are found easily in most grocery stores.

Whole Wheat Bread (Marcia Wilson)

This bread is the best homemade whole wheat I've tried.  It is from Mb's mil, Marcia.  You can make the entire recipe if you are using a Bosch mixer, but make sure to half it if you use a Kitchenaid.  

Whole Wheat Bread

8 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup wheat gluten

¾ cup honey

¾ cup oil

5 tsp salt

3 cups hot water

White flour as needed (generally 2 cups)

4 tbsp dry active yeast

1 tbsp sugar

1 ½ cups warm water

Directions: Mix wheat flour, gluten, honey, oil, and salt. Once combined at 4 cups hot water. Combine 1 ½ cups warm water, sugar and yeast, let proof. Once yeast has proofed add it to the rest of the ingredients. Add flour until the dough is able to be kneaded. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Place a large bowl coated with oil and let raise until double or 1 hour. Then punch a hole in the dough and push out all the air bubbles. Divide the dough equally and place in loaf pans. Cover with a clean dish towel and let raise about 30 min. Bake at 350 degrees until the internal temperature of the bread is 200 degrees (about 30 min).