Tasty Tuesday: Lemon Chicken w/ Avocado-Corn Salsa

It's "Tasty Tuesday"! 

This Tasty Tuesday's recipe comes from one of our new favorite cook books, "Power Foods." We love this cook book as every recipes has at least one or two "power foods". These power foods are things such as berries, nuts, lean protein's and whole grains. The power food in this recipe is the AVOCADO!!  The avocado is full of "good" fats.

This is one of Laura's favorite recipes. It combines avocado, lemon, black beans and chicken. Its light, full of fresh veggies, and has a ton of flavor. This recipes does involve a little more chopping and prep, so make sure to give yourself plenty of time.We usually save this one for one of our weekend dinners since we have some more time.

Now I have to say that this isn't exactly one of the kid's favorite meals. They will eat the chicken because it's pretty simple but our picky eaters won't usually touch the salsa part. This is a great recipe that you can change based on how you like it. For example, we love black beans, so we usually double the black beans and add some extra tomatoes. To make it easier, we also will just bake the chicken sometimes too. We will also use a spring mix instead of arugula sometimes, based on what other meals we have planned for that week (that way we are only buying one type of lettuce for that week).

I usually like to eat this with a side of brown rice where the meal itself is usually enough for Laura. The meal has a very mexican feel, so a side of brown rice rounds out the meal nicely.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!!

Lemon Chicken with Avocado - Corn Salsa

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Avocados in the salsa supply a generous portion of monosaturated fat and fiber. If fresh corn is not in season, opt for frozen; it will taste better and have more nutrients than any "fresh" corn in the grocery store.

What You'll Need

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6-8 ounces a piece)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)
• 2 ears of corn, husks and silks removed (or 1 cup frozen corn kernels)
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped red jalapeno chiles (ribs and seeds removed for less heat, we have also used green jalapenos)
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 3-4 limes)
• 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2 firm, ripe avocados, halved lengthwise, pitted, peeled, and diced
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces baby arugula

Directions

Combine chicken with 2 tablespoons each of oil and lemon juice in a shallow baking dish. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 - 3 hours, turning once.

Working in a large bowl, stand each ear of corn on its flat end; shave off kernels with a serated knife (to yield about 1 cup total).Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add corn kernels, chiles, and ginger; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3-4 mins. Let it cool.

Heat a grill (or grill pan) to medium heat. Grill chicken until lightly browned and cooked through.

Stir together black beans, onion, corn mixture, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon oil. Add tomatoes, avocados, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste); season with pepper, and stir gently to combine.

Toss the arugula with remaining 2 teaspoons each of oil and lemon juice. Divide evenly among plates, and top with chicken and avocado-corn salsa. And enjoy!

To give you an idea of the health side of this dish, a serving breaks down as:

524 calories; 5 g saturated fat; 4 g unsaturated fat; 68 mg cholestrol; 29 g carbohydrates; 34 g protein; 244 mg sodium; 11 g fiber.