Labor Day Recipes from Food Network Chefs Guy Fieri and Rachael Ray

Guy Fieri
Photo Credit: Splash News

This year Labor Day lands on September 5th. It’s a holiday we all like to enjoy with family and friends, so why not make it special with some tasty Labor Day recipes?

Celebrity chefs Guy Fieri and Rachael Ray are no strangers to food or entertaining, so we’re giving you some of their tastiest recipes to share with your loved ones as summer comes to an end.

Healthy Recipes for Labor Day

Rachael Ray is a successful television personality and bestselling cookbook author with her own lifestyle magazine. She also has a long-running daytime program called “The Rachael Ray Show,” on which she prepares easy-to-make recipes for the audience.

A photo posted by Rachael Ray (@rachaelray) on

Here is a delicious Labor Day-friendly recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray:

Chicken Souvlaki Sticks with Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

3 lemons
16 bamboo skewers
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
16 chicken tenders, about 1 1/2 pounds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and grated

Directions:

First, soak skewers in warm water for approx. 30 minutes.

Preheat your grill or pan to medium-high setting.

Mix the zest and juice of two lemons, olive oil, oregano, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Mash up the garlic into a paste with coarse salt and then add 3/4 of it to the marinade, reserving some for dipping sauce. Add the chicken tenders to the marinade and season with them with salt and pepper. Then turn the tenders in the marinade to coat them all and let stand 10 minutes.

Poke through the tenders with damp skewers and cook seven to eight minutes. Turn only once and cook through until firm and juicy.

While the skewers cook, mix the Greek yogurt with the leftover lemon juice, remaining garlic mash, grated cucumber, cumin, and salt. Divide the dip in four equal servings.

Serve five skewers per person coupled with the dipping sauce.

Most people know Guy Fieri from the hit Food Network shows Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy’s Grocery Games. He also owns several restaurants in California and other parts of the U.S. Fieri’s famous for his passion for food and big flavors.

Here is a recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri:

Homemade Chorizo

Ingredients:

2 oz. (14 feet) hog sausage casing (can be found at most butchers)
5 cloves garlic
2 chipotles in adobo sauce
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
5 pounds boneless pork butt
4 tablespoons kosher salt
3 to 5 teaspoons cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons ancho chili powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Vegetable oil

Directions:

Assemble the casing and soften by soaking in cold water for 30 minutes. Next, run water through it to eliminate extra salt and check for any leaks.

Next, add the chipotles (seeds removed) to a food processor with the vinegar, garlic, and tequila. Chop finely.

Next, remove any silver skin from the pork, then dice into three-inch chunks.

Grind the meat in a meat grinder (or mixer with a grinder attachment) with a 316-inch die. Use the feed tube to carefully push the meat through.

Next, season the meat—make sure your hands are clean and jewelry-free because you’ll be mixing with them. Combine cumin, onion powder, paprika, salt, chili powder, oregano, and white pepper in a small bowl and season the pork in layers:

Place half the ground meat in a large bowl, cover with half the spice mixture and the other half with the garlic-vinegar mixture. Add the rest of the spices, meat and garlic mixture. Combine it all with your hands and then thread the casing.

Attach the sausage-stuffing tube to the grinder and slide the whole casing onto the tube, leaving just enough at the end to tie into a secure knot.

Guide the sausage mixture into the tube carefully while the mixer is on low, using one hand to lead the casing out at the right speed; don’t overstuff!

Turn the mixer off when you get about three to four feet of sausage. Cut and tie off the casing. Repeat for the remaining sausages, pinching the casing every eight inches to form links. Add linked sausages to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.

To cook, preheat one side of a grill to medium-high setting and the other side to low. Lightly brush the grill with oil, then grill the sausages for six to eight minutes or until they’re browned on all sides. Move to low heat and grill for an additional five to seven minutes.

Serve with the sides of your choosing! Bon appetit!


Sources:
Fieri, G., “Homemade Chorizo” The Food Network web site; http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/homemade-chorizo-recipe2.html; last accessed August 26, 2016.
Ray, R., “Chicken Souvlaki Sticks with Yogurt Dipping Sauce” The Food Network web site; http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-souvlaki-sticks-with-yogurt-dipping-sauce-recipe.html; last accessed August 26, 2016.