Hot-Off-The-Grill-Potatoes (Foil Wrapped)

We only used 3 potatoes for the four of us, and therefore decreased the butter to 1/2 tablespoon total.  Used pre-cooked bacon crumbles, fresh dill and skipped the parsley and chives. 

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons butter 

5 medium potatoes 

1/4 cup chopped green onion 

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon paprika 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

3 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained and crumbled 

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley 

2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill 

2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives or 2 tablespoons dried chives 

 

Directions: 

1 Grease a 24 x 18 inch piece of heavy duty foil with 1 tablespoon of the butter. 

2 Scrub and thinly slice unpeeled potatoes onto the center of the foil. 

3 Sprinkle with the onions, cheese, salt, paprika and pepper. 

4 Dot with remaining butter. 

5 Enclose the potatoes in the foil and seal with a double fold enclosing the potatoes completely leaving head space for the steam to build. 

6 Grill potato packet for 30 to 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. 

7 Before serving sprinkle potatoes with bacon, parsley, dill and chives.

Grilled peaches with brown sugar balsamic glaze

Found on Salon.com...and soooo good!  We selected a slow-churn caramel ice cream to accompany this deliciousness.  OMG.

Ingredients

• 4 not-too-ripe peaches, washed, halved and pitted (too ripe and they fall apart on the grill)
• Balsamic vinegar, to taste, about a tablespoon
• Brown sugar or honey, to taste
• Light olive oil
• 4 leaves fresh basil, chopped, optional
• Ice cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat grill
2. Drizzle peaches with balsamic vinegar and then sprinkle liberally with brown sugar. (I like to do this about an hour before grilling so the flavors soak in, but they’ll be delicious either way.)
3. Brush grill with a dab of oil. Place peach halves face-down on grill. Turn after 3 to 4 minutes, after they’ve given up the brightness in their color. Sprinkle flat side (now facing up) with more brown sugar. Remove after another couple of minutes, when they’re soft all the way through when you poke them with a fork.
4. Garnish with basil on and around peaches. Serve with ice cream or by themselves. Drink another hefeweizen. Prepare to have very happy friends.

WW: Greek-Grilled Chicken Sandwich

I subbed w/ half fat-free, half regular feta and it was still delicious.  Also, my red onion was bad, so I made a last-minute addition to the spread w/ chopped kalamata olives.  YUM.

8 WW points per serving (might be less w/ fat-free feta).

Ingredients

	1 spray(s) cooking spray
	1 pound(s) uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast(s), four 4 oz pieces
	2 tsp olive oil
	1 tsp red wine vinegar
	1 tsp dill, fresh, chopped
	1/2 tsp dried oregano
	1/2 tsp kosher salt
	1/4 tsp garlic powder
	1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground (or to taste)
	10 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese, about 3 oz
	1 Tbsp fat-free skim milk
	1 Tbsp uncooked red onion(s), finely chopped
	4 item(s) light hamburger roll(s) or bun(s), toasted
	2 piece(s) lettuce, romaine, cut in half
	1/2 medium fresh tomato(es), cut into 4 slices

Instructions

• Coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high.
• Pound chicken until about 1/4-inch thick; place on a large baking sheet.
• In a medium bowl, combine oil, vinegar, dill, oregano, salt, garlic powder and pepper; drizzle over chicken and flip to coat both sides. Let chicken sit for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine cheese, milk and onion; mash together with a fork to make a spread.
• Grill chicken, flipping once, until browned and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• Place chicken on toasted bun bottoms; spread each with 1 heaping tablespoon feta spread. Top each with 1 piece lettuce and 1 slice tomato; cover with bun tops. Yields 1 sandwich per serving.

Finger-Licking Chicken Marinade

My go-to chicken marinade.  Absolutely delicious, especially if you get the good balsamic vinegar from the Olive Branch.  Love that stuff!

Ingredients: 

1 cup oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 

2 tablespoons Miracle Whip or 2 tablespoons Miracle Whip light (can sub w/ mayo)

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

1/2 tablespoon salt (to taste) 

1 tablespoon pepper 

1-2 tablespoons thyme (to taste)

1/2 tablespoon garlic power

Directions: 

1 Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. 

2 Use to marinate chicken pieces at least 30 minutes (I usually do at least an hour or so) and then to baste the meat as it cooks in the oven or on the grill.

Baked Italian Sausage With Potatoes and Rosemary

We subbed dried rosemary for the fresh sprig, used red potatoes, added a bit more ciabatta bread and added carrots. 

Ingredients:   

6 Italian sausages

1.76 lb kipfler potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika 

1 rosemary sprig 

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled 

sea salt, to taste 

fresh ground black pepper, to taste 

2 slices ciabatta 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 

flat leaf parsley 

Directions: 

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

2 Slice the sausages into 1.5" pieces and place in a large roasting pan. 

3 Add the potatoes, paprika, rosemary, garlic cloves, sea salt and pepper. 

4 Tear the ciabatta into bite size pieces and add to the roasting tray. 

5 Drizzle over the oil and gently toss to combine. 

6 Place in the oven and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the sausages and bread are golden brown.

WW: Blue Cheese Chicken Burgers

 

Used our favorite Sticky Fingers BBQ sauce on this (Sweet Carolina version); served the celery on the side instead of in the burgers (with carrots and blue cheese dressing); and mixed the hot sauce in the adult burgers but skipped it for the kids' burgers.  One kid ate it up; the other barely touched it.  One out of two ain't bad!


8 WW points per serving (not including the blue cheese dressing on the side, and the extra BBQ sauce I slathered on top :)

 

Ingredients

	2 spray(s) cooking spray
	1/4 cup(s) barbecue sauce
	1 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste
	1 pound(s) uncooked extra lean ground chicken breast
	1/2 cup(s) uncooked scallion(s), sliced
	1/4 cup(s) uncooked celery, chopped
	1/4 cup(s) dried plain breadcrumbs
	2 tsp minced garlic
	1/2 tsp table salt
	4 item(s) mixed-grain hamburger roll(s)
	2 cup(s) romaine lettuce, shredded
	1 large fresh tomato(es), cut into 8 slices
	2 Tbsp blue cheese, crumbled

Instructions

• Off heat, coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat to medium-high.
• In a small bowl, combine barbecue sauce and hot pepper sauce. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, 1 tablespoon of barbecue sauce mixture, scallion, celery, breadcrumbs, garlic and salt. Using wet hands (to prevent mixture from sticking), form chicken mixture into four 1/2-inch-thick patties; brush top of burgers with some remaining barbecue sauce mixture.
• Place burgers on grill, sauce side down; brush tops of burgers with remaining sauce. Grill, turning once, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Lightly toast open-faced buns on grill during last minute of cooking.
• To serve, place 4 bun bottoms on each of 4 plates. Top each with 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce, 2 tomato slices, a burger, 1/2 tablespoon of cheese and a bun top (cheese will melt a little from hot burger). Yields 1 burger per serving.

WW: Italian Meatballs

Next time we won't make these with the onions, just sub onion powder (for the picky kiddies).  Otherwise, they were a hit!

Also, we opted for italian seasoning (had on-hand) and chicken broth, per the options below.

2 WW points per serving; 4 meatballs per serving.

Ingredients

	1 1/2 tsp regular butter
	1 1/2 tsp olive oil
	1 large uncooked onion(s), minced
	1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef
	1 large egg(s), beaten
	1 Tbsp fresh parsley, fresh, finely minced (or 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning)
	3/4 tsp table salt
	1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
	1/4 cup(s) canned beef broth, or chicken broth
	1/4 cup(s) white wine

Instructions

• In a large skillet, melt butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions; cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to caramelize, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove onions to a large mixing bowl and add beef, egg, parsley (or Italian seasoning), salt and red pepper flakes; mix well to combine. With damp hands, roll forty-eight 1/2-inch meatballs.
• Place same skillet over medium-low heat. Add meatballs, broth and wine; simmer until cooked through, gently turning meatballs once during cooking, about 20 minutes. Yields 4 meatballs per serving.

Mediterranean Farro Salad

We just made this tonight and I had to share it.  Unfortunately, hubby couldn't find the main ingredient -- Farro -- at the grocery, but we subbed brown rice and it was delish!  If anyone finds farro, let me know!  Oh, and we subbed red wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar.

Ingredients

• 10 ounces farro (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 8 ounces green beans, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup pitted black olives
• 1 medium red pepper, cut into thin strips (about 4 ounces or 1 cup)
• 3 ounces Parmesan, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 small bunch chives, snipped (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups of water with the farro. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the farro is almost tender, about 20 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt and simmer until the farro is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and stir. Cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the cooked green beans to a bowl of ice water and let cool for 2 minutes. Drain the green beans.
Once the farro has cooled add the green beans, olives, red pepper, Parmesan, and chives. Stir to combine. In a small bowl mix together the sherry vinegar, olive oil, mustard, pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Pour the sherry vinaigrette over the farro salad. Toss to combine and serve.
SERVINGS: 4 (SIDE); Calories: 334; Total Fat 15 grams; Saturated Fat: 3.5 grams; Protein: 13 grams; Total carbohydrates: 38 grams; Sugar: 5 grams Fiber: 7 grams; Cholesterol: 13 milligrams; Sodium: 888 milligrams

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/mediterranean-farro-salad-recipe/index.html