Grilled Asparagus

We have been doing our best to add more vegetables to our meals. Michael introduced me to asparagus back when we were dating. He would use his tiny grill to cook me dinner which would include asparagus marinated in italian dressing. It was really cute and he is a good cook.

Since we both love asparagus I found a new way to spruce it up. This marinate adds so much flavor to the asparagus. I used a Balsamic Oregano Vinegar that I got at the Old Town Oil but this would work great with a traditional balsamic as well. Allow the asparagus to marinate while you work on your other dishes for dinner and then place on the grill. This is a fast and healthy side dish to add to your weekday meal. Enjoy!!

Grilled Asparagus
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Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

1 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
dash of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder and salt and pepper in a zip lock bag. Add asparagus and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat grill for high heat.

Grill over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or to desired tenderness.

Grilled bread

I have said before that we love to grill. We tend to grill fairly often in the summer. I think its easier, well for me anyway, I tend to supervise on these days and the food taste fabulous. This week we decided to add bread to our grilling list. I originally made grilled croutons for a grilled caesar salad but we changed the idea a little into grilled bread.

This was so easy to make and is a great addition to your grilled meal. The flavor can also be changed to your taste. Add a spice that you love or decrease one that is not your favorite. Just try it, you won't be sorry!!

Note: Please grill the bread at a separate time when grilling raw meat to ensure the bread is not contaminated. Enjoy!!

Grilled Bread

Italian bread
butter
garlic powder, dash
basil, dash
parsley, dash
dried parmesan cheese, dash

Heat the grill to low heat. Cut the italian bread in half. In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the other ingredients. Brush the bread with the butter mixture, or just put the bread face down in the pan to coat it with the butter mixture.

Put it on the grill, face down. It takes just a few minutes for the bread to crisp up and have grill marks.

Chipotle Portobello Burgers

Things are starting to get a little warmer here in the midwest so I am excited to get to use the grill more. I was a little worried about a mushroom burger for dinner, but these were very flavorful and filling. I can't wait to make them again. They are messy, which Josie at Pink Parsley, warns about. She suggested using a fork to eat it with, but where's the fun in that. I had leftovers so I could not wait to have the burgers the next day as well.

One note about the recipe. I accidentally grabbed abode sauce and not the chipotle peppers in adobe sauce as the recipe calls. I halved the recipe so I used 3 tablespoons of the sauce to make the marinate. I also skipped the onions but the avocado is a must with these. Enjoy!!



Chipotle Portobello Burgers
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Source: Pink Parsley as adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

Marinade

3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
coarse salt and ground black pepper

Burgers

4 portobello mushroom caps, wiped clean with a paper towel
1 large sweet onion, cut into rings
2-3 Tablespoons butter, melted
4 buns or rolls
4 slices pepperjack cheese
4 tomato slices
1 avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into slices

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in the food processor. Puree until smooth, and pour over mushroom caps. Turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes - 1 hour.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Skewer the onions, or prepare vegetable basket for grill.

Grill mushrooms, gill side down, on the grill, brushing with extra marinade. Brush the onion slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill alongside the mushrooms. After 3 minutes, flip the mushrooms and onions, and brush with remaining marinade. Allow to cook until tender and sizzling. Lay a slice of cheese over each mushroom and continue to cook until it is melted and bubbly.

Brush buns with melted butter, and grill until toasted and lightly browned.

Starting with the bottom half of each bun, layer the onion, tomato, mushroom, and avocado. Serve immediately

Tequila Lime Chicken

The weather here in the midwest is still fairly warm, which I am so excited about. I do love fall, but I know what comes next and I am sooo not ready for the white stuff. So in my fighting of fall, I am still grilling.

This Tequila Lime Chicken has a great flavor to it and is so juicy! The chicken marinates overnight in the tequila mixture which allows the flavors to soak into the chicken. We both loved this dish. The next time we make it, we are going to inject the marinate into the chicken so the flavors go deeper. Enjoy!

Tequila Lime Chicken

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Source: Ina Garten on Food Network

Ingredients

1/2 cup gold tequila
1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 limes) (I used just concentrated lime juice)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper (1 pepper seeded)
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 whole (6 split) boneless chicken breasts, skin on

Directions

Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, jalapeno pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat a grill with coals and brush the rack with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, sprinkle well with salt and pepper, and grill them skin-side down for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove from the grill to a plate. Cover tightly and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

As you can see, I am addicted to cooking on the grill. It is so easy to do. You don't use as many dishes and your house doesn't get hot. Its just nice for me to be outside, have all my ingredients right there and cook away.

I have made these Grilled Chicken Quesadillas a few times and absolutely love the flavor of them. They are absolutely wonderful! I mix the wet rub before I head off to work to let the flavors get to know one another during the day. I cook the whole quesadilla on the grill and do the onions grill side. Its just easier for me that way. I have everything right there and can just thrown it together.

Grilled Chicken Quesadillas

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Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

¼ yellow onion, finely diced

2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced

4 large tortillas

olive oil, for brushing

1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese

For the wet rub:

1 ½ tsp. chili powder

1 ½ tsp. fajita seasoning

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium high heat. Whisk wet rub ingredients together in a pie plate. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and juices run clear. Remove from the heat and cut the chicken into small pieces. Return to the pan and add diced onion. Sauté until the chicken is fully cooked and onions are tender.

Brush one side of a tortilla with olive oil. Flip over and top one half of the tortilla with chicken mixture, diced tomatoes and shredded cheese to taste. Fold the tortilla over and carefully place the folded quesadilla onto the grill pan or skillet. Cook until heated through and cheese has melted. Repeat with remaining tortillas. To keep quesadillas warm while the others are still cooking, place in the oven on a baking sheet or other oven safe dish at 200°. Cut the finished quesadillas into triangles and serve with salsa, sour cream or other toppings of your choice.

Grilled Peaches

I have been experimenting with the grill more lately. The latest experiment is grilling peaches. These are a really good dessert to have after you just grilled dinner. Keep the fire going and throw dessert on while your at it. They are rich but have a great taste to them. The pepper balances the sweetness of the peach and makes for a rich, wonderful flavor. I didn't have any vanilla ice cream, but it would have gone wonderfully with the peaches and the pepper balsamic sauce. Make sure your peaches are ripe before venturing into grilling them.


Grilled Peaches
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Source: adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons white sugar
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons freshly ground black peppercorns (Next time, I will not use as much pepper, it was a great contrast, but it overwhelmed the sauce.)
2 large fresh peaches with peel, halved and pitted
2 1/2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (I omitted these but added toasted almonds)

Directions:

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the white sugar, balsamic vinegar, and pepper. Simmer until liquid has reduced by one half. It should become slightly thicker. Remove from heat, and set aside.

Preheat grill for medium-high heat.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Place peaches on the prepared grill, cut side down. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the flesh is caramelized. Turn peaches over. Brush the top sides with the balsamic glaze, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the peach halves to individual serving dishes, and drizzle with remaining glaze. Sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese.

Grilled Pizza

I have been wanting to make grilled pizza for awhile now. I was unsure of how the dough would do on a grill and was concerned that I would have a big doughy mess on my hands. Michelle over at My Italian Grandmother did a step by step on her blog of grilling pizza. She made it seem so easy so I knew I had to try it even though I was still on the skeptical side. Michael was out of town so I thought what a perfect opportunity. If it didn't work out and the grill became encased in dough, I had plenty of time to clean it without him knowing about it!

In order to grill pizza, first you must prepare your dough. I homemade the dough, the recipe is shown below. You can also use a good dough that is purchased. Make your dough into rounds. I prepared my dough on a cookie sheet and was going to slide it onto the grill, which did not work so well. Next time I plan to make smaller pizzas which will make the transfer process to the grill much easier.

I also made my own pizza sauce and the recipe for that is below as well. When making the pizza sauce, I read the recipe wrong and thought it said tomato sauce. I still followed the directions accordingly skipping the use of the blender. It was still a really good sauce, but I will prepare it the correct way next time!

Light the grill to high heat and allow time for it to it to get hot. While the grill is warming, get all of your ingredients ready and bring them grill side. Once the process starts, it goes rather fast.

Before putting the dough on the grill, turn the heat down to medium high. Place the pizza dough on grill and close the lid. Allowing the dough to cook for 4-5 minutes. Next, flip the dough over. There should be beautiful grill marks on your dough. Spread the pizza sauce over the dough and top with your favorite toppings . For this pizza I used fresh spinach, mushroom and mozzarella cheese. Close the lid and allow the cheese to melt. This should take about 4-5 minutes. Remove the pizza from the grill and enjoy.

Even though I was skeptical, this turned out so good! I can not wait to make another one and play around with the different toppings. There is an endless possibility of toppings and flavors that you could cook on a pizza.

Pizza Dough

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Source: Amber's Delectable Delights as seen on Allrecipes

Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe. (At this stage I grilled it instead of baking it in the oven.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Pizza Sauce

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Source: Annie's Eats adapted from Scraping the Skillet

Ingredients:

28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ tsp. dried marjoram

2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. salt

3-4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow to cook for at least 15 minutes. Once finished cooking, remove from the heat. If you prefer a smoother sauce, use a potato masher or immersion blender to break up the chunks of tomato. Alternatively, simply leave it as is if you prefer a chunkier sauce. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.