Yummy stuff to grill

I know this sounds really lame coming from someone who loves to cook, but I went almost two years without a grill. And this sounds extra lame, but one of the reasons I went so long without a grill is that grills scare me a little. I've always viewed them as sort of a "man thing." Perhaps it's the open flame, the big chunks of meat, or the endless commercials featuring men holding court over their grills, opening a new set of tongs for father's day, or donning a cheesy apron that says "Grill on grill action."

Anyway, I decided that if I'm going to call myself a decent cook, I had to get over my grill issues. So, a short trip to Home Depot and a few hundred bucks later, we became the proud owners of a new grill. It's nothing fancy--just a regular old gas grill.
But this time, I refuse to shy away from it.

So here are three recipes I've made on the grill over the last few months. They are all awesome and highly recommended by me and the people I've fed. One thing that all of these recipes have in common is big, bold flavor. I know that the act of grilling itself imparts a delicious charcoal flavor to food, but if you're a fan of slightly spicy, power-packed flavors, these recipes are for you.

1) Chile-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Salsa

A lot of grill aficionados say to avoid grilling boneless, skinless chicken breast, as it can be dry and rubbery. I made this recipe three times, and not once was it dry or rubbery. The key is to use the freshest, highest quality chicken you can find, and to be careful not to overcook it.

*A note: When I first made this dish, I didn't read carefully and I ended up using all 4 teaspoons of lime juice in the rub (you were supposed to use 1 tsp and save the rest for the salsa...whoops). BUT, it turned out awesome! It made the rub a little more moist and kind of paste-like, so it adhered to the chicken better. Consequently, I recommend making the same mistake I did. I also OD'ed a little bit on the chipotle powder, which I also recommend if you like things spicy.

2) Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Corn on the Cob (aka Grilled Pork Tenderloin with "Vomit Sauce")

Yes, I am aware that including the word "vomit" in a recipe is really disgusting and probably the least appetizing thing one can do. But what can I say? It was a nickname that stuck. Here's the thing...the sauce that accompanies the pork in this recipe (which includes apple cider vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes) smells really terrible while it's cooking. It really does smell like, well, vomit. It got so bad that my husband made me set the pot outside until it was time to eat.

But when you serve it alongside the spice-crusted pork? Pure deliciousness! I did tweak it a bit though. When I followed the recipe for the sauce exactly, it was a little too vinegary. So I added some more sweetness (a little extra brown sugar, as well as some maple syrup), and a little more heat (some hot sauce).

Oh, and I didn't make the corn part of the recipe, so I can't vouch for that. But the pork and sauce was definitely a keeper. I just hope my kids don't go to school and tell their teacher they have vomit sauce for dinner sometimes.

3) Chipotle-Mango Barbecue Chicken with Cilantro Chimichurri

This dish is definitely a labor of love. It requires peeling mangos (which I find to be a huge pain) and using a food processor or blender two separate times--once for the chipotle-mango sauce and once for the chimichurri. Therefore, I recommend making this for a special occasion or weekend BBQ, not a Tuesday night dinner. The leftovers heat up well, though, so you could make a bunch and have it twice in one week.

Also, although I didn't do it myself, I am sure either or both sauces would be excellent used in a different dish - perhaps with shrimp or another seafood.

Summer food! Summer vegetable bake and cherry tomato salad

There are many factors to blame for my post-slacking, but the most prominent one would have to be a case of the blahs in terms of finding exciting new recipes that are both delicious and fairly healthy. But now...well, that's all over. Because summer is here! I've discovered that, despite the sometimes brutal heat, spring and summer are my favorite times of the year for making meals. The heat brings out a natural inclination to eat fresh, nutritious foods (who wants a heavy, creamy, cheesy fried thing when it's 110 degrees outside?). And the stores and farmers markets are stocked with colorful fruits and vegetables that are just begging to be bought and experimented with.

To kick off what I hope will be an abundance of awesome summer recipes, I offer my new favorite veggie dish. Isn't it lovely? And the best part is, it's super simple and easy to prep ahead of time, which makes it BBQ or potluck friendly. 

Summer Veggie Bake

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, diced

4-5 yellow squash, sliced in thin rounds

4-5 zucchini, sliced in thin rounds

4-5 tomatoes, sliced in thin rounds

fresh basil

salt

pepper

olive oil

1 bag mozzarella cheese

Italian seasoning or oregano (optional)

Directions

Saute the onion in olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (be careful not to burn). Spread the onion and garlic mixture onto the bottom of a 13x9 inch casserole dish (if you want to make less, use a 8x8 square pan). 

Season the tomatoes, squash, and zucchini with some salt, pepper, and (if you like), some italian seasoning or dried oregano. Stack the veggies on their edges, alternating between the squash, zucchini, and tomato. Once the pan is full, tear off the basil leaves and poke them down in between some of the veggies (use as much or as little as you want). 

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for approx 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the foil and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the whole pan, spreading evenly. Put the pan back in the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly. You may want to turn on the broiler to get that nice brownish crust on the top of the cheese.

*I haven't tried this yet, but it just occurred to me that this might be really good served with a little warm marinara sauce spooned over the top - especially if you're serving it to kids.

And secondly, I offer you a link to a cherry tomato salad I recently made, which was also delicious, light, easy, and BBQ friendly. When my husband saw the recipe lying on the counter, he said "Buttermilk? That's not light." Oh, but it is! Thanks to my obsessive Food Network watching, I know that buttermilk is very low in fat. The reason it's called buttermilk, is that it's the residual liquid left over after butter is churned. The dressing on this salad tastes like ranch, but is much lighter while still remaining totally natural (unlike the "lite" version of most ranch dressings).

Patrick and Gina Neely's Cherry Tomato Salad with Buttermilk Basil Dressing

Best crock pot recipe ever (brined pork chops)

It's been a while since I've made a blog-worthy meal, and it's also been a while since I've made anything worth mentioning in a crock pot. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with crock pot meals. Obviously the idea of throwing a bunch of stuff into a pot in the morning, and having a delicious meal all ready and waiting at dinner time is a wonderful one... But usually all of the crock pot recipes I make turn out to be riffs on mushy meat stew in some sort of a tomato-based sauce.

I was excited when I saw this recipe for Alton Brown's slow cooked pork chops featured as the "Recipe of the Day" on the Food Network website. For one, I'd been making so much chicken lately that my whole family was really chickening out (Sorry, I heart cheesy puns). Secondly, it was something unique, unlike typical crock pot fare.

This recipe was super flavorful, and really tender. Pork chops can tend to be dry and flavorless, and these were just the opposite.

I do have to warn you, this dish is pretty labor intensive, as crock pot dishes go. First you have to brine the pork chops overnight (not a big deal, but it takes some advance planning). Secondly, you have to spend probably 30-45 minutes the next morning browning the pork chops before they go into the crock pot. So if you're looking for something where you can just dump some stuff into the crock pot and turn it on, this recipe isn't for you. But if you're looking to make a delicious, guest-worthy meal that you can prepare well ahead of dinner time, then you need to try this.

Note: Make sure you buy fairly thick, bone-in pork chops for this dish. And go ahead and make more than you think you'll need...the leftovers are fabulous too.

Another note: Some of the reviews on the Food Network website mention that the dish is too salty/peppery, but I disagree. I made it exactly as directed and thought the flavor was spot-on. Then again, I do love me some salt. If you're not a big salt fan, you can tone it down by using water or some wine in place of the chicken broth at the end.

Slow Cooker Pepper Pork Chops (from Alton Brown via www.foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:

2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp black peppercorns, slightly crushed
1 lb ice
4 , 1 to 1 1/2 inch thick pork chops, bone in
2 tsp kosher salt
3 oz dried apple slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, julienned
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (and perhaps a smidge of white wine)
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme

Directions:

Combine the broth, salt, brown sugar, and peppercorns in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat. Cook until the salt and sugar dissolve, and remove from heat and add the ice. Place the pork chops into a large ziplock bag and pour the mixture inside. Seal and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning...remove the chops from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Season on both sides with kosher salt and set aside.

Place the apples in the slow cooker. Heat 1 1/2 tsp of the olive oil in a large saute pan. Over medium high heat, sear both sides of the pork chops until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes per side. Once browned, put the chops into the crock pot atop the apples.

Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and saute the onions until soft and beginning to brown. Add the chicken broth to the pan to deglaze. (I used a little bit of white wine to deglaze, and then added the chicken broth). Add the black pepper and thyme. Transfer to the slow cooker. Set to high for 1 1/2 hours, and then turn to low. Continue cooking another 4-5 hours or until the pork is tender and falling away from the bone.

*If you're not going to be home to turn down the crock pot, just set it to low the whole time.

These chops would go great with just about any side dish you can think of. The sauce would be great to soak up with some rice, roasted potatoes, cauliflower, etc.

30 minute meal (for real): Sausage with white beans and kale

I recently read an article about how the abundance of cooking shows and "food tv" does both good and bad things to the morale of the home cook. On one hand, the 'round the clock cooking shows often provide great recipes and solid instruction. On the other hand, it often makes us feel insecure if we can't come up with an inspired, expertly executed dish with a handful of ingredients and a ticking clock (ie: the Iron Chef).

One such show that's often encouraged, yet discouraged me, is 30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray. Rachel's mantra is that anyone can throw together an amazing, multi-course meal (sometimes even with homemade dessert!) in 30 minutes. The problem is that those 30 minutes don't account for all of the pre-rinsing/chopping/measuring that goes into her recipes, nor the fact that she has more ovens and kitchen gadgets than most home cooks. Perhaps most importantly, it ignores the major clean-up that has to occur when one uses multiple pots, pans, and utensils to make that cute little 30 minute meal.

That's why I love this new recipe that I recently made. It was something that I really did throw together in its entirety in under 30 minutes. It's hearty, healthy, and contains only a handful of ingredients. And the whole thing only requires one pan. I know...kale seems kind of scary to the vegetable-averse, and it really took me a long time (I'm talking years) to work up the courage to cook with it. But I promise you it's good in this recipe. My kids even ate it. Here you go...

Sausage with Kale and White Beans

Ingredients:

2-3 large links of quality lean sausage (I usually use chicken basil sausage made at our grocery store)
1 large bunch of kale
2 cans of white beans (cannellini or navy beans)
chicken stock
1 clove of garlic, chopped (optional)
white wine (optional)
lemon (optional)
salt

Directions:

Saute the sausage in a large saute pan or stock pot until nicely browned and cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and slice on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices.

Separate the kale from the stem and roughly chop into bite-size pieces. Return the pan that the sausage was cooked in to the stove and set at medium-low. Pour in a little bit of stock or white wine, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon until the browned bits come up from the bottom. Add the kale leaves to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to wilt. Add the beans, some chopped garlic, and enough stock to make it slightly soupy without actually being soup. Continue cooking until the beans and kale are soft. Add some salt to taste. If you want to boost the flavor a bit, you can also squeeze in a little lemon juice and/or add a splash of white wine.

Add the sausage slices back into the pan until everything is warmed through. Serve in a bowl with, of course, some crusty bread.

Cajun turkey burgers and sweet potato "chips"

My friend Meredith recently shared a recipe that she absolutely loved: Sandra Lee's recipe for cajun turkey burgers. It took me a while to make it, but I finally got around to it this past weekend. Now I wish I hadn't waited so long! I love that it contains pureed vegetables; and when you top it with some red onion, lettuce, avocado, and the sauce containing chopped tomatoes, it tastes really fresh and healthy, while still feeling like a treat.

The burgers are moist, flavorful, and have just enough kick without being overly spicy. The true test was that I enjoyed the burger without a bun since I am currently experimenting with a gluten free diet. I've always thought a bunless burger sounded about as appetizing as a pickled pig's foot, but because this one was so tasty and not at all fatty, I truly didn't miss the bun. (For those who know my affinity for crusty bread, this is a bold statement.)

Note: If you google Sandra Lee "cajun turkey burger" recipe, you will find two versions: one is on the Food Network website, and one is on her own personal website. The recipe I used was from her website. I've reproduced it below, with some minor adjustments.

Sandra Lee's Cajun Turkey Burgers

*This makes about four generously sized burgers, so double if you want more.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp thinly sliced scallions

3 tbsp celery, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup roasted red peppers

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp cajun seasoning

1 1/4 lbs ground turkey

2 tbsp plus 1/2 cup tartar sauce

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs (I used corn flake crumbs to avoid gluten)

1 large egg, beaten

salt & pepper

hot sauce (optional)

1 roma tomato, diced

1 teaspoon finely minced or mashed garlic (the original recipe calls for Gourmet Garden's garlic blend, but if you can't find it or don't feel like buying it, just mash up some fresh garlic)

lettuce, red onion, and/or avocado for topping

Directions:

1. In a food processor (I used a magic bullet...a blender would also suffice), combine the scallions, celery, red peppers, parsley, and Cajun seasoning. Cover and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add turkey, 3 tbsp tartar sauce, bread crumbs, and egg, and mix well. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Shape mixture into four equal size patties.

2. Preheat broiler. Place patties on a foil-lined baking sheet or broiler pan. Broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. (*Or you can just cut into it to make sure it's done)

3) In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1/2 cup tartar sauce, diced tomato, and garlic. Serve burgers on a toasted bun with lettuce, onion, and tartar sauce mixture (perhaps some avocado as well).

And now for my side dish....

I call this "Sweet potatoes for people who hate sweet potatoes." It was born out of my theory that almost any vegetable will taste good if it is slice thinly enough. To make these potato "chips," simply peel and thinly slice a sweet potato. If you have a mandoline, that would be the best way to ensure evenly sliced potatoes; but a steady hand and a good knife will do the trick as well.

Put the potato slices into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss until the potatoes are evenly coated. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake at 350 until they are cooked through and tender. FYI: unless you slice them super thin, they won't really take on a crispy chip texture - it will be more like a soft, slightly chewy chip.

Fine, fine, I'll make the Roman Style Chicken already!

Every time I've gone to the Food Network website in the last month (which is pretty often), I've seen the same recipe featured: Giada DeLaurentis' Roman Style Chicken. It's appeared on all sorts of lists: healthy meals to kick off the new year, one-skillet meals, reviewers' favorite meals...

So, after seeing it featured for the zillionth time the other day, I just had to make it. A quick read through of the ingredients told me I'd like it. I've determined that you really can't go wrong with a recipe that includes garlic, white wine, and capers.

After making it, I have to agree with the reviewers that it's definitely a keeper. It's simple to prepare (and a lot of the prep can be done ahead, which I LOVE), it's healthy, and it's sure to please almost any palate. My kids have an aversion to bell peppers, but they still enjoyed the taste of the chicken and sauce. I served it over couscous, but it would also be good with some cappellini or my personal favorite: crusty bread. Just make sure you include some sort of starch to sop up the delicious, flavorful sauce, which is the best part of the dish.

Turkey leftovers: BLT turkey sandwich with herbed mayonnaise

I know this post is a little late to be useful this holiday season, but hopefully it will serve as inspiration the next time you make a giant roast turkey (or any meat for that matter) and have lots of leftovers.

It had been a while since I made turkey. I've been fortune to skip Thanksgiving cooking duties the last few years, and the last few Christmases I've gone off the grid, experimenting with short ribs, pork loin and other non-traditional meats.

But since I can never resist experimenting a little, I decided to make a stuffed turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. I stuffed it with herbs and bacon, and it was delicious and very tender. (I promise to share that recipe next time a holiday rolls around).

The butcher claimed I needed at least a 6-7 lb breast for 5-6 people, but we were left with a ton of leftovers. And since one of my new years resolutions is to avoid wasting food, I needed to find a use for them. I have a million food magazines with a million ideas for turkey leftovers, but none of them inspired me. Most involved chopping up the turkey and creating some sort of casserole with leftover mashed potatoes and/or or cranberry sauce. Blech.

Since the turkey already had an herb-y taste, I wanted to keep the flavor profile the same. So I bought some yummy ciabatta rolls and made a BLT type sandwich with herbed mayo. It was SO good, and it didn't scream "leftovers" the way that some other recipes do. Plus it was easy. Here's what was in it:

Ingredients

Ciabatta rolls
Arugula
Thinly sliced tomato
Sliced avocado
Bacon, nuked until crisp
Slices of leftover turkey
Herbed mayo (simply chop up whatever herb or herbs you have on hand and whisk together with a little mayo. I used sage, but plenty of other ones would work...thyme, oregano, tarragon...)


Directions

Slice the ciabatta rolls in half and tear out some of the inner bread to make it more light. Spritz with olive oil and broil for a few minutes until crispy. Spread a thin layer of the herbed mayo on both sides of the bread. Layer on the other ingredients. Close the bread and either cook in a panini press, or just push down hard with your hands until it flattens out a little bit (what I like to call the lazy girl's panini).

I really looooove making gourmet sandwiches at home--it's such an easy, satisfying meal. Ever since I've discovered the ciabatta roll, I've been hooked. I know it's not the healthiest grain in the world, but it freezes really well, so it's easy to stock up in the freezer and have them on hand as a vehicle for leftovers, eggs, last minute guests, or just about anything you can think of.

Happy New Year!