Declare Your Independence (from fattening picnic food)!

Happy 4th of July!

Summertime is my favorite season for many reasons, but chief among them is the abundance of fresh produce available, and time to get the charcoal grill going for dinner time (bonus: less kitchen clean up!).

I thought I would share my recipe plans for today's grill out, I'll let you know how the recipes work out for me (or try them with me and we can critique unanimously).

Here is the menu for today: Chicken & veggie kabobs, baked brussel sprouts, grilled potatoes,  grilled pineapple with vanilla cinnamon dipping sauce

Greek Chicken Kabobs

adapted from recipezaar

Makes approximately 5 kabobs

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons dried oregano (I only used 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leave or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 large red onion, peeled and cut into wedges

2 small yellow summer squash, cut into 2 in pieces

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into cubes

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together all the marinade ingredients.

2. In a large resealable plastic bag, place the marinade, red and green bell peppers, onion wedges and chicken. Seal, and mix to coat. Refrigerate 4 to 24 hours.

3. When ready to cook, preheat grill for medium-high heat.

4. Discard marinade, and thread the meat and vegetables onto skewers, leaving a small space between each item.

5. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 10 minutes, turning as needed, or until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

Mom and Priscilla working on our kabob menagerie

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

brussel sprouts

olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Slice the sprouts in half lengthwise, removing any loose, outer leaves and trimming the bottom stems.
3. Toss sprouts in a little bit of olive oil and add salt and pepper, to taste. Spread cut side up in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Bake 400F for 30-40 minutes, until browned.

Recipe from:

http://bakingsheet.blogspot.com/2006/03/crispy-roasted-brussel-sprouts.html

We ended up skipping the grilled potatoes below. We ran out of grill space so we went for baked fries. If you tried out the grilled potatoes let me know how it went. I will try it soon!

Grilled Potatoes

From Martha Stewart

Cover potatoes with cold, salted water in a pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer until just tender, and drain. Halve (or cut into wedges), and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with spice mix, or season with salt and pepper. Toss well. Thread onto skewers. Grill potatoes, cut sides down, over medium-high heat, turning once, until marked and tender, about 10 minutes total.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Side Dishes & Desserts

Ingredients:

5 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into 1 1/2-inch wedges

Coarse salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a large pot, and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Generously season water with coarse salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until a paring knife pierces through potatoes with some resistance, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, and pat potatoes dry with a kitchen towel.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for 4 to 5 seconds.) Brush potato wedges with oil, and grill, turning occasionally, until blackened with grill marks and a knife tip pierces through with little resistance, about 8 minutes. Season with sea salt and pepper, and serve.

Cook's Note

The potatoes are ready to be turned when they release easily from the grate. If they stick, cook them for a few more minutes.

Grilled Pineapple with Cinnamon-Vanilla Yogurt Dip

Adpated from Hungry Girl

Ingredients

16 pineapple rings (or slices)

Dip

8 oz. low fat vanilla greek yogurt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon raw sugar

Directions:

Mix all dip ingredients together and chill.

Spray grill or grill pan with non stick spray bring to medium heat.

Lay pineapple flat and cook until slightly blackened and carmelized (about 3 minutes per side, flipping carefully).

Set aside to cool.

Serve pineapple with dip. Enjoy!

Alright, I'm off to marinate the chicken. I'll post some pictures and recipe critiques tomorrow.

  

Have a safe and happy fourth of July!

A brief post fourth of July critique of our meal. Everyone loved it! It was a healthy, low fat, high fiber, super filling meal. I think of everything we made the grilled pineapple and baked brussel sprouts were the biggest hits of the evening.

Do you have any ideas to share about how you lighten up summer time picnic foods? What is your favorite gluten free picnic recipe? I'd love to try it!