Graduation cookout: smart food to help you celebrate your graduate's achievement - Brief Article - Recipe

Better Nutrition, May, 2002 by Michele Taluba

Forget the hot dogs, burgers and other unhealthy stuff. To celebrate Graduation Day 2002, why not try these alternatives for the grill?

Grilled Satay Lettuce Wraps

This recipe takes a Southeast Asian
favorite--satay--and turns it into an
appetizer that's short on cook time
and long on flavor.

2 cups bottled peanut sauce dressing
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. sesame oil
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 4-inch
  strips, 1/2-inch wide
1 green onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated or shredded
1 small can sliced water chestnuts
2 cups bean sprouts
10 romaine lettuce leaves, washed
  and patted dry

1. Whisk peanut sauce, soy sauce and
sesame oil, and thin mixture. Place
chicken in flat dish and top with
half of marinade. Cover and place
in refrigerator to marinate, 30 minutes
to 2 hours.

2. Preheat grill to high (500 [degrees] F).

3. Weave chicken strips lengthwise
onto skewers.

4. Oil grate, and arrange satays on
grill. Cook 1 to 3 minutes per side,
until lightly browned.

5. Transfer skewers to serving plate,
along with bowls of vegetables and
remaining marinade. Place satay on
lettuce leaf, top with vegetables and
dollop of marinade. Wrap lettuce
around satay and remove skewer.
Grilled Salmon with Blood
Orange Marinade
and Mixed Vegetables

Blood oranges and balsamic vinegar
complement each other beautifully.
Mixing the marinade ahead of time
will enhance the flavors of this quick-to-table
meal. Salmon is high in protein,
containing a complete range of
amino acids--and it's a natural
source of heart-healthy omega-3 and
omega-6 fatty acids.

Marinade

Juice of 2 blood oranges
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups olive oil
Salt to taste

Entree

1 1/2 to 2 lb. salmon filet,
  boned, with skin
2 summer squash
2 zucchini
2 yellow peppers
2 red peppers
1 medium-size eggplant
1 red onion
1/2 cup rock salt
1/2 cup mixed, crushed
  peppercorns
1 blood orange to squeeze
  over cooked salmon

Marinade

1. Whisk juice and vinegar together.

2. Add oil slowly, continuing to whisk.
Salt to taste and store in refrigerator.

Entree

Note: Grilling vegetables is easy with a
vegetable grate, an auxiliary grate with
small holes that prevent food from
falling into the fire but allow
smoke and flame to lick food
and add zesty flavor.

1. Rinse salmon under cold
water and blot dry with
paper towel. Place salmon
in baking dish and cover
with 1 cup marinade mixture.
Turn once or twice to
coat. Cover, then place in
refrigerator to marinate for 30
minutes to 2 hours.

2. Cut vegetables into bite-sized
pieces and place in large mixing
bowl. Top with remaining marinade
mixture. Cover and place bowl in
refrigerator to marinate, 30 minutes
to 2 hours.

3. Preheat grill to high (500 [degrees] F).

4. Remove salmon and wipe off excess
marinade. Generously sprinkle with
rock salt and crushed peppercorns,
pushing them into the flesh with
the palm of your hand.

5. Clear grate and place piece of aluminum
foil just bigger than filet
over hottest part of grill. Brush skin
side of fish with oil, and place fillet
on grill next to foil, skin down.
Cover grill. A 1- to 2-inch-thick filet
should cook in 10 to 15 minutes.
After 6 minutes, check fillet. If grill
cooks fast, slide fillet onto foil to
keep it from flaking into fire.

6. Drain vegetable mixture of excess
marinade and toss onto vegetable
grate. Cook 7 to 12 minutes, or until
vegetables are tender.

7. Before serving, scrape excess rock
salt and peppercorns from salmon.
Ladle with remaining orange juice.