Two posts in 1 day after nothing for months...I know, I tend to shock myself as well. Dinner last night was terrific. Hell's Kitchen is one of my favorite shows on T.V. right now, so I told Greg to act like Gordon Ramsey and give me constructive criticism. I honestly think that everyone can benefit from constructive criticism regardless of what they are doing. Because I am not a steak person, I made a Chicken Version and a Steak Version of the traditional Caprese Salad that you may see in Italian restaurants. Typically tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar and some S&P to taste.
For the Chicken: I used very thin chicken breasts. Really you could use any type of chicken. A full size breast could be used and pounded out to make it thinner or just butterflied or even chicken breast tenders and lay them out together almost connecting them. I laid the chicken on the board and dusted with S&P. I then cut up some tomatoes - any kind are fine - basil and mozzarella. I placed the basil leaves towards the top end of the chicken, followed by the tomatoes and topped with the mozz. cheese. I then rolled the chicken and to hold it in place I used toothpicks.
For the Steak: Again, any type of steak would work for this meal. Being more budget conscious, I chose to use a thin flank steak. I followed the exact same process as the chicken above.
Cooking the meat: Since it's summer, who doesn't like a good meal on the grill. I do have a slotted grill pan that I like using so I pre-heated the grill and placed the pan on the grates. I mixed together some EVOO and Balsamic and some S&P to brush on the meat while it was cooking. The meat should take about 8-11 minutes to cook. You can flip as you wish, but remember that it is stuffed so the cheese and juices can seep out which you probably don't want.
Now for the Creamed Corn: So over the weekend we had a BBQ at a friends house and she made a corn salad that Greg loved. It was a cold salad with some assorted veggies and mayo. Knowing that Greg hates creamed corn, I decided to take a twist of regular grilled corn on the cob and add some creaminess. Grill flavor, creamy goodness but not the traditional mush that one would associate with creamed corn. I used 4 husked ears of corn and 2 frozen boxes of corn. I would say a total of 5-6 cups of corn. Put the 4 husked ears on the grill and cook until nice golden grill marks and then remove and cut off the kernels. In a skillet or disposable cake pan, add 2-2.5 tablespoons of butter. Let that melt on the grill. Add 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook until the mixture is well incorporated. Add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of milk. Mix well. Once milk is warm, add 3.5 to 4oz of cream cheese. Whisk together until cream cheese is melted. Slowly add the grilled and frozen corn. Add S&P and some cayenne pepper for a kick. All of the ingredients are now incorporated and cooked so I just kept the pan on the grill until everything else was complete.
For the Veggie Salad:: As us RA RA's like to say...for the figure friendly chefs out there, this is a great side that not only fills you up but is great for your body and wallet. I took romaine lettuce washed and cut and separated into 2 bowls. I used 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash, and 1 red onion. I cut the veggies in half and then quarters. Add 3 garlic cloves (again, to your taste. We love garlic at our house) a few turns of EVOO and S&P. Add the veggies and coat. Place the veggies on the grill and cook until they are tender and golden brown. These can be served room temperature. Once cooled, add to the romaine, top with crumbled blue cheese, croutons if you need a carb fix and dressing of choice.
This meal comes together well. Lots of veggies and it eliminates the traditional meat and potatoes meal. Tonight for dinner...BBQ Chicken over cheese and chive polenta served with grilled asparagus. MMMMM!
For the Chicken: I used very thin chicken breasts. Really you could use any type of chicken. A full size breast could be used and pounded out to make it thinner or just butterflied or even chicken breast tenders and lay them out together almost connecting them. I laid the chicken on the board and dusted with S&P. I then cut up some tomatoes - any kind are fine - basil and mozzarella. I placed the basil leaves towards the top end of the chicken, followed by the tomatoes and topped with the mozz. cheese. I then rolled the chicken and to hold it in place I used toothpicks.
For the Steak: Again, any type of steak would work for this meal. Being more budget conscious, I chose to use a thin flank steak. I followed the exact same process as the chicken above.
Cooking the meat: Since it's summer, who doesn't like a good meal on the grill. I do have a slotted grill pan that I like using so I pre-heated the grill and placed the pan on the grates. I mixed together some EVOO and Balsamic and some S&P to brush on the meat while it was cooking. The meat should take about 8-11 minutes to cook. You can flip as you wish, but remember that it is stuffed so the cheese and juices can seep out which you probably don't want.
Now for the Creamed Corn: So over the weekend we had a BBQ at a friends house and she made a corn salad that Greg loved. It was a cold salad with some assorted veggies and mayo. Knowing that Greg hates creamed corn, I decided to take a twist of regular grilled corn on the cob and add some creaminess. Grill flavor, creamy goodness but not the traditional mush that one would associate with creamed corn. I used 4 husked ears of corn and 2 frozen boxes of corn. I would say a total of 5-6 cups of corn. Put the 4 husked ears on the grill and cook until nice golden grill marks and then remove and cut off the kernels. In a skillet or disposable cake pan, add 2-2.5 tablespoons of butter. Let that melt on the grill. Add 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook until the mixture is well incorporated. Add about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of milk. Mix well. Once milk is warm, add 3.5 to 4oz of cream cheese. Whisk together until cream cheese is melted. Slowly add the grilled and frozen corn. Add S&P and some cayenne pepper for a kick. All of the ingredients are now incorporated and cooked so I just kept the pan on the grill until everything else was complete.
For the Veggie Salad:: As us RA RA's like to say...for the figure friendly chefs out there, this is a great side that not only fills you up but is great for your body and wallet. I took romaine lettuce washed and cut and separated into 2 bowls. I used 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash, and 1 red onion. I cut the veggies in half and then quarters. Add 3 garlic cloves (again, to your taste. We love garlic at our house) a few turns of EVOO and S&P. Add the veggies and coat. Place the veggies on the grill and cook until they are tender and golden brown. These can be served room temperature. Once cooled, add to the romaine, top with crumbled blue cheese, croutons if you need a carb fix and dressing of choice.
This meal comes together well. Lots of veggies and it eliminates the traditional meat and potatoes meal. Tonight for dinner...BBQ Chicken over cheese and chive polenta served with grilled asparagus. MMMMM!
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