Grilled Salad

I don't remember where I saw the idea for this one - I think part of came from a Rachael Ray recipe...again, another recipe with no real measurements - I trust you can figure out how much to use. I did use store-bought dressing in the salad but I add some ingredients to it to make it a little better tasting.

Grilled Salad

Chicken breasts
Italian dressing for both chicken marinade and for salad
Whole wheat penne pasta
Hearts of romaine
Radicchio
Endive
Zucchini
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Dijon mustard
Red wine vinegar

Marinade chicken breasts in dressing for at least 1 hour. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking, cool pasta and keep refrigerated. Grill chicken until done - let rest 5 minutes - then cut into pieces and let cool in fridge. Slice romaine hearts, radicchio, and endive in half - keep core intact so halves stay together. Cut zucchini into slices or wedges. Dress romaine, radicchio, endive, and zucchini with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill lettuces over medium-high heat, cut side down until heated through and edges begin to char - turning once if necessary. Grill zucchini until cooked. In bowl, mix small amount of Italian dressing with a squirt of Dijon mustard, a splash of red wine vinegar and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add cooled pasta to the bowl. When lettuces and zucchini are done, chop in bit-sized pieces and add to bowl. Add chicken pieces and toss with the dressing. Rip or cut mozzarella and add to bowl. Toss again and serve.


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-Obviously, my salad only had the zuchinni and no chicken and Will's had chicken and no zuchinni.
-The mozzarella was good but not enough flavor - I would try manchego the next time or maybe even bleu cheese.

Balsamic Chicken and Veggie Pitas; Red Skinned Potato Salad

Made these for dinner on Sunday with the potato salad. No real measurements on these - I'm sure you can figure out how much to use depending on how many people you're feeding.

Balsamic Chicken and Veggie Pitas

Chicken breasts
Balsamic vinegar dressing
Worcestershire sauce
Grill seasoning
Eggplant
Portobello mushroom caps
Greens (spinach, lettuces)
Tomatoes
Peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
Fresh mozzarella
Wheat pitas
Ranch, Italian, Blue cheese dressing
Salt
Pepper

Marinate chicken breasts in balsamic vinegar dressing, Worcestershire sauce, grill seasoning, salt, and pepper. Drizzle mushroom caps with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Peel and slice eggplant. Drizzle eggplant with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Slice peppers, tomatoes, and mozzarella. Wash and rough chop greens.
Grill chicken breasts, let rest 5 minutes, then slice. Grill mushroom caps and eggplant slices until cooked. Slice mushroom caps into strips.
Slice top quarter of pitas off to make a pocket. Turn off grill – place pitas on grates until warm, turning once.
Lay food out buffet style. Drizzle pitas with favorite dressing.

Red Skinned Potato Salad

Scrubbed new red potatoes
Turnips
Eggs
Bacon
Onion, finely chopped
Stalk celery, finely chopped
Mayonnaise
Dijon mustard
Italian parsley
Salt
Pepper

Start potatoes and turnips in pot of cold water. Bring to a boil – boil for 15 to 20 minutes. When cooked, drain water and let potatoes/turnips cool.

Fill a small saucepot with enough water to cover eggs by an inch. Remove eggs and set aside. Bring water to a boil. Lower eggs into boiling water and begin timer for 8 minutes and 30 seconds. Once water returns to a boil reduce heat so water is at a simmer. Once finished, drain water and let eggs cool in the fridge.

Put mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, chopped onion, chopped celery, and chopped parsley in bowl – mix to combine. Chop the cooled potatoes and turnips, leaving skin on. Add potatoes and turnips to the mayonnaise mixture. Peel and chop the cooled eggs – mix to combine. Sprinkle cooled and crumbled bacon over the top.

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tomato sauce
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 lbs. fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

In large bowl stir together garlic, olive oil, tomato sauce, and red wine vinegar. Stir in basil, salt, and cayenne pepper.

Add shrimp to the bowl and stir until all shrimp are coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Thread shrimp onto soaked skewers. Heat grill to medium heat. Grill shrimp 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until opaque.

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I added a little bit of Worcestershire sauce and some Old Bay seasoning to the marinade. And instead of the cayenne pepper I used some Frank's Hot Sauce. I also grilled the shrimp with fresh pineapple chunks, red onion, and green peppers.

Variations on Couscous

I've started taking various couscous and rice salads to work for lunch - I don't really have measurements for any of the ingredients so just put in how ever much you like (all of these are made to get about 2 servings since I'm the only one that eats them):

Roasted Corn and Garlic Couscous

Roast one ear of corn (shucked and salted) in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes on a baking sheet sprayed with some cooking spray. Turn the corn every 5 minutes so it cooks evenly. Along with the corn, wrap 2-3 large cloves of garlic in foil and place on the baking sheet as well.

Prepare 1-2 servings of couscous (I use vegetable stock instead of water)-let cool slightly. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off into the pot with the couscous. Finely dice the roasted garlic and add to the pot.

Stir in any combination of vegetables: shredded carrots, peas, chopped broccoli, bell pepper, tomatoes, etc. Salt and pepper to taste.

Moroccan Themed Couscous (which is a silly name since couscous is Moroccan in it self)

Prepare 1-2 servings of couscous (cooked with vegetable stock) - let cool slightly. In large bowl combine honey, cinnamon, and cumin - stir to combine. Put still warm couscous on top of honey mixture in bowl and stir (the heat from the couscous will help melt the honey). Stir in golden raisins, shredded carrots, and sliced almonds. Salt and pepper to taste.

Wild Rice Salad

Prepare 1-2 servings of wild rice mixture (cooked with vegetable stock).* In bowl combine chopped baby spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes cut in half, and diced bell pepper. Stir in rice while still warm to help wilt the spinach slightly. Salt and pepper to taste.

* I personally use a whole grain brown basmati and wild rice mixture - it isn't quick cooking so it takes around 45 minutes to cook but it's good for you so I don't mind.

Vegetarian “Crab” Cakes

I made this one today for dinner - pretty good if you don't like (or don't want to buy) crab meat.

Vegetarian “Crab” Cakes

Ingredients:

2 cups coarsely grated zucchini
Salt
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 - 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Vegetable oil, for frying
Tartar sauce
Lemon wedges

Preparation:
Place the grated zucchini in a colander; sprinkle lightly with salt. Let zucchini sit for about 30 minutes in the colander, allowing excess moisture to drain. Squeeze to remove additional liquid. (Zucchini should be fairly dry.)

Place the zucchini and bread crumbs in a large bowl, and mix together well.

Place the egg, Old Bay seasoning, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and parsley in a small bowl. Mix well.

Pour the egg mixture into the zucchini–breadcrumb mixture, and mix gently and thoroughly. Form into 8 patties the size of crab cakes. Heat a small amount of oil in a sauté pan, and cook patties on both sides, browning well. If you like, serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

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-I cut the recipe in half since I was the only one eating it.
-I also used half fresh bread crumbs and half dried seasoned bread crumbs.
-Make sure the cakes aren't too thick in the middle or they won't cook all the way and they get gummy.

Salpacio Salad

Here's one of Bobby Flay's recipes I made for Will on Sunday. (My own notes are at the bottom)


Salpacio Salad


3 (8-ounce) boneless skinless, chicken breasts
2 red onions, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick rings
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions 2 cups good quality mayonnaise
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons Spanish paprika (smoked paprika)
1 bag high-quality vegetable chip sticks (recommended: Terra Sticks)


Heat grill to high. Brush chicken and onions on both sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken for 4 minutes on each side or until slightly charred and just cooked through. Remove to a plate, loosely tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes before thinly slicing.

Grill onions for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until slightly charred and just cooked through. Place the chicken and onion rings in a large bowl and add the carrots, parsley, and scallions.

Place the mayonnaise, broth, vinegar, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the chicken and gently toss to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a platter, top with vegetable chip sticks, and serve.

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--I ended up having to grill the onions on a piece of foil on the grill because all the rings came apart and its hard to grill a pile of onion rings on a grill grate, but they turned out fine.
--Again with the onions - having both grilled red onions and scallions was just a little too much onion - I would reduce the amount of one or both of them.
--I also chopped up some carrots in my food processor and then added them to the mayo dressing (a sneaky way to get more veggies into the meal).
--I couldn't find the Terra brand veggie sticks (the ones I did find were not really all that good for you) but I did get Terra brand red potato and fine herb chips, which were excellent.

Food Creations

Decided to have a seperate blog for all the different recipes I try out (kinda stole the idea from Nick and Ali) and it keeps the other one from getting too cluttered... ok ok.. I just wanted to have more than one blog! (I'm super cool... I swear). And let me know if you try any of them out for yourself too...