grilling » Living Lou

Chicken Satays

Is anyone tired of burgers yet? Maybe you need a break from grilled sausages or steak? Or maybe you just want something that can be grilled in less than 10 minutes so you can get back to watching The Olympics? Yep, Busted. Well don’t worry, I’ve got you covered, these Chicken Satays are perfect.

Please tell me that I’m not the only one who is completely obsessed with the Olympics? The amount of TV I’ve watched this week is shameful. It’s probably more than I watched all of last year combined. With the Olympics being on literally all day, not much has been going on in the kitchen other than quick meals like these Grilled Shrimp Skewers and Seared Scallops with Spinach. But that’s kind of a good thing because everyone is always on the lookout for fast and easy recipes, and today I’m sharing one of my favourites. It’s been a while since I posted a chicken recipe, but I find that everyone is always on the hunt for new ways to use chicken. Change up your grilling routine with these Chicken Satays – you won’t be disappointed.

Chicken Satays
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 lbs chicken strips

For the Marinade:
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp coriander
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp brown sugar

For dipping sauce:
Remaining marinade
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp peanut butter

Directions

In a large bowl whisk the ingredients for the marinade.

Add chicken strips to bowl and toss to coat.

Refrigerate and marinate for at least one hour to overnight.

Once done marinating, skewer the chicken, one piece per skewer.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine the water and remaining marinade. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken slightly. Turn off heat and stir in peanut butter.

I hope you enjoy changing up the grilling routine, let me know if you love them as much as I do!

- Lou

Cocoa and Chili Rubbed Pork

The combination of cocoa and chili has always intrigued me, at first it seemed like such a random combination that I couldn’t imagine that flavor it produced. The first time I heard of this combination was during an episode of Iron Chef America in which Bobby Flay uses the combination of cocoa and chili, then when I was in Mexico earlier this year, I took the plunge and tried a mole sauce (pronounced moh-lay) which is a sauce often used in Mexican cuisine. This sauce can be a mixture of chiles, tomatoes, spices such as cumin, cinnamon and lastly, chocolate. I stumbled upon this recipe for Cocoa and Chili Rubbed Pork the other day and I knew it was something I had to make right away. Unfortunately, the pork chops that had been in my fridge went bad, so I had to wait a few days later until we got some new pork chops. Woops, bad planning. But, I’ll tell you, these cocoa and chili rubbed pork chops were by far worth the wait.

I’m not usually a fan of pork chops, but these were so easy to prepare and they cooked on the grill quickly, and were so juicy and tasty that I don’t think I’ll ever eat pork chops another way again.

Cocoa and Chili Rubbed Pork (makes 6 pork loin chops)
Recipe adapted from: Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients

6 small, boneless pork loin chops
1 quart of water
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper

For rub:
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp ground coffee

Directions

To prepare the pork, brine chops in 1 quart of water, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper for an hour in the fridge.

In a small bowl, combine chili powders, brown sugar, cocoa powder and coffee.

Remove chops from brine, and sprinkle half the spice blend on one side of all the chops, lightly patting it in before flipped over and sprinkling the remaining half of the spice blend on the chops and lightly patting it in.

Heat grill to medium and cook chops for 4 minutes on one side with the top down, before flipping and cooking an additional 5 minutes or until meat reaches 160 degrees.

Note: Cooking time may vary due to thickness of pork chops, my chops were not very thick so adjust cooking time as necessary.

These pork chops were spicy and one of my favourite meals thus far this summer. Get grilling tonight and make some of these pork chops, they pair perfectly with my Nana’s Coleslaw.

- Lou

Barbecued Salmon

I really love barbecue sauce, spicy, mild, smoky – so many different combinations, and in my eyes, all equally as good. I decided to combine two of my favourites recently, salmon and barbecue sauce, resulting in one of my favourite meals of the summer – barbecued salmon. Recently, I showed everyone how I like to make my own worcestershire sauce, well like most barbecue sauces this one calls for worcestershire sauce and my homemade version is the perfect balance of tangy and sweet for this salmon.

If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy salmon and do not want to turn on your oven during this heatwave (hello 40 C/104 F weather!), I recommend you fire up the grill and get grilling some salmon.

Salmon Barbecue Sauce (makes 1 1/2 cups)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 lbs salmon fillet, skin on
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring all ingredients except the salmon to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from stove and allow to cool.

Cover salmon with 1/4 cup of the sauce, and allow to marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Once salmon has been marinating, preheat the grill. Place salmon, skin side down on the hot grill, cook for 10-12 minutes without moving the salmon. Now here’s the thing, the skin on the under side of the salmon will burn – but we want that. Once the salmon is done cooking on one side, and the skin is blackened, carefully flip it over and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until fully cooked. Remove from grill, and allow to cool before peeling off burned skin. It should come off easily, and underneath will be the salmon fillet perfectly cooked.

This salmon would pair wonderfully with my Summer Salad, Green Beans in Vinaigrette or Tomato Garlic Parmesan Couscous, enjoy barbecued salmon this summer – you’ll love it.

- Lou