Never-ever trap the Doctor. . .

A cove I swam in when in Turkey.

. . .it always ends poorly. The same can be said of me, even if my being trapped was caused by my classic car (aka, the 93' Olds) decided to lose it's muffler leaving Indianapolis on Monday due to unforeseen circumstances (not wanting to crash said piece of steel with wheels into the rear-end of an idiot who pulled out about twenty feet in front of me while I was going the limit of sixty MPG-100kph for the rest of the world that uses decent units of measurement). So needless to say my GRAND plan of three posts this week got scaled back to the two this week.


The best part of summer isn't just the heat, or the pop-up storms, or the heat. . .but getting to go to Granny's to help her do yard work. Not only do I get to help out the single person responsible for my mother not strangling me years ago, but she always sends me home with tasty, tasty pickled veggies and fresh, homegrown veggies. So tonight, after I eat a jar of pickled beets (don't knock it until you try it homemade), I'm going to enjoy a dinner of grilled chicken covered in a cucumber and tomato salad. This dish is very Mediterranean in inception, probably because I learned it in the southern reaches of Turkey.

Grilled Chicken and Cucumber/Tomato Salad (look, I can do servings too!)

Tools:
Grill (either charcoal or gas)
Grilling tools (I used a sturdy set of tongs)
Two Bowls (one with a lid)
Cutting Board
Large Spoon
Knife

Chicken Ingredients:
1-2 chicken tenders per person
1/5th cup of lemon juice
1 tsp cumin, per person
1 tsp black pepper, per person

Cucumber/Tomato Salad Ingredients:
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped up finely
1 large cucumber, just like the tomato above (who says bloggers can't be lazy?)
1 small onion, diced
1 cup of plain greek yogurt (yes, I know I'm lactose intolerant, don't remind me!)
1 tsp mint flakes
1 tbsp parsley

Ingredients to serve on (aka, the base of the meal):
2 cups of cooked rice (like I've taught in other posts)
-or-
2 flour tortillas, browned on the grill
-or-
2 cups of couscous cooked as instructed

Depending on the number of people, you will want to double, triple, or even quadruple the salad ingredients; although this amount tends to be great for two people (or a single serving for myself and extra to have a cracker and salad snack later in the evening before bed). The salad and the chicken give all the fantastic flavor for this dish, but it is the base that will make you feel full for hours afterwards (much like the old complaint people used to have about being hungry an hour after eating Chinese food, they obviously didn't eat their rice which is a filler).

Yet another one of Damian's "holy crap this is easy meals," we should start with the salad. In a bowl with a lid, combine all the chopped ingredients with the yogurt and the spices. Mix well with the spoon until all the flavors are mixed, close and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so the flavors mix. Easiest salad ever!

Alright, for the chicken, combine everything into a bowl and let sit for 30 minutes. During this time warm your grill up so you can cook the chicken. Remove the chicken from the bowl and grill until done.

Now plate the meal, put your base down (be it rice, couscous, or tortillas), add the chicken, and cover with the salad. And with that dish you can impress a date, or parents, or scare away finicky eaters (aka, my parents) who need to broaden their horizons. With that I'm off to hopefully enjoy an evening of writing and misbehaving. Or sleep. . .sleep would be good since I've done ten plus hours of yard work in 24 hours and slept on two beds about a foot too short for my frame.

Bien Camino!