100 Best Blogs for Healthy and Delicious Recipes

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100 Best Blogs for Healthy and Delicious Recipes

And it's ALL about the Big Green Egg!

Beef Tri-Tip (Sustainable/Organic)

The story behind Tri Tip Beef1 (a.k.a. Triangle Roast): This cut of meat is limited in availability because there is only one per side of beef. Therefore it is typically ground into hamburger or cut into cubes and sold as soup meat. This often over looked piece of meat is not only relatively inexpensive but also very flavorful and has become a favorite amongst the few in the know. The tri-tip roast or steak (also called a triangle roast) is the 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds of meat that sits at the bottom of the sirloin. It has great flavor and tends to be much lower in fat than most cuts of beef i.e., it's a good lean cut of beef.


The thing to remember is that lean also means it will dry out faster so it is recommended that you prepare with a good marinade &/or Rub. Particularly good flavors for tri-tip are Southwestern or Asian. Because tri-tip is lean, be careful not to overcook it, particularly when preparing the full roast. Medium is as far as you should go with this cut. Use a meat thermometer to monitor often during cooking. If you are used to grilling other cuts, this one can throw some grillers off by appearing underdone when it is ready to serve.

Loosely based on a combined Santa Maria & Grilled Soy Lime Style – this simple utilizes a hybrid marinade that is loosely based on a combination of spices picked up from two different recipes.   This fine cut of meat was supplied by Missouri Legacy Beef (Manken Cattle Company) of Salisbury, MO

Ingredients
• 2-3 Lb. Tri-tip roast
• Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends – Meat Magic
Seasoning Marinade:• 2 teaspoons freshly ground 4-color pepper
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 Tbls. Garlic powder
• 2 Tbls. Sea Salt (fresh ground)
• 1 ½ Cups Apple Juice (100% pure juice)
• ¼ Cup Soy Sauce (low sodium)
• 2 ½ Tsp. Lime Juice
• 1 Tbls. Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• ½ Tsp. Fresh Ground Ginger Root
• Optional: Corn Syrup or Honey (3 Tbls.)
Basting Sauce: • ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup vegetable oil (or EVOO) (add garlic powder if you can’t find garlic infused oil)
Preparation and cooking
1. Mix together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the tri tip in a 1 gallon freezer bag. Place in refrigerator for 4-8 hours turning occasionally.
2. Whisk basting sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside for basting.
3. Lightly oil your cooking grid and fire up BGE to T-Rex. Remove from Marinade and pat dry. Rub each side with Paul Prudhomme’s Meat Magic then sear the tri-tip at 600 to 700 degrees for 3-4 minutes per side.
4. Remove seared tri-tip from the BGE, cover it with foil and let it rest while bringing the BGE temperature down to 350 to 400 degrees. Option: During this cool down period consider adding a few oak chunks to your lump.
5. Now set up BGE for:
Indirect cooking (plate setter) and return the tri-tip back in the BGE and cook to an internal temperature of 130+ degrees (approximately 35 minutes) for medium rare, basting with the sauce every 5 to 10 minutes (optional), or,
Direct cooking (on raised grid). Return the tri-tip back into the BGE and cook to an internal temperature of 130+ degrees, basting every 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Remove tri-tip from the BGE, cover it with foil and let it rest 15 minutes; to serve, cut into ½” slices against the grain.2

 Paraphrased from Beef Tri-Tip, One of the best cuts you are probably not buying, By Derrick Riches, About.com Guide 2 this recipe is adapted loosely from Foodnetwork.com’s website; titled “Santa Maria Style BBQ” and Chris Lilly's Big Bob Gibson Cookbook Grilled Soy Lime Tri-Tip Recipe

No Recipe Required - Free Range Tenderloin Tips

After almost three months of cooking at least 2 times a week with a goal of not cooking the same thing twice, we broke down and cooked up some tenderloin tips tonight. It was a great run of new recipes and dishes we had never tried before...back to basics tonight.

No recipe required...T Rex with some Dizzy Dust.  Corn on the Cob and fresh baked white bread.

Pint Size Paella (w/Organic Chicken)

Paella; a yummy Spanish dish with its classic saffron-yellow rice, brightly colored veggies and combination of seafood and meats. For this recipe I used a small vintage Dansk paella pan for preparation of the down-sized original recipe. This version only serves 2-3.

INGREDIENTS
• ½ -3/4 Lb. Boneless, Skinless Thighs (Organic) chopped into bite size pieces
• ½ Tsp. Turmeric
• ½ Tsp. - Pimentón
• Dash (1/16th Tsp.) Oregano
• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• ½ Lb. Mild Italian Sausage (ground)
• 1 Medium Vidalia onion, chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper, chopped
• !0 oz Rice - Yellow Saffron pre-spiced Medium Rick
• 3/4 Cup Diced Plum or Amoroso Tomato
• ½ Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• Garlic to taste 2-3 large Garlic Cloves (Sub: Garlic Onion in season)
• 3 Cups – Organic, Chicken Broth, low sodium
• 1 Cup – Frozen Broccoli, thawed
• ½ Cup – Frozen Peas, thawed


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat Big Green Egg to 400 degrees. If you can’t swing grilling this recipe you can start it on the cook top and finish it in the oven (sacrilegious of course).
2. Add Turmeric, Pimentón, Oregano, salt and pepper to chicken stock and set aside.
3. Heat oil in Pan of Choice (Paella, Iron Skillet, Terracotta, etc) and precook the chicken and sausage then remove and set aside.
4. Sauté the onions and garlic, asparagus and peppers and when just about tender, add the tomatoes, sauté for 3-4 more minute then remove and set aside.
5. Change from direct to indirect setting and add the stock and rice, Paprika, Saffron (if applicable).
6. Stir ONCE and close the lid and sauté for 15 minutes checking the rice for tenderness before adding the remaining ingredients.
7. Add the sausage, chicken and sautéed veggies and peas and stir well and close the lid again for 8-10 minutes of simmering. ; Remove from heat and serve from Paella pan.

Tarte Tatin (Apple)

An upside-down apple tart in which the apples are caramelized in butter and Casper sugar (ultra fine granulated sugar) before the tart (crust) is baked. Tradition says that this desert was created by accident at the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France in 1898. While there are conflicting stories about the origin the predominant one is that Stéphanie Tatin (one of two sisters) started to make a apple pie but left the apples cooking in butter and sugar for too long and they started to burn. In an attempt to rescue the pie she put pastry on top of the pan of apples and finished the cook by placing the pan in the oven. She served her guests the unusual dish hot from the oven and a classic was born. The Tarte became a signature dish at the Hotel Tatin and the recipe spread through the region.

 

Ingredients - Tarte Tatin should be made with firm dessert apples: many cooking apples will cook down into a purée. This recipe calls for apples known to be excellent baking apples like Golden Delicious which are not typically used for American-style apple pie (Fuji and Red Delicious are also acceptable substitutes).

 

1/4 cup + 2 Tbls (half a stick) of unsalted butter

3/4 cup + 2 Tbls Casper sugar

8 Red Delicious or Golden Delicious Apples, peeled, cored and quartered (approx. sixes)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry or Pie Crust

Preparation Phase I – Preheat Big Green Egg with Grid in place. When up to temperature place tatin pan on grid and dump in the Casper sugar; Create a Carmel and remove from heat.

Phase II – Remove Grid and replace with Plate Setter and Pizza Stone and close lid, stabilize temperature to 350 degrees. Add ¼ cup of butter and place apples (fit tightly), roll out pastry and tuck into edges of pan, place on pizza stone and close lid. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until apples are tender and pastry is done.  Remove from heat and let set for 10 minutes. Invert onto the companion serving plate by grasping the pan handles with hot pads, and turn them over together. Gently lift the pan from the plate as the apples drop down over the puffed pastry. Serve warm; maybe with ice cream.

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CAST IRON SKILLET BURRITOS

Lots of choices and options allowed in this quick and easy beef dish utilizing common taco or burrito ingredients cooked up in a cast iron skillet or paella pan on high heat on the BGE.

Ingredients
 1 Lb. Free-Range Lean Ground Beef
 1 Pkg. Taco Seasoning (pick your poison)
 1 14 Oz. Can, Dark Red Kidney Beans, drained
 1 Cup Chunky Salsa (pick your favorite chunky variety)
 1 Cup Water
 4 Each 6” Flour Tortillas cut into 1 ½” pieces
 1 ½ - 2 Cups, finely shredded Mexican Cheese Mixture (3-4 varieties)

 4 Large Green Onions, chopped
 ½ Cup Sour Crème
 1/3 Cup Vidalia Onion, chopped
 4 Garlic cloves, minced
 EVOO
 Optional ingredients (toppings): Chopped Tomatoes, Chopped Avocados, Shredded Lettuce, Jalapenos

Preparation
1. Preheat BGE with raised grid to high heat.

2. Place skillet on grid and drizzle in some EVOO
3. Brown the ground beef, Vidalia onions and garlic until done.
4. Stir in taco seasoning, beans, salsa and water; stir an bring to boil; simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in tortillas, top with cheese and let stand until cheese is melted.
6. Remove from grill and serve directly from the skillet on top of a bed of lettuce and tomatoes, garnish with sour crème and green onions (add optional toppings as desired).

Salmon and Crab Patties - Part II Saturday Night's Dinner

Patties are NOT required by this recipe in fact you can choose if you want to make patties or croquettes. Merely make your choice to ball and bake or patty and grill this versatile recipe because the preparation and ingredients are essentially the same. Clearly a lot of options exist; you can punt the Crab or the Salmon, replace both with Tuna. Mix it up to your liking or whatever is fresh in the fridge.

Ingredients
8-12 Oz. Fresh Salmon, flaked and 4-8 Oz. Flaked Crab (imitation)
Note: (total fish content should be approximately 1 pound)
2 Tbls. Lemon Juice
2 Tbls. Yellow Beer Mustard
2 Tbls. Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco (red or green) to taste
4 Tbls. Butter (melted)
2 Eggs (Free Range)
1 Pkg.  + 10 Saltines (fewer crackers increases moisture)
1 Medium Vidalia Onion, chopped fine
DASH of Paul Prudhommes Magic Seasoning Seafood Magic

Preparation
1. Fire up the BGE to 350-400 degrees then choose; Raised Grid (2”) and a griddle for grilling or, Indirect heat (via plate setter) and baking dish or griddle elevated for baking.
2. While BGE heats up - Chop the onions, Melt butter, Flake the salmon into small bits (ditto on the crab)
3. Mix all ingredients - Mash into Patties (1/2” by 3” approximately) or, Roll into Croquettes (about 1.5” round)
4. Grill for 6-8 minutes (turning once) until crusted or bake for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and serve with salad.

Texas Toast Salad - Part 1 of Saturday Nights Dinner

This is a very hearty salad that allows you to choose from a variety of options for the toast, including frozen Texas toast, Texas toast croutons or toasted white bread seasoned with your favorite garlic herb butter combination. You pick your favorite lettuce variety and dressing however this really is tops with plain ol’ mayonnaise.



Ingredients
 Frozen Texas Toast (3 slices) or equivalent crouton quantity
 1/3 Cup Olive Oil Mayonnaise (leave the low-fat stuff in the fridge just this once)
 ¼ Cup Chile Sauce
 ¼ - ½ Tsp. Fresh Ground Peppercorns (to taste)
 1 Avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
 6 Cups Torn Romaine Lettuce (or your favorite variety)
 2 Medium Vine Ripe Tomatoes (chopped)

Preparation
1. Preheat BGE or Oven to prepare toast, when baked, cut into 1” squares (or sub croutons)
2. Mix mayonnaise, Chile Sauce, Pepper and set aside.
3. In large salad bowl, toss tomatoes and lettuce, top with avocado slices and drizzle on the dressing mix.
4. Serve