Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts

This another Sister's Cafe recipe! Can you tell I recently went through their archives? They have lots of wonderful recipes, so you should check them out. This marinade can be used on chicken, fish, or beef. I marinated these chicken breasts for 8 hours and they were loaded with flavor. It is a little on the saltier side as far as flavor, but my kids and I love salt so we loved this! Super simple meal and great for not heating up the house.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil (I used vegetable)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons mustard ( I used dijon)
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic (I used one small clove)

Directions:

Mix well. Pour over meat, then let marinate for 6-8 hours in the fridge.

California Grilled Veggie Sandwiches

So before you think, gross veggie sandwich, (at least that's what I was thinking), you have to give this one a try! I promise you will not miss the meat, it has so much flavor, and GOOD flavor! I loved these so much that I served them at my 4th of July BBQ too. Oh yeah, and did I mention, super quick and super simple to make? Great summer time meal.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mayonnaise 

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/8 cup olive oil

1 cup sliced red bell pepper

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

1 small yellow squash, sliced

ciabatta bread

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Mix mayo, garlic, and lemon juice together. Chill in refrigerator.

2. Brush veggies with olive oil and grill for about 3 minutes, turn and grill for an additional 3 minuted. (If you have a grill basket it is super handy for this meal.)

3. Spread mayo mixture on cut sides of bread and top with feta. Grill bread, cheese side up, until lightly toasted and cheese melts, BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THEM!

4. Remove bread from grill and top with grilled veggies. These can be open faced or as a normal sandwich. Enjoy!

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

Some of you may or may not know my husband is doing P90X right now and there is a nutrition plan that goes along with it. If you've spent anytime on my blog then you know I am NOT a healthy cook! My husband has been after me to cook a few healthy meals a week for him and this is when this recipe came into play. He asked me to cook fish...well this is about as close to fish as it gets in my house. I don't eat sea creatures. They stink and they still look like the original creature when you buy them! I will however eat shrimp. It doesn't stink or have eyes looking at me when I buy it. Anyways, we grilled these up the other night and man were they good! Even my kids devoured them. These are definitely worth trying.

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Directions:

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add shrimp, cover and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat grill to medium heat. Thread shrimp on skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side.

BBQ Chicken n' Cheddar Sandwiches

So I found this recipe over at the Recipe Shoebox, if you haven't visited this blog- check it out, Lara has lots of yummy recipes! This one was no exception, the entire family enjoyed these. They were very filling and very easy to make. You may want to leave the chipotle pepper out if you have little ones, they will still taste great!

Ingredients:

4 strips bacon, halved crosswise
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lbs)
salt and pepper
1 cup favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 chipotle pepper, minced (optional)
1/4 cup water
4 large onion rolls, split (we used onion hamburger buns)
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Fry bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Cook chicken in bacon fat until browned on one side, about 4 minutes.  Flip chicken and add barbecue sauce, chipotle pepper (if desired), and water.  Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.  Remove chicken from skillet and slice into bite size pieces.  Arrange onion rolls cut side up on baking sheet.  Divide chicken among bottom haves of rolls and top with sauce, cheese, and bacon.  Bake open-faced sandwiches in oven until cheese melts and rolls are golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Top each sandwich with toasted roll top.  Serve immediately with a fruit smoothie on the side.  Makes 4 sandwiches.  Enjoy!  

Southwest Summer Pork Chops

This recipe is courtesy of Tried and True Cooking with Heidi, thanks Heidi! I almost always bread pork chops because it keeps them so tender and moist, but I found this recipe while browsing the blog world the other day and they looked so good. These had great flavor and everyone in the family enjoyed them. I bought thin cut pork chops so they cooked really quickly on the bbq- great summer time meal so you don't have to heat up the house! Give them a try and let me know what you think-

Ingredients:

4 tsp dried minced onion
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
6 bone-in pork loin chops (I used boneless)
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I used KC Masterpiece)
2 TBSP lemon juice

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; rub over pork chops. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine barbecue sauce and lemon juice; add the pork chops; Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Discard marinade. If grilling the pork chops, coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill chops, covered, over medium heat or broil 6 in. from the heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°

BBQ Ranch Chicken Roll-em Ups

Ingredients:
1 Roll Pillsbury Pizza dough in can (or use other pizza dough of choice)
1/4 Cup prepared ranch dressing (I recommend homemade)
2 Cups prepared shredded BBQ Chicken (I baked 2 chicken breasts at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, shredded, and covered in bbq sauce)
1/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 1/2 Cups shredded smoked cheddar cheese

Ranch Dressing for dipping

Directions:
1. Open can of dough and press into rectangle. Spread or drizzle ranch dressing evenly over dough then top with evenly with chicken, cilantro and cheddar cheese. Starting at long end roll dough into a log shape. Using a sharp knife, cut 1 inch pieces and place onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with a side of ranch dressing for dipping.

Tip:
*Make sure you roll the dough really tight and seal the seam. (as you can tell, I didn't roll it tight enough and some of my chicken started falling out.)

Another, no fail recipe from the Picky Palate! If you've never been on her blog before, you should check it out. She's mastered making food LOOK and TASTE wonderful. It's no wonder she's been on the Food Network several times.

Marinated NY Strip....on the grill

Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 boneless NY Strip or Rib-Eye steaks

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, honey, olive oil, ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, liquid smoke, and cayenne pepper.
2. Place steaks in a shallow glass dish with the marinade, and turn to coat. For optimum flavor, rub the liquid into the meat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
3. Preheat grill for medium-high to high heat.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill steaks 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Discard leftover marinade.

Flat Iron Steak w/ Southwest Rub

Ingredients:
1 flat iron steak, any size
Southwest Rub:
1 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

Combine all ingredients and rub evenly onto steak just prior to cooking.

Directions:
1. Preheat bbq grill to medium-high heat. Spray grill with non-stick spray.
2. Place steak on grill, top down, for 10 minutes. Flip steak and cook for an additional 10 minutes, top down.

This is a really tender and inexpensive steak. One steak feeds my entire family with little to no left overs. It comes in a vacuum sealed package which freezes great!

Baby Back Ribs

This is the highly anticipated recipe many of you having been waiting for. I decided I'd better post it after getting complaints for not putting it in the ward cookbook. It is another one of my MIL's recipes.

Ingredients:
1 rack of PORK baby back ribs (not spare ribs)
1 tablespoon Montreal Seasoning (McCormick’s)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bottle bbq sauce (we like Joe's BBQ & KC Masterpiece Original)

Directions:
Whisk together Montreal Seasoning, olive oil, and soy sauce. Brush rack of ribs with marinade. Heat barbeque to medium/high heat, brown each side of the ribs (top up) and remove from grill. Place ribs on large piece of HEAVY DUTY foil on a cookie sheet and generously cover in bbq sauce. Seal foil around ribs and wrap one more time with heavy duty foil to avoid leaks. Bake for 3 ½ -4 hours at 275 degrees.

Honey Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 garlic gloves, minced

1 large onion

1 yellow/orange bell pepper, cut into 2" pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into 2" pieces

skewers

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, pepper, and garlic. Reserve a small amount of marinade for brushing kabobs while cooking. Place chicken and vegetables in marinade and let marinate for at least 4 hours, the longer the better.

2. Heat grill to high heat.

3. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.

4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill kabobs for 12 to 15 minutes, or until juices are clear. Turn and brush with marinade frequently.