Ginger Lime Marinade

Combine in a large bowl:

3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

Whisk until combined and refrigerate until ready to use. To save calories, use about 1/2 cup of marinade for every pound of meat -- that's 2 tablespoons per 4 ounces of raw meat, enough to coat without excess.  This recipe makes about 1/2 cup of marinade.

You can use this on beef, pork or chicken.  I used it on chicken and grilled the chicken to make Leafy Grilled Chicken Salad w/Creamy Balsamic Dressing. http://artofcookingfromscratch.blogspot.com/2010/07/creamy-lo-cal-balsamic-dressing-made-w.html

I have found that using the right tool or gadget can make a difference in the ease and efficiency of cooking from scratch.  I made a key lime cheese cake once that called for, I think 8 or more freshly squeezed limes. This is a very tasty cheesecake, but after making it for the first time, I was sure it would be my last, simply because squeezing all of those limes was such a big job -- took me over an hour just to squeeze the limes!  When I complained about it to Rita, who gave me the recipe, she just shook her head and said, maybe you aren't using the right tools. That's when I learned about this nifty citrus squeezer.  Every once in a while, I still may use Real Lemon or Real Lime that comes in a squeeze bottle, just because I have some in the fridge and I don't have a fresh lemon or Lime on hand.  But if you can possibly use fresh lemon or fresh lime juice, the taste is definitely better -- this little gadget makes a difficult messy job into an easy one.  

Creamy Lo-Cal Balsamic Dressing (made w/ Navy Beans) & Leafy Grilled Chicken Salad

Not only do I try to eat healthy, wholesome foods, but I also need to watch my caloric intake -- just because something is organic, it doesn't make it lo-cal.  I absolutely love cheese and butter and in general "creamy foods" and I especially love creamy salad dressings when I eat green salads.  When I discovered the recipe for Creamy Balsamic dressing and made it and ate it for the first time, I thought that I had hit pay dirt!  Here was a way to fulfill my love of creamy salad dressings and still keep it as lo-cal as any oil & vinegar salad dressing could possibly be and it was a very nutritious and healthy way to go!  So, if you are a creamy salad dressing lover, I want to know if this recipe fills the bill for you as it has for me!


Creamy Balsamic Dressing
1/2 cup no-salt added cooked Great Northern Beans (or navy beans), rinsed and drained.

(see my post about cooking your own dried beans and use your own cooked Navy beans. http://artofcookingfromscratch.blogspot.com/2010/06/prepping-and-cooking-musical-fruit.html )

If I use canned beans, I double this recipe and use 1 can of beans = 1 cup, which makes about 2 cups of dressing, so double all of the following ingredients, if you use 1 cup of beans.)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 large cloves of garlic

8 large fresh basil leaves

1/8 teaspoon salt

                                              Puree beans, oil vinegar, garlic, basil and salt in blender or food processor until smooth.  That's it -- you now have a fabulous creamy dressing that tastes good on a grilled chicken salad or even as a condiment on hamburgers, etc.

 Leafy Grilled Chicken Salad (Tastes great with the Creamy Balsamic Dressing)
5 ounces mixed baby greens
1 1/2 cup pregrilled chicken breast strips (I have a Ginger Lime Marinade that works pretty good for grilling chicken  http://artofcookingfromscratch.blogspot.com/2010/07/ginger-lime-marinade.html)
1/4 large red onion, thinly sliced (about 1/4th cup)
1 cup grape tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
(I have also added alfalfa sprouts, garbanzo beans or shelled edamame, artichoke heart quarters, sunflower seeds & whatever else you like in salad -- I have also omitted the chicken)


Arrange the greens among 4 salad plates. Top evenly with the other salad ingredients. Drizzle only about 1/4 cup of the dressing for all 4 plates.