ArcaMax

Enjoy this previously published Zola classic...

Clean Grillin'

I’ve never been that fond of the grill. I think I can trace it back to when I was about 20 years old. I bought a charcoal grill that came in a box. I had to put it together. Even with perfectly clear directions, it still took me five hours to get that thing ready to cook a hotdog. It wasn’t the most expensive grill so it didn’t last more than one summer, either. I was so disappointed.

I’ve always had a healthy respect and even a fear of propane. Now that we have a gas grill I’m never the one to change the tank. I leave that to my husband.

Some people grill out all year round. I used to be that kind of person. When I lived in Madison, Wisconsin, we had our grill on a big, concrete back porch. It was easy to buzz out the back door to grill a steak. You could stay warm and cozy and just bolt out to turn the steak at the proper moment.

Ever since I was a little kid I remember the day that the grill got cleaned was a big, dirty deal. Now I realize you really shouldn’t wait for a big day to clean the grill. It should be done much more often than that. But as a kid I can remember my mom getting out the bucket, the big rubber gloves, a hose and cleaner. I think she used oven cleaner on the grates. I can still conjure up that smell and see the grit and grease and goo...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Quick Grilled Chicken and Veggies

Related Recipes at PlanZDiet.com:
Quick Grilled Chicken and Veggies 4 Ways
Grilled Baby Lobster Tails

This is a quick, easy meal on the grill. Use a recipe like this one for a quick weeknight meal, or a friends and family gathering on the weekend. I made three other variations from this recipe; you can view the variations by going to Quick Grilled Chicken and Veggies 4 Ways

Servings: Serves 4. Can be doubled easily.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast portions

Italian Marinade
½ cup of olive oil
2 Tbl of fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 Tsp of Dijon mustard
½ tsp of minced garlic or a sprinkle of dry garlic will work, too
½ tsp of Italian seasoning blend
¼ tsp of grated sea salt or to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Italian Veggie options:
Zucchini
Summer squash
Eggplant (I use baby eggplant or Chinese because they have fewer seeds)
Onions
Scallions
Button mushrooms
Bell peppers (any color)
Cherry tomatoes (put these on your grill at the end of cooking)

Italian Dressing options (1 – 2 Tbl)
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Any Italian dressing
Caesar dressing

Instructions:

The first thing to do is to pound down the chicken breasts. By making them thinner they cook faster on the grill. People worry about getting chicken done on the grill and not drying it out or burning it. This works great.

Take a large ziplock baggie. Put each piece of chicken in, one at a time. Pound with your meat mallet until the chicken is half-inch thick or less. The thinner the breast is, the faster it will cook but half-inch is enough.

Then you are going to put your chicken in your marinade. For richer flavor you can leave the chicken in the marinade for up to 4 hours. But if you are in a hurry, even 15 minutes will give you a tasty chicken. I know. Mine never gets to stay in the marinade long.

In a small bowl, mix your marinade.

Put the chicken in a container (a 9-by-13-inch pan works great). Pour the marinade over and toss the chicken around so it gets fully covered. Let it sit in the refrigerator for the flavors to meld. If you are going to let it sit in there long, cover it so your whole refrigerator doesn’t end up smelling like marinade.

While the chicken is marinating you can cut your veggies. You’ll want them in big, bite-sized chunks. Spray them with olive oil spray to prep them for the grill.

Heat your grill to medium-high. Take the chicken out of the marinade and place it on the grill rack. Cook approximately four minutes per side depending on how hot your grill is. Don’t be tempted to mess with them too much. If you leave them alone you get those coveted grill marks. Cut into the thickest part of a piece of chicken to make sure no pink remains, but they should still be juicy on the inside.

While the chicken is cooking you can also grill your veggies. You’ll want a grill basket or grill tray so the veggies don’t fall through the grill gaps. Season your veggies with grated sea salt and pepper. Grill right along the chicken. These you can stir often to get them evenly cooked. Depending on your grill, they should get done about the same time.

Remove the chicken from the grill. Set on a clean platter.

Remove the veggies from the grill and put them in bowl. You’ll add your dressing and stir them around so the veggies get lightly coated. You can always add more dressing if you want.

If you are cooking for a crowd and not everything will fit on the grill at the same time, keep in mind this dish is really good served room temperature, too.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola