My boyfriend’s mom recently sent us an AMAZING cookbook full of grilling recipes that literally have my mouth-watering. So far, we’ve made three of the recipes and each is better than the last. These dishes are perfect for warm-weather grilling and blend really unique ingredients with tried-and-true favorites like collard greens and baked beans. This particular recipe really won us over – pine-nut and salsa encrusted chicken over mashed avocado. We served it with a heaping pile of refried beans (recipe to come.)

Guacamole
2 avocados, pitted and chopped
2 tbs. fresh lime juice
2 tbs chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
salt to taste

1. Coarsely mash all ingredients in a bowl, using a fork. Season with salt; cover and chill.

Pine nut-encrusted chicken
1/4 cup roughly-chopped pine nuts
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/4 tsp. chili powder
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper
1/2 cup salsa

1. Pre-heat grill to medium-high.
2. Toast pine nuts for the crust ina non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until golden, about three minutes.
3. Add chips and chili powder to skillet, cook for a minute longer, then transfer to a shallow dish.
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, until browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Dip the cooked side of each breast into salsa, then dredge the salsa side in the crust mixture. Return chicken to grill, crust side up, and grill until cooked through, 4-5 minutes more. Serve chicken over guacamole.