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.

Olala Chickpea & Onion Salad

Been ultra low on groceries lately, so I made this bomb-shelter friendly salad to go with my dinner tonight. Good way to get your protein in for the day.

Ingredients:
Can of Chickpeas
1/2 red onion
1 TBS of Parsley
1 TSP of Pepper
1 TSP of Salt
1 TSP of Garlic Powder
Some squirts of lemon
Splash of Vinegar
Splash of Olive Oil

Preparation:
This is an easy one! Drain Chickpeas and rinse in water. Throw in a medium sized bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, and lemon. Chop up some onions and toss in bowl. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. Mix until everything is evenly distributed. Taste and if it needs anything, add whatever you think is missing.

Restaurant Review -- Oleana in Cambridge

Day 57 (Starting to lose track) -- Red Wine, Success by Cold War Kids

So after about a month of drooling over the Oleana menu online, I managed to drag two carnivore pals over to this Turkish, vegetarian-friendly spot in Inman Square. This place is the perfect happy-medium for both vegetarians and meat eaters.

Besides having a great selection of vegetarian options, Oleana also offers a menu that changes seasonally. So, you'll always be eating the freshest ingredients. The restaurant even gets all of its produce from a local, independently owned farm out in Western Massachusetts. At this progressive restaurant, your inner-hippie will dine in peace, knowing that your produce grew pesticide-free!

Onto what you're interested in -- the food! I went with the vegetarian 5 tapas sized-course tasting menu for only about 36 bucks. Seems a bit pricey, but it's completely worth it for the innovative food that your evening has in store. If you're a picky eater, this might not be the best option as your dinner is entirely up to the chef's whim.

First Course -- Creamy Carrot soup
Second Course -- Chickpea yogurt deliciousness (honestly, I wasn't sure what I was eating, but I wanted more).
Third Course --Fried Beans with Mushrooms & Celery Salad
Fourth Course -- Ricotta & Bread Dumplings with Red Wine, Porcini & Black Kale

If you do make it out here, get the whipped feta as an appetizer. As you scoop the last mound of cheese, you'll throw all manners out the window and be licking the bowl clean. (Don't worry, I didn't have that much wine yet to resort to this).

To polish off this entirely gluttonous evening, I got a sorbet dessert. It was good, but I'd rather eat the calories in a chocolate form. Let's just say you had to roll me home, because I was so full!

Rating: 4.5 tofu cubes

Tip: Make a reservation as this is a hot spot. Also, it's a great date place!

Deli Guy's Vegetarian Caprese Sandwich

After the Deli Guy looked at me in disgust after ordering a half-pound of the questionable egg salad, he asked me if I really wanted something so unappealing. After I told him my difficulty in finding a good veggie sandwich, he wrote me this recipe on some receipt paper. It's a winner!

Ingredients:
Basil
3 slices Tomatoes
Roasted red peppers
3 slices of buffalo mozzarella
1 tbs of capers
1 loaf of sub bread
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Some salt and Peppers

Preparation:
This is an easy one! Heat pan up at medium heat. Once hot, add some olive oil. Add roasted red pepper, tomatoes, and capers. Cook until properly sauteed.

Meanwhile, slice bread open and add cheese and basil. Add ingredients from pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and oil on cheese for flavor. If desired, heat sandwich on Panini Press or george foreman grill.

Meatless Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Picked up some Boca Spicy Chicken Patties over the weekend. Maybe, I already forgot what chicken tasted like, but I was fooled into thinking I was really eating a chicken patty. Take a look at the below Buffalo chicken wrap I made tonight. It's a bit on the processed side, but we can't be perfect every night.

Ingredients:
1 Boca Chicken Spicy Patty
1 Whole Wheat Flour Tortilla (Burrito Size)
A couple squeezes of some Mayo
3 Tomato slices
Pete's Buffalo Sauce
1 Slice of American Cheese (or, Blu Cheese. I was out. But might be kind of overwelming with the Mayo).

Preperation:
Heat up skillet on medium heat. Once hot enough, spray with olive oil. Cook patty evenly on both sides and melt cheese on it.

Meanwhile, nuke the tortilla in the microwive for 15 seconds. Then, squeeze some mayo on the tortilla and squirt the buffalo sauce on top of the mayo and spread together with spoon.

Once patty is come complete, cut in half and place on tortilla. Add tomatos or any other toppings you dig and roll.

Got a killer, quick recipe? Post it and I'll give it a try!