Spicy BBQ Men and Chicken

That's right! This blog post is dedicated to some spicy chicken and men: Brent and Guy Fieri, the Food Network Chef/Star and all around cool dude!

Look at those gorgeous BBQ chicken standing beside their 'load and proud' Guy Fieri Pacific Rim BBQ sauce.

So this is what I started with, a blend of salt, pepper and garlic powder.

I cut up 2 whole chicken and spread the seasoning salt under the skin and on top of the skin. This was not for the squeamish... but I felt like a proud butcher!

There's my spicy man- Brent BBQ chef- using his new grill.. loud and proud!

Et voila, homemade oven fries, grilled peppers and delicious crispy, juicy and spicy BBQ chicken. Thanks to my spicy men, of course!

BBQ Turkey Mini Meatloafs

A twist on a little old-time classic. BBQ petite turkey meatloafs.   They look pretty and when I saw the picture of the little meatloafs on Pinterest, I thought... hey maybe I'll get over the bad childhood memories of meatloaf.... I tried, I really did, it tasted good, but the consistency was still 'mushy'. Melanie couldn't handle the mushy, but Brent liked it and I had them and a few leftovers- that's what you do when you are a mom!

Here's the recipe. I found it on one of my favourite websites. Skinnytaste.com. So those of you who like the consistency of meatloaf, will like this for sure. The BBQ sauce and bacon make it taste real good- and the use of turkey really brings the calorie count down.

Bacon topped petite turkey meatloafs

(adapted from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/07/bacon-topped-petite-turkey-meatloaf.html)

3/4 cup grated zucchini, all moisture squeezed dry with paper towel

2 tbsp onion, minced

2 tbsp diced red pepper

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/4 cup BBQ Sauce

1 large egg

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp kosher salt

1.3 lb raw 93% lean ground turkey

5 slices center cut bacon, cut in half

2 1/2 tbsp BBQ Sauce

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly spray a petite loaf pan with oil (if you don't have a petite loaf pan you could use a muffin tin).

In a large bowl, mix the zucchini, onion, red pepper, breadcrumbs, BBQ sauce, egg, paprika and salt. Add the turkey and combine until mixed through.

Create 5 equal loafs and place them into the loaf pan.

Place the 2 bacon halves over each loaf and top each with 1/2 tbsp additional BBQ sauce.

Bake about 25 minutes or until cooked through.

Servings: 5  Serving Size: 1 loaf

Calories: 259 • Fat: 10 g • Carbs: 17 g • Fiber: 1.2 g • Protein: 25 g • Sugar: 7.6 g

As you can see, I used my square brownie pan.

... et voila!

The Flank Steak Experiment- Happy Father's Day

I don't know about you, but my man loves his MEAT! So when I had to think up of the best dinner to prepare for him.... it had to be beef. Now, I have heard so much about preparing flank steak from my friend Bobby Flay on the Food Network. But when it came to finding the perfect recipe, I didn't really like any of his, instead I went on a wild Internet recipe search for the best recipe.... and this is what I found.

Here's the delicious way you start marinating the meat days in advance. This recipe comes from a blogger who swears that this is the best family recipe that his mom makes.... so you know, I had to try it for sure.

BBQ Flank Steak

(http://www.vanillagarlic.com/2006/12/best-ever-bbq-flank-steak.html)

What You'll Need...

3 lbs of good quality flank steak

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger (freshly grated could work too I suppose)

3/4 cup of salad oil

1 cup of chopped green onions

What You'll Do...

1) Combine the ingredients into a marinade. Marinate steak in a wide, shallow dish for 2-4 days, piercing with a fork and turning in the morning and at night. Keep covered with plastic wrap.

2) BBQ steak for 7 minutes on each side.

3) Slice diagonally in thin slices.

Here's the beef, just resting after the BBQ - yes I did BBQ it myself and make grill marks too. This was after all a day 'off' for Brent. What the recipe doesn't mention, but Bobby Flay always talks about, is that you need to let the meat rest for about 5 minutes so that the juices go back inside the meat and the meat get all juicy and succulent.

I told you, juicy and succulent! Maybe a little to rare for my family, 8 minutes per side would have been perfect. But that meant the leftovers were great and reheated to perfection. Look at me cutting on the bias and all.

For my dear husband I also made baked potatoes and Caesar salad- his favs! Wait until next time to see the decadent - but lighter- lemon desert- his other fav!

Here he is with his big Daddy presents. What was inside you ask???? 

Everything to do with MEAT! This mini 'sliders' burger maker - good for winter time grilling. And the other bag was a hamburger patty maker - like the one my mom used in the 80's. Retro eh!

Pork Tenderloin- A Lean BBQ Favourite

This is for my carnivore friends... One of our BBQ favourites is pork tenderloin- we buy it when it goes on sale and stock up and freeze a few of these tenders. You can marinate them overnight or just baste them with some BBQ sauce as you grill them as Brent did below.

It really is the leanest/lowest fat piece of pork you can get your hands on.

Here's the comparison for 1 ounce of meat:

Pork tenderloin: 35 calories, 1g of fat, 6g of protein

Pork loin chop: 53 calories, 4g of fat, 5g of protein

Roasting Red Peppers- BBQ's Best!

We eat with our eyes, so there is nothing better than preparing delicious, colourful veggies and fruits for dinner. Well, now that it's BBQ'ing season, Brent broke out the BBQ roasting pan and cut up some red and yellow peppers.

We just added a bit of Kraft Light Sundried Tomato dressing and tossed them in a bowl to coat and then placed them in the pan.

They come out so delicious, the little burnt edges are so good- it caramalizes the sugars in the pepper, so they taste even sweeter.

We served it with another BBQ favourite- steak and basmati rice.

We then cut up some fresh watermelon and had a healthy, colourful, nutritious feast.