Grilled Chicken and Melon Salad

When the weather is warm and produce is at it's peak, it's hard to beat a salad like this. I don't always serve it in cantaloupe halves, but you can. Just make sure to scrub the outsides well so that they are clean. Make this ahead by prepping the melon, and marinating the chicken overnight.

Serves 4

1 tsp grated lime rind
1 tsp grated orange rind
1/4 each lime and orange juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp grated ginger root
1/2 tsp each hot pepper flakes, salt, and pepper
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 sweet red pepper, cored, seeded, and quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cantaloupes, about 3 1/2 lb each
2 avocados
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or mint
2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
lime and/or orange wedges (optional)

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the lime and orange rinds and juices, oil, ginger, hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Set 1/2 aside as a dressing for the salad. Pour the remaining half into a dish and add the chicken, turning to coat, as well as the red pepper and garlic. Cover and allow to marinate in fridge for at least 20 minutes and as long as 2 hours.

Place the chicken and red pepper, skin side down, on a greased grill over medium high heat. (if you are like me and don't have a BBQ, I put the chicken and pepper on a tin foil lined broiling pan under the broiler).

Close the lid and grill until the peppers are lightly charred, about 6 minutes. Remove and allow to cool. Turn chicken and cook until no longer pink inside. Remove and let cool. Cut chicken and the red pepper into bite sized chunks.

Meanwhile, halve the cantaloupes and remove the seeds. Using a melon baller, scoop out flesh into a bowl and set aside. Halve, pit, and peel the avocados, then cube into bite sized chunks. Add the chicken, red pepper, basil, and onion to the bowl with the cantaloupe balls, pour the rest of the dressing over top and toss gently. Garnish with slices of lime and/or orange

Adapted from Canadian Living

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Ham and Cheese Rosti

This is a delicious way to either start your morning or a nice light dinner. Crispy, buttery shredded potatoes layered with cheese and ham or turkey makes a great partner with eggs. You must have a non stick pan to make it, otherwise it will be hard to remove from the pan.

1 1/2 lbs (750 g) potatoes, peeled (about 5-russet is best)
2 green onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp butter
1 cup shredded cheese-try different kinds, but we like a sharp cheddar best
4 oz black forest ham, chopped-or you could use turkey, even bacon (fried and crumbled)

Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water for 10 minutes or until not quite tender. Drain and run under cold water. Let cool and then grate them. In a large bowl mix together the grated potato, green onion, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

In a 9 inch skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the butter and swirl to coat the pan well. Drop in 1/2 of the potato mixture and spread to cover the bottom of the pan. Top with 1/2 of the cheese, all of the ham, and then the remaining cheese. Top with the remaining potato mixture, spreading to cover the layers of ham and cheese. Cook for about 8-10 minutes. Make sure to loosen the rosti by shaking the pan and using a wooden spatula before you continue to the next stage.

Here's the tricky part....

To flip the rosti over to cook the other side, place a plate inverted on top of the rosti. Gripping the plate with one hand and the handle of the pan with the other, flip the entire thing over so that the rosti is now sitting on the plate, cooked side up (wear an oven mitt on the hand holding the plate so any extra butter doesn't land on you).

Put the pan back on the stove and heat, adding more butter and again swirling to coat. Slide the rosti gently back into the pan to cook the remaining side, approximately another 8-10 minutes or until it's all brown and crispy. Slide onto a plate and slice into wedges to serve.

(An alternative is to create 4 mini rostis that you can turn over right on the skillet with a spatula, like in the picture)

I serve this with fruit salad and poached eggs. It is also quite yummy with home made salsa and leftovers are tasty the next day, although not as crispy.

Makes 4 servings.

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