Grillin' and Chillin'

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Bobby Flay came up with that first, but it does seem appropriate given the fact that the mercury keeps rising, right along with the humidity. Ah, Eastern Seaboard summers.

Like I said in my last post, in the warm weather I crave salads, chilled soups, grilled food. Anything that keeps the oven off!

I've been experimenting with a Ranch dressing recipe I got out of Mollie Katzen's classic, The Moosewood Cookbook, one of my favorites. I like the flavor profile of Ranch dressing, but don't enjoy the bottled variety. This recipe really satisfies my Ranch itch, tho I've adapted it slightly as I found the original recipe a bit too watery/runny, and added what I think were some crucial missing flavors.

MOOSEWOOD COOKBOOK LOW-FAT RANCH DRESSING

Ingredients
3/4 c Buttermilk
1/4 c Greek yogurt, nonfat
3 Tbsp Dried onion flakes
3 Tbsp Chives, fresh (1 tbsp dried)
2 Tbsp Parsley, fresh (1 tbsp dried)
1/2 tsp Sea salt
1 tsp Fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp Fresh cracked pepper

Combine in a bowl or Mason jar -- I like the Mason jar for easy mixing. Combine well. Refrigerate in airtight container.

Grilling out is something we love to do in the summer, and my husband has really become a grill master over the last few years. One of our favorite items to grill is mahi mahi. I adore this fish and its firm, meaty texture makes it perfect for grilling. Trader Joe's carries wonderful mahi fillets in their frozen section at really affordable prices. We thaw the fish in the fridge all day, then let it marinate for 30 - 60 minutes before grilling it on our (well-oiled!) Weber. There's no recipe for the marinade, my husband just lets the fish soak up a mixture of low-sodium soy sauce, fresh ginger, and minced garlic. It's fabulous!

But my new favorite grill discovery is grilled okra. That's right: grilled okra! Growing up in Texas, I fell in love with these little green pods in my school cafeteria. Fried okra, yes ma'am. A southern staple. So it's no surprise that I found recipes for grilled okra in eminent Southerner Crescent Dragonwagon's Passionate Vegetarian cookbook. She has three marinades, but the Mediterranean is our favorite, tho all of them are delicious. It's worth noting that when you're selecting okra at the market to look for bright green pods no bigger than three inches long. Any bigger, and the okra turns out tough and stringy. We learned that one the hard way.

MEDITERRANEAN GRILLED OKRA

Ingredients
1 Small handful fresh basil leaves
2 Cloves garlic, pressed and peeled
1 Large tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt (+ more to taste)
1 lb 2- to 3-inch okra pods

1. Place all ingredients except okra in a blender or mixer and purée. I love the Magic Bullet-esque 5-in-1 blender things for this -- mine is JC Penney's brand.
2. Place okra on water-soaked wooden skewers at an angle. Pour marinade over okra. It will be thick. Marinade 1-2 hours.
3. Preheat grill to high, then lower temperature to medium. Place skewered okra on grill, cooking over indirect heat, until first side is cooked, 4-5 minutes. Turn skewers over and continue cooking, 3-4 minutes, until done. Serve immediately.

I realize the travesty of not including pictures on a blog about food. I plan to fix that once I've mastered the art of taking better food pics -- it's way harder than I thought it would be!