Grilled Marinated Lamb

I have found a new meat to love, and that meat is lamb. Wow- I never knew it had such a rich flavor until I made some for St. Paddy's day. Now I am wiser and am trying to find new ways to incorporate it into the rotation.

Granted, it is another red meat, and we generally try to steer clear of eating too many heavy meats, but the nice thing about lamb is it generally comes in small sizes. At least, the cuts I choose to pay for are small!

Last night I used Greek inspiration- at least I think it was Greek- to prep the meat. After an hour of marinating and then about 15-20 minutes on the grill, we had a really tasty, tender, medium-rare main course. Served up with lemon feta couscous and spinach salad with green olives and more feta, we ate and enjoyed every last bite!


Greek Inspired Marinated, Grilled Lamb

• 1 C. Plain Yogurt
  
• 1 Large Clove Garlic, minced
  
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
  
• 1 tsp. Dried Oregano
  
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
  
• 2 Lamb Chops, bone in

1. In a medium to large bowl, combine all ingredients except the lamb. Blend until well mixed.
   
2. Coat the lamb chops with the yogurt mixture and place in the bowl with the marinade.
   
3. Let the chops sit, in the fridge, for at least an hour.
   
4. Heat your grill to medium-high heat- or like our grill which is either kind of hot or flames licking up super hot.
   
5. Cook the chops on one side for about 10 minutes, and then flip to cook for another 10 or so to cook through. Check it often towards to the to decide when it is done for you- rare all the way to well done.

Blueberry BBQ & Oven Baked Fries

I am not a big fan of BBQ. It just doesn’t suit me. But I thought I’d give it shot tonight using all the berries that we picked over the weekend- blueberry bar-b-cue! And what goes great with sweet grilled meat, but fries! I prefer not to deep fry because a) it’s not particularly healthy and b) I don’t have anything to deep fry in. So instead I made oven baked sweet and red potato fries.

So the end result is that it was good, but not quite barbecue. The blueberry flavor was prominent- and that was ok- and you could taste the ketchup- also good- and it had a nice mellow heat- just fiiiine! But it was missing something. Hubby says it’s missing that “BBQ flavor”- whatever that means! I think more vinegar might be good- as with another kick of Tabasco. The fries were delish though!


Blueberry BBQ

• 2 1/2 C. Fresh Blueberries
  
• 1/2 C. Red Wine Vinegar (Next time I’d step it up to 3/4 cup.)
  
• 3/4 C. Ketchup
  
• 1/2 C. Onion, chopped
  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  
• 2 Tbsp. Butter
  
• 1 Tbsp. Chipotle Seasoning
  
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  
• 2 tsp. Chili Powder
  
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
  
• 1 tsp. Mustard Powder
  
• 1-2 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
  
• Dash of Salt
  
• 1 1/2 Lb. Chicken Breasts

1. In a medium saucepan, cook the berries, vinegar, and ketchup over medium heat. Simmer to let the blueberries breakdown and create a thick sauce.
   
2. As the sauce simmers, add in the rest of the ingredients, except the chicken. Stir and taste, making adjustments to the spices as desired.
   
3. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes to reduce sauce. As it simmers, turn the heat down so the sugars from the berries and brown sugar don’t burn.
   
4. When the sauce is reduced, pour into a blender and puree until smooth.
   
5. In a glass or ceramic dish, put a couple of tablespoons of the sauce over the chicken breasts to marinade. Allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes.
   
6. Scoop 1/4 C. of the sauce into a small bowl for brushing on the meat. Return the rest of the sauce to the original sauce pan.
   
7. Grill chicken breasts over medium heat, brushing and turning occasionally while the meat cooks. Chicken should be cooked within 20 minutes.
   
8. Serve with remaining warmed sauce.

Sweet and Red Potato Oven Baked Fries

• 2 Good Sized Sweet Potatoes
  
• 1 Good Sized Red Potato
  
• 2 Tbls. Vegetable Oil
  
• 1 Heaping Tbsp. Kosher Salt
  
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
  
• Dash of Cinnamon
  
• Dash of Cumin
  
• 1-2 Tbsp. Onion, large chunks

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
   
2. Scrub all the potatoes and leave the skins on. Slice all the taters up into small fry shaped pieces.
   
3. In a large glass or ceramic, microwave friendly dish, place the potato strips in with a splash of water. Microwave on high for 5-7 minutes until the potatoes are mostly cooked through.
   
4. Put the vegetable oil into a large ziplock bag and then (carefully- it’s hot) pour in the potatoes. Seal the bag and rub the oil onto the fries. Re-open the bag and add in the spices. Seal again and massage everything around.
   
5. Pour the fries onto a cookie sheet onto a single layer. (I like to line the pan with foil for easy clean up!) Place chunks of onion around the fries to add aromatic flavoring while they bake.
   
6. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, flipping once, until the fries are crisped.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Coconut Rice, & Mango Salsa

So one of the What’s Cooking Nesties was looking for ideas for something to serve guests this weekend that wasn’t Italian or take out pizza. It was a hot and humid one in Portland, so I suggested some grilled jerk chicken with accompanying Carribean style dishes. It sounded so good that I decided to steal my own idea!



Jamaican Jerk Chicken

• 1-1.5 lb. Chicken Breasts
  
• 1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
  
• 1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  
• 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  
• Half of 1 Fresh Jalepeno Pepper, chopped
  
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder
  
• 1 large dash Onion, Garlic, and Ginger Powders
  
• Juice of 1/2 a Lime
  
• Spices for rub: Chili Powder, Ginger, Allspice, Oregano, Thyme, Cayenne, Cinnamon, Cumin

1. In a medium to large glass bowl, mix all of the ingredients except the chicken and rub spices. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to allow the jalapenos and other flavors to meld.
   
2. Place chicken in marinade, turning to coat. Allow the chicken to absorb the flavors for about 30 minutes, flipping occasionally.
   
3. Light the grill and heat to medium heat.
   
4. In a separate bowl (it can be small), mix together the rub spices. Each spice should measure between 1/2 to 1 tsp. Go heavy on the chili, allspice, and ginger; go light on the cayenne, thyme, and oregano. Everything can go to taste.
   
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on a dry plate. Sprinkle the rub equally on the breasts and then with hands, massage in the spices. This is messy work!
   
6. Cook the chicken on the grill, turning once to thoroughly cook the chicken through.

Coconut Rice

1. In a rice cooker, add 2 cups white rice, quarter of a can of light coconut milk, and a dash of cinnamon.
   
2. Cook through.
   
3. When rice is ready, pour in another quarter of the can of coconut milk and stir. Let rice sit for a minute or two for milk to be absorbed further.

Mango Salsa

• 1 Mango, chopped
  
• 1 Small can Pineapple Pieces
  
• 1 Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped
  
• 1/2 Fresh Jalepeno, chopped
  
• 1 Tbsp. Onion, very well chopped
  
• Dash of Ginger powder

1. Combine all of the ingredients and let sit for 30+ minutes for flavors to meld. Enjoy on top of chicken, fish, or as a side.

Grilled Marinated Salmon with Grilled Artichokes

I was on the hunt this week for something to do with the artichokes that were slowly turning brown in my kitchen. Friday I decided to try something new from my trusted friend, AllRecipes.com- a grilled artichoke recipe and marinated salmon. They both sounded delicious- turns out they were only ok. Part of this was my fault- should have cooked the fish longer. But the artichokes were a lot of effort without a lot of oomph. Next time I'll just skip the oil add ons and just grill them. The salmon we'll do again!


Grilled Artichokes
Source: AllRecipes.com

• 2 Large Artichoke globes
  
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  
• 1 Tbsp Melted Butter
  
• 2 Cloves Garlic, only 1 crushed and chopped
  
• 1 Green Onion stalk, chopped

1. Fill a large stalk pot of water and add in the unchopped clove of garlic and a few green onion pieces. Bring to a boil.
   
2. While water gets boiling, prepare the artichokes.
   - First use a serrated knife to slice off the pointy bottom of the veggies- don't get poked!
   - Next pull off any brown leaves from the top. (Tip- use scissors if it's too hard to pull them off.)
   - Cut off pointy bottoms of any leaves around the sides that didn't get pulled off.
   - Finally, slice the artichokes down the middle exposing the heart and remove the "choke" part. The choke is the fuzzy gross part in the middle. Use a paring knife to cut it out, along with any ouchy pointy leaves in the middle.
   *Note- this took longer than I planned- so be sure to start prepping the artichokes as soon as you get the water going!
   
3. When water is boiling, drop in the artichokes and boil for around 20 minutes, until the stems are tender. When done, take them out and drain on a paper towel.
   
4. While veggies cook, mix together oil, butter, chopped garlic, and green onions in a small bowl.
   
5. After artichokes have drained, brush the oil mixture onto them.
   
6. Cook artichokes on a grill preheated to medium heat. Cook, turning frequently, until tips are slightly charred.

Marinated Salmon for the Grill
Source: AllRecipes.com

• 1 lb. Fillet of Salmon, with skin on
  
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  
• 1 Tbsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
  
• 1 Tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  
• 1 Tbsp. Honey
  
• Juice of half a Lemon
  
• 1/4 C. Fresh Basil, chopped
  
• 1 Clove Garlic, chopped
  
• Couple of shakes of Ground Ginger

1. Mix together all the ingredients except salmon in a small bowl.
   
2. On a small cookie sheet, create an aluminum foil "platter" with sides. (You want to marinade and cook the fish on this, but you don't want to spill the marinade on the floor.) Place fish on the foil.
   
3. Pour most of the marinade over the fish. Let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
   
4. Fire up the grill (or boiler I suppose) to medium heat. When hot, carefully transfer the foil platter with salmon onto the grill. Pour the rest of the marinade on the fish.
   
5. Cook until the fish flakes- not until you think it would probably flake as I did- and the marinade gets a little cooked on. (That's how I imagine this would be tastiest, though it was still good under cooked!)

BioHazard Chicken

Marinading is not my specialty. Sure, sure, I can make a perfectly tasty marinade, but it's the whole letting it sit thing that gets me every time. Usually I let that delicious seasoning sink in for, oh, I'd say 15-20 minutes or however long it take the grill to heat up! I just don't have the time to wait- we're hungry! I love this recipe as it is good after 24 hours or 24 minutes. It ain't pretty- looks pretty gory in the bag, like something being transported in a foam cooler to an awaiting transplant patient- but it's delightful when cooked to perfection over a nice hot flame!

I do recommend making the marinade in a Ziploc bag. Aside from it fulfilling the gruesome namesake, it makes for very easy mixing during prep and even easier clean-up. You may find this full recipe is a little too much for serving just 2-4. I usually cut it in half or more, but will keep at least one full garlic clove. It is great served with white rice and corn on the cob.



BioHazard Chicken

• 1 C. Ketchup
  
• 1/2 C. Soy Sauce (I keep low sodium on hand, but either works.)
  
• 1/4 C. Honey
  
• 1-2 Garlic Cloves, crushed & chopped
  
• 2-12 Boneless Chicken Breasts
  

1. Combine all ingrediants except chicken in large plastic Ziploc bag. Close bag tightly. Mush everything together until well mixed.
   
2. Add chicken into bag and reseal. Massage marinade into meat.
   
3. Chill chicken until it is ready to be grilled. Chicken will keep at least 24 hours, though it will still be yummy after only 15 minutes.
   
4. Cook chicken over medium grill heat until cooked through, but still moist.