Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Lemon

Since it's summer, I've been so preoccupied with having fun and going out to eat that we haven't been home to make many meals!  This one was a really simple one and turned out delicious!  We had a few people over and it was a nice day out, so chicken and grill to the rescue!

I made this recipe using all ingredients that I had on hand.  I always have individually frozen chicken breasts in the freezer because they're so versatile and healthy.  Just pop them in the fridge the night before you need them and they're all thawed out whenever you need them!

Fresh herbs, bright lemon flavor and a touch of sweetness make this recipe perfect for summer!

This is so easy and delicious.

Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Lemon

Ingredients: (serves 8)
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenderized
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp poultry seasoning
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 6 cloves garlic, minced into a paste (so it doesn't burn on the grill)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 lemon, zested (use the same lemon that you're juicing)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
- Place chicken breasts in a baking dish to marinate
- Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides
- Mix all other ingredients in a bowl; pour over chicken
- Marinate for 30 minutes or longer if you have time
- Grill chicken until it's cooked through (about 6 minutes on each side)
- Baste chicken liberally with leftover marinade while grilling

Happy grilling!!

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

Here is a really fast and simple way to jazz up shrimp!  Italian seasoning, fresh parsley and a grill make this a healthy go to for hot summer days!

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients (serves 2):
- 10-12 medium or large shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined*
- 3 tbsp lite Italian dressing (use whatever you like here!)
- 1 tsp very finely minced parsley
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning (I buy the Italian seasoning grinder and find that the flavor is much better when you grind them fresh)
- Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

*I only had pre-cooked shrimp on hand, so I reduced the cooking time.  No one wants to eat a rubbery shrimp.

Preparation:
- Whisk together all ingredients except shrimp in a bowl
- Toss in shrimp and coat well; let sit on counter for 10-15 minutes

- Thread shrimp onto a skewer for easy grilling

- Pour remaining marinade over shrimp skewer
- Throw on the grill for 2-3 minutes per side; basting with remaining marinade as they cook

Enjoy!

Burgers with Balsamic Red Spring Onions

This week, I am featuring an ingredient I've never used before.

Red spring onions....aren't they gorgeous?

What to do with these locally grown beauties?

Well, I had taken some lean ground beef out of the freezer the day before and was looking for some inspiration to use it.  I came up with this burger recipe, which actually uses both the stem and the bulb in different forms!

Burgers with Balsamic Red Spring Onions

SO easy to make.

For the Burger (makes 4 servings):
- 1lb lean ground beef
- 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise (I call this "moisture insurance")
- Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste
- 4 slices of your favorite cheese to melt on top (we used swiss, which melts REALLY well)

Burger Preparation:
- Mix all ingredients together but be careful not to overmix

- Form into 4 evenly-sized patties (I made 3 this time because my audience was extra hungry- this should make 4 servings)

- Close-up of those fresh green onions

- We chose French baguette because we had some leftover from the day before

For the Caramelized Balsamic Red Onion Topping:
*I made this in a saute pan and kept it hot in foil while the burger was on the grill.  It was legitimately like butter.

Ingredients:
- 2 cups red spring onions, sliced (for 4 burgers- feel free to use more onions if you like more topping!)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic glaze (this is just a reduced balsamic vinegar)
- 1 cup water- I know this is an odd ingredient but it really helps to soften the onions and caramelize them quickly so they don't burn
- Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
- Add oil and onions to hot pan

- Add little bits of water throughout the cooking process and cook until evaporated

 - Cook about 10-15 minutes on medium heat until onions are soft and sweet
- Add balsamic glaze about 2 minutes before you take onions off the heat

- Get your burger on the grill- about 3-5 minutes per side depending how you like your burger cooked

Et voila!  We topped this burger with a slice of swiss and the balsamic red spring onions.

Don't be fooled; that ketchup never even got opened.

The reviews for this one were outstanding.

*This recipe is extra fabulous because not only were the burgers delicious, but I ended up using the leftover ground beef to make Meatballs with Pesto Pasta the next day!

Easy and Healthy BBQ Chicken

BBQ chicken is a summertime grill staple in our house.  We absolutely love grilling out on our roof deck and since we had some friends in town, and not a lot of time, it was a perfect excuse to whip up a little quick, easy and healthy BBQ chicken.

There are only two ingredients besides salt and pepper...didn't I tell you this was easy?

Ingredients:

- Boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts

- BBQ sauce (any kind you like; use as much or as little as you like) -- we used Jack Daniels Original #7

- Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

- Place chicken in any kind of dish

- Pour BBQ sauce over chicken; massage sauce into chicken well

- Marinate for 30 minutes (or longer if you have time!)

- Place chicken on hot grill for about 5 minutes per side; baste with leftover BBQ sauce throughout cooking process

- Grill until just cooked through (is one already missing?)

We served this grilled BBQ chicken with roasted rosemary potatoes and garlicky green beans.  Since we were entertaining, we also had a light salad course of insalata caprese.  Perfect Sunday night rooftop feast! 

Salsa Chicken

Mexican food is one of my all-time favorites.  However, it doesn't always get high points in the health department.  Since chicken is so versatile and popular, I thought I would experiment with a few things I know go together.  I forgot to take pictures this time but will be sure to post some the next time I make it.

Salsa Chicken (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in 1” strips

1 cup fresh salsa (I use the one in the produce section because it tastes fresher than jarred)

1 tsbp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

- Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper

- Put 1/2 cup of the salsa in a small food processor

- In a large resealable freezer bag, put chicken, olive oil and the processed salsa

- Massage chicken so that it is covered with the salsa mixture; place in fridge for a few hours

When you’re ready to serve… beware, this recipe is quick, so grill the chicken last!

- Heat outdoor grill (this also works well on a grill pan indoors if the weather is bad)

- Place chicken on grill; turn once when chicken releases easily from grill

- Top with remainder of salsa on plate before serving

Serve with:

More salsa

Low-fat sour cream

Guacamole (good fat!)

Diced onions

Baked tortilla chips (I don't like them as much as regular ones, so you could opt for just a few multi-grain ones instead)

Side suggestions:

Grilled corn on the cob

Mexicorn

Vegetarian or low-fat baked beans (Cowboy baked beans are one of my favorites; will post recipe soon!)

Three-bean salad (recipe to come!)

Cheater Turkey Burgers with a Mexican Twist!

My sister called yesterday and in her best baby sister voice asked, "will you make burgers tomorrow?".  That's Spanish for, "I'm busy and don't have time to cook, so can my fiance and I come over for dinner tomorrow? PS, we're craving burgers!".  Of course, I said yes since I love having them over...so that's what we did.  Since we all tend to live a pretty healthy lifestyle, we decided to make turkey burgers.  Now, I've committed to training a seeing eye dog for the time being, so this recipe has a few shortcuts that are easily adapted to fresh alternatives...we simply didn't have the time after our 1.5 hr walk to the grocery store training this pup (the store is normally a 10 minute walk but with training, it takes a wee bit longer).

Turkey Burger Recipe (with a cheater Mexican twist because of the pre-made toppings!):

Ingredients (makes 4 burgers):
1lb lean ground turkey (we used 99% fat free)
1/4 cup chopped vidalia onion
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Freshly cracked sea salt and pepper to taste
Desired toppings: we used heirloom tomatoes, guacamole and salsa

*We also had two random bison patties sitting around in the freezer, so we decided to make those, too...separately from the turkey burgers.  Did you know that bison is incredibly lean?  We added freshly cracked salt, pepper and 1tbsp of reduced-fat mayonnaise to that mixture.  I know it sounds weird, but the mayonnaise adds serious moisture without a lot of fat and without actually tasting like mayonnaise...the only picture we snapped of a cooked burger (below) is the bison one but it looks yummy!

Toppings:
Sliced heirloom tomatoes

Prepackaged all-natural guacamole (normally, I make my own, but there were no ripe avocados today...so, we made a sacrifice in homemade-ness for the greater good of the recipe working out)

Fresh salsa (we also bought this but it is SO easy to make with some minced tomato, onion, jalapeno, vinegar, garlic and cilantro)

Directions:
- Mix ground turkey, onion, garlic, Worcestershire Sauce, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl

Form the mixture into 4 patties

Grill until cooked through
Top with desired toppings and ENJOY!  Boy, were they big and juicy and all charred up from the grill!  The burger below is actually one of the bison burgers but we topped them the same way.

SOMEBODY even cheated and added a little cheese...kind of ruins the healthy idea but it is sooooo good on a hot burger!