A Margarita Meal

If you've followed my blog for a while, you'll know that I like to try alot of Rachael Ray's recipes. I don't watch alot of cooking shows, but whenever I happen to catch hers, the recipes are generally easy to follow and use ingredients that I have handy in the house. I'm not intimidated by her recipes... she's not a professional chef, just someone like me who loves to cook, and was lucky enough to turn her hobby into a wildly-successful career!

So last week on her show, she made Tequila Lime Chicken and Grilled Romaine Hearts with Caesar-cado Dressing. I have made Tequila Lime Chicken before (click here for my Pollo Loco recipe that is my attempt at copying Applebee's Fiesta Chicken.) This recipe is much simpler... and probably alot healthier (no spicy mayo sauce or grated cheese on top, just chicken marinated in booze - yum!) I made a couple adjustments, based on what ingredients I did/didn't have in the house, and the whole dish was awesome.

TEQUILA LIME CHICKEN (from Rachael Ray)
4 chicken breasts
1/2 c. tequila
juice of 4 limes
1/4 c. olive oil
salt & pepper
Cuban seasoning or Fajita seasoning

Lay the chicken in a shallow dish and pour the tequila, lime juice, and oil over top. Let it marinate for 30 minutes or more. Shake off excess marinade and season chicken with salt & pepper before grilling.

CHIMI-CHOP (from Rachael Ray)
1/2 c. cilantro
1/4 c. mint
1/2 red onion
2 jalapenos, seeded
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/3 c. olive oil

Finely chop the cilantro, mint, red onion, and jalapenos. Stir together with vinegar and oil. Serve overtop of the grilled chicken.

CAESAR-CADO DRESSING (from Rachael Ray)
1 avocado
juice of 2 lemons
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp. Chipotle powder
1/4 c. olive oil

Combine everything in a blender. Serve over romaine hearts that have been cut in half, washed & patted dry, sprayed with cooking spray (on the cut portion) and grilled on a bbq for 2 minutes.
For a beverage, I adapted the recipe for Camp Juice to make it a slushy margarita:

BEERGARITAS
1 c. tequila
1 can limeade
2 cans water (use the empty limeade can)
2 cans beer

Pour into a container and freeze overnight. Let it thaw slightly before serving.

This was a really simple meal to make, even though it sounds like it would be complicated. Throw your chicken in a bag with some marinade; grill it. Slice your lettuce in half; grill it. Throw your salad dressing ingredients in the blender; blend it. Throw your beergarita ingredients in the freezer; freeze it. The hardest part is probably the Chimi-Chop, which is just chopped herbs & veggies - not really rocket science!

The caesar dressing is amazing (although I think I'd take it easy on the lemon and garlic next time... it was a little strong!) and the Chimi-Chop was delicious on the chicken (I had my doubts when I first made it... it didn't smell fabulous, but it tasted great.) The beergaritas were perfect.... in fact, I think I'm going to have another one right now! Good night!