Chicken and Goat Cheese Tacos with Roasted Tomato-Garlic Salsa

This came from weber.com and it is really, really good. The goat cheese really sets this off. I just ate 4 tacos. Time for a beer and maybe a nap....

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 4 ounces each
Fresh lime juice
8 small flour tortillas (6 inches)
1/2 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese
2 medium ripe tomatoes
1/2 medium white onion, peeled and quartered
1 medium red bell pepper
4 scallions, root ends trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons minced chipotle chiles in adobo
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
Rub:
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon prepared chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).
Lightly brush the tomatoes, onion pieces, bell pepper, and scallions with oil. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the vegetables over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until they are charred all over and tender, turning as needed. Remove the vegetables from the grill as they are done. The bell pepper will take 10 to 12 minutes, the tomatoes will take 6 to 8 minutes, and the onions and scallions will take 2 to 4 minutes. Place the bell pepper in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle chiles, and lime juice until smooth. Season with salt. Pour the salsa into a bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl combine the rub ingredients. Lightly brush the thighs on both sides with oil and season evenly with the rub.

Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the thighs over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the meat is firm and the juices run clear, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once or twice. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool.

When the thighs are cool enough to handle, cut them into 1/3-inch pieces and put them in a large bowl along with 1/3 cup of the salsa. Remove and discard the stem, skin, and seeds from the bell pepper. Chop the pepper and scallions and add them to the bowl; toss to combine. Season with salt and lime juice.

Heat the tortillas over direct high heat just to soften them, 30 seconds to 1 minute, turning once.

Lay the tortillas in a single layer on a work surface. Evenly divide the cheese and the chicken-vegetable mixture among the tortillas. Fold up the tortillas and serve with the remaining salsa.

Grilled Lamb Chops in White Wine and Lemon

We are not huge lamb fans, but this was good for something different. By now you should see a pattern with the garlic mashed potatoes. One of our favorite sides.

Ingredients:
4 lamb shoulder shops
Marinade:
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
Greek Style Rub:
3 tablespoons kosher salt
3 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Trim fat from the lamb chops and place them in a single layer in a Ziploc Bag.

Mix together the marinade ingredients. Pour over the chops, and press the air out of the bag.

Allow the meat to marinate for at least two hours. If the marinade doesn't cover the chops, turn the bag periodically so both sides absorb the flavor.

When you are ready to cook, remove the chops from the marinade. Rub both sides with the Greek-style rub.

Prepare your grill for cooking. Set up for direct cooking at 450°.
Cook the chops for 5 minutes per side for a medium to medium-rare finish.

Serve immediately.

Weeknight Simple Salmon

Very good, this will be made again.

Ingredients:
1/4cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4cup soy sauce
1/4cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
6 salmon fillets (with skin), each about 6 ounces and 1 inch thick

In a medium bowl whisk the marinade ingredients until smooth.

Place the salmon in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in all but 1/3 cup of the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, place in a bowl, and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).

Remove the fillets from the bag and discard the marinade. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the fillets, skin side down, over indirect high heat, with the lid closed, until opaque throughout, 10 to 12 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of grilling time, brush the fillets with the 1/3 cup reserved marinade. Slide a spatula between the skin and flesh and transfer the fillets to serving plates. Serve warm.

Kikkoman Tropical Chicken Packets

This was good, but a lot more bland than I thought it would be. Next time we make this I will marinate the chicken in teriyaki sauce to give it some more flavor.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast halves
4 green onions (diced into 1" pieces)
1 can pineapple tidbits in their own juice
1 red and yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ginger (used fresh grated)
4 basil leaves, chopped
2 cups rice

Center a chicken breast half on a 12 x 18" piece of aluminum foil. Top with green onions, pineapple, and bell pepper. Pour teriyaki sauce, brown sugar and ginger mixture over it. Bring up foil sides, double fold the top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation. Repeat with other three breast halves.

Bake 30 minutes on BGE at 350°.

Serve over rice.

Flat Iron Steaks

This was a good meal on a relaxing Saturday. Not as good as a high quality New York Strip or Ribeye, but good for a relatively cheap cut of meat. Be sure not to overcook it or it will get very tough.

Ingredients:
1-2 flat iron steaks, as uniform in thickness as possible
1 tablespoon of sweet smoked paprika
2 teaspoons kosher sea salt
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all of the rub ingredients. Coat 2 flat iron steaks in olive oil and season liberally with the rub.

Set your grill up for direct cooking over medium-high heat (450 and 500°). For medium rare, grill the steaks for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, or until they reach 130°. Let the steaks rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

Garlic Sausage Gnocchi

Thanks to Tony at http://bigtsbge.blogspot.com/ for this recipe. We pride ourselves on eating a lot of good food and this was one of the best meals I had in a while. This will definitely be made again.

Ingredients:
1 Lb. Pkg. Potato Gnocchi
3 Medium Diced Tomatoes
1 jar pasta sauce
1 – 1 1/4 Lb. ground Garlic Seasoned Italian Sausage
1/2 chopped large Sweet Onion
Italian seasoning (A strong Tsp each of basil, oregano, cumin)
Water
1/2 Tsp. Fresh Ground Sea Salt
1 Tsp. Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp. Parsley
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Grated Romano/Parmesan cheese (for topping)

In a 4 Qt. Pot bring lightly salted water to boil for Gnocchi and boil until it all floats, remove and drain, set aside.

Dribble a splash of water into the 4 Qt. pot and cook onions until they are transparent.

Ben is sautéing the onions

Add the tomatoes and pasta sauce, stir in the spices and bring to boil, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes then add Gnocchi to tomato sauce and recover pot.

In a Dutch Oven heat olive oil over high heat and the sausage, cook until browned throughout.

Ben is browning the sausage.  He is quite the chef

Dump the pasta sauce/gnocchi into the skillet and stir constantly. Bring skillet contents to a boil.

Add mozzarella cheese and stir until melted the remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Southwest Swordfish With Fresh Tomato Salsa

Our Swordfish fillets were much larger than this called for so we marinated for around 45minutes.

Ingredients:
FOR THE MARINADE:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

4 swordfish fillets, about 6 ounces each and 1 inch thick

FOR THE SALSA:
2 medium ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped white onions
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 to 2 teaspoons minced jalapeño peppers, with seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

TO MAKE THE MARINADE: In a small bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients.

Place the fillets in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, place on a plate, and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.

TO MAKE THE SALSA: In a serving bowl combine the salsa ingredients and mix well. Allow to stand for about 10 minutes to blend flavors. Salsa tastes best served fresh and at room temperature.

Remove the swordfish from the bag and discard the marinade. Grill over Direct Medium heat until the fillets are opaque in the center, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Remove from the grill and serve warm with the salsa.

Southwestern Rice

Ingredients:
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn, thawed

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and garlic in oil for 3 minutes. Stir in the broth, rice, cumin and turmeric; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Add beans, tomatoes and corn; heat through.

Rosemary Grilled Pork Loin

This is one of our favorite recipes from the BBQ Bible cookbook. We doubled the ingredients since our pork loin was a little over 4 pounds. This was cooked indirect on the Egg.

Ingredients:
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bunch fresh rosemary, stemmed (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon coarse (kosher or sea) salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 boneless pork loin roast (about 2 pounds)

Combine the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in a mortar and pound to a smooth paste with the pestle, then work in the oil. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, combine all the ingredients in a spice mill or mini chopper and process to a puree.

Using a long, sharp knife, cut the pork roast almost in half lengthwise, starting at one side. Open out the meat as you would a book, then cut a lengthwise pocket down the center of each side, starting and ending about 1/2 inch from each end and cutting almost all the way through to the other side. Spread half the herb paste over the surface and into the pockets of the opened-out roast, then bring the sides together so the meat resumes its original shape. Tie the roast at 1-inch intervals with butcher's string, then spread the remaining herb paste over the entire surface. If desired, loosely cover the roast with plastic wrap, and let marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours bringing it to room temperature while you preheat the grill.

Rotisserie method: Set up the grill for rotisserie and preheat the grill to high. When ready to cook, skewer the roast lengthwise on the spit and let it rotate on the grill until well browned on all sides and cooked through, about 1 hour. The internal temperature should register at least 160 degrees F. when an instant –read meat thermometer is inserted.

Indirect grilling method: Set up the grill for indirect grilling by pushing the coals to the side and placing a drip pan in the middle. When ready to cook, oil the grill grate. Place the roast on the hot grate over the drip pan, cover the grill and cook until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F., 1- 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the roast to a cutting board or platter, removing it from the spit first if necessary, and let stand for 5 minutes, then remove the string and cut the roast into thin crosswise slices. Serve hot, warm, or (as they do in Italy) at room temperature.

We topped this off with Lisa's Homemade Garlic Mashed Potatoes and String Beans. What a perfect Sunday meal with the family.