6-13-2011 Pineapple Chicken Fajitas

I once went on an awesome vacation to Hawaii. I remember the food being outstanding, particularly the pineapples. I ordered pineapple every possible chance. I had baked pineapple crusted with brown sugar, pineapple pancake syrup, pineapple snow cones, and a grilled chicken sandwich with grilled pineapple.

On the last day of the trip I wanted to get really tan, so I laid out in the sun the entire day sans sunscreen. I came home miserable, my skin was burnt crisp, I had sun poisining, and I ate so much pineapple my stomach burned for weeks after.

I still love pineapples, but I will forever eat them in moderation.

Mmmmmm, mmmmmm was our dinner yum! It was a refreshing meal after a scorching hot day. We had:

Pineapple Chicken Fajitas (w/ Pineapple Marinated Grilled Chicken, Pineapple Salsa, and Chunky Guacamole)

Rice with Fresh Corn

Duo of Beets

You could make any of these recipes alone, or you could make them all together, they are all wonderful, particularly all of the fajita components.

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Pineapple Marinated Grilled Chicken

This marinade made delicious chicken, you will love it, I promise.

1 C. pineapple juice
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/3 C. soy sauce
1/4 C. apple cider vinegar
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, crushed
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Place the pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large ziploc bag. Seal the bag and swish the contents around until mixed. Add the chicken breasts. Press out the extra air, and seal. Place in the refrigerator to marinate at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Heat the grill. Grill 6 minutes per side, until cooked through, cooking time depends on the thickness of your chicken. Remove from grill, let rest 10 minutes, thinly slice for fajitas.

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Fresh Pineapple Salsa

This is good served with tortilla chips, over skirt steak, or even grilled tofu. This recipe is a Whole Foods recipe.

2 C. diced fresh pineapple
1/2 C. chopped cilantro
1/4 C. finely chopped red onion
1 serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped (leave the seeds if you want it spicier)
Juice and zest of 1 lime, use a microplane
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Serve immediately or cover and chill until ready to use.

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Chunky Guacamole

When you are going to put guacamole on a fajita, making it chunky like this recipe, makes a delicious difference. You could also serve this guac with tortilla chips. If you do not like cilantro, leave it out.

2 ripe avocadoes
1 small roma tomato, diced
1/2 fresh lime, juiced
1 T. finely diced red onion
1 t. fresh cilantro, chopped
sprinkle of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

In a small bowl, place the flesh of 1 avocado, and mash with a fork until smooth. Add the tomato, lime juice, red onion, cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

Dice the second avocado, and gently mix in the guacamole, leaving it chunky. Serve immediately as it will start to oxidize, and turn brown.

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Rice with Fresh Corn

1 C. enriched white rice
1 1/2 C. water
2 T. margarine
1 fresh ear corn, husks and silk removed, uncooked, and corn cut off the cob
salt to taste
cilantro, for garnish

In a small pot, bring the water and margarine to a boil. Stir in the rice, return to a boil, cover with a tight fitting lid, and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, add the corn, recover, and simmer 10 more minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Remove the cover, and stir. Taste to adjust saltiness.

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 Duo of Beets

This simple side dish is very healthy and goes with anything.

1 large red beet
1 large yellow beet
1/2 lime, juiced
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the beets in quarters. Wrap each color seperately tightly with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, until beets are tender.

Once cool enough to handle, cut away the peel, and dice. Toss with lime juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature, or chilled as a salad.

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Stay cool. Have a good night! Pin It