Saturday, October 24, 2009

Grilled Swordfish


I've just gotten some fresh swordfish steaks which I'm
going to be grilling later. I marinate them in a very
mild marinade first.

Marinade:

2 -3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 - 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Marinate in refrigerator for several hours before
grilling. Serve with the vegetable kabobs (below)
and lemon wedges to squeeze over the steaks
while eating.

NOTES:

1. The exact amount of olive oil and lemon juice depends
on how many swordfish steaks you have. The lesser amounts
work if you have only a couple; if you have 4 or more, then the
larger amounts would be called for.

2. I've used lime juice instead of lemon juice, and it works just
as well. I also sometimes place a lemon or lime slice on each
steak during marinating.

3. The pepper is optional; I like it, but not everyone would
necessarily agree.


Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Vegetable Kabobs


I just tried these out over the weekend for company who really liked them. Go figure.

1 large red bell pepper
1 large sweet onion
2 large yellow squash
1 - 2 small eggplants, peeled
3-- 4 carrots, peeled
12 - 15 baby portabella mushrooms, destemmed
2 medium tomatoes
1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon freshly chopped dill
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
pinch of salt (to taste)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Chop bell pepper, onion, and tomatoes in large pieces; slice
squash and eggplant into 3/4" thick disks; cut carrots into 1" long
pieces.

Mix all ingredients in bowl and let marinate for 1/2 hour or longer.
Slide onto kabob skewers and grill over hot coals for 15 - 20 minutes
or so until carrots are done (when they're done, everything else is, too).

NOTES:

1. You can actually marinate this mixture longer; I've kept it
overnight, in fact (although the eggplant turns dark and rather
unappetizing if you do, so I don't include it for overnight marinading).

2. Salt and pepper can easily be adjusted to individual tastes; so
can all the ingredient, of course.

3. I'm thinking of adding a bit of hot sauce or red pepper flakes
the next time for a bit of a kick. I'm also thinking of adding a little
chopped jalapeno; I'll let you know if that works out.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Grilled Orange Thai Chili Chicken


1 - 1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenderloins
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons Thai chili sauce

1. Mix orange juice and chili sauce together; pour over
tenderloins and marinate in refrigerator for several hours
or overnight, turning tenderloins once.

2. Grill until tenderloins are done through, turning once
(usually 3 - 4 minutes on first side, then about 2 minutes
after turning).

3. Serve with more Thai chili sauce for dipping purposes.

NOTES:

1. I always use tenderloins, but I would imagine boneless
breasts would work just as well, or possibly even thighs
and wings; obviously, cooking times would need to be
adapted to the cuts used.

2. There are various recipes on the internet for Thai chili
sauce, but for convenience I use Kikkoman Thai Style
Chili Sauce, which I find excellent. You can adjust the
amount in the marinade to suit your taste and your
preferred level of chili heat.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Hedgie's Heaven


This has become my favorite cooling summertime dessert. Or snack. Or whatever.

1/3 cup papaya, peeled, seeded, cut up, and chilled
1/3 cup fresh blueberries, chilled
1/3 cup heavy cream

1. Place all ingredients in bowl.

2. Stir a bit.

3. Eat.

NOTES:

1. I prefer the smaller Solo (or Hawaiian) papayas for their
sweeter and richer taste, but the larger (Mexican) papayas
work quite well.

2. Fresh blackberries work just as well as blueberries; the two
mixed together are also excellent. Raspberries are good, too.
Strawberries I don't personally like and haven't tried, but I imagine
they'd work, also. Grapes probably would, as well; I just hadn't
thought about trying them until just now.

3. For those who are health-conscious, instead of heavy cream
one can substitute 2 - 3 tablespoons of yogurt; regular, reduced
fat, and fat-free yogurts all work.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Pear Salsa



(Adapted from Taste of Home Backyard Grilling: Recipes and
Tips to Grill Like a Pro, Reiman Media Group, Inc., 2006)

This salsa goes particularly well with pork, but also with
chicken and fish, especially grilled.

3 - 4 pears, peeled and chopped
1 - 4 tablespoons red onion, chopped (amount to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper (amount to taste)

Mix ingredients in bowl; serve chilled.

NOTES:

1. I personally prefer Bosc pears, as they're not only
tastier but somewhat firmer than most other pears and
hold up better if the salsa is left over for several days.

2. The recipe actually calls for 1/3 cup of red onion, but
I don't care for that much in this recipe.

3. Dried mint can be substituted for the fresh, but the
result isn't quite as flavorful.

4. I've found this salsa is best if kept overnight before
serving, as the flavors have time to mingle and develop;
also, it keeps well for 3 - 5 days in the refrigerator.


Friday, September 4, 2009

Hedgie's Own Semi-Greek Salad


(WARNING: I've evolved this recipe over a period of several years, and
I just sort of know how much of everything to toss in, so the measurements
given here are rough approximations.

Oh, all right: Read "guesses" for "approximations.")

1 large red bell pepper and 1 large green bell pepper
OR
1 medium red, 1 medium green, and 1 medium yellow or orange bell peppers
1 red onion
1 - 2 Roma tomatoes
OR
10 -12 cherry tomatoes
2/3 - 1 cup of pitted olives
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (mixed herbs)
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons of Greek salad dressing
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Core and seed bell peppers and chop into bite-sized pieces; place in a large mixing bowl. Chop and add onion to taste. Dice Roma tomatoes OR quarter cherry tomatoes and add to taste. Add olives, Italian seasoning, feta, salad dressing, and olive oil, and stir to mix well. Refrigerate. Serve cold.

NOTES:

1. I use only a small amount (a tablespoon or so) of red onion because I've found that the
onions can sometimes overwhelm the other tastes everything else, but it's really a matter of
taste and experimentation (that's equally true of all the ingredients here).

2. I generally use a mixture of green and black olives because I like both, but that isn't
essential.

3. For the Greek dressing, I prefer Ken's Steak House Greek with Feta Cheese,
Black Olives, and Imported Olive Oil, but I've also used Kraft Greek Vinaigrette
with Feta Cheese and Oregano, and it's quite good, as well.

4. Occasionally, I'll toss in a tablespoon of fresh dill, finely minced, as well as the
dried Italian seasoning herbs.

5. This salad is best if it sits overnight before being served because the various
flavors blend better; it can be served as soon as cold, however, and is still good.


Pork Medallions in Sour Cream Sauce


(Recipe adapted from 1001 Delicious Recipes for People with Diabetes, Second
Edition, edited by Sue Spitler, Linda Eugene, & Linda Yoakam, Surrey Books, 2007)

1 - 1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, sliced into 1/2 inch medallions
1 cup apple juice
1/2 - 1 small onion, chopped (amount to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 tablespoons flour
10 - 12 oz. sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

1. Panfry pork medallions in lightly greased frying pan until done,
3 - 4 minutes per side; remove from pan.

2. Add apple juice, onions, and sage to pan and bring to a boil; reduce
heat and cover, simmering until onion is tender, 5 -6 minutes.

3. Combine flour and sour cream in bowl, then add to frying pan,
stirring until sauce thickens, around 1 minute, and season with
salt and pepper.

4. Return pork medallions to pan and heat over low heat for 2 - 3
minutes.

5. Serve over fettuccine.

Serves 6 - 8.

Leftover medallions and sauce can easily be reheated
the next day; the dish holds over well, particularly if the
leftovers aren't poured over pasta or rice before saving.

* * *

Notes:

1. Yogurt can be used instead of sour cream (in fact, that's what
the original recipe calls for). Either yogurt or sour cream can be
low-fat or fat-free, if desired.

2. The original recipe also calls for 4 quartered shallots as well
as the onion; it isn't at all necessary, but does add a slightly
different taste to the sauce.

3. The original recipe calls for spinach fettuccine, which works
quite well, but regular fettuccine does, too. So does rice.

UPDATE: I just made this using the yogurt (fat-free, in fact),
and decided to try something a bit different and spicier, so
I added in about 1/4 teaspoon of hot (as opposed to sweet)
paprika right after adding the flour/yogurt mixture to the frying
pan; the result was quite tasty. I suspect one could also use
cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or tabasco sauce in a
similar fashion to liven up the sauce; it would be necessary
to experiment to arrive at the right amount for individual tastes,
I suspect (I'll probably be adding a bit more paprika next time
myself as I rather like spicier and hotter dishes.)




Thursday, September 3, 2009

Marinated Flank Steak

The marinated flank steak can either be grilled on an outside grill
or broiled in the oven to desired doneness. (This is a combination
of material adapted from two different recipes in Taste of Home
Backyard Grilling: Recipes and Tips to Grill Like a Pro, Reiman
Media Group, Inc., 2006.)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. flank steak

Marinade ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 - 6 green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

Combine and mix marinade ingredients in bowl; pour into large
sealable plastic bag; add steak cut into 2 or 3 large pieces;
marinate for 8 - 12 hours in refrigerator, turning occasionally.
Discard marinade and grill steak. Cut into thin strips across
the grain and serve.

Recipe produces 6 - 8 servings.

Note:

This recipe works fine as leftovers to be reheated in toaster oven.





"Salad"

Here are bell pepper rings
as bracelets for your wrists,
Kalamata olives strung for a necklace,
cherry tomatoes threaded
on arcs of onion for your ears,
and a kumquat for your belly button.
As soon as I add the oil and wine vinegar,
the feast begins.