Green Rice (Arroz Verde)

For our Mexican feast this Saturday, I made some tasty and tangy green poblano rice, called arroz verde in Spanish, to accompany the pork chops. This is a simple dish that combines lots of fresh healthy veggies and herbs with spicy poblano pepper and rice. It makes a lovely accompaniment for grilled meats.

Poblanos are large, mild peppers, somewhere between a bell pepper and a jalepeno on the spicy scale. They add an intensity and heat to the dish without too much spice. Combined with cooling herbs, in this case cilantro and mint, it adds a lot of flavor to this simple dish.

There are many ways to make this dish, and you can use a number of different herbs, types of rice, or veggies to make it your own. I used the various things I had just grabbed at the farmers market: spinach, spring onions, baby leeks, cilantro and mint. But parsley and basil can also add some fabulous flavors. I made a big batch of this planning for some leftovers and I have not been disappointed. I brought some cold for lunch today and it was fantastic. I think next time I may add some nuts for crunch.

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Chili Brined Pork Chops with Cilantro Vinagrette

Craig is the official Grillmaster in our home. He calls prepping, lighting, and cooking on the grill his "man time" and he usually spends this time with a beer in hand. Anyway, Craig has been bugging me about grilling pork lately. We've grilled pretty much everything else, so it seemed about time to try this. I got some great bone in pork loin chops and decided to do a Mexican style brine with beer! I love to cook with beer, it's very underrated. With so many different types and tastes, it's a versatile ingredient that can really enhance a dish.

Brining is the process by which meat is soaked in a saltwater based mixture before cooking. It enhances flavor and tenderness while reducing cooking times. You can use a number of different things to brine. Anything from plain old saltwater to a more complex recipe will yield great results. This is a really simple brine that uses beer as a liquid base. I combined this with chilies and garlic for flavor and some acidity to help tenderize the meat. Generally, you can brine large cuts of meats for up to 24 hours. I would recommend brining these for at least 2, but as much as you can. I left mine for about 6 hours and they were juicy and tasty.

After all the time prepping and brining these chops, a crazy thunder storm rolled in just as we were about to light the grill. So I ended up cooking these in my cast iron skillet, which means I'll have to make them again so Craig can finally grill himself a pork chop.

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Mexican Rice Salad

Now that the weather is nice, we are grilling more and more. It's so nice to kick back after a long week with a beer outside in our backyard. If bribed with peanut butter, Archer will even sit quietly out there with us. I wanted to create a low maintenance side dish that would pair well with all sorts of grilled goodies. I adore wild rice and decided to dress it up with some healthy Mexican flavors. Black beans, corn, pepper and carrots all combine for a filling and tasty salad. Packed with filling protein and fiber, this can easily be a great main dish or a side.

This recipe is extremely versitile. It can be served warm or cold and will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. I made a big batch and enjoyed it for lunch with some mixed greens.

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Edamame Guacamole

I LOVE guacamole. I love it so much I can't stop myself from eating all of it whenever I make any. Now, despite the fact that avocados are filled with healthy oils and great for your hair and nails, they are unfortunately filled with calories. Pair the guac with some salty and carb filled tortilla chips and you are looking at a pretty high calorie snack that provides little in the way of protein and fiber.

So, I decided it was time to devise a new way to enjoy the amazing deliciousness of guacamole. Enter edamame. As many of you know, edamame, a popular snack in Japan, is an incredible superfood. Filled with folic acid, potassium, vitamin C, iron, vitamin A, it is incredibly nutritious and filling. A one half cup serving has 9 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein in only 120 calories. A serving of edamame has as much iron as a chicken breast! Such a nutritional powerhouse is the perfect thing to add to guacamole to increase the nutrients while making one of my favorite treats a little healthier.

So try this as a snack or appetizer with some fresh cut veggies. I dipped radishes, pepper, carrots and cucumbers and it made for such a creamy and tasty veggie dip. Whole grain chips and crackers are also great dipping options. As a comparison, I calculated the nutrition info in my tradition guacamole recipe, which has 250 calories, 3 grams of protein, and 22 grams of fat per serving. My new edamame guacamole has 110 calories, 6.8 grams of protein and 6 grams of fat per serving. If you're a guacamole lover, you must try this soon!

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Mexican Chicken Soup

So, apparently it is already fall, which is sort of crazy, since last week it was still 80 degrees outside. Anyway, I have decided to celebrate the sudden chill with some hearty and filling soup. It is sort of a soup/stew hybrid really. This is a simple recipe that can be put together in 45 minutes. Shredded chicken, corn, black beans and brown rice create a filling soup that is packed with protein and fiber. Lime juice, chili peppers and cumin create some bold flavors without added calories. I found this to be such a satisfying, warming meal and as a bonus, I got a few days of lunch out of the leftovers.
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Fish Tacos

Fish tacos are one of my all time favorite restaurant treats. This recipe is a lighter, homemade version with tons of flavor and far fewer calories. Instead of frying the fish, I grilled whole tilapia filets in my cast iron skillet and topped with some crispy pickled cabbage and creamy guacamole. This recipe will yield extra guac that you can eat with chips or your favorite veggies.
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