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Dinner

The goodness of tomatoes, the goodness of summer: a review of Red Gold Tomatoes grilling recipes – and a giveaway!

shared by MickyN | 59 Comments

To write about food is to write about memories – and this is certainly true in my case, when it comes to writing about tomatoes. To me, they remind me of the many gorgeous summers I spent in the countryside while I was growing up. My aunt and uncle owned a small house about 20 miles away from the city, and they loved having me and my niece Anne Marie over when school was out for the summer.

Those were the days I never got tired because the world and its wonders kept me in awe, and my uncle’s garden was something to behold. We used to play hide-and-seek in that garden, tirelessly running around the cherry trees, digging deep and hoping to discover allegedly long-lost treasures at the root of the old fir tree, or happily hunting down Colorado beetles in the mild sunset light. We would always play and eat in that garden – who could have resisted freshly picked raspberries, apricots, apples and, of course, tomatoes? Indeed, no day would pass without me eating a tomato from my uncle’s garden. Firm, slightly sweet and deliciously thirst-quenching, my uncle’s heirloom tomatoes would give me that much-needed energy boost to go on with my playing. 

This is how tomatoes became a part of who I am today – and this is why I love tomatoes and using them (either fresh or canned) in my recipes. I cooked again with tomatoes recently, for a special occasion: Red Gold Tomatoes contacted me and asked me to review their products and grilling recipes, and they also offered a giveaway to my readers.

This summer Red Gold Tomatoes is encouraging home chefs to grill with its tomatoes, and their summer grilling recipes can be found here. They are also running a promotion on Facebook in collaboration with Laura’s Lean Beef, where you can win one large Big Green Egg each week, as well as hundreds of insulated tote bags. Red Gold sent me the package below and a bottle of their new sriracha ketchup (due to hit the stores soon) to facilitate my recipe review. I was not financially compensated for this post. All opinions expressed here are my own.

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I tested three of Red Gold’s recipes, and the grilled steak with chimichurri sauce was my family’s favorite by far. I used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. However, I only used 2 tbsp because I did not want the sauce to be too sweet. It was also great to be able to put to good use the fresh oregano from my garden. The end result was a very tasty sauce, with its diverse components working together to deliver layer upon layer of flavor.

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The chimichurri elevated the steak and made it light and packed full of flavor. Every ingredient in the sauce, from tomatoes to garlic, from cumin to red pepper flakes, had a flavorful, justified reason to be there, and spoke in harmony with the others. What a tasty and joyful summer dish!

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We liked the chimichurri sauce so much that we ended up using it on top of the spicy tomato burger, the second recipe I made. My husband thought the original burger was not spicy enough, so I took out the dill pickles and kalamata olives I’d served the burger with initially, and replaced them with the chimichurri sauce. The result impressed both my husband and I: the burger was spicy – and so good! For super spiciness, you can also serve the burger with sriracha ketchup.

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To go with the burger, I made grilled corn with whipped tomato butter. I left the petite diced tomatoes slightly chunky to give the butter a bit of texture. The butter melted beautifully on the hot grilled corn, and the tomatoes and the lemon juice made it light and refreshing. You can make this butter in advance and store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

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Overall, my family and I enjoyed the Red Gold products and grilling recipes. They provided a flavorful alternative to the usual meals in our household, and a change which was greatly appreciated – after all, variety is the spice of life 🙂 Last but not least, they gave me the chance to experiment with one of my favorite ingredients, and to go back in time and rejoice in my happiest memories.

Red Gold is offering Chicago Loves Panini readers the chance to win a pack of Red Gold & Laura’s Lean Beef goodies similar to the one I received.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and answer the following question: What is your favorite food to cook on the grill, and why?

Giveaway open to US residents only. One entry per person. Deadline for entries is 6PM central time on July 22nd, 2015. One winner will be chosen on or around July 23rd, 2015 by using a random number generator and will have 72 hours to respond to the winner notification email. I reserve the right to pick an alternative winner if the original winner does not contact me 72 hours after receipt of winner notification email.

Good luck!

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Comments

  1. Kelly D says

    July 9, 2015 at 1:50 am

    I like to cook zucchini on the grill because the grill brings out the flavor.

    Reply
  2. Julie Matek says

    July 9, 2015 at 4:16 pm

    I love burgers & brats on the grill because they get that nice charbroiled taste:)

    Reply
  3. David says

    July 9, 2015 at 6:46 pm

    I like to cook barbecued rope sausage. We used to eat them all the time when I was a kid. We would wrap them in a tortilla and call them a Texas corn-dog.

    Reply
  4. Marissa S. says

    July 9, 2015 at 8:22 pm

    I love cooking burgers on the grill, and love adding grilled veggies to them!

    Reply
  5. monica says

    July 9, 2015 at 9:04 pm

    corn because its a crowd pleaser

    Reply
  6. perrieb2013 says

    July 10, 2015 at 7:20 am

    Love to cook burgers, corn on the cob and baked potatoes on the grill!

    Reply
  7. Ashley Kolpak says

    July 10, 2015 at 11:07 am

    I love to cook any veggies on the grill, like zucchini, peppers, and broccoli, just drizzle them with olive oil and some oregano and yum! I like to make that because everyone enjoys it!

    Reply
  8. Regina says

    July 10, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    Burgers!! We don’t eat them a lot, so I think that is why grilling season excites me…not to mention I am not the one cooking!!

    Reply
  9. Gregg Cesario says

    July 10, 2015 at 1:32 pm

    Ribs … Just can’t get enough

    Reply
  10. Sharill R. says

    July 10, 2015 at 2:22 pm

    Sadly, I don’t own a grill. But I have tasted the best salmon in my life and it was made in a grill! The flavors that my mouth tasted were out of this world lol!

    Reply
  11. Wehaf says

    July 10, 2015 at 2:30 pm

    My favorite thing to cook on the grill is actually pineapple, because it gets this amazing caramelized taste.

    Reply
  12. Stephanie Phelps says

    July 10, 2015 at 2:43 pm

    I love to cook pineapple and chicken on the grill the pineapple has so much flavor and adds such a great taste to your chicken kinda like going to Hawaii

    Reply
  13. Lindsey L says

    July 10, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    We love grilling mesquite chicken, it’s the first meal my husband ever made me when we were just starting to date!

    Reply
  14. tara darity says

    July 10, 2015 at 3:02 pm

    I love to cook burgers on the grill!

    Reply
  15. Natalie says

    July 10, 2015 at 3:27 pm

    I love to cook veggies on the grill because the char marks make them extra tasty!

    Reply
  16. EDJ says

    July 10, 2015 at 3:27 pm

    plain old burgers…keeping it simple 🙂

    Reply
  17. Angelica says

    July 10, 2015 at 5:33 pm

    My favorite food to eat from the grill is a nice rare steak but my favorite food to cook on it is peaches, I love watching them sizzle and the awesome aroma! 🙂

    Reply
  18. Darlene Carbajal says

    July 10, 2015 at 6:42 pm

    I love cooking burgers on the grill. They are my favorite!

    Reply
  19. chris z says

    July 10, 2015 at 7:31 pm

    i like to cook burgers on the grill everyone likes them

    Reply
  20. Cynthia says

    July 10, 2015 at 9:24 pm

    I love to cook burgers and corn on the cob! Yummy! My summertime favorite

    Reply
  21. Donna L says

    July 10, 2015 at 10:54 pm

    I love to cook ribs on the grill because they’re delicious.

    Reply
  22. David Fultner says

    July 11, 2015 at 2:41 am

    I love doing my red bell peppers on the grill for a smoky taste.

    Reply
  23. Sylvana B says

    July 11, 2015 at 3:28 am

    My favorite food on the grill are turkey burgers.

    Reply
  24. Ashley Nolan says

    July 11, 2015 at 7:45 am

    I like cooking hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, they both taste good and I usually have one of each!

    Reply
  25. jessica edwards says

    July 11, 2015 at 12:27 pm

    Burgers! They are a classic and always taste better on the grill!

    Reply
  26. Sheila K. says

    July 11, 2015 at 8:35 pm

    I like having my turkey burgers grilled—it gives them a great taste

    Reply
  27. Sarah says

    July 11, 2015 at 10:48 pm

    My favorite food to cook on the grill is peaches, they taste so sweet and delicious with vanilla bean ice cream and maple syrup on top.

    Reply
  28. Connie Lee says

    July 12, 2015 at 12:39 am

    I like to cook burgers on the grill. We love the taste of a good old fashioned hamburger and they are not expensive to cook.

    Reply
  29. amylou61 says

    July 12, 2015 at 1:44 pm

    I like cooking chicken on the grill because I can add a rub or sauce which caramilizes and makes it so yummy! Also, I don’t have to heat up the kitchen.

    Reply
  30. Jeanna Massman says

    July 13, 2015 at 7:57 am

    To me, nothing is better than a juicy hamburger straight from the grill topped with tomatoes, lettuce and onions!

    Reply
  31. amweeks says

    July 15, 2015 at 12:44 pm

    Your corn looks delicious! We love to cook chicken & veggie skewers (chicken, zucchini, summer squash, onions, peppers). We baste them in an Italian dressing. I love them because it’s something the whole family enjoys & they’re healthy!

    Reply
  32. Ashley says

    July 16, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    Oh gosh, steak. Definitely steak!

    Reply
  33. Jan Hammersmith says

    July 17, 2015 at 10:36 am

    I love to cook sweet corn because it has a better taste

    Reply
  34. Elizabeth B says

    July 18, 2015 at 7:52 am

    My favorite food to cook on the grill is BBQ ribs! LOL, well, BBQ anything, really! My parents got me hooked on BBQ as a kid, and its been a summertime favorite of mine since childhood.

    Reply
  35. jessica c says

    July 18, 2015 at 2:48 pm

    My favorite food to cook on the grill has to be shrimp and skewers. with melted butter and garlic… okay your making me hungry off to the store..lol

    Reply
  36. eguiver yol says

    July 18, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    Love to grill fish with fruit salsa , because i like to fish so have lots of extra

    Reply
  37. Liz Lew says

    July 20, 2015 at 1:27 am

    Corn, it is the easiest-lol

    Reply
  38. bn100 says

    July 20, 2015 at 1:30 am

    corn because it tastes better grilled

    Reply
  39. Rhonda R says

    July 20, 2015 at 2:29 am

    My favorite foods to cook are hotdogs and brauts because they are so easy! I love to entertain with these and plenty of good fixings!

    Reply
  40. Nancy says

    July 21, 2015 at 12:28 am

    I like to grill steak because it is easy and delicious!

    Reply
  41. Cori Westphal says

    July 21, 2015 at 12:32 am

    Fish! I hate stinking up the house cooking fish. It’s so nice to have the mess and stink outside!

    Reply
  42. Rita A says

    July 21, 2015 at 2:02 am

    lately I have been using my Big Green Egg for slow grilling vegetables. It makes them so tasty and keeps the heat out of the kitchen.

    Reply
  43. nycdropout says

    July 21, 2015 at 7:22 am

    Pepper poppers! I’ve been cooking them alot on the grill this summer. 🙂

    Reply
  44. Melissa Mazzur says

    July 21, 2015 at 11:06 am

    My favorite foods to cook on the grill are fresh veggies!

    Reply
  45. lindsay hess says

    July 21, 2015 at 12:22 pm

    I love to cook sliced potatoes, onions and green peppers with sausage in foil. It tastes so good and will go really far for your family!! My family loves it and Im glad because Im saving money:)

    Reply
  46. Jessica Rose says

    July 21, 2015 at 5:35 pm

    I love to grill asparagus and veggies!

    Reply
  47. ELizabeth H. says

    July 21, 2015 at 5:56 pm

    I LOVE lobster tail, shrimp on a skewer, butter and a slice of fresh pineapple with a drizzle of brown sugar butter all over it… Totally fattening, but well worth the indulgence every once in a while

    Reply
  48. K.M. (@McKenna_1444) says

    July 21, 2015 at 6:48 pm

    I actually love grilling cauliflower. I brush with garlic-infused olive oil and man is it good!

    Reply
  49. dschultz1101 says

    July 21, 2015 at 9:08 pm

    I’m going to have to say that a good chicken breast on the grill can’t be beat!

    Reply
  50. Leah Shumack says

    July 22, 2015 at 2:40 am

    There is nothing like a grilled steak! After marinating for a day or two it’s perfect with a nice corn on the cob!

    Reply
  51. Liz Lew says

    July 22, 2015 at 3:51 am

    Corn because it is super easy

    Reply
  52. Breanne says

    July 22, 2015 at 4:16 am

    I love steak. It’s one of my favorite foods!

    Reply
  53. Laurie Nykaza says

    July 22, 2015 at 9:54 am

    I love to cook steak on the grill it always comes out great!

    Reply
  54. Nicole Carter says

    July 22, 2015 at 10:12 am

    I love to cook hamburgers on the grill because nothing beats a nice big juicy hamburger on the grill when its done right!

    Reply
  55. laurie murley says

    July 22, 2015 at 11:35 am

    we love cooking hamburger and hotdogs on the grill, we do have chicken and pork too

    Reply
  56. Cheryll Shubert says

    July 22, 2015 at 10:38 pm

    I love absolutely everything on the grill!! Food just tastes better!! I especially like grilled zucchini. I slice it and sprinkle herbs and grated cheese on it! So amazing!! I LOVE shish-ka-bob too!! It’s my favorite!!

    Reply

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I have a passion for writing and an appetite for cooking. I love to tell stories about foods, cultures, and people - and I love to eat! Come join me on this delicious foodie adventure! Read More

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