This tasty dish is cooked under the grill using no oil keeping the fat content healthily low.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

400g (14 oz) lamb neck fillet, trimmed of fat and cut in half length ways
200g (7 oz) bulghur wheat
100g (3½ oz) stoned green olives
½ cucumber
1 large red pepper
4 shallots
4 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 lemon
grated zest
1 orange
2 Little Gem lettuces
salt and pepper

Directions:

Here comes lots and lots of chopping work.  Make your cutting board and a large bowl ready.  Start chopping the cucumber, shallots and red pepper.  Keep the seeds while chopping the pepper.  Then take the lettuces and slice them across into shreds.

Take the lemon and cut it into half and juice it until you take out maximum juice from it.  Do the same with the orange into another container.

Preheat the grill at high temperature.  Meanwhile, grab a mixing bowl, put the bulghur wheat in it and pour over enough boiling water to cover and stir well.  Leave this to soak for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, take the lamb pieces and grill them fr 6-7 minutes on either sides until it gets browned on the outside but still slightly pink inside.  Leaving the inner part pink gives a good taste.

Take them from the grill and place in a slightly warm place for 5 minutes.  When cooled enough, slice them into chunky pieces.

Now grab a salad bowl and put all the chopped vegetables(shallots,red pepper,olives,cucumber and chopped mint) in it.

Drain the bulghur wheat using a sieve by pressing out excess water.Add it to the salad bowl together with the lemon and orange juices, zest and enough salt and pepper for taste.  Toss to mix everything well.

Add lamb pieces and lettuce and toss again and serve immediately.  Delaying serving makes it lose its taste.

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This is a must try option for spicy food lovers.  This is an authenticated Indian dish of grilled aubergine (Eggplant) and tomato.   Increase spice for stronger taste.

Ingredients:

1 aubergine
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 medium onion
1 to 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 plum tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh coriander
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven grill.  Grab a roasting tray, place aubergine in it and let it grill for 5 mins.  Do it until about half skin is scorched.

Take an oven-safe dish and place the grilled aubergine in it.  Cook it on high in the microwave till it becomes tender or set it to 5 minutes which is the normal time it takes.

Let it cool down enough and then remove its skin(Leave some scorched bits while removing the skin.They give a good taste).  Take a cutting board and make it into thick slices of about 5mm-10mm.

Grab a frying pan and heat oil in it at medium heat.

Meanwhile chop the onion, tomatoes and coriander.

Stir in the onions and leave it until tender.Now goes in the aubergine and tomatoes.  Season it with cayenne pepper.  Add enough salt and black pepper according to your taste.  Stir it until soft and you are done preparing the dish

Garnish with coriander to serve.  Its taste good especially in naan and roti which are also easy to make Indian dishes.

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Grilled Peaches.

Here is one more easy to cook dish which takes only 5 minutes to cook.And also summer is great time for recipes like fruit on a grill.

Ingredients

4 ripe medium peaches
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 pints frozen vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar

Directions

Clean the peaches and cut them in half.  Then,remove the pit.  I find it’s pretty easy to pop it out with the edge of the knife, but please be careful.  I don’t want angry emails telling me I got someone’s hand chopped off

After the pits are gone, slice the halves into halves again.  Take a bowl and add the vanilla extract and almond extract and brown sugar.  Toss the slices of peaches into this bowl.  Mix the peaches all around until you get good coverage, then let them rest for about 15 minutes.

While you’re waiting, preheat a grill at medium heat.  Once the rest is over, take the peaches from the bowl and put them on the grill with the skin side is down.  Grill them till skin gets slightly charred, it should take about 3 minutes.  Flip them and grill the other 2 sides for about 1 minute each.  This should leave nice grill marks on them.

With that, you’re done

These goes very well when served with frozen yogurt and toasted almonds.  It’s about as close as you’ll want to get to a sundae!  Enjoy!

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This is a healthy twist on one of my favorite Taste of Home recipes. I make it in 4 small souffle dishes but it can just as easily be made in muffin tins.  I make several and refrigerate the rest for a fast breakfasts throughout the week.

Easy Egg Bake:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup broccoli
• as much minced garlic as you enjoy in your meal – i think i put in a tablespoon or so
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 4 green onions chopped
• 1 cup cubed fully cooked ham or chicken or leftover meat from the night before
• 4 eggs
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/8 cup Dijon mustard
• fresh herbs to taste ( we use a lot of fresh basil and oregano plucked fresh from the garden)
• 3/4 cup shredded  cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes

Directions:

• In a large skillet sprayed with no fat cooking spray, saute the broccoli, garlic, mushrooms and onions in butter until tender. Add meat; heat through. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
• In a bowl, beat the eggs, water, mustard, herbs and garlic salt until foamy. Stir in the cheese, tomatoes and broccoli mixture.
• Pour into a greased souffle dishes, muffin tins or casserole dish. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
• *** to save prep time on the veggies or meat feel free to substitute leftovers from the night before or use the western style egg beaters to spice it up***

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This is a very delicious and easy to make recipe.  The only hard part is waiting…  You need to make preparations the day before.  But it is worth waiting for!

Ingredients:

(serves 2)

2 – 1/2 Lb Salmon fillets
3 Tablespoons of Turmeric Powder
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

One night before, take a clear plastic wrap and place each salmon fillet with skin side down on it.  Put on the turmeric and wrap them tightly, massaging the powder into flesh while you wrap.  Refrigerate for a whole day.

After they’ve set, preheat the grill.  Unwrap the fillets and drizzle olive oil on the surfaces, massaging in the oil with your hands. The more it gets in, the better it grills.  Remember flavors are either alcohol soluble or fat soluble.  While we don’t use a lot of olive oil, the little we add will go a long way for the flavor!

Now put the fillets on the grill with skin side down.  Grill them for 1 1/2 minutes on each side (both flesh and skin side).  Do this till the exterior will become bright crusty gold with dark grill marks.  Leave it with slightly pink on the inner side.  Leaving the inner part pink gives a very good taste.

Now the salmon is ready for serving.  Its very delicious with gold exterior and moist and delicate inside part.

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If you are worried about mercury in salmon then prefer wild salmon.  They’re known to have lower levels of mercury, and are healthier for you in so many ways!  Of course, it is much more expensive but is more preferred one.

Ingredients

(Serves 3)

3 medium sized salmon fillets.
2 teaspoons chopped fresh or dried dill.
1 cup olives/200g black olives.
1¼ cups/300g natural yogurt.
1 lemon.
a handful of fresh parsley.
a pinch of salt.

Directions:

Take a fresh plate and place the salmon fillets on it.Cut the lemon and squeeze half of the juice over the salmon then sprinkle with half the dill on one side.  Squeeze the maximum juice from lemon.

Before grilling take a tray suitable for the grill and place it next to the grill so that you’ll easily be able to transfer the salmon to and from the grill surface.  Preheat the grill to medium and place the salmon fillets in it with the coated side on the grill for about 4 minutes and remove it.  Put them in the tray and coat the other side of salmon with rest of the lemon juice and dill.  Grill for about four more minutes on the freshly garnished side.

Meanwhile chop the olives and parsley into pieces small enough to be added to the yogurt.  Now mix them with the yogurt and add a pinch of salt as per your taste.

If you are done with grilling the salmon,take them and serve with the yogurt.

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This is one delicious way to prepare chicken breasts.  An Italian inspired flavor with its combination of tomatoes and basil stuffed into chicken breasts.

Ingredients:

(serves 4)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
For Stuffing:
2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
12 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

Directions:

Take a cutting board and put the breast halves on it with pointed ends facing you and keeping the smooth side downwards.  Cut the breast from long side and cut them in half horizontally by leaving about 1/2 inch before reaching the opposite side.  Open them in half.  Now they look like a open book.

Add 1/8 teaspoon salt to each piece by sprinkling it all over.  Then season it with pepper.  The salt and pepper quantities are adjustable as per your taste.  Grab a fresh plate and transfer this piece into it.Then coat both sides with garlic and oil.Leave it for 30 minutes for the oil and garlic to get more into the flesh for great taste.

Meanwhile cut tomatoes into slices each 1/4-inch thick.

After waiting for 30 minutes,preheat the grill until medium hot.

Now place 3 basil leaves on the open side of each chicken breast;then place 2 tomato slices on each piece.  Fold them over carefully without allowing the stuff to fall outside.  Secure them with tooth picks or small skewers.

Place the chicken breast on the grill and grill it until golden brown on the grilling side.  Turn it over and do the same as on the previous side.  See to it that there is no longer pink in the center.

And here comes the garnishing part.  Place the grilled breasts on a clean serving platter and garnish with basil leaves and you are ready to serve.  Remove the toothpicks or skewers if you desire to.

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This is a great dish to try outdoors if you have a dutch oven. Just put the pot over some hot coals and you’re ready to go!  Once you’ve tried it, you’ll definitely want to share this with friends and family!I wrote this to serve 8,but if you need less, this recipe scales very well!

Ingredients

(serves 8 )

3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs.
3 bay leaves.
1 1/2 cups soy sauce.
3/4 cup vinegar.
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic minced.
1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
1 1/2 cups water.
3 tablespoons honey.

Directions

Grab a large pot and mix in the soy sauce, water, garlic, pepper, bay leaves and honey. Stir until well combined.

Bring the mixture to a slow boild, then add the chicken to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium temperature and cover it. Let it get cooked for 35 to 40 minutes. Try to keep in at a low simmer. Remember low and slow is the secret to a great dish!

Take a wire rack and put it on a cookie sheet, we’re going to need to catch some drippings!

Use a pair of tongs to remove chicken from the pot. Place the chicken on a wire rack / cookie sheet we put together, and allow it to rest

Next, remove the bay leaves from the pot. Then return the sauce to a boil and continue cooking until it’s reduced to 1 1/2 cups. This reduction is going to force all the water out, and leave you with an amazing sauce!

Meanwhile preheat the grill to high. Place the chicken on it and let it grill for about 5 minutes or until it gets a nice sear all the way around. Once you have that sear, you’re done with the chicken.

Plate the chicken, and garnish with the sauce. That’s it, all you need to do now is join your friends and family, and enjoy your grilled chicken adobo. I’d personally pair this with some steamed broccoli, or a fresh garden salad. Something mild or cool in flavor to offset this spicy treat!

Enjoy!

Serve this with the remaining soy sauce mixture.

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Raspberry Chicken

This low glycemic index recipe for chicken tastes so good, you won’t believe it’s good for you. It goes very well served with a tossed salad.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp dried thyme (or substitute 1 tbsp fresh thyme)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
8 oz raspberry fruit spread (double fruit, no sugar added)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
salt/pepper to taste

Directions

Season chicken with thyme and salt on both sides. Set aside.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until browned and soft.

Add chicken and cook until well cooked, approximately 8 minutes each side. Then, remove chicken and set aside.

Add low gi fruit spread, balsamic vinegar and pepper to oil in skillet. Cook for several minutes until ingredients well combined and fruit spread is melted. Add chicken back in skillet.

Serve chicken with sauce poured over top.

Serves 4

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Personally I find the key to stir fry, and a good tip for any low glycemic index recipe, is to ensure you don’t overcook the veggies. The more veggies (and other foods) are cooked or processed, the higher they tend to register on the GI scale. I use onions, peppers, and mushrooms in this stir fry, but the great thing with stir fries is that you can always improvise with what you have on hand or substitute if you prefer different veggies. You could substitute 1 tsp ground ginger for the fresh, but I find fresh ginger is worth the extra effort.

Ingredients

1 lb top sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cubed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup beef broth
2 tbsp lime juice (fresh is best)
1/2 tbsp SPLENDA® brown sugar blend
1 tbsp grated ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 medium green pepper, cut in cubes
1 medium red pepper, cut in cubes
1 cup button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 tbsp canola oil

Directions

Combine soy sauce, beef broth, lime juice, brown sugar substitute, ginger, and garlic. Pour over cubed steak in a medium glass bowl. Allow the steak to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Heat canola oil medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Place steak cubes in skillet (leaving marinade in bowl). Add red onion and red pepper flakes. If you prefer your onions a little crunchy- wait and add them with peppers and mushrooms. Cook steak and onions until well-cooked. Add peppers and mushrooms. Meanwhile, add 1 tbsp cornstarch to the marinade and pour into skillet. Bring entire mixture to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve over 2/3 cup of basmati rice or 3/4 cup of whole wheat pasta for each serving.

Serves 4

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