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Health & Fitness

GRILLING

Convenience, does require planning and some pre-preperation. So if your not going to use the ultimate in convenience and have your groceries or meals delivered to your door step with a site like www.MagicKitchen.com (from my last blog) you will need to think ahead on what your week has in store for you. Things like working late, sports schedules, appointments etc. can really cramp your style so its good to review your upcoming week and plan meals accordingly.

GRILLING AND GAZPACHO:As I mentioned in previous blogs we all tend to grill more during then warmer months and for the most part grilling continues for me even during the winter. I think we all think of grilling as being very healthy and I believe for the most part it is or at least can be. We tend to use marinades or rubs frequently when grilling which is also fine but we need to pay attention to what's in the marinade or rub and how we marinate food. I like to minimize the use of oil and salt whenever I can, not eliminate but minimize. By minimizing the oil and salt your not only able to cut back on fat and sodium but also minimize flame ups on the grill and avoid burning your food.

The
 other thing I like to do is use a zip lock bag when I want to marinate something or apply a dry rub, the convenient part is you get to throw the bag away when your done. This technique requires less marinade and maximizes exposure to the food item without drowning it. I tend to use a lot of fresh herbs to marinate with during the summer because I grow them in my garden as I'm sure many of you do. I find it really easy to pick, chop, and add to the bag. 

I'm
 going to leave you today with two very basic recipes that I think can set you up to create a good variety of really delicious left overs that are of course Healthy and Convenient! They both can compliment each other very nicely with a little creativity. 

First
 make a simple Gazpacho (see the recipe below) this will hold nicely in your refrigerator for several days. I realize that not everyone in your house will enjoy cold soup so bare with me we will be using differently.Many of us like to grill chicken. It appeals to many people, its lower in fat than most red meats, it cooks quickly, and is relatively inexpensive. I would add that it's a very good item to have leftovers from because its so versatile. Unfortunately when grilling chicken many of us tend to over cook it and it becomes dried out. What I like to do to help prevent this is to under cook it ever so slightly and put it on a plate or in serving dish and cover it with plastic wrap for about 15 minutes or so. In a covered plate or dish the heat from the food is retained and finishes cooking, it also helps prevents it from drying out. Chefs call this "carry-over cooking"

Now
 pour a small amount of the Gazpacho on the plate and place a piece of chicken on it as well as the other sides you're serving like grilled vegetables. This is a really simple thing to do as it gives a new added dimension to the chicken and if its dried out serves as an interesting condiment. I use this same technique with shrimp and scallops, its really good with grilled vegetables on the side, some crusty bread and glass of sauvigon blanc (for mom and dad or course!)....life is good! 

MARINADES/RUBS:
 
Here is a simple marinade recipe I use on chicken, fish/shrimp, and vegetables like squash, eggplant, and peppers, etc. Omit the oil and you have a rub so to speak. Don't be afraid to be be creative and use spices! Lemon Pepper is great and my personal favorite is Old Bay (be careful with Old Bay However as it does contain salt). Many people view this as a seafood spice but I frequently use it on vegetables, chicken, and pork as well.

In a large zip-lock bag I add:
1/4 C. (or less!) olive oil  (do not use extra virgin it will burn and get bitter very easily)course grind or fresh ground black pepper to taste
sea salt to taste (sea salt has around a 1/3 less sodium) omit if using Old Bay
garlic, fresh or granulated...you pick
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh chive
chopped fresh oregano (this has a more mild flavor when fresh) I combine all these ingredients in the zip-lock bag push as much air out as possible and flop it around a bit until everything is coated nicely. Then every time you walk by it flop it around some more!

GAZPACHO:
2 lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped or1 (28 ounce) can best-quality plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped 
1 large cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 scallions, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar or 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2-1 cup chilled tomato juice
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In
 a large bowl, stir together the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, bell peppers, scallions, and garlic. Working in 2-cup batches, whirl the mixture in a blender until finely chopped but not pureed. Return the mixture to the bowl and stir in the olive oil, vinegar. Add enough of the cold tomato juice to make the gazpacho soupy but not too thin. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

So
 in this weeks blog I have left you with a very simple Marinade/Rub that you can use on chicken, seafood, vegetables, and I've even done a veal chop and pork tenderloin with this marinade and it was great! A simple cold soup that you use as a condiment, and some thoughts on variations to use them together.

Eat Well Everyone!
Dave

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