Summer is here! Let the Grilling Begin!
We celebrated Memorial Day about a week ago which to me means summer is here. And with summer, my food brain goes to fresh ingredients & easy, no-fuss cooking. That's where the grill comes in.
One of my favorite things to throw on the grill are packets: fish packets, veggie packets and, of course, potato packets. Just throw your ingredients in aluminum foil and let the grill do the rest. Sure, potato packets might be commonplace, but, they are so easy and so good, they have to be included in summer cooking.
Potato packets
I recently diverted from the usual yellow or red potatoes to experiment with a combo of those two plus some purple ones. The purple ones might not be what you first reach for but they add an earthy, beet-like flavor. Pick up a bag of Melissa's Organic Potato Medley and try for yourself. Chop them up and add olive oil, onion, and plenty of chopped garlic (I like a lot!). Then add seasonings that you like. For me, I threw in dried thyme & marjoram, along with some salt and pepper. I then divided into two and placed them in foil, folding it so you could easily get into them to check on your spud buddies. Once on the grill, these took about 30 minutes to cook. These were smaller spuds so didn't take as long. If you have larger chucks or bake them in one big packet, they might take longer. It's ok to check them and mix up the ingredients to ensure even cooking. They will stay hot in the packets for a while if you need to finish up your other items.
Marinated Portobellos
So you've got your potatoes. Now, what about the meat? As you might have read in this blog before is my love of mushrooms. I really like all kinds and for me, they are a great meat alternative; hearty, rich, flavorful. A good stand-by for grilling are portobellos. For this time, I picked smaller ones then marinated them in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, some soy sauce, splash of red wine, and more garlic! For seasoning, I added dried rosemary and, for a bit of zip, some crushed mustard seeds. Then refrigerated them while they soaked up all the flavor. Once ready for the grill, I skewered them to make for easy handling. Another nice thing about these are that they don't take long, so you can get to eating them right away.
Serve these two grilled favorites up with a nice side salad and the rest of that wine and you have yourself an easy & delicious summer meal. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Potato Packet
1.5 lbs. baby potato medley (I used Melissa's Organic brand)
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram
salt & pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Fold in aluminum foil. Place on upper part of grill for about 1/2 hour. Checking occassionally for even grilling.
Marinated Portobello Mushrooms
6 small portobello mushrooms
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
Splash of red wine
1 tbsp garlic
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp crushed mustard seeds
Place mushrooms in refrigerator safe, spill-proof container. Mix up remaining ingredients and pour over mushrooms. Marinate for about an hour. Place three on a skewer. Grill on high heat for about 10 minutes, turning them occasionally and brushing them with remaining marinade.
Tell me what you think. Share your ideas too.
One of my favorite things to throw on the grill are packets: fish packets, veggie packets and, of course, potato packets. Just throw your ingredients in aluminum foil and let the grill do the rest. Sure, potato packets might be commonplace, but, they are so easy and so good, they have to be included in summer cooking.
Potato packets
I recently diverted from the usual yellow or red potatoes to experiment with a combo of those two plus some purple ones. The purple ones might not be what you first reach for but they add an earthy, beet-like flavor. Pick up a bag of Melissa's Organic Potato Medley and try for yourself. Chop them up and add olive oil, onion, and plenty of chopped garlic (I like a lot!). Then add seasonings that you like. For me, I threw in dried thyme & marjoram, along with some salt and pepper. I then divided into two and placed them in foil, folding it so you could easily get into them to check on your spud buddies. Once on the grill, these took about 30 minutes to cook. These were smaller spuds so didn't take as long. If you have larger chucks or bake them in one big packet, they might take longer. It's ok to check them and mix up the ingredients to ensure even cooking. They will stay hot in the packets for a while if you need to finish up your other items.
So you've got your potatoes. Now, what about the meat? As you might have read in this blog before is my love of mushrooms. I really like all kinds and for me, they are a great meat alternative; hearty, rich, flavorful. A good stand-by for grilling are portobellos. For this time, I picked smaller ones then marinated them in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, some soy sauce, splash of red wine, and more garlic! For seasoning, I added dried rosemary and, for a bit of zip, some crushed mustard seeds. Then refrigerated them while they soaked up all the flavor. Once ready for the grill, I skewered them to make for easy handling. Another nice thing about these are that they don't take long, so you can get to eating them right away.
Ingredients
Potato Packet
1.5 lbs. baby potato medley (I used Melissa's Organic brand)
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsp garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram
salt & pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Fold in aluminum foil. Place on upper part of grill for about 1/2 hour. Checking occassionally for even grilling.
Marinated Portobello Mushrooms
6 small portobello mushrooms
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
Splash of red wine
1 tbsp garlic
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp crushed mustard seeds
Place mushrooms in refrigerator safe, spill-proof container. Mix up remaining ingredients and pour over mushrooms. Marinate for about an hour. Place three on a skewer. Grill on high heat for about 10 minutes, turning them occasionally and brushing them with remaining marinade.
Tell me what you think. Share your ideas too.
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