If summer were a time of day, then it’s “High Noon” up here in Seattle, as the temperature got to 95 today and will be pushing 100 this weekend.
I could have sworn, when I moved here 4 years ago, the summer never got above 78, hmmmm.
Anyhooz, just in case global warming doesn’t destroy the planet anytime soon, I’m gonna keep archiving skewer recipes for the grills right outside my patio doors on the terrace.
And, keep stocking up on photos of my favorite “Culinary Porn”, that being custom outdoor kitchens.
This one, outfitted by the Baddest Gourmet Grillers in the land, Kalamazoo Gourmet, is in Palo Alto California.
(2 food photos above and 1 below)
blackened salmon caprese skewers
The Healthy Chef’s “healthy morsel”: Though this recipe calls for broiling the salmon, I’m gonna prepare it on the grill. What I’ll do is not have the Caprese cheese on the skewers while grilling, and insert the caprese on the skewer after grilling. Alternately, I can swap in Halloumi grilling cheese if I want to keep the process simple.
Grilling Tip: Grill fish on top of lemon slices so fish doesn’t stick to grill/grate)
(click 2 food photos above or 1 below for recipe)
(above) spiced turkey skewers
(click photo above for recipe)
The Healthy Chef’s “healthy morsel”: Both recipes are “good to go” healthy in general, using organic ingredients and pasture raised turkey for recipe above. My only notes are, for the Greek Yogurt above, try to find a grass fed yogurt (the staff at Whole Foods is always helpful with me finding Grass Fed Dairy). Also, for flatbread above, I went grain/gluten free for two years, but have since lightened up a bit, bread only is occasional for me.
(below)
grilled watermelon and halloumi skewers
(click photo below for recipe)
(above) sriracha honey and sesame beef skewers
(click photo above for recipe)
The Healthy Chef’s “healthy morsel”: For recipe above, I avoid conventional beef like the plague and only eat grass fed beef. For recipe below, with pasuture raised chicken from Whole Foods and organic ingredients, the recipe is “good to go” healthy, with the exception of finding a yogurt from grass fed dairy.
(below)
portuguese chicken skewers with cilantro yogurt dip
(click photo below for recipe)
(above) hawaiian bbq skewers with sriracha honey butter
(click photo above for recipe)
The Healthy Chef’s “healthy morsel”: For recipe above, I’m not happy with any store bought barbecue sauce, because almost all have at least one unacceptable ingredient, normally the oil or sweetener, so I make my own Healthy Barbecue Sauce. For recipe below, I always make sure my shrimp is wild caught, because most shrimp in the USA is farmed raised overseas, and farm raised shimp is known to have high levels of toxins. Wild Caught shrimp is actually very low in mercury and toxins. For recipe below, avoid common table salt and use Pink Himalayan Salt
(below)
spicy cilantro shrimp skewers with honey lime dipping sauce
(click photo below for recipe)
(above) mediterranean grilled lamb kebabs
(click photo above for recipe)
The Healthy Chef’s “healthy morsel”: For recipes above above and below, with pasture raised meat and organic ingredients, they are “good to go” healthy. The only exception being that Halloumi cheese in recipe below, not sure if I will be able to find a grass fed version, so I would just concede the point and just go for it.
(below)
mediterranean chicken skewers with summer squash noodles
(click photo below for recipe)
about the outdoor kitchen……
This Palo Alto-based family wanted a space to be self-contained and independent so the chef wouldn’t have to go back and forth to the indoor kitchen.
The new outdoor kitchen features a full suite of Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet appliances and products. The homeowners wanted a powerful gas grill that could also cook with charcoal and wood, and they found the perfect match in their built-in Hybrid Fire Grill.
While they love the convenience of cooking with gas for quick meals, they really enjoy the dry, searing heat that charcoal generates, and the incredible flavors they can achieve by grilling with aromatic wood limbs. Custom grill surfaces optimized for meat, fish, and vegetables prevent food from falling through the grates. They are also designed to retain heat, ensuring food doesn’t stick to the surface.
The new outdoor kitchen is also outfitted with a pizza oven. The Artisan Fire Pizza Oven’s 20-minute heat-up time (compared to 3.5 hours for traditional wood-burning pizza ovens) makes impromptu pizza nights possible. With temps over 800°F, the Artisan Fire Pizza Oven can cook a Neapolitan-style pizza in just 2-3 minutes – and friends and family love to take turns doing just that.
Weather-tight storage cabinets keep dishes and other essentials close at hand and protected from the weather with seamless rain gutters. Cooking ingredients and beverages stay cold even on hot days in the refrigerated drawers, while the 24” warming cabinet provides plenty of warm food storage for catered events. Well-designed placement of the sink, dishwasher and a
waste and recycling cabinet make cleanup a breeze and give the homeowners the total outdoor cooking experience they wanted.
Description and kitchen photos from the Kalamazoo Gourmet Website
(see copyright disclaimer at bottom of post).
I’m in no way affiliated with Kalamazoo Gourmet, but plain and simple, they are the masters of the “Art Form” that is Gourmet Grilling. I love their “promo” video below, always sets the right vibe for the summer’s grilling!!! ENJOY!!!
(and remember to try, if but just a little, at making your tasty grill treats a little healthier……..then you got the best of both worlds 🙂 )
~stay healthy~
click here or the photo below to see all my
“Dressed to Grill” articles within “The Healthy Chef’s Corner”
Copyright Disclaimer: Right to use photos claimed under: Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
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