It’s not a holiday, especially a Black summer holiday, if the traditional foods aren’t present! I’m talking about creamy potato salad, seasoned greens, deviled eggs, assortment of grilled meats as well as Grandmother’s famous icebox banana pudding.
This year, let’s think outside the box and remix, as well as introduce, a few foods that can potentially become your new favorites. Chef Judson Todd Allen—the “Architect of Flavor,” the Food Network alum and CEO of Healthy Infused Cuisine—introduces us to a new way of re-inventing grilled foods but from a healthier point of view.
Grilled Potato Salad Featuring Judson Todd Allen’s CHEF BLEND Hot Sauce
Total Cook Time: 45 mins
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
1 lb fingerling potatoes, cleaned
2 hard boiled large eggs, chopped
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
¼ cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
½ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons roasted red pepper
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon Judson Todd Allen CHEF BLEND Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon fresh dill
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon Cajun spice blend
½ lemon
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat charcoal grill for medium heat (350-400 degrees F)
Drop potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil for approximately 8-10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool.
Cut cooled potatoes in half and add them to a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Using tongs, place the potatoes on the hot grill. Cook on all sides to achieve beautiful grill marks. You want to be very gentle so that the potatoes do not fall apart.
In a medium mixing bowl, add yogurt, mayonnaise, mustards, vegetables, relish and hot sauce and combine. Next add chopped egg, potatoes, herbs and juice of lemon and gently mix to fully coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with fresh herbs and paprika and serve warm or chilled.
Sweet & Savory Honey Fig BBQ Wings
Total Cook Time: 1 hour
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Serves 4-5
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh organic chicken wings, cleaned
1 cup ketchup, low-sodium
1/2 cup beer (your favorite)
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup onion, grated
2/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
4-5 dried figs
3 tablespoons Judson Todd Allen’s CHEF BLEND Hot Sauce
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
Directions:
Preheat charcoal grill for medium heat (350-400 degree F).
In a medium heavy pot, add all ingredients. Over medium-high heat, whisk to fully combine. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Remove sauce, let cool and add to a heat protected blender. Blend sauce until smooth.
Transfer sauce back to the pot over a medium-high heat and reduce sauce down until thickened while stirring frequently.
Use approximately ½ cup of sauce to marinade chicken wings. Transfer to heated grill and cook for 10-15 minutes eat or until a beautiful charred crust has formed and chicken is fully cooked.
Remove wings from grill and place in a large mixing bowl. Add ½ cup of BBQ sauce and parsley and toss. Serve with grilled carrots and peppers.
New Orleans-Inspired Grilled Shrimp Po-Boys
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time:
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 lb. raw large Gulf Shrimp (shelled & deveined and with tails removed)
1 ½ tablespoon cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon Judson Todd Allen’s CHEF BLEND Hot Sauce
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon white wine
1 large lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Giardiniera (purchased in store)
1/2 head Napa cabbage, finely shredded
2-3 tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
4 small French sandwich rolls
Signature Po-Boy Remoulade:
¼ cup light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon, chopped parsley
1-2 tablespoons Judson Todd Allen’s CHEF BLEND Hot Sauce
Directions:
Preheat charcoal grill for medium heat (350-400 degree F). Spray grill racks with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Shell, clean and devein shrimp.
In a medium sautee pan, add your olive oil, spices, hot sauce, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of parsley and garlic to the pan over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes to infuse all flavors. Let sauce cool. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the marinade to the side.
Add your shrimp to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes (the longer you let your shrimp sit the better the flavor).
While shrimp is marinating, in a small dish whip butter, remaining garlic and Cajun spice and parsley to fully combine. Cut your French rolls length-wise down the center and spread the garlic butter on both sides.
Cook shrimp on grill, approximately 4-5 minutes on both sides. Do not overcook. Add your rolls to the grill, butter side down to get a beautiful golden crispy texture.
In a mixing bowl, combine all of your Po-Boy remoulade ingredients and stir to fully incorporate.
To assemble the sandwich, smear the remoulade on both sides of the roll. Lay down a layer of shredded cabbage and tomatoes. Arrange shrimp on top. Serve with dill pickle spears.
Grilled Peach, Caramelized Onion and Arugula Flatbread Pizza with Herbed Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar Drizzle
(A healthier twist on an Italian staple, this thin crust ‘guiltless’ pizza offers an explosion of flavors. A unique sauce blend highlighting the flavors of fresh herbs, lemon, garlic, olive oil and white wine with Chef Judson’s Chef Blend Hot Sauce, is the star of this dish. The flatbread is topped w/ grilled fresh ripe peaches, caramelized onions, herbed goat cheese and topped with fresh arugula.)
Serving Size – 8
Prep Time – 10 minutes
Cook Time – 45 minutes
Ingredients:
Pizza Dough –
4 prepared flatbread pizza crusts
Toppings-
2 firm-ripe peaches, halved, pitted and cut into thin wedges
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
¾ cup herbed goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups fresh baby arugula, loosely packed
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Judson Todd Allen CHEF BLEND Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon of quality balsamic vinegar
Sea Salt to taste
Directions:
Preheat charcoal grill for medium heat (350-400 degree F). Spray grill racks with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
In a medium pot, add oil, garlic and hot sauce and bring to a simmer. Infuse flavors for 10 minutes. Do not burn garlic. Remove from heat and cool.
In a pan, add a small amount of oil and onions. Cook down for about 25 minutes or until fully caramelized.
Lay out flatbread pizza crusts on sheet tray and oil bottom. On the top, add a think layer of the spicy garlic oil.
Top pizza with onions, mozzarella, peaches and herbed goat cheese.
Add pizzas to grill and close lid. Cook until bottom is crispy and the cheese is golden and bubbly; approximately 10 minutes.
Remove flatbreads and top with fresh arugula greens, a pinch of sea salt and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
“Bananas Foster” Milkshake “Remixed” with Grilled Plantain
(This traditional New Orleans inspired dessert exploding with caramel and rum flavors is recreated not only into a milkshake, which is a true summer favorite. What makes this dessert totally unique is that grilled plantains are used instead of your traditional bananas. With its new “facelift” this sweet treat will send you into a state of sublime.)
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15-20 minutes
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
2 very ripe plantains, peeled and halved
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons dark rum
¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/3 cup vanilla almond milk unsweetened
1 teaspoon of banana liqueur
1 cup vanilla ice cream, premium quality
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon olive oil
Directions:
Preheat charcoal grill for medium heat (350-400 degree F).
Peel and cut plantain in halves. Brush all sides with olive oil. Grill on both sides until soft and caramelized. Approximately 3-5 minutes on each side. Remove and let cool.
In a sauce pan over medium heat, add butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir until all ingredients have dissolved and formed a caramel consistency. Add banana liqueur and simmer for 2 minutes. Lastly add rum and simmer. Be careful of flame that will result. Remove from heat and let cool.
Using a blender add milk, ice cream, plantains, caramel sauce and blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon.
For more information, go to www.JudsonToddAllen.com
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