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Garlic Mustard Glazed Chicken Kabobs with Peaches

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I have a family of chickens..er chicken lovers. We definitely eat our share of bird. There so many ways to prepare chicken and/or turkey the opportunities are endless. My kids love meat on a stick and so kabobs or satay’s are one way we eat chicken regularly. It’s easy and it’s fun, as long as they are not stabbing each other at the table.

Still on a Maille Mustard kick (Mustard Maverick) I wanted to do a chicken kabob with mustard. And with a bowl full of summer fresh peaches I wanted to take it a step further and do a peach/chicken mustard kabob. So I threw a bunch of ingredients into a bowl and this is what came of it.

A dish like this is perfect for camping. Get everything marinating in the bag or bowl, toss it into your fridge or cooler, gently pack a couple peaches and some skewers and you will be good to go. Really it’s that easy to look like a superstar in the campsite. It could also be a quick meal depending how long you let your chicken marinate.

Grilled peaches are delicious no matter how you prepare them. Their natural sweetness comes out. If you are not sure about peaches, try pineapple. Equally divine. The marinade also worked well with grilled shrimp.

I served this dish with brown rice, sliced carrots and green beans from our garden and grilled corn cut up. Simply perfect.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Maille Mustard Maverick Program with the Food Bloggers of Canada and 14 other food bloggers. I have received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

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Garlic Mustard Glazed Chicken Kabobs with Peaches
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner, Main, Entree, Lunch,
Serves: 5
 
Ingredients
  • 4 tbsp Maille Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • splash sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp rosemary, fresh & chopped
  • splash of soy sauce
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 3 chicken breasts, boneless and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 ripe peaches, pits removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • skewers
Instructions
  1. If your skewers are wood, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before using. Whisk together all of the ingredients except chicken & peaches, in a small dish. Add about half the marinade to a ziplock bag, then drop in your chicken cubes. Close and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or in the refrigerator up to 4 hours before using.
  2. Remove chicken from marinade and place on skewers alternating with peach pieces.
  3. Preheat grill to medium high heat and grill kabobs for 10-13 minutes or until cooked through. Baste with leftover marinade.
  4. Serve with salad, in a pita, with grains or rice.

peach-and-chicken-kabobs2

Cast Iron Grilled Blueberry Focaccia

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Inspiration hit full on when I attended the BC Blueberry launch recently at Model Milk. The Chef prepared so many amazing blueberry bites, that I’m sure all the attendees left full and happy. We were given swag bags to bring home and they included fresh blueberries (insert happy dance)!

There were several of the bites that stood out for me. One of them was the Blueberry Focaccia’s served in mini cast iron pans. Brilliant and a hit amongst everyone. For weeks I have been wanting to recreate this dish and thinking about how I would do it.

The time came and I decided to make the dough in the bread maker and grill it on the Barbecue. I’ve made focaccia dough in the bread maker before so I was confident it would work. And it did work out exceptionally well. The only con is the Bocconcini melted into the bread so next time I may wait to add it until the last few minutes or so of cooking.

You could also take this recipe camping. Pre-make your dough and keep it in the cooler or buy some pizza dough before you depart on your camping trip. Just make sure you bring the blueberries and a cast iron pan!

The kids gobbled it up. The husband like it. A success! Leftover focaccia ended up being the perfect lunch the next day.

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Cast Iron Grilled Blueberry Focaccia
Recipe type: sandwich, side, bread,
 
Ingredients
  • 1⅓ cups water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1⅓ cups all purpose flour
  • 2¼ tsp bread machine yeast
  • ½ cup fresh blueberries
  • ¼ cup cut up bocconcini
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, rough chop
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  • Pam
Instructions
  1. Add ingredients into baking pan in order above. Insert pan into bread maker and select dough cycle.This takes a couple hours.
  2. Remove dough to a floured board, cover it with a bowl and let sit for about 15 minutes.
  3. Heat your grill and place your cast iron pan on it to heat up. Try to keep grill at 350.
  4. Depending on the size of your pan you can either split the dough in half, quarters or use the whole piece. I used just over half of the dough to fit my large cast iron pan.
  5. With oven mitt remove pan from grill. Give it a good spray of pam. Stretch dough into required shape and carefully place into cast iron pan. Stretch to fit pan and dimple. Add bocconcini, rosemary, sprinkle of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Lightly push blueberries into dough.
  6. Place pan on grill and let cook for about 25 minutes.
Notes
Leftover dough can be put in a bowl, poked down a few times and used for a pizza lunch the next day. I leave mine on the counter.

 

Grilled Peach, Strawberry & Watermelon Salsa

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The Canadian Food Project Experience was started on June 7, 2013 by Valerie Lugonja of A Canadian Foodie. It’s a compilation of Canadian Food Bloggers who are committed to sharing their time, unique Canadian food experiences, and recipes. I came into this 12 month challenge a couple months late and this will be my first submission. Our theme for August is to write about A Canadian Food Hero. This is a difficult topic as there are so many Food Hero’s deserving recognition. So how do you pick one? From the Ranchers and Farmers who work endlessly to get their goods to market, local shops and artisans who are committed not only to their craft, but to getting their items to you, to the local foodie advocates who promote the local restaurants and chefs by creating public awareness through various channels. Choosing one was hard. So I decided to choose two.

Late last week I had the opportunity to sit down with Dana VanVeller and Lindsay Anderson of Feast, an Edible Road Trip, while they stopped in Calgary. This opportunity to chat with these two remarkable ladies was provided by the Food Bloggers of Canada, who hosted this small and intimate Tweet-up at Café Gravity Espresso & Wine Bar. It was here I learned about the journey that brought Dana and Lindsay to create Feast: an Edible Road Trip, and later discover where they would be going next.

Foodie Friends Dana and Lindsay started their coast to coast food adventure in June with hopes of increasing Canadian Food Culture awareness through various stories, recipes, photographs, and videos. These ladies are driving, camping and eating their way across Canada finding and featuring local people, communities and organizations that strive to make each Province’s food systems more vibrant, sustainable and accessible. Their journey so far has brought them through British Columbia, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alberta with many Provinces to go. Sitting beside these two, enjoying a glass of wine while listening to their stories, makes you feel like you’ve known them forever and could easily stow away in their car to join them, if they’d let you.

Dana and Lindsay are my Canadian Heroes. They are the storytellers, bloggers, writers, educators and food activists who are sharing their stories from the road and making our mouths water with their photos and experiences. Checking their blog has become a daily ritual for me, eager to see what’s new in their world, what epic culinary adventure they’ve had that day and drooling just a little more with each photo.

I was inspired to create several recipes from their experiences thus far, but with the kids on summer holidays, July was mostly a travel month for us, and so time was not on my side. So this former BC girl decided to create a simple recipe derived from the fruits of the Okanagan, a place Dana and Lindsay visited and a place I’ve frequented many times over the years. My home is Alberta, but my heart remains in British Columbia.

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Grilled Peach, Strawberry & Watermelon Salsa
Recipe type: snack, appetizer,
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup watermelon, small dice
  • 1 cup strawberries, hulled and small dice
  • ¾ cup grilled peach, small dice
  • couple fresh mint leaves, chopped or torn into small pieces
  • 1 tsp jalapeno, seeded and diced very small
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt
Instructions
  1. Cut your peaches in half, remove stone. Brush insides with olive oil. Place on indoor grill pan or outdoor BBQ until golden brown or just cooked through. Char marks = flavour. Set aside to cool. Once cool, dice enough to make ¾ cup. Eat the rest.
  2. In a bowl mix together watermelon, strawberries, grilled peach, jalapeno, mint leaves, lime juice, olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt.
  3. Serve with taco chips, pita chips or with grilled chicken or fish.

 

Grilled Peach Galette

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Galette on my mind for quite some time. I can honestly say I’ve never made a Galette. But I’ve wanted to! And I finally found inspiration and a subtle push thanks to Chatelaine’s July Cooking Club Challenge. Simply put, make our Galette, change it up if you wish, photograph it, post it. And have fun, darn it.

I discovered this challenge before I left for holidays three weeks ago and immediately I knew I wanted to grill some peaches for my Galette. But I couldn’t put the idea to the plate due to lack of time. So it would have to wait until we returned home from Battle Mosquito in Manitoba.

Home, unpacked, settled and inspired. With fresh peaches and mint in hand, my brother and fiance coming for dinner, I got to work and behold, a new Galette was born.

Now I got distracted chatting with our company and almost forgot to pull it out of the oven. But the overall taste was given rave reviews by our guests, and the photo caught some good feedback on Facebook, so I decided to go ahead and post the recipe/photo.

Guess what? Galettes can also be made savory. This will be my next personal challenge for myself, to create a Galette with meat.

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Grilled Peach Galette
Author: 
Recipe type: dessert, snack, lunch
 
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ cup cold butter, cubed
  • 2 tbsp ice water
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 cups mixed berries and grilled peaches
  • 1 heaping tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
  • sprinkle of sugar
  • parchment
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Using a food processor, quick pulse together your flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and continue to pulse until crumbs form. With food processor turned on pour in ice water and lemon juice (through spout). Continue whirling until mixture comes together and is not sticky. If it's too sticky you can add a small amount of flour. Gather into a ball and set pastry aside.
  3. Tear off a large piece of parchment paper and lay on counter. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Roll pastry on parchment into a circle approximately 12 inches wide. Pastry will be thin and edges uneven. Transfer parchment and pastry to cookie sheet.
  4. Pour your mixed fruit and mint into a bowl. In a measuring cup blend together brown sugar, pinch of salt and cornstarch. Add to fruit and gently stir. Pour fruit mixture into centre of pastry forming about a 10 inch circle. Fold pastry over just to cover edge of fruit. Lightly brush edges with water and sprinkle with sugar.
  5. Bake until edges gold and fruit bubbly, 35 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipping cream. You can also dust with icing sugar.

 

Grilled Asparagus Bean Salad

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Love Summer for many reasons but quick and simple food appeal to me the most especially on hot days. Brightly coloured, fresh and tasty fruit and vegetables are inspiration everywhere you turn. I loves me a good bean salad and this one is simple enough to make while camping or at a cabin. In fact out at a cabin in Manitoba last week, is where I created this delicious salad.

We had been planning for two years to return to Clear Lake, Manitoba in 2013, after spending time there in 2011.  As it turns out a rather large family gathering was also brewing for around the same time. Our return last week collided with the family gathering and it ended up being quite a large family affair with family folks coming and going throughout the week. Love being part of such a great, happy, social group of people – also known as my inlaws/outlaws. My brother and family also joined in on the fun and with all the people in attendance we completely covered Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

As it turns out husband and I celebrated our Anniversary while in Manitoba and decided to host a BYOBCM Potluck (Bring your own Booze, Chair and Meat) for all the family assembled in Clear Lake. We supplied the sides which consisted of: baked potatoes, quinoa salad, ceasar salad, green salad with fruit and a new grilled asparagus bean salad). It was a lovely evening spent with special family and we couldn’t have asked for a better Anniversary celebration. The wine flowed and the food was splendid. Since I received some good feedback on this salad I wanted to get it posted to share.

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Grilled Asparagus Bean Salad
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 10
 
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch asparagus, rinsed & ends removed, grilled
  • 1 19oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
  • 1 19oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1 pepper (yellow, red, orange), diced
  • 3 cobs corn, husks & silk removed, grilled
  • 2 green onions, diced
  • ¼ cup olive oil + 2 tsp
  • 1-2 tsp lime zest
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Take your cooled corn on the cobs and carefully slice off the kernels. Rough chop your grilled asparagus. Place both in a bowl. Add in your chickpeas, black beans, diced pepper and green onions.
  2. In a measuring cup whisk together ¼ cup oil, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust if necessary.
  3. Pour dressing over ingredients in bowl and lightly toss to combine. This salad can be made a couple hours in advance to let flavours marry or served immediately. You can also add chopped cilantro to the salad.
Notes
To grill asparagus: Toss the asparagus with 1 tsp oil to coat. Place directly on the grill over medium heat, cover, and cook until the asparagus changes colour slightly and grill marks appear, about 5 minutes. Turn the asparagus, cover, and cook until tender, 3-5 more minutes. Lightly season with salt & pepper and set aside.

To grill corn on the cob: Toss the cleaned corn on the cob with 1-2 tsp oil, massaging the corn all over. Arrange cobs on grill over medium heat. Cover and grill, rotating occasionally, using tongs until corn is slightly charred on all sides and tender, approx. 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

 

The Blue Cheese, Pear and Dark Ale Caramelized Onion Burger

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I was recently at a private event here in Calgary for Jelly Modern Doughnuts. It was an interactive evening where we got to decorate doughnuts and as an ice breaker we were asked to create a new doughnut. Sounds easy enough right? Well then we were told to go around and ask other attendees what their doughnut creation was and give them a sticker if you loved their idea. The most stickers won. Sadly my doughnut idea didn’t win but the combination remains a tried and true favourite in many variations; blue cheese, pear, toasted walnuts on top with a honey drizzle. This is what lead to the inspiration for our new burger, The Blue Cheese, Pear and Dark Ale Caramelized Onion Burger. For the sauce I grabbed some chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, mixed it with mayo, and we ended up with a delicious Chipotle Mayo to accompany the burger.

Not every one in my family loves burgers but that doesn’t stop us from trying new creations regularly. This version, surprisingly, was loved by the entire family.

Burgers are also a great meal to have when you are camping. We mix up a batch of fresh burgers in advance, freeze them individually in burger containers/set given to us by friends and transfer them to the trailer freezer when it’s time to go. It’s the perfect camping meal. You make/take as many as your family will eat and won’t have any leftovers. Everyone loves a good burger while sitting around the campfire.

And here is the next addition to our Triple B (Bakers Burger Blast).

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The Blue Cheese, Pear and Dark Ale Caramelized Onion Burger
Recipe type: lunch, dinner, camping, main,
 
Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 lbs ground beef
  • ½ cup grated white cheddar cheese
  • 1 pear sliced thin and rough chopped
  • 1 onion sliced into thin rings
  • 1 tsp spice blend, your favourite, we used za'atar
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tsp butter
  • salt & pepper
  • ½ cup dark beer
  • ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
  • ¾ cup chipotle mayo
Instructions
  1. Melt butter and olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Add in your onions, turn the heat down and let your onions cook slowly. After about 10 minutes pour in your dark ale. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the onions are soft and lightly browned. The liquid will evaporate. Set aside to cool.
  2. Combine burger, cheese, pear, ¼ cup of the caramelized onions, spice blend, salt, pepper and shape into patties.
  3. Grill over medium heat until completely cooked through. Toast your buns, cut side down, until lightly browned.
  4. While still on the grill top your burger with some blue cheese and then the leftover caramelized onions. Leave on grill until cheese starts to ooze a little into the onions.
  5. Once off the grill spread some chipotle mayo on your bun and top with fresh spinach.
  6. This makes 5 good sized burgers or 8 medium sized burgers.
Notes
To make chipotle mayo combine ¾ cup mayo with 1-2 tbsp chipotles in adobe sauce. For a finer consistency puree.

 

 

 

Bakers Spice Rub

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Our Bakers Spice Rub is an all purpose spice rub.  It’s delicious on any grilled meat, slow cooker or oven baked dishes, in soups, on tofu, potatoes, casseroles & sauces.  Options are endless.

Sometimes when I make this rub, if I have a store purchased spice rub on hand, I will toss a little into my Bakers Spice Rub to crazy it up a bit.

Here is our recipe.

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Bakers Spice Rub
Recipe type: condiment, spice rub,
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tsp rock salt with chili flakes (without flakes is fine)
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp old bay seasoning (omit if you do not have)
Instructions
  1. Toss all spices into a bowl and stir.
  2. Store in ziplock and/or sealed type container when not using.
  3. Should last 6-12 months.
  4. Makes about 1 cup.

Double Bacon Burger

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When you hear double bacon burger, what comes to mind?! Double patties, double the bacon? For me it’s usually double the bacon. That’s exactly what we did with this burger. We’ve doubled the bacon by adding cooked bacon on the burger and mincing some bacon while still raw and adding it to the burger before forming.

Don’t fret. We’ve been doing this for over 10 years and never once gotten sick or has the burger/bacon been under cooked. The key is either to grind the bacon or mince it very small. By doing this it melts right into the raw burger adding extra flavour keeping it juicy. Now having said that if you like your burger still mooing, you may not want to try or slightly fry your bacon a little first before adding to the raw meat.

I topped my burger with a little mayonnaise – sometimes flavoured, spinach/arugula mix, slow cooked & caramelized onions, crisped bacon and Gouda or Manchego cheese.

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5.0 from 1 reviews
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Double Bacon Burger
Recipe type: Dinner, Entree, Main, Lunch, Burger
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 4 slices bacon, chopped
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients and shape into patties. 1 pound of burger makes 4 good sized burgers or 6 medium sized burgers.
  2. Grill over medium heat until completely cooked through.
  3. Build your burger with your favourite fixins and enjoy.

 

 

Pancetta & Lemon Grilled Salmon

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We barbequed this lovely whole salmon fillet about a month ago…inspired by a recent trip to Northern British Columbia. The flavours are simple but tasty. Salmon is really easy to cook. Remember to buy your salmon fresh…it should not smell fishy. I’m slowly teaching my husband and kids to smell the fish before they buy it. If it smells fishy after you’ve cooked it, then you’ve cooked it to long.

This salmon dish falls under the simple category and is a modified version of a salmon dish my mom used to make wrapped in parchment and baked in the oven. Deep seeded inspiration I think.

To serve this salmon I topped it with a cool, fresh Cucumber Salad, omitting the onions with the hopes the kids would be more inclined to eat the salad – they weren’t, but we keep trying. A sprinkling of chili flakes finished it off. The kids do enjoy salmon and I liken that to our eating fish regularly.

You can choose to serve your salmon with a salad on top or as is. Either way is equally satisfying. If you can’t find pancetta you can use regular bacon. Very simple flavours.

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Pancetta & Lemon Grilled Salmon
Author: 
Recipe type: Entree, Main, Seafood, Lunch
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 lb salmon fillet, bones removed
  • 4-6 slices of pancetta
  • 1 lemon
  • salt & pepper
  • olive oil
Instructions
  1. Prepare a piece of aluminum foil just slightly larger than the piece of salmon you will be grilling.
  2. Place salmon skin side down on the aluminum foil on a preheated grill.
  3. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
  4. With a zester zest some lemon over your salmon, then cut lemon in half and squeeze half the lemon over the salmon.
  5. Pour some olive oil over salmon and finally carefully place your pancetta on salmon.
  6. With lid down cook salmon over medium heat for 10 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes easily with a fork (I go by feel but do not overcook).
  7. Remove salmon from grill and serve immediately.
Notes
Leftover salmon can be used in salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes or even salmon loaf.

 

Hoisin Ginger Pork Tenderloin

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Pork Tenderloin is a delicious & lean cut of meat you can cook and prepare several ways. Try grilling it with this sticky honey hoisin sauce and end up with a moist, flavourful dinner. We double the recipe making extra for leftovers the next day. Use it in a Vietnamese style sub adding in fresh bean sprouts, cilantro, cucumber, carrots and the leftover sauce, slice it thin and add it last minute to hot broth, or warm it in some leftover BBQ sauce.

Serve with a simple salad, roasted potatoes or fresh veggies.

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Hoisin Ginger Pork Tenderloin
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner, Lunch, Main,
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Pork Tenderloin
  • 1-2 tbsp oil
  • ¼ cup hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp ginger, fresh & minced
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or sherry)
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. In a bowl mix together hoisin sauce, ginger, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, honey and garlic. Set aside.
  2. In a skillet, heat oil over high heat. Season pork with salt & pepper. When the oil is ready quick sear your pork tenderloin on all sides.
  3. Brush pork with your sauce and grill over low heat on natural gas BBQ for about 15 minutes turning and basting as you go with more sauce. Grill for about 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 170F (and a hint of pink remains).
  4. If you have leftover glaze discard.
  5. When done put your pork on a platter and tent it for at least 5-10 minutes before serving.

 

Greek Chicken Kabobs

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Marinating the chicken before hand tenderizes it and adds extra flavour to the meat. Simple and tasty, we serve these Greek Chicken Kabobs with our Feta Mint Dip and fresh pita. Substitute in eggplant, white onion or any summer squash instead of zucchini, red onion & peppers to change it up.

greek-chicken-kabobs

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Greek Chicken Kabobs
Author: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
  • ½ zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • ½ red onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • ½ pepper (red, yellow, orange) cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1-2 tsp oregano
  • 2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • bamboo skewers soaked in water
  • olive oil
Instructions
  1. Add chicken to a ziplock bag. Pour in olive oil, 2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar, oregano and salt & pepper.
  2. Add vegetables to the bag and squishy to blend all flavours.
  3. Marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes on counter or longer in the refrigerator.
  4. Preheat your grill to medium high and start threading your skewers alternating veg/chicken. Grill skewers turning occasionally until chicken is browned and cooked through (about 10 minutes).
  5. Serve immediately.

 

Five Spice Salmon with Maple

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Here is just one of many salmon recipes I have up my sleeve since I grew up in a small Northern British Columbia Town that prides itself on it’s great fishing.  I had my fair share of salmon growing up, but my favourite will always be my father’s smoked salmon.

As a child we spent time in Port Edward (near Prince Rupert) fishing for crab off the docks by the Cannery.  My dad went out ocean fishing with friends on the Douglas Channel (Kitimat) and often came home with Red Snapper, Ling Cod, Halibut and um Octopus.  Yes there was a live octopus in the kitchen sink one day when I came home from work waiting to be made into soup.  Never a dull moment in my house once my mother channeled her inner Julia Child.

Further to all this we dug & cooked clams on the beaches of the Queen Charlotte Islands and fished the mighty Kalum & Skeena Rivers in Terrace until we were allowed to fish no more (chinook, sockeye, trout, pink, chum, stealhead, coho).   Fish at my house was often smoked (in an old refrigerator turned smoker), canned, it was smoked and then canned and it was good.  To this day I have yet to try another smoked salmon that even comes close to my fathers recipe.

Salmon is in my blood and after bringing some fresh sockeye home with us from our recent vacay to B.C. I am ready to get back to cooking it on a regular basis.  I tend to stay with simple flavours when cooking salmon…although sometimes I like to change it up a bit so here is a recipe with a few different levels of flavours that will make you go hmmm it works, how delicious!  A keeper.

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Five Spice Salmon with Maple
Recipe type: Entree, Dinner, Main
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp dried ginger
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp five spice powder
  • Pinch of Pepper
  • 2 lb salmon
Instructions
  1. Mix first 7 ingredients together in a bowl to form your glaze.
  2. Prepare a piece of aluminum foil just slightly larger than the piece of salmon you will be grilling.
  3. Place salmon skin side down on the aluminum foil and on the grill.
  4. Brush salmon with some of the glaze.
  5. With lid down cook salmon over medium heat for 10 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes easily with a fork (I go by feel but do not overcook).
  6. You can brush more glaze on the salmon while cooking if you wish.
  7. Remove salmon from grill and serve immediately.

 

Jumbo Grilled Shrimp

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We had friends over for a BBQ the other night and I always have to try at least one new recipe when people are over.  I love to experiment and love it even more when I have people to test recipes on!   Since it was a warm day I opted for colder appetizers and decided on jumbo grilled shrimp with a tasty citrus aioli.  If you can not find jumbo shrimp in your store, use regular sized shrimp instead.

Grilled shrimp are lovely with any type of flavoured Aioli.  We paired these with a Citrus Aioli.

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Jumbo Grilled Shrimp
Author: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 12 oz raw unfrozen jumbo shrimp, deveined (I left peel on)
  • 1 tbsp oil (olive or canola)
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp old bay seasoning (if you have it)
  • salt & pepper (1/4 tsp each)
Instructions
  1. In storage bag combine all ingredients. Squishly bag to ensure ingredients are blended together with shrimp. Let sit approximately 30 minutes.
  2. Over medium high heat grill shrimp about 2 minutes per side (total of 4 minutes) or until they are pink and opaque. Transfer to plate, let cool and place in fridge until ready to serve.

Grilled Veggie, Pesto & Bocconcini Pizza

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This Grilled Veggie, Pesto & Bocconcini pizza is inspired by my leftover grilled veggies.  I loved grilled veggies (mushrooms, peppers, onions, zucchini) and in the summer we grill them frequently.  Leftovers usually find their way into omelets or pasta dishes.  This time however, I decided to put the leftovers on a pita and make yet another version of a pita pizza.   

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Grilled Veggie, Pesto & Bocconcini Pizza
Recipe type: Dinner, Lunch
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup grilled leftover veggies (or more)
  • ¼ cup pesto
  • ¼ cup feta
  • ¼ cup pearl bocconcini cheese
  • ¼ cup old cheddar, grated
  • 3-4 leaves basil, sliced (chiffonade)
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • 1 whole wheat pita
Instructions
  1. Turn oven on to broil. Spread pesto on your pita.
  2. Add your grilled veggies spreading all over (I used more than ½ a cup but I love them). Sprinkle on your feta, bocconcini & cheddar. I always add parmesan on a pizza so this was sprinkled on as well.
  3. Add your basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Broil in oven or on hot grill for about 2-3 minutes or until cheese melted and bubbling. I bake mine on a pizza stone but a cookie sheet or pizza pan will work.
  4. Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes before slicing. This pizza is dynamite!

Apple & Halloom Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

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Apple & Halloom Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette….I bet you are wondering what Halloom is? I was too when I saw it in the grocery store. Halloom is a semi-soft unripened cheese that is perfect for grilling. It is a Mediterranean-inspired cheese that holds its shape and resists melting when heated.

My love affair with cheese is never ending and as such I was very excited to try grilling some Halloom. And so hubs was given the order to grill it one night since he is the grill-master in our house. He took his job very seriously and did it with ease, never flinching under the pressure. It looked divine when it came off the grill, sliced up nicely and was a lovely but simple addition to my apple salad. Reminds me of a cross between a salty feta and a firmer bocconcini. It’s a keeper and my mind is spinning with ideas on how to use Halloom in the future. Until then try this salad, it’s one of my favourites and a show stopper.

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Apple & Halloom Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp minced shallots
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 3 thick slices Halloom
  • ½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 1 red skinned apple (ambrosia or gala)
  • 8 cups lettuce or mixed greens
Instructions
  1. For dressing whisk together shallots, oil, vinegar, mustard and honey.
  2. Just before serving core and thinly slice apple. Lightly brush some oil onto Halloom and grill over medium-high heat until warmed through and you get some nice grill marks on the cheese. Let cool for a few minutes and then dice.
  3. Add lettuce/greens to a bowl, toss in apple, Halloom, toasted almonds and enough dressing to coat lettuce/greens (you may not need to use all of the dressing). Mix well and serve.

Lemon Chili Pork Chops

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There are many ways to spice up and/or marinate pork chops.  Open your pantry and see what you have for spices.  Then experiment with a few.  If you are not sure about what to use try the spice combination in this recipe.   It is not a spicy recipe but more on the milder side – which is perfect for kids who do not like too much spice!  If you like your meat kicked up a notch add in more chili powder.

It was a cooler day outside when we grilled these pork chops.  So I paired these bad boys with some roasted proscuitto, potatoes, onions and carrots.

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Lemon Chili Pork Chops
Recipe type: Dinner, Lunch
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1-2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 4 boneless pork chops (thick)
Instructions
  1. In a ziplock bag combine all ingredients except pork chops. Squishy ingredients to combine. Add pork chops and squishy some more.
  2. Let stand on counter for 30 minutes to marinate or in fridge for longer. Always let your meat warm up on counter for about 20-30 minutes before grilling.
  3. Remove pork from marinade (toss marinade) and grill over low heat for 30 minutes (thicker chops) or until done.

Thai Inspired Chicken

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This is one of those recipes I’ve gone past several times…always drawn to the quantity of fresh herbs used. Rummaging through my fridge recently I discovered I had all the herbs required to make that “Thai Chicken” recipe. Fortunately I also had some green curry paste and was inspired to add some more flavour to the dish.

Happy to report this recipe got 4 thumbs up…the family loved it. The kidlets did not complain about the herbs at all even commenting on how much they enjoyed it. Fresh Tasting & Flavourful.

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Thai Inspired Chicken
Author: 
Recipe type: Chicken, Dinner, Food For One, Grilling, Kid Friendly, Lunch
 
Ingredients
  • ¼ – ½ cup fresh basil, chopped fine
  • ¼ – ½ cup fresh mint, chopped fine
  • ¼ – ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine
  • 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp green curry paste
  • ¼ cup oil (canola or olive)
  • splash of your favourite hot pepper sauce
  • 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts OR bone in, skin on chicken thighs
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in ziplock bag. Squishy it to mix flavours. If you find it a little on the dry side add some more oil. Add chicken, squeezing to ensure marinade permeates chicken.
  2. Let stand 30 minutes at room temp or longer in fridge to develop flavours. Remove chicken from marinade and discard.
  3. For boneless chicken breasts grill over medium heat approx 12-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
  4. For bone-in chicken thighs grill over medium low heat for approximately 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

For this recipe I pulled out of the freezer both bone-in chicken thighs and boneless chicken breasts as they needed to be used up. I threw them all into the marinade noting the different cooking times for the chicken. Each morsel tasted equally divine.

Grilled Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

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Steak has always been one of my favourite things. My dad would grill it up on occasion, but it would always be the same cut of steak and have to much of the same barbecue sauce added every time. This my friends is what food memories are all about – ahhh the good ole days!

These days I do steak a variety of ways. This Grilled Steak with Chimichurri Sauce is simple, yet the sauce packs a punch of flavour. Today I am using a top sirloin steak to go with my chimichurri. Mix together a few spices, some garlic and olive oil. Rub onto the steak and let sit for awhile. Mix up your chimichurri, grill your steak to your liking and Bob’s your uncle.

Chimichurri sauce originates from Argentina & South America and is a green sauce used to accompany any grilled meat or veg. I’ve had green, red and even a white chimichurri and it’s such a delicious flavour boost. Try adding some to roasted potatoes – super yum right?

As a side to the steak we grilled up some mushrooms and asparagus and filled half our plate with veggies.

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Grilled Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: sauce, side
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs steak (whatever you enjoy, striploin, sirloin, filet)
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp coriander
  • ½ Pepper
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp + ½ cup olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ cup fresh parsley leaves
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice, fresh
  • 2 tbsp fresh oregano
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled
  • ½ tsp each salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine cumin, coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle onto your steak. Add minced garlic and approximately 1 tbsp olive oil and rub everything onto the steaks. Let sit and marinate in fridge until ready to grill (at least 30 minutes).
  2. Mix up your chimichurri by blending together ½ cup olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, oregano, garlic and salt/pepper. Blend until combined and set aside.
  3. Grill your steak to your liking and serve with chimichurri sauce.

 

 

Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

 

 

Simple Chicken Fajitas

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Mexican style food is something our family adores. I’ve tried many different versions of chicken fajita’s and always found the flavours are rather bland. So after playing with some spices most of us would have in our pantry, I was able to get the flavour I was hoping for. Plus the family enjoyed the meal so much my daughter asked for it for lunch the next day at school (now that is unusual).

Fajita’s for our family are a quick & easy supper on an activity night. These are truly yummy.

If you are making these for the Wild Rose D-Tox you will have to eat them without the tortillas, sour cream, cheese and any pickled peppers.

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Simple Chicken Fajitas
 
Ingredients
  • 4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp lime juice, fresh
  • canola oil
  • ½ cup spanish onion, sliced
  • 1 cup pepper (red, green, orange, yellow), sliced
  • whole wheat flour tortillas
Instructions
  1. In a ziplock bag combine chili powder, oregano, salt, cumin, garlic, lime juice and a little oil. Seal bag and smoosh to combine flavours. Add your chicken and smoosh a little more. Refrigerate for a minimum 15 minutes or longer if you have time.
  2. Put your onions and peppers in a bowl. Pour on a little oil and season with salt, pepper and a little cumin.
  3. Take chicken out of marinade and drain. Put on greased BBQ and grill approximately 6-7 minutes per side on med-high until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove from heat and let rest under cover.
  4. Meanwhile on a preheated BBQ grill topper or stove top grill pan add some oil and your onion/pepper mix. Give it a little more s&p and saute for about 4-5 minutes or until veggies tender crisp. Set aside in a bowl.
  5. Get all your fixin’s ready, heat up your flour tortillas (10 seconds in microwave, or toss on grill), slice your chicken, grab some peppers/onions and you are ready to assemble your chicken fajita.
Notes
Fixins: shredded lettuce, diced tomato, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, hot peppers (banana or jalapeno), shredded cheese, chopped cilantro

Fruit Pizza

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You know how certain foods remind you of certain times in your life? This pizza is one of them. It brings me back to my days living in Vancouver, Billie Holiday, Blue Rodeo, and dinners consisting of wine & popcorn. Those were also the days where I used to swoon over the Vancouver Province every Wednesday or Thursday as it was recipe day in the paper, and I was always eager to see what recipes would be shared.

From picnics to potlucks, or lunch time office parties, this pizza is the perfect guest. I’ve even brought it along to a baby shower. You can change up the fruit based on the time of the year, and what’s in season. Brighten up a gloomy day with a fruit pizza.

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Fruit Pizza
 
Ingredients
  • Fruit Pizza
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • ¼ cup icing sugar
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • Icing
  • 12 oz cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1½ tsp vanilla
  • Glaze
  • ⅓ cup Apricot Jam
  • 1 tbsp water
  • Fresh fruit
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Mix first 5 ingredients together in a bowl until it comes together and you can form a ball. Press onto bottom of pizza pan. If you lay parchment down first it will allow you to remove pizza easily to a cake platter.
  3. Bake for approx 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.
  4. To make icing beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Spread evenly over pizza crust.
  5. Arrange your fruit on top.
  6. Mix together apricot jam & water. If you wish you can run it through a sieve to remove chunks of apricot. I left the apricot pieces in this time.
  7. Pour glaze over fruit and serve.
Notes
Tip: On a hot summer day you can cook the crust on your BBQ instead of turning your oven on.

Maple Soy Pork Chops

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When kids come into your lives you have no idea how busy life will become. Schedules, routines, activities, eventually school, playdates, family time, and somewhere in there we need to eat right? As my kids started to get older, and several weekly activities became the norm, we were running like chickens with our heads cut off several times a week trying to grab something healthy to eat and go.

Quick meals solutions were needed. Pork chops are one of those quick, easy and healthy meal ideas that can be grilled, fried, or broiled quickly. Once cooked and cooled you could slice thin and add to sandwiches or wraps if you do not have time for a sit down meal. A bowl of pasta, pork chops and fresh veggies are really that easy to get on the table in 30 minutes or less.

These pork chops are a family favourite, in fact anything that includes Chinese five-spice powder is a favourite here.

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Maple Soy Pork Chops
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1-2 tsp ginger, freshly grated
  • 3 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 4 boneless pork chops
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients except pork chops into a ziplock style bag. Mush it up to combine. Add your pork chops, seal bag and squishy bag to ensure chops are coated evenly.
  2. Marinate for a minimum 30 minutes. Longer is better.
  3. Remove pork chops from bag and grill over low heat on BBQ until done, about 30 minutes for thicker chops.
  4. In the photo I paired my pork chop with balsamic & basil grilled veggies. Will post that recipe soon.

 

 

Squash & Goat Cheese Pita Pizza

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I thought yesterday’s pizza creation was pretty tasty and since today is pizza day for lunch, the inspiration carried over and I wanted to create another yummy pizza. Today’s pizza is a leftover roasted Squash & Goat Cheese Pita Pizza, yumo.

I always use pita pockets to make pizzas for lunch for the kids. They are the perfect size for little hands and hold the ingredients well. Looking around my kitchen for inspiration I discovered some uncooked squash that needed to be used up. Not enough time to grill it, I steamed it instead. Being a lover of all things squash but never having had it on pizza I was up for the challenge. I looked through the fridge, fished out some basil and some peppered goat cheese. A new recipe was born.

Note: If you like goat cheese but do not care for a lot of pepper buy a plain or perhaps herb goat cheese and omit the additional cracked pepper.

I can honestly say I had a Clinton Kelly moment when I took my first bite. (If you ever watch The Chew….love that show…whenever Clinton tastes something he adores he becomes incoherent).  Yes I felt that way, this pizza rocked my socks off. Trying to figure out what to call this pizza was my biggest challenge.

If you are up for a new pizza and and like squash, try it – you will not be disappointed.  I didn’t calorie count this one but I’m pretty sure since there are fewer ingredients it might be under 500 calories.

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Squash & Goat Cheese Pita Pizza
Recipe type: Appetizers, Dinner, Food For One, Grilling, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Pizza, Quick Meals, Simple, Vegetarian
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Byblos Garlic Greek Pita Pocket
  • 1-2 tbsp Soft Unripened Peppercorn Goat Cheese, broken up
  • Olive Oil
  • 2-3 sprigs Fresh Basil, chiffonade
  • ½ cup cooked butternut squash (grill or steam), chopped into smaller pieces
  • 1-2 tbsp Asiago Cheese, shredded
  • Cracked Black Pepper
Instructions
  1. Drizzle a little olive oil onto your pita. Spread with a pastry brush.
  2. Next add your cut, cooked butternut squash and your goat cheese. Sprinkle on your basil and some Asiago cheese.
  3. Broil on pizza stone for 2-3 minutes or until Asiago cheese melts a little and edges of pita brown. Remove from oven and let sit a few minutes. If you do not have a pizza stone a pizza pan or cookie sheet works just as well.
  4. Just before serving (to myself) I added additional Asiago & basil on top and some fresh cracked black pepper.
  5. For me this taste combination was a winner…one the next time the family wants pizza for supper…I will happily oblige.


Coconut Chicken Thighs

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Another recipe on the radar for awhile.  I love anything with coconut.   And finally I pulled the chicken out of the freezer and got them into the marinade.  Then after a long day with an activity night ahead of us, I decided against grilling the chicken and opted for quick sandwiches instead.  It was just one of those days.

The chicken ended up getting grilled the next night and as such marinating for 24 hours.  Uh, yum.  The coconut did it’s job and the chicken was delicious but did not have an overpowering coconut flavour.  It received 4 thumbs up.

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Coconut Chicken Thighs
Author: 
Recipe type: Chicken, Dinner, Grilling, Lunch
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup canned coconut milk, stir well
  • 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tsp lime peel, grated
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 10 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in ziplock bag, except chicken. Swishy the bag to incorporate and mix up ingredients. Remove ½ cup of the marinade, cover and refrigerate.
  2. Add chicken to the bag, close bag and move around to marry it with the marinade. Marinate for a minimum 30 minutes up to several hours if you have the time.
  3. When ready to grill remove chicken from the marinade. Grill over medium heat for approximate 15 – 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Keep an eye on them as flare ups may occur and the skin will get quite charred.
  4. Serve with reserved marinade and coconut rice.


Mushroom & Green Onion Kabobs

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I’ve made these skewers too many times to count over the years.  Oddly enough I have never posted the recipe to the blog.

The photo is not the best and taken just after the kabobs came off the grill.  (Husband skewered them which is why they appear unevenly skewered.) Sometimes when you have guests waiting and smelling the food, trying to get the perfect shot doesn’t always work.  And sometimes husband grabs the camera and starts taking pictures without thinking about the end result (keener to get a better shot than me).  Will try and take a better photo next time.

This mushroom kabob is a delicious accompaniment to any grilled meat.

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Mushroom & Green Onion Kabobs
Author: 
Recipe type: Appetizers, Dinner, Grilling, Sides, Vegetarian
 
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup soy sauce (your favourite kind)
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tbsp white wine, dry
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp dried ginger (fresh works if you have it)
  • 1½ tsp cornstarch
  • ¼ tsp hot pepper sauce
  • 6 green onions
  • 20 large fresh mushrooms
  • small bamboo skewers
Instructions
  1. Soak bamboo skewers in water for minimum 30 minutes.
  2. Combine soy sauce thru hot pepper sauce in a small pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir regularly until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside. This is your sauce.
  3. Cut your green onions into 1-1/2 inch pieces. Clean your mushrooms.
  4. Thread mushrooms onto skewer, stem end first followed by a piece of green onion placed crosswise. Do not overcrowd mushrooms but continue until you have filled your skewers.
  5. Brush mushrooms/onions with sauce. Grill over medium heat, basting regularly with sauce until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes.