"Magic" Chicken with Golden Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

A couple of years ago, I made a dip to take a party, made from Greek yogurt, cilantro and lime. I unfortunately left it at home, so I needed to find some way to re-purpose it. I decided it might make a good marinade, and the "magic" chicken was born.

During summer, a simple grilled meat and salad is the perfect dinner. It is simple to throw on some beets when grilling your protein, and then incorporate in your salad. Goat cheese and beets are a pretty classic combination, but I love the golden beets even more than the red, because they are more mild. This dinner was a really great summer salad !

"Magic" Chicken with Golden Beet and Goat Cheese Salad 

 For the chicken:
3 four ounce chicken breasts
1 cup full fat Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 limes, zested and juiced
Salt and pepper
In a large bowl, mix together yogurt, cilantro, zest and lime juice. Salt and pepper chicken breasts generously.  Place chicken in the yogurt mixture, and let marinate overnight. When ready to grill, preheat grill to high, and cook chicken 4-5 minutes on each side until completely cooked through.

For the salad:
2 medium golden beets
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups mixed greens
9-10 garlic scapes (or green onions, if these are not available)
4 ounces goat cheese crumbled
2 tablespoons pepitos
Rub the beets in the the olive oil, and wrap in foil. Place on the grill, and cook while chicken is grilling, turning frequently. Remove from grill, let cool, peel and dice. Toss scapes in olive oil and lightly grill, then chop. Arrange salad ingredients on a platter, top with your favorite dressing ( we like a citrus vinaigrette) and serve with chicken.

Pickled Ginger

Post number three in the "lovely pickled things" series. Pickled ginger is mostly seen in Asian cuisine, in a strange pink form. This version is a much more zesty version, and I like to use the brine from it in vinaigrette as well. It is so versatile ! I used a mandoline to cut the ginger thinly. We actually have enjoyed just pulling a slice from the jar to snack on every now and again.

Pickled Ginger 

1 cup peeled and thinly sliced fresh ginger

1/2 cup cider vinegar 

1 cup water 

3 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoon salt 

1 tablespoon pickling spice

Place ginger in a pint jar, cover with remaining ingredients, and give a jar a good shake. Let sit on the counter for one hour, or refrigerate. Can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Pickled Onions

As a follow up the previous post, pickled onions !

We love these on so many things. And, you are starting to see these more and more on the Food Network shows, so apparently I am "trending". They are so simple to make, I keep a jar in the refrigerator all the time. Try them on tacos, burgers, pizzas...any other ideas ?

Pickled Onions 

2 large red onions, sliced 

1 cup cider vinegar 

2 cups water 

3 tablespoons sugar 

1 tablespoon salt 

1 tablespoon pickling spice

Place onions in a quart jar, cover with remaining ingredients, and give a jar a good shake. Let sit on the counter for one hour, or refrigerate. Can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Homemade Pickling Spice

This might seem like a little bit of overkill, but I use this a lot at home. It's not just for dill pickles anymore. There will be a few recipes that follow where I will show you how (think pickled onions, pickled garlic, brining mix)! It is very expensive to purchase in the spice section at the regular grocery store, and if you buy these in the bulk section (in the small packages rather than the plastic containers), you can make this entire batch for the price of one 1 ounce bottle. 

 Homemade Pickling Spice 

3 tablespoons black peppercorns
3 tablespoons mustard seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
3 tablespoons hot red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons allspice berries
1 1/2 tablespoon ground mace
3 small cinnamon sticks, crushed or broken into pieces
3 to 4 bay leaves, crumbled
3 tablespoons whole cloves
1 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger

Place peppercorns, mustard seeds and coriander seeds in a small saute pan. Heat and stir until fragrant, being careful not to scorch or burn them. Seeds may pop or crack while you are toasting them. Gently crack peppercorns and seeds in mortar and pestle or with the side of a knife on cutting board.

 Toss together with other spices. Store in tightly sealed plastic or glass container.