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We’ve been grilling a lot this summer. Tonight BN grilled a couple of chicken skewers to upgrade my standby stir-fry recipe. (Plus the day’s farmers’ market haul.) It was delicious!

Grilled Chicken with Stir-Fried Veggies (serves 3-4)

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
Marinate in a mixture of the following, in a covered dish:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1-inch chunk fresh ginger, minced
2 T sugar
1 t toasted sesame oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 T hoisin sauce (optional)
1 T mirin (Japanese sweet rice cooking wine, optional)
1 T cornstarch

Meanwhile, prep your veggies:
Broccoli crowns and stems (peel them for a crisp addition)
Carrots, quartered lengthwise and cut diagonally into sticks
Sugar snap peas or snow peas, trimmed
Red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 bunch of greens such as bok choi or chard, sliced into strips
Small handful green onions, sliced

1-2 T cooking oil (I like refined sesame)

Steamed rice, to serve.

Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade. Thread the chicken onto skewers and grill over high heat to sear and then lower heat until cooked through.

Heat 1 T oil in a large skillet over medium high, add the broccoli and a splash of water. Cover the pan and let the broccoli steam for a minute or two, then remove the lid and let the extra water evaporate. Remove the broccoli to a large covered dish. Add a bit more oil and the carrots. Let them sizzle and steam for a bit, then add the bell pepper and cook a bit more. Add the peas and stir until heated, just a minute or less. Remove to the bowl. (Note: if using bok choi, I would add it at the same time as the bell pepper.)

Add the reserved marinade to the pan, and the chard, if using. Stir until the chard is wilted and the sauce is thickened. Cover and simmer until the chard is tender.

When the chicken is done, slide it off the skewers and into the bowl with the veggies. Pour the sauce with greens over all, add green onions, and stir until well-combined. Serve immediately over steamed rice.

I bought 3 big bunches of herbs from the farmers’ market – basil, parsley, and cilantro. Here’s a tip for storing herbs: clean the stray leaves and/or dirt from the stems, trimming if needed, and set the bunch in a glass or tall plastic tub (like from yogurt, those ones are taking over my house), with an inch or so of water, and a plastic bag loosely tied over the leaves. Parsley and cilantro will keep this way fairly well for several weeks. Basil on the other hand, you must use within several days. Only one thing to do: make pesto.

This time I made two batches – one classic Italian style with olive oil and pine nuts, with basil and parsley, and one Asian-inspired with basil and cilantro, peanuts, sesame oil, and lime juice.

Stored in small portions in the freezer (again the yogurt tubs, this time the single-serving size), all you have to do is boil some noodles, cook some veggies and/or meat, and toss with the pesto (thawed, of course.) An easy noodle bowl for dinner.

Cilantro Pesto (makes 1 cup pesto)

1 cup torn basil leaves
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
1 T toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup canola or regular sesame oil
1/2 t red pepper flakes

Place all the ingredients in the blender and process until fairly smooth. Divide into portions in small airtight containers and store in the freezer.

Black Beans with Orange and Chipotle
Adapted from Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes by Jeanne Kelley

Serves 6

1 lb dry black beans
2-4 slices of bacon
1 large onion, chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
3 bay leaves
Zest and juice of one orange
1-2 tsp minced canned chipotle in adobo
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper

To serve:
Steamed rice
Grated cheese
Avocado
Sour cream
Chopped veggies such as tomatoes, red onions, green onions, radishes, cilantro
Lime or lemon juice
Tortilla chips

I’ve been wanting to cook more beans (way too easy to open cans!) and when I saw the recipe in this inspiring cookbook (my sister HN had checked it out from the library) I decided to try it. Oddly, it didn’t instruct me to soak the beans, just cook them for 1.5 hours. That sounded like a recipe for rocks, so I turned to trusty Cook’s Illustrated, a recent issue featured Cajun Red Beans and Rice, for detailed instructions about preparing the beans.

In a large bowl, dissolve 3 T salt in 4 quarts water. Pick over the beans, and add them to the water – soak at room temperature at least 8 hours and up to 24. Drain and rinse them when ready to cook.

In a soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the strips and crumble them to add back in later. Add the onions, and cook until softened. Add the garlic and cook and stir a minute or two. Add the beans, bacon, bay leaf, orange zest, 1 tsp salt, and 7 cups water. (Note: I used 8 cups as the recipe calls for, and the result was basically a thick soup. I was wanting more of a baked-bean consistency, so next time I will try less, or perhaps leave the lid off the pot to let some evaporate. But I’m cautious of not adding enough water, the beans won’t soften all the way if they don’t cook in enough liquid. On the other hand, things thicken up some once the beans are fully cooked. So there’s a balance to strike here…)

Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a steady simmer. After about an hour, or when the beans are just tender, stir in the orange juice, chipotle, and vinegar. Stir these items in well, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Cook, uncovered, for another 30 minutes or so, to thicken up the stew.

Serve over rice with toppings of your choice.

This sandwich reminds me of my favorite lunch from Zoccoli’s in Santa Cruz. I think this version is even better, though – fresh ingredients and hot off the grill. Great picnic food.

Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwiches

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: optionally brined for at least 1 hour
Ciabatta rolls
Red bell pepper
Sweet onion
Provolone cheese
Pesto
Olive oil (I used my Misto sprayer, it works great for picnics)
Salt & Pepper

Brush or mist the chicken with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut the rolls in half and keep in a bag until ready to toast. Cut the bell pepper into wedges and thread onto skewers. Slice the onion into 1-inch rings and thread onto skewers. Mist the veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

On the grill, the chicken will probably finish first, so start the veggies earlier if you wish. Put the chicken over high heat for a short while, until grill marks appear, then lower the heat (or move to the cool side of the grill) and cover to cook through. Keep an eye on the veggies and make sure they brown evenly without too much charring.

Mist or brush the bread with olive oil and place oil-side down on the grill, until golden.

Assemble the sandwiches: Spread pesto on the bread, slice the chicken and layer it on, add cheese, peppers, and onion. Enjoy the scenery as you devour your delicious sandwich.

Here’s a recipe to let that beautiful bunch of fresh-from-the-farmers-market beets take center stage for your dinner – greens and all.

Creamy Pasta, Beans, and Greens with Roasted Vegetables
Serves 3-4

1 bunch (4 or 5) small to medium beets, with greens
4 to 6 small carrots
1 T olive oil
8 oz radiatori or other short pasta
15 oz can white beans
2 T butter
4-6 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 c flour
1 t dry mustard
1/2 t ground coriander
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

First, prep your veggies. Cut the tops off of the beets and set them aside. Use a paring knife or a peeler to remove roots, strings, and any rough spots from the beets. Cut them into 8 or 12 pieces each. Place in a large bowl, adding the carrots once you’ve washed, trimmed, and sliced them.

For the beet greens, wash them thoroughly and cut off the stems. Stack the leaves and chop them into 1-inch squares.

Preheat the oven to 400°

Set a pot of water to boil.

Toss the beets and carrots with 1 T olive oil and coarse salt. Spread them in a single layer on a non-stick baking pan and roast at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are tender in the center.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Wash and drain your beans, and if they are hard, throw them into the pasta pot towards the end of cooking.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Melt the butter, add the garlic, and sizzle it for a moment. Add the beet greens and a pinch of salt, and stir until they are wilted. Cover the pan and simmer the greens until they are fairly tender. Stir in the flour – this will form a big ugly lump, but don’t worry. Once the flour is all moistened, gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Eventually the greens will be floating in a lump-free sauce. Let this come to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Turn off the heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as desired.

Once you’ve drained the pasta, return it (and the beans) to the pan. Pour in the sauce and stir until well-combined. Serve with the roasted beets and carrots on top.