Are you running out of ideas for your weekly meal plan?
Here are this week’s top recipes for you to add to your Arsenal.
Cilantro Lime Chicken Drumsticks
The best flavors of summer baked into juicy drumsticks!
Recipe Cilantro Lime Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients * Tbsp olive oil * 4 cloves garlic, minced * 1/2 tsp cumin * 1/2 tsp salt * Freshly cracked pepper * 2 limes * 1/2 bunch cilantro * 6 chicken drumsticks (about 1.75 lbs.) Instruction * Combine the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a mill) in a bowl. * Use a zester, microplane, or small-holed cheese grater to remove the zest from one of the limes. Add about 1 tsp zest and 3 Tbsp juice to the marinade.Pull the leaves from 1/4 bunch of cilantro and chop finely. Add the chopped cilantro to the marinade and stir to combine. The other 1/4 bunch of cilantro will be added after baking. * Pour the marinade into a gallon sized zip top bag and add the chicken drumsticks. Close the bag tightly and massage to mix and coat the chicken pieces in the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or longer if desired, turning the bag occasionally to redistribute the marinade. * When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the chicken pieces to a casserole dish so they are all in one layer, trying not to overcrowd. Pour the rest of the marinade in the bag over the chicken. * Bake the chicken for 40-45 minutes, basting once or twice throughout. For more browning, turn the broiler on at the end of the cooking time and broil for 2-4 minutes, or until the desired amount of browning is achieved. The total cooking time will ultimately depend on the size of your drumsticks and how closely they are packed together in the baking dish. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the meat has reached 160ºF to be sure. * Garnish the chicken with fresh slices of lime and more chopped cilantro leaves.
Grilled Cajun Chicken with Avocado Corn Salsa
* Recipe * Chicken * 4 (6 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts * 3/4 tsp paprika * 1/2 tsp garlic powder * 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste * 1/4 tsp onion powder * 1/4 tsp dried thyme * 1/4 tsp dried oregano * Salt and freshly ground black pepper * 1 Tbsp olive oil * Avocado Corn Salsa * 1 ear corn, grilled or 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed * 1 roma tomato, diced * 1/3 cup diced red or green bell pepper * 1/2 avocado, diced * 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro * 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice * 1 Tbsp olive oil Instruction * Preheat a grill over medium-high heat (to about 425 degrees). Pound thicker parts of chicken with the flat side of a meat mallet to even out their thickness. * In a small bowl whisk together paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, thyme and oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I used heaping 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper). Brush both sides of chicken breasts lightly with olive oil then sprinkle both sides evenly with seasoning mixture. Grill until center registers 165, about 4 minutes per side. * Meanwhile in a medium mixing bowl toss together corn, tomato, bell pepper, avocado, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. * Let chicken rest off of grill 5 minutes tented with foil then serve warm with Avocado Corn Salsa.
MEXICAN SHRIMP COCKTAIL STUFFED AVOCADOS
1 pound cooked shrimp, chopped 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1/2 cup diced cucumbers 1/2 cup diced red onions 1-2 jalapeno, deseeded and diced* 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 3 tablespoons shrimp cocktail sauce 2 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Louisiana or Cholula) 2-3 tablespoons lime juice 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper salt and pepp 5-6 avocados DIRECTIONS: Add the shrimp, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, cilantro, and cocktail sauce to a large bowl. Use 1-2 jalapenos depending on your personal preference. For us, 1 jalapeno made this plenty spicy. Add the hot sauce along with 2 tablespoons of lime juice, cayenne, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything together, taste and adjust the lime juice, salt and pepper to preference. Cover and refrigerate the shrimp mixture for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit. If the avocado doesn’t have a large enough space to hold a significant amount of shrimp cocktail, scoop just a little bit of the avocado out to make space. We left them as is and just piled it on high. I like to serve these with tortilla chips on the side!
Lighter Spinach Alfredo Pasta
Creamy and rich, yet never heavy, this Lighter Spinach Alfredo Pasta is an easy and satisfying comfort food. 12 oz penne pasta 2 Tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups milk 6 oz. cream cheese 3/4 cup grated Parmesan 1/4 tsp salt Freshly cracked pepper 4 cups baby spinach Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Add the butter and minced garlic to a deep skillet or pot and sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is soft and fragrant, but not brown. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the milk to the skillet along with the cream cheese (cut into chunks). Heat the milk and cream cheese while whisking, until the cream cheese has fully melted into the milk. Whisk in the grated Parmesan cheese and continue to whisk as the sauce comes up to a gentle simmer. When it reaches a simmer, the sauce will thicken. Turn the heat down to low to keep the sauce warm. Season the sauce with 1/4 tsp salt and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper. Add the fresh spinach to the sauce and stir it in until it has wilted and become limp. Finally, add the cooked and drained pasta to the spinach alfredo sauce and stir to combine. Serve immediately.