BBQ Lamb Chops & (OMG) Frozen Veggies

Ok foodies.... not every meal has to be a show stopper. Quite often we are pressed for time or just aren't interested in a lot of prep. Most of the time I prefer fresh veggies, but yanno... there are days when frozen ones are just going to be on the menu. Nothing to be ashamed of... as long as you treat them with respect :-)

Ingredients:

• 2 shoulder lamb chops
• 1 16 oz pkg frozen mixed vegetables
• garlic powder
• salt & pepper

Preparation:

Remove lamb chops from fridge one hour before cooking. Sprinkle both sides with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Fire up the BBQ to a medium high heat. My gas Weber on medium cooks lambchops medium rare via 3 minutes first side and 2 minutes more after the flip. Perfect every time and I never have to check. Make notes on your own grill's performance and follow your guidelines so you don't have to keep opening the lid.

Time your veggies to your grill. Perfect meat is paramount, so in my case I start the veggies while the grill is warming up. I like to cook them with just a touch of water in my Guardian Service to retain nutrients. Try to stay away from cooking veggies in a microwave... those thing mess with molecular structure of food. Be sure you don't overcook the veggies, please. Keep them nice and crisp... it adds to the food "experience"... grins.

Hey... just because this one is simple doesn't mean we can slack on quality... :-) Serve with a green salad with a homemade vinaigrette and you're set.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

BBQ Lamb Chops with Mustard Shallot Sauce

BBQ lamb chops are always a winner at my house, regardless of the prep. LOL In this recipe I decided to try my hand at a mustard shallot sauce and honestly... it's not my thing for lamb. Others did enjoy it. The flavor pallet of the sauce overpowered my purist lamb palette that adores the simplicity of salt, pepper and garlic. It's a good sauce, though, and I think I will try it with some white fish or BBQ chicken. Give it a try and let me know what you think... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2-4 shoulder blade lamb chops or your preferred cut, of course.
• 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme

Preparation:

Heat your grill to about 380-400 degrees. Season lamb chops with salt & pepper both sides and grill for about 3 minutes per side. Adjust the time depending on your grill… only you know your grill for that perfect medium rare.

Add the oil and the shallots to a medium skillet and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the Dijon mustard and the thyme. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Divide sauce evenly on the chops and serve with whole grain wild rice and a vegetable of choice.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!

BBQ Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

These are so good I like to make extras. :-) To keep the sugars low I pair these delicious thighs with barley cooked in chicken stock along with a nice, vibrant salad.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup country style Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced fine (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp Chilulah hot sauce (original or chili garlic)
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Preparation:

In a 1-cup measuring cup, combine all ingredients but chicken and mix thoroughly. Trim fat from chicken thighs and make sure you can fold each thigh open so they're not too thick. Place all chicken pieces in a ziplock bag. Pour marinade into bag, seal, mix and let sit for four hours.

Set grill to medium and grill chicken 10 minutes each side. During this time, simmer the remaining marinade on stove. After 20 minutes of grilling, flip thighs one more time and baste with cooked marinade. Grill 5 more minutes on low. Serve with cooked marinade on the side as extra coating or dipping sauce.

Blessed be… and happy cooking!