Recipe: Maple Dressed Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Mmmm...this tasty grilled dessert-like dish is simple to make, and full of fiber and vitamins - plus delicious flavors. You may never have thought of putting sweet potatoes on the grill before, but once you try this, it just may become your favorite way to make sweet potatoes!

Maple Dressed Grilled Sweet Potatoes
(Serves 4-6.)

Ingredients:

4 large sweet potatoes
2 tbsp cooking oil (or melted coconut oil - my favorite)
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp brown sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Peel sweet potatoes and cut into thin slices lengthwise.
• Place potatoes in a bowl and pour oil in and rub all over so all pieces are well coated.
• Oil the grill grate and preheat grill to medium-low. Arrange the potatoes on the grates in the center of the grill, away from direct flame. 
• Cover grill and cook sweet potatoes until good grill marks appear, then flip and continue cooking; total time about 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness of potatoes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
• When sweet potatoes are tender all the way through, remove to the bowl with maple syrup mixture and toss to coat well.
• Add more salt and pepper to taste if desired and serve immediately.

Recipe: Cheesy Grilled Granny Smith Sandwiches

You might not think of the grill when you're making a sandwich, but why not? Similar to a panini, but with that great, grilled flavor, grilled sandwiches are a great way to put a new and tasty twist on an old classic. Give this simple, delicious recipe a try the next time you're looking for something a little different for lunch!

Cheesy Grilled Granny Smith Sandwiches
(Serves 2.)

Ingredients: 

A Granny Smith apple (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

4 slices whole-grain bread
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon or Spicy Brown mustard
2 oz cheddar cheese, finely grated and divided
1/2 medium Granny Smith apple, cored, halved, and sliced lengthwise in thin strips

Directions:

• Preheat grill or griddle to temperature.
• Lay out the 4 slices of bread. Lightly brush one side of each piece of bread with oil.
• Flip 2 pieces of bread over and spread evenly with mustard. 
• Sprinkle half the cheddar cheese on both slices covered with mustard. 
• Place a layer of apples evenly over the cheese, then top with remaining cheese.
• Top each with other half of bread, oiled-side-up, to make 2 sandwiches.
• Cook sandwiches over medium heat on grill or in a cast iron skillet until light golden brown on bottom. 
• Flip with a spatula and continue cooking until cheese melts and bread is golden brown on other side. 
• Cut sandwiches in half and serve. Makes two servings.

Beyond Meat: Yes, You Can Grill That!

Ever since man crawled out of his cave and discovered fire, it seems there has been an obsession with grilling. There is just something about slapping a huge hunk of meat on a set of red-hot metal bars that gets men all worked up - it sure does my husband, at least. The classic stereotypical picture of the man of the house drooling over his grill while the woman of the house is out shopping for shoes certainly can bring on a chuckle.  But then again, the reason this image is funny is because it's often so true - I know it is at our house!

There is, however, more to grilling than just the cave man's hunter instinct. Sometimes the 'gatherer' comes into play.  Let's take a look at a few other things that can be grilled in order to expand the cooking vocabulary of today's domesticated cave man and cave woman.

More than Meat

Flat breads like naan cook great on the grill.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While grilling usually goes hand in hand with sports, summer days, and pool outings, that doesn't mean it has to be the same meal over and over – either chicken, steak, hamburgers, or hotdogs. There are tons of other foods you can grill out that will possibly change your perception of what you can do with your grill.

A good grill can give you all the cooking surfaces you need. From an open flame to a stove top to an oven and rotisserie, grills are the ultimate cooking machine. The sky is the limit when you begin dreaming about your cookout. Meat need not be the focus of your meal when you can also grill your salad, soup, and even dessert!?

Rise to the Occasion

Bread cooked on the grill is light and fluffy while having an irresistible crunchy crust. Indian breads are great to grill, like naan, which is typically cooked in a tandoori oven over an open flame. Pizzas, tortillas, and even cornbread are other great dishes that benefit from the dry heat and smokey flavor from the grill.

Flat breads are the most common breads to throw on the grill since they char easily and cook quickly. Other breads that are common are your artisan styles, like chibatta and focaccia, which are also thinner breads that will cook faster and take on the charred flavor and grilled look.

Grilled bananas on skewers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Savor your Sweet Tooth

Desserts cooked on the grill bring a whole new flavor profile to your favorite sweet treat. Just take pound cake for example. Have you ever considered throwing a slice on the grill? Maybe you should! And after you do that, top it with a warm espresso chocolate drizzle and a hand full of chopped, roasted pistachios. Your preconceived notions of grilled desserts will be forever altered.

If that doesn't get you excited, how about a grilled banana sundae? That's right. Slice a couple bananas in half lengthwise and throw them on the grill. If you want to get a great char on them, coat them first with some orange juice. Create your sundae, throw the grilled bananas on and then top with a little orange zest to bring the flavor full circle.  Now that's flavor even a cave man would love!

Who would have thought you could grill almost anything? All it takes to create a new spin on an old family favorite is a metal rack and some hot embers. Use your imagination and pretty soon you'll be firing up the grill for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and even a midnight snack! :-)

Be sure to check back later this week for some recipes for a few unique grilled treats!

Fire Up The Grill For Glamorous Gourmet Fruit Salads

Nothing says summer like a fresh salad, and although we've been talking about grilling a lot lately, you may not think of a salad as a grilled food. But if you're thinking that grilling is all about heavy meals of barbecued meats, you'll be surprised what other foods actually are perfect for the grill!

Setting the Stage for Grilled Fruit Salads

Grilled Shrimp and Fruit Salad (Photo credit: Dalboz17)

If you're mixing your grilled fruit in a green salad, be sure to choose your salad green carefully.  Grilling adds a deeper flavor to fruit, so something hearty like arugula, romaine, watercress, or a mix of colorful greens might be best to form the bed of the salad and to compliment.

A grilled fruit salad also does well with a light vinaigrette dressing, made from basic ingredients like olive oil, salt and pepper, and your choice of vinegar.  However, you might enjoy a creamy salad dressing made with honey and yogurt. Or perhaps a mixture of brown sugar, heavy cream, and red wine vinegar sounds tasty to you. There are plenty of possibilities to compliment your grilled fruit salad.

Choose Fruit that Suits the Grill

Once you've got the stage set, then it's a matter of choosing fruits that grill well. Apricot halves are first up, combined with toasted nuts and thin slices of  bacon, this makes a delightful gourmet twist with any salad green. Try grilling pineapple and mango slices, garnish with fresh mint leaves, and mix with crunchy cold butter lettuce for a surprising salad that will really please your dinner guests or family.

Even fruits like plums, watermelon, peaches, and nectarines are good to grill for salads and it doesn't have to be a large salad of greens, either. For instance, cut watermelon into four inch squares and grill quickly on one side, flip and grill on the other side until you see grill marks form. Then serve on a bed of arugula and top with feta cheese, and drizzle balsamic vinaigrette over. You now have a gourmet salad with just a few ingredients. Grilling the watermelon makes all the difference.

A grilled fruit salad could also be exclusively made with grilled fruit. Try grilling a whole pineapple, cut lengthwise in half, treating the pineapple as the fruit bowl. Top with small pieces of fruit such as red pears, kiwi, bananas, or cactus fruit and set the grill on high, grilling just until the pineapple chars a little. Remove from the grill and serve as is or with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Both halves of the pineapple becomes the salad itself.

Grilled Pineapple (Photo credit: Another Pint Please...)

Mixing up Main Dishes With Grilled Fruit

For a heartier main dish, try putting chunks of fruit on a kabob skewer alternating with firm pieces of fish like halibut, swordfish, or salmon, or shrimp, scallops, or even pieces of chicken. Grill until everything chars a bit, then serve over brown rice. Most people expect kabobs to have vegetables, so the grilled fruit makes a nice surprise. Of course, some vegetables compliment certain fruit, as well. Sweet onion on the kabob adds a nice flavor contrast to pineapple, for instance. Just use your creativity when you put your fruit kabobs together for the grill.

Grilled fruit can also be a garnish for beef, chicken, fish, or even ham. Cut wedges of papaya, mango, pineapple, and maybe a red pepper and sweet onion, and grill until slightly charred. Then cool and cut into small pieces and toss together with a light vinaigrette. This grilled 'fruit salsa' makes a perfect garnish. Make it spicy or savory if you wish by adding hot sauce, a bit of cayenne pepper, or some fresh herbs.

Don't Forget Grilled Fruit Desserts

A variety of fruits can be grilled to produce a tasty topping for ice cream, pound cake, or other treats. Grilled bananas topped with ice cream and caramel sauce is a favorite that comes to mind immediately. You can even put chunks of chocolate on while the bananas grill to create another layer of flavor.

Fruit compote made on the grill is another twist on a favorite. Rather than just boil or bake fruit pieces in a pan with a liquid, put the fruit on the grill on high heat, quickly grilling until you have grill marks and the fruit is softened. Move the fruit onto a piece of heavy duty foil, top with a mixture of brown sugar, butter, and honey. Then seal the foil into pouches and continue cooking on the grill until fruit is very soft. The grilling adds a whole new flavor to your traditional compote.

If you have never considered putting fruit on your grill, this is your chance to experiment. It's surprising how many fruits cook up so well on the open pit. Once you have your fruit grilled, you'll find all sorts of ways to enjoy them. You may become so hooked on grilling fruit that now find it will be hard to make room for the barbecued meat!

Unique Grilled Foods – Unlikely Candidates Bring Big Flavor

The staples of the grilling world, like steak, chicken, and hamburgers are great, but there are some less common foods that make for amazing meals. These are ingredients and dishes you may not have thought of, but should.  Real grillers want to throw everything on the grill they can find.  And guess what?  They can!  Nothing should be off limits.  Let's take a look at some uncommon grilling fare that will tantalize your taste buds this summer!

Cedar Plank Salmon

Fish, grilled on a cedar plank. (Photo credit: woodleywonderworks)

If you want an amazingly romantic dish for your significant other with all the “manly-man” feel of grilling out, try cedar plank salmon. You start with a cedar plank, which is simply a piece of wood, that is soaked in either water or apple cider vinegar. Then you marinate a whole salmon fillet, with the skin on, in a blend of olive oil, lemon juice, and capers. The longer you marinate, the better it will be; six hours is ideal.

Set your grill on medium-low and once it gets hot, place the wet cedar plank on the grill and place the salmon skin side down on the plank. Spoon a little of the excess marinade, including the capers, onto the salmon and then close the grill cover and cook until the salmon is cooked through. The time will depend on the size of the salmon, but you are probably going to cook it for about 25 to 35 minutes. This dish is not only delicious, the presentation is gorgeous; rugged yet romantic. Perfect combination.

Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes are a great classic. So, why not try grilled green tomatoes instead? You can grill them healthier than frying them, especially if you leave off the breading. They also will not be in a pan with oil.  Keep the slices thick to help hold the tomatoes together.  You don't want all the juicy parts to disappear down the grates.  Just salt and pepper and place the tomatoes directly on the grill grates or on a grilling tray.  If you cut them thick enough, you may also be able to use a grilling basket that squeezes shut and holds them steady. This is a homey appetizer with great appeal. Serve with a nice dip for a complete appetizer, side dish, or snack.

Grapes on the Side

Fruit on the grill is an incredible treat. If you have ever had grilled mango or grilled pineapple, then you know exactly what we are talking about. But grapes? Sure, they are filled with natural sugars that help to caramelize nicely on the grill. A little bit of oil and a bunch of red grapes makes a great compliment to your grilled steak. Try green grapes as a side with grilled fish.  You'll need a grilling basket to toss the grapes around until they soften and start to brown.  A touch of salt will bring out the sweet. These are pretty, delicious, and quite unusual.

Cover via Amazon

Sausage Fruit Kebabs

When you think of sausages, thoughts of smoky flavored goodness served in a bun may come to mind. This is a great application, but does yet another sandwich seem boring? Then what do you do? You cut the sausage into chunks, add some fruit, a couple nice pieces of bell pepper, stick it all on a skewer and put it on the grill for a delicious kebab. Now that simple sausage is a beautiful dinner.  You can expand on the theme by making a little sauce out of fruit juice and soy sauce, reduced down in a saucepan. All these flavors blend well. With the salty sausage and the sweet fruit, you've got a perfect combination.

Outside dining does not have to be the same old thing every time you fire up the grill.  By playing around with a few new ingredients, you can come up with some amazing recipes. Surprise yourself and impress your family and guests with outrageously delicious dishes, hot off the grill!

Full Meal Deal – Make It All Right On Your Grill

Grilled meals are usually pieced together with only a portion of the meal made on the grill while the rest is cooked indoors and then served together. But who wants to be the one stuck in the kitchen while the fun is happening outside around the grill?

Today, we have so many gadgets and gizmos on our grills there is no reason we are not able to fix all of our meal on the grill itself. Let's take a look at four complete meals that are made on the grill in the same amount of time, or less, than you would make indoors.

Grilled Stir Fry

(Photo credit: batigolix)

Stir-fry is usually made in a wok or a deep pan on the stove. Been there, done that. You add a bunch of spices and liquids to season it up. Why not develop flavor while you are cooking the vegetables and meat instead of at the end?  By grilling the vegetables, you bring out the hidden sweetness trapped inside as the outside is caramelized over the fire. The meat also takes on the flavors of the grill, so when they are all combined, all you need to add is a little soy sauce at the most and dinner is ready to enjoy. Pick a protein and a few veggies or even fruit and give it a shot tonight.

Grilled Picnic

Picnics were made so you can enjoy the outdoors. Why coop yourself up in the house to cook for the great outdoors? Grilling is a perfect option for picnics. Think about grilled potato salad, or perhaps a hot grilled cabbage salad with spicy vinaigrette dressing. And grilled sandwiches are a no-brainer.  So, why not invite your grill to the picnic?

Grilled Pot Pie

One great benefit of the grill is that it has a cover. This cover can be lowered or raised to adjust the temperature. When the cover is closed, a grill acts a lot like an oven, which means that pot pies are fair game. A pot pie cooked on the grill not only has all the delicious ingredients that you are used to, but if you cook it on a charcoal grill with a little cherry or oak wood thrown in for kindling, you get a flavor you never would have expected. If you want to take pot pies to a new level, cook them on the grill.

Grill packet ready to cook.(Photo credit: sporkist)

Grilled Packets

One of the easiest ways to make a full meal on a grill is to enclose it in a foil packet. Just about anything goes with this kind of technique. The trick is to combine ingredients that taste good together as well as cooks at the same rate. Fish is an easy choice. Take a nice salmon fillet, put it over a bed of kale, top it with a big wedge of lemon and some sweet onion, and you have one amazing dinner. Cut up a sweet Italian sausage and combine with parboiled potato wedges and bell pepper strips.  Seal the packets well and you can even add a little butter or olive oil.  Be sure to cook with the cover closed and turn the packets around a few times during the cooking time.  This is the perfect way to make individual servings at the same time.  You can even customize each individual packet to suit your guests.

Your grill is a great place to create easy meals.  Don't limit your grilling experience to hamburgers and hotdogs, or even steak and chicken.  Imagine full meals coming off your grill so you can grill more frequently, preparing delicious treats for your family. Why not try something new tonight and take your whole meal outdoors!

Memorial Day Picnic - Fun Grilling Ideas

Think of warm weather, summertime, and outdoor activities, and you'll soon be thinking of planning a picnic.  There's nothing like sharing food in the great outdoors to give you plenty of reasons to smile.

Italian sausage. A typical method of cooking is grilling, as depicted here. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Firing up the grill for a picnic usually brings on thoughts of hamburgers, hot dogs, and barbecued chicken. That's all dandy and certainly delicious, but wouldn't you like your grilled food to stand out a little from the rest?  Perhaps there are ways to present old favorites on the grill in new ways, or even try something completely different.  Here are a few thoughts about new ways to grill up some summertime dishes this Memorial Day (or just any warm summer day when you want to do something a bit special):

Rethink the Sauce
One popular ingredient in many grilled main dishes is barbeque sauces and other types of glazes and marinades. There are hundreds if not thousands of recipes to add more flavor to whatever you're cooking. If you have been grilling for many years, you've probably made your own sauces or have found a few favorites. But, maybe it's time to rethink those sauces.

Begin by experimenting with a whole range of ingredients.  Don't limit yourself to the ingredients you've been using.  We know you automatically pull out the mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and honey, but what else is there to make a sauce for the grill?

Take a look first in the fruit bin. Consider the lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and yes, even the watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwis.  Now, pull open the vegetable bin and grab the fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, celery, onion, and even avocados.  Turn to your pantry and take out the apple jelly, orange marmalade, maple syrup, raisins, dried cranberries, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and all the dressings, including Ranch, French, Thousand Island, and Green Goddess.  And, don't forget the spice rack.  There is basically nothing off limits – grab it all.

Don't be afraid to grate, smash, or simmer ingredients together that you might never have used in the same sauce before. Combine contrasting flavors – savory with sweet, tangy with smooth, creamy with crunchy – until you have a unique sauce that you can call your own.

Now, marinade, glaze, or brush the sauce onto whatever you are grilling.  Try a fruity white sauce on meat; a tomato-based hot sauce on fish; or a savory herbed sauce on fruit.  Put it on the grill and see what happens.  You'll have completely new dishes that will perk up and surprise the taste buds.  And, isn't that what grilling is all about?

Rethink the Main Dish
If you're used to throwing a steak on the grill, but want to experiment with other cuts, try grilling full roasts.  With the right preparation and setup, you can put a big beef roast or pork roast on the grill, either in a rack or on a rotisserie and surprise your family and guests with a tender and juicy roast that didn't require heating up the house with hours in the oven.

Grilling chả. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Instead of your usual cut up chicken pieces, wings, or legs, try grilling a whole chicken.  The juices stay in a little better when the chicken is whole.  Not sure you have time for a whole chicken?  You can also “butterfly” a chicken by cutting out just the backbone and pushing it down flat, keeping the chicken whole but providing a flattened version that cooks up in no time.

Fish is another grilling favorite at picnics.  Use fish that is firm and solid so it grills well and doesn't fall apart or become dry.  Oily fish like salmon is perfect on the grill, but there are many other types of fish that work equally well.  Fish grills best when you don't have to flip it with a spatula, that's why you want to invest in a grilling basket which encloses the fish and you flip the basket over easily with the fish inside it.

Other seafood that's perfect picnic food for the grill includes shrimp, scallops, and lobster.  Shrimp can be grilled unpeeled to help keep them from overcooking.  Lobster can be grilled in the shell, as well.  Use a tray made for the grill with smaller slots to keep smaller seafood, like shrimp and scallops, from falling through.  Marinate the seafood in a variety of flavors for a different flavor each time you have a grilling picnic.

You say your taste for a juicy grilled burger is too powerful to ignore?  You've still got lots of choices for variety at your picnic. You can dress up your burgers inside-and-out with many different flavors.  Remember; beef isn't the only burger in town!  Ground turkey, pork, or chicken are great substitutes for those who want a different kind of burger at this year's picnic.  But, don't stop there.  Salmon and crab meat make great grilled patties, too. And of course there's my favorite - venison.

Besides what goes into the actual patty, think beyond conventional recipes and marinate your ground meat or fish with anything from red wine to a mixture of Worcestershire, soy sauce, or steak sauce, lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar.  Add to the inside of the burger, or as condiments, a variety of flavorful cheeses, hot or mild peppers, nuts, and salsa.  Instead of throwing a raw onion on top, caramelize some onions in a cast iron skillet on top of the grill over low heat.  The incredible sweetness will surprise and delight you and your guests.  These are no longer your grandpa's burgers!

Brussels Grill: Mixed vegetables (Photo credit: batigolix)

Sometimes, you need to rethink the way you prepare your main dishes at a grilling picnic to make serving simple. Think shish-kabobs and you hardly even need to bring plates!  These bite-size pieces are a great way to cook, serve, and eat your favorite foods easily at a grilling picnic.  Alternate cut up meat, meat balls, poultry, or seafood with grape tomatoes, chunks of sweet onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, or mushrooms.  Some foods lend themselves very well to a tropical taste, too.  Include pineapple chunks or citrus with chicken or seafood for a taste of the islands.

Rethink the Dessert

Sure, you can serve popsicles and watermelon, but the grill is right there, all fired up.  Isn't there something you can do to put it to work creating delightful desserts?  You can start with the old stand-by and toast marshmallows, but don't stop there.  Keep going and put together 'S'mores' using the classic ingredients of toasted marshmallows, graham crackers, and a chocolate bar.  Or, you can create unique varieties using toasted marshmallows with things like oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cups, white chocolate, and flaked coconut as possible ingredients. You'll have lots of fun coming up with your own distinct creations here.

Expanding on the dessert theme is easier than you might think with a grill.  For instance, go ahead and cut up that watermelon you brought... but wait.  How about grilling it before serving?  Yes, you can grill watermelon, too.  Cut it off the rind, into about one inch thick pieces.  Grill quickly on both sides until grill marks show.  Put it on a plate and drizzle a tiny bit of balsamic vinaigrette over each piece.  The tangy saltiness of the vinaigrette compliments the sweetness of the watermelon in an unbelievable way.  Now THAT'S a grilled picnic delight!

You can also choose dessert classics that can be grilled, like pound cake with fruit compote or simple berries tossed together in a grilling basket until just lightly charred.  You can make banana boats in foil filled with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, or perhaps your tastes lean toward grilled apple slices topped with a syrup of brown sugar and raisins.  Grilled pineapple rings is another classic.  Serve these simply on a plate as they are or use them to top slices of angel food cake or pound cake with a drizzle of chocolate.

As you can see, you can grill just about anything you want to serve at your picnic.  Even if you choose to serve sandwiches, why not grill them?  When you fire up your grill for your picnic, don't limit the menu to hotdogs and hamburgers.  Use your imagination.  If you can cook it, you can grill it!


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