Marinated Cheese

Grilled Coconut-Lime Shrimp Skewers

1-12 oz. can Coca-Cola                                                                              1/3-cup coconut milk

3 cloves garlic, mince or pressed                                                             Juice of 2 limes

1 tsp. minced ginger                                                                                  2 TBSP dark brown sugar

¼ cup soy sauce                                                                                         1-½ lbs. shrimp

½ tsp. Sriracha sauce                                                                                 1 TBSP ketchup

Combine all ingredients, except shrimp, in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.  Place the meat in a large Ziploc bag and pour the cooled marinade over it.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours.  When ready to cook, thread the meat onto skewers and grill 2 minutes per side or until desired doneness is reached. 

Barbequed Turkey Pita Wraps with Grilled Veggies

Marinade-

1 cup Sprite                                                                                 1 TBSP horseradish

½ cup oil                                                                                       1 TBSP garlic powder

½ cup soy sauce

Mix ingredients together to make marinade.  Use fresh turkey breasts and cut meat into strips, and marinade for 12-24 hours.  Grill on barbeque and enjoy!

Grilled Veggies-

Zucchini, sliced                                                                         Yellow or red onion

Red, Yellow, Green Peppers                                             Kosher Salt and Black Pepper

Sauté sliced veggies in a fry pan until desired doneness.                                   

Sauce –Tzatziki

1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt                                                             1 tsp. dried dill weed

1 clove garlic, minced                                                                             ½ medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced

1-2 tsp. lemon juice                                                                                 Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 green onions, white ends finely chopped

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Store covered in refrigerator up to 3 days.

Spread the sauce on the pita bread and assemble the veggies and turkey breast.  Fold pita in half and wrap pita sandwich in parchment paper.  

Orange Thai Beef Skewers

• 1 Orange
• ¼ Cup Soy Sauce
• ¼ Cup Seasoned Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 T. Honey
• 1 T. Sesame Seed Oil
• 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
• 1 tsp. Coriander
• 4 Cloves Garlic
• 2-4 tsp. Sriracha Chili Sauce
• 1 ½ Pound Flank Steak

Bamboo Skewers soaked in water for at least 30 minutes 

Zest the entire orange into a bowl.  Cut the orange in half and juice the orange; add the orange juice to the zest.

Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, ginger, coriander, and garlic into the orange juice and zest.  Add Sriracha to taste.  

Slice the steak against the grain into ¼ inch slices.  Place the steak slices into a zip-top bag and pour the marinade over the steak.  Refrigerate for 4-8 hours.

Preheat grill.  Thread the pieces of steak onto skewers. Grill over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes and serve immediately because these cool quickly.

Thai Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Thai Sauce

8-12 skinless chicken thighs, cut into thin strips 

1 package wooden skewers

SATAY MARINADE:

1/4 cup minced lemongrass , fresh or frozen

2 shallots OR 1 small onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic

1-2 fresh red chilies, sliced, OR 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste

1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced

1 tsp. minced fresh turmeric OR 1/2 tsp. dried turmeric

2 Tbsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. cumin

3 Tbsp. dark soy sauce (available at Asian food stores)

4 Tbsp. fish sauce

5-6 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water while you prepare the meat (to prevent burning). The kitchen sink works well for this.

         Cut chicken into thin strips and place in a bowl.

         Place all marinade ingredients in a food processor or chopper. Process well.

         Taste-test the marinade - you will taste sweet, spicy, and salty. The strongest tastes should be SWEET and SALTY in order for the finished satay to taste its best. Add more sugar or more fish sauce (in place of salt) to adjust the taste. You can also add more chili if you want it spicier.

         Pour the marinade over the meat and stir well to combine. Allow at least 1 hour for marinating, or longer (up to 24 hours).

         When ready to cook, thread meat onto the skewers. Tip: Fill up to 3/4 of the skewer, leaving the lower half empty so that the person grilling has a "handle" to easily turn the satay during cooking.

         Grill the satay on your BBQ, OR on an indoor grill, basting the first time you time it with a little of the leftover marinade from the bottom of the bowl. OR you can broil in the oven on a broiling pan or baking sheet with the oven set to "broil" Place satay close beneath the heating element and turn the meat every 5 minutes until cooked (be sure to soak your wooden satay sticks in water before skewering). Depending on how thin your meat is, the satay should cook in 10 to 20 minutes.

  

Peanut Thai Sauce

1 cup fresh-tasting dry roasted peanuts, unsalted

1/3 cup water

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. tamarind paste OR 1/2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, OR 1 tsp. Thai chili sauce (more or less to taste)

1/3 cup coconut milk

Instructions:

                     Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until sauce is smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more water or coconut milk.

                    Do a taste test, adding more soy if not salty enough,                      

          or more cayenne if not spicy enough. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh 

          lime juice. If you'd prefer it sweeter, add a little more sugar.

                    Serve warm or at room temperature.  It also makes a great dip with fresh veggies, fresh rolls, or other Asian finger foods. Or combine with noodles to create a Thai-style noodle dish or cold noodle salad. Enjoy!

Note: This sauce tends to thicken as it sits - just add a little water or coconut milk to thin it out, as needed. Otherwise it stores well if kept covered in the refrigerator (keep up to 2 weeks; freeze thereafter).

Grilled Herb Shrimp

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, small-diced
• ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
• ¼ cup minced fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 pounds jumbo shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), peeled, tails on, devined

Combine the garlic, onion, parsley, basil, mustards, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and allow them to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals, and brush the grilling rack with oil to prevent the shrimp from sticking. Skewer the shrimp. Use 5 or 6 shrimp on a 12” skewer for a dinner serving. Grill the shrimp for 1 ½ minutes on each side. Serve with the Mango Salsa (below). Serves 6 people.