Category Archives: How-To

Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Salad & Grilling Produce Tips

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Take advantage of the summer's best produce with this Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Salad -- and check out the grilling tips.This coming weekend, I’m teaching 200 carnivores how to grill vegetable side dishes to go along with their beef. It’s hard to upstage a delicious, juicy flat iron steak — but I think a couple of my recipes can come close — especially this Balsamic  Grilled Vegetable Salad!

Five Tips for Grilling Vegetables this Summer

Grilled vegetables is super easy, and in the heat of the summer — there is no need to also turn on an oven or stove if the grill is already going. At BeefLovingTexans.com, I’m sharing Five Tips for Grilling Vegetables – go check that out! Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this delicious, easy grilled vegetable salad that is the perfect way to take advantage of your favorite fresh seasonal vegetables — feel free to swap in the veggies you love.  It’s also a great dish for my Paleo diet and low-carb peeps.

And, if you have any leftovers, these vegetables are so good in a sandwich! Or in an egg scramble, or on a pizza, or tossed with pasta.

Balsamic Grilled Veggie Sandwich

Balsamic Grilled Veggie Salad & Grilling Produce Tips #Summer #MeatlessMonday

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What is your favorite vegetable (or fruit) to toss on the grill? Please share in the comments below — XOXO, Jennifer

 

 

 

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Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Salad
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Total Time
48 mins
 
Grilling vegetables is a great way to add a hint of smoky goodness and flavor to the summer season's best vegetables. The leftovers for this grilled salad can be used on pizzas, pastas and sammies.
Course: Salad, Sandwich, Vegetable
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsely
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound zucchini, sliced into 1/3″ planks lengthwise
  • 1 pint button mushrooms, sliced in half
  • 1 large red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and quartered
  • 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch discs
  • 6 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
Instructions
  1. In small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, oil, parsley, basil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Place veggies in large zip-top bag and add balsamic mixture; close bag and turn a few times to coat contents. Let marinate at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.
  2. Skewer together mushrooms. Coat grates with oil and heat grill to medium-high — approximately 400 F degrees.
  3. Drain balsamic marinade off vegetables and reserve (never reserve marinade on raw meat, but on vegetables it is fine)
  4. Grill veggies for 6 to 8 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Vegetables will be done when they are becoming tender (a little “crunch” is desired and have golden brown grate marks. Let vegetables cool on cutting board for several minutes and then cut down into bite sized pieces.
  5. In small sauce pan, bring balsamic mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, let simmer for a couple minutes to reduce a volume a bit.
  6. Add spinach to serving platter and top with grilled vegetables and balsamic dressing (made from the marinade). Toss with tongs and serve warm — or make the vegetables in advance, chill and serve as a cold salad

Food for Fathers | Lemon Grilled Flank Steak Salad with Persimmons

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Lemon Grlled Flank Steak Salad with Persimmons will brighten up your summer supper and taste buds!

First of all, Happy Father’s Day to the dads! I’m cooking dinner over here for my own special dad and will be hooking him up with this healthy salad. Grilling up a hunk of meat and serving it atop a bed of leafy greens is definitely my specialty – you could say I’m an expert and an addict! As far as obsessions go, at least it’s a healthy one and I’m super excited to share it with my father and the other dads in my life.

Message fpr Dad's Birthday "You are a Prime Cut aged to perfection."

Message fpr Dad’s Birthday “You are a Prime Cut aged to perfection.”

If I had my way, I’d be grilling a juicy, tender USDA Prime tenderloin for my salad every night – ahh, but I have children going to college. I know my dad understands  — if he doesn’t I hope he remember how I hooked him up with some of the best ribeyes for his birthday.

However, using a marinade is a simple solution that transforms a tough (and thusly less expensive) cut of beef into delicious, succulent slices of heaven for your salad – or any type meal.   The acidic liquids used in marinade help to break down tough muscle fibers found in beef cuts like chuck, round, flank, skirt and others. These toothsome cuts can be marinated for a minimum of 4 hours to 24 hours to improve tenderness and add flavor – don’t marinate any longer though because the texture will turn mushy. Inherently tender cuts of beef (like tenderloin, ribeyes and such) can be marinated too, but just to add flavor  –the optimal time is about 30 mintutes of soak time, don’t go any longer than 2 hours because of the mush factor. Oh, and when marinating for any purpose, always keep meat soaking in the fridge (not on the counter) and discard any marinade that has come into contact with raw meat.

This basic beef marinade uses 1/4 acidic juice, 1/3 oil and 1/3 fermented sauce to create a base recipe that can be customized with herbs, spices and other flavorful ingredients.

I’ve been putting together a post for BeefLovingTexans.com on Marinating Beef 101 – it’s yet to be published, I’ll let you know when it is! In the meantime, check out the Basic Beef Marinade Recipe I put together for them (and also the one I use in the recipe below).  What I love about this super simple marinade recipe is that it is fantastic “as-is,” but can be spiced up with your choosing of any herb, seasoning, alternate juice or fermented sauce. The possibilities are endless, just stick to the “one-third, one-third, one-third” format.

Lemon Grilled Flank Steak Salad with Persimmons

Lemon Grilled Flank Steak Salad with Persimmons
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Food for Fathers | Lemon Grilled Flank Steak Salad with Persimmons
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
6 hrs 30 mins
 
This nutritious beef salad made with grilled flank steak is topped with charred lemons and persimmons and makes a lovely entree for summer outdoor entertaining.
Course: Main Dish, Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1.5 lbs flank steak, trimmed
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
  • 4 lemons halved
  • 1 large red onion sliced crosswise into 1/2 thick dics
  • 1 bunch green onion with green tops
  • 2 large persimmons halved
  • 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
  • 8 - 10 ounces baby spring mix lettuce
  • 1/2 cup viniagrette of choice I used Litehouse Foods Lemon Tuscan Herb
Instructions
  1. 1 1.5 lb flank steak ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ¼ cup soy sauce ¼ cup olive oil 1 tablespoon crushed garlic 4 lemons, halved 1 large red onion, sliced crosswise into 4 thick disks 1 bunch green onions with tops 2 persimmons (or can substitute peaches or another fruit of choice) 4 ounces crumbled Feta cheese
  2. Add trimmed flank steak, lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil and garlic to zip top bag. Seal closed and turn several times to coat meat. Place in refrigerator to marinate for 6 hours to over night. Remove and discard all marinade, pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Bring grill to approximately 400 F degrees and grill flank steak for approximately 10 - 12 minutes, turning halfway through. Steak will be done at medium rare when instant-read meat thermometer pulls at 135 F degrees in thickest part of steak. Set on cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Ten minutes into grilling, add lemons,red onion and persimmons cut side down on grates. Grill alongside beef and remove when softening and have grate marks. Toss on green onions during last 2 minutes of grilling, they will cook fast.
  5. Remove veggies from grill, let cool a bit and then slice up into desired size. Add to platter of spring mix lettuce.
  6. Slice flank steak thinly across the grain. Add to top of salad, sprinkle with feta cheese and serve with dressing of choice.

Watermelon Coconut Cherry Sippers + 8 Ways to Enjoy Picnic Day

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Watermelon and Picnics #LivingOnTheWedge

Pack your cooler and head to the nearest park, lake or recreation area because June 18 is International Picnic Day! Yes, that’s right, folks all over the world will be lounging on blankets, grilling or eating cold-cut sandwiches and enjoying refreshing beverages. While I personally think it might be a bit cold for a June picnic in some parts of the world (uhh, like Siberia), Texas certainly has more than enough of the warm weather thing going on – that’s why I insist on making watermelon part of our picnic in every way possible.

Eight Ways to Enjoy Watermelon on a Picnic

Watermelon Coconut Cherry Sippers are a refreshing, hydrating drink for your summer picnic.Not only is a slice of watermelon super tasty, it’s also hydrating. Did you know that munching on 8-ounces of watermelon is like drinking almost that same amount of water – but in addition, you get natural sugars, electrolytes, vitamin A, vitamin C, and lycopene! It’s like Mother Nature’s sports drink except with no added sugars or funky stuff.  You’re going to love to quench your thirst with my recipe for Watermelon Coconut Cherry Sippers at the bottom of this post.

8 Unique Ways to Enjoy Watermelon at a Summer Picnic

In addition to the Watermelon Coconut Cherry Sipper recipe, I’m also sharing eight ways to enjoy watermelon at your next picnic or outdoor event!

Eat by the Slice: Uncut, this fruit is easy and mess-free to pack for a picnic – and big enough to share with a crowd. Slice up your watermelon on-site with this simple way to make watermelon spear slices for sharing.

Use as “Ice” in Cooler:  Chill an uncut watermelon or two in the refridgerator overnight, get ‘em good and cold. Transfer watermelon to a cooler the next day before your picnic and pack remainder of food around and on top of the melon.  If using picnic perishables within a few hours, food should remain cold and safe. However, if it’s going to be a long day in the sun, add a bit of ice.

Repurpose Rind as Vase:  The bowl-like rind that remains after watermelon flesh is scooped out makes a clever vessel for displaying flowers.  Use a personal-sized melon and slice off the top three-fourths of the way up.  Or, for a dramatic display on a big table, slice a large oval melon in half lengthwise and arrange with blooms.

Work Up a Sweat: Don’t lounge on the picnic blanket all day, get moving! Use a watermelon to get in a workout on dry land or exercise in the pool – watermelons in sizes ranging from 10 to 40 pounds are easy to find, so there is a weight option for everyone.

Kid-friendly Cutouts:  Keep younger children busy and entertained at your picnic by appointing them helpers who punch out shapes in slices of watermelon with cookie cutters.  Shapes can be served on an ice pop stick for a fun handle.

Drink Up: Because watermelons are more than 90 percent water, they are very refreshing on a hot day. The high water content along with vitamins, electrolites and other nutrients will help you and your family from becoming dehydrated on a hot day.  Drink the juice “as-is” or enjoy one of the numerous watermelon beverages around including the Watermelon Coconut Cherry Sipper recipe below or one of the many watermelon beverage recipes from the National Watermelon Promotion Board.

Create Unique Recipes: Watermelon is very versatile and can be incorporated into many creative recipes for your picnic. Pack the fixings for Watermelon Sandwich Wraps or, if grilling at your picnic, whip up a batch of Spicy Watermelon BBQ Sauce before you head out.

Play Games:  Keep the watermelon fun going all day long by using the fruit to play fun party games.  Small children will have a blast playing Hot Watermelon with a small, personal-sized watermelon. Have the kids sit in a circle and pass the watermelon around from person to person while music plays. The child who is holding the watermelon when the music stops is “out” and the game continues until one person remains.  Older kids will have fun at a pool or lake picnic playing Greased Watermelon Football, a game where a watermelon rubbed with Vasaline is tossed in the water and teams jump in to retrieve it and bring to dry land – it’s a slippery, action-packed and hysterical event!

Watermelon Picnic TableIf you’re feeling crafty, why not paint up a simple picnic table to resemble the quintessential fruit of summertime?!  I found this cute idea on Pinterest! That reminds me,  you should follow my #LivingOnTheWedge Pinterest board to keep up to date on all things watermelon!

 

Watermelon Coconut Cherry Sippers are a healthy, hydrating and refreshing beverage for your next picnic.

Watermelon Coconut Cherry Sippers Recipe:

  • 4 cups chopped watermelon
  • 12-ounce bottle coconut water
  • 1 cup frozen dark cherries

Add approximately 4 cups of chopped watermelon into blender. Pulse for 30 seconds, or until juiced. Pour contents through fine strainer to remove excess pulp (it’s okay if some goes through).  Add a 12-ounce bottle of coconut water to extracted watermelon juice. Stir. Pour evenly into 4 tall glasses and add 6 to 8 frozen dark cherries to each cup (to serve as tasty ice cubes).  Serves 4.

Picnicking? 8 Unique Ways to Enjoy Watermelon #LivingOnTheWedge @WatermelonBoard #ad http://bit.ly/1Gtsoj3

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How would you enjoy a watermelon at your next picnic? Please post it in the comments below — XOXO, Jennifer 

The post is sponsored by the National Watermelon Promotion Board. However, the opinions and content (unless otherwise noted) shared are my own and NWPB did not tell me what to say or how to say it.

Anniversaries and Olive Oil Roasted Asparagus with Almonds

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Married for 24 years and I havent' killed him . . . yet!

Married for 24 years and I havent’ killed him . . . yet!

Pulled together this post on the fly, since the sponsored one I had planned is being held up “in the legal department,” or that’s what I was told. I have my own legal department at home, also known as my hubby, which reminds me to let the world know that it is our 24th wedding anniversary. Yes, I got married in kindergarten.

Of course, we had to celebrate with beef – I killed my CrossFit  15.3 WOD today with 1st place age group South Central region. That was 200 wall balls and 701 jump ropes in 14 minutes, so I was totally in #beefmode afterward!

 

 

Beef Filet with Sauteed Spinach - TheFitFork.comThis is a shot of my husband’s delicious dinner from Steiner Steakhouse, he got the sautéed spinach as his side. What you don’t see is the asparagus on my plate that gobbled up before the obligatory food blogger photo.

How To Roast Asparagus

Eating at a fancy steakhouse can cost a pretty penny, but also am a pro at making restaurant worthy steaks and sides at home. A favorite is the pan-seared, oven-finished filet with balsamic tomatoes I did for BeefLovingTexas.com. I also make some amazing asparagus at home and will be making it frequently now that these fresh spears of spring have sprung up in the market.  This vegetable recipe is super easy to make — it’s drizzled with olive oil, roasted in the oven, and topped with almonds, bacon or whatever your heart desires.  Way better than mush steamed asparagus, in my opinion!

Olive Oil Roasted Asparagus with Almonds

Anniversaries and Olive Oil Roasted Asparagus with Almonds #FitFluential #Recipe

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Also check out Cooking Light’s video tips on choosing, preparing, storing, and serving this quintessential vegetable of spring.

Cooing Light's Asparagus Tips Video

Olive Oil Roasted Asparagus with Almonds
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Olive Oil Roasted Olive Oil with Almonds
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
Make restaurant-worthy asparagus cheaper and tastier than what you get as a steakhouse side with this easy oven-roasted vegetable recipe.
Course: Side Dish
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb fresh asapragus
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil garlic olive oil, even better!
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup unsalted raw almonds
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
  2. Snap tough ends off bottom of spears (approx 1").
  3. Lay spears out in single layer on rimmed baking sheet.
  4. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Shake baking sheet back and forth to coat.
  5. Roast in oven for 25 minutes, flipping asparagus half-way through to cook evenly.
  6. After 14 minutes, add raw almonds to small baking sheet. Place in oven for remaining asparagus cooking time (11 minutes).
  7. Remove asparagus and almonds. Let almonds cook for a couple minutes and then chop coarsely. Sprinkle asparagus with almonds and serve.
Recipe Notes

So Good! Slow-Roasted Balsamic Tomato Recipe

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Slow-Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes - TheFitFork.comSo good, so good, you see! These slow-roasted balsamic tomatoes transform a simple salad, piece of crusty bread or unadorned eggs into a masterpiece of epic, mouthwatering proportions. You can also use them on pizzas, blend into sauce, serve on an anti-pasta platter or just pluck them right off the pan. Lust-worthy, luscious and loaded with flavor, these tomatoes are super easy to make — however, don’t rush the job, you’ll need at least an hour. The result of this patience is an intensified breadth and depth of flavor that is to die for. The other thing I love about this recipe is that nearly every type of tomato works beautifully, from Cherubs to Campari to Romas. Make a big batch, they keep well in the freezer!

Slow-Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes - TheFitFork.com

Use them on a salad!

Pan Seared Tenderloin Steak with Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes - TheFitFork.com

Use them on a steak!

Summer’s in the House #kinda Slow-Roasted Balsamic Tomato #Recipe #Fitfluential

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Are you a tomato-phile or a tomato-phobe? Do you like little grape tomatoes or big beefsteak? Ever tried them slow-roasted?

Slow-Roasted Balsamic Tomatoes - TheFitFork.com
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Slow-Roasted Balsamic Tomato Recipe
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 
This easy recipe is worth the wait -- roasting in the oven deepens the sweet, rich flavor of tomatoes.
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs ripe tomatoes I used about 10 Roma tomates
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise and gently squeeze out seeds or scoop them with a spoon --leave as much as the flesh as possible.
  2. Lay the tomatoes, cut side up, in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with the thyme. Roast tomatoes on center rack for 40 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue to roast tomatoes about 20 minutes more, or until caramelized.
  3. Let tomatoes rest until reaching room temperature. The tomatoes will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or for up to 6 months in the freezer.
Recipe Notes