Sunday Dinner - 07/04/2010 (July 4th Edition)

Happy Fourth of July ya'll!!! Hope you are enjoying the time with your family and the three day weekend.

Like everyone else in the US, we wanted to grill today to celebrate and enjoy the weather. But we are trying to loose weight so no ribs or brisket for us. I decided on kabobs. With kabobs you get  a lot of veg and just enough meat to satisfy.  And of course, baked beans and mayonnaisey potato salad are out of the question. But there are lots of great summer side to eat.  I hope you enjoy these tasty recipes.

Pork Kabobs
Ingredients
1lb pork, cubed
12oz favorite low cal marinade
2 lg red onions
2 green bell peppers
1 red bell peppers
1 zucchini
1pt cherry tomatoes

Directions
Poor marinated over pork. Allow to meat to marinate for at least an hour.

 

Chop the peppers, onions and zucchini into 1in pieces.

Thread vegetables and meat on to skewers. Place on a medium-high heat grill.

 Place kabobs on grill; Cook kabobs for 20-30mins or until the meat in cooked to medium rare.


Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients
1 spray olive oil cooking spray
1lbs button mushrooms, about 24 large mushrooms
1tsp olive oil
1/4cup onion, minced
1/4cup sweet red pepper, minced
1/4cup bell pepper, minced
2 slices whole-wheat bread
1 tsp Cajun seasoning

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a pan with cooking spray. Remove mushroom stems from caps and finely chop stems; reserve caps and set aside. Run the bread in a food processor to make bread crumbs.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sauté mushroom stems, onion and pepper until tender, about 5 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining ingredients until well-combined.

Stuff each mushroom cap with filling mixture. Place mushrooms, stuffed sides up, in pan. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes; serve warm.

Sweet Potato and Onion Salad
Ingredients
3 sprays cooking spray
2 large sweet potatoes peeled, cubed
1 large red onions, 1in chunks
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place potatoes and onion on prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray; toss to mix and coat. Roast until tender, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly; spoon into a serving bowl. In a small bowl, mix chili powder, salt, pepper, and vinegar; spoon over vegetables and toss to coat.


Grilled Tropical Fruit Kabobs
Ingredients
1/4cup packed brown sugar, dark-variety
2Tbsp butter
1tsp ginger root, finely chopped or more to taste
1oz rum, dark-variety
1can pineapple, cut into large chunks
2 large mangoes, cut into large cubes
2 large bananas, cut into large pieces

Directions
Preheat grill to medium-high or heat a grill pan over high heat.

Combine sugar, butter, ginger and rum in a small saucepan.

Heat over low heat until well-combined, about 2 to 3 minutes; set aside.Thread fruit onto skewers; brush with sugar mixture.

Place kabobs on grill; cook until grill marks show on bottom side of fruit, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Turn kabobs; grill until marks appear on other side, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve hot, room temperature or chilled.


Tonight's dinner was very tasty and satisfying. We didn't miss the heavy, high calorie BBQ we  cooked last year.

I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as I did. What did y'all have for dinner?


If you have any question/comments about this recipe, pls leave me a comment or email at megmehell at yahoo.