Sesame Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Sauce

It's been a long, busy Summer but I hope to be back cooking and sharing again this Winter.  Tonight was Sesame Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Sauce. It was my first time making this and it was very good. I will add this into my rotation. I had found this recipe online a long time ago and don't know who to credit it to.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons wasabi powder
1/3 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
24 ounces tuna steaks (4-6 oz steaks)
5 tablespoons white and black sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Whisk 1/2 cup water and wasabi powder in medium bowl to form smooth paste. Whisk in soy sauce, 2 tablespoons peanut oil, sherry, and sesame oil and then set aside.
2. Coat each side of the tuna steaks with the sesame seeds.
3. Heat 1 Tablespoon of peanut oil in a heavy skillet over high heat.
4. Add the tuna and sear until opaque in center, about 3 minutes per side.
5. Remove the tuna from skillet and add the sauce to the skillet. Lower heat to simmer and reduce sauce until thick.
6. Pour the sauce over the tuna and enjoy.

Russian Shashlik

These are pretty much Russian Shish-ka-bobs, but they were wonderful.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 -2 pounds boneless beef sirloin or tenderloin tips

1 large onion coarse grated

1 large onion, cut into 1 inch pieces

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 large green pepper (I used red instead)

Directions:

1. Trim meat into 1 1/2 inch cubes

2. Combine grated onion, garlic, wine, wine vinegar, olive oil, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper in large dish.

3. Add beef and toss to coat beef.

4. Let marinade for 4-8 hours, the longer the better.

5. Assemble Kabobs using marinaded meat, cut onion, and cut pepper.

6. Grill over high heat until done, marinading every few minutes if desired.

7. Enjoy!!!

This recipe was from Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible

Lettuce Bundles with Grilled Beef in a Lemongrass Marinade and Thai Peanut Sauce

This recipe is a bit complex, but very good. There are 3 parts to it, so I will do one section for each. This isn't a LC recipe but I cut out the sugar and noodles it calls for, and it turned out good.

Main Ingredients:

1 boneless sirloin steak cut one inch thick

1 bunch fresh basil, stemmed

1 bunch fresh mint, stemmed

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

1 head Boston or Bibb lettuce, separated and dry

Aromatic Lemongrass Marinade

Thai Peanut Sauce

Aromatic Lemongrass Marinade Ingredients:

3 stalks fresh lemongrass or 3 strips lemon zest

2 large shallots, coarsely chopped

5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

5 tbsp Asian fish sauce

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Thai Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

2 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger

1 hot chile (serrano, jalapeno, etc)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 scallions, both white and green parts

1/3 cup chunky peanut butter

1/3 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp Asian fish sauce or Braggs liquid Aminos

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Thai Peanut Sauce Directions:
1. Combine the ginger, chile, garlic, scallions, peanut butter, coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, and cilantro in a small saucepan.

2. Bring to a boil, stirring to mix well, then reduce to low and let simmer 5-10 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and taste for seasoning. Should be served warm or at room temperature. Should be think but pourable.

Aromatic Lemongrass Marinade Directions:

1. Combine lemongrass, shallots, and garlic in a mortar and pound to a coarse paste.

2. Work in the fish sauce, lime juice, and pepper.

3. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, use a blender and process to smooth puree.

Main Directions:

1. Cut steak into 1/8 inch wide strips and put in the marinade. Let marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer.

2. Put the meat on skewers and grill over high heat, 1-2 minutes per side for well-done.

3. Combine the basil, mint, jalapeno slices, and meat on a lettuce leaf and dip in the peanut sauce and enjoy.

This recipe is based on one from Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible.

Beef Sirloin Salad

Simple salad with some nice grilled beef sirloin.

Ingredients:

8 oz sirloin steak, 1 inch thick

2 cups romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and broken up

1/2 medium ripe tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)

1/8 sweet red onion, thinly sliced (I used scallions)

Salad Dressing of your choice (I use Ranch or Blue Cheese)

Directions:

1. Prepare Steak as desired (Grilled or broiled are best)

2. Arrange lettuce on plate.

3. Cut steak into thin slices across the grain.

4. Put on tomatoes and onions and top with dressing.

Very simple, yet very yummy, especially if the meat is still warm. Can also be done with chicken as well.

Recipe from Dana Carpenders 500 LC Recipes

Shish-Kabobs

I know, this isn't difficult, but figured I'd post it just to give someone the idea. We had not made them in about a year because we just never thought about it.

Ingredients:
Stew Meat or whatever else you want
Red, Yellow, and Green Peppers
Grape Tomatoes
Mushrooms

Directions:
1. Dice everything up.
2. Put on skewers (don't forget to soak the wooden ones first if you use them)
3. Grill on medium heat about 5 minutes per side.

You can use whatever you want to for seasoning on the meat. A marinade would be good. We just use olive oil to coat the meat, then seasoned with black pepper, seasoned salt, blackened seasoning, garlic, coriander, and a bit of paprika. Turned out very good.

Just grillin'

Ok, I know I haven't put up a post in a few weeks, but I've been doing some simple grilling lately with no new recipes. Just yummy food.

Dinner tonight was grilled chicken, grilled ribs-on-a-stick, and some deep fried jicama. Very simple but oh so tasty.

Chipotle Burgers

Here's a burger that takes a bit of work making the different sauces, but it is worth it. Very good. A bit spicy, but you can always back down on the amount of chipotle to meet your needs.

There are 3 different parts, so I'll go through them one at a time.

Dana's No-Sugar Ketchup
Ingredients:
6 oz tomato paste
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup Splenda (optional)
2 tbsp minced onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Put everything in a blender and run until onion disappears. Store in a container w/tight lid in the fridge.


Chipotle Sauce
Ingredients:
3/4 cup mayo
3 chipotle chilies canned in adobo
2 tbsp Dana's No-Sugar Ketchup

Directions:
1. Measure mayo and ketchup into a bowl.
2. Chop up the chipotles quite fine and mix into mayo/ketchup sauce.

Chipotle Burgers
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
6 chipotle chilies canned in adobo sauce
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, sliced

Directions:
1. Mix everything but the cheese in a big bowl and form into 6 big burgers (or however many you want).
2. Let the burgers chill for an hour in the fridge (it makes them easier to handle).
3. Grill on medium heat until done (approx 7-10 minutes per side).
4. Put on the cheese to let melt and then serve with the chipotle sauce on top.

This recipe was from Dana Carpender's LC Barbecue book.

Steakhouse Southwestern Steak with Guacamole

So, what do you do when you have some nice steaks ready to grill and it starts raining outside? Well, you make them inside. Here's a very simple way to make some excellent steaks inside in the oven (no, not baked steaks) with a nice guacamole to serve with it.

Steak Ingredients:
4 well marbled steaks 1" to 1 1/2" thick (Rib-Eye, NY Strip, etc)
Olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Blackened Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper

Steak Directions:
Take the steaks and put them on a greased broiler pan.
2. Brush on or rub in the olive oil on both sides.
3. Season the steaks as you desire. I like the combination of flavors as listed above. Use what you like.
4. Put the broiler rack as close to the broiler as you can so when you put the steaks in, they are 1/2" or less from the top broiler. I put my broiler pan on top of a second one to get it close enough.
5. Broil 1" steak on high for 4 minutes for a medium steak. More time for more well done, less time for rare. Also, take into account the thickness of the steak. More time for thicker ones, less time for thinner ones. Keep the oven door cracked open a bit when broiling as it will smoke.
6. When the first side is done, flip the steaks, touch up the oil and seasoning if you wish, and cook for 4 more minutes.
7. Take out the steak and let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.


Guacamole Ingredients:
4 whole, ripe Avocados
2 tbsp medium sweet onion or 1 medium scallion, diced very small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp of lime juice

Guacamole Directions:
1. Peel and pit the avocados and put them in a large mixing bowl.
2. Smash up with a fork.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients.
4. Mix well.

Serve the steak with Guacamole on top and you have a wonderful meal.

This recipe is based on one from Dana Carpenders 501 LC Recipe book.

Green Salsa Chicken Breasts

Here's an excellent meal that tastes a bit like a combination of chicken taco salad and a kind of soup. Very simple yet tasty.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2-3 tbsp butter/oil

2 2/3 cups green salsa

1 cup chicken stock

3 garlic cloves, finely diced

3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 fresh green chili or other pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 cup sour cream

romaine lettuce leaves, shredded

3-5 scallions, finely chopped

coarsely chopped cilantro

salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Season the chicken w/salt and pepper.

2. Melt butter and/or oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken breasts. Cook until they are browned, but not cooked through as they will finish cooking later in the sauce.

3. Remove chicken from the pan and reserve.

4. Place salsa, stock, garlic, cilantro, chili (or hot peppers), and cumin in a pan and bring to a boil. Quickly reduce to a low simmer and add the chicken back in, spooning the sauce over the chicken.

5. Serve the chicken on a bed of lettuce and topped with sour cream, scallions, and cilantro if desired.

I changed it up a bit and put the scallions in the sauce and didn't top with any scallions or cilantro. Instead, I just topped with sour cream, some chipotle seasoning, mozzarella cheese, and some green Tabasco sauce. The sauce doesn't have much kick, so it could use a bit more.

Recipe was from the Greatest Ever LC Recipe Book. (It's not actually the greatest ever, that's just the name.) :o)

Grilled Chicken with Marinade

I know this chicken is a bit close to the Greek Roasted chicken recipe, but I tweaked it a bit and enjoyed the change.

Ingredients:
1 Cut-up Chicken (or whatever you want to grill)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic

Directions:
1. Mix marinade ingredients and put in a 1 gallon zip-lock bag with the chicken.
2. Let marinade as long as you want. I prefer letting it go overnight.
3. Grill the chicken and enjoy.

I've added a salad and cottage cheese to round out the meal.

Hamburgers and Veggies

Well, this is probably the least technical and defined recipe I've posted yet. I just wing it and it turns out pretty good.

Ingredients:
Green Peppers
Red Peppers
Onions
Zucchini
Butter
Ground Beef
Worcestershire Sauce
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Garlic Powder
Seasoned Salt (The stuff I made here)
Blackened Seasoning
Black Pepper

Directions:
1. Saute Onions, Peppers, and Zucchini in Butter until yummy.
2. Mix the Ground beef, W. Sauce, a hand full of the shredded cheddar cheese, garlic powder, seasoned salt, blackened seasoning, and black pepper together and make burgers.
3. Grill the Burgers. (I usually sear them over high heat, then finish over medium or indirect.)
4. Put on plate, top with whatever you want and enjoy.

Beef Bourguignon

Here's a great crock-pot/slow cooker meal. Takes about 15 minutes to prep, 8 hours to cook, and is fantastic. It's similar to the Beef Burgundy we had made before but was much better.

Ingredients:
8 pieces of bacon, chopped
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
2 10 oz packages mushrooms, quartered (we didn't have fresh, so used canned instead)
1 1/2 tsp celery salt
2 lbs beef stew meat (or any other meat that is good in a slow cooker)
1 lb bag frozen pearl onions, thawed

Directions:
1. Add first 10 ingredients (bacon through tapioca) to the crock pot and mix well.
2. Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and brown the mushrooms and celery salt. Drain mushrooms and add to slow cooker.
3. Add remaining olive oil and brown the beef in the oil.
4. Add the beef and onions to the slow cooker and mix well.
5. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours, stir well, then cook for another hour. Remove bay leaf just before serving.

This recipe was from The Everyday LC Slow Cooker Cookbook

Seriously Spicy Citrus Chicken

Wow, here's a nice simple dish that is very tasty and has a huge kick. Unless you like lots of heat, cut the red pepper flakes down to probably 1/3 of what they call for. It will still be spicy, but won't melt your mouth.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 tsp garlic, minced
4 tsp grated gingerroot
1/4 cup Splenda (skipped this ingredient)
4 scallions, finely diced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions:
1. Cut chicken into 4 servings (or however many you are making) and saute in the olive oil over medium-high heat with a tilted lid.
2. While Sauteing, mix the lime juice, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, garlic, gingerroot, and Splenda (if using).
3. After the chicken has browned (about 4-5 minutes per side), add the mixture to the skillet, turning the chicken to coat both sides.
4. Saute for another 2-3 minutes per side or until chicken is done.
5. Place chicken on plates, pour mixture over top of chicken and scatter scallions and cilantro over each portion.

This recipe was from Dana Carpenders 15 Minute LC recipe book

Casual Chan's Special

This was an interesting take on sloppy joes, done Asian style. I was missing the bean sprouts, but it still tasted very good. Sorry for the fuzzy photo, but they didn't turn out very well.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 tbsp oil
4 scallions, sliced
2 cups bean sprouts
4 eggs
1 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos (Soy Sauce) * Note, I used 1 tbsp instead of 1 tsp and it was good.
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Garlic Powder - to taste

Directions:
1. Brown the beef in the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. As it is browning, slice up scallions, measure out sprouts, and whisk together eggs and Braggs.
3. When the beef is browned, add in the scallions and sprouts and stir for about a minute. Not too long though as the sprouts need to stay firm.
4. Add eggs and soy sauce and scramble until set.
5. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

This recipe was based off one from Dana Carpenders 15 Minute LC Recipe book.

Eye Round Steaks with Onion-Cream Gravy

We usually buy some eye of round steaks as they are fairly cheap and I have never found a great way to use them. Here's a new recipe I found in a Steak Cookbook. Very simple, yet very good.

Ingredients:
4 eye of round steaks (about 5 oz each)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, large diced
1 sprig fresh oregano or 1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp white pepper (I used Szechuan roasted pepper and salt blend)
pinch of cayenne, to taste
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
pinch of salt, to taste
1 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, minced (Optional)

Directions:
1. Pat steaks dry and coat with oil.
2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
3. Cook onion until soft (about 4 minutes), then add oregano and wine, raise to medium heat and simmer until wine is nearly gone(4-5 minutes).
4. Add cream and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute, then stir in vinegar, pepper, cayenne, and mustard.
5. Transfer mixture to blender (or magic bullet) and process for 30 seconds, then pour into saucepan and season with more salt and cayenne if desired. Set Aside
6. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steaks after it is hot and cook until seared and crusted (about 2 minutes) Turn steaks and season wtih salt if desired. Cook 2 more minutes (for medium-rare).
7. Transfer steaks to cutting board to let them rest while re-heating the sauce.
8. Divide sauce among 4 plates and top with either the whole steaks or cut the steaks into 1/2 " thick slices.
9. Top with parsley if desired.

This recipe is from the Steak Lover's Cookbook by William Rice. A very good book that talks through different cuts of meat and the best way to prepare them.

Beef Burgundy

A very simple meal to just throw in the oven and let it cook for a while on it's own.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds boneless beef cut into 2" squares (I used 1 lb chuck and 1 lb eye of round)
1 cup dry red wine
3/4 tsp guar or xanthan
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 large onion, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, chunked if they are large
2 green peppers, sliced or chunked

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 250
2. Put oil in heavy skillet and brown the beef over medium-high heat.
3. Put beef in 2 1/2 quart casserole dish
4. Combine wine and guar/xanthan in a blender for about 10 seconds then pour over beef.
5. Add salt, paprika, oregano, onion, mushrooms, and peppers and stir together.
6. Cover and put in the oven for about 5 hours.

A few things I might change on it would be to cut back on the xanthan, add in some black pepper and garlic. Also, I cooked mine at 300 for 4 1/2 hours and it turned out fine.

This recipe was from Dana Carpenders 500 LC recipe book.

Chocolate Milk

Well, I know you can buy chocolate milk in the store, but have you looked at the sugar content? Same thing if you buy syrup or powder to make your own. This is my version of it. It doesn't taste the same, but if you like cocoa (like I do) and like creamy goodness (again, which I do), then this is a great alternative. Notice the nice foamy head on the chocolate milk and also notice the wonderful glass that it's in. :o) Of course I have to show off my birthday present from my kids (and it's a great excuse to remind all football fans that that Packers are the best team in the NFL).

Ingredients:
8 oz unsweetened coconut milk (I like So Delicious brand Unsweetened)
4 oz heavy whipping cream
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:
1. Mix in blender and enjoy.

I guess if you want to, you could add some fake sugar (stevia, splenda, or any of the knock-off that are out there today) and it would taste more like the sugary stuff you are used to. I prefer the cocoa-y creamy taste w/out the sugar (real or fake).

Parmesan Chicken Breasts

I'm going through a new cookbook (another of Dana Carpenders) which are all 15 minute recipes. Here's a nice quick idea with very few ingredients, yet it was very yummy.

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (the cheap stuff in the green can)
4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
2 eggs
2 oz heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp butter

Directions:
1. Flatten the chicken breasts to about 1/4" thick and cut into about 6 portions.
2. Combine cheese with oregano, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper and put on a plate.
3. Combine the eggs and heavy whipping cream and mix well in a bowl.
4. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat.
5. Dip the chicken in the egg wash, fully coat the chicken with the cheese mixture, then saute for 3-5 minutes per side in the butter.

If you like, you can also make a simple gravy to pour over the top. Making sure the burner is on low, pour some heavy whipping cream into the pan used for sauteing the chicken breasts and stir together with the butter, leftover cheese crumbles, and bits of chicken in the pan. Makes a very tasty gravy.

This recipe was from Dana Carpenders 15 Minute LC Recipe books.

Pizza and Poppers

Pizza and Poppers??? Yep, Pizza and Poppers. It's the best Pizza I have ever made and some of the best I've had (outside of my moms and Teds, of course). My jalapeños were too big and I didn't get all the seeds out, but the poppers were good too.

Pizza Ingredients:
3 eggs
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 tbsp tomato sauce
+ whatever you want for toppings (We used more mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, and Canadian bacon.)

Directions:
1. Combine mozzarella cheese, eggs, garlic powder, and basil in a bowl and mix very well.
2. Press evenly onto a non-stick (or Pam sprayed) pizza pan or cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 450 until golden brown (about 10 to 15 minutes).
4. Remove the crust from the oven.
5. Spread on the tomato sauce.
6. Add the rest of your toppings.
7. Put pizza under the broiler and broil until cheese is melted and toppings are cooked to your desired done-ness.

Jalapeño Popper Ingredients:
Jalapeño peppers
cream cheese
bacon

Directions:
1. Cut the peppers open and take out the seeds.
2. Fill the peppers with cream cheese (I found some Roka Blue Cream Cheese that was amazing).
3. Wrap the peppers with bacon.
4. Cook the poppers either on the grill or broil them until the bacon is done and the peppers are a bit soft.

The peppers I used were too big, but they didn't have any smaller ones when I was shopping for them.

Both of these recipes were ones I had found online posted by people who pulled them from other people. Not sure who originally came up with the recipe.

Greek Roasted Chicken

This is a very simple chicken recipe/marinade that makes the chicken taste like the stuff you get at a small town fair or at a small carnival/festival put on by local groups like the Lions Club or Snowmobile Club (for you northerners). Not sure why, but it really reminds me of that. Note that it needs up to a day for marinading.

Ingredients:
3-4 pounds of chicken (cut-up, split, whole, whatever you want)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Wash chicken and pat dry.
2. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and stir in together.
3. For a whole chicken, rub all over the chicken, including in the cavity. For chicken parts, put in a zip lock bag and pour in marinade.
4. Let sit in a fridge for at least an hour, up to a day. The longer it sits, the better the flavor.
5. One hour before cooking, take chicken out of the bag and let sit.
6. Grill, bake, or broil the chicken as you desire. I prefer to slow grill it.

To slow grill chicken:
1. Heat 1/2 the grill (with charcoals on one side or 1/2 the gas burners turned off).
2. Sear the chicken for 3-5 minutes per side directly over the high heat.
3. Move the chicken to the indirect side, turn heat down a bit, and let sit for about 20 minutes per side, flipping once.
4. After about 10 minutes of high heat and 40 minutes of low heat it will be about done.
5. If you want to crisp up the skin, turn up to high again and put directly over the heat for a minute or two per side.

Overall it was a very easy meal, yet very tasty.

This recipe was based on one from Dana Carpenders 500 LC Recipes

Garlic & Lime Pork Chops

A wonderful marinade for pork chops that give them a bit of a kick and some very good flavor. We used some very thin pork chops and it was ready in about 5 minutes.

Ingredients:
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp soy sauce (Braggs Liquid Aminos)
2 tbsp fresh gingerroot, peeled and grated
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup lime juice
4 oz olive oil
1/2 hot chili pepper, finely diced
8 pork chops

Directions:
1. Combine the garlic, Braggs (soy sauce), gingerroot,Dijon mustard, lime juice, oil, and chili pepper into a zip lock bag.
2. Add pork chops and let marinade up to a day. The longer the better.
3. Remove Pork Chops and grill (or broil).
4. If you want, you can boil the marinade and use as a sauce on top, but ours was wonderful just off the grill.

This recipe was based off of one in Gillespe's 501 Recipes for LC Life cookbook.

Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters and Sauteed Zucchini and Onions

What do you do when you don't feel like prepping anything? Weber to the rescue. Here's a couple very simple ideas that combine for a very yummy meal.

Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters

Ingredients:
Chicken Leg Quarters
Olive Oil
Homemade Seasoned Salt (Recipe)

Directions:
1. Preheat the grill to about 350
2. Brush the chicken leg quarters with the olive oil.
3. Sprinkle on the seasoned salt.
4. Turn off 1/2 the burners (or move the charcoal to one side) and put the chicken on the side that is on/heating for about 3-5 minutes per side. Enough to crisp up the outside a bit.
5. Move the chicken to the side that is turned off/not heating for about 20 minutes per side.
6. Cook until the chicken is about 165-170 degrees and the juices are running clear.

Sauteed Zucchini and Onions

Ingredients:
Zucchini
Onions
Butter

Directions:
1. Slice up the Zucchini and Onions.
2. Put the Zucchini and Onions in a pan with the butter.
3. Saute until they are nice and golden brown.

It's easy to make up the Sauteed Zucchini and Onions while the chicken is grilling.

Homemade Seasoned Salt

We recently ran out of seasoned salt at home and so instead of going to buy more, we decided to make our own without sugar in it. Here's the basic starter information.

Ingredients:
6 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp celery salt.

Direction:
1. Mix all ingredients together. You can use a food processor on low or anything to mix it up.

It's really quite simple and you can change it to whatever you like. It was a bit salty for us (probably because I used larger chunk Kosher salt), so I may cut back on the salt or else increase the other ingredients. I may also add things like ginger, Cayenne pepper, a bit of citrus flavor, and other things like that to round out the taste a bit more.

Zucchini Meat Loaf Italiano

A nice simple twist on meatloaf. So good that no sauce was needed on it.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium zucchini, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1 egg
3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the zucchini, onion, and garlic for 7-8 minutes
3. Let the veggies cool, then dump into a big bowl with the beef, parsley, egg, cheese, salt, and pepper.
4. Mix very throughly.
5. Take the mixture and put into a loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 75 to 90 minutes. (Ours was 75 minutes, very moist, but done through).
7. Serve and enjoy!!!

Another great recipe from Dana Carpender's 500 LC Recipes

Pork Chops and Gorgonzola Butter

Wow. This is a very simple recipe, but the Gorgonzola butter is some of the best butter I have ever had. It would go amazing on any kind of pork, beef, or lamb steak or chop. Just some great flavor.

This recipe is based on one in Gillespie's 501 Recipe book, but is quite different. I used pork chops instead of veal, broiled instead of baked, and Gorgonzola instead of Roquefort cheese. I also changed the ratios up a bit. I'm putting what I used instead of what's in the book.

Ingredients:
8 oz butter (melted)
4 oz Gorgonzola cheese crumbled
1 clove garlic, crushed
Few dashes of Hot Sauce (Tabasco Habanero is what we used)
1/2 bunch parsley, leaves only
8 (4 oz) boneless pork chops
Olive Oil
Seasonings to taste on the pork chops

Butter Directions:
1. Blanch the parsley leaves in boiling water for 5 seconds. Then let refresh in cold water. Dry and then chop coarsely. (I don't know what this step does, but I did it. If anyone can explain, that would be great).
2. Melt butter a bit so it is super soft and and put in the garlic, few drops of the hot sauce (to taste), and 2 oz of the Gorgonzola.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Mix in the parsley and the rest of the Gorgonzola.
5. I used my blender to re-mix everything. That made the parsley much smaller and the butter a bit smoother, but you don't need to do that, you can just mix by hand.
6. Put in the refrigerator to cool and harden.


Pork Chop Directions:
1. Brush the pork chops with oil on both sides.
2. Season both sides with your choice of seasoning. (My favorite blend is black pepper, garlic powder, seasoned salt, and blackened seasoning. It makes a wonderful combination).
3. Broil on high for about 5-7 minutes per side.
4. Take out the pork chops and let rest for a few minutes.


Serving:
1. Take the pork chops and serve on a plate.
2. Take the Gorgonzola butter and slice off some for each pork chop.
3. Enjoy!!!!

Skillet Stroganoff and Roasted Asparagus

Here's a nice simple recipe for making skillet stroganoff and a side of roasted asparagus. My family loved it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound ground beef (80)
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
4 oz can of sliced mushrooms (I'm sure fresh would work)
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp concentrated beef broth (I used 1/16 tsp of bullion granules)

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, brown the meat and add in the diced onion and garlic.
2. Once everything is browned, add in the mushrooms, worcestershire sauce, paprika, sour cream, and beef broth. I didn't have any concentrated beef broth so I put in 1/16th of a tsp of the granules.
3. Season to taste as it is finishing and enjoy.

Ingredients:
Bunch of Asparagus
Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Other seasonings you like

Directions
1. Add asparagus to pan.
2. Pour on olive oil and sprinkle on garlic powder to taste.
3. Add on any additional seasonings (we've used different combinations of things like blackened seasoning, seasoned salt, Parmesan cheese, etc).
4. Broil until the asparagus is done, turning the asparagus once about 1o-20 minutes in (depending on thickness of asparagus).