Grilled Corn on the Cob

When sweet summer corn, good olive oil, and sea salt have a menage a trois on a grill, magic happens. Try it, I promise you will leave the table satisfied.

Ingredients:

Corn on the cob - stalks off

Sea or kosher salt

Olive oil

Preparation:

Brush olive oil all over the corn. Sprinkle liberally with salt. Heat up your grill to medium heat. Grill corn right on the grates. I like a fair bit of char on my corn so I cook it for longer but it's really up to you. The whole affair took me about 7 minutes. Can be made ahead for a party and served room temperature.

Quinoa with Balsamic Chicken, Pine Nuts, Currants, and Basil

I was seeking comfort food today but needed something that was summer figure friendly. After all, you can't exactly come off the beach and down a bowl of mashed potatoes. Well I guess you could. It's a free country. But if you want to fit back into your bathing suit tomorrow, I suggest quinoa as a better choice for a carb fix. You can literally mix anything you want into quinoa and it tastes good. I was feeling uber lazy and didn't want to go to the market, so I made this creation with stuff I had on hand.

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa - prepare according to the box

1/2 cup currants

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup of fresh basil, julienned

1 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves of garlic minced

4 skinless chicken breasts (hormone-free, antibiotic-free, & organic....I mean, duh.)

Preparation:

2-3 hours ahead, marinate chicken in 1 cup of balsamic, 1 cup of water, and 1 of the minced garlic cloves. Make quinoa. When done, transfer to a bowl and mix in currants and toasted pine nuts. Grill marinated chicken - doesn't matter how to you do it. You can even bake it if it's easier. After baking or grilling, let the chicken rest for 10 minutes to seal in the juicy juices. Girlfriend, there is nothing worse than dry chicken and cutting into it as soon as it's done is the fastest way to dryville there is. Believe me, I've been there. OK, once the chicken has rested cut it up into bite sized chunks. Add to the quinoa mixture. Make a quick dressing of 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1 clove of minced garlic. Pour dressing over quinoa. Add fresh basil. Stir and eat. It's a highly satisfying, one bowl wonder.