Honey Chicken Kabobs

Kabobs are a staple in our house during the summer. They are so colorful, fun to eat and delish! I found this recipe on Pinterest and knew the whole family would love these! They were so full of flavor and the marinade caramelized onto the veggies. So yum!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic
1 large white onion, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces (I used 1 orange and 1 yellow - use your favorite!)
skewers

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking.

Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers*

Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

*Don't forget to soak your skewers in water so they don't catch on fire

recipe courtesy of  http://www.allrecipes.com

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Burgers

Another awesome recipe from Closet Cooking.   This burger was so much better than I even imagined it would be.  I thought it was going to be too spicy but it was perfect.  So flavorful.  One of the best burgers I've ever had.    The roasted jalapeno mayonnaise was amazing, highly recommend making that.   We didn't actually wrap our burgers in bacon, we just put some on top so either way works.   This makes 4 burgers.

• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used neufchatel)
• 1 1/2 pound ground beef (used 93% lean)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 strips bacon
• 4 slices cheddar cheese
• 4 hamburger buns (toasted)
• 4 leaves lettuce
• 4 slices tomato
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise or roasted jalapeno mayonnaise

Directions

1. Grill the jalapenos over medium-high heat until charred all over, about 6-8 minutes.
2. Place the peppers in a zip-lock bag or other sealable container, seal and let them cool until you can handle them, about 20 minutes.
3. Pinch the skins off of the peppers, cut in half and remove the seeds. 
4. Dice 2 of the jalapeno peppers and mix into the cream cheese.
5. Divide the beef into 8 equal portions, form into patties, place 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture on 4 of them, top with the free patties, pinch the sides closed to seal and form into patties again.
6. Season the patties with salt and pepper to taste and wrap each with 2 strips of bacon.
7. Brush the grill with oil and grill the burgers over medium-high heat until cooked, about 4-5 minutes per side, topping each patty with a slice of cheese after flipping.
8. Assemble the burgers and enjoy!

Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Sandwich

We made this sandwich after visiting Red Robin and realizing that we could no longer eat our favorite item from there knowing the nutrition info! So we decided to give it a go ourselves. YUMMM... turned out great. The kids just ate the marinated chicken and grilled pineapple but we assembled ours into a sandwich which you can customize however you like it.

Ingredients:
Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 cup Teriyaki Sauce
Sandwich Rolls
Shredded lettuce
Pineapple slices
Chipolte Mayonnaise (we use Kraft, only 40 calories for 1 TBS, which is PLENTY)
1/4 Red onion, chopped & sauteed with a dash of olive oil in a non stick skillet (optional)
Tomato slices (optional)

Put chicken breasts in a resealable bag, pour teriyaki over and seal. Refrigerate for several hours. Once ready to cook, remove chicken and discard marinade. Heat grill to medium high heat. Add the chicken. After several minutes, add the pineapple slices to the grill. Watch carefully and turn often until they have nice grill marks. Once done, remove & set aside. Add the rolls for a few seconds on each side or until toasted, remove and set aside. Cook chicken until done. Then make your sandwich! Add the chicken, pineapple, spicy mayo, lettuce and whatever else you choose to your toasted roll and enjoy!!

Spicy Grilled Eggplant

Really really good!! Wasn't too spicy, just perfect. This was better than I thought it would ever be. It's definitely a great adult dish, not ideal for the little ones.

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant
1-2 teaspoon salt, to remove water from eggplant
1-2 TBS olive oil (to brush eggplant for grilling)
1 TBS chopped parsley
1 TBS chopped mint
2 TBS olive oil
2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Remove stem end and wash eggplant, but do not peel. Cut eggplant into slices 1/2 -3/4 inch thick, being careful to make all slices the same thickness. Put eggplant in colander in single layer and sprinkle with salt. Let drain 20 minutes, then turn over and sprinkle other side with salt and let drain 20 minutes more.

While eggplant drains, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic puree, and red pepper flakes. Preheat grill to medium. Remove eggplant from colander and put each piece between two papers towels and press with your hand to squeeze out water. Wipe eggplant dry and brush both sides with olive oil.

Place eggplant on grill and cook 4-5 minutes per side, rotating after a few minutes on each side if you want to get nice grill marks. Watch them carefully because they go from nicely browned to overly dark quite quickly.

When eggplant is done, remove from grill and place in large plastic bowl. Pour in the spicy sauce, and gently stir eggplant to coat with sauce. Let sit 10-15 minutes so eggplant can absorb sauce flavors. Chop mint and parsley while eggplant is resting in sauce.

To serve, assemble eggplant on serving plate and sprinkle with mint and parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.



**Recipe courtesy of Kalyn's Kitchen

Balsamic Grilled Pork Chops

These were some of the best pork chops we have ever had. Perfect flavor. Highly recommend. Easy to make marinade too.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBS honey
3 garlic cloves (we used minced)
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon Ms. Dash's Original Salt Free Seasoning Blend

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Add 4-5 boneless pork chops to a resealable bag, pour marinade over them and refrigerate for 1-3 hours. Remove chops from the marinade when ready to grill. Grill on medium high heat for about 10 minutes on each side or until done. (time depends on the thickness of the chops). Goes great with Caramelized Butternut Squash!

Inside Out Turkey Cheese Burger

I absolutely love creating new turkey burgers. Last night I decided to make a "stuffed" turkey burger filled with cheddar cheese cubes. They were super yummy and very fun to eat with the cheese oozing out of the center!

Ingredients:

1lb of lean turkey ground
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 egg (or egg substitute)
1 TBSP of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
cubes of sharp cheddar cheese (or your favorite cheese)

Directions:
Combine first 5 ingredients and form into patties. Make a dent with your thumb and insert 2 cheese cubes. Form the meat around the cubes to seal them inside. Grill until internal temp is 170. Make sure you're taking the temperature of the meat, not the cheese!

Grilled Pizza

Ok, this pizza seriously rocked! My husband came up with the recipe. Grilling the pizza definitely changed the flavor. Turned our ordinary pizza night into something new. You can make this any way you want. We like the fresh mozzarella & basil version but we made plain cheese & sauce for the kids. The most important part is to preheat your grill to medium heat and keep an eye on the pizza as it cooks so you don't burn the crust too much.

Fresh Mozzarella & Basil Grilled Pizza (with onion & pepper):
Sliced Fresh mozzarella (Cut into thin slices. Best to slice your cheese a few hours before you use it, place on a paper towel and lay another paper towel on top to absorb all the extra moisture. Refrigerate for several hours.)Fresh basil (remove stem, wash & dry well)
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)2 Tomatoes sliced thin
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 green pepper
Pizza Crust (we love the 8" whole wheat Boboli Crust - everyone got their own personal pizza.)
Chop onion & pepper. Place in foil, splash with a little EVOO.
Grill onion & pepper in foil until tender. You can do it on stove also if you prefer.
Lightly brush 1/2 teaspoon EVOO onto top of the pizza crust.
Add tomatoe slices, then basil, then sprinkle the onion & pepper. Add the sliced cheese on top.
Place on grill and cook until crust is browned.

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Flatbread

This can be an appetizer or a main dish. It looks fancy so it's great for entertaining and it's pretty easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened (I used low fat and that worked just fine)
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 TBS minced fresh parsley, divided (I used dried parsley)
1 TBS minced chives
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme (I used dried thyme)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tube (13.8oz) refrigerated pizza crust
3 TBS olive oil
3 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced (I used 2 red tomatoes and one yellow to make it bright.)


1. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1 TBS parsley, chives, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper until blended in a large bowl.

2. Unroll pizza crust and cut in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion into a 12x6 inch rectangle. Brush each side with olive oil.

3. Grill uncovered over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from grill.

4. Spread grilled sides with cheese mixture. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese and top with tomatoes. Return to the grill. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes or until crust is slightly browned and cheese is melted, rotating halfway through cooking to ensure an even crust. Remove from grill and sprinkle with remaining parsley. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.


*recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Grilled Barbecue Chicken Sandwich with Spicy Avocado Spread

I made this over the weekend and it was AMAZING. My favorite part was the avocado spread.

Ingredients
4 (3-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast cutlets
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (use your favorite or experiment and make your own, it's easy!)
Cooking spray
4 (0.7-ounce) slices 2% reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
Green leaf lettuce leaves (optional)
Tomato slices (optional)
4 (1.8-ounce) white wheat hamburger buns

Spicy Avocado Spread 
Ingredients
1 ripe peeled avocado, coarsely mashed
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1/8 teaspoon salt

Buffalo Turkey (or Chicken) Burgers

Want the taste of buffalo wings without all of the fat? Look no further! These burgers were so tasty and very satisfying!

Ingredients:

* 1 pound Turkey Ground (or chicken)

* ½ teaspoons Pepper
* 1 Tablespoon egg substitute
* ½ Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
* ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
* 2 Tablespoon Panko Bread Crumbs
* dash of garlic powder
* ¼ cups Buffalo Wing Sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot) Plus More For Drizzling
* 2 ounces, weight Sharp Cheddar Cheese (i used fat free)
* 4 whole Wheat Buns
* ¼ cups Ranch Dressing For Drizzling (or Blue Cheese)

Instructions

Preheat grill or skillet.

In a large bowl combine ground turkey, pepper, egg substitute, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, Parmesan, 1oz of cheddar cheese, and buffalo wing sauce. Mix until just combined. Form into 4  patties.

Grill or pan-fry patties until brown on both sides and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Brush on buffalo sauce while cooking. In the last 2 minutes, place 1/2 ounce of cheddar cheese on each burger. Place burgers on whole wheat buns and top with a drizzle of ranch.

We also topped ours with lettuce - you could finely chop celery and put that on top as well.

Funky Fusion Steak Fajitas

This recipe comes from a Bobby Flay 's Throwdown Cookbook (my new favorite cookbook). These were the best fajitas I have ever had and that is saying alot considering I eat fajitas at every restaurant that I go to. So tender and the flavor was incredible. You are supposed to marinate the meat for 2-4 hours and then let it stand about 30 minutes before grilling so allow yourself some extra time. (serves 6)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS ketchup
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS ground ginger
kosher salt & fresh black pepper
1 TSP red pepper flakes
1 TSP garlic powder
1 (1 1/4 lb) flank steak (we couldn't find a flank steak, so we used rib eye)
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
4 green onions (white & green parts), sliced into 1/4" pieces
12 (8") tortillas (we used whole wheat)

1. Combine the wine, soy sauce, vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, ketchup, brown sugar, 2 of the garlic cloves, the ginger, 2 TSP salt, 1 TSP pepper, the red pepper flakes, and the garlic powder in a large bowl. Whisk until well blended. Remove about 1/2 cup and set aside.

2. Tenderize the steak by piercing all over with a fork. Place steak in a resealable bag and pour the marinade in the bag. Seal and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Remove steak from fridge, let sit for about 30 minutes before grilling.

3. Heat grill to med-high. Remove steak from marinade, and season with salt & pepper. Grill until done to your liking. Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes while you cook the veggies.

4. Heat the remaining 2 TBS olive oil in large saute pan over med - high heat. Add the onion, peppers, green onions, remaining 1 clove garlic, a TBS or so of the reserved marinade and salt & pepper to taste. Cook, tossing occasionally until the veggies are tender- crisp.

5. Slice the steak into thin pieces across the grain. Fill warmed tortillas with steak and veggies. Top with the reserved marinade sauce.

Indian Inspired Chicken Kabobs

It may be the wrong time of year for this post since grilling season is almost over, but so worth the frost bite if you do decide to make it. Everyone I've made this for has asked for the recipe. It's easy as can be but very flavorful. Perfect for entertaining. (We added pineapple chunks, which is not included in the original recipe, but highly recommended!!!)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1-1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks

1 medium - large red onion, cut into wedges
Cucumber Ranch Dressing (Kraft makes one or regular Ranch works as well)
Kabob Sticks

Mix all ingredients except onion, pour over chicken and let marinate for at least an hour in the fridge. Soak the kabob sticks in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling. Drain the chicken, thread the kabobs sticks with alternating onion and chicken.

Heat grill and cook kabobs until chicken is done. Serve with the Cucumber Ranch (or regular) as a dipping sauce.

*Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

Beer Can Chicken

As summer approaches it's time to get those grills fired up and get to cookin' outdoors! This beer chicken guarantees stress free cooking and delicious moist flavor.

For this particular "beer bird" I used the Piri Piri marinade and marinaded it for about 6 hours (overnight would be best).

Then I, um, drank half of a can of beer and poked some holes around the top. The next part is somewhat violating to the bird but you have to basically shove the beer can up the butt of the bird.

Once you do that, put the chicken on the grill on the opposite side of the heat, this will keep you from having a flaming chicken ass.

Cook on medium heat and slowly turn it every 15 minutes or so for about 2 hours, or until it reaches 170 degrees.

Piri Piri Marinade

Thanks to my brother-in-law, Chris, for this amazing marinade. This is a delicious marinade for summer cook-outs. It works great with kabobs or just on it's own. Chicken seems to be the best medium for the marinade but it can be used with pork as well.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups olive oil
4 fresh jalapeno peppers (finely chopped)
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp cilantro (optional, I usually omit)
1 tbsp kosher salt
Directions:
Combine olive oil, peppers, red pepper, salt and pepper in medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in garlic and puree until smooth.
Refrigerate until cool. Stir in kosher salt and marinate meat.

Perfect Potato Side

This is a great side for a summer bbq. Or you can make it in the oven and it's just as good!

Ingredients:
1 bag of small red potatoes ( we get the ones you can steam right in the bag in your microwave.. saves a step!)
1/3 cup olive oil
4 TBS italian seasoning
salt & pepper
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (1/2 of large onion)

DIRECTIONS: Steam or boil the potatoes until they start to get soft. Don't let them cook the whole way. We usually do the steam bags and take them out about 1-2 minutes before the time is up.
Cut the potatoes in half.
Put them in a square baking pan ( We use disposable aluminum pans...perfect to bring to someone else's house... no worry of forgetting your dish). The size of the dish doesn't matter, as long as the potatoes can be arranged on the bottom without them piling on top of each other. Pour the olive oil over them, stir gently. Add the italian seasoning and the onion. Stir gently again. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake in the oven, covered with aluminum foil, on 350 on middle shelf until potatoes are very tender, usually about 10-15 minutes. OR put on outside grill, top shelf, covered in aluminum foil until the potatoes are tender, usually about 7-10 min. Check the tenderness before serving.
Stir gently before serving.