Grilled Chicken with Summer Fruit Salsa

Are you looking for a light, summer dinner to serve the family? Then this is the perfect dish for you! Fresh peaches and mangoes tossed with Heirloom tomatoes, fresh lime juice and balsamic vinegar gives plain, boring grilled chicken that WOW factor! Not only was this FABULOUS on the chicken, but I bet it would taste great on top of boneless pork chops or fish, like shrimp or salmon, or maybe even just on it's own with some tortilla chips as an appetizer.  

Grilled Chicken with Summer Fruit Salsa
4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
Prepared Summer Fruit Salsa

Grill chicken until proper internal temperature is reached. Top with chilled salsa. Serves 4. 

Summer Fruit Salsa
1 Heirloom Tomato, finely chopped
1 Mango, peeled, de-pitted and finely chopped
1 Peach, peeled, de-pitted and finely chopped
1 tsp. Red Onion, minced
Juice from 1 Lime
1 tsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp. Canola Oil
1 tsp. Sugar
Kosher Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve. Makes 1 cup. 


Enjoy!

Shared at The Country Cook Weekend Potluck 8/17/12

Peach Crisp

July, August and September is the heart of peach picking season here in NJ and let me tell you, they're beautiful this year. (Well, at least the markets I've been going to!) They were so plump and mouthwateringly juicy, I just had to eat one on it's own before I could even cut it up for this crisp! I used the standard yellow skin peach variety, but feel free to try the white flesh or donut peaches if you'd like instead. This is another one of those easy recipes you can make last minute if you're in the mood for a little something sweet and even top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you wish. 

Peach Crisp
4-5 large peaches
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. Ground nutmeg
1 tbsp. butter, chilled

Directions:
1. Cut the peach in half around the pit. Remove the pit, peel and slice the peaches and add to a bowl. 
2. Add the cornstarch and nutmeg to the peaches and mix well. 
3. Add the mixture to a baking dish (I used a 9"x9").
4. Cut up the butter into small pieces and place them through out the peaches. 

Topping
1 c. oats
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
6 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until it is a crumbly mixture. 
2. Add the topping evenly over the peaches, then bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the peaches have softened (I use the tip of a sharp knife and stick it into the mixture) and the top is lightly browned. 
3. Remove from the oven and let cool. Serves 9. 

Enjoy! 

Shared on Foodie Friends Friday 8/17/12

Stacked Heirloom Tomatoes & Mango with a Balsamic Reduction

For my first recipe back in the kitchen, I polled some of you here on the blog and on Facebook and the majority wanted to see an appetizer as my first experiment. So I decided to make something with the two ingredients for the places I spend the most of my time: New Jersey, with their fresh Heirloom tomatoes and Florida, where mangoes grow in abundance. Sadly, my in-laws had to recently sell the home in Florida where we had this AMAZING mango tree that was so high you couldn't possibly get all of the mangoes off of it without a rig!  My entire family loves them and they're really not as difficult to cut as you may believe. There is a fairly large pit in the center though so you have to be careful when slicing. 

Here are a few tips: 

1. WASH the skin before preparing to cut the mango. (Many people are allergic to the sap on the mango and causes a horrible rash...trust me, I've seen my husband get it several times!)

2. Slice off a thin piece so that you can lay the mango flat on a cutting board. 

3. Continue to slice off pieces around the seed, then peel the skin off each piece and chop into smaller pieces. (*For this recipe, I sliced them into thinner pieces so that they would lay flat instead of chopping them into pieces)

This was the perfect starter to kick off our meal on Sunday and was so aromatic with all of the different flavors melding together. 

Stacked Heirloom Tomatoes & Mango with a Balsamic Reduction
1 lg. Ripe Heirloom Tomato 
1 Ripe Mango, peeled and de-pitted 
1/4 c. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste




Directions: 
1. Add balsamic vinegar to a saucepan and heat over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes or until vinegar has reduced and has thickened. Remove from heat and let cool. 
2. While the vinegar is simmering, slice your tomato into 3-4 1/2" thick slices and set aside (number of slices will depend on how large your tomato is).
3. Slice the mango of off the pit into slices and set aside. 
4. Next, stack your tomato, then mango and repeat. (I did three layers)
5. Season with salt and pepper then, drizzle some olive oil and the reduced balsamic vinegar on top. 
6. Garnish with fresh basil and chill until ready to serve. Serves 2. 

Enjoy! 

Nutritional Information per Serving: Calories 165, Total Fat 7g, Carbohydrates 24.9g, Fiber 2.3g

*Nutritional Information by Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate. 



Shared at Amee's Savory Dish 8/17/12
Shared on The County Cook 8/17/12