Grilled Rutabaga and Turnip Fries

Ok, so I learned last week how hard it is to cook (grill in particular) with 2 little girls who want to go in and out to the house with you (and I have to go in and out a lot when I grill). I grilled the "fries" in two batches (the second batch I tried sweating them to see if there was a need to get the fries tender inside (there wasn't a need). But unfortunately for my experiment, my inattention made the first batch of fries a tad on the burnt side (still tasty, but a bit more char than I would have preferred...and definitely not very pretty).


They were very soft fries...they definitely didn't get the crispy outside you get by frying, but yummy. It did have a tad more seasoning than they really needed, so I've cut the amount down in my recipe. Feel free to use your own seasonings, if you have something that goes well on fries, though.

This recipe is adapted from Judicial Peach.


Grilled Rutabaga and Turnip Fries

• 3 turnips, peeled
• 3-4 rutabagas (depending on the size - try for however many would make an equal number of fries to the turnips)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2-1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• olive oil, enough to lightly cover the fries

Preheat your grill on medium heat.

Cut your turnips and rutabagas vertically into halves (or thirds depending on how wide you want your fries). Then cut those pieces into long wedges about 1/2 inch thick. Toss with seasonings and lay on your preheated grill at 45 degree angles (this is where you want wedges as long as possible - I lost a few of the shorter fries to the depths of my grill during turning).

Cook your fries on direct heat for 7-10 minutes per side, watching carefully. Turn over when you see nice grill marks on the bottom (some fries might be turned sooner than others as there are hotter and cooler spots, so make sure to look at more than just one fry to determine whether they need to be turned). When both sides have cooked, check the fries to see if they're tender inside - if they aren't tender, place them on the cool side of the grill and cook on indirect heat until tender. 

Place on a rack to keep them from getting too soggy and serve. We had ours as a side with hamburgers and they worked so well together. (Though another thing I learned was hamburgers get cold faster than it takes to get kids settled with their own dinner...oh well. The fries were still warm at least - the more important part of dinner.)

Beef Sirloin Kebabs

I love these kebabs. I've made them several times so of course the first time I make them after starting this blog, I mess them up. The recipe calls for sweet (red ) bell peppers - so of course the 2 that I had in the drawer were bad and I couldn't use them. I didn't have time to run to the store to pick up more so I improvised with the green bell peppers I had (which were going to be cut into chunks to put on my skewers). Because the green are much more bitter, my dad suggested using tomatoes in it as well. This worked as a viable alternative if necessary, but I prefer the original.


Then of course, to make things worse, I overcooked my kebabs. Didn't get to the point of inedible, thankfully, but they were a bit charred and chewy. Sigh. We even have really good meat that we buy for these kebabs...getting good meat is very important when doing kebabs.

This recipe is out of Weber's Time to Grill. I highly recommend getting this book if you like to grill. All the recipes I've tried in it so far have been delicious. (Like the chicken that I put on my Cauliflower Pizza.)


Beef Sirloin Kebabs

• 2 medium sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 lbs top sirloin, cut into 1" cubes
• 1 large bell pepper (I use green), chopped into 1" squares
• 1 red onion, chopped into 1" squares

Turn your grill on high heat and place your sweet bell peppers on their sides, cooking until they are blackened all over (the more black the better for peeling the skins off later) - about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the grill and place in a bowl and cover with saran wrap for at least 15 minutes to steam. (Since it is a while before you use the grill again, I turn my grill off.)

While the peppers are steaming, place your seasonings and olive oil into a food processor. When the peppers are done, peel and de-seed them and place them into the processor and pulse until the peppers are chopped and it becomes like a thick paste.

Pour about 1/3-1/2 the mixture onto your sirloin cubes and make sure they are coated well. Then place your ingredients onto your skewers alternating with the sirloin, bell pepper, and onion squares. (The recipe says to let your kebabs sit for 15-30 minutes, but I never do that.)

Turn your grill on high and place your skewers onto it. (If you left your grill on, I would lower the heat immediately to a medium heat.) I usually cook them on one side for about 7-8 minutes, then turn them over and lower the heat to a medium to medium-low heat for another 7-8 minutes or so. (Just watch your kebabs carefully and take them off when they are cooked to your liking.)

Serve immediately, topping with your extra sauce, if desired.

[Next time I make this, I'll take better pictures, promise. And hopefully they won't be overcooked either.]

Tomato Chicken Cauliflower Pizza

Today, I mixed 2 recipes together and hoped for the best. Luckily it tasted quite good (if not a bit too spicy - don't worry, I adjusted the recipe to make it less spicy). 

I think I'm making small improvements in photographing this stuff (that or it just looked way better to begin with). The white section of pizza has Parmesan cheese on it for my dad, who can actually eat cheese.

This picture shows what the cauliflower crust looked like when it was done cooking. The crust ended up a little softer than I'd hoped and I'm not sure if that is because of the lack of cheese. It was firm yet slightly spongy to touch.

The recipe for the chicken/sauce is out of Weber's Time to Grill and the cauliflower crust recipe is adapted from Perry's Plate.

Chicken

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp shallots
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized chunks (thighs make for moister chicken)

Whisk ingredients in a large bowl and add chicken, making sure all the chicken is covered. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Don't worry if there's not a lot of sauce as the same sauce is used on the pizza later.) Use this time to prepare the sauce and crust.

After it has marinated, place in a grilling basket and grill until done - about 15 minutes or so (turning 2-3 times during cooking). If you put your chicken on to grill while the crust is baking, they should both be finished at about the same time.

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp olive oil (I used 3, but I think it was too much oil, use more or less to your preference.)
• 2 Tbsp shallots
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 tsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more for a spicier pizza - just remember that the chicken has spices on it as well.)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Whisk ingredients and set aside. (I didn't end up using the entire batch of sauce, but if you like a lot of sauce, feel free to use it all.)

Cauliflower crust

• 1 cauliflower
• 3 eggs (Whoops, I just noticed I only used 2 eggs. It worked, but I'm wondering if that's at least part of the reason the crust turned out softer than I imagined it would.)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasonings
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• pinch or 2 of salt (I didn't remember this either and didn't even notice with everything on it.)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

While the chicken is marinating, chop up your cauliflower into 1-2 inch florets and steam/boil until tender - about 8-10 minutes. Drain cauliflower and place into a food processor and pulse until smooth. (I like to give it a stir or 2 in the middle to make sure there are no chunks.)

When it is smooth, remove to a bowl and add your eggs, seasonings and garlic (as well as the cheese if you are using it). Mix well and spread in a parchment-lined (or aluminum foil or greased) rimmed baking pan. Place in the oven for 18-20 minutes, until the edges start to turn brown. Remove from oven.

Pizza toppings

• fresh spinach
• 1/2 medium bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 onion, diced
• mushrooms, sliced
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

After you remove the crust from the oven, spread crust with sauce and veggies evenly across the pizza. Remove the chicken from the grill and place on top. Add cheese on top if using. Place back in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the toppings are hot and cheese (if using) has melted. Enjoy.

(They say that letting the pizza cool firms up the crust enough to eat with your hands, but I didn't let it sit, so I'm not sure if my version would do so.)

Serves 3-4.