Category Archives: Recipes

Pumpkin Curry With Chicken

Pumpkin curry is one of my favorite Thai dishes. Typically it is made with canned pumpkin and full-fat coconut milk, however this recipe uses light coconut milk, which has about one-third of the calories and fat than regular coconut milk. The curry is not as rich as it would be using regular coconut milk, but this dish is very flavorful and healthier. Fresh pumpkin is also used, since it is autumn and pumpkins are in season and this makes for a great warm dish for the cooling autumn evenings. I find this dish filling on its own though you can serve it with rice as it is done in Thai restaurants.

I used Kabocha squash also known as Japanese pumpkin for this recipe. Kabocha pumpkins are green on the outside and typically weigh about 3 pounds. They are popular for their strong yet sweet flavor and moist, fluffy texture. You can easily substitute the orange pumpkin varieties that you find around Halloween. This curry recipe calls for 4 cups of pumpkin, skinned and cut into about 1 inch pieces. I used about 2/3 of the 3.5 Kabocha squash.

The first step in making this curry is to sauté the chicken for a couple of minutes – about one minute on each side. The chicken will be only partially cooked, as it will finish cooking in the curry sauce. I do this as it keeps the chicken tender. One pound of chicken tenders are cut into pieces, about 1/3 each. You can buy whole boneless and skinless chicken breasts and cut them into pieces, if you prefer, but the tenders are pre-cut which makes it quick and easy.

After you remove the chicken from the pot, you’re now ready to make the curry. To the pot with the reserved oil, add the garlic and ginger and sauté for one minute, then add the light coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, turmeric, lemongrass, sugar, Kaffir lime leaves and the fish sauce (use a light colored fish sauce as it is better quality) and bring to a simmer.

Then add chicken stock and mix through. Add the pumpkin and chicken and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 4 minutes so the flavors mesh and the chicken is cooked through.

Remove the lemongrass pieces and Kaffir lime leaves from the pot and add the vegetables. This recipe calls for mushrooms, Bok Choy and red bell peppers, but you can use any vegetables you want. Cover the pot and simmer for 4 more minutes until the vegetables are cooked through. Add the juice of the lime and mix through. Serve with chopped cilantro to garnish, and rice if you want a more filling meal.

Pumpkin Curry With Chicken

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken tenders – cut tender into thirds

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 cups Kabocha squash or orange pumpkin, skin removed and cut into 1 inch pieces (3.5 lbs about 2/3 of)

1/2 tablespoon grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 13.5 oz. can lite coconut milk

2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

3 tablespoons of good quality fish sauce (such as Nam Pla or other light colored fish sauce)

1 tablespoons brown sugar

2 lemongrass stalks cut into 2 inch pieces

3 Kaffir lime leaves

½ teaspoon turmeric

¾ cup of chicken broth (I use low sodium)

8 oz. of white or crimini mushrooms cut in half or quarters, depending on size

1 bunch of Bok Choy (about 1/2 lb) cut into one-inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into one-inch pieces

Juice of one lime

4 tablespoons chopped cilantro to garnish

Serves 4

Heat oil in a pot on medium-high flame until hot. Add chicken and fry for 1 minute on each side and remove from pan. To the pot, add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute. Add coconut milk, Thai curry paste, turmeric, lemongrass, sugar, lime leaves and fish sauce to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the chicken stock and mix through. Add the squash to the pot along with the chicken and simmer covered for 4 minutes. Then remove lemongrass and lime leaves and add the mushrooms, Bok Choy and red pepper and cover simmer for 4 more minutes. Add the juice of the lime and mix through. Serve with chopped cilantro to garnish and rice if you want.

Cauliflower Pumpkin Masala

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This Indian-inspired vegetarian dish is hearty enough for a full meal. It’s easy to make and uses spices used in traditional Indian cooking. Garam Masala is a key ingredient along with additional Turmeric powder, which, along with the pumpkin, gives the dish a nice golden color. Sour cream is used as an accompaniment to balance the heat from the Cayenne pepper and add creaminess to the dish.

I used Kabocha squash also known as Japanese pumpkin for this recipe. They are popular for their strong yet sweet flavor and moist, fluffy texture. You can easily substitute butternut squash or orange pumpkin for the Kabocha squash. I made this recipe with the left over Kabocha squash from the Pumpkin Curry with Chicken recipe. Garbanzo beans round out the dish and adding to the heartiness of a full vegetarian meal.

To make this dish, sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in the oil until the onion is soft. Add the cauliflower, pumpkin, garbanzo beans, Garam Masala, turmeric, Cayenne pepper and tomato paste and mix through. Add the chicken stock and mix through again. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 30-35 minutes, until the liquid has cooked down and the consistency resembles a thick stew. The Serve with sour cream and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Cauliflower Pumpkin Masala

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons EVOO

1 onion diced

2 garlic cloves grated

1 inch of ginger, grated

1 head cauliflower – cut into small pieces using the florets only

1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans

2 cups diced squash or pumpkin

1 tablespoon Turmeric

1 tablespoon Garam Masala

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon tomato paste

2 cups chicken stock (I use low sodium)

1 teaspoon kosher salt – plus more to taste

Sour cream to serve (about 1-2 tablespoons per serving)

Chopped cilantro (optional as a garnish)

In a Dutch oven on the stovetop sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in the oil on medium heat until the onion is soft. Add the cauliflower, pumpkin, garbanzo beans, Garam Masala, turmeric, Cayenne pepper and tomato paste and mix through. Add the chicken stock and mix through again. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for about 30-35 minutes, until the until the liquid mostly absorbed and the consistency resembles a thick stew. Serve with sour cream and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serves 4

Artichoke Tapenade

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Here’s a quick and easy tapenade to make that’s great for snacking on as you watch Sunday football or to serve as an appetizer before dinner. Canned artichoke hearts are dressed with some red onion, garlic, lemon juice and zest, capers, Parmesan cheese and EVOO, plus some salt and pepper. Mix all ingredients in a food processor and process until fully blended and has a semi smooth consistency, then refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, so the flavors meld before serving.

Artichoke Tapenade

Ingredients:

1 can artichoke hearts

1/8 cup diced red onion

1 garlic cloves coarsely chopped

Zest of one lemon

1.5 tablespoons of lemon juice

½ teaspoon capers

1 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup EVOO plus 1/2 tablespoon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste if desired

Ground Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a food processor and process until fully blended and has a semi smooth consistency, then refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, so the flavors meld before serving.

Honey Glazed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

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These honey glazed stuffed chicken breasts make for a really nice presentation. The stuffing is gluten-free and dairy-free, and combines spinach with shallots and ground almonds and the sweetness of dried apricots and basil, making it a great dish to serve for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, when it is tradition to serve something sweet and fruity. The stuffing is inserted inside the chicken breast and underneath the skin, making for a nice chicken-to-stuffing ratio for almost every bite.

To make the stuffing, combine the almonds and basil in a processor and process until the almonds are pretty fine, with no big pieces. The basil and almonds will be mixed through thoroughly. Add the almond basil mixture to a non-stick frying pan.

Defrost and drain a box of frozen chopped spinach and squeeze the excess water out with paper towels. Add one cup, tightly packed spinach into the frying pan along with the chopped shallots, chopped dried apricots, 4 tablespoons of olive oil grated garlic clove and salt and pepper and sauté for 3 minutes.

To stuff the inside of the chicken breasts, find the pocket on the side of the joint. Use your fingers to separate it and make room for the stuffing. Using a tablespoon, spoon the stuffing into the pocket pushing down to make sure it extends all the way to the end of the breast. Then separate the skin from the breast and spoon the stuffing in between. Repeat with the remaining stuffing and chicken breasts ad place in an ovenproof dish.

Salt and pepper the skins of the chicken breasts and brush with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the wine and water to the pan, and place in preheated 375° oven and cook or 20 minutes. After 20 minutes of cooking, glaze the tops of the chicken breasts with the honey and continue cooking for another 40 minutes, the breasts will be browned on top and cooked through.

Honey Glazed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almonds

1 cup basil leaves

1 cup tightly packed frozen chopped spinach defrosted, drained and squeezed dry

2 shallots minced

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

5 tablespoons EVOO

1 garlic clove, grated

Salt pepper

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup Honey

Combine the almonds and basil in a food processor and process until the almonds are pretty fine, with no big pieces. Add the almond basil mixture to a non-stick frying pan.

Defrost and drain a box of frozen chopped spinach and squeeze the excess water out with paper towels until the spinach is dry. Tightly pack one cup of spinach and add to the frying pan along with the shallots. Chop the dried apricots into 1/8” pieces and add to frying pan along with 4 of the tablespoons of olive oil, the grated garlic clove, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for 3 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Stuff the inside of the chicken breasts, using the pocket by the joint, and place stuffing under the skin. Repeat with the remaining stuffing and chicken breasts and place in an ovenproof dish. Salt and pepper the skins of the chicken breasts and brush with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the wine and water to the pan, and place in oven. After 20 minutes of cooking, glaze the tops of the chicken breasts with the honey and continue cooking for another 40 minutes, the breasts will be browned on top and cooked through.

Serves 4

Beets, Figs and Fennel Salad

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I had never eaten a beet until I moved to California 18 years ago. Up until that point, beets were something you would see in every Jewish deli in Brooklyn. They were not necessarily presented as something very appetizing. My mother never made beets. And I never saw anyone I knew eat beets until I was around 10, when I saw my now brother-in-law, eat the beets at our favorite neighborhood deli. And I remember thinking…eeew.

Fast-forward nearly 30 years and I find myself in the fresh-from-the-farm food Mecca of San Francisco where beet salads are a staple on gourmet California-cuisine menus. Having met some foodie friends when I first moved here, I got the nerve to try beets and found that I really liked the earthiness flavor and hearty texture. The beautifully rich hues of purple-red and orange-yellow brighten up any bunch of greens.

There are many variations of beet salads. Some use red beets, others golden, some add cheese such as goat cheese or feta. I prefer this salad simple and golden, and I love the licorice-flavor of fennel and the sweetness of figs to balance the earthiness of the beets. The dressing for this salad is simple and combines the tanginess of orange juice and apple cider vinegar with the sweetness of honey.

To make this salad, first rinse and wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil and roast them in a baking pan in the oven for about an hour. When the beets are done and cool enough to handle, peel the skins using the side of a fork to scrape way the skin. Then slice the beets into half-inch pieces and add them to a bowl. Slice the fennel bulb in about 1/8 inch thickness and add them to the beets. The fennel will separate into pieces, but that is okay. Combine all ingredients for the dressing and pour over the beets and fennel, and refrigerate until the beets are cool – about an hour and a half.

When the beets are chilled, take out of the refrigerator and slice the figs into quarters and add to the bowl with the beets and mix the dressing through. Place the watercress on the platter and spoon the bets, figs and fennel over the watercress and drizzle the remaining dressing on top.

Beets, Figs and Fennel Salad

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs golden beets

1/2 lb black figs – quartered

2 cups sliced Fennel sliced into 1 inch pieces – about a bulb

2 bunches of watercress

Dressing:

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoons EVOO

1 teaspoon honey – golden blossom

Salt and pepper

Wrap beets in foul bake at 400 for 40-60 minutes depending on size of beets. Until a knife goes through the beet with ease.

Using the side tong of a fork, scrape away the outer skin of the beets. Then slice into pieces about 1 inch size add to bowl. Slice the fennel and add to the bowl with the beets. Then mix all ingredients of the dressing and pour over the beets and fennel and refrigerate until beets are cool – about an hour and a half.

When ready to serve, cut figs into quarters and add them to the beets and fennel and mix through to cover with the dressing. Place watercress on bottom of platter or bowl, and spoon the beets, figs and fennel over the greens. Drizzle remaining dressing on top and serve.

Serves 4-6 people

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Tarragon-Sumac Dressing

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This non-mayonnaise-based shrimp salad is perfect for a balmy day, offering protection from heat spoilage that most shrimp salads are vulnerable to. The ingredients for the salad are simple: grilled shrimp, celery, garbanzo beans, avocado and butter (Bibb) lettuce. A light but flavorful dressing made with Tarragon and Sumac give the salad a great punch of flavor. This recipe calls for the salad to be served chilled, but it also works as a warm salad with the freshly grilled shrimp added right before serving along with the avocado and placed on top of the butter lettuce.

The key to the keeping the shrimp moist is to grill the shrimp with their shells on, for just 2 minutes per side, just until the shells are pink and the inside opaque. To prepare the shrimp, slice through the outside shell to butterfly the shrimp and devein. Try to keep the shells in tact as much as possible so the shrimp do not dry out on the grill. Layer the shrimp on two skewers to ease the grilling process.

Several strong flavors come together in this dressing, providing a great complement to the garbanzo beans, celery and shrimp. Tarragon offers an anise-like accent to the dressing, while the sumac – typically found in Middle-Eastern dishes – provides a tangy citrusy flavor. Chopped shallot, lemon juice and whole grain mustard round out the flavors, mixing well with the EVOO and red wine vinegar.

To make the salad, chop the celery lengthwise in half and then cross-wise in 1/4″ pieces and add to bowl along with the garbanzo beans. Add the dressing and let sit until the shrimp has been cooked. Then add the peeled, chopped shrimp and refrigerate for one to one and a half hours so the shrimp has chilled and the flavors meld. If you do serve the salad with the hot freshly grilled shrimp, refrigerate the beans, celery and dressing for 30 minutes prior to making the shrimp. To serve, add the diced avocado to the salad and mix through to coat with dressing. Place leaves of butter lettuce on top of two plates and spoon the salad on top of the lettuce and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Tarragon-Sumac Dressing
Ingredients:
1/2 pound prawns or shrimp with shells on – about 10-12 pieces
1-2 tablespoons EVOO
Salt and Pepper
1 cup garbanzo beans, canned or freshly cooked
¾ cup chopped celery, into ¼” pieces
½ Hass avocado
½ head of butter (Bibb) lettuce

For the dressing:
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 teaspoons finely chopped tarragon
2 tablespoons EVOO
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground sumac
1/2 teaspoon grain mustard

Make dressing by combining the shallot, EVOO, vinegar, lemon juice, sumac and mustard. In a bowl, add the garbanzo beans and celery and add the dressing, mixing through. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, if serving the salad with warm, grilled shrimp. If serving the salad cold, then add the cooked, chopped shrimp to the bowl, mix through and refrigerate for 2 hours.

To grill the shrimp: Cut a slit into the back of the shrimp shell and butterfly and devein, keeping shells in tact so that the shrimp remains juicy when grilled. Thread the shrimp on two skewers. Brush the shrimp with EVOO and add salt and pepper. Grill on high heat for 2 minutes on each side, just so the shrimp is opaque and the shells are pink. Remove shrimp form the skewers, discard shells and chop the shrimp into large chunks, about 3 pieces per shrimp. Add shrimp to bowl with beans and celery and mix through. Refrigerate 1 – 1 ½ hours until the shrimp is chilled and the flavors meld.

When ready to serve, cut the avocado into 1/4″ pieces and add to the salad and mix through. Divide the lettuce into 2 and place the leaves on 2 separate plates and spoon the salad on top of the lettuce drizzling the remaining dressing onto the lettuce leaves.

To serve this salad with warm, freshly grilled shrimp. Prepare the dressing, beans, and celery and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Then prepare shrimp and add it while hot along with the avocado and mix through so the dressing coats. Then place on top of the lettuce and drizzle the remaining dressing over the lettuce.

Serves 2

Chilled Watermelon Soup with Feta Cream

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Cold watermelon is one of the most refreshing foods you can eat on a hot summer day. It’s sweet and light and comprised mostly of water. These days, seedless watermelons are pervasive but I actually prefer the ones with seeds, as the taste and sweetness tend to be stronger. This recipe for watermelon soup, however, works perfectly fine with the seedless watermelon, and it makes it much easier to make.

This chilled watermelon soup with feta cream is a great snack or a great first course for a summertime lunch or dinner. Fresh mint and basil are puréed with the watermelon, providing the right balance of seasoning to make the watermelon more savory. Honey and red wine vinegar provide the sweet and tangy balance which gives the soup added depth. When pureeing the watermelon, make sure to use a blender and not a food processor, as the blender results in the right consistency and the food processor makes it too watery.

Feta cream finishes this soup and when combined, adds a nice bit of a creaminess to the texture. I tend to not put too much, as the soup should be light and not too creamy. The balance I use is about one tablespoon of feta for about a cup and a half of soup. To make the feta cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil serve as flavoring agents for the feta cheese. All ingredients, plus a bit of low-fat milk to help thin out the feta cheese, are combined in a food processor. The end consistency is thin enough to drizzle on top of the soup.

The key stage in this recipe is giving the soup enough time to chill in the refrigerator for the flavors to really meld. Two hours gives it ample time. The feta cream is kept separate and added just before serving. This recipe makes for extra feta cream, which will keep in the refrigerator for about 5-7 days, and can be easily added to salads and other dishes. The soup will keep in the refrigerator about 3-4 days.

Chilled Watermelon Soup with Feta Cream

For the soup:

10 cups watermelon

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons chopped basil

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

For the feta cream:

4 oz feta

2 tablespoons olive oil

Zest of one lemon

1 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup 2% milk

To make the soup: combine all ingredients in a blender and puree – you will need to do this in 3-4 batches. Transfer to a covered bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours until the flavors meld.

To make the feta cream: combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until creamy. Refrigerate for until ready to serve the soup.

To serve: drizzle feta cream on top of soup in individual bowls.

Serves 6 to 8

Pistachio Ice Cream

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The best food-related aspect about the summer heat is the case it makes for eating ice cream. If you’re going to be naughty, ice cream is the food to eat. My favorite ice cream flavor is pistachio. I think it goes back to my days growing up in Brooklyn, where Italian spumoni was popular. If your not familiar, spumoni is a molded Italian ice cream made with layers of different colors and flavors, usually containing candied fruits and nuts. The ice cream layers are often cherry, pistachio, and either chocolate or vanilla. These days I don’t often get spumoni or even see it offered, but I still order the pistachio-chocolate ice cream mix when I splurge.

So in the spirit of summer, I set out to make my own homemade pistachio ice cream. There are all different recipes out there. Some call for roasted pistachios, some for raw. There are varying amounts of cream-to-milk ratios and number of egg yolks, if included at all. This recipe results in an incredibly delicious, creamy, sweet pistachio ice cream.

To make the ice cream, add one cup of raw pistachios and one cup of sugar to the bowl of a food processor and process until fine. Set pistachio-sugar mix in a mixing bowl and add the egg yolks and almond extract and mix through. Set aside.

For the base, I use a 1:1 cream-to-milk ratio. I like this flavor and consistency for homemade ice cream. Any more cream than that, results in an extremely soft ice cream because of the higher fat content and the temperature of home refrigeration. I also use raw, unsalted pistachios to flavor the ice cream and lightly toasted pistachios for the mix-in at the end.

Create ice bath with a bowl in it and place a sieve nearby. In a heavy pot on the stove, bring cream, milk and salt to a very high heat, making sure not to boil. Remove the cream from the heat and temper the egg-sugar-pistachio mixture with the hot cream so that the egg yolks do not curdle. Then mix the entire egg-sugar-pistachio mixture to the cream and heat through until hot, but again, make sure it does not boil. Once heated through, remove the cream from the stove and pour it through the sieve and into the bowl in the ice bath. This will stop the cooking process. Let cool and cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until chilled. This can take 2-3 hours but I prefer to keep it in the refrigerator overnight, so the flavor intensifies a bit more.

When the cream is chilled, pour it into ice cream maker and let it churn according to directions. As the ice cream is churning, toast remaining pistachios in oven for 2-3 minutes, make sure not to brown, then add to ice cream when just about done so they mix through. When the ice cream is done, move it to a container and freeze for at least two hours, for a harder consistency.

Pistachio Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups raw, unsalted shelled pistachios

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon salt

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup raw shelled almonds

Add one cup of raw pistachios and one cup of sugar to the Bowl of a food processor and process until fine. Set pistachio-sugar mix in a mixing bowl and add the egg yolks and almond extract and mix through. Set aside.

Create ice bath with a bowl in it and place a sieve nearby. In a heavy pot on the stove, bring cream, milk and salt to a very high heat, making sure not to boil. Remove the cream from the heat and temper the egg-sugar-pistachio mixture with the hot cream so that the egg yolks do not curdle. Then mix the entire egg-sugar-pistachio to the cream mixture and heat through until hot, but again, make sure it does not boil. Once heated through, remove the cream from the stove and pour it through the sieve into the bowl in the ice bath. This will stop the cooking process. Let cool and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until chilled for about two-three hours or overnight.

When the cream is chilled, pour it into ice cream maker and let it churn according to the directions. As the ice cream is churning, toast remaining pistachios in oven for 2-3 minutes, make sure not to brown, then add to ice cream when just about done so they mix through. When the ice cream is done, move it to a container and freeze for at least two hours, for a harder consistency.

Makes one quart

Red Pepper, White Corn, Blue Potato Medley

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This red pepper, white corn, blue potato medley is a very easy, tasty and vibrant looking side dish. It’s a festive side dish for your Fourth of July barbecue, and it’s good anytime when you can get fresh corn. I use white corn for the symbolic white in the Red, White and Blue theme of Independence Day, but you can easily use yellow corn. Blue potatoes are a bit nuttier in taste than their white sisters and they have more health benefits as they contain antioxidant-rich flavonoids.

Freshly chopped rosemary and kosher salt, olive oil and some freshly ground pepper are the only flavors added to the peppers, corn and potatoes. Just cut up the peppers and potatoes and slice the kernels off the cobs of corn and mix with the oil, salt and rosemary, then roast in a 375 oven for 45 minutes. This recipe is good for 4 people, or 8 people if there are other side dishes on the table. You can easily double the recipe.

Red Bell Pepper, White Corn, Blue Potato Medley

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs blue potatoes, skins intact, cut into 3rds or quarters

2 red bell peppers, cut into half-inch pieces

Kernels from 2 ears of white corn, sliced off cob

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Ground black pepper

1/4 cup of EVOO

Preheat oven to 375°. Wash and cut the potatoes, keeping skins intact, and add to a roasting pan along with the cut papers and corn kernels. Drizzle oil, rosemary, salt and pepper over the medley, mixing through with your clean hands. Put into oven on rack in middle of oven and roast for 45 minutes, checking and tossing potatoes, peppers and corn once about 25 minutes into cooking.

Serves 4

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

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What is summer without grilling? And what’s better than sweet and spicy grilled food on a summer’s day? This recipe for sweet and spicy grilled chicken gets it’s sweetness from honey and its spice from cayenne pepper – so you can easily control how much heat you want. It’s a quick and easy marinade to make and the chicken only needs 15 minutes of marinating time.

The marinade is also used as a glaze for the grilled chicken. It’s made with honey, lime juice, mustard, ketchup. EVOO, ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper. This recipe makes about 2/3 cup of the marinade for which half is used to marinate the chicken and the rest is used as a glaze after the chicken has been cooked. The lime juice in the marinade gives it an extra twang. Be sure not to marinade the chicken too long as it will break down the protein in way that leaves the chicken rubbery, even on the grill. About 15 minutes of marinating time is sufficient to flavor the chicken. This recipe makes enough for 2 pounds of chicken, but it can easily be doubled.

Cayenne pepper provides the spice and this recipe calls for a lot of it – a half-tablespoon. If you prefer less heat use a teaspoon and if you prefer just a hint of heat, use a half-teaspoon. Grilled pineapple is a great accompaniment to this chicken, especially when made with the full amount of spice. For a great summer picnic, see the sweet and spicy grilled chicken sandwich balanced with grilled pineapple and sweet basil leaves.

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken boneless skinless breasts – sliced lengthwise into 1/4″ thickness

For the marinade and glazing sauce:

2 tablespoons EVOO

Juice of one lime or 3 tablespoons of lime juice

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon mustard

1 tablespoon of grated ginger

2 garlic cloves grated

1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper (if you prefer less heat then use 1 teaspoon or a half a teaspoon)

Grilled pineapple (optional garnish)

Slice chicken breasts lengthwise into 3/8″ thickness. Mix all ingredients of the marinade together. It’ll make about 2/3 cup. Marinate chicken in half of the marinade (1/3 cup) for 15 minutes, reserve remaining marinade. Grill chicken on medium-high heat for 7-8 minutes on each side. Brush cooked chicken with remaining unused marinade. Serve with grilled pineapple as a garnish.

Serves 4-6

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Category Archives: Recipes

Pumpkin Curry With Chicken

Cauliflower Pumpkin Masala

Artichoke Tapenade

Honey Glazed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Beets, Figs and Fennel Salad

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Tarragon-Sumac Dressing

Chilled Watermelon Soup with Feta Cream

Pistachio Ice Cream

Red Pepper, White Corn, Blue Potato Medley

Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken