Saturday, July 21, 2012

Two Sauces & A Side {for your BBQ}

With the weather being so hot lately the thought of standing over a stove top just makes me exhausted. I don't know about you, but we have been making good use of our BBQ! To help give your different BBQed meats variety I'm sharing with you two of our favorite sauces {and if you are vegetarian scroll down to read about one of my favorite side dishes!}
Now a little side note: I want to remind you that my way of cooking doesn't have exact measurements - I "eye ball" alot of things to make it the right amount that I need. That is the beauty of cooking, it's not a science, it's an art. {Baking is totally different however} So be BRAVE and "eye ball" the ingredients to make the amount you need and taste as you go.

Mr. S. is in charge when it comes to cooking the steak at our house. This steak sauce is always on the table .

Steak Sauce
Ketchup
Worcestershire
Mustard
BBQ Sauce
Hot Sauce {optional}

You want to mix together equal amounts of ketchup, mustard & BBQ Sauce. Use the Worcestershire to get the sauce to the consistency that you want it. I like to add in hot sauce for an extra kick, but you can also do some freshly ground black pepper or try soy sauce for an Asian flair.



This is BY FAR my favorite condiment for steaks, chicken and tacos. I remember eating some portabella fajitas at Chili's once and they served this sauce on the side...I was hooked. You can do this with parsley, but I LOVE it with Cilantro! I love the pungency of the cilantro with the tartness of the vinegar...so good!!

Chimmichuri Sauce
Cilantro (about a cup)
minced garlic {about a Tablespoon}
Red Wine Vinegar {a few healthy splashes}
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

In a food processor combine all ingredients EXCEPT the oil. Pulse until everything is combined and it looks like a paste. While the processor is running, stream in the Olive oil until the paste becomes more like a salsa consistency. Be sure to taste test to see if more salt or vinegar needs to be added.



What kind of a meal would be complete without a side dish? What I love most about these grill packets is that you can use any vegetable that you have on hand. I'll list what I have in this packet, but really the sky is the limit to the different veggie combinations! I few rules come with grill packets:
-Use heavy duty tin foil or two sheets of regular tin foil
- Before anything goes into the tin foil it needs to be coated with a cooking spray or oil so the veggies don't burn and stick to it.
- Vegetables like potatoes and carrots should be cut thin. The thicker they are the longer it takes to cook them {unless you like a crunchy potato, yuck!} For the carrots in this packet I used a vegetable peeler.

Grilled Vegetable Packets
Tin Foil
Olive Oil
Potatoes, thinly sliced
Carrots, thinly sliced
Zucchini
Mushrooms
Bell Pepper Strips
Red Onion
Tomatoes
Salt & Pepper
Seasonings & Parmesan Cheese

Oil your tin foil {either with oil or a cooking spray}. Place your sliced veggies in the center. Your veggies need room to cook in this packet. Pull out enough tin foil so the veggies go in the middle of the foil and you can pull up both sides, folding the edges together until it is rolled down into a packet {ends should be rolled up as well}. If you didn't give yourself enough room, get a second sheet of tin foil, oil it and place it on top of the veggies rolling up each of the sides together. Before you start rolling season your veggies with salt & pepper and your choice of seasonings. I've tried many different kinds, you can go Italian and do basil, oregano & rosemary. You can use a premixed BBQ seasoning, we like McCormick's Spicy BBQ. Along with the seasonings you can also add cheeses or even balsamic vinegar {really yummy} or soy sauce.
Place the packet on the grill and let it cook for ten minutes on each side {total cooking time 20 minutes}. If it puffs up during the BBQing that is just fine. When you take your veggie packet off the grill be sure to test the veggies inside. If they are tender they are ready to eat, but if the potatoes or carrots are still hard, roll it back up and put it back on the grill for another 10 minutes, or until done. **If you are cooking a large veggie packet {i.e. feeding 6+} plan on 30-40min cooking time and be sure to rotate every 20 Mins to ensure veggies are cooked on both sides***

Enjoy!


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1 comment:

Nchristner said...

OMG! I love vegtables cooked that way! I am making this tomorrow!

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