Grilling

Homemade Potato Salad

May 14, 2014 by The Partial Ingredients

Potato salad is a classic American summer side dish that reminds me of hot summer days, afternoon picnics and grilling sessions. I used to purchase potato salad from a local deli but the ingredients on the label were a bit off-putting. I didn’t recognize most of them listed and I finally decided to just make it from scratch. This recipe is a perfect antidote to the store-bought problem. While it is more time consuming than just running to the store, this recipe is healthier and you know exactly what’s going in it. It’s a delicious alternative to the processed stuff!

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Korean BBQ Chicken Tacos with Coleslaw and Sriracha Sour Cream

July 27, 2013 by The Partial Ingredients

What draws me to taco recipes is the symphony of flavors from the meats, condiments and sauces. I have never eaten Korean tacos from a food truck but I would hope that they might be like something like this: barbeque style chicken with crunchy coleslaw and spicy sour cream.

These tacos kick everything up a notch in terms of flavor and texture. The chicken is marinated ‘Dak Bulgogi‘ style with a sweet and savory sauce, grilled until caramelized. The coleslaw is a play on American coleslaw, using Napa cabbage (as used in Kimchi) with fish sauce, green onion, sriracha, and mirin. As the chicken is marinating in the sauce, prep the coleslaw and sriracha sour cream and leave it to chill. That way you’ll have everything you’ll need to assemble the tacos after grilling the chicken. The best way to make tacos is just having everything done so that you can time your dinner perfectly and not be scrambling at the last minute! I loved these tacos and will definitely make them again soon.

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Dak Bulgogi (Korean BBQ Chicken)

July 27, 2013 by The Partial Ingredients

I’ve been looking for a versatile sauce for meats and stirfries. This recipe is all about the marinade which is sweet, savory and a little bit spicy. The sauce is deceptively simple, but yields complex flavors. It’s also versatile since I’ve made a few stirfries with it to delicious results! This recipe is great for those who love Korean BBQ but don’t eat red meat. I used a whole chicken (6 pieces) and marinated them for a few hours before grilling.

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BBQ Grilled Cheese Chicken Sandwich with Chipotle Fries

June 10, 2013 by The Partial Ingredients

The messiest foods are the best foods, especially when we’re talking about sandwiches. If the sandwich can’t be contained inside two pieces of bread it’s gotta be good! This sandwich has a lot of good things going for it: shredded chicken smothered in spicy BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, and sharp cheddar cheese. Since barbeque sauce is a staple in my kitchen, I just make my own since it’s so easy. This sandwich packs a ton of flavor! The combination of the melted sharp cheddar with the flavors of the BBQ sauce and caramelized onions was so tasty. I served the sandwich alongside some smoky chipotle fries. I will definitely be making this again!

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Grilled Moroccan Chicken Skewers

May 7, 2013 by The Partial Ingredients

Flat breads and grilled meats are popular fare all over the world. I was so impressed with the Lebanese version I made a few months ago. I fell in love with the smorgasbord effect of the different condiments, seasoning, breads and meat. All of the different parts came together in a beautiful way. When there’s so many separate parts you can almost “choose your own adventure” (more about that in the sauces post). I decided to try out this idea with a version of Roasted Moroccan Chicken–one of my favorite recipes. This recipe takes the spice blend from the original recipe and uses it to season the chicken which is skewered and then grilled. It worked out great with the Moroccan Flat Bread and was a perfect accompaniment with the dipping sauces.

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BBQ Chicken Sandwich with Melted Gruyere

April 7, 2013 by The Partial Ingredients

The days are getting longer and each day feels a little bit closer to summer time! And what says summer more than barbeque grilled chicken sandwiches? I chose a simple recipe for barbeque sauce made with molasses, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and chipotle peppers. Then as a side I made some baked potato fries served with malt vinegar. I chose a smoky Gruyere cheese to go with the sandwich which paired very will with the flavors of the barbeque sauce. This was a tasty dish that I will definitely make again this summer!

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Turkey Burger with Caramelized Onions, Gruyere and Sage Mayo

September 21, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Turkey burgers are the perfect alternative to beef burgers because they are versatile and have great flavor. I had never tried turkey burgers before and I was surprised by how tasty they were! This recipe ended up being a celebration of the end of summer and a good way to tie two seasons together. The burgers were juicy and charred, and went perfectly with the caramelized onions and smoky gruyere. I chose sweet potato fries for a side and they were really good with the burger. The sage mayo was another great accompaniment with the turkey burger as well. The recipe is similar to last Thanksgiving’s Roasted Butternut Squash recipe with caramelized onions and gruyere. The sandwich reminded me of a summer version of Thanksgiving dinner, and just as tasty too!

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Shish Taouk (Lebanese Chicken Skewers) with Hummus and Tabouleh

September 9, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Who doesn’t love grilled chicken on a stick? A little while ago I tried the Greek version, Chicken Kalamaki, and I was sold on grilled chicken marinated with Mediterranean ingredients. This time I wanted to explore Lebanese grilled chicken, or “Shish Taouk,” which is first marinated in a blend of yogurt, tomato paste, herbs and spices, garlic and lemon juice. The combination sounded amazing and I figured it would go well with the Hummus and Tabouleh I had already prepared. The chicken smelled so good while it was grilling and the outside started to caramelize nicely from the tomato paste. I used pita bread as the vehicle to serve all 3 foods (dab pita in the hummus + a scoop of tabouleh + piece of chicken on top= heaven!) Everything worked so well together and it was a great way to celebrate the end of summer.

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Korean Kalbi Beef Tacos with Cilantro Lime Salsa

August 9, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

Since Korean food works great with Tex-mex I wanted to try Korean-style tacos again! Usually “kalbi” refers to Korean BBQ short ribs but I really wanted to try the kalbi marinade on skirt steak since it’s a great meat for tacos. The marinade consists of ginger, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and asian pears so it was really easy to throw together. If you can’t find asian pears I think it would be alright to substitute in regular pears. I marinated the steak for about an hour before grilling. I used a flat pan to saute the beef at a high temperature, but I’m sure grilling the beef would be a great way to get extra flavor. The tacos were really tasty! I loved the sear on the beef along with the flavors of the kalbi marinade. I really enjoyed the sweet and savory kalbi beef with the tangy sesame soy dressing. I topped the tacos with chopped tomatoes, a cilantro lime salsa and sesame soy sauce dressing.

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Steak Tacos with Chipotle Cherry Salsa and Caramelized Onions

June 24, 2012 by The Partial Ingredients

What better way to try out a tasty new salsa than to serve it with tacos? I picked out a skirt steak for these tacos because you can get a great sear on the outside and I figured it would go well with the salsa. I went simple and just seasoned the steak with a little cumin and smoked paprika. The salsa, steak and onions went really nicely together. The recipe for the salsa can be found here. Caramelized onions are so good on tacos so I add them in whenever possible. I caramelized the onions in the leftover adobo sauce which added a smokiness that wasn’t too sweet. Then for a little texture and crunch I added some red cabbage on top. A little crumbled queso fresco added creaminess (sour cream would probably work fine too.) All together, this was a really delicious taco and I look forward to having it again sometime.

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