There is a funny meme going around right now about ‘checking in on your LA friends’ due to the excessive heat we are experiencing. I, for one, am loving it! The sticky heat of summer reminds me of Hawaii and I am here for it. Koa went from sleeping in a sleep sack at night to just a diaper (I guess it’s an easy way to say goodbye to that crutch!) and we can throw on some crocs and go for a walk down the block at 7am shirtless no problem. My only complaint is that with no AC, the bedrooms are 86F when we go to bed at night. That’s simply too hot to sleep well. So all of us are tossing and turning most of the night. But darn it, we will enjoy it during the day! Beach days are a must on the weekends now. Beach afternoons have also been on my schedule over the last three weeks as the designated activity for Mommy/Koa dates. It’s a pain in the but gathering all the stuff but I never regret it once we are there. He loves looking for shells, eating snacks under the umbrella, hiding his toys in the sand. It’s quintessential childhood summers and I love it. 

Sadly, it feels like it is coming to an end as Koa starts preschool next week! My dad laughs and likes to tell me that it is actually daycare since he is only 19 months… but it doesn’t feel like it to me. $300 worth of school supplies later and growing dread about prepping lunches every day feels like the real deal. And feels like the end of summer. Since this amazingly hot weather doesn’t seem to have an end in sight, I can at least dream of staving off the end of summer scaries by promising to check him out early when I can, packing our weekends with more beach outings, and of course, continuing the backyard BBQs. 

This recipe is one that’s been on the weekly list all month long. It’s so easy to make – truly – you just grill everything, make some rice, and blend the sauce ingredients together in a blender. Voila, dinner is made! We made it for some friends recently who gave it the nod of approval… and suggested to add cojita cheese at the end. So although it’s not pictured, it is recommended! 

INGREDIENTS

Serving Size: 4-6

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the grill. 
• Prepare the rice. In a small pot, bring rice and 1.5 cups of water to a boil, then reduce to low and over with a lid for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add cauliflower rice on top with a dash of olive oil and salt. Stir quickly and cover once again. Cook for another 5 minutes on low then turn the stove off and let it sit while you cook the rest.
• Clean and butterfly your chicken. Generously season it and set aside to grill. 
• Half and de-seed the poblano peppers, set aside to grill. 
• Rub some olive and salt on the corn, set aside to grill. 
• Prepare the dressing. In a blender, add all the ingredients and blend until smooth. 
• Grill all the chicken, corn, and poblanos until the vegetables are lightly charred and the chicken is approx. 170F inside. 
• Once the chicken, corn and poblanos are cool enough to touch, shave the corn off the cob and chop the chicken and peppers.
• Assemble the rice, then grilled goodies, and top with the sauce and cojita cheese. Enjoy!