Aug 18, 2015 | Grilling, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Recipes, Vegetables
Click here for a FREE copy of the "Top 10 MUST-HAVE Kitchen Gadgets" I love to make a big batch of grilled vegetables for a quick, easy side dish. I always make more than I need, so I’m sure to have extras on hand for quick, easy meals throughout the week. I’ll cut them up and toss them into couscous or quinoa with goat cheese or feta and some toasted pine nuts for an awesome salad to take to work or toss them in with mixed greens and some rotisserie chicken for a healthy lunch salad. The key thing to remember here is don’t overcook the vegetables. You want them to be crisp-tender, not mushy. Especially if you plan to use the leftovers for other meals later in the week. If you have any extra marinade leftover, use it to drizzle on the vegetable when they come off the grill. So good! Click here for a FREE copy of the "Top 10 MUST-HAVE Kitchen Gadgets" Balsamic Marinated Grilled Vegetables Save Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 8 mins Total time 23 mins Author: The Krave Serves: 4 Ingredients ¼ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 clove garlic, minced salt and pepper to taste 1 bunch asparagus, rough ends trimmed off 2 red bell peppers, quartered and seeded 2 orange bell peppers, quartered and seeded 2 yellow squash, sliced into ¼" rounds Instructions In a large bowl toss the vegetables with all of the marinade ingredients until the vegetables are evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat grill on high heat for...
Aug 10, 2015 | Dinner, Grilling, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Recipes, Seafood
Hey friends! When you fire up your grill do you tend to stick with burgers, brats and steak? There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and try this Grilled Salmon with Spicy Mango Salsa. This recipe is easy enough for a quick weeknight meal and elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. And you guys, this sweet and spicy mango salsa is so, so good! It’s the perfect counterpoint to rich salmon, but it’s just as tasty with grilled chicken or pork tenderloin. And of course with tortilla chips! I make the salsa in advance so when I get home from work, all I have to do is heat up the grill and cook the salmon. If making grilled salmon intimidates you – don’t worry! It’s actually really easy. Just be sure to preheat the grill until the grates are nice and hot, clean the grates with a wire brush and let the fish cook (with the lid closed as much as possible!) for at least 5-6 minutes before trying to flip it. The most important thing to do to make sure the fish doesn’t stick is lightly brush it with oil before putting it on the grill. If you want extra insurance against it sticking you can brush a little oil on the hot grates just before you put the salmon on the grill. And you know what, if the salmon falls apart a little, no big deal! It’ll still taste great. 5.0 from 1 reviews Grilled Salmon with Spicy Mango Salsa Save Print Prep...
Jul 16, 2015 | Grilling, Recipes
Would you like to grill restaurant-quality steaks in your own backyard? I’m going to show you how to get those perfect sear marks, flavor the meat with a finger-licking-good herb butter and how to tell when the steak is perfectly medium-rare. Are you ready? 1. Preheat the grill over high heat for about 10-15 minutes, until the grill reaches between 450-550 degrees. It’s important that you let the grates get nice and hot so you get those beautiful, restaurant-quality sear marks. 2. Let the steaks sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before placing them on the grill. Don’t take the steaks straight from the fridge to the grill – they need a few minutes to take the chill off so they’ll cook evenly. 3. Brush the steaks with a little olive oil, then season both sides with salt and pepper. This prevents them from sticking to the grill, promotes awesome sear marks and makes them taste good! 4. Leave a “safety” area on the grill, also known as an indirect zone. If the grill starts to flare or the steaks begin to burn, you have a safe place to move them to finish cooking. 5. Close the lid! Keeping the lid closed helps maintain the temperature of the grill and bathes the steaks in that delicious smoke. 6. Turn the steaks only once. I like to grill them about 2/3 of the way through on the first side to develop nice sear marks, then turn the steak and let it finish cooking on the other side. 7. Add extra flavor by basting the steaks with a flavorful herb butter during the last few...
Jul 7, 2015 | Grilling, Healthy, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Recipes
Hi friends! How was your 4th of July weekend? After a cold and rainy June we were blessed with absolutely perfect weather all weekend. Hooray! We spent the entire weekend outside enjoying everything our town had to offer – festivals, live music, carnivals, pool parties, neighborhood barbecues, a parade and, of course, fireworks. We were actually so close to the fireworks that big pieces of cardboard were raining down on us and we were covered in ash! The kids thought it was awesome. I have to admit I was pretty sad Sunday night when all the festivities came to an end. We went to a friend’s house for a BBQ on Friday and it was such a treat to leave most of the cooking to someone else for once. I love to cook, obviously, but between my full-time job running the test kitchen at Weber and running this blog, I always appreciate it when someone else cooks for me! I couldn’t bear to show up empty handed so I made these Grilled Chicken Wraps with Apples and Brie and they were a huge hit with both the kids and adults! With savory grilled chicken, sweet fig jam, crunchy apples and creamy brie cheese, these wraps are delicious and healthy, too. They’re a great swap when you’re tired of the same old, boring turkey sandwich and they pack easily which makes them great for picnics, potlucks or school lunches – but I’m not ready to think about school lunches just yet! If you want to save a little time, you can substitute deli turkey for the grilled chicken. If you’ve been following this blog you...
Jun 23, 2015 | Dinner, Grilling, Recipes
Oh you guys. Run, don’t walk, to the grocery store and get the ingredients for this simple but elegant grilled flatbread. The crunchy, grilled crust with the sweet figs, pungent blue cheese and salty proscuitto is a match made in heaven. It’s one of those dishes where I kept eating long after I stopped feeling hungry. Don’t you hate/love that?! If you haven’t grilled flatbread or pizza before, it’s really easy and it’s a great way to make flatbread without heating up your house in the summer. Plus you get those pretty grill marks on the crust! Feel free to make your own dough from scratch, but I usually buy pre-made fresh dough from the grocery store. Make things easy on yourself by carrying the toppings out to the grill on a sheet pan. Keep them near the grill so they’re accessible when it’s time to top the pizza. Be sure to place the toppings on the grilled side of the pizza dough so you can place the raw side back on the grates to finish cooking. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve absentmindedly put the toppings on the raw side. It is so frustrating and there’s really no way to salvage the pizza at that point. So learn from my mistakes, friends! This is great served warm straight off the grill but it’s equally as delicious at room temperature. It makes a great meal or appetizer at a party. Enjoy! Grilled Fig, Blue Cheese and Prosciutto Flatbread Save Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 10 mins Total time 25 mins ...
Jun 9, 2015 | Desserts, Drinks, Food, Grilling, Life, Quick and Easy, Vegetables
Is there anything better than a warm summer night spent outdoors with great friends, food and drink? The grill is fired up, the kids are running around the yard, your friends are relaxed and laughing. There is no mention of work, never ending to-do lists or obligations. Just a chill summer night under the stars. This is the stuff memories are made of. These are the moments in life that really, truly matter. Summer entertaining doesn’t need to be fancy or formal. Quite the opposite, actually. Summer entertaining should be relaxed and low-key and quite often impromptu and unplanned. Here are a few simple, no-fuss recipes to help you pull it all together quickly and easily. 1. Virgin Sangria A sweet combination of grape juice, lemon juice, oranges, apples, strawberries and limes make this virgin sangria a perfectly refreshing drink for a hot summer night. Make a big batch of this virgin sangria for guests of all ages to enjoy and put out some wine for the adults who wish to add it. Just be sure to keep these drinks outside because you don’t want them spilling and staining your house! image via A Teaspoon of Happiness 2. Grilled Pineapple Guacamole If you love guacamole as much as we do, you and your guests will love this fun, summery twist on traditional guacamole. image via Two Peas and Their Pod 3. Texas Caviar This salad is quick and easy to prepare and it’s great on top of tacos, grilled chicken or fish. Or keep it super simple and serve it with chips and pineapple guacamole. It actually...
