Grilled Cajun Orange Roughy

My goal is to post about eight recipes a month.  I am so not going to make it this month!  I have tried a couple of recipes that need some serious adjustments before they are ready to post.  Plus, it has just been a crazy busy month for us.  So, I hope to get a few more in this month before it ends!

Here is a surprisingly easy recipe for fish on the grill.  I got a great deal on orange roughy and found this delicious recipe here.  I doubled the garlic because we love garlic.  I also doubled the salt because I used a lower sodium seasoned salt in place of regular salt.  I used half of the paprika, simply because I ran out and didn't want to run to the store before dinner.  I reprinted the recipe below rather than simply linking to it to include our grilling instructions as the original recipe provided broiler instructions.  Enjoy!

Grilled Cajun Orange Roughy

This recipe was adapted from How to Grill Gluten-Free Cajun Orange Roughy by Danna Korn and Connie Sarros.

4 5 oz orange roughy filets

2 T butter or margarine*, melted

½ t garlic powder

1 t paprika

½ t cumin

¼ t seasoned salt

¼ t freshly ground black pepper

¼ t cayenne pepper

¼ t thyme

½ t oregano

1/8 t sugar

Preheat grill.  Rinse the filets and pat dry.  Combine the butter, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano, and sugar into a paste.  Spoon 1/4 of the mixture on top of each filet, spreading evenly over each piece.  Wrap filets in aluminum foil and cook over direct heat for about 7-8 minutes or until flakes easily with a fork.  For a Kamado style smoker and convection grill cook over direct heat of about 300^o. 

Serves 4

*For those allergic to dairy, make sure your margarine is dairy-free.

Note:  For the amount of cayenne pepper used, it was a little spicier than I expected.  While we loved this, some may need to adjust for a milder flavor.  The original recipe includes nutritional information here.

Grilled Burgers

I must admit, I was quite the skeptic when my husband told me about this recipe.  Since we got our new grill, he has been reading grill forums and recipes to come up with delicious meals and cooking methods.  Several sources, such as this one, recommend rubbing your meat with yellow mustard and then a rub.  Appartently the mustard holds in the juice and helps the spices stick to the meat.  I thought the mustard flavor would be overwhelming but it isn't and the results were awesome!!  The first time he made these, he just made his patties with the mustard and rub.  I wanted to steal his burger!  So, this past weekend he made them all the same and I don't remember the last time I have enjoyed a burger as much. 

 

Grilled Burgers

2-3 pounds ground hamburger (We use 85% lean.)

Yellow Mustard

Steak Rub

Coat both sides of each hamburger patty with yellow mustard and sprinkle with steak rub.  Grill or broil burgers to your liking.  Serve on warm buns with your favorite toppings and maybe a side of sweet potato fries.  Serves 8

Kamado style smoker and convection grill instructions:

Set the dome temperature to 450 ^oF for a grill temperature of about 425^oF.  Grill burgers for about 5 minutes on each side.

Gluten free notes:  We used French’s Yellow Mustard and McCormick Grill Mates Steak Rub.  Both of these products are gluten free.  Be sure to check the labels if you use other brands.  Serve burger on gluten-free bread of your choice.

Pesto Panini

I know most people don't need a recipe for a Panini sandwich.  My goal here is to give you another easy egg-free meal idea for lunch or dinner.  Plus, when it is hot outside, it is nice to cook without heating up the oven.  I used some of our leftover pesto from making chicken pesto pasta last week. 

If you don't have a Panini press, let me recommend the Breville Panini Grill.  It is kind of expensive but worth every penny.  We use ours to make all kind of sandwiches and quesadillas.  I bought one for my parents a few years ago and I think it is thier most used kitchen appliance other than their coffee pot!

 

Pesto Panini 

1 bakery focaccia bread

1 pound deli shredded turkey

4-8 slices of provolone or mozzarella cheese

4 T pesto

Using a serrated bread knife, cut focaccia bread in half.  Then cut each half in half.  Slice each quarter of the focaccia loaf in half horizontally to make to sandwiches slices.  On each bottom slice, spread 1 T pesto.  Then add ¼ of the turkey and 1 - 2 slices of cheese.  Grill in your Panini press until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.  After cooking, I added some fresh greens and tomatoes to get our veggies in.   

Serves 4

Gluten-free notes:  This sandwich can easily be made gluten-free.  Just replace the bread with your favorite gluten-free variety.  You will also need to make sure the deli meat is gluten free.  According to the Heinz website (Heinz owns Classico), Classico Basil Pesto sold in the United States is gluten-free!

Beef Fajitas

My husband smoked/grilled the most awesome fajitas over the weekend.  They are seriously the best I have ever eaten.

The recipe came from the cookbook Smoke & Spice by Cheryl and Bill Jamison.  Fajitas are usually made with skirt or flank steak, which is usually pretty tough.  The authors of this book suggest smoking the meat.  This slower method of cooking makes the meat nice and tender.

We now have a kamado style smoker and convection grill.  The method he used for cooking the fajitas was a cross between smoking and grilling.  The results were amazing.  The meat was tender, smoky and perfectly charred around the edges.  I know these types of grills aren't extremely common.  The instructions I have here are an abbreviation of the original recipe.  I also put how we cooked it, just in case anyone has a similar style grill.  Regardless of your preferred cooking method, this is a delicious marinade for fajitas!

 

Bona Fide Fajitas

Smoke & Spice by Cheryl and Bill Jamison

12 oz beer

¾ c vegetable oil

½ medium onion, finely chopped

Juice of 2 limes

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

2 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T chili powder

1 t freshly ground black pepper

1 t Tabasco sauce (We used Tapatio.)

1 t ground cumin

2-3 pounds of whole beef skirt steak, trimmed (We used flank steak.)

Combine the marinade ingredients in a blender and puree.  Place the steak in a plastic bag with marinade and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.  Prepare the smoker for barbecuing, bringing the temperature to 200^oF to 220^oF.  Remove the steak and drain it.  Transfer the steak to the smoker.  Cook for about 1 hour.  If your smoker has a spate grill area for cooking directly over the fire, or if you have another grill handy, move the meat there and sear it for 1-2 minutes per side.  This step adds a pleasant crispy exterior texture, but isn’t necessary for flavor.  Alternatively, smoke the meat for an additional 15 minutes.  Let the steak sit for about 10 minutes.  Slice at a diagonal angle against the grain.  (If you don’t have a smoker, I think you could follow these instructions using your oven then your grill.  You wouldn’t have the same smoky flavor but it would still make the steak nice and tender.)

Smoker and Convection Grill Instructions

We have a kamado style smoker and convection grill.  These aren’t extremely common.  But if you do have one, this is how we cooked it.  Set the dome temperature to 300 ^oF for a grill temperature of 280^oF.  Add a few wood chips to the charcoal and cook for about 1½ hours.  We used flank steak, which is generally thicker than skirt steak and would need to be cooked a little longer.  Because it is a grill and a smoker, there isn’t any need to do anything else and it turned out awesome!

Put your cooked fajita meat on warm flour tortillas or gluten-free corn tortillas and top with your favorite toppings, like this fresh avocado salsa.

Skillet Rice Dinner

I always hesitate to some of our simple quick dinners.  But I was pleasantly surprised at how popular my post for meat potatoes and green beans was.  So, maybe everyone else needs quick meals just as much as I do.  It is easy to keep ingredients for this dish on hand, as the meat can be stored in the freezer and everything else in the pantry.  Our kids eat this meal really well and it is another good first table food for older babies.  Oh . . . one more thing . . . it is very budget friendly!

Skillet Rice Dinner 
Adapted from Taste of Home June/July 2005 Spanish Rice Dinner

1 pound ground beef
1  14.5 oz can stewed Italian tomatoes, blended ¹
1  14.5 oz can green beans, drained
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
2 t worcestershire sauce
1 t sugar
½ t prepared yellow mustard
¼ - ½ t freshly ground black pepper
1/8 t hot pepper sauce
½ c instant brown rice ²

Cook ground beef in a large skillet until no longer pink.  Drain.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.  Serves 4

¹  The recipe calls for stewed tomatoes straight out of the can, leaving large chunks of tomato in your dish.  I have found that running them through my mini chopper significantly reduces the chunks making the dish more kid friendly. 

²  Regular long grain rice can be used but it will need to be cooked longer and may need a little additional liquid.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

I confess . . . I am a Pinterest junkie.  I find that I pin hundreds of things, but I only actually try a handful of them.  Of the few recipes I have actually tried, Chicken Pesto Pasta has by far been the best.  It is easy and really is "oh so yummy".  The original recipe can be found here.  I lightened it up slightly and made a few adjustments to the cooking method to make it a little faster and easier for me.

The original recipe called for pesto and heavy cream.  To cut back on some of the fat, I used half and half in place of the cream.  I still felt kind of guilty eating the still fairly rich pasta.  So the next time I make it, I will probably use fat-free half and half.  The original recipe uses previously cooked chicken and makes the sauce separately.  I cooked the chicken in a large skillet and dumped the rest of the ingredients on top of it.  It allowed me to start with raw chicken and saved me dirtying an extra pan.  I also added a little garlic. My family loved this dish! 

Chicken Pesto Pasta  
Adapted from Oh So Yummy, Chicken Pesto Pasta by Marie on April 14, 2010 on the make and takes website. 

1 pound uncooked chicken, cubed
1 T olive oil
1/2 t seasoned salt 
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c half and half
1/4 c pesto (I used Classico Basil Pesto)
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)
1/2 box pasta (I used rigatoni)

Cook pasta according to the package instructions.  While pasta is cooking, prepare the pesto chicken.  Heat olive oil in large skillet.  Add chicken to skillet.  Sprinkle chicken with seasoned salt and pepper.  Cook chicken, stirring frequently, until no longer pink.  Add garlic and cook until chicken starts to brown and garlic is golden.  Add the half and half and pesto.  Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken.  Sprinkle with the 1/4 c Parmesan cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted.  Add cooked pasta and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.  Serves 4

Gluten-free notes:  This dish can easily be made gluten-free.  Just replace the pasta with your favorite gluten-free variety.  According to the Heinz website (Heinz owns Classico), Classico Basil Pesto sold in the United States is gluten-free!