Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad

We're having a playdate tomorrow with some friends from work and their boys (ages 2 and 6 months) and both of my friends are vegetarians.  This gives me a perfect excuse to try a recipe that I've been wanting to try, but that my chickpea-hating husband made sounds of disgust at.  I think it will be delicious -- it has tons of my favorite ingredients in it.

Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad
1/2 c. dry quinoa
2 c. vegetable broth or water
2 c. spinach
1 bunch cilantro
1/4 c. onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 c. cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 avocados, diced

Dressing:
Juice of two lemons
zest of one lemon
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp agave nectar (I'm planning to use honey)
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa according to directions and cool.

Process spinach, cilantro, onion and garlic in food processor until finely chopped.  Add to a bow with quinoa and garbanzo beans.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients.  Add to salad and toss.  Mix in tomatoes and avocado.  Let sit in fridge for 10-15 minutes and serve.

I'll update tomorrow on how the salad goes over!

UPDATE:
The salad was a hit!  Both friends took home leftovers because they liked it so much, and I think I can convince Brian to eat it tonight even.  Yummy, bright flavors -- I'll be making it again!

Happy Independence Day!

In honor of the our country's birthday, we're celebrating with a watermelon-feta salad in the form of a flag.

We're also having mini-fruit pizzas, made with refrigerated cookie dough (gasp!) and cream cheese blended with lemon zest and cool whip, topped with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.

But all of this red, white and blue food is to make up for the fact that we're skipping the traditional hotdogs or burgers in favor of Mexican pulled pork (pork tinga) and guacamole.  Not exactly something the founding fathers would have eaten in 1776, but certainly honoring out country's rich history of immigration and cultural diversity.

The decision to eat Mexican on the 4th of July came about from a very innocent idea to have pulled pork.  But while looking through our America's Test Kitchen cookbook, I came across a recipe for Pork Tinga Tostadas, which used the same boston butt pork shoulder that I had purchased for the BBQ pulled pork. And this sounded even better.  I'm serving it with the leftover feta from our watermelon salad, and the same yummy greek yogurt guacamole that I posted about a couple weeks ago.  Here's the recipe:

Spicy Mexican Shredded Pork Tostadas (Tinga)

Serves 4 to 6

The trimmed pork should weigh about 1 1/2 pounds. Tinga is traditionally served on tostadas (crisp fried corn tortillas), but you can also use the meat in tacos and burritos or simply served over rice.  We prefer the complex flavor of chipotle powder, but two minced canned chipotle chiles can be used in its place. The pork can be prepared through step 1 and refrigerated in an airtight container for 2 days. The tostadas can be made up to a day in advance and stored in an airtight container.

INGREDIENTS

Tinga

• 2pounds boneless pork butt , trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch pieces (see note)
• 2medium onions , 1 quartered and 1 chopped fine
• 5medium garlic cloves , 3 peeled and smashed and 2 minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 4sprigs fresh thyme
•  Table salt
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2teaspoon dried oregano
• 1(14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1tablespoon ground chipotle powder (see note)
• 2bay leaves

Tostadas

• 3/4cup vegetable oil
• 12(6-inch) corn tortillas(see note)
•  Table salt

Garnishes

•  Queso frescoor feta cheese
•  Fresh cilantro leaves
•  Sour cream
•  Diced avocado
•  Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. FOR THE TINGA: Bring pork, quartered onion, smashed garlic cloves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 6 cups water to simmer in large saucepan over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook until pork is tender, 75 to 90 minutes. Drain pork, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Discard onion, garlic, and thyme. Return pork to saucepan and, using potato masher, mash until shredded into rough ½-inch pieces (see Step-by-Step below); set aside.
• 2. Heat olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shredded pork, chopped onion, and oregano; cook, stirring often, until pork is well browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• 3. Stir in tomato sauce, chipotle powder, reserved pork cooking liquid, and bay leaves; simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and season with salt to taste.
• 4. TO FRY TOSTADAS: Heat vegetable oil in 8-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees. Using fork, poke center of each tortilla 3 or 4 times (to prevent puffing and allow for even cooking). Fry 1 at a time, holding metal potato masher in upright position on top of tortilla to keep it submerged (see photo below), until crisp and lightly browned, 45 to 60 seconds (no flipping is necessary). Drain on paper towel-lined plate and season with salt to taste. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
• 5. TO SERVE: Spoon small amount of shredded pork onto center of each tostada and serve, passing garnishes separately.
  
  
  WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:True Mexican shredded pork, or tinga, is a far cry from the bland burrito-joint version often found languishing on steam tables. We set out to perfect the methods that give tinga its characteristic crisp texture and smoky tomato flavor. We wanted tender, full-flavored Mexican shredded pork that we could serve atop crisp corn tortillas or spoon into taco shells.
  We trimmed and cubed a Boston butt (chosen for its good marbling and little sinew), then simmered the pieces in water that we flavored with garlic, thyme, and onion. Once the pork was tender, we drained the meat (reserving some of the cooking liquid for the sauce) and returned it to the pot to shred. The meat was so tender, it fell apart with nothing more than the pressure of a potato masher. We then sautéed the meat in a hot frying pan along with the requisite additions of finely chopped onion and oregano. Minutes later, the pork had developed crackling edges crisp enough to survive the final step of simmering in tomato sauce. Unlike American barbecue with its sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, tinga relies on a complex smoke-flavored tomato sauce. For our version, we diluted canned tomato sauce with the reserved flavorful cooking liquid from the pork and added bay leaves for herbal complexity. And for tinga’s all-important smokiness, we turned to ground chipotle powder, which is a little harder to find than the other option of canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, but is has a deeper, more complex flavor.

Easy Chicken Tacos

Brian saw this recipe on Cooks Country and wanted me to give it a try.  It looks incredibly easy, and much yummier than traditional chicken tacos from a package, so here goes...

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

We like the convenience of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in our Easy Chicken Tacos, but they were so lean that an unsuitable cooking method guarantees they’ll wind up dry and rubbery. Poaching proved the best method, producing meat that was tender and moist. Chipotle chiles gave our poaching liquid a smoky, full-bodied flavor, and orange juice, instead of chicken broth, offered a touch of sweetness that tempered its vivid acidity.

For more robust flavor from our chicken, we called on Worcestershire sauce and mustard, two (surprising) Latin American staples. Worcestershire mimicked the complex flavor of dark meat, and mustard added sharpness that balanced the sweet orange juice and smoky chipotle.

Serves 6

To warm the tortillas, wrap them in foil and heat in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Top the tacos with shredded lettuce, grated cheese, diced avocado, tomato, and sour cream.

INGREDIENTS

• 3tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4garlic cloves, minced
• 2teaspoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1/2cup orange juice
• 1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 4boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1teaspoon yellow mustard
•  Salt and pepper
• 12(6-inch) flour tortillas

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. POACH CHICKEN Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in orange juice, Worcestershire, and ½ cup cilantro and bring to boil. Add chicken and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat until meat registers 160 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Transfer to plate and tent with foil.
• 2. SHRED AND SAUCE Increase heat to medium-high and cook until liquid is reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in mustard. Using 2 forks, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces and return to skillet. Add remaining cilantro to skillet and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with tortillas.
  
  
  
  I am planning to try it with Creamy Avocado Yogurt dip:
  
  

  1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
  2 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
  1 clove garlic, minced
  3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
  2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  Pita chips, tortilla chips, cut up veggies-for serving

  directions:

  1. Place the yogurt, avocados, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, and cumin in a blender or food processor. Mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

  2. Scrape dip into a serving bowl and serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, or cut up veggies.
  
  
  The VERDICT:
  
  These were delicious!  Not as easy as Brian said they'd be, but absolutely delicious.  Jack gobbled his taco up right away, which is a huge endorsement, since he is a pokey eater.  ONly with things he actually LOVES will he eat quickly.  The avocado dip was yummy, too, but a little too spicy for Jack and Ben (Ben tried it but whined and called it spicy).  Brian and I loved it though.