... Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

The near 90 degree temps in Kansas City today really made me want to fire up the grill.  Then I remembered that the winds were near 90 mph.  This recipe was the perfect solution to that and the fresh avocado salsa (plus the fresh mango I added, thankyouverymuch) was great for a pre-summer summer-like day.

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa
serves 4

coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks

In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium.  Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside.  Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper.  Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Taylor's Notes:


As I mentioned, I added mango to the mix and it was such a great partner to the creamy avocado and sharp onion.  The recipe was quick and easy to make... for one, or many!


Enjoy!

... Pears with Blue Cheese and Prosciutto

Remember when I wrote about this and I told you that you'd be seeing several upcoming posts as a direct result of it?  Well, here we go!

- ripe, organic pears -

- fresh, crisp arugula - 

It just so happened that I had Wine Club this week and needed a great little appetizer to take.  I stumbled across this recipe and knew it'd be a hit.  When I received pears and arugula in my bitty box delivery, I knew it was the one.  It's kismet, no?

The crisp arugula gets laid over a juicy pear wedge, topped with creamy blue cheese and wrapped with a salty slice of prosciutto.  

It makes quite a bit... but doesn't last for long!

Pears with Blue Cheese and Prosciutto
serves 8

2 pears (such as Bosc or Bartlett), each cut into 8 wedges
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup arugula
3 ounces blue cheese, cut into small pieces
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut in half lenthwise

In a large bowl, toss the pears and lemon juice.

Layer a slice of pear, an arugula leaf, and a piece of cheese on a piece of proscuitto and roll up.

Taylor's Notes:


That's about it... it's as simple as it sounds.  Quick to make, quick to disappear.


Enjoy!

... Door to Door Organics

Have you heard of Door to Door Organics?  It's a local Kansas City company and I think I may be in love.  I heard about it a while ago when my awesome neighbors told me about it and I had every intention to join, but, in the end, it took a Groupon for me to pull the trigger.  And boy, am I glad I did. 

Soon I'll be enjoying fresh organic fruits and veggies every other week!  And I won't even have to go to the grocery store for them!  How exciting is that?!  Find one near you and you'll be over-using exclamation points just like me!  

This week I got arugula, green leaf lettuce, zucchini, bananas, an artichoke, pears, apples, and fingerling potatoes.  And you can bet they'll be showing up in posts very soon.  Come on, you know you're excited!