Kristen Johnson, RD, Meijer Healthy Living Advisor

Visit www.meijermealbox.com for more recipes and weekly menu planner

 

Summer Grilling & 4 ^th of July Entertaining

It’s summer, which can only mean one thing: You’d rather be anywhere but in the kitchen. Here are some delicious recipes for easy summer entertaining on the grill.

Summer Grilling

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

Makes 2 servings

 

½ tbsp. Meijer Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 container of Markets of Meijer Vegetable Griller Toppers

1 whole- wheat Naan bread

2 tbsp. prepared pesto
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 

 

1.      Preheat grill to medium-high heat.  Toss vegetable toppers with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place griller tray on grill rack and cook for 10 minutes. 

2.      Meanwhile, spread 1 tbsp. pesto sauce on each of the naan breads.  Top evenly with mozzarella and grilled vegetables. 

3.      Reduce grill heat to medium.  Place naan pizzas on grill and cover.  Cook 7-9 minutes, until toasted. 

4.      Quarter pizza; serve immediately.

 

Grilling Meat 101

 

Grilled Montreal Steak

Makes 8 servings

2 lbs. Certified Angus Beef® sirloin or strip steaks

2 tbsp. Meijer Gold Montreal Steak Seasoning

1.      Season steak generously with seasoning.

2.      Grill over medium-high heat 6 to 8 minutes per side or until desired doneness.  (To cook 1 inch steaks to medium cook for 6 minutes on first side and an additional 4 minutes after turning).

 

Steak Grilling Tips:

·         Place steaks on preheated grill – they should sizzle.

·         After a couple minutes, once juices begin to rise to the surface, use tongs to flip steaks over.

·         Continue grilling steaks to desired doneness.  (See chart below for grilling times).

·         Remove steaks from the grill onto clean plate and allow them to rest approximately 5 minutes.

Grilled Mustard-Maple Glazed Salmon

Makes 4 servings

 

For the glaze:

1/3 cup Meijer Organics pure maple syrup

3 tbsp. Meijer Dijon Mustard

 

For the fish:

4 (6-oz.) sockeye salmon fillets, skin on

Canola oil, for oiling the grill and the fish

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium high (about 375°F to 425°F).
2. Meanwhile, place the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined.
3. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels. Brush both sides of the fillets with vegetable oil and season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
4. Rub the grill grates with a towel dipped in oil. Place the salmon on the grill skin-side down, cover the grill, and cook undisturbed until grill marks appear and the skin is starting to crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Using a flat spatula, carefully flip the fillets over and brush the skin with some of the glaze. Cover the grill and continue to cook until the salmon is just opaque in the center, about 2 to 4 minutes more. Brush with remaining glaze and transfer to a serving plate.

 

Best fish for grilling:

You want firm fish fillets or steaks, not delicate ones that will fall apart when grilled.  Here are a few good choices:

1.      Salmon

2.      Swordfish

3.      Mahi Mahi

4.      Tuna

5.      Striped Bass

 

Serve with vegetable kabobs and Markets of Meijer Berry Pecan Salad

4 ^th of July Entertaining Recipes

Patriotic Potato Salad

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 lb. large blue or purple potatoes

3/4 lb. large red-skinned potatoes

3/4 lb. large Yukon gold potatoes

3 tbsp. Meijer Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

6 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped

1/2 cup celery leaves, coarsely chopped, plus 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt

1 bunch scallions, sliced

1/2 cup Organic Mayonnaise

1 tsp. hot sauce

 

Directions:

1.       Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and put a baking sheet on the rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F for at least 10 minutes.

2.       Halve the potatoes lengthwise and toss them with the olive oil in a large bowl. Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven.

3.       Using tongs, arrange the potatoes cut-side down on the hot baking sheet. Sprinkle with the thyme, celery leaves, bell pepper strips, half of the lemon juice and 2 teaspoons salt.

4.       Roast until the potatoes are tender and golden, 25 to 35 minutes.

5.       Meanwhile, combine the sliced celery and scallions in a small bowl. Whisk the mayonnaise, hot sauce and the remaining lemon juice in another small bowl.

6.       Use a spatula to carefully transfer the potatoes to a cutting board. Cut each potato into 2 or 3 pieces.

7.       Arrange the potatoes by color on a platter and top with the red peppers and the celery-scallion mixture. Serve with the spicy mayonnaise.

 

Fire Cracker Guacamole

Serves 8

Ingredients:

 

1 Mini Seedless Watermelon

4 ripe, Fresh California Avocados, peeled, seeded and coarsely mashed

1/8 cup minced green onions

1 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 habanero chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced (or less, to taste)

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