Delicious Dinner!

Two words, folks... two simple words: get milk.

And this from someone who is lactose intolerant.

Milk is a wonderful marinade base. Straight milk, even, added to meatloaf or used to marinate chicken breast makes for some amazingly tender, juicy meat.

Next best thing? Yogurt.

This is actually Len's specialty. For a man who can throw ten things in a pot and make something delicious, he follows this recipe to a tee.

Yogurt Marinated Chicken

1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. fresh ginger (or 3/4 tsp ground)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin

2-4 boneless chicken breasts

1. Combine first nine ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour into a Ziploc bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and coat chicken. Allow to sit (refrigerated) for at least 4 hours, though 8 hours or overnight is best.

2. Grill over indirect heat (medium-low heat) for 20-25 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Tonight we enjoyed this amazing meat with a broccoli salad. The great thing about broccoli salad is that so long as you have the basics, you can add just about anything you want.

The basics? Lots of broccoli & tangy dressing. Anything else goes.

Let's start with the dressing. This is hardly an exact science since I think you'll really want to adjust to taste. I think a standard recipe is 3/4 cup fat free mayo, 1 tbsp vinegar, and 1 tbsp sugar. After you've mixed, add a bit more sugar or mayo to cut the vinegar, or a smidge more vinegar if it's too sweet. If you're able, let the flavours blend in the fridge for a bit before adding to the salad.

Make sure you add the dressing just before you're ready to eat.

Today's broccoli salad had the following:
A good cup or two of broccoli florets
One shredded carrot
Finely diced radish
A handful of raisins
A handful of shredded cheddar cheese

In the past I've been known the include:
Bacon (for some, this is included under 'The Musts'.)
Finely diced red onion
Finely chopped apple
Finely chopped red, yellow or green pepper

Like I said earlier, anything goes. Use what you have on hand. Don't be afraid to include fruit for a fresh, summery taste!

The single downside to broccoli salad is that once tossed with the dressing, it doesn't hold up well overnight. If you want leftovers for lunch, it's best to portion off what you'd like and keep the dressing and greens separate.

It's summer!

Time to haul out the grill and those recipes that allow you to take advantage of the abundance of fresh, local produce! Enjoy!