‘Tis the season for grilling! Bring on the summer meals. This means a lot of meat on the grill for us. It is hard to believe that I was a vegetarian for a year. I adopted this way of eating after I saw the documentary Food Inc. If I had not married a man from Minnesota who has hunting as one of his hobbies, I would probably still live with those eating habits. He probably married me as I “gave” up this diet after a year. It was a difficult way of living. I mainly ate this way as I have a very passionate love for animals. T is a wonderful cook and grilling meat is his specialty. Last night we ate pork chops on the grill, grilled potatoes, cooked green beans and a couscous salad. T has a homemade blend of seasons he uses on almost all the meat he cooks. If I was to pick one store bought blend I would suggest 21 Salute from Trader Joe’s. Anything we put this on tastes good.

Potatoes:

Slice the potatoes into thin slices

Between two pieces of buttered tin foil place the potatoes, sliced sweet peppers, sliced onions and minced garlic, we also add a few more slices of butter throughout. Sprinkle with 21 Salute.

Fold the tin foil and grill on the grill until fully cooked.

Green Beans:

Steam a few servings of green beans and drain the water from the pot.

Add a couple of tablespoons of each, soy sauce and butter.

Sprinkle with black pepper.

If you have sesame seeds, sprinkle on top before serving.

Couscous Salad with Mint, Raisins and Almonds

1/2 cup cooked couscous

1/2 cup raisins (or Craisens)

1/2 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cucumber, sliced

1/4 cup mint, chopped

1 T sliced almonds

Curry Dressing:

3 T soy sauce

1 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 t curry

2 T honey

Mix all ingredients together.

We made two types of burgers tonight. Both come from Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbooks. Read here for my love of everything Gwyneth!

Thai Style Burgers (semi altered) from It’s All Good

1-1.5 lb ground beef

2 t minced garlic

2/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 small chopped onion (called for 2 shallots)

1 t chili powder

2 t soy sauce

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground pepper

Mix all ingredients, form into burger patties and grill

Cheesy Stuffed Burgers (semi altered) from My Father’s Daughter

1/2 c mixed onion

1 t dried rosemary

1 -1.5 lb ground beef

1/2 t salt

1/4 t ground pepper

1/2 c shredded cheese

Mix all ingredients, form into burger patties and grill

Add some fresh fruit on the side for a nice added sweetness. I love the taste of comfort food in the winter, but goodness, I love the taste of summer freshness!