Smoked Chicken Salad with Tomatillo Guacamole Dressing

On Wednesdays I go with my girlfriend, Ellen, to the stables where she teaches horseback riding to kids. Since I am nothing but a child myself, I get a free lesson every week so Ellen doesn't have to deal with the embarrassment of being a level 2 dressage athlete that is living with someone who can't tell a saddle from stirrup. As a thank you for the free horse rides, I try to bring by a little dinner for everyone. Today, since it was so warm out, I brought a chicken salad made with the meat from some chicken thighs I had smoked over hickory the day before. If you don't have the means to smoke your own chicken, you can easily buy the stuff from a local grocer. As is always the case with the recipes on this blog, I made this up on the spot. It was a big hit at the barn and to boot it is really healthy and very simple. I hope you like it.

Recipe
2 pounds smoked chicken, white or dark meat, diced
1 ripe California avocado (not the big, smooth Florida kind)
1 medium onion, small diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 pound tomatillos, leaves removed and rinsed
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Coat the Tomatillos in olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven until soft. They will actually break open when they are done.
Pull from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, puree in a food processor or blender.
Peel and dice the avocado and place in a large bowl. Mash with a fork or potato masher.
Add the tomatillo puree and blend with the avocado. Blend in the lime juice. Fold in the onion and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Now, fold in your diced, smoked chicken. Check for seasoning and serve. I supplied mini pitas, but crackers or your favorite bread will do just fine. Just use what you like. It is your salad, after all.

Told you it was simple. Bon appetit.

Shrimp and Grits

Well, here is the first improvised recipe. Shrimp and grits is a southern classic that is on damn near every menu is the Carolinas. My girlfriend was seriously jonesing for this dish, so I decided to whip some up. Since I had never made it before, I had to wing it.
You should use old fashioned grits instead of instant. The real grits have a flavor and texture that instant can't even come close to.

Grits
1 cup yellow or white grits
5 cups water
1 tsp chipotle powder
4 oz cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Shrimp
1 pound medium shrimp (26-30 count)
4 oz butter
4 strip of bacon (turkey bacon is fine if that is all you have), cut into pieces
1 medium onion, small diced
4 cloves garlic, minced


Procedure


Place the 5 cups of water into a 3-4 quart pot and bring to a boil. Gradually whisk in the grits, return to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for app. 30 minutes. At the end of cooking stir in the chipotle powder and cheddar cheese then season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the grits are cooking...

Peel the shrimp. Devein them if you like, but in shrimp this size it is not entirely necessary. SAVE THE SHELLs! You will need them. Melt the 4 oz of butter in a pan and add the shrimp shells. Saute them until the are pink. Strain the now shrimp flavored butter into a bowl. Be sure to press on the shells in order to strain out as much butter as you can. Throw away the shells and clean out your pan. Add your bacon to the pan and cook it until it is crisp. Add the shrimp butter to the crisp bacon. Saute your minced onion in the shrimp butter and bacon until it is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the peeled shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes until they are uniformly pink.

To serve..
Spoon some grits into a shallow bowl and place some of your sauteed shrimp on top. Garnish with more cheese if you like. Enjoy.