I promised the recipes for dinner with the in-laws which was not only easy to prepare in the heat, but also very South Beach Diet friendly. And while everything was well received, the sea bass on rosemary skewers was by far the highlight. It will defintely be repeated, and next time even with the scallops recommended in BBQ Food For Friends. I'm drooling even now, remembering them and wanting to make more for tonight. I can tell my rosemary bush will quickly be depleted. The one challenge non-rosemary plant owners will encounter is that (at least in my experience) the fresh rosemary found in most grocery stores is packaged in short bunches, that don't seem long enough to use as skewers. I suppose you could use more branches with less fish on each as an alternative.
This recipe for chicken on lemongrass skewers was inspired by the slip of paper I found as a placemark in the BBQ Food For Friends book. Naturally there were ingredients scribbled with no amounts. It was very tasty, but more challenging to skewer than the sea bass. I'm not sure if it's just because chicken is more solid than the fish, or if the problem lay with the lemongrass which kept bending. I had to use a knife to make the holes and then thread carefully, forcing the lemongrass through the meat. Worth it though, as the lemongrass perfumed the chicken from within.
One other recipe I found in BBQ Food For Friends was this lovely fennel root and olive salad that I just had to try. It's simple, crunchy (like a cole slaw in texture) and delicious as a side with the fish and chicken.
And a perfect example of why I love Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging events.....I get to experiment with recipes I would probably never have thought of. That's exactly what I found with this Black Bean Salad with Cumin and Mint Vinaigrette inspired by this one at What Did You Eat .
And how could one have a summery, BBQ & salad kind of supper without some sliced tomatos, drizzled with rice wine vinegar and sprinkled with fresh basil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Dessert was another summer favorite of mine...fresh fruits, this time blueberries, strawberries, mango, plums and peaches, tossed with lots of chopped fresh mint and sprinkled with a little pear juice and a dollop of honey for extra sweetness. Some of us had it with vanilla yoghurt, others with diet-friendly lite Cool Whip, and others had it straight - all good choices to me.
I hope you enjoy the menu too.
Related links: Food and Drink recipes Grill Weekend Herb Blogging South Beach Diet
7 comments:
That was a fabulous menu, and not just because you made my recipe for black bean salad. :) I've wondered how easy it is to use lemon grass as a skewer. OK, it can be done, but I will know what to expect. This whole meal looks so yummy, and healthy. I bet the in-laws were very impressed.
Sher, thanks for dropping by AND for the great black bean salad.
The hardest part of the meal....writing the post! And yes, everyone was happy.
Hey there
I went on vacation in NY for a while and I'm back in action :)
I really like your black bean salad here. Looks colorful and tastey. Great meal!
Teddy
I love BBQ things on skewers, what a great idea to flavour the chicken from the inside! Just wish it would hurry up and warm up here for some BBQ weather.
Teddy, I'm sure you had a wonderful time in NYC, it's one of my all time favorite cities to visit...just not in the summer when the pavement is melting!
Neil, I'd gladly share some of our 40C degree heatwave with a humidex making it much more!
Thank you both for dropping by.
Ruth, what a wonderful feast! They all look and sound delicious. Lucky in-laws, i'd say :)
Have you tried bay sticks? They're fantastic for lamb skewers...
Mae, I've never heard of bay sticks. Is that the stalk from bay leaves or something else entirely? Please tell!!!
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