Marinated Balsamic Tri-Tip w/ Roasted Garlic and Vegis

While away in Central Cali I didn't have much luck with beach weather -- oh, let's just say it: It was cold and crappy the whole trip. So, trooper that I am I decided to make the best of it and resigned myself to cooking, taking pictures for future posts, turning on the fireplace, soakin' in the hot tub and picking out a bunch of movies that I had yet to see. By the way, that included Avatar, which, good as it was, left me scratching my head: Did anybody eat a bite of food in this movie? Well, to pick up the slack, we were cooking and baking in the biggest and best way while we watched, using the pause button liberally throughout both viewings. That's right, I had to watch it two different times while I was there. I'm sure I'll watch it again and again, even though there was no food! I of course can't stop saying "I see you" to people, but anyhow as I watched and cooked I got enough material for about six posts.

We needed to stock up for this cinematic, culinary weekend, and shopping is always the funniest part of the journey for me: Sometimes I know exactly what I'm getting, and other times I just kind of grab this and that and figure it all out when I start cooking. In this instance, one thing I knew was I wanted to do one meal entirely on the BBQ, so I grabbed a tri-tip, plus my baking supplies, some French roast coffee (the French press at the house had my name on it!), and then it was off to the famous produce stand in Moss Landing.

As I've said before in these webpages, that town happens to sit in "the Salad Bowl" of California, so everything is super fresh and cheap, in other words right up my alley! Two huge bags of produce came to a whopping eight bucks, and suddenly Whole Foods seemed awfully expensive (must rethink that love affair). We had beets and mushrooms and squash, jalapeno and pasilla peppers, oranges, mangos, onions, garlic -- well, you get the picture. Awesome picture!!! Almost as good as Avatar . . . and the French Press, which is my new best friend by the way!!!

Back at the house we felt the time to marinate was upon us (many's the time you've felt that, right? Right???!!) and there was quite a wide selection of spices so it was splendid! I'll go into the rest of this all-barbecue meal in other posts, but for now we'll start with the centerpiece.

Marinated Balsamic Tri-Tip With Roasted Garlic and Veggies:

In a large Ziploc bag place:

1 3lb tri-tip, trimmed, washed and dried

2 tbs. aged balsamic vinegar

2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbs. garlic powder

1 tbs. paprika

1 tbs. black pepper

2 tbs. steak or beef rub of choice

Smush all the spices together with the liquids and marinate overnight if possible, or at least for four hours. For a medium rare result, cook on the barbie on medium high heat for 25 to 28 minutes. Remove and let rest for 20 minutes, slice and serve.

While the tri-tip is cooking, cut the ends off of two bunches of garlic, season with steak rub and olive oil, wrap in foil and place on the BBQ for 40-45 minutes or until tender. 

Cut into 1/2" pieces:

4 med zucchini

4 med yellow summer squash

Place in foil pouch and season with:

Chopped fresh garlic

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Paprika

Close tightly and cook on BBQ for 10-12 minutes.

And as always, enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and Veggies

    

I can't say for sure about the genesis of the dressing/marinade for this dish, except it may reach back to when I lived in Hawaii so many moons ago. Ever since I came up it I've got luau on the brain and feel the islands pulsing through my veins like some wild and crazy drug -- only I'm stone cold sober. But hey, the islands make you feel high anyway. As soon as you exit the plane, the humidity and sights and smells of all that lies before you there begin to take you over, from the beautiful girl who just put the lei around your neck to the foliage looking as foreign as anything you've ever seen. And as you drive towards the ocean and take in the blues and greens around you, it's quite breathtaking.

I associate Hawaii to a great extent with food because the food there is incredible, not to mention that I was already well on my way to being a foodie even then, at 13-14 years old. And what a place to learn new things, working with ingredients I had never even heard of. It was like a treasure trove of fascinating new tastes and textures, what with all the fresh seafood being pulled right out of the ocean before my very eyes to all those gorgeous and delectable fruits and nuts. And the seasonings -- OMG!!! I wasted no time in making the locals my friends and absorbing the island ways so I could wade right in and learn how to make salty and sweet come together in a way I never knew existed. I still use these tastes today to give people's palates a run for their money!!!

This marinade is so light that when you're done with the overnight marination, you can dry the chicken, brush with oil and throw on the grill with no sticking. Then pop open your favorite bottle of teriyaki sauce (or make your own) and brush it on once the cooking process is in full swing, so that the sugars in the sauce don't burn, just glaze. And by the by, this marinade can be used on beef, pork, fish and a wide array of veggies. I also use it as a salad dressing! Brilliant if I do say so myself!!! (Oh, I just did!)

First things first, make and marinate the chicken the night before.

Marinade:
In a glass bottle/jar mix equal parts:

1/2 cup each:

Soy Sauce


Rice Vinegar


Brown Sugar


Toasted Sesame Oil


2 TBLS. Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional)

Shake well until the sugar is dissolved, then add:

Rooster Sauce (Sriracha, also optional)


Garlic Powder


Ground Ginger to taste.

I use about a teaspoon each.

Shake well again, and pour over, just enough to coat, reserving the rest for tomorrow:

3 lbs Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts or any chicken you prefer, bone in or out.
Refrigerate.

Bottle of your favorite:
Teriyaki Sauce


Heat your grill to about 350ºF

When ready to grill, remove from marinade and pat dry, brush with oil or spray with Pam, and grill.
About half way thru start to brush on the Teriyaki Sauce, you can use the marinade or a bottled sauce, or make some teriyaki glaze of your own. I won't know as I won't be there, so feel free to experiment!!!

While the chicken is cooking have ready some sliced veggies of choice, in this instance I used:
4 large zucchini
4 small eggplant
Brush with oil and grill until done and remove to platter, and pour some of the marinade over veggies while very hot.

Remove the chicken once it is done, about a half hour to 40 minutes for the skinless/boneless breasts. Let the chicken sit for 5-10 minutes.

Serve with  the Honey Lime Sesame Slaw from the last post, what a great and healthy meal!!!

And as always, enjoy!!!
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!
© Jennifer Green Alger 2010

Honey Lime Sesame Slaw w/ Toasted Almonds & Blueberries

 

I recently started exercising again after months of, well, just NOT, and I have concluded it is worth writing about because right now I can barely move my legs and am stuck here with my computer keyboard staring back at me saying, "Pick me, pick me!!!" -- Or is that "Feed me"??!

See, as some of you know, I lost a lot of weight last year -- yes, 48 pounds!!! -- and have been diligent about eating healthy to keep it off. When I began my weight loss journey, I took up walking as my main form of exercise, because I have a Jack Russell terrorist --er, terrier -- no, terrorist is what she is! -- who needed it too. I soon started to incorporate squats and lunges, and later some "old school" stuff like sit-ups and push-ups, sets of 20, 30 or as many reps as I could stand. The problem was, I developed TOO healthy an appetite and at a certain point hit a weight-loss plateau from which I could not budge. I tried everything to continue losing and nothing worked . . . until I quit exercising all together, and voilà, I lost the weight like "bam"!!!

But I never went back to my exercise routine or anything like it and thus as I write this am rowing my boat upstream. When was it I decided to give up exercise altogether? Had I been smart I would have gone back to it when I hit my goal weight, which to be honest was months ago. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud that I tricked my body into doing what I wanted, namely "sheddin' the sugarbags," if ya catch my drift, but I also coincidentally tricked my mind into believing my body no longer needed to work out . . . which it does.

My advice to anyone coping with these kinds of issues: Get up off your tushy, make this slaw and eat a big bowl after a workout, along with a good source of protein like the teriyaki chicken I served this with (recipe to follow soon). When assembled all the best qualities of these ingredients make for an awesome "slaw"!!!

Honey Lime Sesame Slaw With Toasted Almonds & Blueberries:

The Dressing:

In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine:

Juice of 2 oranges

Juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

Toasted sesame oil to taste (I use a lot, like a tablespoon, but it is a strong flavor so add a little at a time)

Adobo Seasoning

Salt to taste

Shake well.

The Slaw:

1 head Napa cabbage, sliced medium fine

2 bulbs fennel, sliced thin

1 apple cut into "match-sticks" (squeeze a little lemon on the apple after slicing to keep from browning)

1 cup blueberries

1 cup toasted almonds

Layer ingredients in the above order for a nice presentation. Add the dressing, toss and serve.

And as always, enjoy!!!

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH, COOK!!!

© Jennifer Green Alger 2010