Heading to Hocking Hills for your family vacation this year? Our cabins come will fully equipped with kitchens and barbeques, so you and your family can spend quality time together preparing and enjoying nutritious, delicious meals. But, of course, you don’t want to spend all of your vacation time in the kitchen! Here are three easy meals that will make your next cabin vacation perfect.
Yogurt-Marinated Chicken with Green Salad
(Serves 4)
Yogurt is the secret to this easy meal. It makes the chicken juicy and flavorful, and provides the base for a super simple salad dressing.
For the chicken:
Combine 3/4 cup plain yogurt, 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, the juice and zest of 1 lemon, 2 to 4 tsp minced garlic, ½ tsp salt, and a few shakes of pepper. In a large Ziplock back, toss 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Grill the chicken over medium-high heat, flipping once, until cooked through: 6 to 8 minutes per side.
For the salad:
To make a simple dressing, combine equal parts yogurt, whole-grain mustard, and honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with your favorite greens and chopped fresh veggies.
Taco Salad
Taco salad is one of the easiest meals to throw together while on vacation, especially in summer, when fresh ingredients are in ample supply.
The basics:
The basic ingredients for a fantastic taco salad are simple:
- 1 pound ground beef + 1 package taco seasoning (cooked according to directions)
- 1 can refried beans (heated) or 1 can black or kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
- 1 cup grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 bag tortilla chips, coarsely crushed
- 1 head lettuce, washed and chopped
- 1 jar salsa
Arrange crushed tortilla chips on a plate, then top with seasoned meat, cheese, beans, lettuce, and salsa.
Spice it up:
Add some zest to your taco salad with any (or all) of the following:
- Chopped tomatoes
- Chopped bell peppers
- Fresh corn, cut off the cob
- Sliced green onions
- Sliced black olives
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Pickled jalapeno peppers
- Sour cream
- Sliced avocado or guacamole
- Thousand Island or French dressing
Everything on the Grill
You don’t have to step into the kitchen at all with this “Everything-on-the-Grill” three-course meal.
Grilled wedge salad
Cut a head of iceberg lettuce into quarters, retaining the core. Brush the cut sides with a small amount of olive oil and grill over medium-high heat until cut sides are browned. Top with your favorite salad dressing.
Grilled steak and asparagus
Select your favorite grilling steak (see Bon Appetit’s The 5 Best Steak Cuts for the Grill). Before grilling, season the steak with salt and pepper and allow to come to room temperature. Grill to desired doneness (120-125° for rare to medium rare), remove from grill, and let stand 5 minutes.
While the steak is resting, toss asparagus with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and grill for 2 to 3 minutes.
Grilled pineapple
Grilled pineapple is an excellent finish to any cabin meal. Cut pineapple into rounds or slices, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar, and grill until golden brown. Enjoy as is or top with whipped cream or plain yogurt.
Vacation cooking doesn’t have to be difficult, but it should be delicious! These three simple meals will have you and your family wondering why you would ever bother to go out.
Book your summer cabin vacation today.
Photo credit: Grilled pineapple by infowidget [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Flickr
