recipe for you

I made this the other night when my mom was here.  It was very good.  The kids said "Yuck.  I don't like squash.  I don't like zucchini.  I don't like herbs on my chicken.  Yuck."  But I told them tough beans and to shut their traps and eat it.  Ok, not really.  I don't talk to my kids like that.  I might say tough beans, though, I guess.  Anyway.  I told them they had to each try one bite of the zucchini and a half of a chicken tender.  They ended up eating all the chicken and several pieces of squash.  I didn't even bother trying to get them to taste the eggplant.  The eggplant was a bit disappointing, but the rest was good.

Because I can't have tomatoes or peppers, I left those out.  I doubled the recipe and marinated some chicken tenders in that.

Mediterranean Grilled Vegetables

(I used regular sized veggies and sliced them)

Marinade

1/4 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small eggplant sliced into 2-inch-thick rounds

3 baby summer squash

3 baby zucchini

3 baby pattypan squash

1/2 medium red onion, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, left whole

1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut lengthwise into 2-inch-wide slices

1/2 red bell pepper, cut the same

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over vegetables.  Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Grill them until tender, 5-10 minutes per side.

grilled chicken ratatouille

I got this recipe out of Eating Well magazine.  I thought it sounded good and kids might like it if you watch Ratatouille afterwards!

3 T - extra virgin olive oil

3 T - chopped fresh basil

1 T - chopped fresh marjoram

1 t - salt

Canola or olive oil cooking spray

1 - red bell pepper, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded

1 - small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

1 - medium zucchini, halved lengthwise

4 - plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1-medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

4 - boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed

1/4 t - freshly ground pepper

1 T - red-wine vinegar

1. Preheat grill to medium-high

2. combine oil, basil, marjoram and salt in a small bowl and reserve 1 T of the mixture in another small bowl; set aside.

3. Coat both sides of bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, tomato and onion pieces with cooking spray.  Grill the vegetables, turning once, until soft, and charred in spots, about 5 minutes per side for the pepper, 4 minutes per side for the eggplant and zucchini and 3 minutes per side for the tomatoes and onion.  As the vegetables finish cooking, place them in a large bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

4. Rub the  tablespoon of reserved herb mixture on both sides of the chicken and sprinkle with pepper.  Grill the chicken until cooked through and no longer pink in the center, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

5. Meanwhile, transfer the grilled vegetables to a cutting board and chop into 1-inch pieces.   Return to the bowl and toss with vinegar and the remaining herb mixture.  Serve the grilled chicken with the ratatouille.

*edited to add the ingredients I missed the first time.