Grilled BBQ Ribs with Chicken and Bacon Potato Salad

I'm loving working on summer recipes! I've never really spent much time grilling. I've always been intimidated by it. But I've manned up and now I'm queen of the grill! I take help from the grocery store when I can, such as using already marinated ribs in bbq sauce. Yep, that's right. Life is busy enough as it is. Don't worry about taking some help where you can get it. The potato salad is a twist on my Mother's classic potato salad. My husband loves it (I do too)! I made Arnie Palmer's to put the finishing touch on the meal.

Bon Appetit!

Grilled BBQ Ribs

Prepare ribs according to package directions. In my case, I was to grill for 15-20 minutes turning the ribs frequently.

Chicken and Bacon Potato Salad
2 cans (14 oz.) peeled potatoes, cubed
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
8 slices bacon, diced and cooked
1 can chicken in water, drained and broken up
1 cup mayo
2-3 Tbsp yellow mustard (according to taste)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

In a small bowl mix mayo, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper together. Set aside.

In a large bowl gently toss together remaining ingredients.

Pour mayo mixture over salad and mix until well incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Arnie Palmer

1/2 iced tea

1/2 lemonade

Tilapia with Zucchini Salad

The greatest thing about tilapia, besides that it tastes great, is that it can be prepared so many different ways. It can be pan-fried, grilled, broiled or baked. It's light and flaky and doesn't leave you with the over-stuffed feeling after you've eaten it. I find it to be one of the best types of fish around. In this recipe, I've pan-fried it and served it with a fresh and crisp veggie salad. Sooooo good! Bon Appetit!

Zucchini Salad
1/2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup matchstick carrots
1 tsp fresh chopped parsely
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp salt

In a medium bowl toss together zucchini, bell pepper, carrots, onions and parsely. In a jar shake honey, vinegar, ginger root and salt together. Pour over veggies and toss to coat evenly. Set aside.

Tilapia
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
4 tilapia fillets
4 Tbsp vegetable oil

In a pie plate, mix flour and lemon pepper seasoning. In a second pie plate, place bread crumbs. In a third pie plate, beat egg with a fork. 

Coat fillets in flour, then dip in egg, then coat with bread crumbs.

                                                                                      

 

                                                                     

In a large non-stick skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of the oil over medium high heat. Add two fillets; cook about 3 minutes and carefully turn fish over. Reduce heat to medium and cook about another 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining two fillets.

Serve topped with zucchini salad.

Chipotle Ranch Burgers served with Smokey Coleslaw

Say good-bye to plain burgers! These spicy 1/4 lb burgers pack a real punch and the crunch from the fresh coleslaw beats potato chips anyday. This meal is so simple to make, but the flavor you get makes you think you spent the whole day sweating over a hot stove. Mmm, mmm good is all I can say!

Hint: I buy chipotle peppers in adobo by the can. Once I open it, I put the rest in a plastic baggie. roll it up and freeze it. Then when I need some, I just open the bag and slice off what I need. For my heat preference, I usually slice off about 1/2 inch. I let it thaw in a small bowl and then finely chop it up.


Chipotle Ranch Burgers
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 Tbsp steak seasoning (I use McCormick's)
1 1/2 tsp garlic seasoning (I use a garlic and parsely seasoning)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 packet ranch dressing mix (I use Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix)
1 Tbsp chipotle in adobo finely chopped

In large mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Mix well to incoroprate the flavors but be careful not to overwork the meat. Divide meat into 6 equal portions and form into patties.

Place burgers on grill over medium heat. Grill until you see juices rise to top, flip burgers. Grill again until you see juices rise to top. Burgers are now completely cooked through. Remove from grill. Butter a hamburger bun and place burger on bun. Top burger with your favorite burger toppings. Hint: For a change and punch of flavor top with sliced avocado, sour cream, sharp cheddar cheese and salsa.

Smokey Coleslaw
1 bag (16 oz.) coleslaw mix
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup matchstick carrots
3 green onions, sliced
2 cups frozen corn niblets
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground cumin

Cook corn in microwave according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large mixing bowl combine coleslaw, carrots, corn and onions. Toss together mixing well.

In measuring cup add oil, lime juice, salt and cumin. Mix well.

Pour over coleslaw mixture and toss to make sure everything is coated well. Cover and place in fridge for at least 1 hour before serving. Hint: This taste FANTABULOUS on the burgers as a topping.

Summertime Favorites Redone

Foodies...

Please forgive my neglect of The Nightly Dish. It's summer and I thought it would never arrive and now that it's here, I'm so very busy. Most of my meals have consisted of hot dogs, corn on the cob, salad, pasta salad and hamburgers. None of which require much work or thought let alone a recipe. But then I got to thinking that maybe some of you out there are looking for ways to spruce up those old summer stand by meals. So I've spent some time rethinking those summer meals and came up with a few ideas. We'll start with hamburgers and work our way through ribs, fish, shrimp, brats and hot dogs. I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I (and my hubby) do.

Bon Appetit!