Grilled Chicken Sausage with Cream Cheese and Jalapeño Slaw

Summer is in the air. It is sunny today and in the upper 70’s. We are happy. My neighbors are so happy, that they are opening their pool today….on April 15th?? Oh, well, it’ll be their shivering behinds not mine. But I do know where they are coming from. After spring break, we are all just ready. Ready for the pool, warmer weather, and to play outside from morning to dusk. We are ready to catch fireflies, watch butterflies and gaze at the stars. We are just waiting in anticipation for the sound of lawn mowers, sprinklers, and the ice cream truck. Oh the ice cream truck. I do NOT like the ice cream truck, its my dinner time nemesis. Nothing grinds our evening meal to a halt quite like the ice cream truck. Because of course that’s when it comes. I’ll be more specific. We hear the first unmistakable notes of The Entertainer sometime between me telling my daughter to eat with her fork not with her hands and me yelling at my son to stop talking and start eating. This happens almost nightly without fail. It’s uncanny. There’s this slow motion moment where forks pause slightly in mid-air, ears perk up and one of my kids shouts “Ice Cream Truck!!!!”. Now, the truck is several blocks away mind you, but the notes are just the perfect pitch for a child’s sensitive ears. Suddenly it’s chaos. Chairs are turning over, silver ware is rattling, my dog is barking like mad. I’m yelling at everyone to sit back down, but it is futile. They are focused on one thing only. They grab their hard-earned allowance money and run for the curb. And wait. And wait. And wait. Until finally that tinny music coming from those worn out speakers finally approaches. Money and ice cream exchange hands. My children return to the kitchen grinning with satisfaction. Since they are good kids, they promptly put their loot in the freezer and return to their now cold meals. But they eat with a new-found zeal. Victory has made them hungry.

In honor of summer, I decided to get out of the kitchen and grill something easy. I loved this recipe. The cream cheese sounds odd, but it’s a nice contrast to the hot sausage and the spicy slaw. You could certainly omit it if you prefer.

Grilled sausage with jalapeño slaw and cream cheese

1 package chicken sausage ( such as Johnsonville Pork and Chicken Sausage)

2 cups broccoli slaw mix

1 large jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

1 tbs stone ground mustard

2 tbs cider vinegar

3 tbs olive oil

½ tsp salt

pepper

very soft cream cheese

Grill Sausage on a pre heated grill for 15-20. In the last minute of grilling, add your hot dogs buns, to toast.

While sausage is grilling, combine broccoli slaw mix, jalepeno, mustard, vinegar and oil. Add salt and pepper, adjusting the seasoning to your tastes. Stir well. Set aside.

Smear very softened cream cheese onto your toasted hot dog bun. Add sausage and pile on slaw mixture!

Chicken Souvlakia (Greek Kabobs) with Tzatziki Sauce and Greek Potato Salad

Last time we went to visit my in laws, my mother in law shared some pages from her childhood diary.  It was great!  She revealed little snippets of her life, like what she did for fun,to  who’s house she went to play and even what she ate.  What struck us a hilarious is how often she ate ham.  There were several passages where she wrote “we had ham  It was good”.  I figured if a child recorded it in her diary, then it MUST have been really good ham!

But this got me thinking about my kids.  If they had diaries, would they record what they ate?  Perhaps they would if it were an especially delicious dessert.  But sadly, I don’t believe too many dinners leave an impression on them.  They eat my dinners because they are a means to end.  The end being dessert.   Then I thought to myself, my mother in law seemed to eat a lot of ham.  What do we eat often.  Black beans come to mind.  Mexican, Pasta, Chicken.  That last one stuck with me.  We do eat  poultry often.  How can I wow them with chicken??  The gears started turning.  Since I am Greek, I figured I should stick with what I know.   Traditionally, souvlakia is made with pork.  It is delicious!!  If you’ve never tried it, I highly suggest  you either find a great local Greek restaurant or make it yourself!   The marinade is fairly versatile, can be used with chicken easily enough.   The most time consuming part of this recipe is allowing the chicken (or pork if you wish) to marinate.  Once this is done, the meal comes together quickly.  I recommend the attached Greek Potato Salad.  And you MUST use Tzatziki Sauce!!!  I tested this meal on my 3 kids.  While they aren’t too picky, they never hold back on their critiques!  They loved it!  They ate every morsel.  I will even venture to say they’d write about it in their food diaries if they had one.   I hope you take time to try this dish.  Perhaps it will leave you saying “I had chicken.  It was good!”.

Chicken Souvlakia

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbs lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp oregeno

pepper

Tzatziki Sauce

1 6oz container of plain, Greek style yogurt

1 half cucumber peeled, seeded and grated

1 clove of garlic

1 tbs olive oil

2 tsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Cut chicken breast into chunks.  In a large ziplock bag combine marinade ingredients.  Add chicken and refrigerate 1-2 hours.  Preheat grill.  Thread chicken onto pre-soaked wooden skewers.  Discard marinade.  Grill kabobs on medium high for 8-9 minutes per side or until juices run clear.

For the sauce:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 4

  

Greek Style Potato Salad

3 medium baking potatoes, cleaned and cubed ( I leave the peels on, but this is a personal preference)

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 cucumber peeled and diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbs Feta Cheese

Boil potatoes in water 10 minutes until fork tender.  Drain and return to pan.  Add olive oil and stir to coat.  Place potatoes in your serving bowl.  Add cucumbers, tomatoes, and Feta Cheese, stir until combined.