Tofu Chili Dogs

With the warm weather upon us, I've found myself craving hot dogs right off the grill. At first I was skeptical of tofu dogs, but then I realized that I had no idea what the hell was in a real hot dog.

Sure, tofu dogs don't compare with delicious processed hot dogs that we've grown up eating. But, once you drown it in fixins, you're good to go.

Ingredients --
2 Tofu Hot Dogs (Available at most grocery stores)
2 Buns
Vegetarian Baked Beans
Handful of chopped up red onion
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Pete Hot Sauce

Preperation --
Heat up Beans in a separate pot. Meanwhile, heat up medium-pan and spray with olive oil. Once hot, add tofu dogs.

Finely Chop Onions. Add buns to grill and toast evenly on each side. Once dogs are browned, place in buns. Now, the fun part! Add all toppings, including baked beans to the dogs. Splash hot sauce, and woolaaa, you're ready to binge!

Barley, Butternut Squash, and Portabella Risotto

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but a mouse situation has steered me clear from the kitchen.

Put a twist on this Butternut Squash Risotto recipe. Used barely instead of the typical orzo rice. Came out great and made leftovers for the entire week.

Ingredients --

3 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 cups thinly sliced Portabella mushroom caps (about 1/2 pound)
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups organic vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounces Taleggio cheese, diced


Preparation --

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine squash, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss well to coat. Arrange squash mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes, stirring once.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer mushroom mixture to a bowl; keep warm.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan. Add onion; saute 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add barley and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed. Add broth, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is nearly absorbed. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in squash, mushrooms, and thyme. Serve immediately.

Not Your Mom's Brussel Sprouts

Typically, when you see brussel sprouts in the produce section, you probably think back to those miserable days when your mother forced you to eat overly cooked green mush balls. (Interestingly though, you'd never actually see her consume them, as well). Little did your mother know that her attempt to provide you with a healthy diet actually scarred you into running far, far away from sprouts.

Luckily, we've learned other methods of preparing veggies, rather then over boiling them and causing them to lose most of their nutrients. So, be progressive and hide this brussel sprout misconception under your dinner napkin.

I recently became addicted to this vegetable after having the fried buffalo brussel sprouts from Somerville's Highland Kitchen. So I made a healthier, homemade version. Enjoy!

Roasted Buffalo Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients --
1/2 pound of Brussel Sprouts
1/4 cup of Pete's Buffalo Sauce
1/4 cup of Olive Oil (Might be too much. I just splashed a bunch until I felt guilty).
1 TSP of Butter
Salt & Pepper

Dipping Sauce --
1/4 cup of Mayo
Splash of Pete's Buffalo Sauce

Preparation --
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat medium sauce pan of medium heat. Once hot enough, add olive oil. Place brussel sprouts on pan and lightly sautee. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Place pan in oven and bake for around 20 minutes. Occasionally, pop open stove and shake up the brussel sprouts to cook evenly.

Meanwhile, heat up buffalo sauce, butter and dilute with a bit of water (just to take some the heat down). Bring to light boil.

Once brussel sprouts are cooked all the way through, add in a medium-sized bowl. Add buffalo sauce mixture and toss until sprouts are evenly coated with sauce.

For a dipping sauce, mix mayo and buffalo sauce together. Or you can just blue cheese.