Chicken Souvlaki - Gyros

My hubby took me to this greek restaurant a little bit ago and I was not excited. I was still calling their main dish, Jy-rohs at the time... He made me try this one gyro with the most delicious chicken I have ever tasted in my life. After that, I was hooked and have been scouring Pinterest for the perfect gyro recipe. Well, I found it.

This has become one of my absolute favorite meals. The marinade for the chicken is so delicious. I can't wait for grilling season to roll around again, since right now, it's too cold to use the grill. But I can't wait until Summer is finally here to enjoy these again- and even eat them outside on our patio!!

For the first time I made them, I actually made the flat bread myself. It wasn't a terribly successful attempt- I think I may be bread-incompetent when it comes to using yeast. It was still good, but I have since then only used store bought pita bread (much easier!)

Chicken Souvlake:
Source: Seemingly Greek

Here's what you'll need:
1 lb. chicken, cubed
4 T. Fresh lemon juice
3-4 T Olive Oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 t. oregano
1 t. thyme
2-4 cloves garlic
1/4 onion, sliced or cubed
salt and pepper
wooden skewers
green or red peppers, cubed

What to do:
Whisk the liquid ingredients together and allow cubed chicken and cubed onions to marinate for at least 2-4 hours.

Once finished marinating, alternate the chicken pieces, onion pieces and pepper pieces on skewers.

Be sure to let your wooden skewers soak in water for about 30 minutes before skewering all your veggies/chicken.

Depending on how thick your meat is cut and the size, cook evenly over medium  heat on the grill. Feel free to baste it once or twice while grilling as well- using left over marinade.

Enjoy with pita bread, or Naan bread, Tzatziki sauce and fries!

 

Pepper Encrusted Salmon

This continues to be one of my favorite ways to prepare salmon.  It's simple, quick, and full of flavor.  The ground pepper does tend to give it some kick, so if you have eaters sensitive to spicy food, you may want to cut back on the amount of pepper you use.  In my house, I don't really care so much about the feelings' of my spicy eaters, so I coat the salmon in ground pepper!

This is best on the grill, so the pepper coating creates a bit of a "crust."  I  usually just use my counter top grill, but it also works great on an outdoor grill.  However, make sure to grease your grill grates because fish does tend to stick and makes a mess to get off.

4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tablespoons lemon juice
24 ounces salmon
1/2 tablespoon pepper or have a peppermill handy
4 tablespoons olive oil


1.  Combine soy sauce, crushed garlic cloves, and lemon juice in a plastic bag. Add skinned salmon and marinate, refrigerated, for about 30 minutes.

2.  Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and coat salmon, both sides, with ground pepper--you will use a lot of pepper, but don't worry! I just cover both sides liberally with freshly ground pepper.

3.  Grill the salmon, turning once about halfway. Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.  It doesn't take long, so watch carefully that you don't overcook it, or you'll end up with tough fish.  Serve with some fresh lemon wedges.  

Taco Chicken

I tried this chicken about a year ago for dinner group and it was the first time EVER where everyone in dinner group asked me for the recipe. On the surface, the recipe seems really basic and simple. But somehow, the combination of the taco seasonings with the red wine vinegar and lime juice makes wonderful things happen. The chicken is literally bursting with flavor and juiciness. I cannot emphasize enough how much you must try this most basic chicken recipe. It is easy and it is awesome.

Feeds 4-6

Source: Our Best Bites

1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs

A couple of juicy limes

A splash of red wine vinegar

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1. Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

2. Fire up your grill, broiler, Foreman grill, etc. Combine the salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Liberally sprinkle the seasoning mixture all over your chicken.  (I make this chicken recipe so often, I made an extra large batch of this seasoning blend and keep it in my pantry at all times.)

3. Grill the chicken until done, being sure to flip the chicken over during the grilling process. Allow the meat to rest for several minutes before cutting into it. Serve it in tacos, enchiladas, soup, fajitas, or with rice and beans, or anything else that lights your fancy.

Roasted Asparagus

We love asparagus in this house. And when I roast it using this method, I can even convince my finicky little boys to eat it. Somehow, the roasting intensifies the flavor and makes them even yummier. I apologize to reverting to the language of a five year old, here, but it's the simple truth. Roasting= yummier. I love that it's simple ingredients and relatively simple and quick to throw together. Plus, if I line my baking sheet with enough foil, I can even same myself the clean up time of one extra dish... always a plus in this house. I "heart" anything that can be done with foil versus a pot.

The original recipe (which I found on Allrecipes) calls for mushrooms and asparagus... I do it with and without, depending on what I have available. Leaving out the mushrooms and rosemary will still leave you absolutely delicious asparagus. But when I do have mushrooms on hand.... mmmm... they get so deliciously fat and plump, it just makes me giddy. Granted, I'm the kind of girl who gets giddy about plump mushrooms, so bear that in mind.

You can really do what you want with this. It's the roasting and kosher salt that makes them so delicious. I've done it without the rosemary and sometimes I add a bit of shredded Parmesan cheese... which is absolutely delicious. But the beauty of the recipe is that you can alter it to your tastes and really just eyeball everything.

Serves 6

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed (rather than cut the ends, I usually just break the stem near the bottom... it'll usually break off at the point where the asparagus starts to get "strawy"... yes, that's a word)

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, quartered or halved (optional)

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced (optional)

about 2 Tbsp. olive oil (just eyeball this amount)

kosher salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. If you're lazy like me, double line a large baking sheet with foil. If you don't like you're food cooking on aluminum and aren't as lazy, just grab a large a baking sheet and spray it lightly with cooking spray.

3. Combine the asparagus and mushrooms in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and then season with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Toss well. (Honestly speaking... seeing as how I hate dirtying pots and pans... I usually do this all on the baking sheet... saves me another item to clean up!)

4. Spread the asparagus and mushrooms out in an even layer on your baking sheet.

5. Roast in your pre-heated oven, until tender, about 14-17 minutes.

Hamburgers

I'd never made my own Hamburgers before, but I tried these last week for my dinner group and they were fantastic. We made them really big, a la Red Robin... good stuff. I got this recipe from Our Best Bites (who got it from Family Fun). It's a good one to make with the kiddos... Gavin loved rolling and making his own patties.

1 1/4 lb. ground beef (the extra 1/4 lb. helps the meat stay together... don't forgo it!)
3 Tbsp. A1 Steak Sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
3/4 tsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. dehydrated onion

Combine all the ingredients well and shape into patties. You should be able to get 4-6 patties.

Grill about 5-7 minutes per side, depending on how pink you want them.

I sprayed my grill rack first and made sure to cook them a full 7 minutes so they didn't fall apart when I turned over. These were mighty tasty and it's so satisfying to mix those ingredients by hand and make your hamburgers!

Montreal Steak Marinade

OK... so the easiest way to do this is to buy the silly little packet and follow the instructions on the back. But... if you're like us and buy the Montreal Steak Seasoning in bulk (and not in a cute little packet), then this is what you could do with it... this is the only way we cook our steaks. We've tried other things and this is always perfect. Of course, Jared's grilling it which might account for why it always turns out so perfectly...:)

This is enough for about 1-2 lbs. of meat.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. red wine or white vinegar
2 tsp. + a pinch Montreal Steak Seasoning

Marinate at least 30 minutes and then grill it. Always good!

Beef Marinade (for Carne Asada)

We used this to marinate some flank steak for carne asada yesterday and it was fantastic. The flavor was strong and absolutely fantastic.  I made a side of black beans and some homemade salsa and we had the perfect Father's Day meals.  It was one of the meals where I was anxious for the leftovers the next day.  This stuff is seriously awesome.

3/4 lb. flank steak (or flap steak, etc.)
1 T vinegar
1 T, 1 t soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lime, juiced

1-2 T orange juice

2 T olive oil
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t white pepper
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t chili powder
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t paprika

I also added several Tablespoons of minced, fresh cilantro since we were using the meat for a Mexican dish.

Marinate 1-8 hours, turning several times throughout.

Cook your meat, however you desire, although my preference is to grill it.

Tin Foil Dinners

Assorted chopped vegetables (large slices and pieces, mind you); some of our favorites are: potatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, squash, corn)
Assorted Meat, if desired
Assorted seasonings, including salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, thyme, marjoram, steak seasoning, etc.
Tin Foil


Do you really need directions? Lightly spray your tin foil with cooking spray. Fill with veggies and meat and season generously. Fold tin foil over and tightly seal edges. Place on grill and cook until done, 10-20 minutes, depending on contents.

This is a great family meal.. the boys love putting together their own packets and picking their own vegetables. And there's no clean-up which is probably why it's one of my favorites!

Favorite Grilled Pork

This is one of my favorite things to grill in the summer. It comes together super easily and quickly and always tastes fantastic. It's also always a huge hit with my little boys, which makes it a sure-fire winner in my book. I make it so often, that I've made a huge batch of the seasoning mixture and keep it in my pantry all the time.

4 boneless pork loin chops, 3/4 inch thick (about 4 oz each)
4 tablespoons ranch dressing
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder ( I usually add a little extra chili powder)
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1. Put chops in a shallow bowl and coat both sides in ranch dressing. Cover and let marinate in fridge for at least 15 minutes. (I've been known to let them marinate all day long)

2. Meanwhile, mix remaining sesonings in small bowl. Generously sprinkle sesoning mixtures over both sides of your pork and grill about 8-10 minutes, or until fully cooked.