Recipe Alert: Summer Food

Cookbooks and Commentaries has had a lot of "commentary" over the past year and very little "cookbook." So, to even things out a bit, here are some of my favorite light, fresh summer recipes:

Chicken Kebabs
Makes 8-9 skewers, about 4 servings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into large chunks
1 container whole mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, cut into large chunks
½ red onion, cut into large chunks
1 small can pineapple chunks, drained
1 cup Italian dressing
8-9 wooden skewers
Rice

Cut chicken, peppers, and onions. Marinate all ingredients except the pineapple in dressing in a resealable plastic bag 8 hours or overnight. Turn a few times to coat evenly. Soak skewers in water for 15 minutes. Thread food onto skewers, alternating between meat, pineapple and vegetables. Place directly on hot grill (or bake in 375 F oven) for 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Serve over white rice or rice pilaf. Also good with flat bread or flour tortillas, with a dollop of Ranch dressing.



Fresh Mexican Salad

4 tomatoes, diced
1 ½ cups frozen corn, thawed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 green chili, chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 limes, juiced
¼ cup olive oil
Salt to taste
1 avocado, diced
1 mango, diced

Combine first five ingredients. In a small bowl, mix lime juice, oil, and salt. Pour over salad. Serve with avocado and mango on the side (they are too mushy to stir into the salad).



Green Beans and Carrots with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Fresh green beans, washed and cut into ½ inch lengths
Carrots, peeled and cut into ¼ inch cubes
¼ cup olive oil
2-3 T. raspberry vinegar
dash of each salt and pepper

Combine prepared beans and carrots. Toss with combined oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Adjust the amounts for the dressing ingredients to suit the amount of vegetables you prepare.



Turkish Salatasi

4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 cucumbers, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
½ small red onion, chopped
2/3 cup fresh parsley, snipped

Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 T. red wine vinegar
½ tsp salt

Toss salad ingredients with combined dressing. Enjoy!