Lemon Pepper Seasoning

We love Lemon Pepper Chicken.  I would say it's our favourite seasoning for our grilled chicken.  We went to grill some chicken the other night, and discovered that we were all out of our favourite seasoning (Oops! How did that miss making the grocery list?!) So, I needed to create my own Lemon Pepper seasoning.  Fortunately, it is lemonade season, so I am well-stocked with lemons.  Here is what I did:

4 lemons, grated
1/4 cup pepper (I used fresh ground pepper)
Dash red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt

Grate the lemons, take the grated rind and add into your bullet.  Add in the pepper, and blend.  Lay out on a cookie sheet on parchment paper, and "bake" in the oven for approximately 45 minutes at 175F.  Once the lemon rind is dried, remove from the oven.  Put back into the bullet, add in the salt, and blend away.  Store in an air tight container.

VERDICT:
This was a huge hit.  The pepper gave it more of a kick than we are used to, but it was addictively good.  Even served it for company (eeks, they were "guinea pigs" on a new recipes...yet they loved it!) - yay!  Can't wait to try it again :-)

Hint of Thai Sirloin and Mango Pepper Salad

In honour of this being Mother's Day week, I thought I would share with you favourite recipes from both of the amazing Moms that I am so fortunate to have - my Mom and my Mother-in-Law.  On Monday I shared my Mom's German Apple Cake, and today I am sharing my Mother-in-Law's Hint of Thai Sirloin with Mango Pepper Salad.  If it looks familiar, I did share this a few weeks ago over when I guest posted over at Peace, Love, Recipes.  Here is the recipe that she shared with me:

Hint of Thai Sirloin with Mango Pepper Salad (source: Canadian Living, June 1999)

Steak & Marinade

1 lb steak, ¾ inch (2 cm) thick

2 tablespoons fish or soy sauce (I used fish sauce)

2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice (I used half of each)

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon ground ginger (I grated some fresh ginger)

Mango Pepper Salad

1 mango

1 sweet red pepper

½ cup sliced sweet onion (I used a purple onion)

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice (I used half of each)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Couple dashes of hot pepper sauce (I used Frank’s)

Steak & Marinade

In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, lime/lemon juice, ketchup, oil and ginger.  Place steak in a shallow dish.  Pour the marinade over the steak, and turn to coat.  Let stand for 10 minutes, then turn and coat again.

Start your BBQ.  Once heated and ready, grill steak over medium-high, reserving the marinade.  Close the lid and cook, turning and brushing halfway through.  Cook steak to desired doneness.  Remove from grill and rest, tented with foil, on a cutting board or plate for 5 minutes.  Thinly carve the steak against the grain.

Mango Pepper Salad

Peel and pit the mango.  Core and seed the red pepper.  Slice the mango and red pepper into matchstick sized pieces.  Place in a salad bowl, along with the onion and cilantro.  In a small bowl, mix together the lime/lemon juice, oil and hot sauce, spoon over the salad and stir gently.  Divide salad into portions onto plates.  Place carved steak on top the salad and serve immediately.

VERDICT:

This is a very pretty meal…and such a TASTY meal.  I can see why it is one of Kim’s favourites!  It was our first time having it, and it is one that I will absolutely make again.  It was so fresh tasting and so summery (even though we made it in the spring!).  The marinade sat just long enough on the steak to seep in and it truly was a “hint of thai” but the flavours were right there for us to enjoy.  The onion, pepper and mango mix in the salad was so good too, as was cilantro (love!) and the light dressing on top.  Thanks Kim!