Sweet Grilling Sides

Have I mentioned that I love grilling?  Cause I do.  I have been trying mix up my sides this summer. I've been experimenting with more vegetables on the grill and for the most part it has been pretty successful.  My most recent experiment involved sweet potatoes based on a recipe in Great Food Fast.  Have I mentioned I love sweet potatoes?  Cause I do. Two of the greatest things in the food world put together.  Bliss.  The recipe is super simple and quick.  Try to make the slices of potato as evenly as possible so they cook at the same speed.  

Backyard Mini Barbecue 

Another tasty side that I made this weekend was corn on the cob grilled.  I had somewhat forgotten about it, but flipped by the recipe while looking for the sweet potato one and figured they would be perfect together.   Also super simple and quick and pretty much impossible to screw up!  Put these together with a great cheeseburger and you have a perfect Sunday night. 

Grilled Sweet Potatoes 

2 servings 

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" thick slices
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1tsp cayenne pepper 
• salt & pepper 

1. Heat the grill to medium.  In a large bowl toss all the ingredients together. 
2. Grill for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork.  Turn frequently. 
3. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. 

Doesn't it all just look so good?!?

Grilled Corn on the Cob

2 servings 

• 2 ears of corn unhusked 
• vegetable oil
• butter, salt and pepper for serving

1. Peel back the corn husks (do not remove) and remove the silk.  Soak in cold water for 10 minutes.  
2. Remove the corn from the water and pull the husks back over the corn.  
3. Lightly oil the grill and grill the ears for about 15 minutes or until the kernels are tender, turning frequently. 
4. Allow the corn to cool for a minute before using dish towel to remove the husks. Serve. 

Enjoy! 

Beef and Corn Quesadillas

I have had a meeting after work every night this week except last night.  I wanted to make something that did not require pulling it from a plastic bag and putting it in the microwave.  The problem is that I did not think ahead at all and did not want to leave my apartment once I was in it, so whatever the recipe was, I had to have all the ingredients.  I pulled out the cookbooks and binder of recipes in search of something.
I kept finding things that I could make minus one ingredient that was not that random, I just didn't have them on hand, like peanuts. I ended up flipping through my latest Real Simple and finding a recipe for Beef Quesadillas. I didn't have all the ingredients, but it gave me some inspiration for my own recipe.  I mixed up some of the veggies I had on hand and needed to use before they went bad and added extra spices.  They turned out to be really good and I have enough for lunch tomorrow.  I think the measurements below are close to what I mixed in, but I didn't measure anything.

 Beef and Corn Quesadillas

• 1/4 Red Onion, diced
• 1/4 Red Bell Pepper, diced
• 1/2 Box (about 5 oz) Frozen Corn
• 12 oz Ground Beef
• Cayenne Pepper
• Salt & Black Pepper
• Mike's Dried Chili Mix 
• lots of Cheese
• Taco Shells

1. Warm about a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add onion, pepper and corn.  Mix over medium heat for about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the beef, about a 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp chili mix. Cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes more. 
3. In a clean skillet warm about a 1/2 tablespoon of oil on medium low heat. Toss in a taco shell and spin it around to oil one side, then flip it over to oil the other.  Allow one side of the sides to slightly brown.  
4. Flip over the shell and add in about a 1 cup of the beef mixture and 1/4 cup of cheese on half of the shell.  Fold the other half of the shell over. Allow the shell to brown on one side before carefully flipping it over to brown the other. Once the cheese is melted remove it from the pan and cut into quarters. 

Enjoy!