Nothing says summer like spending time in the sun, having a BBQ or picnic - or our favorite - spending time in a lavender field! With the long summer days and all the great recipes that come with them, we're excited about new flavors to experiment with.
Lavender is a lesser-known flavor to our modern palette. You may be new to using it in the kitchen. When cooking with new herbs and spices, we like to test them out by making smaller batches of the recipe at first. This way, if the new flavor turns out too strong or not strong enough, one can nail down the best combinations before serving them to others. Trial and error is all part of the fun in creating your own recipes!
We're excited to share a few recipes that are all set for summer gatherings. The BBQ chicken recipes below will have people coming back for seconds! Every barbecue or picnic also needs great beverages to keep hydrated and satisfied in the heat. Our Lavender Lemonade, a perfect drink for a hot sunny day, and the lavender sweet tea recipe below will have you dreaming you're on the south east coast with your toes in the Atlantic Ocean (unless you're there already, of course!).
We hope you'll enjoy these grilling favorites at your next BBQ at home or on a camp-out!
Honey Lavender BBQ Chicken
To incorporate lavender in recreating some of our favorite recipes, we made only minor substitutions and they made major differences. In a favorite BBQ sauce recipe, we substituted the normal honey with our lavender infused honey and added a small pinch of culinary lavender to enhance the lavender flavor even more. This barbecue recipe is simple and delicious.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of ketchup
- 1/3 cup of Pelindaba's Organic Lavender Honey
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoons of lemon juice (preferably fresh)
- 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pinch of ground Organic Culinary Lavender to taste
Directions:
In a small sauce pan over medium heat, bring the ketchup, honey, butter, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and the pinch of culinary lavender to a boil, stirring frequently to make sure it doesn't burn. Taste the sauce to make sure the lavender flavor is present and add more lavender if needed. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you choose, you can strain the sauce to remove the lavender or you can leave it in to marinade with the chicken. Cool completely.
Now that you have made the barbecue sauce and let it cool, it's time to marinate the chicken. Place the chicken in a seal-able container or bag, pour the barbecue sauce over the chicken making sure it is evenly coated, cover and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
When you are ready to get to grilling, preheat the grill. If your BBQ has a hotplate, preheat that as well as the grill. If it has just a grill, a sheet of aluminum foil on one side on the lower shelf will work. Use the hotplate (or a sheet of foil on the grill) on medium heat to begin cooking the meat, turning occasionally.
Once the chicken is a little over half way cooked on the foil or hotplate, transfer the chicken to the grill to cook for about 10 minutes or however long is needed on your grill, on medium high heat to get that perfect seared BBQ flavor and texture. Turn regularly as needed. Once the chicken is cooked, serve and enjoy!
Lavender Honey Mustard Chicken Skewers
Mouthwatering and beyond easy to make, these Lavender Honey Mustard Chicken Skewers are a great summer dinner or potluck contribution.
When making chicken skewers, we suggest using boneless skinless thighs. We find that it creates a more complimentary flavor.
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ pounds of chicken thighs
- 1 jar of our delicious Lavender Stone Ground Honey Mustard
- Lavender Gourmet Pepper
- Lavender Gourmet Salt
- Lavender Organic Stalks or bamboo skewers
- Lemon, cut
Directions:
Cut the chicken thighs into cubes. Once the chicken has been cut, place it in a seal-able container or bag with about 1/2 of a jar of our Lavender Stone Ground Honey Mustard. Seal the container and shake until evenly coated and let it marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
As you wait for the marinade to do its thing, grab the bundle of Lavender Organic Stalks and find a few of the thicker stalks in the bunch to use as the skewers and set them to soak in a shallow dish of water. At this time, you can also go preheat your grill. After doing so, grab the chicken from the fridge and start pressing the cubes onto the soaked stalks. You can choose to alternate the chicken with a few vegetables of your choosing. When you have completed making the skewers, lightly season with Lavender Gourmet Salt and Lavender Gourmet Pepper and then place them on the grill. Cook them 4 to 5 minutes on each side until no pink remains or until the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165 degrees F. When they are cooked, take them off the grill, grab a basting brush, and brush on a little more Lavender Honey Mustard. Garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!
Organic Lavender Black Ceylon Sweet Tea
This simple recipe for Lavender Sweet Tea has only four ingredients and is a lovely summer dining accompaniment or warm afternoon treat.
Ingredients:
- 8 teaspoons Organic Lavender Black Ceylon Tea
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 cups water
- fresh mint leaves or lemon slices
Directions:
Measure the tea onto a square of cheese cloth and secure with twine to create a teabag. Bring 4 cups of water to boil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the tea, remove from heat and allow it to steep for approximately 5 minutes. Remove the tea bag and disassemble for drying and reuse or compost it.
Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Pour the tea into a gallon pitcher and add three more quarts of water. Stir to blend evenly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, better, overnight.
Pour the tea into ice-filled glasses and add a few leaves of fresh mint or a few slices of lemon for a refreshing cool beverage on a hot day.
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If you aren’t feeling so adventurous, but remain curious about cooking with lavender, take a few baby steps instead! Add some Lavender Gourmet Pepper to a burger or some chicken. Test the waters and have fun as you go.
So, get your grill and picnic blanket out, call some friends over, grab that sun screen and Lavender Insect Repellent and enjoy the sunshine!
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