Are you tired of grilling steaks (okay, maybe that’s a stretch), burgers and hot dogs? Well, here are a few items good for summer grilling that you may or may not have experimented with before. As always, a Corona or two or three is always good for your left hand (flip those if you’re a southpaw) while your right hand flips the food. Each recipe serves four, or two really hungry guys.
*Note: A lot of my published recipes don’t exactly fall into the realm of health food, but most commercial marinades are loaded with sugar and high fructose corn syrup. And when you can make your own from scratch as easily as this, then why not do it?
Tasty Chicken Skewers
4 chicken breast halves, cut into one-inch chunks
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large zip-lock bag and add chicken. Marinate in refrigerator for one hour. Divide chicken chunks between four skewers. Grill over medium-high heat until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
Grilled shrimp
20 raw shrimp, cleaned and de-veined
Cooking spray
Cajun seasoning
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne pepper
After cleaning shrimp, divide them between four skewers and spray lightly with cooking spray. Then sprinkle spices on both sides. Grill over medium-high heat for about two to three minutes per side, or until the shrimp are opaque white in color.
Oriental Pork Chops
4 medium bone-in pork chops
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. minced ginger (from the jar is fine)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Combine all marinade ingredients (everything but chops) in a large zip-lock bag and shake to combine. Add chops, and marinate in the refrigerator for two to three hours. Grill over medium-high heat for about four minutes per side or until pork is no longer pink in the center.
Sides
If you really want to get to know your grill, try cooking vegetables or even fruit. Good and easy vegetable choices are thickly sliced zucchini, potatoes or bell pepper. For fruit, try grilling banana halves (while still in the skin) or peach halves. Be sure to spray any of those modestly with cooking spray (away from the grill) and remember that cooking times for these items are generally much quicker than for meats.
