Teriyaki Tacos

It's Taco Night here at the Powers' house, and tonight we had Chicken Teriyaki Tacos inspired by this recipe from Carlsbad Cravings. Aaron says this is one of his favorite tacos that we've ever made.

• INGREDIENTS
• 
  
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 12 tortillas (we prefer HEB's Mixla tortillas)

1 Recipe Chicken Marinade

1/2 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or low sodium soy sauce)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 T. rice vinegar

Splash of pineapple juice (optional)

1 Recipe Grilled Pineapple Pear Salsa

Pineapple Lime Crema

• 1 5.3 oz. pineapple yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 tablespoon lime juice (or more to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. Chicken Marinade: Mix ingredients for marinade. Pound chicken to an even thickness and poke several times on each side with a fork. Add chicken to a large freezer bag or shallow dish and add Teriyaki Marinade; toss to evenly coat chicken. Marinate 30 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Grilled Pineapple Pear Salsa: Meanwhile prepare Salsa according to directions. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. (I did not have time to skewer and grill everything, so I diced up the pears, pineapple, onion, and bell pepper and sautéed it. Then I let it cool before adding cilantro, lime juice, and seasonings.)
3. Pineapple Lime Crema: Meanwhile, whisk all of the Pineapple Lime Crema ingredients together in a small bowl. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
4. Chicken Grilling Directions: If chicken has been refrigerated, let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes (time permitting). Meanwhile, grease and preheat grill to medium heat, 375-450°F.
5. Grill chicken undisturbed for for 6-7 minutes per side, or until chicken is cooked through. (An inserted thermometer should read 155 degrees F.) Remove chicken from grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
6. Chicken Stovetop Directions: If chicken has been refrigerated, let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes (time permitting).
7. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once very hot, add chicken and cook, undisturbed for 3-5 minutes, or until nicely browned (or blackened if you prefer) on one side. Turn chicken over, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook for approximately 5-7 more minutes (depending on thickness of chicken), or until chicken is cooked through.
8. Remove chicken and let rest 5 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
9. Assemble!

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

INGREDIENTS
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
3 T. low sodium soy sauce, divided
1/4 c. plus 1 1/2 t. cornstarch, divided
1/4 t. kosher salt
2 T. canola oil, divided
1 1/2 T. honey
1 T. sesame oil
2 t. rice vinegar
1 t. red curry paste
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 T. coarsely chopped honey roasted peanuts
1-2 stalks of celery, diagonally sliced
8 corn tortillas
1/3 c. green onions, sliced
1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 lime wedges

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken in a large zip top plastic bag. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce to bag; seal. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place 1/4 cup cornstarch in dish, and toss chicken to thoroughly coat. Shake off excess corn starch.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of coated chicken; saute for 6 minutes or until done, turning to brown. Remove chicken from pan; drain on paper towels. Repeat the procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and remaining chicken.
3. Combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, honey, and next 3 ingredients (through curry paste) in a microwave safe bowl, stiring with a whisk until smooth. Microwave on high for 30 seconds or until slightly thick, stirring twice. Stir in garlic. Combine soy sauce mixture, chicken, and peanuts; toss to coat chicken.
4. Warm/toast tortillas, then serve with chicken mixture and garnishing with celery, green onion, red bell pepper, and lime.

Suggested side: Asian Chopped Salad

Serves 4.
Calories 418 | Fat 19.1 g | Protein 25.2 g

Coconut Rice

I love rice. But unless it's the instant variety, I'm not so good at making it. I somehow always over or under cook it. I hear that a rice cooker is the way to go, but I haven't been able to justify spending the extra money. So the other day, I did some research in order to improve my skills, and I discovered that I can cook rice in the crock pot! Then I decided to get creative and see if I could do something fancy with it, and I made coconut rice. And it turned out good! (Hear the shock in my voice?) And, while it tastes fancy, between you and me, it's quite easy to make!

Ingredients

1 c. Jasmine or Basmati Rice
1 c. Lite coconut milk (or more if you want. You just need 2 cups liquid total between the coconut milk and water.)
1 c. Water
1 T. butter
Salt to taste
Cilantro (optional)

Crock Pot Directions
Rub butter on inside of crock pot. Pour rice, coconut milk, water, and salt in crock pot. Turn to high and cook 1 1/2 to 2 hours (or low for 3-4 hours). Garnish with chopped cilantro if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Stove Top Directions
Bring Coconut Milk and Water to a boil. Add salt and butter. When boiling, add rice. Lower heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff and serve!

Asian Pork Loin Dinner

Sometimes I just don't feel like cooking a whole meal from scratch, so I'm always looking for easy to prep items that can be ready in a short amount of time BUT ARE STILL HEALTHY. We all know how hard this can be, so I thought I'd share one of my favorites.

Ingredients
Artisan Fresh Sweet Thai Style Chili Pork Loin Filet
Taylor Farms Asian Chopped Salad
Crock Pot Coconut Rice

Directions

1. A couple hours before dinner, begin the coconut rice in the crock pot.
2. Cook Pork Loin. Option 1: Grill it. Option 2: Sear in cast iron skillet on all sides and then finish cooking in the oven.
3. While pork is cooking, cut bag of salad open. Dump salad in a bowl.
4. Serve.