This week we asked our employees for their favorite grill recipes. Our submissions ranged from grilled salmon kebabs and spicy Tunisian grilled chicken to smoked potato salad and Tandoori Paneer Tikka, a traditional Indian dish. We also received plenty more tasty, easy-to-make options! Try putting one or two of these recipes to use this grill season. Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon Kebabs 

This recipe was submitted by Stacy Laurent, our Accounting Supervisor. Stacy is hoping to try this recipe this summer because her family “loves salmon and [she] thought this would be a different way to serve it up.” See the link below for the full recipe:

Grilled Asparagus

This next recipe was submitted by Laura Engstrom, a Production Artist on the Creative Solutions team. She originally “didn’t think asparagus was all that good…until [she] had it grilled.” The instructions for preparing grilled asparagus are simple:

Ingredients:

  • Fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Preheat the grill to high heat
  • Coat the asparagus spears with the olive oil lightly. Season with salt and pepper
  • Grill over heat for 2-3 minutes, or to desired tenderness

Recipe from allrecipes.com, “Grilled Asparagus.”

Spicy tunisian grilled chicken

Heather Thomas, our eCommerce Marketing Specialist, submitted this recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (depending on your preferred spice density, I use 1 breast)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Tunisian Style Spice Mix

Spice Mix:

  • 1 tablespoon Coriander
  • 1 tablespoon Caraway Seeds
  • 1 tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Cayenne Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

“I usually make the spice mix and coat the chicken in the spices, drizzling a tablespoon of olive oil over it once the rub is slightly set in. I let this marinate overnight in the refrigerator and grill to taste. Served with corn that’s been spiced with salt, cumin and coriander.”

Brad’s Mac & Cheese

Brad Dorcik, one of our Online Merchandisers, recommends this unique Mac & Cheese recipe. “I’ve always loved Macaroni & Cheese, but it wasn’t until I started using the grill that our relationship grew,” he said. See below for Brad’s recipe:

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Total Time: 45 min

4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni
  • 1/2 salted butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup grated Asiago cheese
  • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/2 cup white Cheddar
  • 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 1 1/2 cup cups yellow sharp Cheddar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs (optional)

Instructions:

  • Preheat grill to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
  • Quarter red and green peppers, place them on the grill, cooking until tender
  • Once grill marks are formed, remove peppers from grill and set aside
  • Cook elbow macaroni in boiling water (salt optional) until al dente – drain and set aside
  • In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in flour to thicken, about 1 minute
  • Add 1 cup of milk and whisk in – begin adding cheeses, 1 at a time, thoroughly whisking each cheese
  • If sauce becomes too thick, add remaining cup of milk
  • Once all blended – stir in salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, grilled peppers, jalapeño peppers
  • Add elbows to the mixture and stir to combine again
  • With everything combined, add mixture to a cast iron 9” x 13” rectangular casserole dish
  • Sprinkle top with bread crumbs (optional) and an additional ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  • Place on grill for 12 minutes – let stand a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Amanda’s steak marinade

Amanda Perry, our Marketing Specialist, recommends this steak marinade for your favorite cuts of meat. She recommends applying the marinade 4-8 hours before cooking.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 3 tablespoons dried basil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
  • 1 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • Couple splashes of good red wine

Instructions:

“Mix all ingredients in a blender and pour over steaks. Refrigerate from 4 to 8 hours.
If desired, add big cuts of raw onion rings to the marinade and throw on the grill with the steaks to get a nice char. Top the steaks with the onions and enjoy!”

D’s Turkey Rollbars

Dorik, our Art Director, has a fun and original grill recipe he came up with and tried on the grill last week. He likes to call them, “D’s Turkey RollBars.” Here’s how to make one:

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of ground turkey
  • 3/4 cup of roasted cauliflower (roughly chopped)
  • 1/2 cup frozen kale (thawed and squeezed)
  • 1/2 cup roasted beets (roughly chopped)
  • 3 TB cilantro dressing (cilantro, red wine vinegar, olive oil, jalapenos, salt and pepper)

Instructions:

  • Mix all together and form a candy bar shape (like a 3 musketeers)
  • Place on hot grill. Grill all 4 sides until golden (about 2 min per side)
  • Remove from grill and get ready. Next few steps need to go quickly
  • Get that flat top grill heated up and place a large tortilla of choice on the hot grill
  • Once both side are slightly golden put a spoonful of the cilantro dressing, swirl it around the tortilla before placing a cheese blend of your choice on top
  • Next, place the turkey bar in the middle, top it with cottage cheese and a shake of hot sauce before rolling the whole thing up (be careful, its hot)
  • Continue to cook the Turkey RollBar until the sides are to your liking. A good golden brown with a few char marks is what I like
  • (Optional) You can also make a dipping sauce with more cottage cheese and hot sauce if you like (I do)

Dorik was featured last August in our grill vlog where he cooked up his own burger recipe, perfect for National Grilling Month. Recipe included in the video and in this blog post.

Smoked potato salad

Submitted by our V.P. of Business Development, Shuyler Mowe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. small (about 1” x 1”) Yukon Gold Potatoes
  • ½ Cup Green Onion
  • 1 Cup diced Red Onion
  • 2 Cups Arugula

Dressing:

  • ¼ Cup Olive Oil
  • 3 TBSP Dijon Mustard
  • 1 TBSP Red wine vinegar
  • 2 Cloves minced garlic
  • 1 TBSP chopped dill
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper

Instructions:

  • Prepare dressing, combine all ingredients in mixing bowl.  Let stand for at least one hour
  • Slice potatoes in half, lengthwise.  Parboil potatoes in salted water until just pierceable with a fork, but not past this.  You want potatoes to be firm.  Undercooking potatoes is not a huge deal as you can make up for it in the smoker, but do not overcook
  • Using wood chips of choice (I prefer Mesquite for this), get smoker up to 250 degrees.  If using a rack smoker, wrap racks in foil to prevent potatoes from falling through.  If using a barrel or other smoker type, use a sheet pan to prevent falling through
  • Smoke potatoes for 35-45 minutes.  When potatoes have absorbed smoke, they will have a browned appearance on the fleshy side and will not be crispy, but somewhat firm.  It is important that potatoes do not fall apart.  They should be distinct pieces when they go into the salad

Make the salad:

“Put potatoes in bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Then combine with vegetable ingredients and add dressing.  Mix and enjoy or refrigerate until serving.  This salad has a very unique, savory flavor that is great for a unique twist on a potato salad side and is relatively healthy as it avoids mayo.”

Tandoori Paneer tikka

Image: By Namitakhaire [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

Shruthi Desai, our eCommerce Marketing Manager, suggests Tandoori Paneer Tikka with grilled vegetables. An Indian dish, Tandoori Paneer Tikka is described by Padma Veeranki, a blogger on Masalakorb.com as:

“Hearty morsels of soft and crumbly Paneer marinated in a delicious mix of Yoghurt and spices, skewered and then grilled till golden brown in a tandoor, thus giving it a wonderful and distinctive smoky flavour. Of course most of us home-cooks have no access to a tandoor, but this dish tastes equally good grilled over charcoal, in an oven or even on a skillet. The recipe is pretty simple and straight forward [even] though you see a long list of ingredients.”

Paneer is a fresh cheese and is often known as Indian cottage cheese, according to Masalakorb.com. The term “tandoor” refers to a “variety of ovens, the most commonly known [being] a cylindrical clay or metal oven used in cooking or baking.” Tandoors are commonly used in Southern, Central, and Western Asia.

Tandoors in Turkmenistan. Image: By David Stanley [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Fried Paneer. Image: By Biswarup Ganguly [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)

See the blog post below for the recipe and instructions:

Grilled lamb with rosemary, garlic, and cardamom

Kathryn Pinkney, our Creative Solutions Manager, recommends her grilled lamb with rosemary, garlic, and cardamom.

Serves: 10 to 15, depending on everyone’s appetite!

Prep: 20 minutes or less

Marinate: at least 8 hours or overnight. Note – The lamb can marinate up to 48 hours.

———————————

Purchase:

  • Boneless and Butterflied Leg of Lamb (about 5 lbs)
  • Trim as much silver skin from the meat.

Marinade:

  • Cardamom – powdered, 1-2 teaspoon
  • Dry mustard – 1 Tablespoon
  • Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 Tablespoon
  • Rosemary –  3-4 6 inch twigs fresh (pull leaves off the stems) or 3 Tablespoon of dried
  • Fresh Garlic – one whole – minced or pressed
  • Spicy Brown Mustard – 1/2 cup
  • Olive Oil – 2 teaspoons
  • Frozen Apple Juice – 1/4 cup
  • Black Pepper, freshly ground
  • Salt (Kosher preferable)
  • Optional: Feta Cheese, crumbled

Instructions:

  • Combine the first 2 ingredients in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the vinegar and let stand for 15 minutes or so
  • Whisk in the rosemary, garlic, spicy mustard, olive oil, frozen apple juice. Season the marinade to taste with the salt and pepper
  • To marinate the meat you will need either an extra large ziplock bag or a 15 x 10 x 2 inch glass baking dish. (I prefer the zip lock baggie)
  • Glass dish Method  – pour 1/2 of the marinade in the bottom of the dish. Place the meat on top then pour the balance of the marinade over the meat. Using clean hands, massage the marinade into the meat until thoroughly coated. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and chill. It is best to turn the meat at least once to incorporate the marinade
  • Zip Lock Baggie Method – pour the whole marinade into the bag followed by the meat. Zip the bag shut taking care to move as much air out of the bag as you can. Now the fun part…. Massage the marinade into the meat for 2-3 minutes. Then place the baggie in a large bowl or dish (this is your safety in case your bag zipping skills aren’t perfect).  Place in the fridge to chill. I like to pull the meat out every 2-3 hours to turn over and massage

Grill:

  • Prepare your BBQ (medium heat)
  • Place the lamb on the grill. Reserve the marinade in a dish to use during the cooking)
  • Grill 15 minutes, brushing with the marinade frequently
  • Turn the lamb over, brush again with the marinade and grill until an instant read thermometer* registers 130ºF at the thickest part of the meat – this is medium-rare (BTW – check the temp of the lamb often – nothing worse than overcooked lamb)
  • Grill for about 5 more minutes per side.

*NOTE – if you don’t own an instant read thermometer, buy one. You can get one for under $15 bucks and it is well worth it. Once you use one, you’ll never go back to one of those old-fashioned dial versions – they are not accurate at all.

Additional Notes:

  • Transfer the lamb to a cutting board, cover with foil and let rest 15 minutes (don’t omit or rush this step or the meat will be dried out)
  • With a very sharp knife, slice the lamb thinly across the grain (1/8” or less). Arrange on a serving platter and sprinkle the feta over the lamb
  • If you prefer thicker slices, do so! I find that if I have leftovers and want to reheat, a thicker slice won’t over cook/dry out
  • I recommend an accompaniment of rice and a grilled vegetable (zucchini, carrots, corn – actually any type of vegetable that won’t fall apart on the grill works too)
  • I also recommend  a side of sliced cucumbers with yogurt or sour cream with just some salt and pepper

“This is one of my favorite meals – I’ve grilled this lamb several times for large groups of friends. Most recently I prepared this BBQ Lamb while offsite on Bainbridge Island, WA. Not only is it a “show stopper”, but it’s easy to assemble, marinate, and then cook after a long day of shooting Classic Accessories covers. My way to grill!”

We hope you enjoy these recipes and put some to use during National Grilling Month!