transforming a summer cookout: chicken, squash, and potatoes ~ eat heat

My Southern audience would be quick to point out that throwing some chicken on a hot grill is not BBQ, but rather a cookout, so I think I got my title correct. Regardless, typically when we think of an American cookout, although the food has that distinctive grilled taste, it rarely packs any heat. I'll show you how to change that with some typical summer foods.

Chicken breast, summer squash, and potatoes are bland. If you bake or grill them without much seasoning they are not very exciting. If you're like me (or like I used to be), you probably would bypass them for something more tasty, yet less healthy, like a well-marbled fatty steak and fries.

Here's one way to kick up all three of my menu items:

Coat the chicken breast with a nice, spicy rub. I like El Mexicano Hot Carne Asada, though if you're not in the Bay Area it might be hard to find. A reasonable substitute might be a 75/25 mix of seasoning salt and cayenne pepper. Grill the breast on a hot grill.

Get some summer squash and fingerling potatoes and cut them into medallions. Then make this recipe for summer squash. Use the same seasoning for the potatoes. By the way, a serving of the summer squash is 23 calories and the taste is awesome.

Ok we're almost there. Grab a bit of each and put some Tapatio hot sauce on them. WHAT? Dude you just ruined my nice veggies and chicken! Try it. You might be surprised at how nicely it enhances all of the flavors.