Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Fig and Chile-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

We tried this quick recipe, originally from Cooking Light Magazine, the other day. I used the fig preserves that I had in the fruit cellar. The resulting dish was amazing! The chile heat is quite mild, in fact, I would consider doubling the amount for a more pronounced 'zing'.

This recipe serves 8. I used the leftovers for an amazing fig and pork tenderloin quesadilla. YUM

Enjoy!

Fig and Chile-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

1/2 cup fig preserves
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
Fresh chives, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)

Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Combine preserves, vinegar, chile paste, soy sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring with a whisk.

Sprinkle pork with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 18 minutes or until thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink), turning occasionally and basting frequently with fig mixture. Garnish with fresh chives, if desired.

CALORIES 193(18% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.4g); IRON 1.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 11mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14g; SODIUM 274mg; PROTEIN 24g; FIBER 0.3g

Grilled Lamb Burger Roll-Ups

Last year we tried grilling lamb burgers for the first time - we were struck with what an amazing change they made from the normal beef variety. These burger roll-ups have the great Mediterranean tastes - oregano, garlic, lamb, olives, and humus. I think that Paul was actually purring when he dug in to his; he wanted a second but also wanted to preserve some leftovers for later.

This recipe was in the 2001 Better Homes and Gardens Simple Perfect Grillingmagazine. While you'll love the flavour of these you'll also love the fact that you can get them ready in 30 minutes - start to finish. This fact alone makes them perfect for a busy summer weeknight meal.

In my roll ups I used baby spinach. I also used low-fat tortillas (I don't even know what cracker bread is!) I also discovered that my olives had been eaten by a mad olive fiend - I debated popping out the store for the one ingredient but that seemed like such a waste of gas (when gas is $ 1.35 a litre) so I used roasted red peppers. YUM

Grilled Lamb Burger Roll-Ups

1 beaten egg
3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound lean ground lamb
2 14- to 15-inch soft cracker bread rounds or four 7- to 8-inch flour tortillas
1/3 cup prepared hummus (garbanzo bean spread)
4 cups torn spinach or red-tipped leaf lettuce
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons sliced pitted kalamata or ripe olives

In a large bowl combine egg, bread crumbs, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon water. Add lamb; mix well. Form into eight 4-inch-long logs.

Grill lamb on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 14 to 18 minutes or until lamb is no longer pink, turning once.

Meanwhile, spread the cracker bread or tortillas with hummus. Sprinkle with spinach or lettuce, feta cheese, and olives. If using cracker bread, place 4 lamb pieces, end to end, near an edge of each round. Roll up, beginning with edge closest to lamb. Slice each roll-up diagonally in fourths. (If using tortillas, place 2 lamb pieces, end to end, on each tortilla. Roll up. Slice each roll-up diagonally in half.) Makes 4 servings.

Shrimp Gyros with Herbed Yoghurt Spread

This was another of those quick, light meals that seems perfect for the summertime. The recipe (originally from Southern Living Magazine- July 2002) suggests that the wraps can be made ahead of time, wrapped in parchment paper, refrigerated and later served cold. Conversely, you can make them and serve them warm.  In the interest of blog-related research we enjoyed them both hot and cold - they were wonderful either way!

Be careful not to over-marinade the shrimp. Shrimp does not need to marinade for long at all or the taste of the marinade completely overwhelms the sweet tasting shrimp.

I 'lightened' up the recipe by using low-fat yoghurt, other than that there is little that needed to be changed to make this 'diet' ready.

Wondering about the origin of the word gyro?

Almost every culture has its own version of 'fast food', and in Greece that honor goes to the gyro sandwich. A gyro sandwich (pronounced YEER-oh) consists of various rotisseried meats, salad vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce and onions, along with a yogurt-based tzatziki sauce. These ingredients are placed on a hearty form of grilled pita bread and served as a wrap sandwich.

Traditionally a gyro would not be made with shrimp but this 'tweak' works as far as we were concerned!

Enjoy . . . .

Shrimp Gyros with Herbed Yoghurt Spread

1 1/2 pounds unpeeled, medium-size fresh shrimp
2 tablespoons Greek seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 (12-inch) wooden skewers
4 (8-inch) pita rounds or gyro rounds
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, thinly sliced

Yoghurt Sauce

1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients; chill until ready to serve or up to 6 hours.

Peel and clean the shrimp.

Combine greek seasoning and olive oil in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add shrimp. Seal and chill 30 minutes.

Soak skewers in water 30 minutes while shrimp marinates; thread shrimp onto skewers.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium heat (300° to 350°) about 5 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink.

Wrap each pita round in a damp cloth; microwave at HIGH 10 to 15 seconds or until soft. Spread 1 side of each pita round with Herbed Yogurt Spread. Top evenly with shrimp, cheese, tomato, and cucumber; roll up.

 

Chicken Blueberry Salad

With all of that has been going on here lately dinner has had to be quick and easy. This salad seemed to fit the bill. The asian inspired dessing comes together quickly, most is used to marinade the chicken but some is set aside to serve as the salad dressing.

I was curious to see what the addition of the blueberries would do to the salad. For some reason the thought of blueberries mixed in with the veggies and chicken with the asian marinade/dressing just seemed odd. Odd no, it worked quite nicely. Next time I make this I think I would add some crumbled goat cheese to add a bit of texture contrast.

We served the salad with some toasted pita bread cut into points.

Chicken Blueberry Salad

Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons minced  fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped 
1 cup shredded carrot
4 cups mixed salad greens
1 cups fresh blueberries, washed and picked through

In a medium bowl mix together the oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts in a resealable plastic bag, pour half of the vinegar mixture over the chicken breasts. Press the air out of the bag and seal. Turn the bag over several times to distribute the marinade, Place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Preheat grill to 450 degrees.

Remove chicken from marinade-discard used marinade. Grill chicken for 4 - 5 minutes on each side, checking to make sure chicken is done and no pink is remaining inside deepest part of meat. Cut into thin slices.

Mix together the greens, celery, onion, peppers, carrots and blueberries. Toss together with the reserved vinegar mixture. Divide amongst four plates, arrange the sliced chicken on top.

Spicy Shrimp and Chorizo Kebabs

When I saw this recipe (delivered to my e-mail box via Food and Wine Magazine) I thought that it looked interesting. The combinations of flavours intrigued me. The mixture of the sweet shrimp and spicy chorizo was a ying yang sort of combination. I decided to give it a whirl - all I had to do was to find some fresh chorizo sausage which wasn't easy here in Canada without the Latin American influence that our friends to the south have.

The superfast, supertasty marinade for the shrimp, flavored with caraway seeds and ancho powder, would also be delicious with chicken, pork tenderloin and any kind of steak. I was a little concerned about the caraway seeds - this seemed like an odd addition, but it worked. Now these are entitled spicy shrimp and chorizo kebabs and spicy they are. If you like you food less spicy you might want to cut back a bit on the chili althogh we loved them as they were!

I have served these for a dinner main course and also as an appetizer to start off a dinner of food, drink, and laughter. Everyone seems to love them. I like making this recipe because it is so fast - making it great for a weeknight dinner.

Spicy Shrimp and Chorizo Kebabs

2 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoons pure chile powder, such as ancho
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined
8 small chorizo (about 1/2 pound total), sliced 1/2 inch thick

On a cutting board, using the flat side of a chef's knife, mash the garlic and salt to a coarse paste. Add the caraway seeds and finely chop them. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the chile powder and olive oil. Add the shrimp and toss to coat.

Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the chorizo and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Let cool slightly.

Tuck a chorizo slice in the crook of a shrimp and thread onto a skewer; the shrimp should be attached at both ends. Push it to the end of the skewer and repeat with 2 more shrimp and chorizo slices. Using more skewers, repeat with the remaining shrimp and chorizo.

Grill the kebabs over a hot fire, turning once or twice, until charred and the shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately

Italian Sausage Burgers

Like when I made the Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Thyme I was a wee bit confused about the origins of this recipe. I found it in a 'magazine' cookbook I picked up in the summer of 2006 . . . Weber's Simple Summer Grilling. This book is a favourite of mine because the recipes are quick and easy to pull together. When I was getting ready to write this post I googled the recipe (because it is far easier to copy and paste rather than type it all in) and the only hit was from the Cooking Light site. To whom should I give the credit?

When I investigated further I found that the Weber magazine was published by the same company that owned Cooking Light. I guess when you publish the magazine you can republish at will and provide no credit. Hmmm

These messy, robust burgers are just as delicious and satisfying as a meatball sub. As the magazine swore - they were easy to make and came together quickly. Paul loved them, in fact he loved them so much he ate two!

Hint: to remove sausage from its casing, cut the casing lengthwise with kitchen scissors.

Italian Sausage Burgers

Cooking spray
4 cups red bell pepper strips
2 cups green bell pepper strips
2 cups vertically sliced onion
1 1/2 cups fat-free Italian herb pasta sauce (such as Muir Glen)
12 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage
12 ounces ground turkey breast
6 (2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese

Prepare grill or broiler.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and onion; sauté 10 minutes. Add pasta sauce, and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Keep warm.

Remove casings from sausage. Combine sausage and turkey in a large bowl. Divide mixture into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

Place patties on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done.

Place 1 patty on bottom half of each hamburger bun; top each patty with 2/3 cup bell pepper mixture, 2 tablespoons cheese, and top half of each hamburger bun.

Yield 6 burgers

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 428 (27% from fat); FAT 13g (sat 4.6g,mono 3.9g,poly 2.4g); IRON 4.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 93mg; CALCIUM 233mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.1g; SODIUM 860mg; PROTEIN 34.7g; FIBER 5.6g

Lorrie Hulston Corvin ,

Cooking Light, JULY 2002

Pizza on the Grill

One of my favourite things to make on the grill is pizza - it produces a crisp crust reminiscent of the thin crust pizzas made in wood burning ovens.

You can use a ball of store bought dough or you can make your own. My current 'favourite' pizza dough is a recipe by Emily Richards. It makes a soft dough that is very pliable and easy to spread - always a plus in my book.

Homemade Pizza Dough

pinch sugar
2/3 cup warm water
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the water. Sprinkle with yeast and let stand for about 10 minutes or until frothy.

Whisk in oil and salt. Stir in the flour.

Scrape out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough 'comes together'.

Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

Knead again on the floured surface until a smooth dough forms.

Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour or until doubled in bulk.

Tonight I decided to make four pizzas. I heated the grill to high. While it was heating I cut the dough into four pieces. I spread each piece of dough into a rough circular shape (raking care not to tear it or spread it too thinly) on parchment paper that had been lightly greased with olive oil.  I lightly greased the top of the dough with olive oil as well.

When the grill was ready to go I just picked up the parchment paper and turned the dough onto the grill with the parchment paper on top. I then peeled the parchment paper off. I was able to do two pizzas at a time. I covered the BBQ and cooked the dough until it was lightly browned (about 5 minutes).

When the one side done I took the half cooked shell off of the grill and put the non-browned side down on a baking sheet.

I placed the uncooked side down on baking sheets and put the toppings on the cooked side.

Tonight we made four types. The first received sun-dried tomato pesto, sliced pepperoni, mushrooms and an Italian grated cheese blend. The second sun-dried tomato pesto, prosciutto, thinly sliced fresh pineapple, and Italian grated cheese blend. The third BBQ sauce, cooked chicken breast, sliced green onions, bacon, and cheddar cheese. The final one was Paul's creation. It was dressed with a garlic olive oil, cooked chicken breast, roasted pepper, black olives, halved grape tomatoes, and feta cheese.

Back out to the grill they went. This time I used a large metal BBQ flipper to lift the pizzas on to the grill. After closing the lid I cooked them for about 7 minutes, checking periodically to make sure that they were not burning.

The finished product:

YUM!

Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Thyme

This is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging round up. This blogging event was started by Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. The round up is hosted this week by Joanna from Joanna's Food - be sure to pop by to see what other bloggers have come up with. It has been about 7 weeks since I've participated with WWB what with preparing for vacation, vacation, and returning from vacation!

I was a wee bit confused about the origins of this recipe. I found it in a 'magazine' cookbook I picked up in the summer of 2006 Weber's Simple Summer Grilling. This book is a favourite of mine because the recipes are quick and easy to pull together. When I was getting ready to write this post I googled the recipe (because it is far easy to copy and paste rather than type it all in) and the only hit was from the Cooking Light site. To whom should I give the credit?

When I investigated further I found that the Weber magazine was published by the same company that owned Cooking Light. I guess when you publish the magazine you can republish at will and provide no credit. Hmmm

While this recipe isn't quick (it requires two hours of marinating - causing me to leave work early one day in order to get it in the marinade in time) it is simple. Take th marinading out and the cooking time is about 15 minutes. That is simple!

Lemon and thyme is a classic combination - most often paired with chicken or fish. To me the flavours remind me of the Mediterranean region - fresh, subtle, yet complex.

We served this with grilled asparagus and an orzo salad. It was the perfect summer meal (even if summer doesn't start until tomorrow).

Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Thyme

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
16 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray

Place first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag. Chill 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill or broiler.

Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done.

Yield: 

8 servings (serving size: 2 thighs)

CALORIES 212 (30% from fat); FAT 7.1g (sat 1.6g,mono 2.9g,poly 1.5g); IRON 1.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 115mg; CALCIUM 23mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.8g; SODIUM 266mg; PROTEIN 27.4g; FIBER 0.4g

Grilled Tuna with Tropical Salsa

This recipe is from one of our favourite cookbooks Eat Shrink & Be Merry by the fabulous Podleski sisters. As I have mentioned before my only complaint with the book is the hokey names for the recipes. This one was called Buoy Meets Grill  . . . frankly I decided to rename it for this blog. I am sure that Bobby Flay ('star' of the cooking show Boy Meets Grill) is quite pleased at that.

Essentially what you are looking at here is a grilled tuna steak which is marinated in an asian inspired marinade . . more tangy than a teriyaki sauce and really delicious. It was quick to pull together and extremely tasty. When I make this again I will add a jalepeno pepper to the salsa because I like a wee bit o' heat with my fruit salsa. I also caution you to watch the steak carefully - in the past I have overcooked tuna on the BBQ and well done tuna just isn't a great sight to see.

I was out of green peppers so I used a yellow one I had in the refrigerator. It was fine but the salsa lacked the colour contrast that it should have had.

Grilled Tuna with Tropical Salsa

Marinade
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp grated gingerroot
1 tsp grated lemon zest

4 boneless, skimless tuna steaks (about 5oz each)

Salsa
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1 cup diced fresh mango
1/4 cup each minced red onions, minced red bell pepper, and minced green bell pepper
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tbsp freshly squeezeed lime juice
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place tuna steaks in a large, heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Add marinade and seal bag. Turn bag several times to coat tuna with marinade, and pop in the fridge for an hour.

Combine all salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat grill to high setting. Remove tuna from marinade and reserve marinade. Place tuna steaks on a grill rack that has been coated with cooking spray or lightly brushed with oil. Grill for about 4 min per side, basting generously with the reserved marinade. Tuna should still be slightly pink in the centre. Overcooked tuna is very dry, so keep your eye on it.

Spoon salsa over hot tuna and serve immediately!

This recipe has 263 calories per serving. The total fat is 1.6 g.

Grilled Halibut with Garlic Cilantro Lime Sauce

This recipe was originally posted by the incredible Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen. I was looking for a recipe for grilled mahi mahi and found this one instead. We had halibut in the freezer and lots of cilantro in the fridge so it seemed like a great choice.

Up until about two years ago the only halibut I would have eaten would have been covered with an inch of crisp fried batter. Lately though, I have been trying to explore more fish because of its health benefits. I was shocked to discover that I actually enjoy fish - who knew it would taste better than those fish bricks mom used to bake us up in the toaster over as a child (damn that Captain highliner all to heck!)

This dish is fresh tasting - just what I needed last night as I continue to struggle with returning to work after a long absence. I wonder if I shall always be heading for bed at 9:30?

Grilled Halibut with Garlic Cilantro Sauce

halibut fillets or steaks, 1 per person
Sauce:
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup chicken stock (or use a combination of chicken stock and white wine)
2 tsp. lime zest (from 2 limes)
juice of 2 limes (2-3 T or more)
4 T olive oil
3 T very finely chopped fresh cilantro (or more, I used about 1/2 cup - we LOVE cilantro)

Saute garlic in a small amount of olive oil for two minutes. Add chicken stock and lime zest and simmer about ten minutes, until stock is slightly reduced. Stir in lime juice and olive oil and heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in cilantro and cook 1 minute more.

Brush fish on both sides with sauce and let marinate 15 minutes while you pre-heat gas or charcoal grill to high heat. (For fish, I spray my grill with nonstick spray before I start heating it.) Grill fish until firm, but not hard, to the touch, about 5 minutes per side.

To get nice grill marks, lay fish on a diagonal to grill slats, then rotate after about 3 minutes cooking time on the first side. Serve fish hot with additional sauce spooned over each piece of fish.