grilled sweet potato chips

as many of you know i enjoy grilling…and i grill a lot of different things.  the other night i had the brainy idea to grill sweet potatoes.

i am glad that i did because my husband doesn't even like sweet potatoes but he liked these.

i will be adjusting a couple things next time to add a little more crunch to the potato but these were a hit and i will definitely make them again.

ingredients

washed sweet potatoes 

coconut oil

sea salt

preparation:

1. microwave desired amount of potatoes until soft but not mushy. i have never microwaved a sweet potato so i didn't realize they cook faster than regular potatoes. my smaller ones were a little too mushy making them hard to cut and my larger ones were just right. the cooking time will also very depending on how many potatoes as well as your microwave. 

2. with skin left on, slice each potato to desired thickness. i prefer the thinner ones for a little more crunch. toss in a bowl or brush onto both sides the melted coconut oil and then sprinkle with desired amount of see salt.

3. place on low to medium grill heat. keep a eye on them as they begin to brown. (sweet potatoes can burn due to the sugar content) flipping once.

enjoy

grilled heirloom tomato and goat cheese pizza

this is one of my favorites i used to make it all the time and think i am feeling the urge again! mike is not a fan... well he strongly dislikes tomatoes so usually recipes with tomatoes are skipped unless i make a smaller portion for myself. i suppose half tomatoes would work on this delicious twist to a healthier option for pizza! and bonus... its a five ingredient dish!

ingredients:
1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough cooking spray 
1 garlic clove, halved 
1 large heirloom tomato, seeded and chopped (about 10 ounces) 
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled herbed goat cheese 


preparation

1. prepare grill to medium heat. i use the pampered chef bbq pizza pan and you need to use a gas grill not charcoal if you want to grill it. you can modify this recipe and make it in the oven as the dough package calls for baking. although personal tip... bake in oven for a few minutes so crust gets a little crispy then add the toppings and bake for remaining time...helps to keep it from getting mushy or soggy when toppings are added

2. unroll dough onto a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat dough into a 12 x 9-inch rectangle. (or use the pampered chef pizza grill pan) Lightly coat dough with cooking spray.

3. Place dough on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 1 minute or until lightly browned. Turn crust over. Rub with garlic; sprinkle with tomato and cheeses. Close grill lid; grill 3 minutes. Serve immediately

honey garlic pork loin steaks or chops

this recipe has only 4 ingredients which we had on hand...love those kind! this got two thumbs up from my husband and our son wouldn't stop eating it. i'm actually making the sauce again but with chicken this time.

ingredients
1/4 cup of honey
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
6 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
6 pork loin chops, boneless and fat trimmed off about 4 oz. each 

directions
1. in a shallow dish, whisk together honey, soy sauce and garlic. coat chops in mixture. and reserve leftover sauce for basting.

2. place chops on greased grill over medium heat. baste 2 to 3 times on each side. flipping 4 times until done

grilled brussel sprouts

most of you who follow my blog or any other social media of mine probably know i love to grill! i will try to grill just about anything. so the other night when i decided to make brussel sprouts (which i usually roast in the oven) i threw them right on with the chicken.

the verdict...success!! my husband loved them and our son kept asking for more. he was more of a fan of the crispy exterior but he was eating them.

here is how i made mine.

1.place desired amount of brussel sprouts in microwave safe bowl with about 1/4 cup water for 4-6 minutes.

2. pour water out and toss the sprouts in olive oil, sea salt and minced garlic.

3. skewer the brussel sprouts on shish kabob sticks. then place on a medium heat grill.

4. i grilled mine for 20-25 minutes turning until all sides became crispy brown.

sausage and peppers penne

another new recipe from this weekend which turned out well! next time I will make 2 separate portions for myself and my husband as he doesn't like onions and although i do not mind picking them out i am sure he prefers it with no onions. but he did like it and i really liked it. 

this isn't the healthiest but just change the sausage to chicken sausage or chicken and its healthy. or omit the sausage all together and maybe add 1 can diced tomatoes or tofu.

i used 4 sweet italian sausages and 2 hot sausages. the right amount of spicy with the sweet. 

ingredients

3/4 pound penne pasta (or your favorite)

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound spicy/sweet italian sausage (4 to 6 sausages)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 yellow peppers, sliced into strips

2 green peppers, sliced into strips

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil (optional)
1 handful fresh spinach leaves

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

directions

1. bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. add pasta and cook as directed on package.

2. heat grill to medium heat. while grill reaches temperature slice sausage into pieces. if you freeze the sausage for a bit it's much easier to cut. place sausage pieces in a grill basket and cook till cooked throughout and no longer pink. if you do not have a grill basket just cook entire piece and cut into slices once cooked. or if you do not have a grill cook sausages on the stove in a large skillet. if you use the skillet method you can just follow the remaining steps and put it all in the same skillet.

3. in a large skillet heat olive oil then add peppers. cook until tender. during the last 5 minutes of cooking, add onion and garlic to skillet. then basil if desired. add chopped or whole spinach; cover skillet and simmer on reduced heat until spinach is tender or wilted

4. once pasta is done and drained place in a large bowl. add in sausage slices and vegetable mixture and an extra tablespoon or 2 of olive oil. grate parmesan cheese and gently toss. serve with extra freshly grated cheese on individual portions.