"Vegetables are interesting but lack a sense of purpose when unaccompanied by a good cut of meat."  ~Fran Lebowitz

On a hot summer night the last thing you want to do is use the oven. We use our outdoor grill most every night all summer long and often well into the fall. Get yourself a great grill basket in which you can put all sorts of cut up fresh veggies from your own garden or the new Wilmington Farmers Market. Add some spices and oil and let your grill do all the cooking.

Here is a chicken recipe I make that goes perfectly with those veggies. It combines a nice juicy hot chicken breast with a cool mango salsa--makes for a great flavor combo.

Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

Ingredients for Grilled Chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 (1/4 inch) piece fresh ginger root, minced
• Enough Balsamic Vinegrette Dressing to coat the chicken in a Ziplock bag

Ingredients for Mango Salsa:

• 1 large mango
• 1/2 small jicama
• 1/3 orange bell pepper
• 1/3 red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed
• 1/3 small red onion
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions for Mango Salsa:

• Remove skin from mango and peel jicama.
• Dice mango, jicama and peppers into 1" pieces.
• Cut jalapeño in half and remove seeds.
• Combine mango, jicama, bell peppers, jalapeño and onion in a small food chopper or cut by hand until coarsely chopped.
• Add lime juice and salt.

Directions for Grilled Chicken:

• Place chicken in Ziplock bag and cover with Balsamic Vinegrette. Add ginger and a splash of orange juice. Refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to cook, heat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil grate.
• Remove chicken breasts from bag and discard marinade.
• Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and place on the prepared grill.
• Cook 10 to 15 minutes on each side, until no longer pink and juices run clear. 

Now put 'em all together!

• To serve, place chicken breasts on a plate, cover with mango salsa and garnish with cilantro.
• Add some of those fresh grilled veggies to your plate and dinner is served!

Enjoy!