Grilled Favorites

With a awesome forecast predicated for our area this week, we have at least 2-3 of these on our weekly menu!  Love the return the grilling season!!

1.  Grilled Chicken & Steak Kabobs - If only I could decorate my kitchen in garland made of kabobs! These are always so pretty.


2.  Feta Stuffed Turkey Burgers - feeling crazy?  Add some chopped black olives along with the feta.

Grilled Turkey Burgers with Avocado

Another low-sodium recipe in my little mini-series of DASH-friendly dishes:  grilled turkey burgers with avocado.  Again, I utilized the salt-free seasoning to add flavor without sodium to our meat.  I decided to top with some avocado slices in place of traditional burger condiments that are higher in sodium (and I'm just obsessed with adding avocado to everything these days).  If you decide to opt for ketchup, look for low-sodium and low-sugar varieties to keep with the heart healthy diet plan.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Grilled Turkey Burgers with Avocado

Ingredients:  makes three 1/3 lb. burgers, 9 WW pts each
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1/3 c. chopped onion
- 1 1/2 t. salt-free seasoning blend**
- 3 reduced-fat buns
- 1 avocado, sliced or mashed

**salt-free seasoning blend
- 2 T. black pepper
- 1 T. cayenne pepper (feel free to use less or leave it out if you want a milder version
- 1 T. paprika
- 1 T. onion powder
- 1 T. garlic powder
- 1 T. parsley
Mix together, store in a spice jar, use in place of salt on your favorite foods!

Feta-Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Tomato Jam

Here's a yummy WW-friendly treat my Michael grilled for us the other night.  My homemade tomato jam is the perfect compliment to this tasty turkey burger, but you could always substitute ketchup.  This could easily make 4 burgers, but my hubby refuses to make burgers any smaller than 1/3 lb.  Here's how Mama & Daddy make it:

Feta-Stuffed Turkey Burgers with Tomato Jam

Ingredients:
(makes three 1/3 lb burgers, ... 9 WW pts each)
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1/3 c. onion, chopped
- 1/4 c. feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 t. cumin
- 1/4 t. oregano
- salt & black pepper, to taste
- 3 low-fat buns
- 3 T. tomato jam

Mexican Street Corn

Here's a seemingly strange, but surprisingly delicious recipe Michael has been asking to try for some time now.  After some of his Hispanic students told him how they make grilled corn then cover it in mayonnaise and chili powder, he was intrigued and excited to try it.  Now that corn is finally in season, we decided to be adventurous and give it a shot.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Mexican Street Corn

Ingredients:
- 4 ears corn, husked
- 3 T. light mayonnaise
- 3 T. nonfat yogurt
- 2 t. chili powder
- 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
- 3/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
- 1 lime, quartered

Coffee Steak Rub

Here's an interesting and flavorful steak rub I came across last week on http://thelemonbowl.com.  This recipe combines coffee, peppercorns, brown sugar, and spices for a wonderful flavor, texture, color, and crust.  The recipe author suggested using a sirloin cut, but I just used what we had (honestly can't remember the exact cut I used - it was a big, thin cut that Michael bought).  I don't see any reason you couldn't use it on any cut of steak, though.

 

Coffee Steak Rub

 

Ingredients

- 1½ lb sirloin steak

- 2 T. coffee beans – finely ground

- 2 T. black peppercorns – freshly cracked

- ½ T. salt

- 1 T. brown sugar

- 1 T. garlic powder

- 1(1/2) T. smoked paprika

-½ T. (1/2 t.) cayenne

(I used a little less paprika/cayenne than the original recipe)

 

 

Asian Marinated Grilled Chicken

I just LOVE grilling season!  Maybe it's the fact that I don't actually do the grilling so I have more time to focus on other parts of the meal.  Or maybe it's the beautiful char lines, I do love those...  Or it could be the hunky guy behind the grill at my house, he is a definite plus...  And then again, we can't ignore the fact that it's a pretty healthy way to cook...  Yep, I just don't see a downside here!  (Except that it's pseudo-dependent on weather, of course).   At any rate, here's a delicious grilled chicken recipe to kick off the start of grilling season here in Indiana.  I made the marinade to compliment this carrot ginger dressing, but it could absolutely stand alone as the maincourse.  Here's how Mama (with a little help from Daddy) makes it:

Asian Marinated Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 T. soy sauce
- 1/4 c. white wine
- 2 T. seasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 t. ginger (fresh or ground)
- 1/4 c. toasted sesame oil
- 1 T. honey
- 1/2 t. pepper
- 1 T. minced garlic
- 2 t. basil, chopped
- 1 t. hot sauce (add more if you like it spicy!)

Grilled Leeks and Leek Puree: The Craziest Food I've Fed My Baby

At 6 months old, Annalyn is now old enough to start trying some really fun recipes.  My neighbor lent me this book by Annabel Karmel and it has been a great source of inspiration for new baby food recipes.  Now that Annalyn is past the "first foods,"  we can start trying some more adventurous foods.  I came across one this weekend that seemed so crazy that I just had to try it - leeks.  As in the big giant green onion-looking things. For a 6 month old baby.  Need I say more? 



you want me to eat what?

Now, in all fairness, the recipe was not for straight leek puree.  I decided to make it that way so we could experiment with different flavor combinations.  Please note, leek puree has a pretty strong flavor and I would not recommend giving it to baby alone.  

Here is a recipe for the rest of family, too, so you can all enjoy this yummy vegetable together! 

Grilled Leeks

(not for babies, but oh so yummy!)

Ingredients:

-4 to 6 leeks, white parts and some of the green parts
-olive oil, to drizzle
-salt and pepper, to taste