Coconut Chicken

from Recipes Rock


2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 large eggs

1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided

1 cup sweet chili sauce

Cut off any extra fat globules from your chicken breasts. Cut each breast into 6 strips, diagonally to prevent the end strips from being really short.

Prepare your breading station by gathering three bowls. In the first bowl combine the flour and salt. In the second bowl, combine the eggs and coconut milk. Whisk together until well combined. In the third bowl, stir together the panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut.

Place 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a large heavy duty skillet and heat over medium/high heat until it is just below smoking. You can test the heat by throwing in a little bit of flour. When it is hot enough, the flour will sizzle and create a lot of bubbles.

While the oil is heating, dredge the chicken strips. First, coat each strip in the flour and salt mixture. Then dip each into the eggs/coconut milk and finally coat each in panko and shredded coconut. I find it easiest to coat all of them in the flour then go back and then do the egg wash and panko/coconut for each before moving onto the next.

After breading the strips, the oil should be hot enough. Place about 6 strips in the pan at once. There should only be one layer in the pan and there should be about an inch between each strip. If you over crowd the pan it will get too cold and the strips will soak up a lot of oil instead of frying. Fry the strips for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Place them on a plate with paper towel to drain and move on to the next batch. After a couple of batches you may need more oil so you can add the second 1/4 cup to the pan. Allow the oil to come up to temperature before frying the next batch (2-3 minutes). Because the strips are thin, they should be cooked through by the time both sides are browned. You can tell by the texture of the chicken; it should be stiff when pressed. If you cut your strips thicker, you will need to bake off the chicken after frying to make sure the insides are cooked through.

When all of the strips are done frying, serve immediately with sweet chili sauce to dip in. I found mine in the asian section at the grocery store (ours was Panda express kind).

Brazilian Lemonade

from Our Best Bites

4 juicy limes

1 c. sugar

6 c. cold water

6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.

Wash limes thoroughly with soap, (you need the soap to get the wax and pesticides off of the limes because you’re using the WHOLE lime) Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.

Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.

Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and blend well. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Dump the pulp and stuff in the strainer into the trash. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk. Serve immediately over lots of ice. This does not keep well, so don’t make this in advance.

Black-Eyed Pea-Basmati Salad

from Guy Fieri for Food Network Magazine

Prep Time:

1 hr 0 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

30 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 servings

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 1/2 cup dried black-eyed peas, rinsed
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup Spanish olives, halved

For the Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons coarse-grain dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Prepare the salad: Put the peas in a saucepan with 3 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover and let sit 1 hour. Drain, then return to the saucepan with 1 cup fresh water. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Let cool in the liquid.

Meanwhile, put the rice in another saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water and the garlic. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 16 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, then fluff with a fork.

Make the dressing: Whisk the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, honey, cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a nonreactive bowl. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Assemble the salad: Drain the peas and toss with the rice in a large bowl. Add the onion, bell pepper and olives, then add the dressing and toss. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained

4 green onions, chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend. Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place ¼ cup of the filling in the center. Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center. Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free. Dip a finger in water or beaten egg and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking. Serve warm with salsa.