"Un-fried" Squash

As I mentioned in my Fried Squash post, southerners love their fried squash. It can be breaded or battered. But... since we're trying to be healthy here, I decided to try an un-fried version! I think it tastes just as good as the fried version! In fact, it was so good I didn't feel like it needed any kind of dipping sauce. It was delicious on its own.

"Un-fried" Squash

Makes: 4 servings

2 summer squash

1/2 cup canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried Italian herbs

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp sea salt

• Rinse the summer squash and pat them dry. Cut the squash into 1/2" circles. Set aside.
• Make the marinade by mixing together the canola oil, garlic, herbs, pepper flakes, and salt.
• Add the squash and marinade to a gallon size plastic bag, then toss to coat the squash. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Remove the squash from the marinade and grill on high for 2 minutes per side.
• Serve as an appetizer or as a side dish.

Baba Ganoush

I made some grilled egg plant for dinner which turned out really yummy. But I had a bunch left over and I wasn't really sure what to do with it. After some thought, I settled on Baba Ganoush. This is another yummy treat that I learned how to make when I was working at the country club. It's a dip made from roasted egg plant, garlic, and sesame tahini and it is delicious! If you love hummus, you will probably love this too!

I'll give you the instructions for how to make this with grilled eggplant since that's what I had on hand. But if you don't want to go through the extra work of grilling it, you can just cut the egg plant in half and roast it in the oven until it is golden brown and soft then scoop out the soft center.

Baba Ganoush
Makes: 4 servings

1 large eggplant
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 cup sesame tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt

• Wash the eggplant then slice it into 1/2" slices all the way down.
• Make the marinade by mixing together the oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
• In a plastic bag, toss together the eggplant with the marinade. Allow the eggplant to soak for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
• Preheat the grill on high. Once hot, place the slices on the grill and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes per side.
• Place the eggplant slices in a food processor and puree. The mixture will seem a little lumpy. Add the sesame tahini and lemon juice and continue to puree; the mixture smooth out.
• Taste the dip and add salt as needed.
• Serve with naan bread, pita bread, veggies, or anything else you could possibly dip in there! This can be served hot, room temperature, or cold.

In case you've never used sesame tahini before, this is what it looks like. It comes in a jar and it's pretty runny stuff; it's a pour-able liquid. You can find it in the Asian section of almost any grocery store. Tahini is a great ingredient to keep on hand. You can use it in marinades, salad dressings, and all kinds of dips.

Tips & Tricks: Campfire Cooking

We went camping Memorial day weekend and it was glorious! I left my phone at home at there was no Facebook, no texting, no emails - yep, not even work email!

You might have guessed that I really enjoy cooking on the campfire. I love any excuse to cook. I've learned a few tricks over the years about campfire cooking and so I thought I would pass those on to you!

1. Grilling: Get yourself a primitive grill. Ours only cost about $10 at Academy Sports and it really does make life so much easier. I love to use my primitive grill to cook corn on the cob and other veggies, hot dogs, burgers, chicken, steaks, basically anything you would cook on a grill at home! I just make sure to bring along my grilling tongs and spatula.
   
   
   
   
   
   We brought along a bag of charcoals. Depending on what I was cooking, I would throw in anywhere from 5 - 15 charcoals once the fire got going. Then I'd let the fire die out and cook over the hot coals, just like a normal charcoal grill!
   
   I marinated the chicken overnight in some Jamaican Jerk marinade (store bought) then cooked the chicken the first night we were there. That way I didn't have to worry as much about the temperature in the cooler.
   
   
2. Food Safety: And on that note, by this point you probably know how crazy I am about food safety (Tips & Tricks: Food Safety). This is something you need to keep in mind, especially if you are camping for a few days. You will probably need to replace the ice in your cooler at least once per day with about 8 -10 lbs of ice, depending on the size of the cooler. Try to limit the number of times you open the cooler and keep the cooler out of direct sun light, this will keep things cool. Keep foods that need to stay especially cold (eggs, raw meats, deli meat, etc.) toward the bottom where it's coolest. If you're worried about the eggs breaking, you can pick up a special plastic egg carrying case; we got ours at Walmart in the camping section for around $3. Keep the raw meats at the very bottom so they don't drip on anything else. Every morning, drain out the excess water from the bottom of the cooler, then dump a new bag of ice in. Around dinner time, check the cooler to see if it needs more ice. This will really depend on how much food you have, the size of your cooler, and the temperature outside. It was warm but not hot on our trip so we only needed to replace the ice once per day.
   
   In addition to keeping your food cool, you want to prevent cross contamination. Even if you're not cooking raw meat at any point in your trip, the risk is still there from other sources. The way that I mitigate this risk is by bringing along some hand sanitizer wipes such as Wet Ones. That way, if I touch anything that could be contaminated - raw meat, dirt, a piece of fire wood, the dog, etc. - I can just wipe my hands and I'm good to go!
3. Frying: When frying over the campfire, you can use cast iron or just a special campfire skillet. This skillet only cost around $10 at Walmart in the camping section. It's got a special handle that doesn't get hot. If you prefer cast iron, a good pan is going to cost you around $50. But it will last you for life and is worth the investment.
   
   
   I got some hot charcoals going, just like I did for the grill, and put the pan directly on the hot coals. I made bacon and pancakes the first morning. I actually dumped out the grease and used cooking spray to prevent the pancakes from sticking. But you could do it either way. By the way, I used the Bisquick shake and pour pancakes. Yeah, I know, I generally despise Bisquick or any other boxed mix, but they make camping so much easier!!
   
   
   
   
4. Food Prep: For breakfast the second morning I made a little egg bake type dish. I cut up the veggies ahead of time at home because that's way easier than having to bring a huge knife along and try to cut up the veggies at a picnic table. I cut up the veggies pretty small - about 1/2" dice - including the potatoes. Even though you're cooking on hot charcoals, getting adequate heat can still sometimes be a challenge. So if you cut your veggies nice and small, they'll cook quickly, even when the charcoals aren't as hot as you would like.
   
   First I cooked the sausage in my skillet. Then I left the sausage and drippings in the pan and added diced red pepper, onion, and potatoes. Once those were thoroughly cooked and soft, I added some whipped eggs and cooked it all together. Once the eggs were cooked, I removed the pan from the heat then topped the whole thing with shredded cheese and sliced scallions. You could hardly call that roughing it haha!
   
   
   
   
5. Mountain Pies: I first heard about mountain pies from some friends of ours who we going camping with quite frequently. These are so fun and they're great because everybody can make their own with whatever fillings they want. You just put a slice of bread in each side of the pie iron, add your fillings, clamp it shut, then cook it directly over the hot coals. They cost about $10 in the camping section at Walmart or around $20 at Bass Pro Shop. That being said, the ones at Bass Pro Shop are a lot heavier and more durable.
   
   
   
   
   We filled ours with cheese and pepperoni then dipped them in pizza sauce which I heated up in my little skillet. Yum! We also made some for dessert and filled them with canned apple pie filling.
   
   
6. Roasting Forks: One of the best tools we've picked up so far is roasting forks. They're just metal forks with long handles. They're great for roasting hot dogs or toasting marshmallows. That way you don't have to go hunting around for a long stick and pray that it hasn't been contaminated with poison ivy or animal urine. Yuck! They range in price anywhere from $1 per fork to about $3 per fork, depending on if you want a nice handle, etc. We got the crappy $1 ones haha.
   

   

   Lola & Matt toasting Marshmallows!

   
   

   
   
7. Bug Screen: Ok, this last one has more to do with eating than cooking but it's relevant. This is another tip that we picked up from our friends who told us about mountain pies. This 12' x 12' bug screen cost us about $50 at Academy Sports and it is the best investment we have ever made! We set it up around the picnic table and it makes eating so much more pleasant. No worries about bugs and it provides some shade too. There's even a hook on the ceiling so that you can hang a lantern for when you're eating in the evening.
   

   

   
   

Believe it or not, between all of that cooking we still found time to go hiking and peddle boating haha!

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Garlic Hummus

Since I made a really great homemade version of Chiavetta's marinade, I put it to good use by grilling up some chicken for dinner. I turned it into sandwiches with roasted garlic hummus spread on some French bread. It was a really nice, light dinner.

Grilled Chicken with Roasted Garlic Hummus
Makes: 4 servings

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup garlic & vinegar marinade
1 French baguette
1/2 cup roasted garlic hummus
sandwich toppings

• Cut the chicken breasts in half length-wise so that you have four, thinner pieces of chicken.
• Place them in a plastic bag along with the marinade and let it sit for at least 30 minutes, up to four hours.
• Grill the chicken on high for four to five minutes per side until thoroughly cooked.
• Cut the baguette into four pieces, then slice each piece in half for sandwiches.
• Toast the bread on the grill.
• Spread about two tablespoons of hummus on the bottom half of each piece of baguette. Top with a piece of grilled chicken. Finish it off with toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onions, etc.

Garlic & Vinegar Marinade

Matt and I have some friends here in Charlotte who are originally from the Buffalo, NY area. Whenever they go home on vacation, they bring us back some Chiavetta's marinade. It's made from cider vinegar, garlic, and a whole bunch of other goodies. Instead of waiting for another bottle of Chiavetta's, I decided to try to make my own. I think I came pretty close! I know it may sound a little weird that it's primarily made from vinegar, but it's really delicious. I promise!

Garlic & Vinegar Marinade
Makes: 8 servings

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp corn starch
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
1 tsp onion powder

• In a small sauce pan, combine the water, soy sauce, and corn starch. Whisk together.
• Cook over medium-high heat until it bubbles and starts to thicken. Remove from the heat.
• Add the vinegar, garlic, black pepper, and onion powder. Stir until combined.
• Transfer to a mason jar or other glass container. Allow to cool in the refrigerator.
• Left-overs can be stored for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Since this is a vinegar based marinade, you don't want to leave the meat in there for more than about 4 hours. Anything longer will start to break the meat down and make it mushy. This goes great on boneless chicken breast, chicken on the bone such as thighs or leg quarters,  pork chops, or pork tenderloin. This recipe makes enough to marinate about eight pieces of chicken.

Sweet Cheddar Chicken

This is another Cupboard Cleaner. I had some left-over cheddar cheese slices that I wasn't sure what to do with. So I did a little bit of brainstorming and decided that it would taste great with apricot preserves on some chicken. And then, of course scallions make everything taste better!

Sweet Cheddar Chicken
Makes: 4 servings

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tbsp apricot preserves
4 slices cheddar cheese
2 scallions, sliced

• Cut each piece of chicken in half length-wise so that you have 4 thinner pieces of chicken.
• Grill the chicken on high heat for about 4 - 5 minutes per side until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink.
• About 1 minute before the chicken is finished cooking, top each piece with one tablespoon of apricot preserves and one slice of cheddar cheese. You may need to fold the cheese in half if it's a big slice.
• Remove from the grill and top with the sliced scallions.
• These can be served with a side of rice or french fries. Or you could place them on a toasted bun to make a sandwich!

Not sure what to do with the left-over scallions? Check out my recipe for Broccoli Casserole.

Open-Faced Cowboy Burger

I had to find a way to use the left-over ciabatta bread from my BLAT sandwiches. What a terrible problem to have hehe. Ciabatta bread makes such a nice home for a cheeseburger. And so, the cowboy burger was born!

Open-Faced Cowboy Burger
Makes: 4 burgers

1 lb lean ground beef
salt
cracked black pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
2 ciabatta rolls
4 slices cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon
barbecue sauce
burger toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, onions, etc

• Cook the bacon until crispy (see my tip for perfect crispy bacon). Set aside.
• Form the hamburger into four patties. Sprinkle the patties with some salt, pepper, onion, and garlic.
• Grill the hamburgers until well done and no longer pink. Meanwhile, cut the ciabatta rolls in half and place them on the grill to toast.
• Place a slice of cheese on each burger about one minute before they are finished cooking to allow time for the cheese to melt.
• Top each ciabatta roll with desired toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onions, etc. Then top with the cheeseburger, then barbecue sauce, then bacon. Serve!

I know I say this every time I post about hamburgers, but it's because it's important. Click here for an explanation on why you should always cook ground beef to well done.

Grilled Pizzadillas

In case you hadn't guessed, a Pizzadilla is a glorious combination of pizza and quesadillas. I first came across this concept on Pinterest - surprise surprise! Then Matt actually had a Pizzadilla at East Coast Wings and Grill. He loved it so much that it was set in stone - I had to try to make them! I thought I would make this recipe my own by making them on the grill. The weather has been warming up here in the Carolinas and I am so ready for spring and grilling and flip flops!

I made a few pepperoni pizzadillas and a few veggie ones. The veggie ones had olives, mushrooms, and green peppers and they were really delicious. I don't like raw veggies on my pizza/in my quesadillas so I sauteed the veggies first with a little garlic. You can do the same if you want or just throw them on there raw, whichever you prefer.

Grilled Pizzadillas
Makes: 6 pizzadillas

6 large burrito sized flour tortillas
6 oz pizza cheese (mozzarella and cheddar blend)
Toppings such as pepperoni, sausage, bacon, mushrooms, olives, peppers, onions, etc
14 oz jar of plain pizza sauce

• Preheat the grill on high with the lid down.
• Once the grill is nice and hot, open the lid. Place 3 - 4 tortillas on the grill at a time, depending on how many will fit on your grill.
• Carefully top each tortilla with 1 oz of cheese (about 1/4 cup) then add desired toppings. I quickly learned that I couldn't keep my hand over the grill for longer than about 2 seconds because of the heat. So you should expect to have to add the cheese and toppings in short bursts. If it's easier for you, you can make two at a time so that they don't burn by the time you're able to get all of the toppings on.
• Leave the lid open and allow the pizzadilla to cook. Once the cheese is melted, about one minute, use a grill spatula to fold the pizzadilla in half. Then remove from the grill.
• Cut the pizzadilla into thirds then serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.

On the grill!

As I was adding the labels to this post, I asked Matt if this was T1D friendly and he said, "No! God no!" Haha whoops, I guess that answers that question...

Cheeseburgers with Sriracha Aioli

Cheeseburgers are a nice easy weeknight dinner. Unfortunately, they get very boring after a while. I like to keep Matt on his toes by adding different toppings and seasonings. We've been in a little bit of a rut lately. I've been seasoning our burgers with blackening seasoning for a few months now. It tastes good but it was time for a change. Matt asked if I could add a sauce to the burgers. Challenge accepted!

Immediately I thought of making an aioli ( pronounced eh-OH-lee) which is essentially mayonnaise flavored with garlic and lemon. Anyone who knows Matt and I knows that we are incapable of eating anything that isn't spicy. Ok, that might be an overstatement. But, we really like spicy food. So, I decided to jazz up my sauce with a little Sriracha sauce. This is a Thai hot sauce and it can be found in the Asian section of almost any grocery store. Fun fact of the day: Sriracha is named after the Thai city of Si Racha; it's kind of like saying Buffalo sauce (as in Buffalo, NY).

Cheeseburgers with Sriracha Aioli

1 lb lean ground beef

Sliced cheddar cheese

Salt & pepper

1/4 Cup Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 Tsp garlic powder

2 Tsp Sriracha sauce

• Prepare the aioli by combining the mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, and sriracha. Set aside.
• Season the burgers with salt and pepper.
• Grill the burgers until well-done.
• Top with cheddar cheese.
• Place the burgers on toasted buns then top with the sriracha aioli.

If you have extra aioli left over, it makes a great dipping sauce for french fries!

A note about ground hamburger: many people like to cook their burgers to medium or medium-well. With steak, this is perfectly safe. The center of a steak has never been exposed to air and the chances of contamination are minimal. However, with ground beef, it has a lot of surface area and all of it has the potential to be exposed to contaminants. Therefore, I recommend always cooking your burgers to well-done. You can go here for a better explanation if you're interested.

How not to grill

Erica, this post is for you.

One thing that I have learned about cooking and life in general is that you are going to fail sometimes. And it's ok. What's important is that you learn from your mistakes. Even with my years of experience in cooking, I still mess up (quite a bit). But I've never regretted any of my mistakes because they were all learning experiences. Today, I'll share one of those experiences with you.

A couple of weeks ago, we had some friends over for dinner. Matt and I love chicken wings so I decided that some wings on the grill would be delicious. I was so proud of myself. I made a delicious marinade of olive oil and garlic and marinated the wings all day. Once they were cooked, I was going to toss them in some buffalo sauce. These were going to be great.

I've made chicken wings at least 100 times in my life. However, I usually bake them. I've never grilled wings before. I know that I always bake wings at 375° F for 45 minutes. So, I figured since the grill is direct heat (which cooks food faster), I would cook them on medium and reduce the time to about 30 minutes. 

No.

My poor wings were obliterated. There was literally nothing left of them. They were charcoal haha. Good thing I made lots of pasta salad... So, next time I'm going to try low heat for about 15 - 20 minutes. I'll let you know how that turns out.