Posts in lime juice
sweet citrus grilled chicken

this morning on my way home from yoga, i stopped at the store for a few ingredients for some cake recipes i am testing later this week. i walked out of the store with three of the four ingredients i went in for (of course i forgot the almond milk), bobby pins, a giant bag of blood oranges and a giant bag of pink zebra lemons. you know, just in case they run out before i get back in there again. 

the woman had to ask me what most of my items were (not uncommon). what i'm rambling on about is that i think i have a citrus addiction. i just can't get enough citrus in all it's many shapes, sizes and colors. lately, my favorite use is for meat marinades. this chicken marinade is quick to whip up and packs a lot of flavor. grilling the chicken is quick, easy, healthy and it adds even more delicious flavor. i'm usually in some sort of a hurry so i usually eat it over some sort of bed of greens with a dressing, but you could serve it over rice, roasted vegetable or mashed potatoes. whatever your little heart desires. 

sweet citrus grilled chicken
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
inactive time: 1-24 hours
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs chicken breast tenders (they cook more quickly and evenly, otherwise use thinly pounded chicken breasts). 1 tbs citrus zest. 1 cup citrus juice (depending on your preference, but i used orange juice, lime juice and blood orange juice). 5 garlic cloves, smashed. .5 cup olive oil. 3 green onions, chopped. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 1 tbs salt. 1 tsp pepper. optional: .5 cup white wine for marinade reduction. 4 cups mixed greens (i used half radicchio, half arugula) for serving. 

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start by prepping your chicken. pat your chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with half the salt and pepper. set it aside. 

then in a medium bowl, combine the citrus zest, juice, sugar, olive oil, garlic, green onion, mustard and the rest of the salt and pepper. 

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whisk the marinade together. 

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drizzle the marinade over the chicken, cover and set aside. let the chicken marinade for at least an hour, up to overnight. when you are ready to grill, warm your grill to a medium high (or cook it over a medium spot if you have a coal grill). 

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place the chicken on the hot grill and allow it to cook until grill marks develop on each side, flipping once. about 4 minutes a side (longer if you are not using tenders). 

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once your chicken is done grilling, remove it from the heat and cover it with foil. allow it to rest for 5-7 minutes. 

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if you are making the optional marinade reduction, while the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a saucepan. bring the liquid to a boil over medium high heat. allow the marinade to boil for a minute or two until it is very bubbly and thickening (you want to make sure you cook out any bad chicken bits as well). pour in the white wine and allow the liquid to come back to a boil allowing the alcohol to cook off. about 2 minutes. turn off the heat and allow the sauce to just stay warm. 

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serve over your mixed greens, drizzled with the marinade reduction. 

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xo, a
sweet citrus grilled chicken
serves: 4
prep time: 5 minutes
inactive time: 1-24 hours
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
ingredients: 1.5 lbs chicken breast tenders (they cook more quickly and evenly, otherwise use thinly pounded chicken breasts). 1 tbs citrus zest. 1 cup citrus juice (depending on your preference, but i used orange juice, lime juice and blood orange juice). 5 garlic cloves, smashed. .5 cup olive oil. 3 green onions, chopped. 2 tbs brown sugar. 1 tbs whole grain mustard. 1 tbs salt. 1 tsp pepper. optional: .5 cup white wine for marinade reduction. 4 cups mixed greens (i used half radicchio, half arugula) for serving.
start by prepping your chicken. pat your chicken dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with half the salt and pepper. set it aside. then in a medium bowl, combine the citrus zest, juice, sugar, olive oil, garlic, green onion, mustard and the rest of the salt and pepper. whisk the marinade together. drizzle the marinade over the chicken, cover and set aside. let the chicken marinade for at least an hour, up to overnight. when you are ready to grill, warm your grill to a medium high (or cook it over a medium spot if you have a coal grill). place the chicken on the hot grill and allow it to cook until grill marks develop on each side, flipping once. about 4 minutes a side (longer if you are not using tenders). if you are making the optional marinade reduction, while the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a saucepan. bring the liquid to a boil over medium high heat. allow the marinade to boil for a minute or two until it is very bubbly and thickening (you want to make sure you cook out any bad chicken bits as well). pour in the white wine and allow the liquid to come back to a boil allowing the alcohol to cook off. about 2 minutes. turn off the heat and allow the sauce to just stay warm. once your chicken is done grilling, remove it from the heat and cover it with foil. allow it to rest for 5-7 minutes. serve over your mixed greens, drizzled with the marinade reduction.

friyay happy hour: watermelon sangria

well this sangria was supposed to be posted for friyay, but then i started drinking at three. and you all know what happens when you day drink. 

we are up in tahoe with our good friends blake and morgan for the weekend celebrating the start to summer. this weekend is all about spending time relaxing by the lake enjoying good food, good company and good cocktails. 

i made this sangria a couple weeks ago for a ladies dinner party and i knew it was going to become my summer go to. it's hard to imagine, but it is even lighter than a standard sangria and the watermelon makes it so refreshing. be careful, this cocktail can be considered dangerous. basically it tastes like there isn't any booze in it. consider yourself warned.

watermelon sangria
serves: 12 cocktails
prep time: 15 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups watermelon. 1 bottle dry white wine of your choice. 8oz vodka. 4 oz triple sec. 4 oz lime fresh lime juice. 3 kiwis, cut into .5 inch cubes. 1 cup blackberries, halved. 10 lavender flower blossoms. 

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start by juicing your watermelon. in a food processor, puree the watermelon till liquid. now you have a choice. if you like pulp and want the drink a bit junkier, you do not have to strain the liquid. if you like a smooth sangria, strain your watermelon juice. 

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then, in a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients. 

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stir well to combine. 

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serve over ice. 

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xo, a

watermelon sangria
serves: 12 cocktails
prep time: 15 minutes
active time: 5 minutes
total time: 20 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups watermelon. 1 bottle dry white wine of your choice. 8oz vodka. 4 oz triple sec. 4 oz lime fresh lime juice. 3 kiwis, cut into .5 inch cubes. 1 cup blackberries, halved. 10 lavender flower blossoms.
start by juicing your watermelon. in a food processor, puree the watermelon till liquid. now you have a choice. if you like pulp and want the drink a bit junkier, you do not have to strain the liquid. if you like a smooth sangria, strain your watermelon juice. then, in a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients. stir well to combine. serve over ice.