Grilled Chicken and Mango Salsa

Last night for dinner we had grilled chicken, mango salsa, broccoli, rice and watermelon. The only recipe I haven't posted from last night is the mango salsa. Keep reading!

One note on the chicken, since the salsa is so flavorful, I only slightly seasoned the chicken with the rub on one side. I didn't want it to be bland, but I didn't want anything to over power the yummy salsa.

Mango Salsa

2 mangoes, diced small

2 peaches, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 Serrano chili peppers, diced (I've also used 1 jalapeno for this)

1 red pepper, chopped

2 fresh limes

Chop all ingredients except the lime. Stir together. Squeeze lime overall. Salt for taste if desired (I add maybe 1/4 tsp.) Allow to chill for a couple of hours for flavors to blend.

Notes on salsa: Measurements are not exact--change up as desired. This is a combination of a couple of recipes and we've found we like this combination, but you can add and take away to your liking.

We all love this blend of exciting flavors!

Chicken Quesadillas-Fresh Salsa Tuesday

Years ago when I was on the Preston School District Technology team, we would go to lunch at Main Street Grill. I always ordered the Chicken Quesadillas. Loved them! Years later I tried making them. . .this is where I arrived:

Chicken Quesadillas

Use the following in amounts to your liking:

1-2 cups Chicken (of course grilled or broiled is yummy, but I'm lazy and just use a can)

1 1/2 cups Mushroom

1/2 cup Green onion

Fajita seasoning to your liking. I've always used a packet, but didn't have any yesterday so I used this recipe. Very good. I only used about half of the recipe (same is true with the packet). I don't believe I will be buying the packet again.

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon crushed chicken bouillon cube

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Saute mushrooms in about 1 TBSP butter until they cook down. Add chicken, seasoning and green onions. Mix well.

Layer tortilla, grated cheese, thin layer of chicken mixture, another layer of cheese and a tortilla. I do them with a folded tortilla so they are easier to turn. Cook until cheese melts.

Fresh Salsa 2

I like all salsas cut in small pieces, but the spicier it is, the smaller I like the pieces. This one I like chopped with a food processor. . . which makes this one quite quick!

3 tomatoes

1 red pepper

1/4 bunch cilantro

1 tsp garlic

2 jalapeños, one with seeds and membranes, one seeded

1/2 white onion

Salt to taste right before serving

lime juice to taste (maybe a TBSP)

Last night I only had one red pepper and I was saving it for another meal so I used a green one. My jalapeños must have been very spicy and so this was too kicky for my taste so I added about 1 TBSP vinegar to take the bite off the spice while it refrigerated. It also wasn't as sweet since I substituted out the red pepper so I added 1 tsp of sugar. Very yummy!

This meal would also have been way yummy with this rice, but I didn't think of that until just now. I'll try that next time I make these.

Cilantro-Lime Rice w/ Black Beans
2 cups uncooked rice
1 tsp butter
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp lime zest
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
Cook in rice cooker, in microwave or on the stove.
When cooked, mix together and add:
4 TBSP lime juice
4 tsp sugar

Stir in:
3 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained

Fajitas and Fresh Salsa

This is another long time family favorite. I love this recipe because they are simple ingredients that I always have on hand.

Fajitas

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 TBSP cider vinegar

1 TBSP soy sauce

2 tsp chili powder

2 cloves garlic

10 dashes (or more) Tabasco sauce

a few shakes of cayenne pepper

4 chicken thighs or 3 breasts cut into strips

1 TBSP oil

1 onion sliced into thin wedges

1 green pepper sliced into wedges

1 red pepper sliced into wedges

Mix first 7 ingredients together and pour over chicken strips. Marinate 30 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate for several hours. Heat oil in skillet over high heat. Add chicken strips and saute for 5 minutes. Add onions and peppers. Saute for another 3 minutes. Serve on warm tortillas with taco toppings.

Fresh salsa:

4-5 tomatoes

1 green pepper

6-8 green onions

1/4 bunch cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

These amounts can be changed up as desired. Also add garlic, red pepper, jalapeño pepper or regular onion as desired. As is, this is a wonderful mild salsa. I'll share some others with more kick later.