she cooks…he cleans

Loosely adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Grilling outdoors in 90+ temperatures is a little brutal, but this simple meal will get you back into the air conditioning in no time!  We wished that we had grilled twice as much chicken, it was so good.  The flavors from the marinade really come through, and the grilled vegetables with basil were the perfect accompaniment.  We grilled the vegetables first, then the chicken.  Serve with or without peanut sauce.

Ingredients for Chicken Satay:

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup miso tamari sauce, or coconut aminos, or soy sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon honey or coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil or olive oil (Note:  I tried to use coconut oil, but it doesn’t remain liquid when the chicken is refrigerated while marinating. D’oh.)

Butterfly the chicken breast halves and cut into thin strips.  Place in resealable bag.

Puree the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Pour the marinade over the chicken and chill for at least one hour, or up to 6 hours.  If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 2 or 3 hours so they won’t burn on the grill.

Set up a grill for direct cooking around 400F.  Thread chicken onto skewers (I twisted the strips as I threaded them for this thicker, knotted-looking appearance.  It possibly helped keep the meat moist…hard to tell…but it was moist!)

Grill chicken for 3-4 minutes per side.

Ingredients for Grilled Vegetables:

• 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
• 1 zucchini, halved and cut into ~1-inch chunks
• 1 yellow squash, halved and cut into ~1-inch chunks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper,  or pepper blend
• splash of balsamic vinegar
• handful of sweet basil, julienned

Set up a grill for direct cooking around 400F. Toss vegetables in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper, until well coated.

Place a perforated grill plate or basket on the grill.  Spray with non-stick spray, if necessary, and place vegetables on the grill.  Cook for around 10-12 minutes, occasionally turning the vegetables over, until the vegetables are lightly charred and tender.  Return to bowl – add a splash of balsamic vinegar and a handful of chopped basil, toss to mix.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Let’s have a Neil Young/Stephen Stills night, why not? First up, one of rock’s earliest “supergroups”, Buffalo Springfield on Retrospective, a great collection pulled from their somewhat uneven albums. Nothing second rate here, with Young’s “Mr. Soul” and “I Am A Child” and of course the classic protest moment of Stills, “For What It’s Worth”. They have recently reformed for some extremely expensive reunion shows, but I’ll stick with my old lps, thanks!

And what needs to be said about Deja Vu, the first album from CSNY? “Carry On”, “Teach Your Children”, “Our House”…it just goes on and on. A classic!