Weekly Menu 3
CLN

Chicken skewers with parsley-feta pesto and Greek salad

Beef and avocado tacos with beans and rice

Cuban burgers with mojo, grilled red potatoes and cucumber salad

Day 1
This is based on a Rachael Ray recipe, you can find it here. It's essentially a big salad but I find it tastes better with the components served separately. I serve the grilled chicken with the pesto on the side, the salad and toasted pita accompany the dish. I like to make the salad without the celery and make my make my own dressing using Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and oregano. As a rule of thumb use 1 part vinegar( lemon juice) to 2 parts oil.

Day 2
Find the recipe here. This combination may sound odd but the crisp radish, creamy avocado and pickled jalapeno work really well together. I often use a flank steak in place of the skirt steak if that is all I can find. I like to use Emeril's Essence as a rub for the meat. You can make up a batch and keep it in the freezer. For the beans and rice I simmer a can of black beans, add chili powder and some fresh lime juice to liven them up and serve them over white rice.

Day 3
This burger is a twist on the cuban sandwich, which I love. The recipe calls for making a garlic mayo, I never do that and don't think it is worth the trouble, I just use regular mayo. To weight the burger on the grill, we usually use a brick or heavy cast iron skillet. I serve mojo to dip the sandwich in. Mojo is a citrus, onion and garlic marinade. You can find it in most grocery stores in the Goya or ethnic aisles. For a great side with this you can roast some red skin potatoes and when they're nice and crispy pull them out and pour mojo over them and garnish with scallions.
Mojitos-A traditional Cuban cocktail

Cucumber salad

This is very simple and you can just make it to taste. slice cucumbers and to them add white wine vinegar, olive oil and sugar. Depending on what is on hand you can also add onion and some dill. This is best made a few hours ahead so the flavors can meld and the cucumber can break down a bit.