Grilled Stuffed Portobellos

The fungus among us. // Instagram @kguymon

I put Matt to work on the grill last night: steaks, corn on the cob, and for the first time, stuffed mushrooms.

I whipped up a concoction of creamy goat cheese, garlic, and chopped rosemary for the insides, and oh my. It had me reciting every bad rom-com cliché I could think of:

"Where have you been all my life?"

"You. Complete. Me."

"I'll have what she's having."

Okay, that last one doesn't really make sense, but you get the drift. They're good. Really freaking good.



Grilled Stuffed Portobellos

-6 large portobello mushrooms
-8 oz. goat cheese
-1-2 cloves of minced garlic
-2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
-kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
-olive oil for brushing

1. Run the mushrooms under cold water and use a spoon to carefully scoop out the black gills.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cheese, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.

3. Before grilling, brush the insides of the mushrooms with olive oil.

4. Place the mushrooms face down on the grill over medium heat for three minutes.

5. Flip over and spoon in a generous amount of the cheese mixture into each mushroom. Close the grill and cook until the cheese is browning and the mushroom's juices start to run.

Grilled Salmon and Grapefruit Salad

The sweet-sour 1-2 punch. In a bowl. // Instagram @kguymon

Ho-lee cow. Or, fish.

I made this salad on a whim, thinking it would be a sufficiently healthy Monday night meal. You know, one to counteract the Thai take-out we binged on over the weekend. I did not expect to keel over after I licked my bowl clean, but I had serious weak-in-the-knees stumbles thanks to the awesome sweet-sour combo of the onions and grapefruit in the salad, of the honey and mustard in the vinaigrette.

And with fewer than 500 calories per serving, it's like I went to the gym. You can't beat that with a stick.




Grilled Salmon and Grapefruit Salad [adapted from Cooking Light] [serves 4]

For the salad:
-2 6 oz. skinless salmon fillets (1 to 1 1/4 inches thick)
-1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
-1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, cut into 1/2-thick slices
-olive oil
-cooking spray
-8 cups of mixed baby salad greens
-1 24 oz. jar red grapefruit sections, drained

For the vinaigrette:
-1/2 cup of fresh orange juice
-1 tablespoon of minced shallots
-2 tablespoons of honey
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
-1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt
-1/8 of fresh ground pepper

1. Heat a grill pan over medium to medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray.

2. Drizzle fillets and onion slices with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

3. Place fillets and onion slices on the grill pan for 4-5 minutes per side, until the fish flakes easily and the onions are tender. Take off the grill. Break fish into chunks; cut onion into bite-sized chunks.

4. Place 2 cups salad greens in bowls; arrange grapefruit sections, onion, and fish evenly over greens.

5. To make the vinaigrette, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl, whisking well. Drizzle vinaigrette evenly over the salads.

Grilled Tomatoes with Basil Sauce

Photo by Katie Guymon

I have a husband who usually works pretty late into the evening, so I can't always guarantee that he's going to be home in time to man the grill. That's why I decided to take matters into my own hands this summer and wo-man my grill pan.

The beauts, pre-grill // Instagram @kguymon

I'm a tomato freak: juice, sauce, paste, salad, soup, sorbet. I'll devour any permutation, but I'm particularly excited about last night's grilled tomatoes.

I bought them--on a total whim, mind you--from the Soulard Farmers' Market last Friday. Now, three days ago, they were all perfectly green and firm. That's the kind of tomato I'd encourage you to use for this recipe. That way, the slices can stand up to the hot grill pan, and they don't become too soft.

So, in other words, don't wait three days to decide what to do with your newly purchased green and firm tomatoes.

I went ahead and used the same basil sauce recipe from my favorite stuffed red peppers recipe. Because it's just that good.

Grilled Tomatoes with Basil Sauce

For the Tomatoes:
-3 firm green (or barely ripened) tomatoes
-olive oil
-kosher salt and pepper, to taste

For the Sauce:
-1 packed cup of fresh basil leaves
-1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
-3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
-1 tablespoon of water
-1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
-2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
-1/4 teaspoon of sugar
-1/4 teaspoon of salt, plus extra, as needed
-1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, plus extra, as needed

1. Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. 

3. Cut each tomato into 1/2 inch slices. Brush each slice with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

4. Grill each slice for 2 minutes per side.

5. Arrange on a platter and drizzle with the basil sauce.

Grilled Tuna with Pineapple Salsa

The last two Sundays have felt marvelously like summer. Couple that with the fact that my husband decided to give up red meat for Lent (don't ask me why, it's not like he was eating a cow a day or anything), that means that it's time to break out some seafood recipes, meant for the warmer months of the year. So far, tuna steaks have been my go-to protein for the onset of grilling season. Yes, tuna and I are good friends.

This is hands-down one of my favorite summertime recipes. It's a Paula Deen recipe that's actually healthy, y'all. PS - I could eat the salsa by itself. And I have. And I will again.

Grilled Tuna with Pineapple Salsa [recipe adapted from Paula Deen]
For the Salsa:
-1 cup diced pineapple, preferably fresh
-1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
-3 tablespoons finely chopped scallions (white and light green parts)
-1 lime, juiced
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

For the Tuna:
-4 (8-ounce) tuna steaks
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-salt
-pepper
-garlic powder

1. In a small bowl, mix all the salsa ingredients together. Cover and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve.

2. Light the grill or preheat the broiler.

3. Coat the tuna steaks with the oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet, if broiling, or put them on the grill. Broil or grill the fish until cooked to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side.

4. Transfer to a serving platter and serve topped with the salsa.