Ingredients
1 cup fresh baby lima beans (from about 1 1/2 pounds in the pod) or other shelling bean (such as edamame)
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
Sea salt
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (raw, from 2 ears)
2 nectarines, cut into thin wedges
1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 large orange bell pepper, finely julienned
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Directions
1.  In a small saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the lima beans until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the beans and rinse under cold water.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk the lime zest and juice with the olive oil, scallion, jalapeño and shallot; season the dressing with salt. Gently fold in the lima beans, corn, nectarines, avocado, orange pepper and tomatoes. Refrigerate the “ceviche” for at least 2 hours. Fold in the cilantro just before serving and serve the “ceviche” chilled.


MAKE AHEAD The salad can be refrigerated for up to 8 hours and eaten over the course of a week! 

Sriracha Chicken Pozole

Picture from original recipe posting. Find it here.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large beefsteak tomatoes (cored if desired)
• 4 large dried guajillo peppers
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 white onion cut into 1/2 inch rounds
• 5 whole cloves, 3 Tbs. sriracha sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 3 Tbs. distilled white vinegar
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 3 good pinches kosher salt
• 2 large fresh poblano peppers
• 2 pounds chicken (skinless boneless thighs and breasts)
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 sprig fresh mint
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado finely diced
• 6 radishes finely sliced
• 1 lime

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT OPTIONS

• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dry)
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
• Shredded lettuce or cabbage
• Diced tomatillos
• Diced green or red bell peppers

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 500. Score an X in the bottom of each tomato and place them on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Roast tomatoes for 25 minutes, until softened and slightly charred all over.
• Cut the stems off the guajillo chiles and slice them lengthwise. Shake out the seeds. Lightly toast them in a small cast iron until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of cold water and let sit for 30 minutes, or until soft and pliable.
• Back the skillet, toast the onions and garlic until you see good charred marks on all sides, and the onions have softened, about 10 minutes.
• To a blender, add the tomatoes (with the skins peeled), onions, garlic, chiles (drained from water), sriracha sauce, cloves and allspice. Puree for a good two minutes, until very smooth. Add a little water if needed.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large dutch oven over medium high. Add the puree (it will probably splatter) to the pan and and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add a cup of water, vinegar, sugar and a Tbs. of salt. Partially cover and simmer on a medium heat for 30 minutes, adding a little more water if needed, to keep it at the same consistency.
• In the meantime, flip your oven to broil. Place the poblano peppers on a baking sheet and broil until blackened and charred all over, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately transfer to a small plastic bag, and seal it. Let sit for 15 minutes, allowing the skin to loosen. Once cool enough, peel the skin away from the peppers and slice into small strips.
• After 30 minutes of simmering, add the chicken, cilantro, mint, Mexican oregano, hominy, chicken stock and another Tbs. salt. Stir to combine, and simmer on medium for another 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
• Ladle pozole into bowls and garnish with sliced radishes, dice avocado, fresh sprigs cilantro and a good spritz of lime juice.

Israeli Tabouli

Ingredients

1 cup Israeli couscous* (see below comments)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup lemon, zested and juiced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

3 to 6 scallions, chopped

3 tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

Place 1 cup couscous in boiling water and follow packaging instructions. Once cooled, transfer to container and add all other ingredients.

Additional ingredients you might wish to add in include arugula, zucchini, pickles, black olives, etc. Not all of these additional ingredients mix well together, so pick and choose which ones work! 

*Optional, to use whole wheat and/or a flavored couscous. For flavored couscous I highly recommend the Near East Basil & Herb Pearled Couscous. It was always hard to find in the grocery store, and I'm happy it's finally available on Amazon!

BBQ Chicken Salad Over Rice

Serves 3 * Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice
2 chicken breasts
Salt & pepper
2 ears corn, shucked (or 1 cup corn kernels)
1/2 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
1 tomato, cut
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup BBQ sauce (plus more for chicken)
lime & splash of olive oil (optional)

Directions:
1. Soak rice in water for approximately 20 minutes, then cook according to package instructions (usually 1 cup dry requires 1 and 3/4 cup water and boiled for 15 minutes).

2. Meanwhile, season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt & pepper, then grill over medium-high heat for 8 minutes a side, or until no longer pink in the center. Add corn to the grill at the same time, and rotate every couple of minutes to evenly char on all sides. Remove chicken and corn to a plate and let cool slightly. Shred or cut chicken into cubes, then mix with enough BBQ sauce to coat. Slice kernels off the cob.

3. In a bowl, combine & mix the grilled corn, shredded BBQ chicken, black beans, tomato and shredded cheese. On plates first layer rice, and chicken salad over the rice. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Alternatively if you want to serve the salad separate from the chicken, then use juice from an entire lime and a splash of olive oil as the dressing.

Original Recipe from Iowa Girl Eats.

Barbecued Salmon with Green Mango Salad (Food&Wine June 2011)

Total Time: 30 mins   *   Servings: 4 or 2   *   See original recipe here 

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar (instead of rice vinegar and soy sauce, I used 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar)
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large unripe mango (1 1/4 pounds), peeled and very thinly sliced
1/2 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint
2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
Four 7-ounce salmon fillets with skin


DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, whisk the lime zest and lime juice with the rice vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce. Whisk in the 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the sliced green mango, cucumber, cilantro, mint and 1 tablespoon of the roasted sesame seeds.
2. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the salmon fillets with vegetable oil and season them with salt and pepper. Grill the salmon skin side down over moderate heat, turning once, until the skin is very crisp and the fish is slightly opaque in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the salmon fillets to plates, sprinkle them with the remaining 1 tablespoon of roasted sesame seeds and serve with the mango salad.


MAKE AHEAD
The green mango salad can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 4 hours. Add the chopped cilantro and mint just before serving.

Beef Chili

Beef chili with a perfect medium to hot spice level.

Serves 4 -5 hungry men. NOTE FROM HUNGRY MEN: Try putting less beef and more veggies next time. 

Ingredients:
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
* 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
* 1 carrot, sliced I put in a lot more than just one. Also, Jonathan likes it when they're softer. I recommend boiling the carrot before putting in the pot for it to come out softer. 
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 1 dried red pepper, crushed
* 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (or 1 whole green pepper)
* 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (or 1 whole red pepper)
* 1/3 jalapeno pepper, minced
* 1/3 cup bottled steak sauce
* 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
* 1 (1.25 ounce) package chili seasoning mix
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
* In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine tomatoes, tomato paste, carrot, onion, celery, pepper flakes, bell peppers, jalapeno pepper and steak sauce.

* While tomato mixture is simmering, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until brown; drain. Stir chili seasoning into ground beef.

* Stir seasoned beef into tomato mixture. Mix in cumin and continue to simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors are well blended.

* Stir in beans, cilantro and parsley. Total cook time approx 1.5 hours throughout all directions. Heat through and serve.

Used ingredients and quantities based on Award Winning Chili recipe posted on allrecipes.com. This recipe also calls for 1/4 cup white wine and 5 slices bacon which I omitted.