Meatless Grilling

By default, when it comes to thinking about grilling, I gravitate towards your more typical fare – hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, etc. But as I find myself eating meat less frequently, I’ve had the opportunity to experiment a bit with what I throw on the grill. We all know I’ve complained in the past about my inability to make non-fall apart veggie burgers, which I’m happy to report is improving. Since that was never much of a success (the one time I “grilled” homemade veggie burgers, they never cooked), I was weary about grilling things like tofu, and tempeh. Alternatively, if you are interested in grilled meats, check out the best turkey injection recipe, for you and your family.

Over the last few months I’ve learned just how versatile tofu and tempeh are, and finally decided to bite the bullet and grill some. While I haven’t grilled tofu yet (it’s on my to-try list, I promise) I did make the easiest BBQ grilled tempeh sandwiches. There is really little to no thinking involved, and for those hot summer nights post work-out where you really don’t feel like turning on the oven or even thinking about dinner, this can be yours in no time.

I’m really looking forward to trying out some new things on the grill this summer, so if you have any suggestions, send them my way! But in the meantime, go make this.

BBQ Grilled Tempeh and Veggie Sandwiches
– Serves 2 –

Ingredients:
1 package of tempeh (I used Trader Joe’s)
1 medium green pepper, sliced into rings
1 large red onion, sliced into rings
4 Tbsp your favorite BBQ sauce, plus more for dipping and dunking
2 hamburger buns

Directions:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Slice the tempeh in half as evenly as possible (they should be somewhat square shaped).
3. Coat each side of the “patty” with a Tbsp of BBQ sauce. Feel free to add more or less depending on your flavor preference.
4. Spray a grill basket with cooking spray, and fill with the onion and pepper.
5. Bring everything out to the grill, and cook the onion and pepper on the top rack while the tempeh is on the bottom rack, all for 10 minutes, flipping everything halfway through.
6. Assemble your sandwich with the tempeh patty, and onion and pepper rings. Add more sauce if you’d like, and keep some nearby for dunking!

Crabby Patty

With a lot going on in my life recently, I’ve come to realize that I haven’t been the most pleasant to be around (heck, sometimes I haven’t even wanted to be around myself). Let’s be honest, no one likes a crabby person, and I’ve definitely been one over the last few weeks. I’ve had a few procedures in the past few weeks with still no answers, so that combined with a screwed up schedule from all the tests, and my inability to eat and exercise normally has resulted in a crabby Danielle.

I’ve spent most of the last week and a half in what I like to refer to as “a ball of mean.” Thankfully, I’ve been aware of my mood, so I’ve just kept to myself. My mood has improved now that I’m back to a more normal routine, including cooking! Spending time in the kitchen can be hit or miss for me – it’s either really great and helps relieve stress, or it just adds to it. For awhile it’s been more of a burden than a pleasure, but that seems to thankfully be turning around. So, on one of the “better” nights I decided to throw together a polenta bake.

Despite not getting the official “ok” from my doctor, after consulting with nurse mom, we decided I could reintroduce some dairy, as not having it has made no change over the last few weeks. So I’m still limiting myself, but not completely avoiding it. After next week’s final test, we should have a pretty good idea of what’s going on down below. But until then I’m going to make things like this delicious vegan bake that can easily be turned vegetarian or even enjoyed by a meat lover. Make sure to choose your hot pepper wisely, though – this can get spicy quickly!

Vegan Southwestern Polenta Bake
– Serves 4 –

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp oil for cooking
1 package of soy crumbles, about 1 1/2 cups of TVP, or 1 lb of ground turkey/beef
4 oz. cream cheese or cream cheese substitute (I love Trader Joe’s “Not Cream Cheese”)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 hot pepper of your choice, diced (I used a dried habanero and it was HOT!)
1 (150z) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 package/tube of pre-cooked polenta (again, a big fan of TJ’s)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Adobo
1 cup of salsa
Avocado for garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a small pan, sauté onion in 2 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat until translucent, 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
3. In large skillet, cook your meat/meat substitute about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Add in cream cheese until melted, as well as spices and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add in cooked onion, beans, and hot pepper. Cook till heated through and combined, about another 2 minutes. Stir in nutritional yeast.
4. Slice the polenta into 1/2 inch rounds, and layer in a 9×11 sprayed baking dish.
5. Top the polenta with the meat/bean mixture, and top with salsa
6. Bake 20 minutes or until salsa is bubbling.
Serve with sliced or mashed avocado.

Easy Baked Chicken

When I found a recipe for cheesy slow cooker potatoes on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to pair it with chicken breast. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with it, but I eventually settled on baking it with a dry rub. This should be prefaced by me saying that cooking meat scares me, and this fear is nearly irrational when it comes to chicken. I’m always afraid I’ll undercook it, and somehow contaminate my entire kitchen in the process. Thankfully I haven’t had any real meat cooking blunders, but I’m always much more comfortable with non-meat meals.

Anyway, this is super easy, and aside from taking the chicken out of the package and putting the spices on it, there really isn’t anything else you need to do. The chicken breasts I picked up were a little on the thick side, so I pounded them out a bit (with my fist, since I don’t have a meat tenderizer – classy) before adding the spices. I think this would be perfect sliced and over a salad, or maybe with some Mexican rice. The possibilities are endless!

Easy Baked Chicken
– Serves 4 –

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp adobo
1 tsp paprika
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. If needed, pound out the chicken. Mix together all of the spices.
3. Take about a teaspoon of the spice mixture and rub it on each side of the chicken breast. If you have some left over at the end you can spread it across the chicken as you see fit.
4. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Add the chicken to the sheet.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on your oven), flipping at the half-way point.

Grilled Burritos

Not that I’ve been thinking about it, but I’d just like to throw it out there that going vegan is something I simply wouldn’t be able to do for one very selfish reason – I love cheese way too much! We buy shredded cheese at the grocery store almost every week, and I get antsy when our stash is low. If we happen to buy a block of cheese for something, you can usually find me sneaking a slice (aka a huge hunk of it) here and there. Hi my name is Danielle and I’m a cheese-aholic.

Anyway, after thinking about a grilled stuffed burrito from Taco Bell and seeing a yummy recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up on Pinterest, I decided it would probably be in the best interest of my waistline to try and make it at home instead. Now, my version is by no means “healthy,” but at least it’s vegetarian and I know exactly what’s in it. This recipe makes A LOT, so depending on how much you fill your burrito with, you may have leftovers that would make a great dip with some tortilla chips, or even over pasta (if you leave out the rice in the recipe).

So as you can guess, this recipe has a serious cheese factor. I’ve used cream cheese in a few Mexican/Southwestern inspired dishes in the past, and every time I’m amazed at how creamy and cheesey it makes things, and my next thought is usually, “duh.” Before that I always associated cream cheese with either dessert, or breakfast – but not anymore!

Cheesey Grilled Burritos
Inspired by Jamie Cooks It Up
– Serves 6-8 –

Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable broth
1 14oz. can sliced stewed tomatoes
1 15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz. can corn, drained and rinsed
1 4oz. can of diced green chiles
1 8oz. package of cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheese blend (I use a cheddar/jack mix)
1 Tbsp chipotle chili in adobo
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup uncooked brown rice*
2-3 Tbsp masa flour to thicken the mixture (*depends on the consistency of your mixture – see #4)
burrito sized tortillas
Cooking Spray

Directions:
1. In a medium sized skillet, add the broth, rice, and tomatoes. Heat over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the beans, corn, and spices, and let it cook for an additional 5 minutes until everything is well mixed.
3. Add in the cream cheese and be sure to stir it slowly to help it melt (I broke the 8oz block in half to help). This will take about 10 minutes for it to fully dissolve into creamy goodness. Stir in the shredded cheese as well. Turn the heat to low and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. The mixture should be creamy but not too liquid-y because you’re going to need to put it in a burrito. So, if it needs to be thickened, add the masa flour one teaspoon at a time.
5. Heat a separate skillet over medium-high heat, that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.
6. Add 2 generous spoon-fulls to a tortilla, roll it, and add it to the skillet cooking for about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

*NOTE: The rice retains a little crunch if you cook it this way. If you’d prefer it to be softer, I’d suggest cooking it either half way or fully first, before adding it in to the mix.

Slow and Steady

Getting a slow-cooker has proved to be a successful meal maker on most Sundays. I love the idea of throwing a whole bunch of stuff into a big pot and letting it just cook for hours, without needing any attention from me. After trying slow-cooker lasagna for the first time a few months ago, I knew I wanted more of it, but I wanted to switch things up. So, I tried a buffalo chicken lasagna a few weeks ago that was amazing (I need to find that recipe so I can share it with you!), and then I made a Southwestern lasagna.

Even though this is the first year I haven’t filled out a March Madness bracket in awhile, I’m still interested in the games. So, throwing this in the slow-cooker and plopping myself on the couch was just what the doctor (aka myself) ordered on Sunday. It also made enough that the hubs and I will be able to enjoy it mid-week as well. I’m a big fan of making something that has leftovers, especially when the meal is a winner. When I was trying to figure out what I wanted in the lasagna, I realized there are so many different variations you could make. Ours was on the spicier side, but you can of course dial down the spices to your liking, or swap them out for something else!

Of course it wouldn’t be complete without some guacamole, so thanks to the wonderful Hormel, I picked up some Spicy Wholly Guacamole. It was the perfect addition to the meal, and they aren’t messing around with the spice! I would definitely try their pico de gallo and guacamole dip they have, too.

Southwestern Lasagna
– Serves 4 –

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, ground turkey, or soy crumbles (I used Jennie-O ground turkey)
1 green pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10oz. can Rotel tomatoes & green chiles
1 10oz. can enchilada sauce
3 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Adobo
1/4 tsp paprika
8oz. shredded cheese blend
6 burrito sized flour tortillas (I use Chi-Chi’s brand)
guacamole, sour cream, and salsa for garnish

Directions:
1. Brown meat until cooked through, and drain any excess fat (if there is any). Mix in spices (chili powder, cumin, Adobo, and paprika) until combined.
2. Combine ground beef, diced onions, diced green pepper, black beans, and tomato and chilies mixture in a medium sized bowl.
3. Layer 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of your slow-cooker. Follow with a tortilla, 1 1/2 cups of the meat/veggie mixture, and a 1/4 cup of cheese.
4. Continue layering, ending with a tortilla at the top. Finish it off with another 1/4 cup of cheese, and pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top.
5. Cook on low heat for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Hormel Foods sent me a $50 gift card as a member of their Extended Family Food Blogger program in order to create a meal using products from the Hormel family, and to blog about it. The opinions in this post are my own.

Super Pie

Happy Pi day!

Every year, I celebrate the one thing about math I don’t completely loathe – piE. I remember growing up and struggling with math, crying to my mom and dad about how I just didn’t get it, while I’d fly through my language arts homework. My mom would try to make it “fun” by teaching percents in terms of shopping, and thinking about food when it came to fractions. But at the end of the day, I just didn’t (and still don’t) get math. But that’s okay, because I at least know that pi is 3.14… and all you need to do is add an “E” and you’ve got yourself dessert!

Since blogging I’ve made some type of pie every year, but this year we had pie for dinner AND dessert! Thanks to the wonderful world of Pinterest, I found both recipes. The first, spaghetti pie from A Kitchen Muse, caught my eye because it seemed impossible that it would all stick together in a pie dish. But, all you need to do is throw in an egg, and you’ve got yourself spaghetti that holds up enough to cut it and actually eat in pie shape. The recipe called for cottage cheese, which made me nervous since I’m not a CC fan. In the mix with the pasta sauce and cheese, though, it tasted great! The recipe was super easy, and provided enough food for my husband and I for two days.

The dessert pie, also found on Pinterest, is a play on the infamous pie from The Help. I should mention there is one very important ingredient missing from my pie that was in Minny’s pie, and I wouldn’t suggest adding it in – if you know what I mean. This pie is so incredibly easy to make – you probably have everything you need right in your pantry already! It’s from Food & Wine, and is actually the recipe that was used for the pies in the movie. It was great with some whipped cream, and came together quickly. I’ll definitely be making this pie again.

While I didn’t come up with my very own Pi Day recipes, I have been playing around in the kitchen making some other things that I’ll hopefully be posting soon! But, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I enjoy finding and recreating recipes that are already created – sometimes at the end of the day I just don’t have enough energy to create something new in the kitchen. That’s why I’m thankful for cookbooks, blogs, and the wonders of Google searching. My meals would probably be very boring without those resources!

So, how did you celebrate Pi Day? Do you celebrate the E, or nerd out?

Curry in a hurry

I’ve been slowly but surely getting back into the swing of things in terms of running. After running the Philly Marathon in November and then turning around and completing the Goofy Challenge at the beginning of January, I had some trouble running right after that. It wasn’t for lack of wanting to run, but when push came to shove, I was much happier on my couch. After signing up for the Chicago Marathon (basically as an excuse to visit and eat my way through Chicago again), I realized that in order to make this training cycle a little less torturous, I needed to get back out there now.

So, with February coming to a close I’m finishing out the month with just over 70 miles. That’s nothing to write home about, since most runners that I follow on Twitter run that in a WEEK, but for me, it’s a good starting point. I’ve come to realize that I can’t be a high-volume runner, at least not yet. My little legs won’t allow for it, and usually revolt in the form of shin splints, tight hips, or weird foot pains. So for now I’m focusing on PRing a half marathon in April (it’s about time, since I’ve only had one good half marathon since I started running, and it was my first one ever), and just enjoying running along the way. Sometimes I get lost in the “chore” of running, but then I remember how lucky I am that I can run, and that usually carries me for a few weeks, until the whine cycle starts again.

After braving the 30+ MPH winds this past weekend on both Saturday and Sunday’s runs, the husband and I rewarded ourselves with Smoothie King, some yummy treats I’ll be mentioning later in the week, and curry! I love curry because of how flavorful and spicy it can be, and also its versatility. I had planned to make a slow-cooker curry lentil soup all week, but never got around to it. So on Saturday, some quick spicy curry was just what we needed. This could easily be turned into a soup with more liquid, but it was perfect served alongside some garlic naan.

Spicy Curried Lentils
– Serves 2-4 –

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked green lentils
1 yellow onion, diced
1-2 jalapeños, diced (depending on your heat preference)
1 15oz. can diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp ginger powder
3 cups water
1 chicken bouillon cube/packet of bouillon *

Directions:
1. In a large sauce pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and jalapeños and sauté for about 5 minutes.
2. Add 1 Tbsp curry powder, ginger powder, and garam masala, and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Stir in water, bouillon, and lentils. Simmer for 40 minutes, uncovered.
4. Add in tomatoes and 1 tsp curry powder, cook additional 5-1o minutes.
*NOTE: You can use 3 cups of vegetable broth OR chicken broth instead of the water/bouillon combination. I used a Herbox bouillon packet.

Sweet Tofu and Giveaway Winner!

Some days don’t go according to plan. It would be a lie for me to say that when the students talk over me, ignore my directions, are just plain rude, or don’t participate at all, I don’t take it personally. For as strong as I pretend to be, things grate on my nerves, and sometimes by the time that bell rings at 2:40p, I can’t wait to run home. Of course, even with these little hiccups I’m so incredibly happy with my decision to pursue teaching as my career.

I mention the above because Tuesday was one of those days. But more importantly, it inspired me to make something on the sweeter side for dinner. Conveniently, I had all those delicious sauces from House of Tsang just hanging out in my pantry, and decided to put some to use. Tuesday night’s dinner was a play on hot & sour chicken/beef/pork, but with tofu! Because the sauce is pre-made, this can be made in a matter of minutes. The only thing you need to prepare for is pressing the tofu, which takes at least 15 minutes. I threw it with some veggies and noodles – yum. You can find the quick and easy recipe below!

I’m sure you are all chomping at the bit to find out the winner of the House of Tsang prize pack! Well, thanks to Random.org, being first gets rewarded today!

The goodies go to Krissy, who mentioned one of my stir-fry favorites – water chestnuts!

Krissy, send me your address and I’ll be sure to get the package out to you ASAP!

Sweetly Sour Tofu

Ingredients:
1 package extra firm tofu, pressed
1/2 cup House of Tsang sweet & sour sauce (or your favorite brand)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees
2. Press tofu for 15-20 minutes between two plates with a something heavy (I used a cookbook) on top, then cut into even cubes
4. Place tofu into a medium sized bowl and cover the tofu with the sauce, using a a spoon to make sure the tofu is evenly coated
5. Once tofu is coated, place it on a greased baking sheet (I like to put foil down and spray that)
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until browned on both sides with a little crisp

Easy Baked Donuts

This past weekend was my first attempt at lesson planning. Sure I’ve made some mock lesson plans for courses I’ve taken over the last two years, but not plans for an entire week, that I’d actually be teaching. Thankfully it snowed on Saturday, so I was forced to stay inside and get it done. Teaching is no joke (not that I ever thought it was), and I definitely have a lot of work ahead of me.

othello — Nothing like a little Shakespeare

Teaching aside, the husband and I were in the mood for something sweet on Sunday morning. The mini donut pan I have from my bridal shower hasn’t been used in months (and was only used once), so I figured I’d break it out. These are your “old fashioned” style baked donut – it isn’t anything fancy, but boy are they good. With a simple cinnamon and sugar coating, they’re perfect with a cup of coffee. It certainly beat getting in the car and going to Dunkin’ Donuts, and then feeling bad about that decision later. The only time I allow myself to have donuts (and by “have” I mean devour) is after long runs – usually accompanied by a Coolata.

Easy Baked Donuts
– makes about 14 donuts –

Donut Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk or creamer (I used coffee creamer which makes it richer, but any % milk will work fine)
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 egg
4 Tbsp butter

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and whisk together.
3. Combine the wet ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, until the butter is completely melted. Be careful not to have the mixture get hot – the butter just needs to melt.
4. Add the wet mixture and egg to the dry ingredients and whisk together.
5. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the dough from the bowl and into your donut pan. You want the mixture to sit just below the rim of the pan.
6. Bake for 12 minutes, then take out to cool for about 2 minutes.
7. As the donuts are cooling, combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping on a plate, and melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave (about 30-40 seconds).
7. Once the donuts can be handled, dip one side into the melted butter and then roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bulked Up

When it comes to salad, I tend to think of it as a side dish, or acceptable lunch entreé, but rarely as the focus of dinner. My main reasoning for that is simple – I eat, a lot. I’ve come to learn that with the right ingredients a salad can be quite filling and in fact be a very appropriate dinner. Of course I made some frozen french fries just in case the salad wasn’t filling, but it was! We even wound up having leftovers that I was able to take for lunch the next day.

The recipe comes from Betty Crocker, and I was drawn to it because it had vegetarian in the title. Since the beginning of my vegetarian month wasn’t very successful, I’ve been sure to stick to it since then. I couldn’t help but laugh out-loud when reading the first ingredient was chicken broth. There were a few comments on the recipe bemoaning the vegetarian title, since obviously chicken broth is far from it. That was easy enough to adjust with vegetable broth to make it a truly vegetarian dish. In all honesty, that probably could have been omitted as well, and the bulgur could have been cooked in water.

This was actually my first time making bulgur wheat, and I’ve only ever had it before in tabouleh. If we’re going to be honest here, it smells like bird food before it’s cooked. It kind of looks like it too. But thankfully after cooking, it doesn’t have much of a flavor – if anything it’s a bit nutty, and for this particular salad it added a nice contrast. The other surprise of the salad was the dressing – it had a nice kick and was flavorful without being too oily or too salty (something I find a lot with “Asian inspired” dressings).

While I wouldn’t recommend this being your dinner after a full day of work and a workout, I think it’s appropriate for those rest days. Conveniently my entire week was a rest day. I like to use the excuse that I was adjusting to my new schedule. The truth of the matter is that it was cold, windy, and I was exhausted. Once the snow clears I’ll be back out on the roads – April’s half marathon isn’t going to PR itself.