You know how great honey can be as a general-purpose sweetener and natural health food, but it can also be used in very creative ways in recipes. Here are 6 honey recipes worth trying.
1. Honey pepper tenderloin
- One 6 to 7 lb. whole beef tenderloin
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons steak seasoning mix or seasoned salt
- 1 Tablespoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Trim any cartilage and fat from the tenderloin. Slice tenderloin into thin slices (1/4 inch thick or less) and place in a large bowl. Coat the tenderloin slices in olive oil and sprinkle evenly with steak seasoning and pepper. Refrigerate for one to two hours. In another bowl, mix honey, ketchup, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Add this mixture to the tenderloin slices and refrigerate overnight. Grill by placing slices on hot grill, cooking 2-3 minutes per side, until desired level of doneness. Delicious served on sandwich rolls.
2. Italian honey-barbecue beans
- 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
- 1 can (15 oz.) each of red kidney beans, black beans and pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup honey
- Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1/2 cup mesquite barbecue sauce
- 2 Tablespoons instant coffee
- 1/2 Tablespoon hot sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in large saucepan. Sauté onions until tender (around 10 minutes). Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for half an hour, until the mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper.
3. Raspberry-Honey Barbecue Sauce
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 cup water
- teaspoons cornstarch
- Non-stick cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Tablespoons finely chopped green onions
- teaspoons chopped and seeded fresh jalapeno peppers
- 4 Tablespoons seedless red raspberry preserves
- 3 Tablespoons hot sauce
Whisk water and cornstarch together in a small bowl and set aside. Spray bottom of medium saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Sauté garlic, green onions, and chopped jalapeno pepper for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add honey, red raspberry preserves, ketchup, hot sauce and stir. Cook for 2 minutes longer. Whisk in the water and cornstarch mixture. Cook until sauce thickens (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool. This barbecue sauce is great on ribs, chicken, or pork chops. Add honey sauces to meat during the last few minutes of grilling to avoid burning and caramelizing.
4. Honey-Chipotle Hamburger Sauce
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
- 4 roasted Anaheim chili peppers, fresh or canned
- 4 slices (1 oz.) Pepper Jack cheese
- 4 hamburger buns
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 4 slices tomato
- 4 slices red onion
For sauce, mix together:
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce sliced,
- 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
For burgers, divide meat into 4 patties. Combine salt, pepper, Creole seasoning and sprinkle evenly over patties. Grill burgers until almost cooked to desired doneness level. Top each burger with a chili pepper and a cheese slice. Spread the honey-chipotle sauce evenly on each of the buns, add burgers, and garnish with tomato, lettuce, and onion slices.
5. Grilled tuna with honey
- 3 tuna steaks of 3/4-inch thickness
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon wasabi paste (optional)
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
Combine honey, soy sauce, and wasabi paste (optional) together in a large bowl. Add tuna steaks and coat them with the mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove steaks and roll in sesame seeds to coat. Grill tuna steaks on hot grill for about 1 minute per side until desired doneness.
6. Honey onion kielbasa
- 1 kielbasa sausage
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 12-oz. can beer
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- Pepper, chili powder or favorite spices
Slice kielbasa into ½-inch thick discs and set aside. Sauté onion in butter until tender and transparent. In a large skillet, slowly bring ½ of the can of beer to a boil. Add kielbasa. Cook until half the beer is evaporated. Add remaining beer. Add honey, mustard, and spices, and cook until thickened. Add sautéed onion to sauce.