(NC)—With the blustery winter weather outside, enjoy the warmth of your home with some good ol’ savoury and delicious home cooking. After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s nice to get cozy and eat-in with the family. By preparing home-cooked meals more regularly, you can save money for those post-holiday bills, while eating healthier and in smaller portions.
“One of the things I love about home cooking is that I know exactly what’s going into my meals,” says executive chef Brad Moore of SCHOOL. “I can control the portions and select the foods I want to eat.” Brad offers the following advice to keep your dining-in routine and budget on track:
Create a weekly meal schedule – Come home with a game plan for dinner instead of just hungry and confused. Plan ahead before making trips to the grocery store to help eliminate unnecessary purchases.
Mix up your recipes – Try one new recipe each week to expand your repertoire and even improve your reputation.
Maximize ingredients – Instead of using an ingredient once, consider how you can get the most out of it to save money and time. For example, Florida grapefruit juice is enormously versatile and can be incorporated into sauces, stir-frys, soup or salads, adding that healthy zing to meals.
Here’s a quick and delicious recipe that incorporates Florida grapefruit juice. More easy and nutritious recipes can be found online at www.floridacitrus.ca.
Latin Chicken with Florida Grapefruit Black Bean Salsa
Chicken & Marinade
4 x 8 oz chicken breast, gently scored with knife
½ tbsp garlic puree (or 2 cloves chopped fine)
½ tbsp vegetable oil
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground chilies or cayenne pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt
4 green lettuce leaves – washed, dried
Grapefruit Salsa
1/4 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
2 Florida red grapefruit, peeled, segmented, roughly chopped
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp salt
1 x 15 oz can of blackbeans, drained
1 cup fresh, ripe papaya, peeled, seeded and cubed ¼ inch
1 ripe avocado, chopped ¼ inch cubes
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1. Mix all marinade ingredients and rub well into chicken breast. Let marinate for 20-40 minutes.
2. Mix all salsa ingredients. Let sit to combine flavours for at least 20 minutes.
3. Grill or pan fry chicken breast. Approximately 2-3 per side until done. If using a frying pan, cover with lid while cooking at medium-high heat.
4. Place green lettuce leaf on serving plates. Place cooked chicken breast on lettuce. Top with 2 tbsp grapefruit salsa and serve.
Serves 4