Ok. So, it seems my world is forever in s state of “up-side-down-ed-ness”. No matter what I do, I can simply not keep up with things. I’ll spare you all the 101 excuses and just say I have a backlog of recipes that I have been itching to post. I hope you are ready.

News Flash – It’s Summer! For those of us who find ourselves currently baking to death in this million degree four thousand percent Maryland humidity, this announcement comes as no major shock. So the thought of heading to the kitchen and firing up the stove doesn’t really appeal to me. Did I mention we don’t have central air? Hey, we don’t have central air. It’s like HOT in my kitchen. So, when I think summer cooking I think easy, fresh and….easy.
I’m going to start with a super easy recipe that takes about 20min to make.

~Serves 4~

Food Stuffs:
1 Green Pepper – sliced, not chopped
1 Red Pepper – sliced, not chopped
1 Yellow Pepper – sliced, not chopped
1 Purple Onion – sliced, not chopped
1 Medium Tomato – wedged
1 Bunch Cilantro – chopped
1 Lime (Tip: Smooth skin indicates the lime is juicy and ripe)
1tsp Minced garlic
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – sliced thinly
Sea salt, Cracked pepper, cumin, pepper flakes (optional)
1 Head Romaine Lettuce – chopped
Tortillas

*2 Cups Rice (optional)
Start this first! Medium sauce pan, bring 2cups rice and 4cups water to boil. Add 1tsp sea salt, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer until all the water is gone. About 20 minutes. Wedge a lime for your family or guests to squeeze over their rice. It is super yummy and helps tie the meal together.

Ok, heat a couple Tbsp of oil in a cast iron skillet. Add chicken and cook through. Add onions, peppers,  tomatoes and cilantro. Reduce heat to medium and let cook until the veggies just start to soften. Season veggies with a sprinkle of cumin, cracked pepper, 1/2tsp (or more to taste) of sea salt. Be careful not to over cook the vegetables…you do not want them to be soggy – 4 – maybe 5 minutes. Turn off heat and squeeze the lime over the mixture.

Pico de Gallo
4 Fresh Tomatoes – Chopped
1/2 Purple Onion – Chopped
1/4 Red, Yellow, Green Pepper – Chopped
1/2 Bunch Cilantro – Chopped
2 Limes – Squeezed
Sea Salt, Cracked Pepper (to taste)
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper for those of us who like heat :) – chopped finely
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve. YUM!

Plating:
You can do this one of two ways:
You can serve it up like a salad, using the lettuce as a base then adding the meat and veggies, pico. Add a scoop of rice on the side with a squeeze of lime juice, freshly grated cheese and garnish with a sprig of cilantro.
OR
You can heat some oil in a skillet and fry a tortilla. Once the tortilla is lightly browned, remove from heat and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Place fried tortilla on the plate. Stack lettuce, a scoop of rice, a scoop of the meat mixture, pico, sour cream, cheese and ENJOY!

Either way, you can’t go wrong! The flavors here are pretty bold. The last time we had this we had Chianti. I wish I could remember the label because I remember it was good. It was peppery but not overpowering. At any rate, Chianti is a nice paring, but you could easily do a Pinot Grigio. California actually makes some very nice Pinot Grigios, so don’t shy away from them.