Grilled Veggie Kabobs

Grilled veggie kabobs are a perfect side for any cook out!  You will be amazed at the flavor these veggies get from the grill AND they are super quick.  Make your own kabobs with whatever vegetables you have on hand for your next gathering.  Also, I love how pretty all the colors look in a big serving bowl!

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1/6 of all veggies
Points Plus: 1pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook/Grill Time: 3-12 minutes


Ingredients:
1 8 oz. package mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 package cherry tomatoes

Directions:
Throughly wash all veggies.  Slice and cut the peppers into wedge sized pieces.  Using bamboo or wooden skewers, begin to assemble the kabobs with veggies.  I think it works best to keep all veggies of the same type on each kabob (all mushrooms on one, all peppers on another etc). Start the grill and heat to a medium temperature level.  Place the kabobs on the grill and cook until veggies are tender, yet crisp; constantly rotate the skewers through out the cook time.  Cook times will vary by vegetables.  For some general guidelines, we used the following cook times:

Tomatoes - 3-5 minutes
Mushrooms - 5-10 minutes
Peppers - 10-12 minutes

When veggies are finished cooking, combine all in a large serving bowl and enjoy!

Tip:
Cook to taste with these grilled veggies.  Some people prefer very cooked veggies (think sauté style), while others prefer more crunch.  We err more on the side of liking more crispness to our veggies (the cook times above reflect this).

XOXO Megan

Grilled Yellowfin Tuna Steaks

I didn't realize until I had this recipe that I actually enjoy tuna! These are yellowfin tuna steaks which are hearty pieces of fish that are quite delicious.  This recipe calls for a simple marinade that the tuna steaks should soak in for anywhere from 1 to 2 hours (depending on how much time you have to prep dinner).  Enjoy!

Servings: 4

Serving Size: 1 4oz. tuna steak

Points Plus: 6pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 1-3 hours (marinade time)

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

4 yellowfin tuna steaks (4 oz. each)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 clove garlic, crushed

Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, mustard, lemon zest and garlic.  Whisk together until well combined.  Add the yellowfin tuna steaks and let them sit in the marinade for 1 to 2 hours.  You will want to poke the steaks first before adding to marinade - this will allow for the flavors to really integrate into the steaks before cooking.  Start the grill and raise the temperature to high heat.  Reduce the remaining marinade in a pan for about 10 minutes.  Use this reduced mixture to baste the steaks while grilling.  Grill the tuna steaks about 4 minutes per side, only flipping once.  Serve with the lemon wedges.

Tip:

XOXO Megan

Grilled Mexican Corn

There is an AMAZING side dish of Mexican corn that they serve at Manny's steakhouse!  I have
always wanted to recreate it and decided to seek out some recipes to make it happen!  This recipe makes the perfect side dish to any BBQ meal.  The lime, chili powder and grilled corn make the flavors pop and are a good representation of true Mexican corn. 

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1/6 of the dish
Points Plus: 4pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Grill/Cook Time: 20 minutes 

Ingredients:
6 ears of fresh sweet corn
1/8 cup creme fraiche
2 limes, juiced and zested
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (Mexican queso fresco)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Prep the corn by removing the silk, but keeping the husks on (this is critcal for grilling corn!).  Heat the grill to a high heat.  Grill the corn by constantly turning to get grill char on all sides (about 10 minutes).  Remove the corn cobs and let cool slighty.  Cut off the kernals using a knife.  Heat a skillet on the stove and add the corn kernals, creme fraiche, lime juice, zest from 1 lime, chili powder and salt & pepper.  Add half the cotija cheese and fresh cilantro to the skillet as well; stir to combine.  Cook on the stovetop for about 10 minutes, stiring occaisionaly until the corn takes on a creamy mixture and is heated throughout.  To serve, top the corn with the remaining cheese and cilantro.

XOXO Megan

Greek Turkey Burgers

It's fun to find new ways to change up a tradtional turkey burger.  I love turkey burgers because they are guilt-free (well not completely, but you know what I mean) way to enjoy summer grilling!  This recipe is for a Greek style turkey burger with a creamy cucumber dill sauce that is a perfect condiment topping.

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 turkey burger + bun + 1 Tbsp. cucumber dill sauce
Points Plus: 8pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Grill/Cook Time:

Ingredients:
Cucumber Dill Sauce:
1 7 oz. plain Greek yogurt (I prefer the Fage brand)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp. dried dill
Fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)

Turkey Burgers:
1 1/4 lbs. ground turkey
1 egg
2 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup crumbled feta
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, minced garlic, dill and fresh lemon juice.  Whisk together with a small whisk until well combine.  Refrigerate until you are ready to serve the turkey burgers.  Wash and prep the onion, cucumber (the thin slices will be used as a burger topping) and dice the roasted red peppers.  In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, frozen spinach, roasted red peppers, onion, oregano, garlic, bread crumbs, feta and salt & pepper to taste.  Mix together (using your hands works the best) until all ingredients are well combined.  Divide the mixture into 6 and shape into burger patties.  Cook on the grill over medium high heat for about 5 minutes per side.  Check to make sure the turkey burgers reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees to make sure they are cooked through.  Serve with the cucumber dill sauce and the cucumber slices!

Tip:
One of my favorite parts of grilling is how easy it is to toast the buns while the burgers are finishing cooking.  We have a wire rack above our burners that works perfect - it's like a little shelf perfectly made for buns or bread. :)

XOXO Megan

Campfire 'Breakfast in a Bag'

I will warn you... you might think this sounds like a CRAZY idea! 

My mom came up with this idea for a creative breakfast while camping.  Basically you cook you breakfast over the campfire IN A BAG!  I know what you are thinking, this is never going to work.  The bag for sure will catch fire!  But believe me... it really does work!!!  Next time you are camping and enjoying the great outdoors, try it out for yourselves.

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 breakfast in a bag (1 egg + 1 1/2 slices of bacon)
Points Plus: 5pp
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Grill/Cook Time: 15-20 minutes (depends on the campfire)

Ingredients:
Paper lunchbags
Tinfoil
Smore's/campfire sticks
6 eggs
9 slices of bacon
Salt & pepper

Directions:
Start a campfire. :)  Line the grilling grate with tinfoil.  Assemble and prep your 'breakfast in a bag' by opening up lunch bags and lining the bottom with 1 1/2 slices of bacon each. Crack an egg into each bag and season with salt and pepper.  Fold over the top to 'seal' and poke holes in the top of the bag to attach each 'breakfast in a bag' to the campfire stick.  Place on top of the grilling grate and cook for 15-20 minutes.  You will probably need to pull one bag off the fire to check on cook time.  Have fun and enjoy your campfire 'breakfast in a bag'!

*Tip - You could cut your bacon slices in half ahead of time at home so you have them ready to go at the campground.

Tip:
Make sure you don't overload the campfire with too many 'breakfast in a bags'.  We had 8 total on the campfire at one point and it proved to be too many.  We had a little grease fire breakout from the all the bacon grease!  Be careful! :)

XOXO Megan

Cherry BBQ Pork Chops

We took a trip to northern Michigan about a month ago and as we explored the quaint, tourist towns we found ourselves finding cherries at every turn!  Michigan cherries are a classic tradition and we were excited to find that the sweet cherries had just ripened for the season. We knew that at least one of our souvenirs from the trip had to include some of the cherry love!  We picked up this delicious Cherry BBQ grilling sauce that is locally made in Petoskey, MI.

A few weeks later, we decided to try out our new grilling sauce and we though pork would be the perfect pairing.  Grilling pork chops allow you to sear in flavor and get some serious grill marks.  The combination of sweet and tangy in this cherry BBQ sauce really compliments the pork chop.

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 pork chop
Points Plus: 7pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook/Grill Time:

Ingredients:
6 boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick (about 6 oz. each)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
12 Tbsp. cherry BBQ grilling sauce (American Spoon brand)

Directions:
Light your grill and turn the burner to high heat.  You need a very high heat to properly sear the pork chops and lock in flavor.  Generously season both sides of each pork chop with salt and pepper.  Place on the grill and cook for 5-6 minutes per side.  The pork chops should be nicely brown before you flip to cook the other side.  Reduce grill heat to medium low to finish cooking the pork chops.  Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature, making sure it reaches 160 degrees.  Serve with you favorite side dishes!

Tip:
Intrigued by this cherry BBQ sauce?!  Check out American Spoon's website and find this grilling sauce and tons of other goodies!

XOXO Megan

Grilled Pita Pizzas

My husband actually came up with this idea for this recipe!  We are continuously finding new ways to use our grill and with a variety of different foods.  We love to make homemade pizza and thought why not try a grilled pizza of sorts.  Pitas worked great on the grill since they are already cooked and not just dough.  We went for a simple tomato, basil and cheese recipe, but you could easily make whatever kind of pita pizzas you feel like.  Be creative!

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 1 pita pizza
Points Plus: 7pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook/Grill Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pitas

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Fresh rosemary, chopped

Kosher salt

1 large tomato, sliced

4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese, reduced-fat

Fresh basil leaves

Directions:

Wash and chop the fresh rosemary. Slice the tomato into thin slices. Lightly brush 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil on each pita.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh rosemary.  Place the pita on the grill over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. After the pita has started to crisp up on the grill, add tomato slices, fresh basil leaves and top with 2 oz. of shredded mozzareall cheese.  Place back on the grill for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt.  Slice into quarters with a pizza cutter and serve immediately!

Tip:

Fresh herbs made such a difference!  We have a rosemary plant we've been using all summer long and it's amazing how much more flavorful the fresh variety is compared to a dried herb.

XOXO Megan

Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream

I have always been intrigued by grilled fruit. It seems like it would be hard to get those perfect grill marks and won't it require careful attention to make sure the fruit doesn't burn?? Well let me tell you... grilling fruit is really quite easy! These ripe peaches carmelized while on the grill and made for a delightful summer dessert!

Servings: 2
Serving size: 1 peach + scoop of ice cream
Points Plus: 3pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes (time for the grill to heat up)
Cook Time: 7-10 minutes

Ingredients:
2 ripe peaches
2 tsp. honey
1 cup Edy's Slow-Churned vanilla bean ice cream

Directions:
Turn on your gas grill and heat to high heat. Wash, halve and remove the pits from the peaches. Place the peaches flesh side down on the grill. Cook with the lid closed for 5 minutes (this ensures you get some good grill marks on each peach half). Flip the halves and cook with the lid closed for an additional 3-5 minutes. Once finished cooking bring the grilled peaches inside and place two peach halves in each bowl. Top with a 1/2 cup scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a 1 tsp. drizzle of honey. Serve while the peaches are still warm from the grill!

XOXO Megan

Honey-Mustard Chicken

Grilled chicken is such an easy weeknight dinner!  This honey-mustard sauce is a new variety of grilled chicken with some sweet and salty honey-mustard flavor.  Check it out and see what you think!

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 1 chicken breast
Points Plus: 6pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried thyme
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard and dried thyme and mix well with small whisk.  Start the grill and heat to a medium-low temperature.  Season each side of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Grill the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through (about 25 minutes).  During the last 5 minutes, brush frequently with the honey-mustard mixture. Serve immediately with a side salad or veggie!

Tip:
I would recommend adding one final coat of the honey-mustard mixture on top of the chicken after you take it off the grill - this will make sure you get good flavor!

XOXO Megan

Cilantro Lime Turkey Burgers

Turkey burgers are a lighter burger option that still has a ton of flavor.  And for some reason, they remind me of summer! Trader Joes makes a delicious Cilantro Lime Turkey Burger, and I decided to try and recreate them in my own kitchen. The unique cilantro and lime flavors give these burgers a tasty Southwest feel!

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 burger + 1 bun
Points Plus: 7pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6-8 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey
2 green onions, chopped
¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 t garlic, minced
½ t salt
¼ t red pepper flakes
½ cup cilantro, copped
Juice of 2 limes
4 light buns, toasted
Pinch of garlic powder
1/2 avocado, sliced
Cooking spray

Directions
Add ground turkey, green onions, bell pepper, salt, cilantro, red pepper flakes and lime juice to a bowl.  Mix with your hands until well combined.  I added all ingredients to my Kitchenaid and turned her on, letting the mixer do the mixing! When ingredients are well combined split the meat into four balls, then make each ball into a hamburger patty.

At this point you could easily toss these burgers on the grill, but I grilled my burgers inside on a grill pan. Lightly coat your grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium.  Toss on your burgers and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until done.

When burgers are done place them on a bun.  Lightly sprinkle each burger with garlic powder, and then toss with a few slices of avocado. Also feel free to add ketchup, mustard or any other zero point plus condiments!

Tip
You could easily make these burgers ahead of time and bring them to your summer BBQ to grill on the spot!

XOXO - Katie

Grilled BBQ Chicken

We just bought a grill and it has been life changing!  Okay, that might be a little extreme... but it does make for some quick and easy summer weeknight dinners.  Our 2nd grilling attempt was to try our hand at barbeque chicken.  We used a store bought sauce for this meal, but I think it would be fun to try out a homemade BBQ recipe at some point.

Servings: 2
Serving Size: 1 BBQ chicken breast
Points Plus: 6pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy!
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook/Grill Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

4 Tbsp. Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce

Directions:

Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts.  Generoulsy season each side with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Place on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes before flipping.  Cook the other side for an additional 5 minutes before adding the BBQ sauce.  Brush a generous amount of sauce on one side of the chicken breast and flip to cook and sear in the BBQ flavor.  You will probably end up losing some of the sauce on the side that is face down on the grill, but don't worry the taste will still be there.  Brush a coat of BBQ sauce to the top of the chicken breast and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until cooked through.

Tip:

A good hearty pair of tongs are a MUST when grilling!  They allow for easy flipping of chicken breasts and they help to minimize losing any BBQ sauce.

XOXO Megan

Jerk Chicken Salad with Grilled Pineapple

This is an old Pampered Chef recipe for a good summery salad.  If you haven’t tried grilling pineapple before, it’s really fun!  You need a good grill pan to help get the caramelization of sugars from the pineapple.

Servings:  6

Size:  Main course salad

Points Plus:

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time:  10 minutes

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:

Salad:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. Jamaican Jerk seasoning
1 pound chicken breast, cut into strips
1 medium pineapple, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 green onions
1 large head of chopped romaine
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
6 slices of turkey bacon

Dressing:
2 limes
1/3 cup mayo, reduced-fat
2 Tbsp. pineapple preserves

Directions:

Wash and chop up head of lettuce.  In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and Jamaican Jerk seasoning.  Add the chicken pieces and mix well so the seasoning evenly coats the chicken similar to a marinade.  Cut the pineapple up into ¼ inch slices or wedges.  Using a grill pan over medium heat, grill the chicken strips cooking each side about 3-5 minutes.  Cut the chicken into smaller, bite-sized pieces for the salad.  After you are done cooking the chicken, add the pineapple to the pan.  Cook for 1 minute per side, flipping the pineapple wedges over once.  Wash and prep the bell pepper and green onions.  Drain and rinse the black beans.  Cook the turkey bacon according to the directions on the package.  Make the dressing in a small glass measuring cup.  Use the zest of one lime and the juice from both limes along with the mayo and pineapple preserves – whisk together to make the dressing.  Assemble the salad by layering the beans, bell pepper, chicken, pineapple, bacon and green onions and drizzle the dressing over the salad before serving.

Tip:
One of the first things I learned at WW when I joined 7+ years for the first time was a handy little tip to control how much salad dressing you use.  Instead of drizzling dressing over your salad, keep the dressing on the side and just dip you fork into the dressing before you take a bite.  This will really cut down on how much dressing you use and keep the pp value low for the dressing so you can spend more pp on other foods!

XOXO Megan

Grilled Salmon with Dill & Lemon

I really like to grill fish – it makes for a quick dinner.  Here’s an easy recipe for grilled salmon filet.  Adding in dill and lemon flavors will help to complement the taste of the salmon.  Serve this with a grilled vegetable – asparagus or Brussels sprouts and a side salad!

Servings:  4

Size:  ¼ of grilled salmon filet

Points Plus: 8pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time:  8-12 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

1 ½ lb. salmon fillet

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt

Pepper

2 Tbsp. dried dill

2 lemons

Directions:

Use heavy-duty aluminum foil and make a foil packet to grill your fish in.  To prepare your fish for grilling, start by brushing the olive oil over the salmon filet.  Next, sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper followed by dill.  Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half over the top of the seasoned salmon filet.  This will help to cut down on any sort of fishy taste once your salmon is fully cooked.  Spray the bottom of the aluminum foil packet with cooking spray (PAM even makes a specific grilling variety).  Place the seasoned side down first in the foil packet, and skin side up.  This ensures you that you have a nicely grilled top of the fillet.  Cook on the grill for about 4-6 minutes before flipping the filet over to cook the other side for an additional 4-6 minutes.  While your fish is on the grill, slice up the remaining lemon into wedges to serve with your meal.

Tip:

Make sure you ask for a salmon fillet vs. steaks.  A filet is a long piece while salmon steaks are smaller cross-section pieces.  A filet allows you to serve larger or smaller pieces based on your guest’s preference.  The pp value above assumes you serve equal sized portions of the filet. 

XOXO Megan

Bacon Wrapped Filet Steaks

It is finally, maybe, grill season! This recipe is a fun and creative take on grilled filet, and helps you get in a veggie serving.  Impress your guests with these bacon wrapped filet stacks, that can be customized for your taste.  Also, who doesn't love meat wrapped in meat?  I actually barely ever cook with meat, but I will for sure make these again this summer.

Servings: 2

Size: 1 steak

Points Plus: 5

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Rating: 4 - Very Good

Ingredient List:

2, 4 oz lean and trimmed uncooked filets

4 slices uncooked reduced fat bacon

1 vadallia onion

1 green pepper

1 tomato

Salt & pepper

Toothpicks

Directions: 

Turn your (outside) grass grill on low. Salt and pepper steaks and seat aside.  Slice green pepper, onion and tomatoes in half inch slices.  Take two pieces of bacon and set on your work surface in an X.  Place one filet in the center of the bacon.  Top with onion slice, green pepper and tomato.  Bring bacon up around filet like a present ribbon, and secure on top of filet with a toothpick.  Repeat with second filet.  Place on grill and cook on low heat without flipping for 40 minutes (depending on how you like your steak).  Enjoy!

Tip: 

If you want you bacon crispy, consider placing under a broiler for a few minutes after removing meat from the grill.  For a few more pp add a piece of cheese to the top after cooking.  YUM!

XOXO - Katie

Broiled Cod with Chipotle Creme

After a weekend of eating out, eating unhealthy, and eating pretty much whatever we wanted, I decided to take it down a notch and make a light Memorial Day dinner. I have wanted to try making fish tacos forever, and landed on cod, a light flaky white fish.  After some internet research (my fav!) I came up with a good spice mixture and sauce for this Mexican inspired meal. In an effort to lighten things up a little more I opted to skip the tortillas and just serve the fish baked with a side of cilantro lime rice. You could also top with traditional fish taco fixings, red onion, tomato, cabbage, shredded radishes, exc!

Servings: 4

Size: 4oz fish

Points Plus: 4pp

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List: 

1 lb Atlantic cod

1 T. olive oil

1 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. black pepper

1/8 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. paprika

1/4 t. chili powder
1 lime

1/2 c. light sour cream

1-2 t. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (sauce only)

Cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Turn oven to broil and place oven rack a few inches from the flame. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and lay cod on foil. Pour olive oil over cod and brush to cover evenly. Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and chili powder. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over fish. I ended up only using about half of the spice mixture, so feel free to do the same depending on how spicy/salty you would like it. Squeese the juice from one lime over fish. Place cod under the broiler and cook until flaky, for me this was about four minutes. While fish is cooking mix sour cream and chipotle pepper sauce.  When fish is cooked remove from oven and top with 2 T. chipotle cream mixture.  Garnish with cilantro.

Tip: 

With summer on it's way you could easily grill this fish outside.  

XOXO Katie

Caprese Burgers

Since spring has FINALLY arrived in Minnesota, it felt like it was time for some grill food!  I pinned this recipe on Pinterest a while ago.  The first spring weekend felt like a good time to test it out.  Stuffed burgers are hard to make on the small side because you need two thinner patties to seal together, so this is a bit high in terms of points, but well worth it I have to say.  You can serve with a side salad to get some more veggies in without adding points to your meal too.  These burgers were delicious and filled with some of my favorite salad ingredients.  Who doesn’t love a good caprese salad with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella?!

Servings:  2

Size:  One burger patty
Points Plus: 11 pp (this is only for the burger, not including a bun)

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes (adjust cooking time based on your preference)

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

Ingredient List:

1 lb. lean hamburger meat

Burger/Steak seasoning

¼ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Fresh mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil leaves, sliced into ribbons

Directions:

Mix the burger/steak seasoning into the hamburger meat.  Our favorite is Byerly’s Dry-Aged  Beef Seasoning – it’s a delicious blend of herbs, onion and pepper. Shape 4 thinner hamburger patties – make the middle of your patties a little bit thinner than the edges, this will help to make sure the burgers cook all the way through evenly.  Pile your tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil in the middle of 2 of the patties.  Make sure all your ingredients are in the center of the patty.  Layer the 2^nd patty on top and press to seal the edges.  Throw on the grill; cook until your preferred level of doneness.  We made our burgers on a grill pan on the stove.  The edges cooked well, but the middle took a little bit longer.  To speed up the cooking process we used a pan cover to help trap the heat and produce a more even cooking for the burgers.

Tip:

Although caprese ingredients are great in this recipe, there are MANY other options you could swap out for these caprese burgers.  You could make Mexican with jalapenos and cheese, Greek with feta and olives… the possibilities are endless!

XOXO Megan

Buffalo Turkey Burgers with Blue Cheese Slaw

Ground turkey, although healthy, can sometimes be a little blah. Not the case with this recipe!  These buffalo turkey burgers come together quickly and taste GREAT!  The buffalo seasoning is just enough to add flavor, but it doesn’t completely overwhelm your burgers.

Servings:  6

Size:  1 burger + bun; ¼ cup slaw

Points Plus: 9 pts

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time:  15-20 minutes

Rating: 4 stars – Very good

*Recipe is originally from Skinnytaste with some slight adaptations.

Ingredient List:

Coleslaw –

1 ½  cups broccoli slaw

¼ cup light blue cheese dressing (I used Wishbone variety)

Turkey Burgers –

1.25 lbs. ground turkey

2/3 cup grated carrots

¼ cup breadcrumbs

1/8 cup red onion, grated

¼ cup Frank’s hot sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking spray

6 slices of reduced fat cheddar

6 whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions:

Combine the broccoli slaw and light blue cheese dressing in a medium bowl.  Chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve the burgers.  In a larger bowl, combine the ground turkey, carrots, breadcrumbs, red onion, hot sauce and salt and pepper.  Mix well and shape into 6 patties.  Place the patties on wax pepper.  Lightly coat a grill pan with cooking spray.  Add the burgers and cook over medium heat, each side should take about 4-5 minutes.  Once you have flipped the burgers and are cooking the final side, add a slice of cheese for the last minute of cook time.  While you are cooking the burgers, toast the hamburger buns.  Place burgers on the toasted bun and top with broccoli slaw.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Tip:

The original recipe from Skinnytaste has a link to a recipe for a skinny homemade blue cheese dressing – I saved time by buying a store-bought light version instead.  Also, these burgers were delicious from a grill pan on top of the stove, but we think they would be even better on an outdoor grill.  Try it and let us know what you think!

XOXO - Megan

Beef - It's What's For Dinner

When cooking, one of the food groups that intimidates me the most is MEAT!  I don't LOVE meat and I rarely cook it, but I am trying my darnedest to experiment, practice and be open minded.  We recently purchased a box of sirloins from Omaha Steaks and decided that since it is not warm enough to grill outside yet, we would broil them in the oven.  By following Omaha's instructions of setting the rack 1" fromt eh broiler, I think these turned out pretty good!  I can't imagine eating a steak without mashed potatoes, so I whipped some up and also served with a side of peas (please excuse the abnormally large portion of potatoes in the below picture.  What can I say, it was Friday night and time to PARTY!)

Oven Steak (for when it's too cold outside to grill)
Servings: 2
Serving Size: 1 5 oz filet
Points Plus:  5pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 1 minute (not including thaw time)
Cook Time: For medium rare, 13 minutes
Rating: 3 stars - Good

 Ingredient List:

2 5 ounce filet of good local quality

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

*Feel free to add your favorite grill seasoning

Directions:

Thaw steaks completely.  Set oven to broil and move rack to 1" under flame.  Season steaks with salt and pepper and place on broiling pan.  When oven is heated, broil for 7 minutes, flip and broil for 6 more minutes.  Adjust cook time if you like your steak mroe or less done. Voila! Whip up some mashed potatoes and enjoy!

Tip:

Having a broiling pan WOULD have been great for these, but I had to use a cookie sheet.  I was imagining a world where I had a broiling pan above, because I am assuming the steaks would have been even better with that tool.  In a pinch, use a cookie sheet lined with foil.

XOXO - Katie