Healthier Delicious Grilled Shrimp Tacos

In time for Cinco De Mayo (or any day) here is a calorie friendly way to avoid the typical Shrimp Tacos that are deep fried and served with heavy cream sauces and mayonnaise laden Guacamole. Instead you can make delicious Grilled Shrimp Tacos with delicious Grilled Veggies to balance out your plate. Or go Vegan by serving the Grilled Veggie Tacos and Smoked Tortilla Chips without the Shrimp. Special Thanks to Luvafoodie.com for sponsoring this recipe with their Margarita and Seafood Lovers Spice Blends.

 

RECIPE (For 2-3 People)

Shrimp Taco Ingredients

Ingredients

1 lb Fresh Deveined and Tail Off Large Shrimp

1 Large White Onion

2 Roma Tomatoes

1 Head Iceberg Lettuce

1 Ripe Avocado

Fresh Rolled Tortillas

3 Tbsp Ground Cumin

Fresh Cilantro

Fresh Dill

Luvafoodie Margarita and Seafood Lovers Spices (or your favorite BBQ Rub)

Tortilla Chips

Wood Skewers

Optional- Mesquite Wood Chunks or Chips for Smoking

Instructions:

  1. Clean, Deshell Shrimp. Marinate in BBQ Rub (we used Margarita Lime Seasoning), 2 Tbsp (each) Chopped Fresh Dill, Chopped Fresh Cilantro, and 1 Tbsp Ground Cumin. Place Shrimp on soaked Wooden Skewers. Add to hot Grill for 10 minutes each side with dry Mesquite Chips (in foil pouch for Gas Grills) or soaked Mesquite Chunks (for Charcoal Grills).
  2. Peel and Slice Onion in thick 1 inch slices, peel and cut Avocado and Lettuce in half (lengthwise). Season with BBQ Rub (we used Luvafoodie Seafood Lovers Blend) plus Cumin. Place on grill for 10 minutes per side. Onions will take longer- 20 minutes per side.
  3. For Smoked Chips. Season with BBQ Rub (we used Luvafoodie Seafood Lovers Blend and Cumin), place in foil pouch and add to Smoker for 10-15 minutes.
  4. Grill Tortillas 3 minutes per side. Dice Onions, mix with fresh chopped Cilantro. Dice Tomato, Avocado and Lettuce.
  5. Make Tacos with Shrimp on bottom. Add Onions, Tomatoes, Grilled Onion/Cilantro Mix.  For Vegan, skip Shrimp and add Grilled Avocado instead.
  6. Add Chopped Avocado on top of Smoked Tortilla Chips along with Grilled Onion/Cilantro mix. Finish with final sprinkle of BBQ Rub (you know what we used).
  7. Enjoy.

VIDEO

 

Special Thanks to Sponsor www.luvafoodie.com

luvfoodiespices

 

#chefmickbrown #mickbrown

BBQ RESCUES Foundation and Chef Mick Brown featured in new NBBQA Article

-From the National Barbecue and Grilling Association (NBBQA)

VEGAN BBQ JOINTS POPPING UP AROUND THE COUNTRY

Posted By: Stover Edward Harger III  NBBQA eNewsletter

It takes just two words to elicit laughter from some BBQ folks: vegan BBQ.

That’s the reaction Chef Mick Brown sometimes gets when he explains his passion for promoting vegan, vegetarian and healthier BBQ food. It is hard for some in the meat-centric trade of barbecue to conceptualize an outdoor cook without a single bite of steak or heaping pile of pulled pork. To many, BBQ means meat, but Mick wants to challenge that notion; he believes eating veggies can save your life.

“They basically laugh at the concept. That’s the attitude I get from some people,” the California chef said about vegan BBQ. “(But) I’m finding, surprisingly, people are really receptive to it when you discuss it with them seriously.”

Mick is passionate proponent of getting people to eat healthier, and explaining the benefits of a vegetable-focused BBQ diet is a mission that drove him to found the nonprofit BBQ Rescues! and its website/blog www.bbqrescues.com. This past Christmas Eve, Mick helped serve fresh salads with L.A. Mission to homeless in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles.

As a diabetic whose weight has fluctuated, Mick finds motivation to help others from his own health struggles.

Mick is challenging BBQ restaurants and caterers to add a healthier — not fried — vegetable or vegan option to their menus by 2020 as part of his recent #BBQProject2020 campaign. Using the #BBQProject2020 hashtag on social media is meant to let others know the establishment has made a stride to make their menu healthier.

The chef was part of a presentation during the NBBQA’s 2018 I Am BBQ Conference called “Making BBQ Healthy and Authentic.” After he grilled up some vegan BBQ for attendees, the extras were served with lunch that day. The crowd devoured them.

“I’m finding the key is letting people taste it,” Mick said about persuading others to eat more veggies at BBQ. “If you make the vegetables as hearty and good-tasting as the meat, people will want to eat them more.”

VEGAN BBQ, A GROWING TREND

Though you might not personally know anybody serving “vegan BBQ,” there are a restaurants and food carts around the country doing just that. In Portland, Ore., home to a number of vegan-friendly restaurants, there’s Homegrown Smokers which is getting local acclaim for their “tempeh ribs” and smoked “soy curls.” There’s even a vegan BBQ place smack-dab in the center of a celebrated BBQ Mecca. BBQ Revolution in Austin, Texas, makes their “No Bull Brisket” from a “wheat roast” that includes peanut butter. 

You might have already heard of the meat-free “Impossible Burger” which has been getting lots of attention for tasting — as some people proclaim — just like meat. The patty is made of wheat and potato proteins.

But it’s not meat substitutes that Mick is pushing. He wants people to eat whole, not processed, foods. His personal favorite vegetables to grill are bell peppers and onions. With some fire, smoke and robust seasoning, Mick said a vegetable starts to taste closer to what most people imagine as “BBQ.”

“We don’t need tons of meat to enjoy BBQ, we can have meats and veggies,” he said, adding that it’s less the meat that’s the problem with health, but more in the carbohydrate- and fat-heavy traditional BBQ sides. “If all you do is grill meats and veggies, you’ll be fine.”

LESS MEAT EATING PREDICTED

As word has spread of his healthy, but still flavorful, vegan barbecue and cuisine, Mick got invites to cook for all sorts of celebrities, including catering a “Vegan BBQ Thanksgiving” for musician Redfoo, best known for his mega-hit “Party Rock Anthem” with his group LMFAO.

For that meal he served a smoked sweet potato/carrot mash with fresh mint and a mix of smoked greens.

Mick was also crowned Grill Master Champion on an episode of the Food Network show “Cutthroat Kitchen,” hosted by Alton Brown, a culinary idol of his.

Alton Brown, a master of cooking meat and all sorts of foods, penned an article for Wired magazine on “the end of meat as we know it.” In that 2013 story, Brown explains that the future will likely be much less meat-centric, due to overpopulation and evolving food culture. There’s all sorts of science food being cooked up to mimic the tastes, smells and physical sensations of actual meat, he reported.

“Meat is largely water. But when we taste it, we’re mostly sensing fat and protein. Proteins are simply long chains of amino acids,” he said in the article. “Plants build aminos as well, but carnivores love meat so much because its proteins — unlike plants — are relatively easy to access and digest (once you catch the animal). What’s more, meat gives us all the “essential” amino acids our bodies can’t produce, a trick that almost no plant can pull off, which is why vegetarians must carefully combine foods — like nuts and grains — to stay well nourished.

“Replicating the flavor of animal flesh is just a matter of gathering certain amino acids, especially the yummiest acid of all, glutamic acid, the key component of monosodium glutamate, or MSG.”

Even with the option to mimic meat using plant protein, Alton Brown concludes, he’s not ready to shutter the butcher shops.

“Plenty of people live just fine on veggies and grains. We could just lay off the real meat, right? Not bloody likely,” he wrote.

 

Link

https://www.nbbqa.org/blog/vegan-bbq-joints-popping-up

 

#Sunday #KosherBBQ #Chicken #SantaMonicaKosherMarket # WestLosAngeles

Kosher Grilling Ideas & Local Eateries (Los Angeles)

byChef Mick Brown

Courtesy of http://www.BBQRESCUES.org

#SmokedWhitefish #Lox #Salmon #BBQ RESCUES #KosherBBQ.
Some people may just call it Smoked Whitefish and Lox or Salmon. Here at BBQ RESCUES, we consider it Kosher BBQ.

Where can you find the Kosher BBQ in Los Angeles? If anyone has any favorites, feel to add them to our Comments below. On June 10, 2018, I was honored to be invited to the 26th Annual Breakfast Meeting at Congregation Bais Naftoli in Los Angeles. Along with Congregation President, the event was attended by high ranking city, county and federal officials. Check below for an online printable version of the Kosher Recipe handouts prepared by the BBQ RESCUES! Foundation. Feel free to reprint and share alike.

#chefmickbrown #andrewfriedman #BBQRESCUES #CongregationBaisNaftoli #LosAngeles
Was a true pleasure to meet Andrew Friedman, President of Congregation Bais Naftoli in Los Angeles.

For the Breakfast, they served delicious Scrambled Eggs, Lox Salmon, Smoked Whitefish, Banana Blintzes, as well as was an abundances of Salad, Bagels, Cream Cheese and Fresh Fruits (& Veggies). My favorite was chomping on the Blueberries that were refreshing and in season, among other dishes.

After the Breakfast, I attended to a meeting at the West Los Angeles Farmer’s Market. Upon leaving, I couldn’t resist the unmistakable aroma of smoking BBQ.  Venturing a bit further down Santa Monica Bl., was surprised to stumble upon my first ever Kosher Street BBQ at Santa Monica Kosher Market. A Coincidence? After having just prepared flyers on the subject? Who knows… Will say I was impressed to not have to request Fresh Veggies from the Grill. They already had me covered.

#KosherBBQ #Mesquite #Chicken #GrilledVeggies #SantaMonicaKosherMarket #BBQ #Sundays
KosherBBQ- Mesquite Grilled Chicken, Grilled Veggies from Santa Monica Kosher Market “BBQ Sundays”.

 

TIPS: How to incorporate BBQ and more Nutrition for your Home Kosher Dishes:

Matzo ball Soup– Try wood smoking Chicken for the Broth. Grill the Carrots, Celery and even the Matzo Balls before adding with Herbs to broth.
Kosher Vegan Soup Broth and Gluten Free Matzo Balls are available online and at selected Kosher Grocery Stores.
Smoked Salmon– Home Smoked Salmon contains up to 80% less sodium than most store bought cured salmon.
Smoked Brisket– Rather than the oven, try cooking your Brisket on the Grill to add nice smoky flavor.
Pastrami- Yes pastrami! Try grilling or smoking it at home to cut down on the heavily salty and sugared brines used in store brands and certain Deli’s.
Smoked Whitefish- Is much easier to smoke at home than you may think.

BREAKFAST 1PGjp

Copy and Downloadable version of BBQ RESCUES! Foundation’s Tips for Kosher BBQ.

LINKS:

Congregation Bais Naftoli– 221 S. La Brea Ave., LA 90036  https://www.guidestar.org/profile/95-4374061

RESOURCES: Some Kosher BBQ in Los Angeles:*

Santa Monica Kosher Market- Chicken, Kabobs, Grilled Veggies every Sunday. 11540 W. Santa Monica Bl., West LA

Ta-eem Grill— Kabobs, Grilled Chicken, Beef, Rib Eye Steak. 7422 Melrose Ave. LA. http://www.ta-eemgrillinc.com
Haifa Restaurant- Grilled Schnitzel, Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Trout. 8717 W. Pico Blvd. LA http://www.haifala.com
Harrisa/Got Kosher?– Grilled Chicken, Tofu, Pulled Brisket, Sausage, Steak, Lamb and Sunday BBQ Menu. 8914 W. Pico Bl., West LA http://www.harrisala.com
Osher Restaurant- Fun new Kosher place with BBQ Burgers and Jewish Soul Food. 8657 W Pico Blvd. LA http://www.osherla.com

*List is non-sponsored, always confirm Kitchens are Kosher