1st BBQ of the summer

 

It’s finally June! And that means some nice weather (FINALLY) and it’s time to fire up the grill and start BBQ season! On the menu for the first BBQ of the season:

Soy-Balsamic Marinated Flat Iron Steak
Local Style Potato Salad
Grilled Pepper “Caprese” Salad
Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potato Salad

Soy-Balsamic Marinade
Makes enough marinade for ~2lbs of meat, depending on the cut. The soy sauce, balsamic, and honey are in a 1:1:~1/3 ratio so you can easily adjust the recipe to make more/less marinade. Sesame oil has a strong flavor so start with less and you can always add more; same with the red pepper flakes.

1/4 cup+ 2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup +2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
chili flakes

– Whisk ingredients together. Combine with meat in a ziploc bag and marinate for at least 4-6 hours; ideally overnight

Local Style Potato Salad
~2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
2 carrots, grated
1/4 onion, finely diced
1 cup frozen peas
2-3 stalks celery, finely diced

• Instead of celery I used the broccoli stems that I had left over from the broccoli and sweet potato salad

4-8 oz bacon, thinly sliced and cooked till crispy
2:1 ratio mayonnaise:plain yogurt
salt
pepper
garlic powder
cayenne

– Bring potatoes to a boil in lightly salted water; turn heat and simmer potatoes until for tender
– Remove potatoes from heat and drain. Return potatoes to the hot pot along with the onion, peas, and celery and stir together
– Transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl and add carrots and bacon. Season with garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne
– Add mayonnaise and yogurt until potato salad is desired wetness. Season with salt. Serve cold or room temperature

Grilled Pepper “Caprese” Salad
roasted peppers, cut into ~1″ pieces

• Simply season the bell peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then grill till tender

cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes- halved, quartered, or cut into wedges depending on their size
basil, chiffonade
mozzarella, cut into chunks
salt
pepper
balsamic vinegar
olive oil

– Lightly salt the cut tomatoes and toss with the basil
– Once peppers are grilled add them to the tomatoes and add the mozzarella and toss. The heat from the peppers will warm the mozzarella and cause the tomatoes to release some of their juices
– Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm or room temperature

Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potato Salad
4 large heads broccoli cut into 1/2″-1″ florets
3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
frozen pearl onions

• I had a 12oz bag and I used about 1/2 of it. Feel free to add more/less depending on whether you like onions

1/2 cup shredded, or grated, parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
garlic powder
olive oil

– Preheat oven to 425 degrees
– Toss broccoli with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast till broccoli is tender; stir every once in a while so they don’t stick to the baking sheet
– Toss sweet potatoes and pearl onions with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet and roast till tender. At the end, turn oven to broil to caramelize potatoes and onions
– Combine broccoli, sweet potatoes, and onions in a large mixing bowl and toss with parmesan cheese. Serve warm

*You could easily turn this salad into the star of a meal by adding quinoa and dried cranberries

Grill season is just getting started! I hope this gives you some ideas to get your grilling parties started! And remember you don’t need to be having a party to fire up the grill; cooking dinner for 2 is just as good a reason as any!

sweet potato chili

Serve with quinoa and garnish with some sour cream and feta cheese and you’ll have a hearty, healthy meal perfect for cold nights, or just about anytime! You could probably just eat the chili by itself, but I enjoy eating it with quinoa,or bulgur, because they’re not as dense or heavy as rice, but it’s chili, you gotta have some kinda carbohydrate with it 😉

Sweet Potato Chili (makes about 10-12 servings)

The Base
1 lb bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 onion, small diced
5 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
12 oz oatmeal stout or brown/amber ale
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp smokey paprika
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp siracha
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp garlic powder

The Goods
2 cans sweet corn, drained
2 cans diced tomatoes with juices
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2 1/2-3 lbs sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes- you just want them all about the same size so they cook evenly

• weight doesn’t need to be exact, just round to the nearest whole potato

4 cups water, or 2 cans full
salt and pepper

– Cook bacon in a large stock pot over medium high heat until almost crispy. Drain 3/4 of the excess oil off and add onions and garlic
– Cook onions until translucent. Deglaze pot with just enough beer so that you can scrape off all of the delicious brown bits off of the bottom of the pot
– Add spices and seasonings and cook for another 5 minutes. Add in the rest of the beer and then begin adding in all of “The Goods”, except for sweet potatoes
– Bring chili up to a boil over high heat, then add in sweet potatoes
– Once chili returns to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer until sweet potatoes are tender about 30-45 minutes, and their starch starts to thicken up the chili
– Season with salt and pepper; add more siracha (or hot sauce) if you want it spicier; add more brown sugar if you want it sweeter
– Ladle into bowls, sit in front of the fireplace or outside on a porch and bon appetit!