Featured Recipe Submission...
I just found your Blog, I am very excited.
Here is one of my family's favorite summer time meals. I cheat by grilling up a huge family pack of chicken at a time and keeping some in the fridge or freezer to use for quick meal prep other nights. I hate standing over the grill in 100 degree weather.
I don't usually measure, so I converted measurements as best as I can and added my portion comments as needed.
Grilled Chicken and Black Bean Relish Salad
4 chicken breast seasoned and grilled (or figure 4 oz cooked per person)
2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
4 large roma/plum tomatoes
1 lg red onion
sundried tomatoes (I leave these out as I don't care for them)
fresh finely chopped basil
fresh finely chopped oregano
fresh finely chopped parsley
fresh chopped garlic
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
Drain and rinse black beans and put in the bowl. Halve the tomatoes long ways and scoop out watery pulp and seeds and discard. Chop/dice the firm flesh into size similar to the beans. Add to the bowl. Chop red onion and dried tomatoes to same size as the beans and add to the bowl. Add a spoonful of the garlic to taste. Add a 1/4 c. olive oil and enough of the vinegar to cover the beans. Add herbs, salt and pepper to taste. (Coriander would be good in this too, but I don't care for it). Let sit for several hours, better yet overnight. The best balance is to have half of the relish consist of beans. I usually chop the tomatoes and onions and use the can from the beans as my measure filled with each.
You'll need baby greens or tender lettuce, cucumber and carrots (shaved with a vegetable peeler to make curls)
Make the Bean relish ahead. Grill the chicken seasoned as you like. I often use just salt, pepper and garlic. Keep it simple. Let it rest 10 minutes and slice.
Line plate with a bed of the lettuce, add a healthy scoop of the bean relish and top with slices of the chicken. Garnish with cucumber and carrot curls.
I serve this with grilled whole grain garlic bread or grilled polenta.
There is always leftover relish as I make a large batch here. I love it to add to salads or just eat out of a bowl for lunch with some leftover brown rice or wheat berries mixed in.
Nicole
