Korean BBQ: Galbi and Bulgogi

I don't know that I've ever had Korean BBQ before, but suddenly this past year, I've had it three times and love it.

This past spring, my DH's boss and his wife had us over for dinner. They are from Korea and they served a traditional Korean BBQ using thinly sliced beef short ribs. Later this summer, a friend of mine served a similar dish, but a thicker cut of beef rib, and again, we loved it.

My friend was not pleased with the results of using this thicker rib cut, so she was very excited when she finally found a traditional Korean cut of beef at the store and offered to bring it for us to cook for dinner during their visit. When we opened the package of beef, I was surprised to find a package of very thinly sliced beef.

When I looked up information on Korean BBQ beef dishes, I found that there are two popular but similar Korean beef barbecue recipes. One involves thinly sliced beef short ribs and is called Galbi. The other is very similar, but uses very thin slices of boneless beef and is known as Bulgogi.

Both beef BBQ involve the same basic marinade: soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and sesame oil. The Galbi traditionally includes pear juice. Bulgogi recipes often add sesame seeds, scallions and ginger to the ingredients above.

Overall, I think I would prefer doing the Galbi on the grill and saving the Bulgogi for my wok pan. The very thin slices of beef cooked very quickly on the grill and demanded constant attention. By the time the pieces were laid on the grill - which could be tricky in and of itself - it was time to start turning the first pieces to hit the grill. I'd recommend having someone nearby to help turn and/or hold a plate for the finished pieces - it all goes very quickly.

Photo from Trifood

I don't have any photos to share, so I'm borrowing, but check out this blog - it shows you the basics for Galbi. This site shows pictures and recipes for both.

This is the recipe we used:

Korean BBQ Marinade

1 cup soy sauce
2 cups water
5-6 cloves garlic
2 to 3 green onions
1 tablespoon sesame oil
black pepper
sesame seeds (I used about 1 teaspoon)
1 cup sugar

I would tweak this a bit and reduce the sugar to maybe a 1/2 cup or so. We marinated the beef overnight which I would definitely recommend. The musts in this recipe are the soy sauce, garlic and sugar. The rest can be adjusted according to tastes and preferences. It's a forgiving recipe, so don't be afraid to tweak and adjust.

My next task is to search out a butcher in the area that carries one of these cuts of beef........if DH will remember to ask his boss, he should be able to hook us up.

Quick post.........

.....'cause the in-laws are coming tomorrow and I still have to do my grocery shopping, clean, get my car inspected, make muffins, make ice cream (not really ice cream weather, but MIL loves this ice cream), prepare the lasagna for tomorrow night's dinner, make Saturday's dinner tomorrow......well, you get the idea.

The in-laws are coming in tomorrow afternoon to watch my DS play in the school band. Tomorrow night is the start of a big balloon festival at the local aiport and DS's school band will be performing the Star Spangled Banner and a couple of other tunes. The performance only lasts a few minutes, but we hope to be able to watch the balloons lift off right after that. Since we'll be out and about, I want to make the lasagna today so we can just pop it in the oven when we get home.

I need to make the lasagna today because I need to make Saturday's meal tomorrow! How's that for confusing? Saturday, DH's company is sponsoring a trip to a local amusement park. The in-laws will be coming with us and we'll be gone most of the day, so I'll be preparing the Very Creamy Vegetable Chowder tomorrow it have on hand for Saturday night. We could take the easy route and eat out, but I want to treat them to good home cooking!

I'll likely be too busy to find time to post while they are visiting, but hopefully I'll be back to post recipes for the peanut butter ice cream - it's a low-fat recipe that is impossibly rich and creamy - and the spinach lasagna. Perhaps I'll find a few moments before they arrive tomorrow..........

Margarita Shrimp Skewers

In the meantime, here's a recipe that we tried the other night for grilled shrimp. It was easy and very flavorful. Just a caution - the lime juice in the marinade will "cook" the shrimp, so you may want to cut the marinating time to 30 minutes. We marinated for the full hour and I could tell the shrimp had cooked quite a bit, so we just quickly flashed them on the grill which seemed to work pretty well. The only changes I made to the recipe were to skip the tequila because we didn't have any. I had several ideas for veggie side dishes, but decided to simply grill the veggies (in this case, red bell pepper and asparagus) and then toss them, along with the shrimp, in the boiled reserved marinade and serve over brown basmati rice.

Tags: lime, shrimp, grill, recipe, food

Fall may be just around the corner....

....but we're not done with summer yet!

Although we made good use of the chilly weather on Saturday with some chili, we are not ready to give ourselves completely over to fall. Our Labor day menu revolved much more around summer, with berries and barbecued ribs to remind us that it is still technically summer.


The morning began with our favorite buckwheat pancakes from Wade's Mill, complete with blueberries which are hard to find now, save for Sam's Club's giant container. The berries were in pretty good condition, but definitely on the tart side, perfect for pancakes. We served these with real maple syrup and some leftover berry syrup from Rachael Ray's Pain Perdu. See, still using up those odds and ends in the freezer.

DH was in charge of the ribs. He doesn't cook often, but when he does, he really gets into it. He can spend hours doing research and hours making sure everything is just so. I mostly try to stay out of it, unless he asks for my opinion - or I see something that I REALLY think won't work.

Since cooking the ribs was mostly his thing, I don't have a detailed account of how he cooks them, but I do know that he brined them overnight. Then he used a rub on them and put them on the grill to bake in an aluminum pan for a short period of time. He then put them directly on the grill, finishing them off with a Smoked Chile Barbecue Sauce.

How did they taste? Now that's something I can relate to you. Although not falling off the bone as he always hopes they will be, they were nicely tender and the sauce is awesome. With cloves and allspice in the sauce, it definitely stands out from most other BBQ sauces we've tried and I think it's one of the best. The sauce is not overly spicy, but the spice does start to sneak up on you and for us, it was just right - not enough to detract from the lucious flavors of the sauce, but just enough to give it a nice kick.

Amish Coleslaw

We served the ribs with coleslaw - a tangy vinegar version - and roasted sweet potatoes. The weather was nice enough to cooperate (it hasn't been doing that much lately), allowing us to enjoy our summery meal al fresco.

Tags: coleslaw, ribs, barbecue sauce, buckwheat, recipe

Take a week off....

and come back to a Page Rank of 5? Must be a glitch. How can inactivity result in a better page ranking? I've been wondering when I'd earn a higher page rank, but I didn't think it would happen when I wasn't posting!

In any case, it's nice to have a chance to sit down and blog.

Last week got very busy with the arrival of my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and their four girls, ages 9 months to 9 years. It was fun, especially now that we have a larger house and they don't have to sleep in my living room anymore. The house we are in now is very well-suited for guests - there is a bedroom and a full bath in the basement, giving our guests quite a bit of privacy (not to mention a little sanity for myself). The closet in the guest room is even big enough to fit a portable crib for my youngest niece.

Once upon a time, I used to go all out for guests. We're talking appetizers almost every night, fairly elaborate meals and dessert. Not only was that a lot of work, but it was a lot of food. Nowadays, I try to keep things simple. Working full time has certainly cut into my cooking time, but I also found that I ended up spending almost all of my time in the kitchen instead of enjoying my guests. As much as I like to treat my guests well, that just wasn't working. And I honestly feel that a host can put his/her guests on edge or make them feel guilty for sitting around and enjoying themselves (as they should) if he/she is slaving away in the kitchen. If I do make appetizers and desserts, I do them all ahead of time and keep them in the freezer - very convenient and it frees me up to visit with my guests.

This time I skipped the appetizers and desserts altogether. I must admit it was for selfish reasons. Not only did I have time constraints, but I really need to lose some weight and I wanted to keep things simple and light. The menu was not only simple, but it was quite healthful as well. Lots of vegetables. Our grill got a pretty good workout too.

Friday was still Lent, so I made one of our favorite grilled salads, an interpretation of the Summer Vegetable Salad with Grilled Bread that I've mentioned here before. This time, I grilled a combination of mushrooms, red onion, orange pepper, zucchini and yellow squash. To that mixture, I added some whole wheat pasta, kalamata olives, grape tomatoes and feta cheese. I used the basic dressing in the recipe, but I added some Dijon mustard and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Leftovers of this salad are quite good lightly warmed in the microwave - I've been bringing it all week to work and just used up the last of it today. Yum!

Photo from Cooking Light

On Saturday, we had Cooking Light's Beef-and-Chicken Fajitas with Peppers and Onions. I served this with my own creation - a Black Bean and Grilled Corn Salad (I will post a rough recipe for that this weekend). I love fajitas - especially with a nice cold Corona - and they are great for guests, especially kids since you get to create your own.

On Sunday we had a Honey Baked Ham that we picked up on Saturday. Okay, I admit that at least part of the reasoning for ordering a ham was to give my SIL and me a reason to go out for a bit on our own - we snuck in lunch and a little bit of shopping while getting the ham. I feel it's my duty as her friend to make sure she takes some time to herself - something she doesn't do often enough. And besides - I love Honey Baked Hams. I look forward to the treat once a year at Easter. I had planned to have sauteed asparagus and twice-baked potatoes as sides, but I ended up adding sauteed spinach to the menu after 6 1/2-year-old niece begged me to make her some spinach. What's this? A child begging me to make spinach??? How could I refuse? My guys would NEVER beg for spinach, so I was NOT passing up that opportunity - I was more than happy to oblige.

That was our weekend of cooking. Very simply and fairly light and healthful. My BIL seemed very appreciative of all the vegetables.

We had a lot of leftovers and have been living off of them all week, mostly for lunches. Monday night I made quesadillas out of the fajita leftovers. Tonight we took a break from leftovers and cooked some burgers on the grill. Tomorrow I need to use up some eggs along with the leftover ham, so it will be some sort of scramble or frittata, not sure yet.

I hope that I will find time now to post more than once a week - maybe twice, at least??!! I've been cutting back on the junk food and snacking and trying to at least walk every day and still hope to one day get back to my weigh-ins. I don't know if it's wise to commit to posting certain days, but for now I'd like to try to post at least on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Perhaps Wednesday could return to weigh-ins and Saturdays could be a weekly recap. And maybe a WDB or ARF thrown in here and there...

I will be back tomorrow with an announcement that I should have made quite a while ago. VRC en Français............

It's a beautiful day...

...but I'm feeling not-so-beautiful. I was up most of the night - partly my mind in a whirl and partly my stomach. I don't know what caused my stomach to act up - maybe the brownies - but I do know what has my mind racing....

This past April, we put our house on the market in an effort to upgrade to a bigger home across town. After 6 months on the market, we had finally resigned ourselves to staying in our small home (it's about 1800 square feet) as our contract expired at the end of this month and we did not want to keep it on the market over the holidays. Just when it looked hopeless, we got a showing, a second showing and an offer all within two days! So, we are now set to close on our new home on November 25th (not the best timing, but we can make it work)! Now my mind is whirling with all we will need to get done between now and then, what we need to buy for the new home, etc. It will be a hectic month and a half, no doubt.

Here's a view of the new house from the golf course. Our property ends over near the basketball court and spruce, so not all of that is our yard. I'll post more on the house later. It's double the size of our present house, but there are some things that will be an adjustment - like no fireplace and finding out if I can hook up a gas range. Please, please, please I hope so! Don't make me go electric! The kitchen is not exactly my style, but it's not bad. And it will have to stay "not bad" because we won't have the money to re-do it with our new, bigger mortgage.

Today we are grilling out steaks and making a grilled veggie-pasta salad as the side. I was originally planning to only do the pasta salad - I like to try to eat vegetarian at least once a week and preferably more. With the move, however, we'd like to use up as much meat in the freezer as possible, so we may be eating a bit more meat than we normally do. It's only across town, but there are still the logistics of moving our freezer, getting it cold, storing the meat in the interim, etc. Whew - makes me tired just thinking about it.

The salad we are making is a combination of two Cooking Light recipes that we really enjoy. Part Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken and part Summer Vegetable Salad with Grilled Bread. When I want to do this salad as a vegetarian main dish, I use grilled vegetables, pasta, beans, and feta or goat cheese. This makes for a very substantial salad. We always grill the vegetables, no matter which salad we make. It seems silly to roast the vegetables if you're going to grill the chicken, doesn't it? Besides, I think that grilled vegetables are soooo much tastier than roasted. Still, it's nice to have the roasting option for winter when it might be too cold to grill - you could roast the vegetables and do the chicken on the stovetop. My favorite vegetables for either of these salads are bell peppers (red, yellow and/or orange), mushrooms, asparagus, red onion and sometimes green and/or yellow squash. I also often add cherry tomatoes - usually raw as the boys don't like them grilled - but I forgot them this time.

I would have liked to have done a little baking, but it's no fun to bake and not have the appetite to sample. Another day......

Barbecued Pork Chops

Photo from Cooking Light

Source: Cooking Light, March 2000

From Cooking Light

Sauce:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

Remaining ingredients:
6 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray

Prepare grill or broiler.

To prepare sauce, combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Place 1/4 cup sauce in a small bowl, and set aside.

Trim fat from pork. Combine the thyme, garlic salt, and pepper; sprinkle over pork. Place pork on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 6 minutes on each side, basting with remaining sauce. Serve pork chops with reserved 1/4 cup sauce.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 244(42% from fat); FAT 11.3g (sat 3.9g,mono 5g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 24.6g; CHOLESTEROL 77mg; CALCIUM 22mg; SODIUM 649mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.9g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2000

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Mexican Chicken Salad with Chipotle-Salsa Dressing

This isn't a recipe, so much as a list of ingredients. The exact amount of each ingredient and even the ingredients included are not all that critical - use whatever veggies you prefer and taste the dressing as you go, adjusting the ingredients to your own preferences.

The salad:

• 2 grilled chicken breasts. sliced
• 1 bag of Romaine lettuce
• 1 sliced red bell pepper
• 3 ears of corn, grilled
• 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• chopped scallion or red onion
• grated cheddar cheese
• crushed tortilla chips
• 1 avocado, chopped and tossed with a bit of lime juice

The dressing:

• bottled Ranch dressing
• bottled salsa
• fresh lime juice
• ground chipotle powder

Place the dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

I keep the avocado, tortilla chips and cheese separate - better for leftovers.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Asian Barbecue Chicken

Source: Cooking Light, March 2002

"This is a recipe I love to make for family and friends. I usually serve it with roasted sesame asparagus and a sesame-noodle salad. Let the chicken marinate overnight for best results." -Jen McDonald, Centerville, VA

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 (6-ounce) chicken thighs, skinned (I used chicken boneless-skinless chicken breasts)
Cooking spray
Lime wedges (optional)
Green onion tops (optional)

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add chicken. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 hours, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute.

Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 20 minutes or until done, turning and basting frequently with the marinade. Garnish with lime wedges and green onion tops, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 thighs)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 297(23% from fat); FAT 7.7g (sat 2g,mono 2.4g,poly 1.9g); PROTEIN 39.2g; CHOLESTEROL 161mg; CALCIUM 39mg; SODIUM 706mg; FIBER 0.4g; IRON 2.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 16.1g

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Warm Salmon Salad à la Provençal

Source: Cooking Light, April 2001

1 (3/4-pound) salmon fillet
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I add this to the dressing)
3 tablespoons Caesar Dressing with Flax Seed
10 cups gourmet salad greens (I often do a combo of greens and spinach for extra nutrition.)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
4 (1 1/2-ounce) slices French bread, toasted
1/4 cup finely chopped balck olives

Preheat broiler. (I cook the salmon on the grill, when possible.)

Sprinkle fillet with salt and pepper. Place fillet, skin side down, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove skin from fillet; discard skin. Break fillet into chunks.

Drizzle juice and Ceasar Dressing with Flaxseed over salad greens, tossing to coat. Add onion and capers; toss gently to combine. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates. Divide fish evenly among salads. Top each bread slice with 1 tablespoon olives, spreading with a knife. Cut each slice in half. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups salad and 2 bread pieces).

Totals include Caesar Dressing with Flaxseed.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups salad and 2 bread pieces)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 334(35% from fat); FAT 13g (sat 2.1g,mono 6.7g,poly 2.9g); PROTEIN 24.3g; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 104mg; SODIUM 630mg; FIBER 4.7g; IRON 3.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 29.9g

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Vegetable Kabobs

Source: Sunset

1 small (about 3/4 pound) unpeeled eggplant, cut into 2" cubes
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 dozen small thin-skinned potatoes (2 inches is diameter)
3 medium zucchini, cut crosswise into 1-inch slices
2 small red or green bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1 large onion, cut into wedges and layers separated
16 whole large mushrooms

Herb Marinade:
3/4 cup salad oil (I use 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar (I use 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dry basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon marjoram leaves
1/2 teaspoon dry rosemary
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cook eggplant in 1 inch boiling water for 3 minutes; drain. Cook carrots in 1 inch boiling water until crisp-tender (about 6 minutes); drain. Cook unpeeled potatoes in 1 inch boiling water just until tender (about 20 minutes); drain and cut in half.

Place eggplant, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms in a plastic bag. Perpare the herb marinade by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour marinade over vegetables. Seal bag and refrigerate for 2 hours or until the next day.

Drain and reserve marinade from vegetables. Onto 8 sturdy metal skewers, alternately thread vegetables. Place on a lightly greased grill 4 to 6 inches above solid bed of low-glowing coals. Cook, turning often and basting with reserved marinade, for 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender (we like to cook them until the vegetables are slighly charred). Sprinkle lightly with salt before serving. Makes 4 servings of 2 skewers each.

My notes: This is one of those recipes that you can change around to your liking. I tend to use mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, onions, tomatoes and sometimes potatoes. It is definitely necessary to cook the potatoes until just tender before grilling - otherwise it takes a very, very long time for the potatoes to get fully cooked on the grill.

The shrimp worked really well with this marinade - the shrimp retained the flavor of the marinade nicely. Often marinades just don't lend all that much flavor, but this one did. It would probably work nicely with chicken as well.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken

My notes: This is one of our favorite summer meals. It is very versatile, healthy and flavorful. I often combine elements of this dish with elements of another Cooking Light salad, Summer Vegetable Salad with Grilled Bread. We always grill the vegetables. Not only do we prefer the flavor of grilled vegetables over roasted, but it seems downright silly to turn on the oven when the grill is being heated for the chicken anyway.

Source: Cooking Light, July 1999

Vegetables:
1 1/2 cups (3 x 1/2-inch) julienne-cut yellow squash
1 1/4 cups (3 x 1/2-inch) julienne-cut carrot
1 cup vertically sliced onion
1 cup (3 x 1/2-inch) julienne-cut zucchini
1 cup (3 x 1/2-inch) julienne-cut red bell pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Chicken:
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Cooking spray

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed

Remaining ingredients:
8 cups cooked ziti (about 6 cups uncooked short tube-shaped pasta)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16 cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 450°.

To prepare vegetables, combine squash and next 5 ingredients (squash through oil) in a roasting pan; toss gently to coat. Bake at 450° for 20 minutes.

To prepare chicken, sprinkle chicken with dried basil and oregano.

Prepare grill.

Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; cook chicken 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Cool; cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips.

To prepare vinaigrette, combine vinegar and next 6 ingredients (vinegar through garlic); stir with a whisk.

Combine the roasted vegetables, chicken, vinaigrette, pasta, fresh basil, and tomatoes in a large bowl; toss gently to coat.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 422(15% from fat); FAT 7.2g (sat 1.2g,mono 4.3g,poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 27.7g; CHOLESTEROL 44mg; CALCIUM 52mg; SODIUM 494mg; FIBER 5.5g; IRON 4.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 61.1g

Cooking Light, JULY 1999

Summer Vegetable Salad with Grilled Bread

My notes: This is one of our favorite vegetarian dishes to prepare in the summer. To make this an even more substantial dish, you can add cooked pasta to the mix. I often combine elements of this recipe with elements of Cooking Light's Roasted Vegetable Salad with Grilled Chicken. They are both very versatile salads, allowing you to easily tailor them to your own tastes. The dressing is very simple, but very flavorful.

Source: Cooking Light, July 2001

The bread will start to soften when it's tossed with the vinaigrette. If you make the salad ahead, toss in the bread cubes and cheese just before serving.

Dressing:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Salad:
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
4 (1-ounce) slices diagonally cut day-old French bread (about 1 inch thick)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 large tomatoes, cored, cut in half crosswise, and seeded
1 red bell pepper, quartered
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered
1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
Cooking spray
3 cups (1/4-inch) sliced zucchini (about 1 pound)
3 cups (1/4-inch) sliced yellow squash (about 1 pound)
1 cup canned cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

To prepare dressing, combine first 6 ingredients in a small jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously.Prepare grill.

To prepare salad, combine 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and 1 garlic clove in a small bowl. Brush one side of each bread slice with garlic mixture; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Grill bread 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Cool; cut toast into 1/2-inch cubes.

Place the tomatoes, bell peppers, and onion in a wire grilling basket coated with cooking spray. Place grilling basket on grill rack; grill 6 minutes on each side or until tender. Remove from basket. Place zucchini and yellow squash in basket. Place basket on grill rack; grill for 6 minutes on each side or until tender. Combine the vegetables; cool.
Coarsely chop vegetables; place in a large bowl. Add the dressing, toasted bread cubes, beans, basil, and thyme; toss to coat. Divide salad evenly among 6 plates; sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 2/3 cups salad and 4 teaspoons cheese)

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 240(30% from fat); FAT 7.9g (sat 2.3g,mono 3.6g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 9.3g; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 118mg; SODIUM 685mg; FIBER 5g; IRON 3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 35.9g

Cooking Light, JULY 2001

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Beef-and-Chicken Fajitas with Pepper and Onions

Source: Cooking Light, June 2000

Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.25-ounce) can low-salt beef broth

Fajitas:
1 (1-pound) flank steak
1 pound skinned and boned chicken breast
2 red bell peppers, each cut into 12 wedges
2 green bell peppers, each cut into 12 wedges
1 large vidalia onion, cut into 16 wedges
Cooking spray
16 (6-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
1 cup bottled salsa
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh cilantro sprigs


To prepare marinade, combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl; set aside.

To prepare fajitas, trim fat from steak. Score a diamond pattern on both sides of the steak. Combine 1 1/2 cups marinade, steak, and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Combine remaining marinade, bell peppers, and onion in a zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove steak and chicken from bag; discard marinade. Remove vegetables from bag; reserve marinade. Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan; set aside. Place steak, chicken, and vegetables on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cook 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Wrap tortillas tightly in foil; place tortilla packet on grill rack the last 2 minutes of grilling time. Bring reserved marinade to a boil. Cut steak and chicken diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Place the steak, chicken, and vegetables on a serving platter; drizzle with reserved marinade.

Arrange about 1 ounce steak, about 1 ounce chicken, 3 bell pepper wedges, and 1 onion wedge in a tortilla; top with 1 tablespoon salsa, about 1 teaspoon sour cream, and 1/2 tablespoon cilantro. Fold sides of tortilla over filling. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 fajitas)

NUTRITION PER SERVINGCALORIES 407(31% from fat); FAT 14.2g (sat 4.3g,mono 7.1g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 31.1g; CHOLESTEROL 64mg; CALCIUM 79mg; SODIUM 841mg; FIBER 5.3g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.

My notes: This dish is not quite as light in my household as we use regular tortillas and we add cheese and guacamole to our list of accompaniments.

We used this as a main dish for our annual BBQ one year and it was a great success. Sometimes we add shrimp to the mix too.

The leftovers from these fajitas are great for making quesadillas or pizza.

I talked about this recipe HERE and HERE.

Margarita Shrimp Skewers

Source: Razzle Dazzle Recipes

1/4 cup triple sec
1/4 cup tequila
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound shrimp, de-veined (tails on)

Mix first 8 ingredients in a shallow dish.

Marinate shrimp for one hour.

Place on skewers and grill until pink and cooked through.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Crispy Bacon and Corn Quesadillas with Avocado-Cherry Tomato Relish

Source: Bobby Flay's Boy Gets Grill

Serves 4.

Relish:
2 ripe Haas avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
4 ounces tiny cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (I used chives)
2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Quesadillas:
16 thick slices bacon
3 ears corn, husked
Canola oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
12 (6-inch) tortillas
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated white Cheddar cheese
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
Cilantro leaves

Heat your grill to medium.

Grill the bacon, laying it across the grate of the grill, for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy but not blackened. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels (leave grill on), let cool slightly, and crumble.

Brush the corn all over with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the corn on all sides until lightly charred, about 8 minutes total. Remove from the grill and set aside (leave the grill on). To remove the kernels, stand the corn on end in a large bowl and cut downward with a small, sharp knife.

Place 8 of the tortillas on a flat work surface. Divide the cheeses, scallions, crumbled bacon, and charred corn among the tortillas and season with salt and pepper.

Make 4 quesadillas by stacking the filled tortillas by twos, then placing one of the remaining plain tortillas on top. Press lightly to help the quesadilla hold together. Brush the tops of the quesadillas with oil and sprinkle with the ancho powder. Carefully place them oiled side down on the grill and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn the quesadillas over with a large spatula, close the grill hood, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, until cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp.

Remove the quesadillas from the grill, cut into quarters, and top each quarter with a dollop of the avocado relish. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Grilled Scallops with Basil Stuffing

Source: CLBB and Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

Note: We used this as a companion dish to some king crab legs, so we only grilled up 8 large scallops and cut the basil stuffing in half which worked pretty well.

Makes 4 serving
Time: 30 minutes, plus time to preheat the grill

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds or more large sea scallops

Mince the basil, garlic, salt and pepper together until very fine, almost a puree (you can do this in a food processor, but it really won't save you time or effort). Mix in a small bowl or cup with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

Make a deep horizontal slit in the side of each of the scallops, but don't cut all the way through. Fill each scallop with about ? teaspoon of the basil mixture; close. Pour the remaining oil onto a plate or pan and turn the scallops in it. Let sit while you preheat a gas grill or start a charcoal fire; it should be very hot before grilling, with the rack about 4 inches from the heat source.

Place the scallops on the grill (don't pour the remaining oil over them, as it will catch fire), and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, no more. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Bulgur Veggie Burgers with Lime Mayonnaise

Source: Gourmet

1/2 cup chopped onion, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional for brushing
1/2 cup bulgur
1 cup water
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 cup walnuts (2 1/2 oz)
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup packed cilantro sprigs
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
4 slices multi-grain bread, toasted

Cook half of onion with 1/4 tsp salt in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add bulgur and water and cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in beans and soy sauce.

Pulse bulgur mixture, walnuts, garlic, cilantro, cumin, cayenne, a rounded 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and remaining onion in a food processor until finely chopped.

Form rounded 1/2 cups of mixture into 4 (31/2-inch-diameter) patties. Chill at least 10 minutes.

While patties chill, stir together mayonnaise, zest, and juice.

Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas). Put perforated grill sheet on grill and preheat 10 minutes.

Brush patties all over with oil.

Oil grill sheet, then grill burgers on grill sheet, covered only if using a gas grill, carefully turning once, until golden brown, about 8 minutes total.

Serve burgers open-faced on toast with lime mayonnaise.

Recipe by Andrea Albin

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Soy-Ginger Chicken Rolled in Crisp Lettuce with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Source: Bobby Flay's Boy Gets Grill

The Glaze:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup honey
freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring until just soft, about 5 minutes; do not brown. Stir in the soy sauce and honey and simmer for just a minute until the honey is melted. Turn off heat, let cook slightly, and season to taste with pepper.

For the sauce:
1 cup smooth natural peanut butter
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts (I skipped this)

Combine the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Serve the sauce at room temperature an in individual bowls for dipping, garnished with peanuts.

For the chicken:
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in half
32 skewers
canola oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 6-inch flour tortillas, stacked and wrapped in foil
fresh cilantro leaves
fresh mint leaves
Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves

Heat your grill to high.

To help the chicken stay flat while cooking, place two skewers next to each other, about 1/2 inch apart, and thread one piece of chicken lengthwise onto them. Repeat with remaining chicken and skewers. Brush the chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill the chicken until browned and crusty, about 4 minutes. Turn the skewers over, and reduce the heat to medium or move to a cooler part of the grill. Cook, brushing often with the glaze, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes more.

While the chicken is cooking, place the foil-wrapped tortillas on the grill to heat through, about 5 minutes.

Remove the chicken to a platter. Serve on or off the skewers. To eat, roll two pieces of chicken with cilantro, mint, and lettuce in a tortilla and dip the rolls in the sauce.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Chicken Greek-a-Tikka Salad with Parsley-Feta Pesto

Source: Rachael Ray

4 flat breads or pitas, any flavor or variety (I used Gourmet Pita whole wheat)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: McCormick Montreal Seasoning)
2 to 2 1/2 pounds white meat chicken, cubed into bite size pieces
1 heart romaine lettuce, chopped
2 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 seedless cucumber, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
6 pepperoncini hot peppers, chopped
1 lemon, juiced
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Special equipment: metal skewers

Parsley Feta Pesto:
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup feta crumbles
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat a grill pan to high heat. Heat a toaster oven or oven to 250 degrees F.

Wrap breads in foil and place in oven to warm.

Combine yogurt and next 4 ingredients. Coat chicken in mixture then thread meat onto metal skewers. Brush grill pan with oil and grill meat 5 to 6 minutes on each side.

Combine chopped lettuce, chopped veggies, olives and hot peppers on a large platter or in a serving bowl. Dress the salad very lightly in lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.

Place all ingredients for pesto in the food processor except extra-virgin olive oil. Turn processor on and stream in extra-virgin olive oil.

Remove bread from oven and cut into wedges.

Place grilled meat on salad and top liberally with pesto. Place cut flat breads or pita wedges around the platter or serving bowl and serve.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Salsa Verde Turkey Burgers

Source: Rachael Ray

1 avocado, halved and pitted
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used 1/4 cup - that was plenty for 4 burgers!)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt
1 pound ground turkey thigh meat (I used a less-fat version)
1/2 cup salsa verde (My salsa verde - Wegmans brand - was a bit watery, so I drained it first)
4 slices (4 ounces) pepper-jack cheese (I used Monterey-jack that I had on hand)
4 Kaiser rolls, split
fresh cilantro
2 small green or red tomatoes, sliced

Scoop the avocado flesh into a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise and garlic and mash with a fork until well combined but chunky. Season with salt and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey and salsa. Divide the mixture to form 4 patties.

(We did these on the grill after chilling them for a bit.) In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the patties for 4 minutes on one side. Flip and top each with a slice of cheese; cover and cook for 4 minutes more.

Spread the avocado aioli on the split side of each roll bottom and cover with 1/4 cup cilantro. Top with a patty and 2 tomato slices; set the roll tops into place.

I talked about this recipe HERE.