Grilled Chicken Tenders with Cilantro Pesto

No one ever told me that food photography and camera flashes don't mix. No one! I just found out this little tid bit of information on Friday. Hmm, maybe that's why I have no visitors to this site! My pictures make food look very unappetizing. Well things are changing around here! I will be taking much better pictures from here on out! This was a really great meal! As I was munching away, I even dared to say to myself that this was the best dish of the summer! I was different and fit our mood perfectly. I think I said this about the Chicken Gyros. Either way, it's definitely up for contention! I really try to find recipes that use ingredients that we always have on hand. In this case, we always have chicken in the freezer, soy sauce in the cubbard and fresh vegetables in the fridge. Add a few more ingredients and you have the making for this fabulous chicken. I love my EatingWell subscription. The magazine doesn't come every month so I subsidize my obsession for the healthy yet delicious recipes by going to their website. I found this recipe on their website and just increased some of the measurements. (Next time, I will double the Cilantro Pesto. It was that good!) I served this with a simple green salad tossed in evoo and balsamic and Quinoa with Latin Flavors (also found at EatingWell. Kate and Walid have been away and they gave us free range of their garden. We have been indulging in their lettuce and arugula for a week now!

Grilled Chicken Tender with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

1/4 C lime juice
1/4 C reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 T canola oil
1.5 t chili powder
2 Chicken breasts, sliced into tenders
1-2 bunches of Cilantro
2 scallions, chopped
2 T toasted sesame seeds

Whisk lime juice, soy sauce, oil and chili powder in a large bowl. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the marinade in a small bowl. Add chicken to the remaining marinade; toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Preheat grill to medium-high. Meanwhile, place cilantro, scallions, sesame seeds and the reserved marinade in a food processor and process until fairly smooth. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard marinade) and grill until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, about 2 minutes per side. Serve the chicken with the cilantro-sesame pesto.