Moroccan-Style Chops

I'm always looking for something different to make and these pork chops were something different that turned out really tasty. The grilled meat had such a yummy, mildly spicy taste. Not hot, but Moroccan-style spicy :) I didn't make the sauce to go with them, but I'm sure that the cucumber-tomato sauce would have been a delicious addition to the grilled pork chops. I just knew hubby wouldn't touch the sauce. We loved the chops though!

Moroccan-Style Chops From Better Homes and Gardens Magazine
3/4 cup plain yogurt
3 T orange juice
2 T sliced green onion
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
8 lamb leg sirloin chops, cut 1" thick or 6 pork loin rib chops, cut 3/4" thick
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup plain yogurt
hot cooked couscous or rice
Fresh cilantro (optional)

For marinade, in a bowl, combine the 3/4 cup yogurt, orange juice, green onion, coriander, salt, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Arrange chops in a shallow dish. Pour marinade over chops. Cover; marinate in refrigerator overnight.

For sauce, in a bowl combine onion, tomato, and cucumber; stir in the 1/2 cup yogurt. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until serving time.

Remove chops from marinade, reserving as much marinade as possible. Grill lamb chops over medium coals, uncovered for 14-16 minutes or to desired doneness, turning once and brushing often with marinade. For pork, grill, uncovered, directly over medium-hot coals for 12-14 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once and brushing often with marinade.

To serve, arrange chops on dinner plates with couscous or rice, if desired. Pass sauce. If desired, garnish each serving with cilantro.

Lemon Barbecued Chicken

We enjoyed a nice weekend of camping, this last weekend at North Point Recreation area on the Missouri river. It was beautiful! The campground was spacious and well maintained and the water was clear and clean. We brought our dogs camping for the first time and they had a great time. It was adorable watching them try swimming in the water.

I ended up marinating this chicken a few days as we didn't make it the first day we were at the campground. It was so flavorful and juicy! A must try this summer.

Lemon Barbecued Chicken From Backyard Grilling

2/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup vinegar
1 T soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 medium onion, chopped
1 broiler/fryer chicken (3-4 pounds), cut up

Combine the first 11 ingredients; set aside 1/4 cup. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Drain, discarding marinade. Grill the chicken, covered, over medium heat for 45 minutes or until juiced run clear, turning and basting with reserved marinade every 8-10 minutes.

Adobo Marinated Pork Kabobs

These are really, really good. In the summer we like to make kabobs quite a bit on the grill. These were awesome! They do have a little zip to them since they have the chipotles in the marinade.

Adobo Marinated Pork Kabobs

1/2 c red wine vinegear
1/4 c fresh cilantro leaves
3 T fresh oregano leaves
2 T canned chipotle chilis in sauce (about 3 chilis with sauce)
3 cloves garlic, halved
1 T brown sugar
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c butter, melted
1 1/2 pounds pork loin cut in 1" cubes

Salsa:

1 1/2 c chopped Roma tomatoes
1/3 c chopped green olives
1/4 c Monteray Jack cheese, cut in 1/2" cubes
1 T fresh cilantro
1 T lime juice
Mix all of the above and chill.

Combine in food processor or blender the first 6 ingredients. Process until well chopped. Pour in the oil and the butter. Pulse until smooth. Reserve 1/3 c of marinade to bast the kabobs. Place pork cubes in bag and pour marinade over. Seal and mix up. Place bag in a 9x13" pan. Turn several times to coat pork. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Thread on skewers. Grill 12-17 minutes brushing with reserved marinade. Serve with salsa.

Teriyaki Beef Burgers

I was excited for the end of the week this week. Not for any particular reason though. I happened to get off of work a little early and so I was able to start dinner preparations a little early too. I had planned to make these burgers from scratch, potato salad and coleslaw for a summery meal. It wasn't too warm out (70s) and it was pretty windy so we enjoyed our summery meal inside.

Teriyaki Beef Burgers from Healthy Cooking magazine

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (I just used 1#)
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped (If using less than 1 1/2 pounds of meat, use less water chestnuts)
1/2 c reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/3 c sherry or reduced-sodium beef broth
2 green onions, chopped (I used some that I'm growing in a pot outside!)
1 T brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
6 lettuce leaves (optional)
6 hamburger buns

In a large bowl, combine the beef and water chestnuts. Shape into 6 patties. Place in a 9x13" pan. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry or broth, onions, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Pour 1/2 c over patties; cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate the remaining marinade for basting. **I just poured all the marinade over the burgers. I thought the additional basting would just make a big mess on the grill.**
Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Drain and discard marinade. Grill patties, covered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Serve on lettuce-lined buns.

Huli Huli Pork

This is a great recipe to make as the weather is getting warmer and the grills are coming out. I guess this is a Hawaiian dish that I got from Better Homes and Gardens. We had this a while ago and it was really, really good.

Huli Huli Pork

2 1-2 # pork tenderloins or 1 3-4# tenderloin
3/4 c ketchup
1/3 c soy sauce
3 T brown sugar
3 T lime juice or sweet mirin (I'm not even sure what that is-I used the lime juice)
1 T grated fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced

Place pork in a large plastic bag; set aside. For marinade, combine ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, ginger and garlic. Transfer 3/4 c marinade to small container, set aside. Pour remaining marinade over pork. Chill 4-24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Drain pork, reserving marinade. Grill, brushing with marinade from bag. Remove from grill, cover with foil and let stand 10 minutes. Place reserved marinade in saucepan, bring to boil, transfer to serving dish and serve with pork.