grilled pineapple salsa & chicken

I had a food filled weekend thanks to restaurant week in Charlotte. Restaurant week is where restaurants all over the city charge $30 for an appetizer, entree and dessert chosen from a set menu. It is a great way to try new restaurants where I wouldn't usually be able to afford a three course meal. My parents are moving to San Francisco in two weeks so my mom decided to come visit me in Charlotte for the weekend. On Friday night we met up with my aunt and uncle and went to Aria in uptown. I ordered the caramelized gnocchi, a filet over the best mac n cheese ever and lemon semifreddo for dessert. For anyone that lives in Charlotte, I would highly recommend it and can't wait to go back! I'm hoping to start up a new section of this blog dedicated to eating out because I love to dine out almost as much as I love to cook and bake in my own kitchen.

After a weekend of rich food and lots of shopping, my mom and I decided to cook up a quick, healthy meal for a late lunch. I can't believe we fired up the grill considering it was 100 degrees outside but this recipe made it all worth it. The grilled pineapple salsa is a combination of fresh, sweet and spicy that compliments the grilled chicken perfectly. The salsa and chicken are easy to throw together and each one has enough flavor to stand on their own.

Grilled Pineapple Salsa & Grilled Chicken 

for the pineapple salsa:

2 c. grilled pineapple, diced 

1 c. red onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

2 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

juice of 1 lime 

for the chicken:
1.5 lbs of chicken
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c. red onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice

For the salsa, grill pineapple slices about 5 minutes on each side over medium heat. Remove slices from the grill and cut into bite size chunks. Mix the salsa ingredients in a bowl and stir together, adding the grilled pineapple last.

For the grilled chicken marinade, mix all the ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Marinate chicken for 4+ hours in the refrigerator. Grill until chicken is cooked through.

garlic shrimp

I could eat this shrimp every day for a week. It's healthy, easy, fresh and flavorful. The name of this recipe doesn't do it justice. It really should be called the best shrimp recipe ever but I'll leave that for you to decide. While this shrimp is broiled, you could easily throw this shrimp on the grill. This is a perfect recipe for 4th of July weekend because it takes so little prep, leaving you more time to sit on the beach or make another round of margaritas. I am headed to Hilton Head this weekend for the 4th and couldn't be more excited to relax on the beach with a drink in hand. Hopefully, I can get through a book or two but more importantly I need a tan!

Garlic Shrimp

1 lb. medium shrimp, deveined and washed
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 1/2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 c. dry breadcrumbs + 2 tbsp for sprinkling
lemon wedges

In a bowl, combine oil, parsley, garlic and breadcrumbs. Add dry shrimp to the mixture and mix until well coated. Let mixture sit for 1 hour. Remove shrimp from marinade and put on skewers and sprinkle shrimp with additional breadcrumbs. Broil 2 minutes or until golden. Turn skewers over and broil on the other side until golden. Squeeze some fresh lemon on these before serving.

juicy turkey burgers

I wasn't always a fan of turkey burgers because they can be dry and unflavorful. However, this recipe is the exact opposite. I was a little iffy about using 99% fat free turkey meat for these burgers but I decided to go for it and am so glad I did because these burgers are healthy and flavorful without the added fat. I made slammer-sized burgers (aka mini-burgers) and used lightly grilled, wheat dinner rolls as the buns. I love grilling because it is takes minimal effort and results in so much flavor. These turkey burgers are made with parmesan cheese, scallions, hot sauce and worcestershire...that's it! I decided to throw some caramelized onions onto my burgers (totally optional) with lettuce and tomato. I cooked the onions in a skillet on the grill and also grilled some corn on the cob. It was the perfect summer dinner.

Turkey Burgers

adapted from Martha Stewart 

1 package of ground turkey meat

1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 c. diced scallions (green onions)

2 tsp hot sauce (I like grace's hot pepper sauce)

1 1/2 tsp worcestershire 

salt

pepper

for caramelized onions:

pour 1 tbsp of oil per onion in skillet and add in diced onions (2-4 whole onions). I used a yellow onion because I think they are sweetest but any kind of onion would work.