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!
Mochi's Hut 