Papaya, Mango-Ginger Frozen Margarita's #NationalMargaritaDay

The problem you see,  if you are tolerant enough to see that it is in fact a problem, is that the weather here is so gorgeously perfect out right now that it is impossible to get anything done on time. The laundry is piling up, the dust bunnies are everywhere and my 'To Do' list has all but been forgotten. All for the gravitational pull of the warm 'Spring' Phoenix sun that quite literally drags me outdoors to soak in all of it's perfectness. Bad day. Forgotten.







The afternoons here have been perfect in every form of the word and I would be insane not to take advantage of weather most of the world is wishing for right now and not sit outside on the back patio with a cocktail in the late afternoon and enjoy every last fleeting moment of it. July will be here all to soon with it's triple scorching digits and all of you in Central Park, Maine, North Carolina and everywhere else can rub it in my face if you please.

I love papaya's subtle, floral sweetness and it's buttery texture. Make sure you choose the smaller tropical ones, not the giant ones from Mexico, in my experience those smell and taste like vomit. Sorry, just warning you. The smaller ones are as I described above just make sure you wait until they are very ripe to get the full tropical flavor experience, otherwise they are fairly tasteless. It's pretty safe to buy frozen papaya as I did for these margaritas. Paired with mango, a squeeze of lime juice and a bit of ginger and you have yourself one damn good margarita.

What could make this situation any more perfect? Two things. Shrimp and margaritas. duh.

National Margarita Day was on Saturday and just in the nick of time for most of you clinging to your coats, scarves and blankies in knee deep snow. ick. If you aren't fortunate to be able to celebrate this occasion outdoors, there is absolutely NO reason IMHO not to turn up the heat, put on a tank top and blend up a tropical margarita this afternoon! It's quite rude not to honor holidays you know. Quite rude.


Heather from GirliChef put together a little party to celebrate this worthy National party, made up or not I've yet to find out. Who cares? If I get to mix up a margarita or two (or three) and sit outside in the fabulous Sonoran sun then I'm celebrating!

Of course, I managed to somehow miss the link up in time (see disclaimer above) and didn't realize my post didn't auto load that morning because I had to work all day. On a Saturday. On National Margarita Saturday no less. Bummer. Ah well, nothing a Papaya, Mango and ginger margarita can't fix. Mood brightened!

If you too are in need of a cold frozen Margarita, head over to GirliChef for an impressive list of margaritas. If fact, their are Margaritas on the rocks, Margarita cupcakes, drunken shrimp and more!

SERVES 2
2 cups frozen papaya and mango
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
2 limes, juiced
2/3 cup blanco tequila
4 oz. triple sec or Cointreau 

Blend, enjoy, repeat.
Chile Sugar to garnish on rim

I made a big bowl of Drunken Shrimp Pasta to go with our frozen Papaya Mango Margaritas and needles to say, we were in 7th heaven that evening sitting outside in the setting Phoenix sun sipping on our drinks and slurping up the spicy sauce from fettuccine noodles. Check back in a couple of days for the recipe, It's the best shrimp pasta I've ever had if I must say so myself.

Coconut Crusted Baked Chicken Strips {gluten free}

I remember when I was in college I thought grabbing some chicken fingers at Wendy's was a healthier choice than grabbing a cheeseburger, I mean no bread right? Wrong, duh me. I'm not going to lie, I still love a good, crispy chicken nugget but avoid the drive through like crazy nowadays. It's a good thing, a very, very good thing that home made chicken nuggets happen to be one of the very easiest things you can make. Yippee!







Anyone can make these even if you don't like to cook or it's not really your thing. This is one of my "go to" weeknight simple dinners. I'm bored to death with plain baked chicken not to mention the whole humane issue with eating cooped up chickens. Of course eating Organic & cage free chicken gets pricey when feeding a family of 6 so we don't have it very often.

These would be a perfect appetizer at a party!

When we do I make sure it's gonna be tasty and serve it up with lots of fruits and veggies. In this case, an amazingly sweet and creamy mango yogurt dipping sauce! I could have eaten it by the spoonful. Not ashamed.



One of my nutty kids doesn't like coconut (the shame) but the rest of us loved these sweet and crunchy chicken tenders and were more than happy to swipe Jack's chicken nuggets right of his plate. Ya gotta be quick around this joint when it comes to protecting your food and making sure you get the very last chicken nugget from the pan.

6-8 pieces chicken tenderloins (preferably Organic free range)

11/2 cups almond or other nut flour 

1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

4 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons milk (dairy free if possible)

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon oil for coating pan 

2 ripe mango's + 1/2 cup yogurt = mango dipping sauce

peel mango and slice fruit away from pit. Discard pit, place fruit into blender or food processor. Add yogurt, blend.

Preheat oven to 400F

Arrange 3 deep plates on counter. Add flour to one,  beaten eggs to the second and coconut to the third.

Working one at a time, place chicken tenders into flour and dredge on both sides to coat. Using your other hand, dip coated chicken into egg to coat. Next, lay chicken in coconut and dredge to coat, flip, coat other side.

Place on a lightly oiled pan or one lined with parchment. 

Continue to do this to remaining chicken. 

TIP 

 Only put half of the flour and half of the coconut onto plates as they will become gooey.

Half way through your chicken, quickly rinse off plates if needed and dry.

 Add remaining flour to one plate and remaining coconut to the other. 

Cook at 400F for 4-5 minutes. Using tongs, carefully flip the chicken pieces over. 

Cook an additional 5-6 minutes until golden brown.

Don't over cook chicken as it will become dry and taste like cardboard.

Enjoy!

Do you cook less when the weather gets warmer? 

What is your favorite warm weather dish?

Quinoa with Black Bean and Mango Salsa

So sweet, tangy and delicious, you'll forget it's good for you!
The vibrant colors of this salad—orange, red, black and green—signal that it's loaded with phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. And since it features both quinoa—a “complete” protein with all the essential amino acids—and black beans, it's a vegetarian protein powerhouse.

NutritionPer serving: 422 calories; 9 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 74 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 15 g protein; 19 g fiber; 258 mg sodium; 642 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (210% daily value), Vitamin A (50% dv), Magnesium (22% dv), Vitamin E (20% dv).

Other blogs/sites with similar recipe
Eclectic Recipes
Eating Well

TIME  30 MINUTES    SERVES 6

Ingredients


1 cup quinoa, (see Note)


2 cups water


1/4 cup orange juice


1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (don't like cilantro? use parsley instead)


2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white wine vinegar


1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil


1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger ( excellent for digestive health and immunity)


1/8 teaspoon salt


Pinch of cayenne pepper


1 small mango, diced (see Tip)


1 small red bell pepper, diced


1 cup dry black beans


3 scallions, thinly sliced (the bottom third of green onions)










Preparation


1. Boil quinoa in 2 cups water for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand covered for 15 minutes.  Some quinoa comes pre-rinsed, if not make sure to rinse well in a seive to remove naturally occuring bitter saponins, a "soapy" coating on quinoa.
2.Meanwhile, whisk orange juice, cilantro, vinegar, oil, ginger, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add mango, bell pepper, beans and scallions; toss to coat.


3.When the quinoa is finished cooking, add to the mango mixture and toss to combine.




Tip:  I use dry beans instead of canned (cheaper, less sodium) and I usually make twice as much and reserve half so we can have burritos or tostados the following day!


Note: Quinoa, a delicately flavored grain, was a staple in the ancient Incas' diet. Toasting it before cooking enhances its flavor, and rinsing removes any residue of saponin, quinoa's natural, bitter protective covering.

This post is linked to Make it with....... Monday's featured ingredient, Quinoa.

Mango Avacado Shrimp Salad

This salad is all about contrast. Sweet mango and velvety avocado pair well with the tart-hot dressing.
I found this recipe in Sunset magazine. I added cucumber for a bit of crunch. This is a delicious, light summer lunch!

SERVES 6 TIME about 10 minutes

You Will Need:


3 TBSP fresh lime juice
2 TBSP grape seed or vegetable oil
1 tsp Agave Nectar
2 large firm-ripe mangoes
2 medium firm-ripe avocados
1/2 of an English (seedless) cucumber
2/3 cup each thinly sliced green onion and chopped cilantro
1 TBSP minced hot red or green chile (or 1/2 tsp. dried red chile flakes)
1 lb. peeled cooked shrimp

1. In a large bowl whisk together lime juice, oil and sugar, until sugar dissolves.
2. Dice mangoes, cucumber and avocados into 3/4 inch cubes. ( i added the avocado last so it wouldn't smush). Add green onions, cilantro, chile and shrimp. Mix gently. Serve chilled.

NUTRITIONAL INFO
Per serving 288 cal.,18 G Protein; 14 G Fat (2.1 G sat.); 26 G carb 2.6 G Fiber; 180 MG Sodium.


PRINT THIS RECIPE


Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.


There is a lot in the news these days about MUFAs - monounsaturated fatty acids. MUFAs are plant–based fats — found in olive oil, nuts and seeds, dark chocolate and avocados.


According to Registered Dietitian Cynthia Sass, co-author of The Flat Belly Diet, MUFAs, as shown in a variety of studies, can be helpful with cholesterol levels and help to moderate inflammation, belly fat (one of the most dangerous types of fat in the body) and body weight as well as increasing brain and lung function.
One serving of avocado (one fifth of an avocado) provides 4.5 grams of fat. Of that, 3 grams are monounsaturated fatty acids, 0.5 gram is saturated fat, 0.5 gram is polyunsaturated fat and with 0 grams of trans fat.
Current Dietary Guidelines recommend “keep total fat intake between 20 to 35% of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.”

 Resources.