Great Summer Salad

Grill slices of eggplant and onion coated with olive oil spray in cast iron pan....when done, bring to the table... add fresh sliced tomatoes...a handful of fresh mint leaves and a splash of balsamic vinegar...toss and serve with any grilled meat....great with butterflied leg of lamb.

Curried Chicken Salad

A great salad made from leftover grilled chicken...
Cut up grilled chicken into small pieces...add diced celery, diced pepper, handful of walnuts, diced cucumber, black seedless grapes
make dressing of; 2 large TBS of Miracle Whip Free, 2 TBS Videlia Onion relish,1 TBS ginger, 1 TBS curry powder, 2 tsp sugar,whisk in soy creamer or low fat milk, until smooth and toss with above salad ingredients.

Patty Pan is here!

It's the season for summer squash and the Farmer's Market was brimming with them in all sizes. My favorites are the patty pan squash which come in all hues of yellow and green (they are the small round yellow squash with the scalloped edges on the left)
They are great for the grill. Just cut them in half so you have two scalloped pieces. Spray with olive oil, sprinkle with herbs de Provence, salt, pepper and lay them out on a perforated rack and grill until they're crispy brown on each side.

Something different

I walked into the market (Whole Foods) the other day looking for something different to grill... What I discovered was a lovely cut of meat...a boned butterflied leg of lamb that was small enough for a serving for two with a little left over for a cold lunch the next day. I marinated it for the day in red wine, olive oil, rosemary and thyme and 3 large cloves of garlic. By the end of the day it was moist and juicy, ready for grilling. Lamb is great with mint which grows like a weed in the garden... usually taking over most of the herbs while it spreads like wildfire. Having so much of it, I decided to make a sauce for the lamb. I put three large cloves of peeled garlic and a large handful of mint leaves in the blender. Turning on the blender, I slowly added some rice wine vinegar to the mixture and made a foamy sauce. It was a little sharp so I added some sugar to taste. The result was a really fresh mint sauce pungent with garlic that was terrific when lavished on the grilled lamb. The mint sauce was great the next day on the leftovers of thinly sliced grilled lamb which I served on a bed of dressed greens...an elegant lunch on a summer's day.

Lime Chicken on the grill

An easy meal for these hot days...just add a salad.. pasta or other wise... and you're out of the kitchen

COMBINE appox. 1/2+ cup fresh lime juice, 1TBS each paprika, ginger powder, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, pinch of cumin, catsup, cornstarch,Worcestershire sauce 3 TBS brown sugar, dash black pepper

PLACE 4 large bone in chicken breasts with skin removed in above marinade

MARINATE 1-2 hours (overnight if you have time)

GRILL on bony side for 10 minutes— turn over and grill for another 10 minutes, then make cross cuts on meaty side of each piece and grill until done

For some easy sides...

CUT whole onions with skin in half and coat cut side with olive oil

WRAP onion halves in foil and place on grill for 1/2 hour

CUT red peppers in quarters lengthwise and remove seeds

SPRINKLE with herbs (herbs de Provence or a mixture of thyme, oregano, basil) salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil

GRILL for 15 minutes