I found this chili rub recipe on a little index card at the grocery store, which I think is quite a good idea. They’ve started putting out these cards at stores such as Wal-Mart and Target, and most of the time they actually turn out pretty well, at least this one was pretty tasty.Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 15-25 minutes Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2-2 pounds salmon fillet
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp salt

Steps

1. Drizzle oil over salmon. Stir together chili powder, brown sugar, cumin, and salt. Rub into the fillet.
2. Coat grill (either outdoor or George Foreman) with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place fish on grill. For outdoor grill, cook for 7 to 10 minutes on each side. For the George Foreman grill (or indoor grill), cook for approximately 7 to 10 minutes total. You can also bake the fillet in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes depending on the thickness. Meat is done when it flakes by a fork.
4. Cut into fur steaks and serve with a healthy side, such as asparagus or a side salad.

As summer is coming to a close, my husband and I are getting in as much grilling as possible. Pork chops are one of my favourite types of pork (aside from bacon of course!). Enjoy :)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Marinade Time: 1-24 hours
Grill Time: 12-16 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloin chops, bone in
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• Dash of chili powder or cayenne pepper
• Pinch of rosemary
• Pinch of oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Steps

1. Mix ingredients in plastic bag and add pork chops. Make sure each side is throughly coated. Turn over halfway through marinading time (at least an hour, but the longer the better).
2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill chops for 6-8 minutes per side, or done until desired doneness. The inside temperature should between 150-160 degrees.

Prep: 1 hour and 15 minutes (including brine time)
Grill: appox. 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours
Feeds: approx. 4 people per loin

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins, trimmed of silver skin
• 1/3 cup of salt
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup Tex-Mex rub (recipe below)

Tex-Mex seasoning

• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons Chile powder
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon chipotle powder (or cayenne pepper)

Note! This recipe contains no salt since it is assumed you’ll brine the pork in salt.

Steps

1. Dissolve sugar and salt into one and half quarts of cold water to make brine, add tenderloins and let soak for about an hour.
2. Preheat one side of grill. If desired, add some apple or maple wood chips to the fire for smoke flavouring. If grilling on a gas grill, place wood chips inside tin foil pouch, poke a few holes, and stash under the grate. After removing pork from brine, pat down dry and apply rub.
3. Place tenderloins over direct high heat and grill about two minutes per side.
4. Afterwards, move to indirect heat and cover with grill lid. Grill until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.
5. When finished, the pork will be light pink in the center. Take off grill and allow meat to rest five to ten minutes before slicing and serving.

Prep: 10 minutesGrill: 12-15 minutesMakes: 4 burgers

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Mozzarella cheese slices
• 2 cups torn romaine lettuce
• 6 tablespoons Caesar dressing
• 4 hamburger buns

Steps

1. Mix Parmesan cheese and garlic cloves with hamburger meat.
2. Form into four patties and place on grill.
3. Grill for 6-7 minutes on each side.
4. Add Mozzarella slices near end to melt on burger.
5. I like to toast our buns on the top grill rack for a couple of minutes.
6. Once the burgers are cooked to your liking, add lettuce and Caesar dressing to the buns.

With the warm summer months starting, grilling season is upon us. My husband’s birthday is also coming up at the end of June and as a birthday gift I signed us up for KT’s BBQ grilling school. If you live in the Denver-metro area, I highly recommend checking out KT’s, they have some of the best Rocky Mountain BBQ around.

For the BBQing class, they are going to cover rubs, marinades, brines and sauces, along with different tools and equipment. We will be grilling our own meat (chicken, ribs, brisket, and pork shoulder) and the best part, we get to eat it too! And of course we’ll get a BBQing manual complete with delicious recipes.

You’ll be the envy of your neighbors, your spouse will adore you, and even your children will be better behaved because of your mastery of the fire in the pit.

I was eating alone and figured I’d eat some leftovers. I scanned the fridge to find some leftover pizza, a hamburger, and a half empty jar of Alfredo sauce. I was thinking I could use the Alfredo sauce for something, but since I was eating alone I didn’t want to make such a big hoopla.

Oh well, I pulled out the sauce, grabbed a thawed piece of chicken, and made some Cajun spices. My end product was Cajun blackened chicken Alfredo fettuccine with asparagus, whew. Okay, this dish was so delicious, it was definitely worth the hoopla!

In the end, I decided that even though I was only cooking for one, food should always taste great (or at least, when it’s in your power to make it so), regardless of who you’re serving. Just because I wasn’t making dinner for others doesn’t mean I can’t treat myself to a little delish dish of my own.

Prep: >5 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. paprika
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp. white pepper
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• 1 tbsp. ground oregano
• 1 tbsp. ground thyme
• 1 tbsp. table salt

Steps

1. Cajun rub is so versatile and tastes great on many different kinds of meat (salmon, steak, chicken, shrimp, etc.).
2. Just rub the meat with a little oil or butter and sprinkle the Cajun spice according to how spicy you want it.
3. Put it on the grill, in a skillet, or in the stove, and voila, yummy deliciousness!

I always purchase my beef from Wild Oats Natural Marketplace. They have all-natural meat without antibiotics, artificial hormones or growth-promoting drugs. I highly recommend purchasing organic meat from such stores or your local butcher. It’s much better quality meat and it definitely tastes better.

Personally, I am a garlic lover! I must have got it from my dad, heh. But that’s a good thing! Garlic tastes great and it is quite good for you too! It gives a nice sweet punch to the steaks. I’m also a pepper lover too, so this recipe has a little extra added to it.

Prep: 15 minutes
Outdoor Grill: 25-30 minutes
Indoor Grill: 8-10 minutes
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 whole garlic bulbs
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons peppercorns, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 (8 oz.) top sirloin steaks, 1 inch thick

Steps

1. Put spices on steaks and message into the meat with your fingers.
2. Make a slit in each steak. Cut garlic bulbs in half and insert into slit in steak.
3. Since it is the middle of winter, I used my George Forman grill for these steaks. It took about 8 minutes to reach medium. I like my steak a little more cooked, so I left them on for a couple of extra minutes. On a grill it would take around 18 to 22 minutes to reach medium.