pineapple lime grilled chicken

my beloved husband of one year and six days cooked us supper tonight and it was amazing.  all i could think of this morning was chicken with some sort of vegetable accompaniment, so i asked him if he could come up with something better.  and this is what he did:


Beloved Husband's Pineapple Lime Grilled Chicken - serves 4
prep time: 30mins   cook time: 45mins
adapted (quite a bit) from: Kiss Recipes

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup pineapple juice - or 3ish fresh pineapple slices cut into tiny pieces and boiled/smashed until it gets juicy
1/4 cup lime juice - about two fresh limes
one lime peel, grated
4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
2-3 tbsp olive oil
pepper and salt to taste - we used sea salt

In a small bowl, combine pineapple juice, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Marinate chicken in pineapple lime concoction for about an hour, making sure it's well coated.

Unfold the chicken thighs and put a little marinade in the middle (the pineapple and garlic chunks especially).  Refold and put the folded side down on the grill (you could try holding them together with toothpicks or skewers or something).  Grill on medium heat for 30-45 minutes, or until chicken is done!


he grilled this chicken up with the rest of the pineapple slices, sliced orange peppers, and corn on the cob.  and he topped it off by drizzling peaches and apricots with honey, wrapping them in tin foil and leaving them to slowly bake on the top rack while the rest of dinner was cooking and being devoured.  a simple and yet completely mouth-watering dessert to top off a most satisfying summer meal.

fair warning beloved husband: keep this up and i might quit cooking altogether!

red lentil and spinach soup

i love making soup!  it's one of my favourite things to cook.  i love all the different tastes blending together in one spoonfull.  and i love how wonderful my house smells when there's a pot simmering on the stove.

i pulled a serving of this soup out of the freezer tonight and quickly remembered how tasty it was.  red lentils cook quicker than regular lentils, and have a different texture - something i didn't know when i bought a huge bag of them and attempted to use them in "regular lentil" recipes (fail).  now that i'm on to them, i'm always looking for ways to cook them up, and this soup has been my most successful attempt to date.

Red Lentil and Spinach Soup - serves 6-8

prep time: 15mins   cook time: 30-45mins

adapted from: Quick Healthy Meals

1 tbsp vegetable oil - i used olive oil, just because
4 green onions, chopped
3 medium carrots, diced
1 medium potato, scrubbed and dice
1 tbsp tomato paste - try to find some without added salt
1 tsp curry powder - mild, thank you very much, but whatever floats your curry boat
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock - i make and freeze my own and plan to post that someday!
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils - rinse them well under cold water
2 cups fresh spinach, stems removed - i used about 1 cup frozen - much quicker

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the green onions, carrots, and potato.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft.
Stir in the tomato paste and curry powder.  Add the stock, water and lentils.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat,  cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash and chop the spinach (or skip this step entirely if you're using frozen).  If the lentils are tender, add the spinach.  Stir to mix and serve (if using frozen, heat thoroughly, then serve).


YUM!  so tasty.  something made this soup a little sweet, which was a delightful surprise.  it freezes and reheats well and is absolutely wonderful with a fresh piece of multi grain bread.

any other red lentil lovers out there?  i need some more recipes to try!