When the temperature reached 82 degrees last Sunday in Laguna Beach (a new record for the day) I had no choice–I had to BBQ!
Plus I figured after two weeks of veggie-related dishes it was time to have some “man-food” as Sonny Myers (the best contractor in town) would call it. So, Sonny, I know it’s not beef, but I hope it qualifies and hope you like it!
I wanted to BBQ the chicken and make a yogurt-based sauce, but didn’t really want Greek food…or so I thought. I had cilantro in the fridge, lots of lemons, olive oil and garlic and knew they would make a great marinade. Then inspiration hit me. I added Greek yogurt, a few spices and had a dipping sauce. I wasn’t sure if it would all work together but decided to give it a try.
When I took the first bite, I liked it–a lot–but I needed confirmation so I took it to my office and fed two of my co-workers (and honest critics). Susan loved it and Patricia said it was in the top five of her favorites. Whew! I passed the test. So here it is…a yummy dinner… good for a date night at home when you want to impress someone without having to work too hard. (Madi, this one’s for you!)
Zesty Cilantro-Yogurt Dipping Sauce
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate while you get everything else ready. At least an hour. I actually measured this time but you can adjust the amounts depending on your taste.
Chicken Kabobs
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2″ cubes
1 large green pepper, cut into pieces the same size as chicken
1 medium onion, cut into pieces the same size as chicken
1/2 lemon, to squeeze on cooked kabobs
Basically you want everything about the same size so it looks nice when you serve it.
1/2 lemon, to squeeze on cooked kabobs
Basically you want everything about the same size so it looks nice when you serve it.
Marinade
1 1/2 lemons, fresh squeezed
1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp Emeril’s chicken rub (if you can’t find this use a combination of thyme, rosemary, parsley, salt and pepper) or any seasoning you like
dash of cayenne
Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Put chicken, onion, green pepper and marinade in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least an hour. Don’t marinate too long or the lemon will “cook” the chicken like ceviche.
SECRET #1
While all the flavors are marrying in the fridge, soak your wooden skewers in cold water so they don’t flame up on the grill. I like to put mine in a Ziploc bag so I don’t have to clean another dish.
Now for the fun part–making the kabobs. I like to assemble them on an edged cookie sheet so I can just carry them out to the grill.
Place on hot grill and cook, turning occasionally, until almost done–about 7-9 minutes depending on the heat of your grill. Don’t overcook or you’ll have dry meat!
SECRET #2 Remove kabobs from the grill and put them on a nice serving platter. SQUEEZE HALF A LEMON ON THEM and wrap tightly in tinfoil. This will keep the chicken moist and juicy. Let rest like this for 5 minutes while you make the salad.
Spinach Salad with Berries and Blue Cheese
Two handfuls of baby spinach
Raspberries
Blueberries
Crumbled blue cheese
Sliced almonds
Red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
I don’t even measure this. Just put everything in a bowl and drizzle a little red wine vinegar and a little olive oil over it and there it is–a delicious salad.
I served it with sliced cucumber…okay, it was a bit Greek inspired, and pita bread. Okay, a lot Greek inspired.
Hope you like this as much as I did! Let me know. I always appreciate your feedback!
And I’m so grateful for all the new readers I get to welcome this week from all over the world! Here’s a big Laguna Beach welcome to my new friends in Cypress, Iraq, India, Turkey, Thailand, Greece, Lebanon and the UK. Also to my readers in South America–welcome Columbia, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil! And most interesting to me, welcome to my friends in Kazakhstan!
Here’s to a great week of good food with good friends. Enjoy!
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Hi Nancy:Your culinary prowess continues to amaze me.George Rose
Nancy, I think I'll start reading your blogs in the morning, not when I get home from work and I am starving. Keep up the good work girl! (By the way, chicken kabobs qualify as "Man Food")Keep smiling!