Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken Kebobs

I have a thing for dry chicken - I hate it! Which is why I'm always looking for ways to keep it moist. I like to seal in moisture by baking chicken in a covered casserole dish, or wrapping it in foil before grilling it, or marinating it in yogurt. The acid from the dairy helps tenderize the meat, keeping it moist and juicy. I marinate the chicken all day long, but 4 hours is minimum.

Making kebobs is a great way to cook the chicken quickly, since you're grilling smaller chunks of it rather than a whole breast, so it's the perfect thing to make during the week when you're busy and short on time.

I like this recipe because it combines the fresh flavors of lemon, yogurt and chicken and makes for a light lunch or dinner. I’ve made it several times, serving it with green beans and maybe the occasional steamed potato (which I would roughly mash on my plate with butter and salt. The lazy way to "mashed potatoes"). The lemon yogurt sauce that's served with these kebobs is delicious over the potato and veggies, too. You could also make a little orzo salad to serve with it.

A glass of Chardonnay, Chablis or Viognier would be a nice accompaniment. To make it dinner-party worthy, I'd start off the meal with a mixed green salad and end it with a good quality lemon sorbet or some lemon or pistachio macaroons. Nothing too difficult or tedious to prepare, but would still make a lovely summertime/warm weather meal with friends of family.

Now, on to the recipe:

Marinated Chicken Kebobs with Lemon Pepper Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 3 lemons
2 Tbsp chopped garlic
3/4 Tbsp each fresh rosemary leaves and thyme leaves
6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into large cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
Bamboo skewers

Sauce:
2 cups yogurt (or you could use Greek yogurt and forego the sour cream)
4 Tbsp sour cream
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 tsp sald
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)

Directions:
1. For the kebobs: in a plastic bag, combine olive oil, lemon, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Add chicken, toss well to coat evenly, and refrigerate overnight.
2. For the sauce: combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. Remove chicken from marinade and season well with salt & pepper. Grill chicken for 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and juices run clear when pricked with the end of a skewer. Thread cooked pieces of chicken onto each skewer and serve with the Lemon Pepper Yogurt Sauce.

Makes about 20 kebobs (serves 10).

French Lentil Salad with Feta, Cranberries and Walnuts

French green le Puy lentils

Although I recently posted a lentil salad recipe, I have yet another one for you.

I very seldomly purchase the little le Puy, or French green, lentils. They aren't everywhere. So I usually buy the common brownish green ones when I’m making my German lentil recipe with sausages or a lentil and vegetable soup, or I get the yellow or red Dal lentils from the Indian grocer when I’m making Indian food or pureed lentils. But I recently saw them at Cost Plus World Market and decided to get them again.

So what’s the big deal about le Puy lentils? Well, they come from the Puy region in central France and are a bit more durable than regular green or brown lentils and therefore hold up well in salads. They are smaller and a lovelier shade of green. They aren’t everywhere, so when you find them, grab a bag.

On the back of this package of French lentils was a recipe for a salad, and while most recipes on the backs of boxes or packages rarely do anything for me (I read somewhere once that most of these recipes are never tested, so it’s no wonder!), I was intrigued by this one. I think I have a pretty good sense of what works when I read a list of ingredients. Fortunately, since my kitchen’s fairly well stocked, I had nearly all of the ingredients anyway, so I thought, what the heck?! Let’s try it.

Ingredients:

1 cup French le Puy lentils, picked through and rinsed well

2 cups water

1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 bay leaf

4 cups spinach, arugula or any type of greens

1/2 cup crumbled Feta

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced thin (I only had dried basil so I added it to the dressing instead, but fresh would add a whole ‘nother dimension to this salad, so I advise going fresh).

Dressing:

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp honey

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste

Directions:

Place lentils in a 2-qt heavy saucepan with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, add the onions and bay leaf, and simmer uncovered until lentils are just tender, about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to overcook. Strain well and place in a big salad bowl to cool. While lentils are cooking, make the dressing. Whisk everything together, while slowly drizzling in the olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

When the lentils are cool, toss them with the dressing and add the greens. Plate and garnish with feta, cranberries, walnuts and basil. Serves 4, 1-1/4 cup servings.

Mexican Corn Salad

I’ve never been a really big fan of corn, but every now and again, especially in the summer, I am reminded of how good an ear can be, slathered in butter with a sprinkling of salt. This year’s thing, when presented with an ear of corn, was to make a seasoning mix of garlic powder, salt, chipotle pepper and chili powder that I’d sprinkle on to my corn cob before diving in. So yummy! Highly recommend that.

But I digress....

If you’ve followed me or know me, you know I am a HUGE salad lover and summer is obviously the ideal time to eat them. Living in California where the weather is ideal most of the year, I can really enjoy salads almost year-round. So when I came across this recipe for Mexican Street Corn Salad in my Food Lab cookbook not long ago, I decided it was different enough that, despite containing corn, I wanted to try it. It was delicious! I think it would make a fine salad to bring along on picnics and to potlucks where you need to bring something to impress. People are gonna like this. I would eat it along with a steak or grilled chicken for a nice summer BBQ.

Be sure to roast the corn, it adds a lot of flavor. Don’t just buy canned corn! The recipe calls for skillet-roasting the corn, but I think if you’re gonna bother why not do it on the grill? Fresh corn, freshly roasted, is going to taste the best. If you’re tight on time you can also find roasted corn, frozen, that you can just thaw and add to your salad. Not quite as good, but it’ll do in a pinch. You can find this at Trader Joe’s. So you’ve now got 3 ways to roast your corn. It’s up to you.

Without further ado, on to the salad.


Mexican Street Corn Salad

2 Tbsp avocado oil
4 ears corn, shucked and kernels removed
Sea salt
2 Tbsp mayonnaise (my latest favorite is from Primal Kitchen)*
2 ounces Cotija cheese, or feta cheese, finely crumbled, or 2 oz. Pecorino Romano, grated (this is what I used)
1/2 cup finely sliced scallion greens
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1-2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lime juice
Chili powder or red pepper flakes, to taste

Head the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the corn kernels, season to taste with salt, toss once or twice and cook without stirring, until slightly charred on the first side, about 2 minutes. Toss, stir and repeat until charred on the second side, about 2 minutes longer. Continue tossing and charring for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

(Again, you could BBQ the corn whole on a grill and then when cool, slice the kernels off.  Or, you could just thaw out a bag of the Trader Joe’s roasted corn. Either way, you want about 3 cups of kernels.)

To the cooled corn, add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Taste again and adjust the seasoning, with salt and more chili powder, if desired. Make sure to serve this salad at room temperature.