Dinner #4

Man, I've been pretty busy. Going to school and starting clinical for my nursing class has been hectic to say the least. But I managed to squeeze in a bit of time this week to prepare dinner on Thursday. I decided on this great recipe I have (forget where I got it from) for citrus chicken and a delicious Jamaican Rice. Oh... and I also used the recipe from My Kitchen: My Laboratory for tuna croquettes, they were so easy and really flowed with my dinner's theme of curry infused dishes.














Now let's start with the...

Citrus Chicken with Pepper and Corn Relish (serves 4)

Ingredients:
-4 6oz (I used 3oz) skinned chicken breast
-2/3 cup fresh lime juice
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1 tsp chili powder -1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp ground red pepper (more or less, if you like it mild or spicy)
-Non stick cooking spray
-1 cup frozen corn + 1/2 cup diced red peppers + 1/2 cup chopped onions
-2 tsp chopped cilantro
-8 fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)

Method:
1. Place chicken in a heavy-duty, zip-top plastic bag. Reserve 1 tablespoon lime juice; pour remaining juice over chicken. Seal bag; shake to coat chicken. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour; turn bag occasionally.

2. Combine cumin, chili powder, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon red pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Sprinkle chicken with cumin mixture.

3. Coat rack of a broiler pan with cooking spray. Place chicken, skinned sides down, on rack; broil 8 inches from heat (with electric oven door partially opened) 25 minutes. Turn chicken, and broil 15 additional minutes or until done. Set chicken aside, and keep warm.

4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add corn mixture and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper; sauté until corn is lightly browned and tender. Spoon corn mixture onto individual serving plates; top with chicken. Drizzle with reserved 1 tablespoon lime juice; sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information: Calories 237; Carbohydrate 20.2g; Protein 29.1g; Fat 4.1g; Fiber 1.5g; Cholesterol 72mg; Sodium 226mg

Now for the delectable...

Jamaican Curried Rice (serves 8)

Ingredients:
-2 tsp olive oil
-1 cup diced red peppers
-1/2 cup sliced green onions
-2 tbsp curry powder
-3 cups hot cooked rice
-1/8 cup sugar (original recipe called for 1/4 cup... I though this to be too much)
-2 tbsp lime juice
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 can pineapple chunks, drained
-1 can black beans (I omitted these, as I believed them to overpower the subtle sweet curry flavor)
-1/2 cup salted cashews (optional)

Method:
1. Heat oil in medium skillet. Cook and stir bell pepper and onions 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add curry powder; stir 30 seconds.

3. Combine cooked rice, sugar, lime juice and salt in medium-size bowl.

4. Stir in cooked vegetable mixture, pineapple and black beans (if using).

5. Rice may be served warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with cashews just before serving.

Nutritional Information: Calories 196; Carbohydrate 31g; Protein 6g; Fat 3g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 474mg

Don't forget my croquettes!