Here is a great, spicy rub from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast (from the Kitchen’s of Martha Stewart). This recipe makes 9 teaspoons total, which can be used for several meals. Rubs should be stored in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and can keep for up to six months if stored in a cool, dark location. This rub works best on fattier foods, such as salmon, skirt steak, pork loin, and whole chicken (but probably not chicken breasts). I used smoked paprika, but you could exchange some of that for hot paprika if you are feeling bold or sweet paprika to cut some of the heat.

4 tsp paprika
2 tsp course salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp allspice

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. To use rub, use your fingers to rub the mixture on the meat, using 1 teaspoon for every 3/4 lb of meat. Rubs should coat food lightly. Unlike marinades, rubs can be used right before cooking or a couple hours ahead of time.

From Cooking Light magazine, here is a quick and easy side dish with a subtle flavor. This could easily go with a Thai or Chinese style main dish, but would also be great with fried or barbecue chicken. The recipe is quite mild, so if you prefer some spice, adjust the seasoning to suit your tastes.

1 tsp butter or olive oil
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp allspice
1 1/3 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup uncooked couscous

Melt butter or heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add curry and allspice, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Stir in couscous. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Garnished below with a small sprig of rosemary.

Here is another summer thirst-quencher, combining the seasonal flavors of blueberry and cucumber with orange juice and honey. This fresh and fruity recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine.

3 cups fresh orange juice
1/4 cup honey
1 pint fresh blueberries (frozen can be substituted)
1 medium cucumber

Cut cucumber into chunks. Combine with blueberries, orange juice, and honey in a blender. Process until smooth. Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.

Strain mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a medium bowl, pressing solids with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to squeeze out juice. Discard solids.

Serve in tall glasses over ice. Makes 4 servings.

Here is another refreshing iced tea recipe from BellyBytes.com! This one uses orange pekoe tea, which is a basic black tea that is highly fragrant, with fruity and floral notes, a woodsy aroma, and a sweet aftertaste. The original recipes calls for 3 teabags, but I like my tea strong, so I used 4.

4 bags orange pekoe tea
4 cups water
3 1/3 cups chilled apricot nectar (five, 5 1/2 oz cans)
1/2 cup chilled simple syrup, or to taste (see below)
fresh apricots, optional

Put tea bags in a heat resistant pitcher. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and pour over tea bags. Steep tea for 5 minutes and remove tea bags. Cool tea and chill, covered, for about 1 hour or until cold.

Stir in chilled nectar and simple syrup. If using, halve and remove stones from apricots. Place 2-3 apricot halves and ice in each glass. Pour tea over ice and apricots.   

Simple Syrup:
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups water

To make Simple Syrup:
In a small saucepan, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring. Boil until sugar dissolves. Let syrup cool and chill, covered. Simple Syrup will keep for 2 weeks. Chill, covered, until ready to use.

A Jenn Original Recipes, this was inspired by items I already had on hand: lemon, fresh rosemary, chicken breasts, and Parmesan cheese. Add some pantry staples, and here is a fresh and fulfilling dish that mixes a bright citrus flavor with a savory fresh herb. Dried rosemary can be substituted if necessary.

2 lbs chicken breasts or tenders
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges 
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
sliced green onions (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F

Brush 1 tbsp olive oil in a 2 1/2 to 3 quart baking dish. Arrange 3 springs of rosemary in the bottom of the dish and top with chicken.

In a small bowl, combine leaves from remaining 3 sprigs of rosemary with lemon zest, Parmesan cheese, remaining olive oil, garlic, and salt. Mix well and spread over chicken. Arrange lemon wedges around chicken. Top with fresh ground black pepper. Top chicken with sliced green onions, as desired.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

If you don’t feel like heating up the oven, this dish could just as easily be prepared in a skillet on the stove. Juice lemon and add to olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and salt to create a sauce. Omit Parmesan cheese and pepper until the last five minutes of cooking time and sprinkle on top. Green onions can be added at any time.

Pictured here with wild rice blend and steamed vegetables. In the interest of clarity, the lemon wedges are not from the same lemon that was zested (long story). If you would rather use 2 lemons, save the zested lemon for another time.