Greek Grilled Shrimp and Orzo Salad

Looking for a great summer grilling recipe? Look no further. This recipe for Greek grilled shrimp and orzo salad is cool, fresh, crispy, healthy and delicious. It has a rainbow of colors, and it’s packed with flavor. It combines the ingredients of a traditional Greek salad – tomatoes, red onion, green bell pepper, kalamata olives and olive oil – with orzo, a staple of Greek cuisine, and Greek-marinated shrimp.

Of course, you can enjoy this dish any season, but it’s perfect on a hot day. Great as an entrée, or drop the shrimp and make it as a side dish for your next potluck or cookout. Enjoy!

Serves: 6
Prep time : 45 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes

Ingredients:

1 ½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ cup fresh oregano, finely chopped, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
3 whole lemons, cut into halves
1 green bell pepper, chopped
½ red onion, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cucumber, cut into quarter lengthwise and then chopped
¾ cup kalamata olives
4 ounces feta cheese
4 cups orzo cooked al dente (2 cups pre-cooked)

Directions:

1.    Whisk together minced garlic, ¼ cup oregano, lemon juice and 1/3 cup olive oil. Pour over shrimp and marinate 30 minutes.
2.    Mix together orzo and two tablespoons olive oil. Stir in green bell pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, olives, cheese and remaining ¼ oregano. Refrigerate until ready to add shrimp.

3.    When grill is hot, grill shrimp over direct heat for about three minutes on each side.

4.    Meanwhile, grill lemons, flesh side down for about three minutes.

5.    Remove shrimp from grill, and let sit for about 10 minutes to cool. Stir into orzo salad.

6.    Serve with grilled lemon as a garnish.

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Moroccan Dry-Rubbed Salmon

Serves four. Prep time 5 minutes. Cooking time 8 minutes.

Ingredients:

4 salmon filets
Salt and pepper to taste

Dry rub:

1 tsp paprika
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp mustard powder
¼ tsp nutmeg
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)

Directions:

1.    Mix all dry rub ingredients together
2.    Pat salmon dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3.    Gently rub salmon with dry rub ingredients.

4.    Grill salmon over direct heat, skin-side down and covered, for eight minutes. Do not turn. Salmon is ready when it flakes easily. Remove and enjoy!

 
This dry rub is also great with chicken!

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter! 

Grilled sugar snap peas

Serves four. Prep time 2-3 minutes. Cooking time 6-8 minutes.

These are delicious and super easy if you have a grilling pan. You can do them plain, or toss in some other veggies, like onions, peppers, or mushrooms.

Shown here with diced red onion

Ingredients:

4 cups sugar snap peas
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Diced onions, chopped green peppers, sliced mushrooms, etc.

Directions:

1.    Place peas in large, resealable plastic bag.
2.    Add olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss again.
3.    Place grill pan on hot grill. Let it get hot for a couple minutes, then add peas.
4.    Cook for 6-8 minutes, turning/stirring once. Remove and enjoy!

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter! 

Grilled Cinco de Mayo Recipes

If you’ve been waiting to break out your grill for the spring and summer seasons, Cinco de Mayo is the perfect day to get things started. And this year, it falls on a weekend!

Triple-grilled enchiladas!

Grilled chicken, steak or shrimp fajitas are always a good way to celebrate (along with plenty of Tecate, Corona and margaritas, of course), but this year, why not try something new? Here are some great grilling recipes to wow the crowds at the year’s Cinco de Mayo fiesta:

Dips and appetizers:

Pulled pork nachos

Queso blanco with grilled corn

Grilled corn salsa

Main dishes:

Grilled enchiladas

Southwestern grilled mahi mahi

Carnitas burritos

Grilled pork tenderloin and red slaw tacos

Grilled fish tacos

Sides:

Southwestern style grilled corn on the cob

Kickin’ asparagus

Grilled avocado stuffed with salsa and sour cream

Dessert:

Grilled strawberries with grilled cinnamon-sugar tortillas (try with any fruit!)

Grilled Curry-Spiced Asparagus

Serves 2-4. Prep time 5 minutes. Cooking time 10 minutes.

 
Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil

Curry rub:

2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp dry mint leaves
¼ tsp crushed red pepper (adjust to taste)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.    Place asparagus in large, resealable bag, and toss with olive oil to coat.
2.    Combine all dry rub ingredients. Pour over asparagus and toss to coat.
3.    Grill asparagus, covered, for about 10 minutes, turning once. Enjoy!

For a delicious, healthy meal, try it with brown rice and grilled curry-rubbed salmon with cucumber sauce.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!  

Grilled Curry-Rubbed Salmon with Cucumber Sauce

Serves 4. Prep time 5 minutes. Cooking time 8 minutes.

 
Ingredients:

4 salmon filets
Salt and pepper, to taste

Curry rub:

2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp dry mint leaves
¼ tsp crushed red pepper (adjust to taste)

Cucumber sauce:

1 6-oz. cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cucumber, peeled and pureed
1 tbsp lime juice
Salt to taste

Directions:

1.    Combine and stir cucumber sauce ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2.    Pat salmon dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3.    Combine all dry rub ingredients. Rub over salmon filets.

 
4.    Grill salmon, skin-side down, for eight minutes, covered. Do not turn. Salmon is ready when it flakes easily.

5.    Remove salmon from grill, drizzle with cucumber sauce, and enjoy!

For a delicious, healthy meal, try it with brown rice and grilled curry-spiced asparagus.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!  

Southwest-style Grilled Corn on the Cob

 
Serves 2. Prep time 5 minutes. Cooking time 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 ears corn on the cob
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ tsp chili powder (more or less, to taste)
¼ tsp cumin
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

1.    Remove husks from corn, leaving the last one or two layers. Rinse, then soak for 30 minutes.
2.    Combine and whisk all other ingredients.
3.    After corn has soaked, pull back remaining layers of husk, brush with cilantro mixture, and then re-wrap with husk.
4.    Grill over direct heat for 1-2 minutes on all four sides. Move to indirect heat, cook another 12-15 minutes. Remove remaining husks and enjoy.

Try it with these recipes for southwestern grilled mahi mahi and asparagus.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!  

Southwest-style Grilled Asparagus

Serves 2-4. Prep time 5 minutes. Cooking time 10-12 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ tsp chili powder (more or less, to taste)
¼ tsp cumin
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

1.    Prep asparagus and place in large re-sealable bag. Combine and whisk all other ingredients, then pour over asparagus and toss to coat.

2.    Grill over direct heat for 10-12 minutes, turning once.

 
Try with southwestern grilled mahi mahi and corn on the cob.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!  

Southwestern Grilled Mahi Mahi with Grilled Lime Garnish

 
Serves 2. Prep time 10 minutes. Cooking time 12 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh mahi mahi filet
1 lime, cut in half

Marinade:

½ cup olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:

1.    Combine all marinade ingredients. Pour over fish. Let sit 30 minutes.
2.    When coals are hot, place fish over direct heat. If the fish has the skin on, put it skin-side down. Cook, with lid on, for 5-6 minutes.

 
3.    Turn fish carefully, and place lime halves flesh-side down over direct heat. Cook another 5-6 minutes. Mahi mahi is ready when it flakes easily.

 
4.    Garnish with cilantro and grilled lime.

Goes great with southwestern grilled corn and the cob and asparagus.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!  

Pesto Grilled Shrimp

What’s better than grilled shrimp over pasta with pesto sauce? Pesto-marinated grilled shrimp over pasta with pesto sauce.

 
This one is super easy. Next time you make pesto sauce, make about a cup extra, use it to marinate the shrimp for a few hours, and then grill them. Then stir the shrimp into hot, wet pasta and the remaining pesto sauce (microwave the sauce for about a minute since it will have been sitting in the fridge). That’s it.

If you don’t already have a pesto recipe you like, here’s mine. This makes enough to marinate about 1 ½ pounds of shrimp and use the remaining with one pound of pasta.

Pesto Sauce

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh basil (or, since basil is pretty expensive, you can save a little money by using 2 cups of basil and two cups of spinach)
½ cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup olive oil
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.    In a food processor, puree basil, pine nuts, garlic, and half a cup of olive oil. Taste.
2.    Add salt, pepper, cheese, and remaining olive oil, and puree until smooth.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter! 

Plank Grilled Salmon with Fresh Blackberry and Balsamic Sauce

Ingredients:

4 small pieces salmon or one large fillet.
1 tsp olive oil
Juice of half lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Salad – spring greens, spinach or mix (I used 50/50)
Optional: walnuts, shredded parmesan cheese, extra blackberries

Blackberry and Balsamic Sauce:

1 cup fresh blackberries, pureed
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp water



Directions:

1.    Soak wood planks in water for at least an hour, up to 24 hours. Use a large pan and hold the plank down with a full glass of water.

2.    Marinate salmon in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper for 20-30 minutes.
3.    Once your charcoal is hot, place wood planks over direct heat for 15 minutes.
4.    While the plank is heating up, make the sauce. Puree the blackberries, and then combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, then strain.
5.    Brush plank with oil, then place salmon, skin-side down, on plank.

6.    Cover grill and cook, without turning, for about 15 minutes for a large fillet, or 10 minutes if you’re using smaller cut pieces, until fish flakes in large chunks.
7.    Serve salmon over bed of greens, with nuts, blackberries and shredded cheese, and top with blackberry sauce. Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!  

BBQ Pork (or Chicken) Leftover Edition: Crescent Rolls!

Wondering what to do leftover shredded BBQ pork or chicken? Try these delicious BBQ stuffed crescent rolls!

Ingredients:

One 8 oz. can (tin? Roll? I don’t know what to call those things) of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Eight heaping spoonfuls of cold, shredded pork or chicken, with BBQ sauce

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven 375.
2.    Separate dough into triangles. Place spoonful of shredded pork or chicken at base of triangle, like so:

3.    Wrap dough around meat:

 
4.    Bake for 10-12 minutes, and enjoy!

Greek Yogurt Marinated Beer Can Chicken

Greek yogurt is a perfect marinade for chicken. Not only does it add great flavor, but it tenderizes the meat. The results are delicious.
So in my ongoing quest to find as many different ways to make beer can chicken as possible, I present to you: Greek Yogurt Marinated Beer Can Chicken.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
Salt
Pepper

Marinade:

1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp each: salt, pepper, oregano
1 tbsp: olive oil, lemon juice

Directions:

1.    Combine all marinade ingredients and stir.
2.    Remove chicken neck and giblets, rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.
3.    Coat chicken with marinade, cover and refrigerate overnight.

 
4.    Fill your chimney starter with charcoal and light. Soak some wood chunks or chips.
5.    While your coals are getting hot, drink half a can of beer (soda is fine too).
6.    Set up your grill for indirect cooking, with the coals and wood chunks in a ring along the outer edge of the grill, with the drip pan in the center.

 
7.    Remove chicken from marinade, and wipe off excess. Shove can with remaining beer into the cavity of the chicken, and place on the grill above the drip pan. Use the legs and the can to form a tripod to hold the chicken upright.

(Oh yes, that's right. Mrs. Grill That got me a beer can chicken holder for Christmas. It is awesome. You should get one too: Sur La Table Chicken Roaster (Google Affiliate Ad). Product placement!

8.    Place the lid on the grill. Smoke, covered, for approximately one hour and fifteen minutes. The chicken is ready with the temperature reaches 165 degrees in the breast and 180 degrees in the thigh. Juices should run clear and skin will be nice and crispy.

 
9.    Let chicken rest at least 10-15 minutes before carving.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it - and don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!

Pulled Pork Leftovers – Nachos!

Looking for something fun to do with leftover pulled pork? Make some nachos! These are guaranteed to be a huge hit at your next party.

There’s no recipe here; just get some tortilla chips and top with pulled pork and anything else you want on your nachos – salsa (here’s a great recipe using grilled corn), black beans, sour cream, cheese of course (you can really step it a notch with this recipe for queso blanco), etc. Get creative and enjoy.

Standing Rib Roast Smoked on the Grill

A standing rib roast is similar to prime rib, although prime rib refers to a specific cut that’s available mostly to restaurants and high-end butchers. They don’t have it at most grocery stores, and they certainly didn’t have it for half-price last week at Harris Teeter. So, rib roast it is.

I started with a Dijon, garlic and herb rub, and then smoked it over indirect heat, using hickory wood chips. You don’t want to go too heavy on the rub or the smoke, because you don’t want to overpower the flavor of the meat.

Enjoy!



Ingredients (serves 4):

1 standing rib roast, approximately 4 pounds

Dijon rub ingredients:

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon each: sea salt, black pepper, dried rosemary, dried thyme


Total time: About 2.5 hours

Directions:

1.    Mix all rub ingredients, coat rib roast with mixture. Let sit for 30 minutes to reach room temperature.

2.    Soak wood chips in water.
3.    Heat about 15 charcoal briquettes in a chimney starter. Prepare grill for indirect cooking. Place hot charcoals on one side of grill and top with pre-soaked wood chips. Put drip pan on other side of grill. The grill should be at a temperature of about 250 degrees. Add hot coals as needed to maintain that temperature.

4.    Place rib roast over drip pan. Cover grill with lid, with air holes above roast.
5.    Grill for about 2 hours, until the middle of the roast reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees. Let rest for about 10 minutes. During the resting time, the internal temperature will reach 135 degrees, which is a perfect medium rare. For rare, remove from grill at 115 degrees. For medium, remove at 135. If you want it cooked more than that, then you don’t like rib roast and should eat something else. #Fact
6.    After letting the meat rest, carve into thick slices and serve.

We ate this with grilled winter vegetables – sweet potatoes, butternut squash and carrots.

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!  

Cherry Cola BBQ Sauce

One of the great things about barbecue, and especially barbecue sauce, is that there are seemingly infinite different options. I love experimenting with different sauces and getting completely different flavors, all of which still count as “barbecue sauce.”

My latest creation is a cherry barbecue sauce, flavored with cherry cola and cherry preserves in addition to the usual suspects (like ketchup and apple cider vinegar). It combines sweet and a little heat, with a cool kick from the cherry flavor. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

½ stick butter
1 cup ketchup
1 can cherry cola

3 tablespoons cherry preserves
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon each of the following: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion salt, ground red pepper (add more or less depending on your taste)
2 TBSP lemon juice

Directions:

1.    Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.
2.     Stir in all other ingredients.
3.    Simmer 30-40 minutes, until reduced. Enjoy!

Goes great with any of these grilling recipes!

Smoked BBQ Pork

Fall-off-the-bone Ribs

Beef Brisket

15-minute BBQ Pork

BBQ Beer Can Chicken

Be sure to try these other sauces to compare and find your favorite:

Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce

Carolina Style Mustard Sauce

Ketchup and Molasses Sauce

Mango BBQ Sauce

If you like this recipe, please be sure to click on the links below to share it! And don’t forget to follow @youcangrillthat on Twitter!   

Yeah, You Can Grill That – Thanksgiving Recipes!

I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner almost as much as I love eating it. I start planning my menu and shopping list weeks in advance. I print out and write down recipes, and write up a game plan to make sure everything gets brined, rubbed, chopped, mixed and put in the oven and just the right time so that it’s all ready to go when dinner is served.

Unfortunately, like most of you, my love of cooking seriously outmatches my kitchen space, equipment and manpower. If I had two or three ovens, eight stovetop burners, and a few assistants, I could probably have everything ready to eat at precisely 7:00 PM. Instead, I can’t start cooking the dressing, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes or anything else that goes into the oven until the turkey comes out – which means it has to sit for about an hour and a half. I have potatoes boiling, vegetables steaming and gravy cooking on the stove, and there’s always at least one more pot than there are burners. Something is going to have to go in the microwave.

So this year, I’m taking advantage of my outdoor cooking space – my grill and my smoker. I’m going to smoke the turkey and ham over apple wood. I’m going to grill the macaroni and cheese, the Brussels sprouts with bacon and blue cheese, and the asparagus. And that will leave plenty of time and space for everything else to cook inside.

If you’re looking to free up some space in your oven or on your stovetop, or you just want to add some grill flavor to this year’s Thanksgiving, you can’t go wrong with any of these recipes:

Turkey breast – I haven’t cooked a full turkey on the grill yet (I’m sure it’s possible, and will attempt when the stakes aren’t quite as a high as Thanksgiving). But in the meantime, if you’re cooking for a smaller group, you can’t go wrong with this recipe for grilled turkey breast. It’s juicy and tender, with a great (but not overpowering) smoky flavor.

 

Sweet Potatoes – They may get overshadowed by the turkey, stuffing (or in the south, dressing) and gravy, but it just isn’t Thanksgiving without sweet potatoes. These sweet potatoes can be made quickly and easily on the grill, with the delicious brown sugar sauce you’d expect.

Macaroni and Cheese – Gooey, cheesy, bubbly and delicious, this recipe for macaroni and cheese cooked on the grill simply can’t be beat.

 

Potato and Sweet Potato Gratin – Want to mix things up? Instead of (or maybe in addition to) traditional mashed potatoes in one bowl and candied sweet potatoes in another, combine them, add a ton of cheese, and enjoy this awesome recipe for potato and sweet potato gratin.

Vegetables – You can’t go wrong with vegetables cooked on the grill. Any of these grilled vegetables – carrots, asparagus, green beans, corn on the cob, or Brussels sprouts – won’t just taste a lot better than their steamed or boiled brethren, they’ll also free up much-needed space on your stove.

 

Lobster tail – Lobster was on the menu for the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth in 1621, so if you want to go truly authentic this year, try this recipe for buttery, tasty grilled lobster tail.

Chocolate Pecan Bars – Pecan pie is a staple dessert at most Thanksgiving dinners in the south. This recipe has all the sweet, chewy, gooey goodness of pecan pie, plus CHOCOLATE. Oh, and it’s grilled.