Grilled Chicken, Summer squash and Sweet Corn Pasta and Sauteed Green Beans

Tonight, Chris and I teamed up to make a grilled chicken, summer squash and sweet corn pasta dish, and sauteed green beans. It was very filling and hopefully healthy ;) This was Chris' portion! Ha! I don't eat that much. Here are the recipes:

Grilled Chicken:
Marinade:
Chicken breasts, thighs, tenders, whatever (you could even substitute pork chops)
 Soy Sauce
Chicken Stock or broth
Juice of one lime
a one inch cube of ginger, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced

To mix your marinade, combine the garlic, ginger, and lime juice in a big bowl. Add your meat. Cover with half soy sauce and half stock. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least half an hour. I try to let it sit about 3-4 hours for a really tender chicken. If you use pork, marinate at least 6 hours.

Grill meat until 160 F. Check with a meat thermometer or cut open and the juices should run clear. 

Summer Squash and Sweet Corn Pasta:
2 Tbs Olive oil 
1 zucchini diced
1 yellow squash diced
1 onion diced
2 carrots diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
Corn kernels of 4 corn cobs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp coriander
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cooked pasta, I used elbow because that is what I had

Heat oil in a large skillet. When the oil looks like water in your pan, smokes, or when you flick water in it sizzles, add onions and carrots.

When onions are transparent, add squash, zucchini, jalapeno, corn, and garlic. Cook until tender.

Add your stock and let it simmer about 5 minutes or until no longer soupy. Add coriander, salt and pepper. Stir in cheese until melted. Then stir in pasta. Serve hot.

This dish was very good! It had a kick from the pepper. If you prefer, you a more mild flavor, substitute the jalapeno for a bell pepper.

Sauteed Green Beans:
Fresh green beans
Pot of boiling salt water (about 2 Tbs of salt to a big pot of water)
Bowl of ice water
1 Tbs butter
1 shallot, minced
1 Tbs minced parsley

First, you need to prep your green beans. Snap off the stems and strings. Add beans to the boiling water for 5 minutes. The beans will become a very vibrant green. Strain the beans and put them immediately in the ice water. This shocks the beans and stops the cooking process so your beans will remain firm and still have a slight crunch. Leave the beans in the water only as long as it takes them to cool. Lay them out on a paper towel to dry.

In a skillet, melt your butter. Add your beans, shallots, and parsley. Toss and cook until hot, or about 2 minutes. If you over cook, your beans will shrivel and look unappetizing.Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy

The green bean recipe is my favorite! During the summer, green beans are super cheap. This recipe is fast and tastes delicious!

Let me know what you think of these recipes! They are staples in our house because of how easy they are, they taste great, and we always have all the ingredients needed. I hope you enjoy em as much as I do.