White Wine and Paprika Vinaigrette (or Taco Salad Vinaigrette)

I wish I had a picture of this vinaigrette to post on the blog because it has a great orangey color. We like to eat this salad with Mexican food, but it would also go nicely with Hungarian or German foods that use paprika. The vinaigrette also works as a dressing for taco salad. Just top the salad with some ground beef cooked with taco seasoning. You could add cubed avocado, shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, and salsa. Since regular tortilla chips are made from corn, we eat our taco salad with potato chips instead.

White Wine and Paprika Vinaigrette
serves 2 adults and 2 small children

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar. I use Acetaia Bellei brand since Cook's Illustrated recommended it.
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 large Romaine heart
• 1 can of sliced olives. Use Lindsays Naturals or another brand that does not contain ferrous gluconate.
• cherry or grape tomatoes

Instructions:

Whisk together the white wine vinegar, honey, paprika, mustard, black pepper, and sea salt. Then whisk in the canola oil.

Rinse the Romaine lettuce leaves and rip them into bite-size pieces. Dry them in a salad spinner or with a towel. Transfer the lettuce to a serving bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the lettuce and toss so that the dressing coats all of the leaves. Serve immediately.

Mexican Rice

This is another dish I started playing with over the summer, beginning with this recipe. However, the original recipe called for chicken broth, and I like to avoid using chicken broth for side dishes when I can. The organic chicken broth I have to buy is expensive, and it can be hard to find. So I decided to try to increase the flavor of the rice without using any broth. With the addition of spices and a little extra salt, Michael and the girls think this rice is a hit. The bright color is just a bonus. :)

The other thing I've been working on this summer is how to prepare rice in general. Over the past year Michael has become more sensitive to rice and will sometimes react to it. I think it might be either something sprayed on the rice or something in the natural rice starch coating. The trick I've found to make rice safe for Michael to eat is to rinse it thoroughly in cold water. I put the rice in a large bowl and fill the bowl with water. Next I swish the rice around in the water with my hand. The water will turn whitish in color as the rice starch comes off the rice into the water. Then I pour the starchy water out into the sink and fill the bowl with water again. I do this four or five times, until the water remains mostly clear even after having the rice stirred around in it.

Mexican Rice
serves 3 to 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
  
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1/4 cup tomato paste. Try to get a can with just tomato and no added citric acid.
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice (optional)
  
• 1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Instructions:

Place a 2-quart pot over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot to heat up. Finely chop the onion and add to the pot. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened. While the onion is sauteing, pour about 2 cups water into a kettle and bring to a boil. Measure out the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper into a small bowl. Rinse the rice thoroughly in a large bowl with cold water until the water runs clear. Drain the water from the rice.

When the onion is soft, add the garlic to the pot and stir for 30 seconds. Then add the spices and 1 more tablespoon of olive oil, and stir for 30 more seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and stir so that the paste thoroughly covers the rice. Measure out 1 3/4 cups boiling water and pour into the pot. Add the oregano and stir the rice and water mixture briefly to make sure that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Bring the water in the pot back to a boil over medium heat. Cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook covered for 15 minutes. Then stir the rice and any liquid that is still on top, cover the pot again, and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, stir the rice, recover the pot, and let the rice sit covered for 5 minutes. Then add the chopped cilantro and lime juice and serve.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

As you can tell by my lack of posts this past month, September was a busy time for us. The girls and I were all getting used to their new school schedule, especially getting up at six in the morning! Needless to say, by the time each evening rolled around, I was too tired to work on the blog. However, now that October is here, I think I'm starting to get into the swing of things. And I really want to share some of the recipes I've been trying out over the past month.

I was inspired to come up with this recipe because I had some extra cilantro lying around that I didn't want to go to waste. Back before we had kids, I used to make a recipe for grilled cilantro lime chicken. However, most of the flavor for that dish came from the cilantro lime butter that was spread all over it. Since we're trying to avoid consuming as much dairy now, I wanted to increase the flavor of the chicken itself so that I wouldn't need to spread butter all over it to make it taste good. On a hunch, I started with my recipe for rosemary lemon chicken and modified it to use cilantro and lime instead. Voila! The chicken tastes great all by itself, without the help of any butter. But for those of you who love butter and can still eat it happily, I've included the recipe for the cilantro lime butter at the bottom.

Cilantro Lime Chicken
serves 3 to 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts that are either kosher or organic
• juice of 1 lime (2 to 2 1/2 Tbsp.)
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
  
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:

Rinse the chicken breasts thoroughly under cold water and place in a quart-size Zip-lock bag. Mince the cilantro and transfer to a small bowl. Add the lime juice, minced garlic, sea salt, and black pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Pour the marinade into the bag with the chicken breasts. Seal the bag and massage the marinade onto the chicken. Place the bag with the chicken in the refrigerator for at least one hour, but preferably two.

Remove the chicken from the bag and grill until the chicken is done.


Cilantro Lime Butter

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp. lime zest
• 1 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Let the butter soften on the counter top. In a small bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Then stir in the butter until the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated into the butter. Form the butter into a log or spoon it into an attractive bowl. Place the butter in the refrigerator for at least an hour to let it firm up before serving.