grilled Archives - Page 2 of 2

Magic Burgers

August 19, 2011 ·

We don’t eat a lot of meat in this house, but it’s been a while so why not, right? Mike is a huge burger fan and often gets a stuffed burger of the day from a local restaurant. Even though he loves to get those burgers out, he has been requesting I make Magic Burgers for some time now. I’m not sure where the term Magic Burgers came from…actually I remember years ago I made these and after one bite somebody said they’re like magic. 🙂 So anyway…

I like my burgers plain or with cheese, maybe even potato chips. But absolutely no ketchup, no bacon, no pickles, you get the idea. Since I don’t like relying on toppings to flavor my burgers, I add flavor to the patties.

This is a basic recipe and very easy to put together. I usually just eyeball the ingredients, but have listed below the approximate amounts for what I use. Sometimes I sub green onions for the red onions, which is really good too. Quick and easy to make, these burgers are a perfect last minute dinner just in time for the weekend.

Magic Burgers
Yields 4 burgers

1 pound extra lean ground beef
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
Onion buns
Toppings (as desired)

In a large bowl, mix beef, onion, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper until blended (do not over mix).
Divide mixture into 4 patties (a little larger than the size of your buns) and shape them thinner in the center so they don’t puff up.
Put patties onto grill heated to medium high heat. Cook until juices appear on the top of the patties (approximately 4-5 minutes). Flip and cook on other side until done (about 4-5 minutes).
Place on top of bun and serve with desired topping.

Filed Under: main dishes, Recipes Tagged With: beef, dinner, easy, grilled, quick

Grilled Chicken Caprese

July 29, 2011 ·

Happy Friday everyone! I hate to the be the bearer of bad news, but can you believe the end of July is upon us? Summer is whizzing by in the blink of an eye. We are trying to take advantage of all that summer has to offer, though a few activities still remain on our ‘to do’ list. On the other hand, we certainly are taking every opportunity to grill (something we did not do once last summer, back when I was still working, and we were stuck in our pizza/pasta/p’eggs routine).

In any case, we are having a great summer here at Alida’s Kitchen, and I hope you are too!

After making Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes, I developed an appreciation for the delicious flavor of grilled tomatoes. So when I saw a Caprese Chicken recipe that grilled the chicken AND the tomatoes, it went on my ‘must make’ list immediately!

Grilled Chicken Caprese is a simple weeknight (or quick weekend meal) that takes little effort and yields an impressive result. First you make the marinade. Then marinate slices of the fresh mozzarella (yum!). While the cheese is marinating, you grill the tomato slices and chicken cutlets, which takes about 5 minutes. Last, simply put everything together, let it sit a little bit if you can, and then eat!

The result is a delicious Caprese-inspired grilled chicken dish that is quick and easy to make. The original recipe states it takes 30 minutes, which sounds about right…but that includes eating time! 🙂 Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

Grilled Chicken Caprese
Yields 4 servings

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vingar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
4 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4-inch slices, halved and patted
4 chicken breast cutlets (or butterflied chicken breast halves)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
8 tomato slices (2-3 tomatoes), cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices

Make marinade/dressing: whisk together basil, vinegar, garlic and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to your taste preference.
Take 2 tablespoons of the marinade and pour over mozzarella slices, turning the slices to make sure cheese is coated. Set aside.
Pat chicken dry and then drizzle about a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on each side of chicken cutlet and season with pepper.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat and spray grates with cooking spray or rub with oil.
Grill chicken and tomatoes until chicken is thoroughly cooked and browned and tomatoes are slighly charred (about 2 minutes per side).
Transfer chicken to platter and top each cutlet with 2 tomato slices. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette and top with mozzarella. Cover with an inverted plate or tented foil and let sit for 5 minutes (up to 10 minutes, if you can wait that long). Serve.

Adapted from Cook’s Country, August/September, 2011

Filed Under: gluten free, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: chicken, easy, grilled, quick

Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes

July 13, 2011 ·

Growing up, I remember summer was filled with an abundance of zucchini, rhubarb and tomatoes. According to me, zucchini was best served as bread, rhubarb was best served as crisp and tomatoes were best served to someone else. I was not a fan of tomatoes.

Actually, I still do not care for plain tomatoes, unless they are in a salad. I like my tomatoes made into something. And I must say, these Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes are definintely something!

Of course you can’t go wrong with balsamic vinegar, fresh basil and garlic. In fact, that makes for a pretty common (and tasty) vinaigrette. The role of the marinade in this dish is perfectly subtle.

What takes these tomatoes from ordinary to extraordinary is in the grilling. The charring from the grill, combined with the marinade, results in tomatoes literally bursting with fresh flavor. Topped with Parmesan cheese, Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes are an easy, healthy, and delicious side dish made on grill.

Herbed-Grilled Tomatoes
Yields 4 servings (2 tomato halves per serving)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 medium tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon grated fresh Parmesan cheese

In a wide shallow bowl (13 x 9 baking dish works well) mix together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper.
Add tomatoes, and turn to coat them on all sides.
Prepare grill: brush grates with oil or spray with cooking spray, and preheat to medium high.
Place tomatoes, cut sides down, on the grill rack. Brush once with remaining marinade, and then discard marinade. Grill about 5-7 minutes on each side, or until tomatoes begin to blister, soften and brown. (Note: They can burn easily so keep an eye on them.)
Remove the tomatoes from grill and top with parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, if desired. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Health, June, 2007

Filed Under: healthy, Recipes, sides, vegetarian Tagged With: easy, grilled

Grilled Peanut Butter Chicken

July 11, 2011 ·

If I had to pick my all time favorite food, it would be peanut butter (although cheese is a very close second). I love peanut butter sandwiches, cookies, bars, on apples, plain, ice cream…*sigh* I could go on and on.

So one day when I was opening my lovely jar of peanut butter, this chicken recipe caught my eye. Peanut butter? Chicken? Mmm… I do not often stumble upon many savory peanut butter dishes, so I was eager to give this a try.

As with most of my chicken recipes for the grill, I adapted this recipe to be quick and easy – mix the marinade, put marinade and chicken in Ziploc bag, let sit in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, grill, eat. It’s that simple.

The peanut butter, soy sauce and ginger combination give this chicken dish a Thai-inspired flavor. It is really quite tasty AND another way to eat more peanut butter. Yum!

Grilled Peanut Butter Chicken
Yields 4 servings

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ginger, grated or finely chopped
1 pound chicken tenders or chicken breast cut into 1 1/2 inch strips

In a bowl, prepare the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients except the chicken.
Put chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour marinade over chicken. Make sure chicken gets completely coated. Set in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Lightly oil grates on grill OR use a foil tray to cook chicken.
Place chicken on grill (or foil tray) and cook for 3-5 minutes per side, until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Adapted from Smuckers Peanut Butter Jar Lid

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: chicken, easy, grilled, peanut butter

Grilled Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

June 10, 2011 ·

It is not very often that a new recipe immediately leaps way to the top of the list. But when I saw a tasty recipe in Experience Life magazine, I think my heart skipped a beat with excitement. I got that ‘I just found a recipe that will change your life’ feeling. Cheese, black beans, green onions, garlic and spices, all nestled in a tasty little jalapeno? Seriously? Time to fire up the grill!

In fact, I was tempted to simply grab a spoon and eat the filling straight from the bowl.

I resisted and instead stuffed these beautiful jalapenos. The result is a delightful, healthy twist on a jalapeno popper.

This heavenly dish makes for a perfect appetizer at any summer gathering, yet is easy enough to whip together for a light weeknight dinner. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Grilled Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers
Yields 8 (appetizer) or 4 (dinner) servings

16 jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
4 green onions, chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon chili powder

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the peppers.
Make a lengthwise slit down each pepper, leaving the stem intact; carefully remove ribs and seeds. (Tip: a quick rinse helps remove the seeds from the inside, lessening the heat)
Distribute filling evenly among peppers (about 1 tablespoon per pepper).
Heat grill to medium heat. Place stuffed peppers on a sheet of foil on the grill. Cover and cook until cheese mixture has melted and peppers are softened, about 10-15 minutes.

Adapted from Experience Life