Category Archives: Grilling

Lulu’s Chicken Burgers

29 Friday May 2015

Posted by in Burgers, Chicken, Grilling, LuLu's Classics, Main Dish

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Chicken Burgers

I can’t quite remember when our family started the summer tradition of grilling chicken burgers. Maybe my mom came up with it because a certain daughter of hers (cough cough) was always really picky about regular hamburgers. Or maybe we all just realized that these were better than any other homemade grilled sandwich out there. I rarely order grilled chicken sandwiches at restaurants, because nothing ever compares to Lulu’s classic summer chicken burgers.

Chicken Burgers

In the past, I’ve tried to recreate these chicken burgers myself, but I never can seem to get the marinade quite right. The secret is store-bought margarita mix. Now, this isn’t always something I have laying around, so I have used lime juice instead with sub-par results. As you probably know, margarita mix has added sugar that lime juice does not, and though we have tried with other sweeteners, nothing has ever compared to this marinade and how perfect it tastes on a toasted bun with all the fixings. Continue reading →

Meatless Monday | Grilled Green Tomato Caprese

14 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in Appetizers, Entertaining, Grilling, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian

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Oh Hey. Sooo I know Green Tomatoes are kind of a “Summer” thing…But here in the Northwest…I still have tons of Green Tomatoes on my plants. I did get some ripe ones out of my summer…but some didn’t quite mature. But that’s okay…Because!!!Green Tomato CapreseFun times with Green Tomatoes! A recipe that is a bit healthier than Fried Green Tomatoes…These Grilled Green Tomatoes made into a Caprese Salad!Grilled Green TomatoesI like this recipe because it is waaay easier than Fried Green Tomatoes. Just marinade them in a little saucy sauce, throw em on the grill…and add mozzarella and basil! We took the extra step to melt the mozz under the broiler, but this recipe is great with fresh cold mozzarella as well!Grilled Green Tomato Caprese

Recipe
Grilled Green Tomato Caprese
serves 8 as an appetizer or side
adapted from Southern Living

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (we used regular, it was still delish)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 4 medium-size green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 lb.)
  • 1 (16-oz.) package fresh mozzarella cheese
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions

  1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl or baking dish, stir. Add tomatoes and cover, letting chill for at least 1 hour.
  2. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Remove tomatoes from marinade, reserving marinade. Grill tomatoes, covered with grill lid, 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until tender and grill marks appear.
  3. Arrange alternating slices of warm grilled tomatoes and mozzarella cheese on a large, shallow platter. We put our dish under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese a little bit, it’s great both ways! Drizzle with reserved marinade; season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with basil.

Grilled Rib Eye with Orzo Salad

19 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by in Easy, Grilling, Main Dish, Pasta, Salad, Steak, Weeknight Meals

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Grilled Rib Eye with Orzo Salad
I’m in a zone right now where I’m trying to use up all of the food in the house. I saw this recipe in Sunset Magazine and thought it would be the perfect use for the large amount of orzo I have laying around.
The ingredients don’t seem like anything too fancy, but I was pleasantly surprised with the delicious results. Bonus: this is the best leftover bring-to-work lunch salad ever!
Recipe note: I could not find halloumi at my local store, the guy looked at me like I was making sh*t up. I ended up finding Kasseri, which is not the best grilling cheese, but it worked ok. Feta would me a much easier option, just crumbled over the finished salad.
Recipe
Grilled Rib Eye with Orzo Salad
adapted from Sunset Magazine
Ingredients
  • 1 cup orzo pasta
  • 1 boneless rib-eye steak (about 1 lb.), about 1 in. thick
  • 1 pkg. (12 oz.) halloumi (if you are grilling the cheese), if not try feta, Kasseri, or myzithra
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup pitted and sliced kalamata olives
  • 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (not necessary, but a good addition)
  • 1/2 – 1 whole roughly chopped red bell pepper (depends on how much you like peppers – I went for it and added the whole thing).
  • 1/3 cup mint leaves, chopped
  • 1/3 cup oregano leaves, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

  1. Heat a grill to medium-high (400° to 450°). Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain, then set aside.
  2. Brush steak and cheese with 2 tbsp. oil and sprinkle steak with salt. Grill both, turning once, until grill marks appear on cheese, and steak is done the way you like, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare. Let steak rest 10 minutes.
  3. Cut halloumi slices into quarters. Combine cheese, orzo, remaining 4 tbsp. oil, and remaining ingredients in a bowl; divide among 4 plates. Top with sliced steak.

Ginger Steak Salad

31 Friday May 2013

Posted by in Bloggerific, Easy, Entertaining, Grilling, Main Dish, Salad, Steak

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Ginger Steak Salad

This is an excellent asian-inspired steak salad. If you aren’t that into salads but love steak, the marinade is great on its own! Feel free to get creative here, next time I think I want to add some homemade croutons or some of those fancy crunchies you see in some salads! This recipe makes me wonder why I don’t eat steak salad more often. Note to self… Continue reading →

Bobby Flay Pork Satay

28 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Appetizers, Entertaining, Grilling, Main Dish, Pork, Sauces, Uncategorized

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Pork Satay with Homemade Peanut Sauce

My first Bobby Flay recipe, and it did NOT disappoint! Everyone loved this dish, and it came together relatively easily, despite a few ingredients I never have handy (coconut milk & thai peppers).

This was great to have for a party, we served these with homemade crab rangoon.

Recipe

Bobby Flay Pork Satay

Serves 4-6, with lots of leftover sauce!

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Thai chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro
  • Salt
  • 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch thick cubes
  • Wooden skewers

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, add pork and let marinate 2 to 4 hours.

Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 Thai red chile pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 cup chunky peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the onion, garlic and chili. Saute for about 4 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, lime juice, coconut milk, coriander, and cumin. Thoroughly blend the peanut butter into the mixture. Bring the sauce to a simmer over low heat, stirring frequently. Stir in the cilantro and remove from the heat.

Preheat the grill.

Remove the pork from the marinade and thread on skewers. Grill for 7 to 8 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with the sauce.

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by in Bloggerific, Burgers, Grilling, Healthy, Main Dish, Uncategorized

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Let’s talk about these sweet potato burgers. When I first saw these online, I became SOOOO excited, and made them as soon as I could.

And I was super disappointed as soon as I ate mine. People kept telling me they were great and asking why I hated them so much.

And then I realized…

It was just one of those days where I really wanted a burger. A big, juicy, MEATY burger. The sweet/veggie thing wasn’t cutting it for me that day. Once I realized this, I concluded that these burgers are actually quite delicious.

If you are vegetarian, definitely try these! But for me, I think I prefer sweet potato fries with beefy burgers.

Recipe
Sweet Potato Burgers
Adapted from Healthy Happy Life

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
  • 5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled/baked/mashed (about 2 cups)
  • 2 tsp maple or agave syrup
  • 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 cup wheat flour
  • plentiful Panko crumbs
  • olive oil for pan
  • For burgers: avocado, hummus, English Muffins, arugula, olive oil, pepper

Peel sweet potatoes, cut into cubes/chunks, and then bake or microwave until softened. Pour drained beans into mixing bowl.

Mash beans and potato together. Mash in lemon-pepper seasoning, flour and agave. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist but you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs to thicken the mixture if needed. If you want, add an egg or egg whites to the mixture to help form the patty.

Freeze patties to firm them up. Preheat your grill to medium. Once the patties are firm, grill ’em up until they are nice and browned.

Transfer cooked patties to plate. Cool for a few minutes. Serve on toasted bun with hummus, avocado and spinach. Makes 7-8 large patties.

*Note – you can make these in a pan with a little bit of olive oil, but I didn’t like them as much that way, they seemed a little more greasy. You can keep the patties in the freezer for a week or two and they will still grill up great.

Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce…and Ice Cream

27 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Boozy, Desserts, Grilling

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Do you want to be transported to a tropical island? Are you sick of the crappy weather? (Anyone who lives in Seattle in June knows what I mean). Do you love having the excuse to add booze to anything you make?

Then I found the perfect treat for you!

pineapple. soaked in rum. spread with brown sugar.

Cookin Canuck’s Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce. Totally tropical and amazing. The photos I took do not do this dessert justice (head over to her site, she does a way better job than me). I just decided to make things boozy-er by soaking the pineapple slices in rum for a few hours.

Recipe

Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar Rum Sauce and Ice Cream

Adapted from Cookin Canuck

Ingredients

  • The Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup half-and-half
  • 3 tbsp dark rum
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • The pineapple:
  • Canola oil, for brushing the grill
  • 1 (4 lb.) pineapple, skin removed, cut into 8 (3/4 inch) rounds, core removed, OR canned pineapple rings
  • 2 – 3 cups rum
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, spread out on a plate
  • Vanilla ice cream, to serve

Instructions

  1. The pineapple: Soak the pineapple slices in rum, for a minimum of about 3 hours, or overnight if possible. Dip each pineapple slice in brown sugar so it will get nice an caramelized.
  2. The sauce: In a large skillet or medium saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the brown sugar and flour. Cook, whisking constantly, for about 2 minutes to eliminate the taste of the raw flour.
  3. Pour in the half-and-half and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in rum, fresh lemon juice and vanilla extract. Keep the sauce warm over low heat until ready to use, whisking occasionally.
  4. The pineapple: Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Brush grill with canola oil. Lay the pineapple on the grill and cook, about 5 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.
  5. Remove the pineapple from the heat, and serve with ice cream and the brown sugar rum sauce.

Asparagus with Mustard Vinaigrette

06 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Easy, Grilling, Healthy, Sauces, Side Dish, Weeknight Meals

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Easy enough to make for a beach BBQ, and almost too elegant for paper plates…

I remember back in the day when I hated asparagus (there was a point in my young age when I pretty much hated everything except for toast and milk). The day I finally decided to man up and give them another shot was a new beginning. My aunt made the super skinny spears with just a little olive oil and salt and pepper, and everything changed.

I realized this vegetable wasn’t the devil, and not only were they good with just a little EVOO love, there were so many other asparagus recipes out there! I still refuse to buy asparagus if they are really thick…maybe I am an asparagus snob.

This recipe is pretty standard – cook the asparagus in whatever way works for you, then pile on this amazing mustard sauce. The sauce will go well on other things too – pork, chicken, fish, etc….but it is really damn good on asparagus.

RECIPE

Asparagus With Mustard Vinaigrette

  • 1 1/2 pounds large or medium asparagus
  • 1 small shallot, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely cut chives.

1. Snap off and discard the tough bottoms of each asparagus spear. If using large, thick asparagus, peel the lower ends with a vegetable peeler. Medium asparagus will not need peeling.

2. Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, place the shallots, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Let shallots soften for 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard, then whisk in the olive oil to make a thick dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Heat grill to medium. Brush olive oil on asparagus, and grill until tender, about 6-10 minutes depending on your grill. If you do not have a grill: In a large stainless-steel soup pot bring 4 quarts of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until just done. Remove asparagus with a large strainer and spread out on a baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel. Asparagus may be served warm or at room temperature.

5. To serve, place asparagus on a platter or individual plates. Spoon the vinaigrette over the asparagus. Sprinkle with chives if you wish.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Adapted from the New York Times.

Guacamole, and Taco Bars.

18 Friday May 2012

Posted by in Easy, Entertaining, Events, Grilling, Steak, Uncategorized

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Only some of the essentials for a good Taco Bar…Bean Dip, limes, Pickled Jalapenos, black beans, guacamole, cilantro. Margaritas and corn salad doesn’t hurt either.

I don’t think I have ever met anyone who doesn’t like a good ole’ fashioned Taco Bar. So easy to prepare, perfect for a party.

Mmm…steak taco. I obviously like my steak rare.

And then there’s guacamole. Always an integral part of any taco bar or lonely chip. I like all guacs, and tend to make it different every time. Before I ever tried making it, I was convinced guacamole was this really hard thing to make…But it’s so easy to just wing it. Here’s a basic recipe:

Recipe
Guacamole
Serves 6

  • 5 avocados, pitted
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped white or yellow onion
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
  • 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • 1 chopped tomato (if you like your guac “pure” you can leave this out)
  • Juice of 1 lime

Toss everything into a bowl. Mash, and salt to taste. Serve with chips.

Other additions to consider:

  • chopped red onion
  • pickled jalepeno peppers, plus a few tbsp. vinegar from the jar

Corn Poblano Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette

15 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in Easy, Entertaining, Grilling, Healthy, Salad, Side Dish

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grilled corn salad with tacos and a margarita? yes please.

I first made this corn salad last year after seeing it in Sunset magazine, and it’s been a hit every time.

I love corn on the cob, half the time I might say I’m a corn on the cob purist…it’s just so good the way it is. But there are just too many other good things to do with it! This salad is no exception.

I have one gripe about this recipe – the canned chipotle chile. Every time I’ve looked, they only have larger cans at the store. You only use 1 teaspoon for this recipe! I haven’t quite figured out what to do with the leftovers, or what else I could use as a substitution. If anyone has any ideas, let me know…

You can do a lot more with this salad. After serving it with a Taco Bar for lunch, I added leftover blacks beans. This addition might be the way I make this salad from now on.

Additionally, leftovers make an awesome scramble the next morning. (Thank you, Jordan, for being a genius).

leftover corn salad scrambled with eggs.

Recipe
Grilled Corn Poblano Salad with Chipotle Vinaigrette
From Sunset
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

  • 3 ears corn, shucked
  • 1 poblano chile
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped canned chipotle chile
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 avocado, cut into chunks
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 cup slivered sweet onion, rinsed, patted dry

Preparation

  1. Heat grill to high (450° to 550°). Rub corn and poblano with 1 tbsp. oil. Grill both, turning occasionally, until poblano is mostly blackened, 5 to 10 minutes, and some corn kernels have browned, 10 to 20 minutes. Let cool. NOTE: If you do not have a grill, cook corn in boiling water for 6 minutes, and let poblano blacken in a 450F oven.
  2. Cut corn kernels from cobs into a large bowl. Peel and seed poblano, cut into 1/2-in. pieces, and add to corn. In a small bowl, whisk remaining oil with lime juice, chipotle chile, and salt.
  3. Stir avocado, cilantro, and onion into corn mixture along with chipotle dressing.