Grilling

Beer-Brined Barbecue Chicken

Leah Short — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 14:16:01 +0000

Summer, of course, is always a great time to grill. I’m not a master of the grill by any means, so I love when I go to my mom’s house and she can take over. One of these days I’m going to get my learnin’ on, but for now I enjoy tackling the sides (like this Ranchero Corn) and letting her handle the main dish. This Beer-Brined Barbecue Chicken was something I was really looking forward to. Meat that has been brined is so tender and flavorful, plus this one gets slathered in a homemade barbecue sauce while it grills.

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Garden Turkey Burgers

Leah Short — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 12:40:00 +0000

I’m desperately trying to get back on a healthy, low calorie meal plan (I refuse to say diet), but it’s hard. Food is so, so, so good! I tried eating salads for lunch at work for a week and got terribly bored. I’d end up eating something not so good for me because I hated my lunch. Why am I doing this? I know how to make good food that won’t blow up my calorie bank! Instead of turning eating into an unpleasant experience, it’s time to get back to what I know. Healthy, low calorie food doesn’t have to taste bad or be boring. I’ve got an entire category devoted to Low Calorie, including desserts! So let’s build on that, shall we!

I love burgers. All makes and models, all kinds of toppings. They can be a real gut buster though. No need to deny yourself one. Make it healthy and delicious. These Garden Turkey Burgers really surprised me. They were so full of unique flavors that I didn’t even use cheese. I didn’t want to mask the flavor of my seasonings and those veggies!

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Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Quinoa Salad

Leah Short — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 13:13:00 +0000

I’m really kicking myself that I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a few months and just now got around to making it. It completely rocked my world. Yeah, a dish with quinoa was that earth-shattering. Who knew? When I was making my list of ingredients I kept thinking this Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Quinoa Salad looked so familiar. I finally realized that my friend Julie over at Table for Two had made it earlier this month. Now I was really excited about firing up the grill!

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Beer Bratwursts

Leah Short — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 12:45:00 +0000

These Beer Bratwursts were our main course for the 4th. Can’t beat grilling on that holiday and thankfully the rain stayed away just enough for us to fire up the grill. They first cook in a bath of beer with tons of spices and savory flavors. Then it’s off to the grill to finish before they get nestled in a bun with fancy condiments.

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Pineapple-Glazed Chicken Breasts

Leah Short — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:46:45 +0000

Sure chicken can sometimes be boring, but not when you grill it and top with an amazing sauce. A good one to try is Pineapple-Glazed Chicken Breasts. It’s an easy sauce to make and there’s some leftover for spooning over the top of the finished chicken. It’s a fantastic way to dress up chicken on the grill.

So, how’s it taste?

It’s pretty delicious for boring ol’ chicken. Citrus and chicken are a great pairing and I like the addition of piney rosemary. It’s not too strong though, the Dijon and pineapple take center stage. I couldn’t find pineapple juice concentrate, so we used pineapple-orange juice concentrate instead. I think the orange added just a touch of sweet to cut through the tang of the pineapple and Dijon. I like this sauce with grilled chicken because it didn’t seem to burn as much as some sugary sauces can. You know I’m a fan of condiments, so I loved having the extra sauce to serve over the finished chicken.

Pineapple-Glazed Chicken Breasts

Pillsbury, Easy Meals from the Grill, April 2005
makes 2 servings
per serving: 270 calories, 8g fat, 17g carbs, 1g fiber, 32g protein

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. frozen (thawed) pineapple-orange juice concentrate
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 oz. each)

Directions:

1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix mustard and juice concentrate; reserve 2 tablespoons. Into remaining mixture, stir garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper; set aside.

2. When grill is heated, rub chicken breast halves with oil. Place chicken on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill over medium coals; cover grill. Cook 5 minutes.

3. Turn chicken; brush with rosemary mixture. Cover grill; cook 6 to 8 minutes longer, brushing chicken occasionally with rosemary mixture and turning chicken once, until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear. Discard any remaining rosemary mixture.

4. Place chicken on serving plates. Spoon reserved 2 tablespoons mustard mixture over chicken.

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Pork Chops with Apple-Maple Glaze

Leah Short — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:13:10 +0000

Pork Chops with Apple-Maple Glaze was another awesome find from my grilling weekend with my mom. I love, love, love pork chops on the grill. They’re so good with nothing more than salt and pepper, but this version adds a bit of sweet. I’m sure you’ve heard of, if not tasted, several dishes where apple and pork are paired together. Pork goes so well with sweet and the bit of maple is a nice touch to round out the trio.

So, how’s it taste?

First, please excuse this horrid picture. It’s from my phone and I only snapped this one pic because I was practically drooling once these chops came off the grill. Look at how juicy they are! Bone-in is definitely the way to go when grilling pork chops. I believe they make them juicier and tastier. These chops were so tender and I liked the bit of garlic in the background from the garlic pepper blend. I thought these pork chops might be a bit too sweet, but they weren’t. Actually I wish we had saved some of the glaze and used it to drizzle over the finished pork chop. They were very good with just the glaze from grilling, but I really wanted to taste a punch of apple and maple. I’m a big fan of condiments, so having extra glaze to dip my pork chop in would have been perfect!

Pork Chops with Apple-Maple Glaze

Betty Crocker, Grill It!, May 2005
makes 4 servings
per serving: 190 calories, 8g fat, 6g carbs, 0g fiber, 23g protein

Ingredients:

1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup apple butter
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
4 pork bone-in loin chops, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, trimmed of fat
1/2 tsp. garlic pepper blend
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. In 1-quart saucepan, mix maple syrup, apple butter, and mustard. Cook over low heat about 1 minute, stirring occasionally, until well blended.

2. Sprinkle pork chops with garlic pepper and salt. Place pork on grill. Brush with maple mixture. Cover and grill over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes, turning and brushing with maple mixture 2 or 3 times, until no longer pink when cut near bone. Discard any remaining maple mixture.

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Corn on the Cob with Taco Butter

Leah Short — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 14:48:51 +0000

A few weekends ago, I headed to my mom’s house for a weekend of school shopping (yes, yours truly is going back to college for another degree!) and of course, tasty food. Usually I’m the one doing the cooking, but if it’s time to fire up the grill, I leave that to the expert…my mom. As much as I enjoy cooking, it was kind of nice to sit back and let someone else have the spotlight. I brought a few grilling cookbooks and we made several goodies that weekend. Corn on the Cob with Taco Butter may sound simple, but we raved about it with every bite.

So, how’s it taste?

Fresh corn is worth the minimal effort to deal with removing silks. I’m not sure what happens on the grill, but it’s magic. Drenched in butter, seasonings, and fresh cilantro, this was sure to be a hit. I’ve eaten my fair share of corn on the cob with butter, so I was looking forward to that extra zing from the taco seasoning. Honestly, I couldn’t taste that or the cilantro very much. It made for pretty ears of corn with the orange butter and flecks of green, but it didn’t pack that taco punch I was expecting. Still amazingly delicious though. Fresh, grilled corn is really underrated. I’ve always enjoyed it, but never really realized just how good those sweet kernels can be. The original recipe called for low-sodium taco seasoning, but I had to add salt to my corn, so I’d recommend using the regular seasoning. I’d give this another try and up the seasoning ratio to see if I can get more flavor. I’m sure most of it gets wasted on the grill, so I might even try mixing the seasoning into softened butter and spreading it on the corn after it’s finished grilling. Highly recommend this for your next grilling side.

Corn on the Cob with Taco Butter

Pillsbury, Grilling, July 2003
makes 6 servings
per serving: 150 calories, 4g fat, 25g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g protein

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. taco seasoning mix (from 1 1/4-oz. pkg.)
6 ears fresh corn, husks removed, cleaned and dried

Directions:

1. Heat grill. In small bowl, combine melted butter, cilantro, and taco seasoning mix; mix well. Brush each ear of corn with butter mixture.

2. When ready to grill, place corn on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium-high coals. Cook 15 to 18 minutes or until tender, turning and brushing frequently with butter mixture.

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Beef Kefta Patties with Cucumber Salad

Leah Short — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 15:50:45 +0000

I have no idea what kefta is, so thank goodness for Google. In the Middle East, kefta is a food which is made by grinding meat and mixing it with an assortment of spices. The seasoned meat can be shaped into meatballs or in this case, patties, and cooked a variety of ways. So there’s your culinary lesson for the day! I’m always intrigued by recipes with out-of-the ordinary combinations. That’s why I had to make Beef Kefta Patties with Cucumber Salad. The burgers are seasoned with fresh herbs, ginger, and spices including cinnamon. Sounds strange right? But that kind of recipe really gets me excited.

So, how’s it taste?

I really wanted to be wowed by this recipe but it was just so-so for me. I enjoyed eating it but every time kept thinking that it needed something more. I’m pretty sure a lack of wow factor was partly my fault. The beef is mixed with parsley, cilantro, fresh ginger, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. Even though I know better, I mixed the hell out of my beef to get it all incorporated. That produced a not-so-wonderful, overworked patty. I was still surprised how little flavor they had with all that good stuff mixed in. They smelled amazing while I was grilling them, but it was a bit bland in the final product. No big deal, there’s still a refreshing, rice vinegar-soaked cucumber salad and creamy, herby yogurt to accompany it. Still missing pizzazz though. The rice vinegar added a nice touch and extra level of flavor to the cucumber. Not tangy like you’d think with vinegar since it’s pretty mild. The two ingredients complimented each other very well. The yogurt sauce had all this stuff going for it, and was kind of lackluster, too. I salted it, I added dill, nothing made it better. Wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great. It’s one of those low-calorie dishes that’s good for the little amount of calories, but tastes like a low calorie dish. If I’m going to count calories, then they seriously need to also count in the flavor department.

All in all it wasn’t bad, but I think I wanted it to taste like my favorite, calorie-laden gyro. I did find that eating it gyro-style was way better than having it separated like you see in my picture. I even went so far as to cut the patty into bite-sized pieces and mix it with the cucumber and yogurt sauce, then stuff it in a pita that I toasted. It upped the calories a bit adding an extra pita half, but it was worth it. I think if you added a bit of feta, that might push it over into the great dish category. See, I really did want it to be a gyro and it is, just it’s “diet” cousin.

Beef Kefta Patties with Cucumber Salad

Cooking Light, July 2012
makes 4 servings
per serving: 321 calories, 12.1g fat, 28.7g protein, 1.8g fiber, 22.4g carbs

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 lb. ground sirloin
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups thinly sliced English cucumber
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 (6-inch) pitas, quartered

Directions:

1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Combine beef, 1/4 cup parsley, cilantro, and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Add patties to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

2. Combine cucumber and vinegar in a medium bowl; toss well. Combine yogurt, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, lemon juice, and pepper in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Arrange 1 patty and 1/2 cup cucumber mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with about 2 tablespoons yogurt sauce. Serve each with 2 pita wedges.

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French Dip Burgers

Leah Short — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:12:33 +0000

I’ve been eating these French Dip Burgers for years. The crusty French bread and savory burger dipped in au jus is simply fantastic. I’m usually the kind of burger girl that piles on the condiments, cheese, and veggies, but these burgers just don’t need anything.

So, how’s it taste?

I’m wishing I was sinking my teeth into one of them right now! The onion soup mix really makes these burgers tasty. Yep, that’s right, it’s all burger, onion soup mix, and bread. That’s it! I also like the change from a bun. It’s easier to dip the burgers into the au jus when they are in the oval shape on French bread. Instead of firing up the grill, I cooked my burgers in a skillet, so use whatever cooking method works best for you. The bread isn’t toasted in the picture above, but I highly recommend toasting it in a toaster oven or on the grill. I love simple dishes like this one that have big flavor and you can get your burger fix easily during a busy week!

French Dip Burgers

Pillsbury Easy Meals, September 2005
makes 4 servings
per serving: 260 calories, 13g fat, 14g carbs, 0g fiber, 22g protein

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 package (1 oz.) dry onion soup mix
2 tbsp. water
1 lb. lean ground beef
8 diagonal slices French Bread (1/2 inch thick)

Directions:

1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. To make hot broth in 1-quart saucepan, mix 1 cup water and 2 tablespoons of the soup mix. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer while making and grilling patties.

2. In medium bowl, mix 2 tablespoons water and the remaining soup mix until well blended. Stir in ground beef. Shape mixture into 4 oval-shaped patties, 1/2 inch thick.

3. Place patties on grill; cover grill. Cook with medium heat 11 to 13 minutes, turning once, until thermometer inserted in center of patties reads 160Â°F. During last 2 minutes of cooking time, place bread slices on grill; cook 1 to 2 minutes, turning once, until lightly toasted.

4. To serve, place each patty between 2 slices French bread. Serve with hot broth for dipping.

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Garlic & Mint Chicken

Leah Short — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:23:32 +0000

This is the first year that I grew mint in my backyard, ok make that deck since I technically don’t have a yard. I think it’s the coolest thing to walk outside and snip fresh herbs whenever you need them. Call me easily amused, but it’s awesome. I used to think of mint in drinks or desserts, never savory dishes. But last Spring I made a mint pesto served over pasta and it rocked my world. I knew I had to give this Garlic & Mint Chicken recipe a try.

So, how’s it taste?

The chicken wasn’t saucy enough for me, but I still enjoyed every serving. I’m not sure why I have such an obsession with sauce, but I would’ve liked more in my dish. A few drops of extra soy sauce did the trick. The chicken had a really nice, light flavor and the mint paired well with it and the couscous. I used Toasted Pine Nut couscous by Near East because it’s my favorite. I added a bit more lemon in my marinade than the recipe called for and it was great. It gave a slight tang to the chicken that was balanced by the chili powder. I chose to bake my chicken rather than grill it, but I bet grilling would give it another layer of awesome flavor. I’ll make this dish again, and possibly make more marinade to thicken into a sauce!

Garlic & Mint Chicken

New Dieter's Cookbook
4 servings
per serving: 202 calories, 6g fat, 2g carbs, 34g protein, 0g fiber

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh mint
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 cloves garlic
4 chicken breasts
couscous, optional

Directions:

1. For the marinade, in a blender combine mint leaves, lemon juice, oil, soy sauce, chili powder, pepper, and garlic. Cover and blend until smooth.

2. Place chicken in a plastic bag set in a shallow dish. Pour marinade over chicken. Seal bag; turn to coat chicken. Marinate in refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.

3. Drain chicken, discarding marinade. Place chicken on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill for 12 to 15 minutes or until tender and no longer pink (170 degree F), turning once. If desired, serve over hot cooked couscous.

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