Polenta Take 2: Pizza Style

After making the Polenta & Pinto Bean Pie, I had quite a bit of polenta left over. So, after doing some research (a.k.a Googling), I decided to try my hand at a polenta crust pizza. I suppose it’s less of a polenta crust pizza, and more of a polenta-styled pizza, since you need a fork and it isn’t super crispy like pizza (well, New York pizza at least).

By having little of it’s own flavor, polenta really allows you to do whatever you’d like with it. I can only imagine the different flavor combinations that could top a little slice of polenta – yum! At any rate, I decided to go with regular mozzarella cheese and some sautéed onions and peppers. It was actually really delicious, and surprisingly filling. Since the pre-cooked polenta I bought was rectangular, our pizza was more Elio’s shaped than anything else, which was a nice gourmet and healthier throwback to a childhood favorite.

Onions & Peppers Polenta Pizza
– Serves 2 –

Ingredients:
16 oz polenta (tube or squared)
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup sliced yellow onion
1/4 cup sliced green pepper
1/3 cup tomato sauce (any variation will work)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and coat 9 x 13 baking dish
2. While oven is heating, sauté onions and peppers in pan with just cooking spray (no oil) until slightly soft (onions are beginning to become translucent and peppers have a slight char)
3. Slice polenta into desired pieces (depending on shape, how many you’d like to make) and place in greased baking dish
4. Top polenta with equal amounts of sauce, cheese, onions, and peppers
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes

Simple Vegetarian: Polenta and Pinto Bean Pie

After searching for which vegetarian cookbook I got this recipe from, I was able to find it! This bad boy comes from Quick-Fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson, and it’s delicious! I’ve actually never had polenta before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. To me, it tasted a lot like a Matzo ball, which I love. So I’ll definitely be adding polenta into our diet a little more regularly; it’s a nice alternative to pasta and rice.

The recipe itself is straight forward and easy. Aside from the 30 minute cooking time, it took a whopping 5 minutes to prepare. It uses pre-cooked polenta which adds to the convenience factor, but I’m sure you could cook-up your own if you have the time. Just a side note, it took my fiancé and I a solid 30 minutes to find the polenta in the grocery store on Sunday. We looked everywhere; pasta section, international section, rice section, refrigerated section. Finally we called our friend that happens to work at that particular Wegmans, and he directed us to it’s proper location (all the way in the corner of the pasta aisle).

It’s also really filling. I made the entire recipe, and there was enough for another large meal (as in TWO dinners!). We added some home-made poor man’s guacamole and a little sour cream and paired it with a salad. I decided to heat up what was left over still from the two dinners for breakfast, and paired it with an egg – not bad! Of course being the failure that I am, I didn’t take a picture of the deliciousness. To be fair though, it’s quite a messy dish once you cut it up and put it on a plate, so I don’t think a picture would have done it justice anyway. You’re just going to have to make it to find out!

I have quite a bit of polenta left over, so I’m going to attempt a polenta-crust pizza. I have no idea how it’s going to turn out, but with some onions and peppers on top, I can’t imagine it being horrible. We’ll see!

Polenta & Pinto Bean Pie
– Serves 4 –

Ingredients:
16 oz. package cooked polenta
16 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz. of salsa or picante sauce (mild, medium, or hot)
4 oz. can mild green chiles, drained (one small can)
1 Tbsp chili powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the polenta into 1/2-inch thick slices and arrange in the bottom of a lightly oiled 9- or 10-inch square baking dish. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the pinto beans, salsa, chiles, and chili powder, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and spread over the polenta.
3. Top with shredded cheese and tortilla chips. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer to lightly brown the top.

Happy quick & easy veggie nomzing!

July Fourth means 4 miles of agony and rum and coke brownies!

Ahh yes, the fourth of July. The day of America’s birth, and an awesome excuse to relax, drink, barbecue, and enjoy fireworks.

Sunday was Cranford’s annual Firecracker Four Miler race, which just so happens to be the first running race I ever competed in, last year. The race starts at 9:30am in Nomaheagan Park, and by the time we got there at about 8:45a it was already a good 80 degrees. Most of the race is in the sun, and since it’s 4 miles instead of the usual 5k (3.1), they didn’t have a water station until 2 miles in. Needless to say the race was a struggle from the beginning, but I somehow managed to beat least year’s time, and PR my 5k time in the process at just under 26 minutes.

For signing up early, we got a t-shirt and a sweet pint glass, just as we did last year. We’re starting a nice collection! In the end, I finished in just under 34 minutes, with the “official” (the timing system was a little shotty) time of 34:50, about an 8:40/mile pace, and my fiancé finished in just under 32 with 31:45 (also a PR). I think we wound up spending the rest of the day trying to rehydrate, which was probably unsuccessful.

After the race, we rushed home so I could get started on the treats I was going to bring to our next barbecue adventure. This time, I went with a recipe I had found on Serious Eats, from a book called Boozy Baking. Seriously, I need that book. I love bringing alcohol infused desserts to parties where drinking is involved, because it’s just so fun. These particular brownies were called Cuba Libre Brownies, but I prefer to simplify the name, and just call them Rum & Coke Brownies. Yes, there is rum, coke, lime zest, and bittersweet chocolate in these bad boys – and they were awesome! The lime zest was really refreshing, and they’re definitely the booziest treats I’ve made so far, so keep that in mind if you decide to take a stab at them!

Rum & Coke Brownies (aka Cuba Libre Brownies)
 – serves about 24 brownies –

Ingredients:

For the brownies:
11/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup carbonated cola
1/4 cup white rum

For the frosting:
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/3 cup white rum
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
Freshly grated zest of 2 limes

Directions:
1. To make the brownies, position a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan or spray it with nonstick spray. Dust with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir constantly until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
4. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the melted chocolate and beat until well incorporated, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
5. With a wooden spoon or a spatula, gently stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture just until combined. Gently stir in the cola and the rum; then pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it to the edges.
6. Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the brownies in the pan completely.
7. To make the frosting, in a large bowl beat the butter, cocoa powder, and rum with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition.
8. Spread the frosting over the cooled brownies. Sprinkle with the grated lime zest, cut into squares, and serve.

Pelican Bay Key Lime Cupcake Mix: Refreshingly Delicious

One of my birthday gifts from a co-worker included a box of Pelican Bay’s key lime cupcake mix. Since I was going to a barbecue at her place on the 3rd, I figured it’d be nice to bring the cupcakes along with me, so she could enjoy some of my present. I was also able to transport them in my cupcake carrier, which was so convenient!

The mix itself was super easy – there were just two bags inside the box, one for the cake, and one for the frosting. Aside from the mix, I only needed some eggs, milk, oil, cream cheese, and butter. After combining all the ingredients I was able to sit back and relax; something that was more than welcomed in Saturday’s heat! I decided to add a little pizzaz  to the cupcakes by adding some sprinkles I had left over.

Everyone really enjoyed the cupcakes, and it was nice to have minimal work in the kitchen. I love baking, don’t get me wrong, but I always feel like I make a mess; so many bowls, spoons, and measuring cups, followed by the waiting (I’m very impatient). I haven’t been a fan of cream cheese based frostings since I got sick from a red velvet cupcake at Phoebe’s in Chicago, so I’m wary about making them. However, these had just the right amount of cheese and sweet ratio, and the lime was potent but not over the top, leaving the cupcakes on the lighter-side which was nice since Saturday was so warm.

I’m interested to see what other mixes they have, and not just cupcakes but cakes and cookies, too! Unfortunately I have a few left over that I was forced to bring home because they still had so much food at the barbecue, and I then on Sunday after our four mile race, I started on some rum and coke brownies for the next barbecue (post coming soon!). Oh, and I still have birthday cake left over. Looks like I’ve got some serious eating to do!

Homemade fruit smoothie!

Since it’s summertime, I figured a fruit smoothie would be the perfect way to enjoy something cool, refreshing, and nutritious post-sweltering run. So, while I was at the store earlier this week I grabbed myself some almond milk, frozen fruit, and plain Greek yogurt. My fiancé is a huge smoothie fan, so I figured he’d be down with the idea as well, and of course he was!

We decided to go with the “deluxe mixed berry” fruit mix, which has blueberries, rasberries, blackberries and some strawberries in it. As I mentioned, the Greek yogurt (Chobani brand) was plain, and I got vanilla flavored almond milk (Breeze brand) to add some extra flavor dimension. I only needed to blend it all together with some ice for a few seconds, and voila! I decided to serve it up in our Firecracker Four Miler glasses, since we’ll be running that beauty on Sunday, also I will be using dry ice to keep it cold for a longer time! My only qualm about my particular homemade recipe was it was a bit too liquid-y. I’m not quite sure what I could use to thicken it up, though. More yogurt? A powder of sorts? Any suggestions are welcome!

Smoothies really are quite diverse. Breakfast, lunch, snack, dessert, you name it they can be worked into a meal. I definitely plan on tweaking and “perfecting” this recipe, because let’s be honest, a $5 Jamba Juice smoothie is a treat, and we should be able to have smoothies more than just once in awhile!

Homemade Fruit Smoothie
– Serves 2 –

Ingredients:
1 cup vanilla flavored almond milk
1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon of honey (I usually get this Tupelo Honey for Sale)
1 1/2 cups frozen (or fresh!) fruit (any variety)
10 ice cubes

Directions:
1. Measure all ingredients, pour into blender
2. Pulse on “max ice crush” until frothy and smooth
3. Enjoy!

Greek Chicken Quiche!

I had a lot of leftovers from the Greek chicken my dad had so graciously made me over the weekend. So, aside from having it the “traditional way” (in a pita, of course) I decided to snazz it up, quiche style. I had all the ingredients I needed, but was unsure of the best way to go about assembling the quiche itself. I spent quite some time on Google trying to find the perfect egg to milk ratio, and eventually just decided to wing it, after reading on ChowHound that most people “blind-bake” quiches anyway.

This might sound silly, but I never realized the typical “quiche” taste came from the nutmeg. Who would have thought?! On a fun little side note, while watching the news over the weekend, a story came up about kids snorting nutmeg to get high. What is this world coming to?! I’d rather not burn my nostrils, thanks!

Anyway, I wasn’t really sure how it was going to come out, but thankfully it worked out in the end! So, not only did we find a yummy way to use up the rest of my dad’s delicious chicken, but we also got ourselves dinner for two nights AND lunch one day! And now that I have the general understanding of how quiches work (so complex, I know) I’m definitely going to experiment some more with ingredients!

Greek Chicken & Feta Quiche
– Serves 4 –

Ingredients:
1 9-inch pie crust, defrosted
1 1/2 cups of the Greek Chicken (recipe here)
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 tbsp nutmeg
1 cup crumbled feta
1 cup chopped yellow onion

Directions:
1. Prepare Greek Chicken according to directions
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
3. Place pie crust on un-greased pie dish, poke holes liberally
4. Pre-cook pie crust for 10-12 minutes
5. While crust is cooking, sauté onions in cooked chicken mixture, approximately 5 minutes
6. Whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg and 1/2 of the feta
7. Once pie crust is done, sprinkle remaining feta on the bottom of the crust, then top with chicken and onion mixture, followed by the egg mixture
8. Bake 20-25 minutes
9. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting

PS – I’m so proud of myself for coming up with this recipe on my own! WOO!

A Foodie Birthday!

Ahh yes, birthday time. Monday (6/28) I celebrated the big 24 (boooooring!), and received a lot of foodie (specifically baking) prizes. Yes, you read that correctly. I do not call gifts presents, rather prizes – it sounds more fun!

Most of the food related gifts actually came from my co-workers, and they’re smart; hopefully their prizes will get me in the kitchen, and therefore bringing in left over goodies to share with them. Good thinking! Anyway, in addition to the amazing MacBook from my fiancé that I’m currently using to type this up, an awesome new Coach bag, Forever21 gift card, shirt and earrings from my parents and sister, I got the following foodie items:


– A sweet set of baking dishes, and a Pyrex measuring cup, which we somehow don’t have. This is going to come in handy!


– I’ve been eyeing this cupcake recipe book for awhile. Everything is SO cute. I hope my lack of artistic ability will some how not transfer over to these cupcake decorations


– I’ll be making these cupcakes this weekend to bring to a 4th of July BBQ. Hopefully they are yummy!


– How can you go wrong with this?! Now I have an extra cupcake pan (having only one is annoying), a mini cupcake/muffin pan, AND a carrying case? SCORE!

So as you can see, I was spoiled with my foodie (and non-foodie) prizes! By the end of the week I’ll hopefully have used the pie dish, cupcake mix, and cupcake carrier. I’ll definitely be reporting back on those!

As for the eating aspect of my birthday, that was equally delicious. It started off before work with some Dunkin Donuts (iced coffee and a jalapeno bagel twist to be exact). It was later followed up with a junior homewrecker with tofu burrito from Moe’s Southwest Grill. Then, going for a double-dose of Mexican (how could I resist?!) the family took us to Jose Tejas, one of my favorite Cajun Creole/Mexican joints (you can read about the restaurant here)! After that we had some cake – a chocolatey moussey ganachey coconutty slice of heaven. Needless to say I had to roll myself into bed after eating all that!

Stay tuned for the results of all my awesome prizes, and happy nomzing! Oh, and thanks to everyone that made my birthday special!!

It’s all Greek to me!

A few years ago, my sister took a trip to Greece. She was obsessed with the food, and my parents, as culinary and taste adventurists, were overjoyed at her expanded palate (more so than what was done by the palate expander she had in Middle School for a few years). Though we often enjoyed grape leaves (dolmas), hummus, pita, tabouleh and baba ghanouj, they were seldom.

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it, but on top of being willing to try anything and loving almost all food (except couscous and ginger), my dad is a great cook. So, he came up with a “Greek Chicken” recipe, that’s very similar to what you would find in a gyro or on a kabob. It’s seriously delicious, and can go with so much – in a pita, atop a salad, with some seasoned rice… the possibilities are endless! So, I figured I’d share the amazing recipe, one because I’m a big fan of my dad and want everyone else to be too, and also because later this week I’ll be posting about the amazing quiche I made with the left-over chicken!

So next time you’re in the mood for a little Mediterranean flare but don’t have the bucks to hop on a plane, grab some Greek eats instead! And just to note, the recipe is very general, so it all depends on how many people you’re planning to feed, etc.

The Irishman’s Greek Chicken

Ingredients:
Equal parts olive oil and lemon juice.
Equal amounts (or so) of granulated garlic and dry dill
Dry mustard (say about half of the amount used of the garlic and dill)
Green peppers (optional)
Sea salt to taste
Thinly sliced chicken breasts

Optional Ingredients:
Greek yogurt or Tzatziki sauce
Feta
Pita bread
Cucumber and/or Tomato
Shredded lettuce

Directions:
1. Mix up the ingredients in a large enough container to hold chicken cutlets – taste and adjust if needed
2. Place thin chicken cutlets into container with tight cover – shake up the contents.
3. Let chicken marinate for at least a couple of hours in refrigerator.
4. Lightly oil skillet and start frying up the cutlets, with marinade.
5. Let chicken cool – slice/cut it up. (or you can slice up/cut up chicken before marinating and cooking. Either way is fine).
6. Cook peppers (and any other vegetables you may want to use) in marinade sauce. 7. Add cooked chicken back in with peppers at the end. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
8. Serve with/in (heated) pita, and with Greek yogurt or Tzatziki, feta, shredded lettuce and/or sliced tomato/cucumber.

Aww fish sticks!

Last night my little sister graduated from high school. We’re six years apart so the thought of her going to college always seemed so far away. Well, she’s leaving in two months, and I can’t believe it!

My sister and I on the first day of school, way back when

After suffering through two extremely hot and sweaty hours in the evening sun on the high school’s back field, we headed to dinner at a restaurant my sister has raved about, Avenue East. It’s only about a year old, and boasts Asian fusion. My sister loves this because it means she can get her favorite Thai soup (Tom Yum) and then have sushi. I myself am wary of places that boast multiple cuisines – often times everything just turns out to be mediocre.

Unfortunately last night’s meal was just that, “meh.” Aside from the subpar service (we waited about 45 minutes in between our appetizers and entrees), the food was just okay. My fiancé and I started off with a spicy tuna roll to share. From there, I went with the Malaysian Mee Goreng, which came with the choice of chicken or shrimp, and ho-fun noodles with vegetable, egg and tofu in a “dark spicy sauce.” It actually tasted a lot like Pad Thai, with the semi-creamy sauce and the noodles seemed to be pretty much the same that would be served with Pad Thai. It had a little pepper next to it indicating it was spicy. Airing on the side of caution since I’d never eaten there, I decided to take it as-is. My fiancé ordered the spicy basil beef over brown rice and asked for it extra spicy. Now, we both like a lot of spice, and realize that. However, our dishes had no spice. And I don’t mean lacking spice for us fire-breathers. I mean even for your average spice lover, this was weak.

Malaysian Mee Goreng

I’m willing to give Avenue East another shot, since my sister is such a fan. The restaurant itself was really nice, and we were seated at a spacious U shaped table that was quite comfortable. I definitely won’t go for a spicy dish, though, so I won’t be disappointed. I’d also go during a less busy time, so I can make sure when I need water, I get it. A definite plus is that it’s BYOB – I’m always down for BYOB or all-you-can-drink specials.

We followed up last night’s evening out with fish sticks and tater tots for dinner tonight. Some times you just need something quick and easy, and that’s what we did. Sure, the fish sticks are clearly marketed for children based on their packaging, and I feel like Napoleon Dynamite every time I eat a tot, but who cares?! They were good, and I got to mix up a whole bunch of different spicy sauces we have for my dipping pleasure.

More importantly, though, is the fact that my little sister graduated high school! Congratulations Kate! I’m so proud and I can’t believe it. You are going to be awesome in college both in the classroom and in the pool. I can’t wait to vist (even if it is a 5 hour drive)!

Vegging Out

The past few days have been less than ideal to run in since it’s grossly hot by 9am and stays that way all day, and I cannot get myself up to run at 5am. Swimming at 5am was one thing in my youth, but running, I’m still working on it. So I’ve been trying to get runs in wherever possible, but Tuesday night was afforded another no-go, since by the time I got home and was ready to head out, there was a massive rain/thunder storm in the area. This leaves me four days since my last run. I’m signed up for the Firecracker 4 Miler on the 4th of July, which will mark the 1 year anniversary of the beginning of my running “career.” Hurray!

So because of my lack of running, the “veg” part of my title has two meanings! I’ve been super lazy on that front this week, but have managed to get in a serious amount of veggies in it’s place! Tuesday night’s dinner was another veggie delight, this time coming from Vegetarian Times, a magazine my co-worker subscribes to, and I get their newsletters via e-mail. This particular recipe was under the “Dinners for One” section, so I just doubled the recipe for myself and the fiancé. This is a pretty nice twist on a stir-fry and noodle-bowl combo, and I’d definitely make it again.

Since this past Sunday was Father’s Day, I left the shopping in the hands of my fiancé so I could head to my parent’s house early. To be fair, I wasn’t sure what they looked like either, but he bought vegan gluten free brown rice spagetti. The recipe called for rice noodles, and these were close enough, and had a pretty decent taste since they had so few ingredients! Other than that minor hiccup, the recipe was followed and went off without a hitch!

The “sauce” I suppose you could call it was really good – I’m definitely going to use it in other stir-fry like dishes, since it had nice heat and a good flavor between the tangy rice vinegar and salty soy sauce. Hopefully next time I can figure out what the rice noodles are, and grab those too. Maybe I’ll get crazy and mix up the veggies. Who knows!

Rice Noodle Bowl with Broccoli & Bell Peppers
-Serves 2-

Ingredients:
3 oz. dried rice noodles, broken into 1-inch pieces
4 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp chile sauce
4 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup sliced-thin red pepper
1 cup broccoli
2 tbsp peanuts

Directions:
1. Bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add noodles. Remove from heat. Let stand 5-7 minutes. Drain, discard water.
2. Whisk soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chile and 1/2 cup of water. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in skillet. Add onion and garlic, stir-fry 1 minute. Add broccoli and pepper, cook 1 minute more. Add sauce mixture and bring to boil for 1 minute.
4. Stir in noodles. Serve with peanuts.

Happy nomzing!