Chili Lime Chicken Tenders

This chicken was a big hit with my family, we grilled it outdoors and served it with Spanish rice and beans (which I of course didn't eat) along with fresh fruit. It could be a bit spicy for young children, I would suggest cutting the chili powder in half for them.

Chili Lime Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

20 chicken tenders

1/3 c. olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
juice of 4 limes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Method:
Combine all ingredients and pour over chicken tenders. Let marinate at least 3 hours. Place tenders directly from marinade onto hot grill, cook as usual, discard marinade.

SCD Tin Foil Dinners and Cobbler on the Fire

Everything and I mean EVERYTHING tastes better cooked over a fire. I went on a trip last weekend and made tin foil dinners and this Blueberry Peach Cobbler in a small dutch oven over a fire. It was fabulous!

For the tin foil dinners take a large piece of foil and generously oil it. Place meat (I used chicken tenders, but any kind of meat will work) on foil and season with salt and pepper. Place whatever vegetables you choose (I used spinach, zucchini, peas, carrots, green onion, and Anaheim pepper)
on top of the meat. Season again and drizzle with more olive oil. If you have a favorite all purpose seasoning this is a great time to use it, if not you can add celery seed, ground cayenne, or garlic. Wrap foil folding the edges over a few times to seal. Take a sheet of newspaper and wrap it over the foil packet. Wrap again in another sheet of foil and seal edges. You should have your meat and veggies wrapped in foil, then wrapped in newspaper, then in foil again. The newspaper provides insulation and keeps the edges from burning.

Place in hot coals, turning after 20 minutes and cook another 20 minutes. Open up packet and check for the meat to be done. Return to coals if more cooking time is required. I have made these several times over wood coals and charcoal and they are always done after 1 hour, but if your coals are really hot I would definitely check them. Discard outer foil and newspaper and serve right out of the inner foil placed on a paper plate. This works great for my family because you can customize each meal. For the non SCD meals we add slices of baby red potatoes.

For the cobbler I used fresh peaches and blueberries and mixed up the fruit with the lemon juice, vanilla, and honey right in the dutch oven. I had prepared the topping at home and brought it in a baggie and just sprinkled it on top. I placed it on the coals for one hour also. The picture is from before it was cooked, it was too dark after cooking (and it was eaten up too fast) to get a picture.

The trip was loads of fun and I got to see some great scenery. The slogan for the Wyoming travel council is "Big Wonderful Wyoming" and I learned first hand how true that is. Beautiful state.

SCD Carne Asada Lettuce Wraps

SCD Carne Asasa Steak Wraps

2 pounds flank, flat iron, or skirt steak
olive oil
Kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper

Marinade:
1/2 tsp. garlic powder or 3-4 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced or 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
4 T. lime juice (2 limes)
2 T. white vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1/2 c. olive oil

1. Mix together marinade ingredients. Place steak in a glass dish and pour marinade over the meat. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours.
2. Preheat grill to medium high. Remove steak from marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill both sides of the steak only a few minutes. The steak should be medium to rare when served.
3. Remove from grill and let sit for 10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain on a diagonal.
4. Serve on lettuce leaves and garnish with fresh avocado, minced onion, tomatoes, fresh cilantro and cheddar cheese.

SCD BBQ Sauce

SCD Barbecue Sauce

1 c. minced onion (as fine as you can get it)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. olive oil
2 15 oz cans crushed tomatoes (check for added sugar) or 4 c. peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. ground coriander seed
1/8 tsp. cumin
2/3 c. honey
4 T. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground dried chipotle pepper
1/2 c. water (omit if using fresh tomatoes)

1. Saute onion and garlic in oil in a large stockpot 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
2. When the onions are beginning to brown add all other ingredients. Simmer stirring occasionally for 1-2 hours. Sauce should thicken and its color become darker.
3. Adjust seasonings, I added another 2 tsp. salt.
4. Cook until sauce is the consistency you want. You can make it smoother by blending with an immersion blender or a food processor but personally I like the little chunks.
5. Serve with your favorite chicken, ribs or beef. I had enough for the chicken tenders pictured and I plan on using the rest for Shredded Beef Sandwiches.

Beer Can Chicken Without the Beer

I found this gadget for $5 while I was browsing in Walmart the other day and had to give it a try SCD style. It holds a can of beer, you place a chicken upright over the beer can and grill it or bake it in the oven. The idea is that the steam from the beer flavors the chicken and keeps it moist. I wanted to cook it outside on a grill but mine wasn't tall enough to fit the chicken under the lid so I baked it in the oven.

Directions:
Empty a can of something and poke holes in the top half of the can all the way around (or you can just cut off the top of the can, but be careful this leaves a very sharp edge). Add 1/2 c. chicken broth, the juice of two lemons, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. each thyme and rosemary, and 3 T. honey back into the can. Place the can in the holder and put the whole thing in a large baking pan. Invert a cleaned chicken over the can. I drizzled more honey over the chicken and seasoned it with salt and pepper, and more thyme and rosemary. I also left the lemon pieces in the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 2 hours, the time really varies depending on the size of the chicken. It is best to check with a meat thermometer in the the thickest part of the thigh. You want it to be at least 185 degrees to ensure the chicken is thoroughly cooked. If you cook it outside on your grill you want a to try to maintain a temperature of 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

This was the most tender chicken I have ever had. The flavors were very subtle so if you want more of a stand out flavor I would add a lot more seasonings. It was so tender it fell apart when I tried to get it off the can. I will definitely try this again.

Island Shish-ka-bobs (SCD friendly)

Island Shish-ka-bobs

2-3 lbs. chicken, cut into 2 inch chunks

Marinade:
1 c. coconut milk
2 T. fish sauce
1 T. red curry paste
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. coriander seed

Shis-ka-bobs
salt and pepper
red onion
green bell pepper
fresh pineapple
tomatoes

Combine all marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Let sit in refrigerator for 3-24 hours. Drain. About 1 hour before serving time soak bamboo skewers in water while you prepare the vegetables. Cut the veggies and fruit into 2 inch chunks. Layer meat with the fruit and vegetables in whatever order you prefer. My kids like it when I make a few skewers of just meat, you could invite everyone to make their own. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then grill on medium heat. Try to turn only once so that the vegetables and fruit stay on.

To make this recipe even easier I marinate chicken tenders then cook them whole on the grill and cook all the veggies in a grilling basket. It takes less time and the kids pick out the vegetables they like as they serve their plates so there is less waste.