The Fruits of my Labor

Last night I harvested the fourth crop from our garden yesterday. Crop 1 was strawberries, crop 2 was basil, crop 3 was beans, and - yesterday - crop 4 was a cucumber, beans, basil and tomatoes!!!! Check it out!


I continue to marvel at my interest in gardening when I have nearly no interest in eating vegetables (this statement is somewhat exaggerated, but not much.) So, I've been looking for recipes that include multiple ingredients from my garden. Yesterday, I made Tomato-Basil Chicken on the grill. It was AWESOME!

I'll post the recipe below, although I'll warn you in advance that I am not one for following recipes. I tend to not measure anything - I just throw in what looks like a good amount. So, I'll guess at amounts, but know that no matter what you do with this recipe, it can't really turn out bad!

Tomato-Basil Chicken

Ingredients:
6-8 cherry tomatoes
15-20 basil leaves (approximately 1/4 cup), finely chopped
garlic powder (or a garlic clove)
Basalmic vinegar
Olive oil (I use a pre-mixed "dipping bread" bottle of oil and basalmic vinegar, but does them separately is fine as well)
chicken (this recipe should cover 2-4 chicken breasts, depending on the size)

Thaw your chicken, pound it out with a knife to make it tender, poke some holes in it with a fork or knife. Place the chicken in a shallow bowl and cover with a the oil and vinegar (about half and half). Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate while you work on the paste (allow it to marinate for about 20-30 minutes minimum, more if possible.)

In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatoes, chopped basil, garlic and add some oil and vinegar. Start with a little oil and vinegar and then add more as needed. You're looking for a thin paste like consistency. Something that will stick to a fork but that is still easy enough to pour from a measuring cup. I don't have a picture of what it should look like, but it think "orange-ish colored salad dressing with specks of green that has a hint of basalmic vinegar when you smell it."


Once your chicken has adequately marinated, put your chicken on a grill that has been heated to about 350 or 400 degrees. Close the lid and let cook for about 5 minutes. Flip, and cook for another 5 minutes. I spooned some of the extra balasmic vinegar and oil mixture from the marinade on after I flipped the chicken. Let cook for another 3-4 minutes (until it's nearly done.)

Then, about 2 minutes before you're ready to take the chicken off of the grill, pour or spoon the tomato-basil paste onto the chicken. It should be thick enough that it spreads easily and doesn't run off of the chicken. Let that heat for about a minute or two (until it's warm), and then enjoy!

We ate this with corn on the cob and spinach salads and really enjoyed it!

I am going to start looking for more recipes that use things like basil, oregano, chives, tomatoes, cucumbers and beans, since everything is reaching maturity at the same time!