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Grilled Red Pepper Salsa

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Grilled Red Pepper Salsa

Ah, price summer! Let me tell you, it’s hot down here. Really hot. Humidly, stiflingly, ridiculously hot. Still, despite the absurd heat, I love the summer because it means all-day stints at the beach. We get there early and set up tents, chairs and umbrellas. We haul out coolers full of beer and soda. Everyone brings tons of food, which we load up on plates and float in the ocean. In the afternoon, I usually nap under the shade of the umbrella. Beach days are perfect days.

And this grilled red pepper salsa is perfect beach food. It’s bright and sunny, a little spicy and very refreshing. I also love that subtle char flavor that the grilled peppers give it. Though it’s great with the standard corn tortillas chips, it’s also makes a delicious condiment for grilled chicken or pork chops. This time, my salsa made brightened up some melty bean quesadillas with sliced avocado.

Summer officially begins on Sunday. Welcome it with open arms, chips and salsa and a chilly bottle of beer.

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Moroccan Chicken Kebabs

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Moroccan Chicken Kebabs

Anything Moroccan just sound exotic and scrumptious right? Well, here I have to be honest. I’ve never had authentic Moroccan food, and I wouldn’t even know where to get it if I wanted it. But I found a Moroccan spice blend on epicurious and knew right away that I’d love the flavors.

Cumin, cinnamon, paprika, ginger, cayenne and coriander all mixed together in just the right proportions. I made the spice blend, skewered some chicken and sweet Vidalia onion onto kebabs and rubbed it all over with olive oil, salt and pepper and the spices.

Is there anything better than meat on a stick? I love that kebabs are easy to grill, easy to portion and look great. Once these came off the grill, I topped them with chopped olives. The kebabs were juicy, spicy and aromatic, and the olives were a perfect briny contrast to the seasoned chicken.

I’m glad I stumbled on this spice mix because I know these kebabs are going to be around all summer long. Say hello to grilling season!

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Grilled Mahi over Curried Lentils

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Grilled Mahi over Curried Lentils

I heard somewhere that eating lentils on New Year’s Day is supposed to bring you wealth and luck in the upcoming year, vitamin so I did a little poking around. Wikipedia confirms that this is in fact a tradition on the island of Malta, capsule and the tradition goes all the way back to Roman times. Does it still count if you eat them just a few days after New Year’s Day? I think so, drugs but if I’m wrong at least lentils are as tasty as they are good for your health and wealth.

For a really healthy mid-week dinner, I simmered French lentils with sauteed carrots and onions and spiced them up with Madras Curry Powder. A little lemon and olive oil and you’ve got a beautiful base for grilled fish. The Mahi fillets were marinated all day in olive oil, soy sauce and mustard seeds, which makes for a super moist fillet with a little bite to it. A perfect way to ring in the New Year and hopefully bring a little luck to your 2009.

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my favorite grilled corn salad

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my favorite grilled corn salad

You know that grilled Mexican-style corn that’s slathered in mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese, hemorrhoids lime and chili powder? It’s just delicious. All tangy, sweet and spicy. But have you ever tried to eat it in front of other people? Mayonnaise on your chin, mayonnaise on your lips, and sometimes, mayonnaise on your forehead. At times, this is just fine. Other times, you’d prefer to eat a bit more civilly.

This grilled corn salad has all of the flavor of your mayo/parm/lime/chili corn on the cob without all the napkins, furious face-wiping and embarrassing teeth picking. This is a salad you could safely eat on a date, in front of co-workers, and even in front of Flickr-loving food bloggers.

There are so many reasons why this is my favorite corn salad. Grilling the corn lets you cook with one hand on the tongs, one hand on your beer. It goes with pretty much anything, and especially with grilled burgers or sausages. The ingredients are easy to find and I usually have them in my fridge. But really, it just tastes so good. Corn’s beautiful and plentiful right now and this salad is a perfect way to eat it.

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grilling vegetables 101

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grilled vegetables 101

Grilling season is officially on and it’s time for burgers, search sausage and kebabs. But while you’re at it, ed make some room on the grill for fresh vegetables. Here are some tips for making perfectly grilled eggplant, cialis sale zucchini, mushroom and red peppers.

First off, you want to make sure you have thick slices when grilling eggplant or summer squash. If they’re too thin, they’ll get mushy and will be harder to manipulate with your grillin’ tools. If you’re dealing with peppers, I’d say grill them whole, then let them cool before removing the seeds. Some people like to remove the skin of the peppers as well, but I don’t recommend it because you’ll lose a lot of the char-grilled flavor. If you’ve got mushrooms, you’ll want to stick with portabellos since they’re big and meaty. Otherwise, you’ll have a lot mushroom casualties falling through the grate.

Next up, marinate for the best flavor. I like to mix some oil, vinegar or citrus juice and fresh herbs with salt and pepper and let the vegetable slices marinate for at least 2 hours, even overnight. The marinade will prevent them from sticking to the grate will give you more flavorful results.

Controlling your temperature is also very important. For quick-cooking summer squashes and eggplant, high heat is fine, even preferable so that you’ll get a nice char. For mushrooms, stick with medium temperature, but don’t overcook them. More on that in a minute. You’ll want to keep the heat on medium-low for peppers until they’re tender, then up the heat to high until the skin blisters.

grilled vegetables 101

Finally, don’t overcook your vegetables. You want them to be slightly browned, charred in places and have nice, defined grill marks. This means resisting the urge to move them or flip them constantly. Just throw them on and flip them once halfway through. For eggplant, summer squash and mushrooms, 3 – 4 minutes on each side is plenty. Peppers will need a bit more time, 6 minutes on each side, plus 1 – 2 minutes over high heat.

I love a grilled vegetable sandwich with jamon serrano (see photo), or on top of flatbread. They also make a perfect addition to an antipasto or charcuterie plate. Read on for marinade recipes.

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