Grilled Lemon Chicken with Tabbouleh

I had a couple inspirations for making this dish. First, Christie is a big fan of eating things that seem to coincide with the season we're in. So during the summer she expects lighter fare. Second was the request of my one reader for ideas on side dishes that didn't involve pasta or mayo. I cheated a bit on my first attempt at finding a good side dish, but this one should definitely meet all the requirements set forth.

Christie really enjoyed this meal, although as a word of caution I found it was a little too lemony for my tastes. Which is a bit amusing, considering that with lemon in the title I guess I should have expected as much.

This would make a great picnic meal as well, because both the tabbouleh and the chicken would be great chilled.

½ Cup Bulgur
Salt and Pepper
1 ½ Cups Chopped Fresh Parsley
½ English Cucumber, Halved, Seeded and Chopped
1 Large Tomato, Chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Small Garlic Clove, Minced
Boneless Skinless Chicken

Heat grill, while in a small saucepan bring ¾ cups water to a simmer. Add bulgur, season with salt and pepper, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 10 minutes; then fluff bulgur with a fork. In a medium bowl, combine bulgur, parsley, cucumber, tomato, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon oil; toss tabbouleh to combine.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Season chicken with salt and pepper and then grill until cooked through. Brush chicken with lemon mixture and serve with the tabbouleh.

Serves 4

Adapted from Everyday Food, July/August 2009

Coming Soon: Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Chipotle Chicken and Rice

Sometimes there's ingredients you buy and end up using only a few and then you're left to wonder what else you could use them in. This was my predicament when I made the smoky beef tacos for the first time. I bought the smallest can of chipotle chiles I could find, but was still left with 90% of them leftover. Since then, I've started to look for recipes that I can make closely together so I don't end up wasting too much of what I've bought.

I took the leftovers of this meal to work for lunch this week, and I have to say that I think it was almost better the second time. The flavors are pretty intense, so if you're concerned about the level of spiciness you may want to use less of the chiles.


2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
Salt and Pepper
1 Medium Red Onion, Thinly Sliced Lengthwise
3 Garlic Cloves, Coarsely Chopped
½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
2 Canned Chipotle Chiles in Adobo, Minced
2 Large Tomatoes, Diced Large
1 Cup Long Grain White Rice
Chopped Cilantro Leaves, for Serving (Optional)

In a heavy pot, heat oil over medium high. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, brown chicken on both sides. Then transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pot and saute until soft, around five minutes, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot.

Add garlic, cumin, and chiles, and cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices. Stir in 1 cup of water and return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook 25 minutes.

Remove several pieces of chicken and stir in rice, making sure it is completely submerged in liquid. Replace chicken, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes more. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves if desired once plated.

Serves 4

Adapted from Everyday Food, July/August 2009

Coming Soon: Lemon Chicken with Tabbouleh

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Nothing says summer to me like fresh fruit from the garden... lucky for me my parents are avid gardeners. My parents usually end up with more raspberries than they know what to do with, so when I stumbled upon this recipe I knew that I had to give it a go. It turned out better than I expected. The recipe calls for lemon zest as optional, but I think that was what really gave the cake something extra. Nice and moist from the buttermilk and little brightness from the lemon... this was a perfect dessert we enjoyed with some friends in their backyard on a warm summer night.

I've mentioned that I'm convinced my oven is too hot, and this cake is a perfect example of why. It browned a bit too much for my taste, so I dusted the top with some powdered sugar and dropped some more raspberries on there for good measure. It was mentioned where I found the recipe that this cake bakes extremely quickly, make sure to check it towards the lower end of the time estimate below.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, May 2009

Smoky Beef Tacos

Sometimes when you start off with a recipe in mind, you have a lot of preconceived notions of how time consuming or difficult it's going to be. For some reason I thought that this would be overly complicated, which had prevented me from attempting to make something of the sort until now. I have to say... this was probably one of the easier things I've made in the last few months. Really all you have to do is mix together the cooking liquid, add the meat and throw it in the oven for a couple hours.

I'm convinced that my oven is overly hot, so I checked the meat after only2 hours. I've made this a few times now and the cooking time has probably varied between 2 to 2 1/2 hours. As with all cooking, your mileage may vary.

I wasn't able to find a picture that I had taken of this, so I found one of the pot that I used. I'm lucky enough to have a wife that enables my kitchen lust. She bought this pot for me a couple christmases ago. It's definitely an investment, but I highly recommend it. This is one of the few pots I wouldn't want to live without.


2 to 3 Tablespoons Chopped Canned Chipotle Chiles in Adobo
½ Cup Ketchup
8 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
Salt and Pepper
1 Boneless Beef Chuck Roast (About 3 Pounds)
Tortillas
Toppings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy pot with tight fitting lid, stir together chiles, ketchup, 1 cup water, garlic, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Cut beef into 4 equal pieces. Add to pot, and turn to coat. Cover, and bring to a boil, then transfer pot to oven. Bake, covered, until beef is fork tender, about 2 ½ hours.

Transfer beef to a bowl. With a large spoon, skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid. Shred beef with two forks, moistening with cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Server beef with tortillas and desired toppings.

Serves 8

Adapted from Everyday Food, March 2009

Coming Soon: Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

I had a request for a side dish that didn't involve pasta or mayonnaise, so this is what caught my eye while I was looking through some recipes. Christie often complains that I don't make things that are light and summery too often. I think we all get stuck in our habits with the things that we make, it's a lot easier to make the things you always do instead of constantly trying to come up with new and exciting recipes. Which is why I often make big heavy meals when it's 80 degrees outside.

I have to admit that I cheated a little with this request... gnocchi isn't too far removed from pasta. But if we're getting technical I think that I can safely say this will satisfy the two requirements set out for me.

This turned out to be quite tasty even though what I cooked isn't exactly what the recipe called for. I thought that I had some basil at home, but it turned out I didn't. So what Christie and I ate last night had some italian parsley in it instead. I think it turned out well though, so either way you'll probably be happy with the results.

I served this dish with some simple grilled chicken seasoned with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 Portions

Olive Oil
1 Zucchini and 1 Summer Squash, Quartered and Sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
Salt and Pepper
1 Pint Grape Tomatoes, Halved
1 Package Gnocchi (15 to 16 Oz)
¼ Cup Fresh Basil, Chopped
2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan
1 Tablespoon Butter

In a large skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add squash and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables start to show some color (about 4 minutes), then add the garlic and saute for another minute or two until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook the gnocchi according to the package instructions. Reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to the skillet. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to make a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, and butter.

Recipe Adapted from Everyday Food, June 2009

Coming Soon: Smoky Beef Tacos