Mojo Salad Recipes

MOJO GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Place the chicken breasts into a shallow dish.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt. Set aside half of this mixture to use as a salad dressing, and pour the remaining half over the chicken breasts.
• Let chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine sliced red onion and sliced jalapeno. Pour red wine vinegar over. Toss together and set aside until ready to serve.
• Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat (375-450 degrees F). Grill chicken breasts for about 4 minutes per side, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Slice.
• While chicken is resting, grill bell peppers for 2 minutes.
• Compile salad on a bed of mixed salad greens topped with fresh cilantro leaves, red onions, jalapenos, sliced avocado, and sliced chicken. Serve drizzled with the reserved salad dressing.

GRILLED MOJO CHICKEN SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS AND ORANGES

Steps:

• Whisk first seven ingredients plus 2 Tbs. oil in a 2-cup measuring cup. Pour all but 3/4 cup of mixture into a gallon-sized zipper bag. Add chicken; seal and refrigerate 30 minutes to 4 hours. Whisk 1/4 cup of oil into remaining mixture for dressing. Peel and section oranges. Sprinkle asparagus with oil, salt, pepper.
• Build a fire on only one side of grill (to conserve charcoal). When coals are covered with white ash, place chicken on rack over direct heat, cover and grill until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn, cover and grill another 4 to 6 minutes. Remove chicken and add asparagus, spears perpendicular to rack. Grill 3 to 5 minutes, until well browned and just cooked through.
• Remove chicken and let stand for 5 minutes or up to 1 hour. Cut, crosswise, into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Toss greens, oranges, salt and pepper with most of the dressing. Arrange salad in six shallow bowls. Place chicken and asparagus over each. Drizzle with remaining dressing.

GRILLED MOJO PORK CHOPS AND AVOCADO SALAD

Steps:

• For the mojo and pork chops: Combine the orange juice, lime juice, onion, garlic, olive oil, oregano, cumin, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and a few grinds pepper in a blender. Blend until smooth and emulsified. Place the pork chops in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Pour the mojo overtop. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
• For the avocado salad: Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, or preheat a griddle or grill pan over medium-high heat until very hot, about 10 minutes. Brush the pineapple spears with the vegetable oil. Grill each side until dark char marks appear, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool, then dice.
• Mix the orange zest, lime zest and juice, vinegar, olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt and several cracks of freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Using a sharp knife (chef's or paring), slice both ends off the zested orange. Stand the orange on one end and cut away the peel and white pith, following the contour of the fruit. Carefully cut between the membranes to release the orange segments, letting them drop onto the cutting board. Dice the segments and squeeze remaining juice out of the core of the orange into the bowl with the dressing. Add the diced orange segments, diced grilled pineapple, avocado and red onion to a medium bowl. Pour in the dressing and mix to combine. Set aside.
• When ready to grill the pork chops, remove them from marinade and pat completely dry with a paper towel. Pour the mojo remaining in the bag into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mojo reduces by half and thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Brush the pork chops with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and season each side with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Place the chops on the grill or grill pan the pineapple cooked on (preheat it again if necessary) and grill over medium-high heat until the pork releases from the pan, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the chops near but not touching bone registers 140 degrees F, 3 to 4 minutes. Let the chops rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
• Spoon one quarter of the mojo reduction onto a dinner plate. Top with a pork chop and then spoon avocado salad over the chop. Repeat with remaining pork chops.