Recipe: Basil Lime Chicken with Coconut Lime Rice

So, I decided to do what I should be doing every week: plan out my meals for the whole week. I'm notorious for taking multiple grocery shopping trips per week to get things for recipes I pick at the last minute and don't have ingredients for. It's a waste of gas, money, and time, so I planned out this week (factoring in when I'd want to reheat leftovers instead of make something fresh, and when I might want a filling lunch instead of my usual light lunch). One of the things I decided to try this week was a variation on this basil lime chicken recipe—something bright, fresh, and light. I paired it with basmati rice lightly flavored with shredded coconut and lime zest and a sprinkling of fresh basil on top to make for an incredibly flavorful meal.

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 10 minutes, plus approx. 20-45 minutes for the chicken to marinate
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
Chicken & Marinade

• 2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced into approx. 3x1 in. pieces
• Juice of 2 limes
• Zest of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 4 large basil leaves, chiffonade
• A big pinch of shredded, sweetened coconut
• Salt and pepper

Rice

• 1 cup basmati rice (I used Uncle Ben's, ready in about 15 minutes)
• 2-4 tbsp. shredded, sweetened coconut, chopped
• 1 tbsp. time zest
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. coriander

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients for the chicken and marinade in a bowl, cover, and set aside in the fridge to marinate for approx. 20-45 min. (not too long though, because the acidity in the lime juice can over-tenderize the chicken). 

Follow the package instructions for the basmati rice (the style I used required water, a little butter and salt, and rice and took approx. 15 min. total to cook). When the rice has about 10 minutes left to cook, heat a medium pan over medium high heat and pour the bowl of chicken and marinade into the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally to mix up the marinade sauce, until the chicken is tender and done. Reduce the heat to low. When the rice is done, fluff it and add the lime juice and zest, coconut, coriander, and cumin and gently toss to combine. 

Serve the chicken atop the rice and top with freshly cut basil.

This dish is absolutely perfect for a warm spring or summer day. Bright and tangy lime, fresh basil, and sweet coconut create the perfect flavor combination and the lime juice makes the chicken perfectly tender. Basmati rice is a great alternative to the usual plain white rice (I considered using jasmine rice, which would probably work just as well), and it easily takes in the flavor of the lime, cumin, and coriander. This dish is easy to make and absolutely delicious.

Recipe: Curry-Lime Chicken with Seasoned Coconut Rice and Broccoli

Looking to redeem myself for that terrible minted pea pasta dish from the other week, I went in search of a flavorful, summery recipe that would make my parents forget that the not-so-delicious pasta dish had ever happened. I came across this recipe for lime and coconut chicken while browsing through recipe posts on Pinterest and I just knew it had to be good. Unlike the minted pea dish, I was more familiar with the flavors in this dish and how they would interact with each other. I whipped up a complimentary side dish of seasoned coconut rice and fresh broccoli and the result was absolutely delicious. My dad claimed he tasted "flavors from the Caribbean," my mom said something about South America or Thai food (not sure which one, or why she thought of them), and I was thinking of Indian food with that delicious curry flavor coming through. This dish is packed with intense flavor and freshness and it's perfect on a warm summer day (and it definitely helped erase the mint-and-pea combo from our memories).

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 15 minutes (plus at least 2 hours for the chicken to marinate)
Cooking time: Approx. 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Grill, grill pan, or George Foreman (or similar) grill

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• Approx. 1/3 cup coconut milk, as needed for the marinade-turned-sauce
• 2-4 cups cups broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Lime wedges (approx. 2 per person)

For the marinade

• 3 tbsp. oil (I used olive oil, but peanut oil or veggie/canola oil would be good choices)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1&1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. curry powder
• A pinch of ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. sugar

For the rice

• 2 cups white rice
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• Juice of 1 lime
• Zest of 2-3 limes
• 1 tsp. ground cumin, or to taste
• 1 tsp. ground coriander, or to taste
• 1 tsp. curry powder, or to taste
• 1 tsp. ground tumeric, or to taste
• 1/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut, chopped

Directions

Prepare the marinade for the chicken in a liquid measuring cup. Put chicken breasts in a large Ziploc bag, pour in the marinade, and place the mixture in the fridge for at least two hours, to allow the chicken breasts to fully marinate. After the chicken breasts are finished, remove them from the bag and set aside on a plate in the fridge. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Pour the marinade into a small sauce pan and set aside. In a medium pot, prepare the rice according to package instructions. Substitute 1/4 of the water for the rice with the coconut milk. While the rice is cooking, fill a medium-sized pot with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the broccoli florets and cook for 3-4 minutes, until tender, but still firm and green. Drain them and return them to the pot; cover and set aside to keep warm. When the rice reaches the last 12 minutes of cooking, throw the chicken on the grill and grill until tender and cooked through. Set it aside on a plate; cover with foil. In the meantime, bring the marinade to a boil—this will become a sauce for the dish, but you MUST boil it for AT LEAST 2 minutes to make it safe to consume (it's had raw chicken in it, so you have to cook that out over high heat). Once it's boiled for a few minutes, add a little coconut milk to tone it down (it's very flavor-packed)—you can also add a splash of water. Add cornstarch-and-water mixture to thicken if needed. Keep over low heat, stirring occasionally. When the rice is done, add all of the remaining ingredients (seasoning, zest, coconut) for it and mix. Plate the chicken, rice, and broccoli, and serve with cilantro, lime wedges, and the marinade-turned-sauce. 

The curry and lime are the prominent flavors in this meal, but the coconut and mixture of cumin, coriander, and tumeric add depth to the dish. The sauce is powerful on its own, but perfect drizzled over the rice and chicken, and of course the broccoli, which soaks it right up. Definitely a dish with some new and unique flavors (at least for our family), and definitely a winner.

Recipe: Thai-Style Steak with Thai Fried Quinoa

During the pasta and grains unit in my Foods 1 class last fall, we discussed a popular alternative to rice and couscous called quinoa. Nutty, grain-like, and celebrated as a healthier alternative to other grain side dishes, quinoa has recently become pretty popular in the food world and I've been dying to try it out. I searched high and low for the perfect recipe and found this fantastic one from Iowa Girl Eats. I picked up strip steaks and created a Thai-inspired marinade, and that this unique, grain-like side dish. Eating the quinoa was a lot like eating fried rice—it's nutty, chewy-crunchy, and fluffy—and it turned out just as well as I'd hoped it would.

Serves: 4
Prep. time: 15 minutes (marinate the steaks for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours)
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes for the quinoa, 5-10 minutes for the complete quinoa mixture, 5-10 minutes for the steak. Approx. 30-40 minutes total.
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
For the marinade

• 4 tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1/2-1 tsp. chili garlic sauce (add more if you want it spicy)
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. creamy peanut butter
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. cilantro, chopped
• 4 strip steaks

For the quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained (the brand I used was pre-rinsed)
• 1 cup light/lite coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp. lime zest
• Peanut oil (enough to lightly coat the bottom of a large pan)
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced or grated/"zested"
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1, 8 oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp. sweetened, shredded coconut, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup peanuts, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• Juice of 1 lime (approx. 1-2 tbsp.)
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients for the steak marinade, then pour the mixture into a gallon size Ziploc bag, add the steaks, and mush the marinade around to coat the steaks. Put the steaks in the fridge to marinate. The longer you let the steaks marinate, the better the flavor (I put my steaks in the marinade at 11:00am and we grilled them up around 7:45pm). 

In a medium pot (approx. 2 quarts), add the quinoa, lime zest, coconut milk, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil (without a lid), then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender (a little crispiness is okay) and has soaked up all of the fluid. Once the quinoa is cooked, turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, while you work on everything else. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, then put the steaks on and cook until they reach your desired doneness (about 5-10 minutes for medium). In the meantime, heat the peanut oil over medium high heat in a large, deep skillet or wok. Add the green onion, ginger, and garlic and cook for about a minute, until fragrant, making sure to stir frequently to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the peas and pineapple and cook for another minute, stirring occasionally. Push the mixture out to the edges of the skillet, scramble the eggs in a small bowl, and add the eggs to the middle of the skillet. Whisk them around as they cook, and once cooked through, break up the eggs and mix them into the rest of the ingredients. Add the chopped peanuts, coconut, and cilantro and stir to combine. Pour in the cooked quinoa, soy sauce, and lime juice and stir to combine. Serve the finished quinoa alongside the steaks. Add additional cilantro and peanuts as desired.

This dish is such a flavor explosion! The marinade for the steak is meaty, savory, salty, and slightly spicy. Oyster sauce is amazing and it has this savory quality that makes it perfect for many Asian dishes, particularly when used with beef. The quinoa mixture, with its sweet pineapple and coconut, salty peanuts, fresh cilantro, and sweet-spicy ginger is delicious. It's like eating Thai fried rice, but it's fluffier, lighter, and nuttier. If you're looking for something out of the ordinary for dinner (well, it was out of the ordinary for an Italian food-loving girl like me), try this out! The unique flavor combinations and the texture and taste of the quinoa make this a winning dish.

Recipe: "Almond Joy" Pie

My mom just celebrated her birthday on Thursday and I really wanted to surprise her with some sort of birthday dessert. I came across a recipe online for "Almond Joy" pie a little while ago and I'd saved it on my "Recipes to Try" pinboard on Pinterest, thinking my parents would enjoy it someday—both are big fans of coconut, and they both enjoy Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars. We have two birthday dessert traditions in our house, Buster Bar ice cream cake (Oreo cookie crust topped with vanilla ice cream, homemade fudgy chocolate topping, and peanuts) and Double Fudge Fancy Fill (a chocolate cake with a layer of sweetened cream cheese in the middle, topped with homemade chocolate icing), but my mom always makes those, so I thought I'd try something new, and birthday pie sounded like a good idea. The pie is essentially a coconut cream pie, but a chocolate cookie crust, whipped cream topping, thick drizzles of hot fudge, and sliced almonds transform it into an "Almond Joy" pie that is to-die-for. I'm not a huge fan of coconut, but I absolutely loved this pie and, happily, so did my parents (and yes, my mom was quite surprised and loved that I made the effort to make something from scratch). The coconut cream filling is luscious and creamy, and the coconut flavor is soft and sweet (I was concerned it would be overpowering, but the flavor is just right). You'll end up with extra hot fudge, which is great, because it's perfect for ice cream sundaes, something sweet to dip fruit in, and other desserts. The recipe is easy to follow and it actually gets pulled together pretty quickly, so you'll be enjoying "Almond Joy" pie in no time!

Yields: 1, 9-inch pie
Prep. and cooking time: Approx. 15-20 minutes for the coconut cream filling, approx.  10-15 minutes for the hot fudge, Approx. 10-15 minutes (unless you use a premade crust, in which case, it's ready to go)
Difficulty: Easy
Special equipment: Electric mixer or handheld/immersion blender

Ingredients & Directions
Chocolate crumb crust

• 1 & 1/2 cups Nabisco chocolate wafers, crushed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp. butter, melted 

Preheat the oven to 375*F. In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate wafers, sugar, and melted butter and stir until well-mixed and until the mixture looks slightly wet and darker. Pour the mixture in a 9-inch pie pan and press it into the bottoms and sides, creating a crust. Bake until firm, for approx. 8-10 minutes. Cool completely, then add the cream pie filling.
I couldn't find Nabisco chocolate wafers or any other sort of hard, crunchy chocolate cookie, so I used a premade Keebler brand chocolate cookie crumb crust and it was very good.


Coconut cream pie filling

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 cup cream of coconut
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 2 tbsp. margarine or butter (I used salted butter) 
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup flaked/shredded, sweetened coconut

In a medium pot, combine the sugar, salt, and cornstarch, then stir in the milk and cream of coconut. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick and bubbly, then continue cooking for approx. 2 minutes more. Temper the egg yolks by very slowly and gradually adding a little bit of the hot cream of coconut mixture to them, being sure to stir the egg yolk and cream of coconut mixture constantly (you need to temper it properly—if you do this too quickly or mix too much at a time, the eggs will scramble. Here's a helpful link to explain the process of tempering). Pour this mixture in the pot with the rest of the cream of coconut mixture and cook over medium heat until it starts to bubble, then continue to cook for a minute or too. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and butter, stirring until the butter is melted, then add the shredded coconut, stirring to combine. Pour the mixture over the chocolate crumb crust and and chill, covered or uncovered) for 3-6 hours before adding the whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and almond topping.


Hot fudge topping

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's brand cocoa powder)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• (1 small bag sliced almonds to sprinkle on at the very end, once the whipped cream and chocolate has been put on)

Stir together the cocoa powder, sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, salt, and butter in a small-to-medium pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Let the mixture boil for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and let the mixture cool. Store in an airtight, microwave-safe container (it can be stored for up to 1 week in the fridge). To reheat (you need to do this in order to get it to pouring consistency for drizzling on the pie, or any other sweet treats), heat in short bursts (20 seconds at a time) in the microwave in the container it's in or in a small bowl, until it is warm and thinned-out enough to pour.


Whipped cream

• 4 tsp. cold water
• 1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• Pure vanilla extract, to taste (I added about a tbsp., maybe a little more)

In a small heatproof dish (I used a little porcelain dish, but a small glass bowl could work too), combine the cold water and gelatin, and let it sit for about 2 minutes, until firm. Bring a small pot of water, filled up to about 2 inches, to a boil, then place the bowl of gelatin in the saucepan and stir it until it dissolves (it will be clear and not cloudy when done). Whip the whipping cream and sugar in a mixer or use a handheld/immersion blender to whip it. Slowly drizzle in the dissolved gelatin as you whip the cream, then add in the vanilla. The whipped cream is done when soft peaks form when you dip a spoon in then pull it up and out. (The reason you add gelatin to this mixture is to stabilize the mixture so it keeps its shape on the pie and stays that way for a few days).

To make the finished product
Spread the whipped cream topping over the chilled coconut cream pie, then drizzle with the hot fudge and sprinkle sliced almonds all over the top. 

This pie is rich, creamy, and has an absolutely perfect combination of flavors and textures. Creamy, sweet coconut filling; fluffy whipped cream; warm, rich chocolate sauce; and a crunchy chocolate crust and sliced almonds on top make a delicious, candy bar-inspired pie that would be great served any time of year, for a variety of events. I highly recommend drizzling extra chocolate topping on after you serve yourself a slice and don't worry if you have to buy a pre-made crust, because it'll work out just fine. Be sure to thoroughly chill the pie before serving, because chilling firms it up and makes it a little less messy when serving.

Recipe: Coconut-Lime White Chocolate Truffles

When I made the "Cowboy Caviar" yesterday, I saved the zest from the limes I used to flavor the dish with the thought that I'd make mini lime cheesecakes today. Plans changed, however, when I found this recipe for white chocolate truffles infused with lime and rolled in sweetened coconut. I changed the recipe a bit to create a more intense lime flavor and the results were creamy, decadent truffles with a punch of lime, coated in a beautiful mix of pure white shredded coconut and bright green lime zest.

Serves/Yields: 12-20 truffles (depending on how big you make them)
Prep. time: 10-15 minutes, plus the 4 or more hours required to let the white chocolate mixture chill
Cooking time: Just a few minutes required to bring the cream to a simmer twice
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup and 1 tbsp. heavy cream
• Zest of 3 limes (keep the zest of the third lime separate from the zest of the other two limes)
• 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 9 ounces white chocolate chips
• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• A pinch (seriously, just a tiny bit) salt

Directions
In a small pot, combine the heavy cream and lime zest and heat over medium high heat until the mixture begins to simmer and bubble around the edges. Remove from heat and immediately cover the pot with a lid and let the mixture steep for 10-15 minutes (this will allow the lime zest to infuse the cream with its flavor).
In the meantime, add the white chocolate, butter, and pinch of salt to a microwaveable dish and heat it in the microwave for 1 minute.
When the 10-15 minutes of steeping is over, remove the lid from the pot of lime zest and cream and bring the mixture once again starts to bubble around the edges. Remove the simmering mixture from heat and stir in the fresh lime juice. Pour the cream mixture through a strainer into the bowl of white chocolate and butter and, with a spoon, press the lime zest against the holes of the strainer to push through any last bit of lime juice. Whisk together the cream and white chocolate mixture until it is smooth and creamy. Cover the dish with a tight-fitting lid or plastic/cling wrap and place in refrigerator to chill, for 4 hours or more (the chocolate must be chilled in order to be easily handled when rolling it into truffle ball shapes later).
While the mixture is chilling, finely chop the coconut (by hand or with a food processor) and add the zest of a third lime to the mixture. Gently toss the mixture until the coconut and lime zest are well blended.
Once the chocolate mixture has chilled enough and can be handled without melting or smearing easily, use a teaspoon to scoop out some of the mixture and roll it between your hands until a small ball forms (about 1 inch in size). Repeat until the mixture is gone—you should be able to make at least 12 truffles (the original recipe said it would make 12, but I managed to make 21, and they were still a good size). Roll the truffles in the coconut and lime zest mixture and serve.
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge. Best served at room temperature.

These truffles are incredibly creamy and rich and the coconut and lime zest coating add texture. The intense lime flavor is so summery and fresh and the white chocolate makes these truffles very sweet.