Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

I’m sure you know by now, but my Husband is nutso for cilantro.  Can’t get enough of the stuff.  So, when I saw this recipe on Joelen’s blog I knew I had to add it to our weekly menu.  It came together very quickly and was quite tasty.

I think next time I’ll cook the chicken halfway, add the pesto, and continue cooking on warm…just to try and cook out some of the super-harsh raw garlic flavor.  Otherwise, these were awesome!

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces
1t. Garlic powder
1t. Ground cumin (my addition – I just love cumin)
1/2C. Cilantro lime pesto (recipe follows)
Flour or corn tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste
Taco garnishes (salsa, sour cream, avocado, peppers, onions cheese, etc)

DIRECTIONS
Season chicken with salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder.  In a lightly oiled skillet, saute chicken over medium high heat and cooked through. Toss cooked, seasoned chicken with the pesto. Fill tortillas with chicken and top with preferred garnishes.

Cilantro Lime Pesto

INGREDIENTS
1C. Fresh cilantro leaves (do not include stems)
2 1/2T. Extra virgin olive oil
2T. Sliced, toasted almonds
3T. Chopped, fresh garlic
1 1/2t. Lime juice
1/2C. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2t. Salt
1/4C. Chicken broth

DIRECTIONS
Using a blender, mix together the cilantro, olive oil, almonds, garlic, lime juice, asiago, salt and chicken broth on low speed for 2 minutes.

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Cilantro Lime Steak

My husband loves cilantro.  Probably more than any person should.  So, when I saw this recipe on Recipezaar I knew I had to make it.  The steaks were delicious and would make excellent fajitas!  We’ll definitely be making this again.

INGREDIENTS:
2-4 Steaks (whatever cut of meat you like is fine.  Our butcher had some good looking rib eyes…so that’s what we picked)
3T. Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
3T. Water
1T. Fresh Cilantro Leaves, chopped
1 Small Jalapeno Pepper, chopped and seeded
2 Garlic Cloves, pressed
1/4t. Ground Cumin

Directions:
Combine lime juice, cilantro, water, jalapeño pepper, garlic and cumin and pour into a large zip-top plastic bag.

Add steaks, seal and shake bag to coat meat.

Let marinate in refrigerator 1-2 hours,shaking bag every now and then.

Grill steaks over medium heat until cooked to your liking, turning once.

Serve and enjoy.

–

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Oh, these are delicious!”

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Spicy Garlic Lime Pasta with Chicken

I found this in Amber’s Kitchen blog and just had to try it! Unfortunately, Hubs and I were a little disappointed. For all the wonderful ingredients in this dish, it wasn’t all that flavorful. I did make a change, though. Instead of garlic powder and onion powder, I sauteed some real onion and extra garlic cloves I had in the house. I figured … if the powder is good, the real thing will be better, right? Maybe not. Oh well. Better luck next time.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2C Chicken Broth

1t. Lime Juice

1 1/2T corn starch

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2t Salt

1/4t Black Pepper

1/8t Cayenne Pepper

1/4t Paprika

1/4t Garlic Powder

1/4t Onion Powder

1/4t Dried Thyme

1/2t Dried Parsley

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts (skinless is best – cut into bite size pieces)

1T butter

Few drizzles of olive oil

1lb. Pasta – whatever you have laying around is fine – I used cavatappi

2C Broccoli Florets

Parmesan cheese for topping

DIRECTIONS

Bring pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 5 minutes of pasta cook time add the broccoli into the boiling water and drain.

Mix together all the sauce ingredients (chicken broth through parsley) and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add bite size chicken pieces into heated pan. Cook chicken until no longer pink. Pour the sauce ingredients into the pan with the chicken and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.

Toss cooked broccoli and pasta with the chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired and serve.

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Guacamole

This is Hubs’ favorite snack – with tortilla chips, of course. I leave out the tomatoes and double the garlic. Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS
4 Avocados
1 Lime, juiced
1 clove Garlic, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 small White Onion, finely diced
1 Jalapeño Pepper, finely diced
1 bunch Cilantro, chopped
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS
Remove meat from Avocados, discarding pits and skin. (To safely remove pit, hold avocado firmly in your hand and hit the pit with your sharp knife. The pit will stick to the knife and expose the meat. To remove pit from knife, take two fingers and slide them down the blade, toward the pit, and pinch off the pit. It should come off easily). Add lime juice immediately, so the avocados don’t brown.

Add onion, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic and S&P. Mash with fork or potato masher. Serve immediately with your favorite tortilla chips.

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Cod with Corn and Cilantro Lime Butter

This recipe is one of our new favorites – I found it on the Pillsbury Bake Off site! It’s light, fresh and makes fabulous fish tacos! Tonight we decided to serve it over white rice.

INGREDIENTS

1T Milk
1 Egg
1/4C All Purpose Flour
1/2C Seasoned Bread Crumbs (Panko is great too!)
4 (6-oz.) Cod fillets (or any firm white fish)
4T Butter or Margarine
2T Olive Oil
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 1/2T Fresh Lime Juice
1/4C Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 bag Frozen Corn (canned is ok too)

DIRECTIONS
Ready three small bowls. In the first, place flour (seasoned with S&P). In the second, combine milk and egg; beat well. In the third, the bread crumbs. Coat fish with flour; dip in egg mixture. Coat with bread crumbs and set aside.

In large skillet, combine 2 tablespoons of the butter and olive oil. Heat over medium heat until hot. Add cod; cook 6 to 10 minutes (depending on thickness of your fliets) or until golden brown and fish flakes easily with fork, turning once. Remove fish from skillet; cover to keep warm.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lime juice, garlic and cilantro to same skillet; stir to scrape up any brown bits from bottom. Add corn; cook 5 to 7 minutes (canned corn takes about 3 mintues) or until thoroughly heated. Serve corn mixture over cod.

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