Ginger Lime Grilled Chicken and Peanut Salad

The heat index is supposed to be around 105F today.  I will not be turning on the oven for even a second!  When we first looked for a house to rent, central air conditioning was not something I worried about.  I was more worried about finding a home that had a low cost heating source. I failed on both accounts.  Our heat is EXPENSIVE and having only a single window air conditioner upstairs makes for long, warm summers.  Not only do I not want to cook when it’s this warm, I don’t really care to be home!

One of my go to meals when the temperatures are soaring is grilled chicken and mixed salad.  This is a great way to clean out my vegetable drawers.  It also is a meal I can take to the lake or park. I like to mix up the marinade I use and have been dying to try Honey Ridge Farm’s Ginger Lime honey glaze.

I cut up some chicken breasts and tossed them into a ziploc bag with 1/2 a bottle of marinade.  I covered my grill with a piece of aluminum foil to keep the liquid from dripping directly down.  This is a sweet marinade and I love how it caramelized on the chicken, but wouldn’t like to to caramelize the heating element of the grill!

With the rest of the bottle of marinade I made a salad dressing.  The other 1/2 of the bottle + 1 Tbsp peanut butter, 2 tsp vinegar and a little water.  Getting the consistency is really a matter of personal taste.  You can thin this down or you can leave it thicker.  Any mixture of vegetables for your salad will work.  I used lettuce, spinach, shredded carrots, cucumbers, crushed peanuts and edamame. Save any leftover dressing – it’s delicious on a lot of things!

What are your go to meals when it’s too hot to turn on your stove?

*Disclaimer – I was not compensated for this post however I did receive free products to use.