Roasted Beets with Citrus and Feta

I am currently on a road trip and sitting in one of the grimier motels I've ever been in. There are 5 strip clubs down the street and several shady-looking dudes loitering around the building. Welcome to the ghetto part of San Diego. I'm also thinking that it would be very nice if I had something light and tasty to munch on (twizzler pull-n-peels get a bit old after two days of pulling and peeling). Something citrusy. Something juicy. Like this salad.

I have a strange relationship with beets. Some days I love them; other days the mere thought of beets makes me gag just a little. The day I made this salad was an excellent beet day. And I bet you wouldn't have thought to combine citrus and beets and feta and barley, but it really is an excellent match, I assure you.

Orange Chicken

This recipe was sent to me quite a while back by a friend of mine. The first time I made it for a large group of people and they all loved it. Recently I made it for just me and my hubby and we again enjoyed it immensely. While you do have to hand dip each piece of chicken into an egg wash and corn starch, the entire prep time is quite quick and well worth the "dipping" time. I serve the orange chicken with broccoli and rice making it an entire, delicious, citrusy meal.

Orange Chicken

Recipe from Summer K.

Picture by Caroline

Chicken:

4 chicken breast halves, cut into 1” cubes
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon water
¼ cup cornstarch
2 tablespoon margarine (or olive oil)

Sauce:
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup vinegar
5 or 6 green onions, green part only cut into 1” long slices (*this is my addition)

1 tablespoon cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water for thickening sauce (cornstarch slurry)

1. Cube chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Dip chicken pieces in egg wash made of the beaten egg and water, then coat with cornstarch. Brown chicken in margarine or oil until cooked through and place in shallow (greased) baking dish.
2. Combine remaining ingredients except cornstarch slurry in pot and bring to a boil. Add cornstarch slurry as needed for a thin sauce. Stir and adjust seasonings if wanted. Just before you take the sauce off the stove add the green onions if desired.
3. Pour sauce over chicken, stir, and bake, covered with foil, for 20 min in a 350°F oven; remove cover and stir. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.
4. Serve with steamed broccoli and rice.

Guacamole Salad

This vegetable salad is fresh and citrusy. It is chalked full of vitamins and flavor. I first had this salad sitting outside on a family members deck in the early evening, it was perfect, and so I would suggest that it makes a perfect side to a summer barbecue. Be warned that the lime is a very distinct flavor, so if you are planning to serve it with another citrus flavor, you may want to add less lime, although I would make it just as is.

Guacamole Salad
Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home, 2006
Pictures by Caroline

Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved (I used 3 or 4 Roma tomatoes)
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and ½-inch diced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup red onion, diced small
2 tablespoons minced jalapeño, seeded
½ teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
¼ cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I substituted red pepper flakes)
2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled, and diced in ½-inch pieces

Directions:
1. Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, and jalapeño peppers in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together the lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and pepper flakes.
3. When ready to serve, pour dressing over vegetables and toss well. Add avocados and gently fold them into the salad. Serve and enjoy.