Healthy Summer Recipe – Chicken Yakitori

Image via: Van Eerden Foodservice Company 

[ad#co-3]

Ingredients

3 cups of sake

3 pounds of chicken thighs (skinless and boneless, cut into small pieces)

1 piece of fresh ginger (4 inches)

¾ cups of mirin

2 bunches of scallions chopped into 1-inch pieces

Vegetable oil (for brushing)

½ cup of sugar (light brown)

1 cup of soy sauce

1½ cups of water

¼ cup of bonito flakes (flakes made from smoked bonito or tuna)

¼ cup of kombu (dried seaweed), cut into small pieces

Directions

1. Put the water and kombu in a saucepan and heat them until they boil. Add the bonito and leave to boil.
2. Take away the pan from the heat and leave to cool for 3 minutes.
3. Strain the broth into a big saucepan. Add the mirin, sake, sugar, and soy sauce to the broth and simmer over high heat. Stir occasionally until the mixture thickens (for about 45 minutes).
4. Soak 16 skewers in water for 20 minutes and drain the water. Put the chicken and scallions on the skewers alternately.
5. Set a small strainer over a bowl and grate the ginger finely. Press the ginger to make juice. You should have approximately 2 tbsp.
6. Brush the skewers with oil and place them on a grill. Grill over moderate heat and keep on turning them until they are cooked (for about 10 minutes).
7. Brush the skewers with the soy glaze and ginger juice before removing them from the grill.
8. Serve with the glaze for dipping.

Image via: Condo Spalillos

For a great outcome, follow the instructions to the latter. If you don’t feel like going outdoors to grill the skewers, you can cook them on a broiler oven. Serve them with peanut noodles for lunch or dinner.

Do you like this healthy summer recipe?

Healthy Summer Lunch – Seafood Salad Recipe

Image via: My Recipes

[ad#co-3]

Ingredients

Juice from 1 lemon

Freshly ground pepper

Kosher salt

Baby carrots (8 ounces, halved lengthwise)

2 cups of croutons

1 tbsp of light mayonnaise

1tbsp of capers and 1tbsp of brine taken from the jar

3 stalks of celery (2 thinly sliced and 1 quartered)

¾ pound of shrimp (peeled and deveined)

3 cloves of garlic (2 crushed and 1 chopped)

1 small avocado (pitted and peeled)

2 lettuce hearts (torn)

½ pound of sea scallops (halved horizontally)

Instructions

1. Mix the crushed garlic, celery, half of the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 10 cups of water in a big saucepan. Cover and leave to boil.
2. When the mixture boils, uncover it and add the carrots. Cook for two minutes.
3. Add the shrimp and cook until it becomes dense (for about 4 minutes).
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp and carrots to a colander. Rinse them under cold water.
5. Boil the initial mixture again and add the scallops. Cook until opaque (for about 1-2 minutes). Use the slotted spoon to remove the scallops. Put them in the colander and rinse with cold water.
6. Scoop out some of the poaching liquid (1/3 cup) and set aside to cool. Chop half of the avocado and mix with the lettuce, sliced celery, croutons, and capers in a bowl. Add the scallops, shrimp, and carrots.
7. Squash the remaining avocado in a blender and add the remaining lemon juice, caper brine, mayonnaise, chopped garlic, pepper, ½ tsp of salt, and reserved poaching liquid. Mix with the salad and season with pepper and salt.

Image via: Living Fresh

The oceans of the world provide a never-ending supply of seafood that can be cooked in a million ways. If you’ve always shied away from cooking seafood, you’ll change your mind after making this salad. The best part is that you don’t have to be an expert to make it. If you live a busy lifestyle, you’ll be thankful for this healthy summer recipe. For the best results, chill the salad before eating it.

What’s your favorite healthy summer food recipes?