Saturday and the grilling is easy: grilled corn salad with lime

Not sure I've ever posted on a Saturday before, but it's crazy hot here and my kitchen (yes, that's where my iMac lives) is blissfully dark and cool.  Not complaining, it was a long winter.  Just saying I need a little shade.

It is grilling season.  I grill at lunch and or dinner almost every day to keep the heat out of the kitchen and get something on the table quickly.  New grill and I are finally coming to terms with one and the other.  New grill gets very hot very fast and stays that way, especially when it's 90 some degrees outside.  Old Kristin is learning to crank down the burners and watch the thermometer.  Last night we had some lovely butternut squash grilling and five minutes later (the time it took to cut the fruit for dinner) it was so blackened on one side that it's taste was fairly reminiscent of burnt marshmallows over a campfire.  Not actually bad, but not exactly what I planned on serving alongside the always quick and reliable Applewood Smoked Turkey Tenderloins from Costco (which were only slightly blackened).  So today for lunch I turned new grill way down low and kept an eye on her and our  boca burgers, onions, red peppers and some glorious fresh buffalo chicken/blue cheese patties (really glorious, I will definitely need to try to recreate their goodness for you) from the butcher at Whole Foods.  Nothing blackenede!  All she needed was some attention (and don't we all?).  I think we're going to get along just fine.

so hot, even the squirrel likes to rest on my lounge chair

The backyard is dappled in lovely shade and there's a nice breeze so now that I've had a nice nap out there, I can finish my little Saturday evening post before dinner.  If you haven't grilled sweet corn, give it a try this summer.  You can grill it in the husk, partially in the husk or just husk free like I generally do.  Here's a little side dish I created the other night from vegetables on hand that just seemed to go together.  I had leftover grilled chicken from fajitas (chicken breasts cut in 2 to 3 inch chunks, tossed with olive oil and the famous Costco Sweet Mesquite seasoning) and some guacamole (yum).  You can see how this all came together quite nicely.  It is definitely "a squeeze of lime" season!

Grilled Corn Salad with Lime

2 or 3 ears sweet corn, husked and silks removed

olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

1 or 2 zucchini, halved and cut in planks (easier to grill than rounds)

6 campari/roma or large cherry tomatoes, halved

1 jalapeno pepper, cored and seeded (easy to do after grilling, no need to do it before)

juice of one lime

cilantro, optional

Heat grill.  Brush corn with olive oil and rub with salt and pepper.  Grill over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until you have some nice grill marks, turning two or three times.  At the same time, grill zucchini about 10 minutes, turning once.  Grill tomatoes and jalapeno skin side down 5-10 minutes.  

Let everything cool about 5-10 minutes.  Chop the zucchini and peppers into whatever size you like.  Toss everything together with a good squeeze of lime (at least one whole lime).  Garnish with chopped cilantro.  Serve warm or cold.

corn, zucchini (see a little too blackened, work in progress) and tomatoes

added the jalapenos

tossed, dressed and ready to serve

Here's a little bonus idea for you:  if you like the turkey tenderloins and have a little leftover Sara and I made a great wrap with them for lunch the other day.  Saute some sweet onion in a little olive oil, add the leftover grilled turkey (chopped or sliced), corn (just do what I do and always grill more than you need to toss it in with something else) and some barbecue sauce (we are big fans of Austin's Own from Whole Foods which is gluten-free if that's important to you and very low sugar which should be important to all of us).  Serve rolled up in a warm whole grain tortilla or on a sandwich bun.  I added some avocado to mine (remember that's a good fat).  Some cheddar, jack, feta or goat cheese would be yummy too (not good fats, but who can give up cheese?).  This would also make a great chopped salad chopping your ingredients including lettuce all about the same size.

definitely not be the prettiest food photography, but roll it up and it was delicious