Chilling and grilling

It is drastically heating up here in good ole Las Vegas.  In the summer months, it becomes increasingly difficult to find fun ways to be active without suffering heatstroke.  Last Sunday turned out to be quite the day!  We started with a Wet Desert Expedition on Lake Mead. 

http://www.wetdesertex.com/

We met up with a group of about 14 of the Las Vegas Kayakers and hit the open water.  All we had to do was show up....our kayaks, life vests, dry bags and guide was waiting on the shore.  It was pretty great.  We paddled out to the Boulder Islands, took a swim, learned some rescue skills, and paddled back.  This is yet another example of all the fabulous things to do in Las Vegas on any given day.  The lake was lovely, the weather was perfect an the water was luke! 

They also demonstrated some rescue skills, in case you fall out of your boat.  I just waded around in the water while everyone else learned these; I figured one of them could just rescue me!
All that paddling made us muster up quite an appetite.  Since it was father's day, I wanted to grill up man dinner for the fathers in my life.  The fare was delicious and nutritious!  I started by making some chimichurri.  Chimichurri is popular in Argentinian cuisine.  I put approximately 10 cloves of garlic in the food processor and let her rip.  I then added 3/4 bunch of stemmed parsley, approximately 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp. dried oregano, salt, and red chili flakes.

I picked up some NY steaks, japanese eggplant, corn on the cob, zucchini, mushrooms, and sourdough bread.  All these ingredients are so delicious, they require little to no preperation.  For the steaks, I seasoned them with a little three chili salt and tossed them on the grill.  For the corn, I husked the cobs, drizzled them with a little bit of olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and threw them on the grill.  I sliced the mushrooms and zucchini and drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and placed them on the grill.

 

The sourdough was sliced, brushed with olive oil and grilled as well. The only thing that requires a bit of attention is the eggplant.  Sliced up the eggplant, lay it out on a sheet pan, and generously sprinkle with kosher salt. 

Let the eggplant sit for about 20  minutes and the salt will draw out the extra moisture.  Firmly pat the eggplant down with a paper towel to remove excess moisture before cooking.  You will want to do this with eggplant before using it for any preperation.  I added it to the grill with the rest of the veggies.

The diners were encouraged to use a piece of grilled sourdough for the base, place a steak on top, and spoon the chimichurri on as a sauce.

For a refreshing beverage, I made a light white sangria.  I use a big botle of cheap sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio, add in diced frozen peaches, 1/2 a bottle peach schnapps, and top off with ginger ale.  Serve over ice.

We dined al fresco and finished our fabulous father's day grilling with grilled paches and vanilla ice cream.  Fruit on the grill is a fantastic, less guilty way to enjoy something sweet.  You can also easily grill plums, bananas, and pineapple.

The father's day feast was fabulous, and well deserved after the morning paddling on the lake.  I heard nothing but yummy sounds and prasie for my efforts. 

Fabulous chef tip: Just two days later, we attended a poolside grill at a friends house and were asked to bring a dish.  I cooked up a bag of ditalini pasta, tossed it with the leftover chimichurri, a bag of frozen peas, and some queso fresco and voila! Pasta salad!  It was a hit!  Always make extra of these things and freeze them for a dish in a pinch!

 

What's your favorite grilled foods? What foods make you think of summer?