Grilled Sweet Potatoes

For my Lamb Cookout last weekend I wanted to make a healthy and tasty side dish that could be thrown on the grill. I settled on tasty sweet potato wedges that would compliment the complex flavors of the lamb and provide a high fiber side dish.

This recipe is extremely simple. After cutting the sweet potatoes into uniform sized wedges, I par boiled them quickly to start to cook them and then finished them off on the grill. Brush them with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper and you can throw them right on. I added some lime juice and a garnish of fresh cilantro to incorporate the Thai flavors, but lemon, garlic and parsley would be tasty as well.

Read more for the full recipe!
Read more »

Spicy Thai Lamb Kabobs

First - I apologize for my absence this last week. I really needed a break and Wednesday holiday screwed up my internal calendar. I didn't intend to take a week off from blogging, but I feel much better  now that I'm rested.

It's July, which means cookouts, weekends at the beach, and standing directly in front of the air conditioning when necessary. When it comes to summer entertaining, burgers and hot dogs have become the default setting. As much as I love the classics, I also like to mix things up a bit. Which is why I was thrilled to be able to host another lamb supper club courtesy of the Tri-Lamb Group.

Using a gorgeous boneless leg of lamb, I decided to make some yummy kabobs to throw on the grill. For this little soiree, I decided to go with a Thai theme, using my favorite spicy Thai marinade for the meat and coming up with some Thai inspired side dishes. Lamb is an ideal meat for entertaining because its flavorful and extremely lean. It grills beautifully and soaked up the complex flavors of the marinade.

I am always thrilled to have another lean meat option. On average, a 3oz serving of lamb has ONLY 175 calories. Additionally, a serving of lamb has 23 grams of filling protein, and is filled with B vitamins, iron and zinc.

Anyway, so I put together a simple menu that would incorporate a whole bunch of Thai inspired flavors, ginger, garlic, chilies and cilantro were emphasized in every dish. I'll be bringing you the rest of these recipes this week, so keep an eye out for these tasty treats.

COOKOUT MENU:

Spicy Thai Lamb Kabobs

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Rainbow Peanut Slaw

Thai Guacamole

Raspberry Ginger Sangria

Since this was an outdoor party I had lots of opportunities to snap some photos of my garden! Everything is coming along nicely - the heat wave fried my kale, so I learned a lesson about planting cold weather crops early. So far things are coming along nicely. I've already got tons of hot peppers coming in, some will be mature in a few weeks. I've also got cherry and roma tomatoes. I am sooo excited about these. In other news, the butternut squash is taking over the garden, growing in every direction and covering all the other plants. I had no idea it would be so ... vigorous.

Read more for the full recipe!
Read more »

Chili Brined Pork Chops with Cilantro Vinagrette

Craig is the official Grillmaster in our home. He calls prepping, lighting, and cooking on the grill his "man time" and he usually spends this time with a beer in hand. Anyway, Craig has been bugging me about grilling pork lately. We've grilled pretty much everything else, so it seemed about time to try this. I got some great bone in pork loin chops and decided to do a Mexican style brine with beer! I love to cook with beer, it's very underrated. With so many different types and tastes, it's a versatile ingredient that can really enhance a dish.

Brining is the process by which meat is soaked in a saltwater based mixture before cooking. It enhances flavor and tenderness while reducing cooking times. You can use a number of different things to brine. Anything from plain old saltwater to a more complex recipe will yield great results. This is a really simple brine that uses beer as a liquid base. I combined this with chilies and garlic for flavor and some acidity to help tenderize the meat. Generally, you can brine large cuts of meats for up to 24 hours. I would recommend brining these for at least 2, but as much as you can. I left mine for about 6 hours and they were juicy and tasty.

After all the time prepping and brining these chops, a crazy thunder storm rolled in just as we were about to light the grill. So I ended up cooking these in my cast iron skillet, which means I'll have to make them again so Craig can finally grill himself a pork chop.

Full recipe after the jump!
Read more »

Thai Marinated Skirt Steak

Skirt steak is a long, flat cut that is more flavorful than tender. It is great in fajitas and stir fries, and marinates really well. I love to grill skirt steak. It has a wonderful flavor, responds well to marinades, and cooks up in minutes! It's simple and tasty, the perfect summer grilling food.

So I decided to whip up a spicy Asian version using my favorite Thai marinade. It combines lots of really intense flavors for a tangy and spicy marinade. The flavors work well with the steak, and I garnished it with some chopped cilantro, green onions and a lime wedge. Remember to slice against the grain to minimize toughness!

Also: check out these AMAZING quinoa recipes from Shape.com! I am honored that they included my Quinoa Broccoli Pilaf.

Read more for the full recipe.
Read more »

Grilled Carrots and Radishes

I love experimenting with the grill. Over the past few days we have grilled chicken wings, foccacia, and a variety of veggies. On Saturday, I experienced the Union Square Farmer's Market for the first time. I was blown away by the variety of local produce, meats, cheese and bread. Needless to say, I was inspired to try a few new things. I was particularly excited by the huge radishes I found.

This is an incredibly simple way to prepare veggies and looks and tastes great. Full disclosure: I only prepped these dishes, Grillmaster Craig oversaw the cooking.

Read more for the full recipe!
Read more »