Vegetable Throwdown - Need Easy Meat

[Bliss149]

This is what I'm having so far....

Fresh green Beans & new potatoes
Grilled Corn Salad (or maybe corn on cob, haven't decided)
Fried Green tomatoes
Sliced homegrown 'maters & canteloupe
Cucumbers and Onions in vinegar
Squash
Cornbread

For dessert probably a lemon icebox pie.

But I need a protein! (Please do not try to convince me I don't. It's a long story but I need a protein.)

Something easy or do ahead since I will be doing the fried green tomatoes at the last minute.

I thought about just deviled eggs but not sure i can get away with that.

Thought about telling my guests to stop and pick us up some Gus' fried chicken. But I don't like having 2 fried things and DH wants fried green tomatoes.

Nothing sounds good though.

[maplesugar]

MB's Chicken thighs with snap peas and agliata are fantastic - and if memory serves can be prepped ahead and baked in the oven if you'd rather not do them on the grill http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7932...

[Bliss149]

Wow. Thanks for all the ideas guys! What I don't do today I definitely want to try later...Maybe on the 4th...I've never had pork belly for instance. And the oven fried chicken sounds really good.

And you're right Uncle Bob....here in Mississippi we have been known to fry more than one food per meal. I was at a Weight Watchers meeting one time and two ladies were talking about frying cucumbers!

[Uncle Bob]

And, I'm sure you've eaten Fried Catfish....French Fries (Fried) and Hush dem Puppies (Fried).....Mmmmm Mmmmmm good....just not every day!!!

Now.....Serve em fried Chicken with your "Vegetable Throw Down"....You know ya wanna!! ;)

[Bliss149]

And can I be lazy and just ask what agliata is?

[maplesugar]

Here's the recipe :) http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew...

ETA: I just re-read the recipe for the oil--you could easily halve it and have enough for drizzling. I know I had an extra cup or so leftover.

[tim irvine]

Most rib recipes are easy prep and require little attention, just rub and cook on low heat, turning once.

[Bliss149]

That is true. I think of them being hard to do but really they just take a long time.

[porker]

Howsabout roast pork belly, something like this
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/s...
can be done ahead and would compliment the 'maters and cantaloupe!

[lunchslut]

I highly recommend this oven fried chicken recipe. It is so good that it has been renamed "crack chicken" by our friends. We use panko and smoked paprika in the coating. It tastes like fried without the guilt.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[luciaannek]

If you're going to have the grill on anyway, I'd do a simple grilled chicken. You can get chicken in pieces, or you can get a butterflied chicken from the butcher. Salt and pepper well and that's really all you need, but of course you could marinate it with garlic and herbs as well.

[hollyd]

agreed. A nicely marinated grilled chicken that gets all crispy and charred around the edges.

[Bliss149]

That would be good except I ALWAYS overcook it. DH gets really grossed out if there's ANY pink so it ends up being dry and overdone every. single. time.

[Uncle Bob]

Don't be afraid to have fried chicken....two fried items is not all that taboo on occasion. .....Especially in Olive Branch :)) ~~~ Fried Okra anyone!!!

Eat Well & Enjoy!!!

[escondido123]

How about some really good Italian sausage, a mix of hot and mild, probably pork if you're lucky.

[Bliss149]

Sausages definitely fit the "easy" bill and would be yummy too.

I was kind of going with a southern theme (although the corn salad wouldn't be). But just not in the mood for a beef roast. My mother-in-law will just fry some bacon with her peas and cornbread and such but that didn't quite suit me either.

Its so hot that many foods are just not sounding good right now.

[critter101]

How about some assorted grilled chicken sausages? Can't be much easier than that.

[Bliss149]

That would be easy! I don't know if we even have chicken sausages here - much less ASSORTED.

But will give the sausages idea some thought because you're right - super easy in terms of timing, and prep.