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Pulled Pork – Protein Prep – Oven or Traeger {gluten-free, paleo, keto, Whole30}
Pulled pork is one of those meals that when someone else makes it and says how easy it is to make, but you still never make it. Well, here is your chance. Making a simple and delicious pork butt is almost a set it and forget it type of deal. We also don’t go crazy with the spices for our rub on this recipe. The reasoning behind that is so that you can repurpose the leftovers in a variety of ways without having overpowering seasonings.
Pulled Pork Pro Tips
Pork butt and pork shoulder are very similar, and you could use either cut or for this recipe. They are both in the neck area of the hog. Just a tip from my experience, getting 2 smaller pork butts, about 5 pounds each, is easier and faster to cook than 1 large 10 pound. If you can only find 1 large you can cut it in half before cooking or just leave it whole but remember to time figure out the approximate time of cooking you’re going to need based off the weight. It is typically 60-90 minutes per pound.
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Smoked Brisket – Protein Prep (Smoker or slow cooked oven option)
Brisket is one of those meats that I feel a lot of people are nervous about cooking. For one, its usually a big cut of meat and two, it can be a little pricey, so you don’t want to ruin it. Well, we are here to help! We have created a recipe for you that you can’t really mess up and it is 4 ingredients: brisket, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. The key to this recipe is that the smoke from the Traeger Grill (or whatever smoker you use) adds to the flavor of the meat. We are keeping this recipe simple because we also want to show you a few ways that you can repurpose and use brisket as a meal prep for the week.
We have two options for cooking on a smoker or in the oven. With summer temperatures starting to rise we are excited to be using our Traeger more and more. Don’t worry if you do not have a smoker, this recipe cooked in the oven is just as finger-licking good. You want to start by preheating your oven to 275 degrees or priming your smoker.
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Grilled Pineapple and California Avocado Salsa {Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Vegan}
This easy Grilled Pineapple and California Avocado Salsa recipe makes everything tastier! It’s made with fresh pineapple, California avocado, red onions, jalapeño, cilantro and lime juice.
While June feels like the official kick-off of grill season, it is also California avocado month, and I am already getting creative with what we are putting on the fire (though, let’s just be really honest, here in California it’s always grill season).
Grilling is my favorite. It has become a bit of a weekend activity around here. We pick a dinner (or brunch) project and we make a whole thing of it. Because, I think we can all agree that everything is better grilled.
Included in that – AVOCADOS. Have you ever grilled an avocado? It’s magical! Avocados are a fabulous, versatile fruit that lends itself to savory and sweet dishes of all kind, but did ya know they can be grilled, too! When grilled in their skins, avocados take on a really spectacular smoky flavor and their flesh becomes soft and warm. Beyond this salsa recipe you are about to become obsessed with, grilled avocados are amazing just as they are served up with some salt and pepper, fresh lime juice and a spoon. Grilled avocados are also delicious smashed up into an epic guacamole or just spread on toast for an avocado toast to end all others.
Mixed into a delicious salsa, the creamy, fatty flesh of the grilled avocado is such a welcomed contrast to the bright flavors from the lime and the pineapple and crunchy textures from the pepper and the red onion.
Combined with the pineapple it all comes together perfectly in a stand-out, impressive dish that is sure to wow.The pineapple beautifully caramelizes as it grills – it gets soft, sweet and it transforms into a smokey, caramelized version of itself.
Serve this Grilled Pineapple and California Avocado Salsa with chips as an appetizer or snack, on top of your favorite grilled protein (it would honestly be delicious with chicken, fish, pork or steak), over your favorite salad or to put the finishing touch on your favorite tacos!
It is a delectable balance of sweet, spicy and smoky.
Recipe Options:
- Make the pineapple salsa without the avocado and serve the salsa in the grilled 1/2 avocado “boats” for a fun presentation at your summer dinner party.
- Wanna take it up a notch, grill the onion and jalapeños, too
- Serve over grilled proteins like fish, chicken, pork chops or steak. Add to tacos, salads or any other dish that you want to bring a little flair to.
Grilled Pineapple and California Avocado Salsa
gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, paleo, keto, whole30Print Pin RateServings: 4 +Ingredients
- 1 small whole pineapple
- 2 medium ripe California Avocados
- 1-2 tbs olive oil
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro
- ½ lime, juiced
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, more or less to taste
- 1-2 tbs finely minced jalapeño, optional (can also use bell pepper or other peppers)
- black pepper, to taste
- Heat your grill, or grill pan to medium-high. Allow to pre-heat for long enough so the grates get super hot. Slice the pineapple into rounds or sliced vertically. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit.
- Brush both sides of the pineapple slices with olive oil. Brush the flesh side of the avocados with olive oil. Grill the pineapple until caramelized on both sides, about 5-7 minutes per side. Grill the avocado on the flesh side for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove both from grill, let cool slightly. Remove the core on the pineapple slices and dice the the pineapple into 2 cups of bite-sized chunks. Save any extra grilled pineapple rings for a tasty dessert, to serve over yogurt, etc. Dice the avocado into tiny cubes.
- In a large bowl, toss together 2 cups of the diced pineapple and avocado with the jalapeño, onion, cilantro, lime juice and sea salt.
- Serve with chips, over your favorite grilled fish, chicken or pork, use on tacos or atop a salad
- This post is sponsored by the California Avocado Commission but all opinions are my own.
Instructions
- Heat your grill (or grill pan) to medium-high. Allow to pre-heat for long enough so the grates get super hot. Slice the pineapple into rounds or sliced vertically. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit.
- Brush both sides of the pineapple slices with olive oil. Brush the flesh side of the avocados with olive oil. Grill the pineapple until caramelized on both sides, about 5-7 minutes per side. Grill the avocado on the flesh side for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove both from grill, let cool slightly. Remove the core on the pineapple slices and dice the the pineapple into 2 cups of bite-sized chunks. Save any extra grilled pineapple rings for a tasty dessert, to serve over yogurt, etc. Dice the avocado into tiny cubes.
- In a large bowl, toss together 2 cups of the diced pineapple and avocado with the jalapeño, onion, cilantro, lime juice and sea salt.
- Serve with chips, over your favorite grilled fish, chicken or pork, use on tacos or atop a salad
- This post is sponsored by the California Avocado Commission but all opinions are my own.
This post is sponsored by the California Avocado Commission but all opinions are my own.
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Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Chicken Wings {gluten-free}
This post is sponsored by the National Peanut Board. I received compensation, but all opinions and content are my own.
These delicious, grilled chicken wings take the classic flavors of peanut butter and jelly and elevate it to another level. This recipe is the perfect way to make your summer BBQ a legend.
Peanut butter and jelly is a classic combination that I think we can all agree reminds us of childhood. From picnic lunches to after school snacks – it was a staple for so many of us. Budget-friendly eats at their finest, there is something so comforting about peanut butter.
Why leave that PB&J deliciousness in our past? I am bringing you a fun, new, delicious summertime recipe that brings this classic, tasty goodness into adulthood. These Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Wings are the perfect summer food. They will wow the pants off of your BBQ guests, and they are so simple to make.
I would LOVE to take credit for these wings, but the original idea comes from my cousin Dave, back home in Buffalo, NY. He is always coming up with unique flavor ideas for his pizzeria, from unique pizzas to fun and funky chicken wings. How very Buffalo of him, I know. His rendition is quite different than mine, without the grilling and only getting sauced after they’ve been deep fried, they are sticky and saucy and far more sweet than mine. For my chicken wing preferences, I want a little char on my wings, and I want less saucy, more savory and definitely more crispy.
Using our famous indirect method for grilled chicken wings, these wings get grilled till they are golden brown and crispy, they take a bath in sauce made from the creamy peanut butter and the sweet grape jelly, with a little garlic in there to keep in on the savory side and back onto the grill they go! This is KEY for getting a little crispy and some crunch and for making these wings the stars that they are!
You can use your favorite peanut butter in this recipe. I opt for creamy, but crunchy would absolutely work here, too! I personally find the flavor of a classic, high quality concord grape jelly to work best here. I offer a range of 1/3 – 1/2 cup, because everyone is different with their preferred levels of sweet. Use your best judgement, taste and adjust as you go. You can use homemade sugar-free or lightly honey-sweetened jelly, if you prefer.
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Lettuce Wrapped Chicken Souvlaki {Paleo, Keto, Whole30}
Blog Post from May 2017: After 4 weeks of loads of travel, I am back home and getting back into real life. Interestingly, I have never been more organized with my content when traveling, especially before 4 weeks of on and of travel. I had plenty of content to share posts just as regularly while I was gone. From this time last month, until right now, I have been in Mexico, Portland Oregon and finally, Buffalo, New York. I’ve been down the road and back again, to say the very least.
This final leg of travel, which I just returned from last night, began as an innocent surprise trip home to see my family. I somewhat randomly selected this week, though it was my Mother’s birthday and my nephew’s first birthday, but it was just all a good excuse to come home and surprise everyone.
Sadly as the trip crept closer, I received word that my Grandfather had fallen ill and it wasn’t looking great this time. His body was failing him and it was his time. He was in Hospice. I kept checking in with my mother, from my trip to Portland, asking how he was and managing the wonder of what would happen if he passed if I was in Portland, mere days before my scheduled surprise trip. Could I book a rush trip back to New York from Portland? I would also have to spoil the surprise that I had worked so hard on and it would be a challenge cancelling a non refundable trip, just to come a couple days sooner.
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Chicken Kofta Skewers {Paleo, Gluten-free}
Loaded with Middle Eastern flavors these Chicken Kofta Skewers are simple to make and they are packed with taste from an array of fresh herbs and spices. These can be made as kababs or meatballs and served alongside your favorite salad or made into a wrap, with pita or lettuce.
While we are deep into September and days away from the official start of Autumn, in Southern California and really, much of the country right now, the memo hasn’t been received and summer weather is still upon us. Besides, there’s no reason that grilling should be relegated to just summer.
Regardless of the time of year, these delicious, Mediterranean-inspired kofta skewers as they are as if a kabab and a meatball made a baby and it makes for a surprisingly easy, but tasty, weeknight meal. Whether you fire up the grill, cook them up in a grill pan on the stove or roll them into meatballs and cook them up that way, you can’t go wrong. The beautiful blend of herbs and spices provides a wonderful array of flavors. In my mind, they are a cousin to gyro, one of my most favorite Greek dishes and they make for a really easy, yet still exotic option for even a weeknight meal.
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Grilled Watermelon Salad with Arugula, Feta and Charred Limes
Fruit and I have certainly had our ups and downs over the years. I like to describe our tumultuous connection using the Facebook relationship status of “it’s complicated”. In the past couple of years as I have worked very, very hard to get my gut issues under control, despite the usual suspects, I have come to find that many fruits, especially those highest in fructose to be one of THE biggest triggers in my chronic bloating, gas and general gastric upset.
This isn’t exclusive to me and it’s actually quite common with folks that struggle with bacterial imbalances in their gut, SIBO, leaky gut, etc. Fruits high in fructose can cause fermentation in the gut, which can lead to some not-so-pleasant after effects.
It took me some time to discover that fruit was one of the biggest culprits and more, it was hard for me to understand how a nutritious, healthful whole food, like fruit could be create such gnarly side effects. Seemed wrong. It was in experimenting with a low FODMAP protocol that I found some of the greatest relief and while there are still some fruits today, that I have to be careful with and mindful of how much I consume, it has changed so significantly over the last few years as I have worked hard to heal my gut and get my gut bacteria in better balance.
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Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings – Three Ways
These Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings are a summertime entertaining staple at our house. A recipe developed and perfected by my husband Mark, I am so excited to now share it with all of you.
I have to say, in the over 7 years that Tasty Yummies has existed, I cannot believe we’ve never had my husband Mark as a guest contributor here. While I do most of the cooking around here, the grilling duties land nearly exclusively on his shoulders and this man has truly mastered his craft.
These are a low and slow method, so they aren’t a quick throw them on the grill recipe, but this actually makes for a great recipe when entertaining. Our grill is front and center on our large deck, we all gather round with drinks and snacks while Mark tends to his duties. He likes having a job and I love relinquishing some of the cooking control. Don’t rush these, the crispiness and lack of dryness is all thanks to the indirect method Mark developed.
What Beth Says: Mark takes his grilling very seriously and he is always tweaking and adjusting his methods, creating new ways to use old tricks. This grilled chicken wing recipe of his is by far the most popular. Based on the concept of his long-perfected beer can chicken these wings are now legendary and the reputation of these wings might just precede Mark, at this point.
I love this particular recipe for so many reasons. 1) it’s created by the human I love most in this world. DUH! 2) this recipe has afforded me a little more opportunity to actually enjoy dinner guests, especially in the summer months. With most of the cooking generally being my responsibility, with good reason, I usually host dinner and feel like I spend more time preparing and cooking, than I do being able to visit. Now I can craft a few sides, a salad and a dessert and leave the main up to my man! 3) being from Buffalo, I feel like it’s in my DNA to love chicken wings. However I am usually underwhelmed and left feeling crazy gross with almost all restaurant chicken wings, so I just never eat them. I can assume that likely the feeling of hot gut death is because they are submerged in hot, rancid, oxidized garbage vegetable oil. With these grilled wings cooking low and slow, they are crispy, without being dried out and there is not of those horrible, ‘what did I just do?’ feelings in your tummy. 4) We get invited to a lot more BBQs, with the request that we show up and make these. Fair enough!
Thanks for the photo Gustavo Jaimes
What Mark Says: Marky love wingy. They say everything in art is inspired by something else, well at least that’s what I hope they say – because I say it all of the time. The idea for my backyard Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings came from two other works of art. Years ago before Tasty Yummies was the powerhouse it is today, we experimented with the infamous Beer Can Chicken and the Butterflied Chicken (link below), these types of meals gave me a chance to give back to the woman that feeds me everyday and, if we’re being totally honest, looks after my nutrition like hawks fly around roadkill. The grill became my thing, I got good at it and for a food dummy, Tasty Yummies was proud of me.
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Grilled Potato and Arugula Salad with Fresh Herbs
This Grilled Potato and Arugula Salad with Fresh Herbs is a summertime backyard BBQ staple around here. A must when we are entertaining. Put all other potato salads to shame with multiple layers of flavor and texture.
[This is an updated post from 2011.]
For well over 6 years now this potato salad has been a staple of our summertime cookouts. Whenever we have people over, whether we are cooking up the most elaborate or the most simple of meals – this side dish stunner is my go-to.
Cooking up the potatoes first allows them to soften up a bit, so when they hit the grilled glistening with the Terra Delyssa olive oil, they get a golden brown char to the outside of them, while still holding their shape.
Try substituting baby spinach, kale or other lettuces or greens for the arugula and even play with different vinaigrette moves, try adding in a whole grain mustard, a little lemon zest, maybe add some red pepper flakes.
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Greek Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki {gluten-free, paleo-friendly}
I am back in New York right now, visiting my family for the week. I’ve been home but a couple of days and it’s been jam-packed with family, friends, fun and of course – eating. We have yet to fill our faces with a Greek feast, but I know it’s coming, that’s always on my MUST-HAVE list when I am home.
In moving to California over three years ago, I have found myself learning how to recreate some of my most favorite Greek dishes that I grew up eating, as well as many that I didn’t. To me, Greek food is the flavor of family and comfort and it’s the taste of home. Good homemade Greek food is always what I crave when I am feeling homesick and missing my family. Lamb is certainly a Greek favorite and while we traditionally enjoy leg of lamb roasted or grilled, I have really come to love ground lamb, as meatballs, in homemade gyro meat, in moussaka or especially these tasty burgers.
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Our 15 Favorite Summertime Salads
I know we are creeping closer to summer’s end, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We still have several weeks left of summertime abundance and then, of course, the magical swing season where summer and autumn meet for a brief time and the produce is extra special. For now, I plan to continue to celebrate and indulge in all that the summer’s markets and local farms and gardens have to offer.
Our 15 Favorite Summertime Salads:
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Grilled Romaine Salad with Blueberries, Avocado and Creamy Lemon Tarragon Vinaigrette
As I sit to write the posts for this website, 2-3 times a week, often I find myself lacking the words. I am no writer, have never claimed to be. I am sure my sentence structuring is atrocious, I am certain my posts are littered with typos and poor punctuation skills. I generally didn’t start this website to share my personal thoughts on life or my beliefs, as often as they do trickle into the pages by default. I mostly have always had a strong desire to help make a difference for those, like me, that struggle with their health, are challenged by navigating the ever-evolving landscape of eating and food and what it truly means to be well.
As our worlds are all constantly changing and shifting, as life seems to get busier than ever for us all, I find myself more called to want to simply live my life without a filter, to share my experiences in all their realness and hopefully, simultaneously, inspire you to be excited about getting into the kitchen and tapping into your own creativity. I want you to approach food and your health without fear. I want you all to feel empowered to be your own advocates and to never settle for anything other that feeling amazing, every day. My hope is also that through sharing my recipes, how-to’s and other tips here on the website and on social media, that everyone knows eating well doesn’t always have to be about the crazy flavor combos and complicated ingredients that you can only buy online or at a specialty food store. I think we all have to admit that even though weeknight meals deserve a little flair sometimes, a totally boring, basic
bitchmeal of veggies and some baked fish, that isn’t exactly instagram-able – that’s totally OK, too. -
Grilled Scallop and Veggie Skewers with Green Tahini
I am not sure about all of you, but our grill becomes the center of many meals this time of year. Without any AC at all and many hot summer days of working from home, tossing a light and healthy meal on the grill at the end of a sweaty work day sounds like the perfect idea. But, also a perfect idea? Dinners that can be thrown together start to finish in under 30 minutes.
These Grilled Scallop and Veggie Skewers with Green Tahini are what summer weeknight meal dreams are made of. I love serving these alongside an herby cauli-rice. They’d also be great with regular rice, other grains of your choosing or atop a big green salad.
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How-to Make Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Yesterday’s summer solstice marked the official start of summer, which means we also kicked off the season of grilling and barbecue. A good traditional barbecue sauce is key to a season of delicious backyard feasts. However, if you are like me, when you turn over most jars and bottles from the store, to investigate the ingredients, you are sorely disappointed. Most contain loads of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, various preservatives, thickeners, artificial flavors, colors and who know’s what else. Let’s be honest, they are also not all that good. We can do better!
Making your own sauce is incredible simple, you don’t need any special ingredients and with this simple tutorial and formula, I also give you the options to customize your sauce and make it just how you like it.
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Grilled Marinated Artichokes
Whole artichokes are admittedly something I discovered late in life, I don’t think I had my first fresh whole artichoke until last year sometime. It actually makes me sad every time I think of it, all the missed years of goodness. I had canned or jarred artichokes hearts on salads or in dips, but whole artichokes aren’t a super common vegetable in Western New York and I always prefer to eat as local as possible. After living here in Southern California a few months and trying fresh whole artichokes several different ways, I quickly learned my favorite way to enjoy them is grilled.
Preparing artichokes for the first time is very daunting. I actually attempted to make them a couple of years ago and didn’t look up any instructions and I had NO clue what I was doing. I didn’t know which parts were edible and which parts were not. However, once you figure out how to prepare an artichoke, and do it yourself a time or two, it really is a breeze. Read the rest of this entry »
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Photo Fun Day Friday
I skipped my photo post last week inadvertently, the weeks just fly by way too fast for me. Here are the last two weeks of fun. Hey by the way, how the heck is it June already?
We have had a handful of events we did for work the past few weeks and we’ve been squeezing in fun where we can. My parents get here a week from today, so we are working like crazy to be able to take off as much time as we can while they are here. I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THEM!
We have two events this weekend where we will be vending at, Silverlake Art Craft & Vintage and the Rose Bowl Flea, if you happen to find yourself at either one, come on by and say Hi!
A super yummy post-run green smoothie. Check out the recipe on my Instagram.
Our booth setup for Patchwork Fair in Santa Ana two weekends ago.
A backyard BBQ wouldn’t be complete with a fun teepee!
We played some board games at our little Memorial Day BBQ. This was a fun one. What’s your favorite board game?
I love the amazing sun our deck gets for the first half of the day. I love practicing out there.
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Grilled Portobello Mushroom Tacos with Mango Black Bean Salsa – Gluten-free + Vegan
Tuesdays have slowly, inadvertently turned into Taco Tuesdays here at our house. Totally unplanned every week I have been making some type of fun vegan, grilled tacos! This portobello mushroom taco has become a new favorite in our house. Even though we both eat meat (though very rarely), it is always a super welcomed challenge to come up with fun vegan versions of classic meat dishes. In my opinion, portobello mushrooms are better than any creepy overly processed meat alternative on the market. By grilling the portobellos slowly over a smoky charcoal grill, they end up so loaded with flavor, even the most hardcore meat eater couldn’t turn it down.
I keep these fairly simple and they are always a little bit different each time I make them. I have served them with this tangy, sweet and spicy mango black bean salsa, but I have also just used the traditional pico de gallo or salsa verde. I have topped them with baby spinach and tatsoi instead of arugula, and sometimes I add avocado or a drizzle of sriracha, it just depends on what I have on hand and what I feel like. Play with this recipe, add and take away as you’d like, that is one of my favorite things about tacos, they are so versatile and really hard to screw up. This is just a nice, simple recipe to use as a guide.
In keeping with the Taco Tuesday thing we have going on around here, tonight we are having Crock Pot Korean Beef Short Rib Tacos. We have a few servings of short ribs from the 1/4 share of a pasture-raised cow we purchased from our local farmer and I honestly have no clue what to do with them. Now that it is so hot, I have no interest in slow braising them in the oven and turning the house into a sauna, so I thought slow-cooking the short ribs in the crock pot all day will make for a very simple and incredibly delicious dinner (here’s hoping). I plan to make a tangy cabbage and cucumber slaw to serve on top of the tacos and possibly a dairy-free creamy spicy sauce. I have never made anything like this before, so it is an experiment. If it works out, I will definitely make it again to share the recipe. So cross your fingers for me!
Oh and in other news, we finally got the house on the market yesterday morning. I couldn’t be happier to start this process and to begin our journey into the next chapter of our life. Who knows how long it will take before we get to make the move to California, there is so much out of our control and we are OK with it, but it feels good to have accomplished this first major feat towards our new adventure. Hold some positive house-selling thoughts and vibes for us, if you will, we would love if we could move past this part and start this journey, as soon as possible. We are so excited!
[print_this]Grilled Portobello Mushroom Tacos with Mango Black Bean Salsa – Gluten-free + Vegan
serves 2-4Mango Black Bean Salsa
- 1 mango, diced
- 1-2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeño, finely diced
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chipped
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl, stir/toss well to combine. Set aside while you make your tacos. Taste again just before serving to see if it needs any additional seasoning.
Grilled Portobello Mushroom Tacos
makes 6-8 tacos- 4 portobello mushrooms
- 1-2 tablespoons hot pepper spread or a teaspoon or two of red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
- juice from 1/2 lime
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 6-8 corn tortillas (store-bought or you can make your own)
- 3 cups arugula, roughly chopped or torn (or baby spinach or tatsoi, etc)
- 3 or 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- fresh lime wedges
Additional topping options:
- avocado
- queso fresco or vegan cheese
- sour cream or vegan sour cream
- tomatoes
- black olives
- radishes
- pickled red onion
Place the portobello mushrooms stem side up on a plate, drizzle olive oil over both sides of the mushrooms use a brush to evenly disperse, divide the hot pepper spread (or red pepper flakes) and garlic evenly over all 4 mushrooms and salt and pepper, to taste. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lime over them all. Set the mushrooms aside to marinate a bit while you preheat your grill. We have a charcoal grill that we burn all natural wood charcoal in. We allow it to heat up for approximately 15 minutes before we start grilling. Once your grill is a medium-high heat, add the mushrooms, stem side facing up and close the lid. Allow the mushrooms to cook for 15-20 minutes or until they are tender and getting some nice browned/blackened grill marks. It may take less time if you have them on a direct flame on a gas grill. Just keep your eye on them, we check ours every 5 or so minutes.
Once the mushrooms are cooked, place them on a plate and allow them to cool enough to cut them into strips or cut into small cubes, whichever you prefer. While the grill is still hot, add your corn tortillas, heat for approximately 30 seconds to 1 minutes per side, until the edges are slightly browned, being careful not to burn them or dry them out.
When you are ready to serve the tacos, top each corn tortilla with grilled portobello mushroom pieces, a small handful of arugula (or green of your choice), fresh cilantro, green onions, the mango black bean salsa and a squeeze or two of fresh lime juice. If you are looking for even more heat, squeeze a little sriracha on top. Our salsa was perfectly spicy, so we didn’t need it.
Have fun with these tacos, add any other toppings that you prefer. [/print_this]
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Southwest Rice Salad
I came across this recipe a week or so ago while browsing on the Epicurious iPhone app (which I am obsessed with) and couldn’t wait to try out my version of it. I changed a few things around like using brown rice instead of white and I added some things that weren’t in the original recipe (the beans, banana pepper, green zucchini, etc). Also, considering the corn that we got at the farmers market this week was still very small and a bit early in the season, we didn’t have a lot of it in the dish. Later in the season, that part of the dish will be even better, so we will for sure have to make this again when the corn is tastier. I was very excited though, that we did get to include the first banana pepper of the season from our garden to add a little heat on top of the poblano that was already in there. I made a bit larger of a serving that what the recipe called for, so we could eat it for lunches throughout the week. For a side dish at one meal, you could probably get away with just making 1 cup of rice.
We decided to cook up the corn and other veggies on the grill, which we were already heating up, so we could get some of that lovely smokey grill taste in the dish. You could easily cook the veggies in a non-stick skillet over a medium heat on the stove top if that is easier. This dish was light and refreshing and was the perfect side to the pork steaks from Sojourner Farms that we were cooking up. It had a very subtle spicy kick from the peppers and a great bright flavor from the lime.
Southwest Rice Salad
serves at least 8 as a side dish, less if you are serving it as your main entree
adapted from Bon Appétit2 cups long-grain organic brown rice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 2 or ears) or frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 large fresh poblano pepper, diced
1 seeded spicy banana pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, cubed
1 medium yellow squash, cubed
1 avocado, halved, peeled, diced
1 cup of canned organic black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt
freshly ground black pepperCook rice until just tender, follow directions on the package. Ours cooked for 50 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again. Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, garlic and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
Start your grill and get it to a medium-high temperature. Wrap the ears of corn in foil and place them on the grill. Toss the peppers, squash and zucchini with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add to a grill pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the grill pan on the medium-high grill. Cook the corn until it is done, approximately 10-15 minutes, cut off the cob once done and slightly cooled. Sauté the vegetables until they are just tender and starting to brown up a little, 15-20 minutes; scrape into a large serving bowl. Add rice, beans, green onions, cilantro, and dressing; toss to coat, top with avocado. Season with salt and pepper.
