Tag Archives: pineapple

Chicken Stir-Fry with Corn, Pineapple and Red Pepper

If you’ve read my blog for a little while, you might have noticed that I have thing for stir-fries. When I’m trying to eat healthy, my brain goes right to chicken and vegetables. And since sitting down with a plain plate of baked chicken and steamed veggies doesn’t really get my blood pumpin’, I’m more likely to chop everything up and turn it into some kind of stir-fry. The thing is: I’m pretty boring when it comes to stir-fries. If it were left to my creativity, I’d make chicken and broccoli stir-fry every time. But that is exactly why I have this blog and why I have so many recipes tucked away waiting to be made. This Chicken Stir-Fry with Corn, Pineapple and Red Pepper is exactly the type of stir-fry that never would have occurred to me to make on my own.

Chunks of boneless chicken breast are stir-fried with sweet corn, crispy red pepper and tangy pineapple in a flavorful sauce of ginger, cumin and chicken stock. A dash of Sriracha added at the end adds a kick to the whole dish which helps to balance out the natural sweetness of the produce. This stir-fry slightly reminds me of a healthy sweet-and-sour chicken mostly because of the juxtaposition of the sweet and spicy. It never would have occurred to me to mix these vegetable together, let alone paired with pineapple. I’ve never considered throwing together a stir-fry without any green veggies or soy sauce but now I realize that nearly any combination of fruits and vegetables could work together. Nectarine, asparagus and pea? Why not? Plum, cauliflower and spinach? Sure! My mind is officially blown.

The ingredients:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry over moderately high heat for 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet. Add the onion and ginger and cook for 3 minutes. Add the red pepper, cumin and stock, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring a few times, for 4 minutes.

Add the corn, pineapple and Sriracha and stir-fry over moderately high heat until hot.

Add the chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Season with salt and pepper; serve.

Additions: None

Omissions:

Red onion

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Food & Wine magazine

Rum-Marinated Chicken Breasts with Pineapple Relish

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I spent the weekend laying low, only going to dinner and a movie on Friday night with friends and spending the rest of my time engrossed in a new novel while watching either Food Network or reruns of various Bourne movies. That’s pretty much how I roll. Oh, and I made food. Like usual. Again, that’s how I roll. I usually scan the grocery store circulars to see what’s on sale before I decide what to make but this week, I decided to make what I was in the mood for. I sucked up the fact that chicken is ridiculously expensive in order to make Rum-Marinated Chicken Breasts with Pineapple Relish, a light chicken dish filled with vibrant tropical flavors.

Chicken breasts are marinated in a mixture of dark rum, barbecue sauce, Caribbean hot sauce and lime juice before being grilled to perfection and topped off with a golden relish of fresh pineapple and red pepper. Never had Caribbean hot sauce? I’m no stranger to Pickapeppa Sauce (a condiment made of tomatoes, mangoes, raisins and peppers, among other things) which was introduced to me by my old roommate who would pour half a bottle over cream cheese and smear it over Triscuits. True story. There was never a shortage of Pickapeppa in my apartment. But I digress. The rum marinade perfectly tenderizes the chicken and is then boiled to create a rich, silky sauce. The golden relish is tangy, slightly sweet, tart and a tasty complement to the chicken. Not a fan of pineapple’s acidity? Consider substituting any summer fruit, like mango, peach or nectarine. This is a chicken dish that I could eat, in any variation, nearly every day.

The ingredients (disregard the honey, my bad):

Combine dark rum, barbecue sauce, Pickapeppa sauce, lime juice, salt and vegetable oil in large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to the bag and seal, allowing chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

To prepare relish, place pineapple on grill rack coated with cooking spray and grill 3 minutes on each side or until soft and browned around the edge. Allow to cool slightly and chop.

Combine pineapple, bell pepper, lime rind, lime juice, dark rum, Pickapeppa sauce and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Remove the chicken from the bag and set aside. Reserve marinade, discarding any chicken bits remaining and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Set aside. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray and grill until chicken is cooked to 165ºF. (Remove and discard skin if using bone-in chicken.)

Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan and cook 1 minute. Drizzle cooked marinade over chicken.

Serve chicken with relish and lime wedges.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Boneless chicken breasts

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Pineapple-Mango Yogurt Smoothie

Have you ever had one of those weekends where you just had too much? Too much food? Too much drink? Too much fun? That was the weekend I had last weekend. When my friend in Florida came home to spend Father’s Day with her pop, we decided to take the opportunity to get the girls together and have some fun. From Friday afternoon until the wee hours of Sunday, we partied. And hard. I decided it was probably necessary to get something healthy in my body and pronto!

The Pineapple-Mango Yogurt Smoothie I made was both tasty and filling. Frozen pineapple and mango chunks are blended with non-fat vanilla yogurt, non-fat milk, and a little sugar. As I spent Sunday resting and relaxing, I sipped on this and felt refreshed. I liked it so much, I made another one for breakfast on Monday. What is it about smoothies that somehow just make you feel better?

Pineapple-Mango Yogurt Smoothie (makes 1 smoothie)

1 cup frozen pineapple
1 cup frozen mango
6-ounces non-fat vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons sugar or Splenda
1/2 cup non-fat milk

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth. Add more milk if necessary to reach desired consistency. If you prefer to use fresh fruit, simply add 1 cup of crushed ice.