(Courtesy of the National Honey Board Honey Feast Newsletter)
Memorial Day is quickly approaching, and here at the National Honey Board we want to remember and celebrate all of our fallen military. We thank you for your sacrifice and appreciate everything our military does to keep us safe here at home.
That being said, Memorial Day also marks the beginning of summer, which brings us to one of our favorite times of year – grilling season! Whether you are spending the day with family, friends or neighbors, we’ve got many great honey-inspired Bee-Bee-Q recipes to make your summer sweet!
Asian Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- 2 – pork tenderloins (about 3/4 lb. each)
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- 1/3 cup – soy sauce
- 1/4 cup – honey
- 1/4 cup – fresh lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons – olive or vegetable oil
- 3 cloves – garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon – curry powder
- 1 Tablespoon – grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon – ground black pepper
In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, lime juice, oil, garlic, curry powder, ginger and black pepper; mix until well blended. Place pork tenderloins in a plastic bag; pour marinade over pork in bag. Close bag tightly; marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour or up to overnight. Remove pork from marinade; reserve marinade. Grill over medium coals 20 to 25 minutes for medium doneness, turning after first 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place reserved marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Serve with sliced pork; garnish with cilantro.
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Grilled Garlic Shrimp with Fresh Heirloom Tomato Sauce
For the Marinated Shrimp
- ½ cup – extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup – red wine vinegar
- 2 – garlic cloves, minced
- 36 – large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 12 – (6-inch) wooden skewers
For the Tomato Sauce
- 3 pounds – assorted large heirloom tomatoes
- 1 – small sweet onion, minced
- 1 – garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon – sea salt\
- ¼ teaspoon – freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon – honey, preferably sourwood honey
- Sea Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup – fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips (chiffonade is the formal name for this cut), plus more for garnish
To marinate the shrimp, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and garlic in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the shrimp and allow to sit, covered, for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
Prepare a medium fire in a charcoal or gas grill. Soak the skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent them from burning.
To make the tomato sauce, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Place one or two tomatoes at a time into the boiling water. Watch them and, as you see the skin split, remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of cool water. At this point, it will be very easy to slip off the skins.
Cut the peeled tomatoes into a small dice. Put the cut tomatoes into a large bowl. Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and honey. Stir gently to combine.
Skewer the shrimp, 3 per skewer. Grill the skewered shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until they are pink. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and a couple of grinds of fresh pepper.
Just before serving, add the basil leaves to the tomato sauce. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
Ladle the tomato sauce onto a serving platter and arrange the skewers on top of the sauce. Garnish with more basil leaves and enjoy!
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Grilled Tofu Kabobs
- (14 oz.) pkgs. – extra firm tofu
- 2 cups – Chipotle Marinade, see recipe below
- 3 medium – zucchini, cut into 1-inch circles
- 1 medium – red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 medium – red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
- 12 – cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup – pineapple cubes
Slice each block of tofu in half horizontally, and, in cross-hatch pattern, make two slices vertically and two slices horizontally for total of 36 tofu cubes. Place tofu in nonreactive 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour marinade over tofu, cover and refrigerate for 1 to 24 hours. Set and light fire using coals or mesquite about 30 minutes before cooking time. Soak bamboo skewers in hot water for 20 minutes. Alternating ingredients, thread tofu, vegetables and pineapple cubes on skewers. Place kabobs over hot coals on well-oiled grill rack. Cook about 10 minutes, or until done, turning once and taking care that vegetables don’t burn.
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Roasted Eggplant with Feta and Honey Drizzle
- 1 large – eggplant, about 1¼ pounds
- 6 tablespoons – extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ cups (about 8 ounces) – mild-tasting feta cheese, crumbled
- freshly ground – black pepper
- Approximately ½ cup – honey, or as needed
- 1 tablespoon – fresh thyme or oregano leaves, chopped, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim each end from the eggplant. With a vegetable peeler, partially remove the skin in alternating wide strips, leaving the eggplant with a striped appearance. Cut the eggplant into 3/4-inch-thick rounds.
Place the eggplant slices in rows on a rimmed sheet pan. Generously brush both sides of the slices with the olive oil.
Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the slices with a wide spatula. Return the pan to the oven and roast for about 10 minutes longer, or until the eggplant is lightly browned and tender.
Remove the pan from the oven and mound a rounded tablespoon of cheese on top of each eggplant slice. Add a grinding of black pepper to each. Return the pan to the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese softens.
Transfer the slices to a serving platter. Drizzle each with the honey and sprinkle with a few fresh thyme leaves. Serve hot.
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Honeyed Fuji Apple Pasta Salad
- 16 oz. – small shell pasta, dry
- 3/4 cup – honey
- 3/4 cup – mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup – lemon juice
- 1/4 cup – Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon – salt
- 1/4 cup – Parsley, stems removed
- 1-1/2 teaspoons – dried thyme
- 2 – Fuji apples, cored and chopped in 1/4-inch dice
- 2-1/2 cups – fully cooked boneless ham, chopped in 1/4-inch dice
- 3/4 cup – celery, chopped in 1/4-inch dice
- 1/2 cup – coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain very well and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, make dressing: Put honey, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard and salt in blender jar and whirl on medium for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy. Add parsley and thyme; pulse to chop herbs. In large bowl, gently toss together pasta, apples, ham, celery and dressing. Cover and chill for one hour. Stir in walnuts and serve.
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