We all love to fire up the grill during the summer.
Vegetables as a side dish is a no brainer and Grilled Vegetables is just a summer staple. At least at my house it is. Grilling vegetables brings out the natural sweetness and makes them taste deliscious (sorta like roasting does, but more intense). Combine that with a great little marinade to pump up the flavor a notch and you have a go to recipe that you will make over and over again, until summer ends. Maybe even longer!
This recipe combines a variety of vegetables in one dish. It's great displayed on a platter and the perfect entertaining side dish. You can use any vegetables that you want. I just used some basic vegetables I had on hand including carrots. Yes, you can grill carrots! They come out fabulous.
The key to grilling different vegetables is making sure you have a grill pan for the smaller ones that have a tendency to want to fall through the grates when you aren't looking! A nice mesh pan works great for mushrooms, asparagus, snap peas etc. Another key is to add the items that take the longest grilling time first, then add the others in succession so they all end up done around the same time.
We served this along side a wonder steak recipe that I'll be posting shortly. A nice piece of grilled bread and you are all set.
I hope you enjoy this. Don't skip the marinade cause it's wonderful! It's sweet and tangy and really adds some zip to your dish.
Enjoy!
Grilled Vegetables
serves 4-6
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T honey
4 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 lb asparagus, woody stems trimmed
3 carrots, cut in half lengthwise
1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
1 yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch round slices
In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil through the salt. Put 3 tablespoons of the marinade in a plastic bag. Add the vegetables, seal and turn to coat. Marinate 1-1/2 hours at room temperature.
Heat grill to medium heat. Transfer vegetables to the grilling grate or using a grill basket. Grill covered, for about 12-15 minutes or until crisp-tender, turning occasionally.
Place vegetables on a platter. Drizzle with remaining marinade.
I have fond memories of my first encounters with Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.
I remember laughing at the puns in the titles. All the 'stuff' they added to the ice cream to make some awesome new flavors. This ice cream flew into the stores with such a force it became an in-thing to eat Ben & Jerry's, and to try all the different flavors.
Some of my initial favorites were Half Baked, Chunky Monkey, and of course Cherry Garcia! Oh that cherry flavored ice cream loaded with real cherries and fudge bits. They really had me at cherry. One of my favorite fruits of summer. I wait patiently each year for cherry season to start, and then I pounce! Buying bags of cherries weekly during the short season.
Cherry Garcia Ice Cream is my inspirations for this week's recipe for a heavenly scone. It has all the flavor of the ice cream; fresh cherries, chocolate bits, cream for a soft moist interior. It's a flavor combination that can't be beat.
Now you may be saying...geez, I have to pit all thoses cherries? Well not to worry. There is a wonderful gadget for that. I use Oxo's Cherry and Olive pitter. I picked mine up from Williams-Sonoma, here for $12.95, or you can find it on Amazon, here. Wouldn't be without this little beauty!
You will notice that I grate the butter into the flour mixture instead of the usual cutting in the butter with two knives or a pastry cutter. I saw this technique on the TV when this chef was making biscuits so I decided to try it out. I will say that I loved this technique. It's very easy to do and the butter seems to get more distributed amongst the dough. I will be grating my butter in many of my recipes going forward. Try it and let me know if you like it.
You will absolutely love these scones. Make them this weekend for a nice treat. Enjoy!
Cherry Garcia Scones
Makes 12
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 oz butter, frozen
1/2 cup fresh cherries, chopped
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 sour cream
1 egg
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking flour. Grate frozen butter into flour mixture. Mix with fingers until flour resembles small pebbles or peas. Stir in vanilla, cherries and chocolate. Loosely mix together.
In a small bowl whisk together sour cream and egg. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Form dough into a disc. Place the disc on a floured surface and pat into an 8 " or 9" circle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut into 12 triangles. Place each scone on a parchment lined baking sheet, 1 inch apart. (I used two baking sheets) Bake 15 min or until golden brown. Cool.
Summertime calls for quick yet hearty food. Sandwiches for a weekend lunch are my go to meal.
Do you love all the combinations that you can make with a sandwich as much as I do? I hope so cause today's sandwich is a real winner!
I love hot sandwiches. It might be the gooey cheese melting over the hot meat...or it might be the toasty bread. This one has it all plus a wonderful citrus aioli. Aioli is a fancy word for a mayonnaise and garlic spread. This spread really makes this sandwich, so don't skip it!!! It will rock your world.
Honest.
The light citrus in the spread is such a good compliment to the delicate turkey and tangy Swiss cheese. Together this is a combination made in heaven! You can change it up the way you like it as well by swapping out the spinach for lettuce or arugula, or choose your favorite bread. I used a nice country sliced bread which toasted nicely.
Anyway you build it will turn out a masterpiece. Remember, don't skip the citrus aioli!
Enjoy!
Turkey Spinach Panini with a Citrus Aioli
2 T mayonnaise
1/4 tsp lime zest
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
8 slices country bread
1/2 lb sliced roasted turkey
1 cup baby spinach
4 slices Swiss cheese
Cooking spray
Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. For the Aioli: Combine ingredients from mayonnaise through garlic in a small bowl. Spread evenly over 4 bread slices. Top evenly with turkey, spinach, cheese, and the remaining 4 bread slices.
Coat grill pan with cooking spray. Arrange 2 sandwiches in pan. Place a cast-iron or heavy skillet on top of sandwiches; press gently to flatten. Cook 2 minutes on each side. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 sandwiches. Slice in half and serve immediately.
