Grilled Chicken Marinade

Yummy Grilled Chicken Marinade

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/8 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 sprigs fresh rosemary roughly chopped or 2 tsp dried rosemary

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp garlic powder

6 (~3 lbs) chicken breasts or thighs

Combine all marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag and mix together. Remove 1/2 cup marinade to save for basting during cooking. Add chicken. Marinate for minimum of 30 mins up to 24 hours. 

Remove chicken and pour marinade into a sauce pan. Bring marinade to a boil and boil for 5 mins. Sauce will thicken slightly. If you want a thicker sauce, you can thicken the sauce more with cornstarch and water.

Grill chicken.

Serve with potatoes.

Grilled Coconut Lime Curry Chicken With Coconut Rice

 A friend made this for us and it was so delicious. It is healthy too. I was surprised at how much I liked it.

Marinade for Chicken

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lime

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 Tbsp Coconut Aminos  or substitute Soy Sauce (low sodium)

1 Tbsp Honey (raw)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp curry powder

4 Tbsp Coconut Milk 

1 dash cayenne pepper

14 oz chicken breast

COCONUT RICE

1/2 C Jasmine Rice

1 1/2 C Coconut Milk

1/4 C water

dash of salt

Optional Sides/Toppings

Pineapple (grilled)

Asparagus (grilled)

Cilantro

Lime

Add olive oil, lime zest & juice, cumin, coriander, coconut aminos, honey, salt, curry powder, 4 Tbsp coconut milk, and cayenne to a bowl. Mix together. Pour half into a bag for marinade and save the other half in the fridge. Slice chicken and add to the marinade. Marinate for 2 or more hours.

Coconut Rice:

Add 1 1/2 C coconut milk, water, rice, and a pinch of salt to a pot. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, stir rice, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes. Stir and remove from heat.

Chicken:

Remove chicken from marinade. Heat up grill to medium-high heat. Add chicken to grill and cook for 5 minutes per side. 

Serve chicken over coconut rice and top with the remaining marinade in the fridge. Optional toppings of chopped cilantro, lime juice.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

This recipe you have to marinade the mushrooms for at least half an hour. I marinaded it longer because why not have extra flavor? I was pleasantly surprised at how well these tasted. I would honestly just eat the mushroom by itself and be fine with it.

2-4 Portobello Mushroom Caps (just depends on the size of the caps)
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Chopped Rosemary (I did not have this so I didn't put it in.)
1 1/2 tsp Steak Seasoning (I used Montreal Steak Seasoning)

For the burger
Slices of red onion
Swiss cheese for each mushroom
Slices of tomato
Slices of avocado
Spinach (I also did not do this)
Buns (Or if you want to be extra healthy you can do it in a leaf of lettuce?)

In a large bowl or tupperware mix together the marinade, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, rosemary, and steak seasoning. Put in the mushroom caps. (I put mine in tupperware that way I could shake the marinade around the mushrooms every once in a while.) Toss with sauce and turn a few times. (Marinade 20-30 minutes at room temperature.)

Heat the grill. When hot add the mushrooms on the grill and keep the marinade for basting. Grill on each side for about 7 minutes or until tender. Brush the marinade on frequently. A minute before taking them off, add the swiss cheese to each mushroom and let it melt.  We also toasted our buns on the grill. A little bit of butter or mayo on the bun and then put them on the grill. Assemble your burger once your mushroom is cooked with bun, tomatoes, onion, avocado, and spinach.

Salmon Roasted in Butter

This had 5 stars out of 455 reviews, we loved it! You can mix around the herb and fat combos: parsley, chervil or dill go well with butter; thyme, basil or marjoram with olive oil; or peanut oil with cilantro or mint.

INGREDIENTS

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp minced chervil, parsley or dill

1 salmon fillet, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

lemon wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place butter and half the herb in a roasting pan just large enough to fit the salmon and place it in the oven. Heat about 5 minutes, until the butter melts and the herb begins to sizzle.

Add the salmon to the pan, skin side up. (Mine didn't have skin) Roast 4 minutes. Remove from the oven, then peel the skin off. (If the skin does not lift right off, cook 2 minutes longer.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn the fillet over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper again.

Roast 3 to 5 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the fillet and the degree of doneness you prefer. Cut into serving portions, spoon a little of the butter over each and garnish with the remaining herb. Serve with lemon wedges.

Thanks to the original recipe found HERE.

Cole Slaw

Bo smoked a port butt tonight and we ate it on potato rolls with this slaw on it and it was DELICIOUS!

INGREDIENTS

1 head of cabbage
1 1/2 C mayo
1/3 C sugar
1 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (they used rice wine vinegar, I like apple cider)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 C half and half (we didn't have half and half, so I just used whole milk and it turned out great!)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the cabbage in half and cut the halves in half. Cut the core out of each quarter. You could use coleslaw mix, or use cabbage (Cheaper). Chop on finely or put it in the food processor. Place cabbage in bowl.

In a mixing bowl mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour mixture over cabbage and toss until the cabbage is coated. Let sit for an hour and serve.

Original Recipe is a YouTube video found HERE.

Maple Cinnamon Ham Glaze

We had some friends over for dinner tonight and luckily I found this glaze, it was about the only thing that saved me from all the other things going wrong. It's super simple too. I KNOW you will like it! :)

1/4 C packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 C maple syrup

Stir brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl until well combined. Pour in maple syrup and stir until smooth. Enjoy over some delicious ham!

You can find the original recipe HERE, thanks!

Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avocado Cream Sauce

I was looking for something light to make for dinner one night and this chipotle chicken kabob recipe looked like it would be perfect. The only problem was that none of the grocery stores within 5 miles of my house had chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. (I think I need to have a chat with the grocery manager and give him my list of items the store needs to start carrying because this isn't the first thing I haven't been able to find.) Since I couldn't find the chipotle chilis the night I wanted to make it, I improvised and just used chipotle chili powder instead. We ate the chicken in tacos and it was delicious! I didn't bother making the avocado dipping sauce though. We liked the chicken so much that the next week I decided to make it again when I finally found the chipotle chilis in adobo sauce at another store. The chicken was good with just the chipotle chili powder, but I think the chilies in adobo made it even better. This time I also made the avocado sauce. Yum! I could have eaten that by the spoon fulls!

The only change I made to the original recipe was I used plain non-fat yogurt instead of Greek yogurt because I don't care for Greek yogurt. I made some extra marinade since I had left over chipotle chilies and froze it with chicken. The chicken will marinade as it thaws.

Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avocado Cream Sauce

For the Chicken:
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon chili podwer
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2" to 2" inch pieces
Minced fresh cilantro, for serving

For the avocado cream sauce:
1 avocado
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl or baking dish/pie plate, combine the lime juice, oil, spices, garlic, brown sugar, and chipotle. Whisk together to combine. Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix well to ensure that they are all coated and mostly submerged. Cover, refrigerate, and let marinade for 30-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium-high and oil the grates. When the chicken is done marinading, thread the pieces onto skewers for grilling. (If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water first to prevent charring/burning.) Dispose of the excess marinade. Place the kabobs on the grill and cook, turning once or twice, until all sides are slightly browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate and let rest 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with minced fresh cilantro, if desired.

To make the sauce, combine avocado, yogurt, garlic and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor or a blender. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve alongside the kabobs for dipping.

Enjoy!

BBQ Pork Burgers

This is more of an idea, rather than an actual recipe. We have been spending a lot of time outside enjoying the nice weather lately. So have our neighbors. One of our neighbors was grilling one night. He was telling us that they were making BBQ pork burgers. We were intrigued. We don't eat ground beef. We rarely have turkey burgers because I always feel like they lack real flavor. I asked him about his BBQ pork burgers. He told me he just mixes BBQ sauce with his ground pork and slaps them down on the grill. He puts foil down first, just in case the burger falls apart. Which it will if you add too much BBQ sauce.

The other night I decided to make these BBQ pork burgers. I changed it up a little bit because I had some ground turkey that I needed to use up as well. So I mixed together the ground turkey and ground pork. I added some sauted red onion and then the BBQ sauce. They turned out delicious!

Since there isn't an actual recipe, here are some tips and the measurements I used.

I used approximately 1 pound of ground turkey and 3/4 pound of ground pork.
I added half a red onion that I had sauted in a little bit of olive oil. You could add the onion raw, but my husband hates onions unless they are fully cooked.
I added about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of BBQ sauce. Any kind of BBQ sauce will work.
Mix it all together well with your hands and form into patties. I separated my patties with wax paper to make it easy to pick them up and get them on the grill.
Use foil on the grill if you are afraid that your mixture is too wet and might fall apart. I could have done fine without using the wax paper, but it did make clean up really easy.
Add cheese just before removing from the grill and allow it to melt.
Serve on hamburger buns with BBQ sauce, (or ketchup and mustard), sliced onions, tomatoes and lettuce.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Turkey Burger

If you haven't noticed by now, not a single recipe of mine (Amy's) calls for any red meat. I haven't eaten it in about 12+ years. I have been able to use ground turkey in all of our recipes that call for red meat. The only down side we have come across is that turkey burgers just aren't as good as beef according to my husband. I never was excited about hamburgers to start with and always preferred grilled chicken in its place. When I found this recipe on Sarcastic Cooking I thought I would try it out. Not only is it yummy and the burger has a ton of flavor, but it is also healthy-ish.

Buffalo Turkey Burger

1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili (or cayenne pepper)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce (the buffalo sauce, not the hot sauce)
1 Tablespoon olive oil, for the pan
4 slices cheddar cheese (or any other cheese you prefer)
1 avocado
4 sliced tomato
4 leaves lettuce
ranch dressing
4 burger buns

Combine all the seasonings and ground turkey in a large bowl. Use your hands to evenly distribute and mix all the seasonings into the turkey.
To form the patties, divide the meat mixture into 4 equal portions. Roll into balls and flatten into a circular patty. Heat the olive oil over medium in a large skillet.
Add the burgers to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Then pour the buffalo sauce on top of each burger. Make sure to slightly lift the burgers to get the sauce under each patty. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 6 minutes. The sauce is going to caramelize around each burger.
Turn off the heat and add a slice of cheese to each burger. Place the lid back on while you get the buns ready.
Smash a fourth of the avocado on the bottom of each burger bun. When the cheese has melted, place each patty on top of the avocado, add a slice of tomato, lettuce and ranch dressing; cover with the top bun. 

Blackened Chicken with Cliantro Lime Quinoa

I bought some quinoa a while back and have been looking for recipes to use it in. I found a recipe that called for quinoa on Sarcastic Cooking (I really like this blog. There are a ton of recipes that look really good.) The chicken from the recipe was really good. The quinoa had a little bit too much lime in it for our liking. Next time I will cut back the lime. The avocado sauce was good but it was a little bland. And I am not a fan of Greek yogurt. Next time I will use plain yogurt. But all together it was still really good.

Blackened Chicken and Cilantro Lime Quinoa

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cup chicken broth
1 cup quinoa
juice and zest from 2 limes (I would recommend tasting before you add all the juice and could probably get away with juice from just 1 lime)
dash of salt
dash of pepper
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped (I added more because we really like cilantro)

Combine all the dry seasonings in a small bowl. Mix well and then season both sides of the chicken breasts. Grill chicken.

Add the chicken broth and quinoa to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes with the lid on, until all the broth has been absorbed.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, lime zest, lime juice, salt, pepper and cilantro. Mix to combine.

Serve the chicken on top of the quinoa.

If the blackened seasoning is too spicy, you can make an avocado cream sauce to cool it down. Place the flesh of one avocado and 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt in a food processor and puree until smooth. (I would also recommend adding some salt to add a little more flavor.)