Category Archives: BBQ

In-N-Out Grilled Cheese Recipe (GF)

Posted in BBQ, Fast and Simple, Gluten Free, Grilling, Meat-Eater Approved, Meat-eaters and Vegetarians Unite! recipes, vegetarian, Vegetarian Dinner Recipes by

innout grilled cheeseOkay, I’ll admit it. We all need to indulge sometimes. That time happened to be this past holiday weekend. Instead of being healthy and making some clean tacos, Nick grilled up burgers and I made my version of the grilled cheese served by In-N-Out.

I used to live on these things when I was studying at ASU, but like most women – I can’t eat how I used to when I was in college. And that was only 3 years ago (sigh). But I firmly believe that “treating yourself” every now and then helps you stay on the right track. And in my defense, I did serve it alongside a kale salad. Here is my recipe for the infamous grilled cheese that even meat-eaters will love.

The ingredients:

For the sandwich:

  • 2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce
  • 1 jar dill pickle chips
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced (or both)
  • 1 package sliced cheddar cheese
  • 1 package gluten-free hamburger buns
  • Salt and pepper
  • Vegetable oil

For the secret sauce:

  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
  • 1/4 cup reduced-fat mayo
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp white wine vinegar

The method:

  1. Prepare the secret sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, sweet pickle relish, mayo, sugar and white wine vinegar. Set aside until ready to use.
  2. With oven preheated to 400 degrees, bake whole buns in oven for two minutes. Next, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan. Open the buns and place face-down in pan. Cook until buns are lightly toasted. Adding more vegetable oil as needed, toast remaining buns. Set aside.
  3. Next, assemble the burgers. Spread secret sauce on the bottom bun. Layer tomato slices, lettuce and burger with cheese. Depending on preference, top with pickles, sliced onions or both. Finally, complete with the top bun. Enjoy immediately.

Sangria

Posted in BBQ, Fast and Simple by

Sangria

Red Sangria:

The ingredients

2 bottles red Spanish table wine
1 cup brandy
1/2 cup triple sec
1 cup orange juice
1 cup apple cranberry juice
1/2 cup simple syrup, or more to taste (equal parts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)
Orange slices
Apple slices
Blackberries
Blueberries
Strawberries
The method:
  1. Mix all ingredients together and let stand in a tightly sealed container or pitcher for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Sloppy Joes and Oven Fries

Posted in BBQ, Food for the Soul, Gluten Free, Health, Health & Lifestyle, Lifestyle, Meat-Eater Approved, Meat-eaters and Vegetarians Unite! recipes, vegetarian, Vegetarian Dinner Recipes by

sloppy joes oven fries Sloppy Joes

The ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 celery stock, diced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and diced
  • 1 package veggie meat crumbles (veggie version)/ 1 lb of ground turkey(meat-eater version)
  • 2 cups of tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • squirt of srichacha sauce
  • dash of fresh ground pepper
  • gluten-free buns

The method:

  1. In a skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute for about five minutes or until they start to soften.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until it has reached a desired consistency.
  3. Assemble mixture on buns; serve with oven baked fries (recipe follows).

Oven Fries

The ingredients:

  • 6 or 7 Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3-inch-thick French fry-style strips, soaked in cold water
  • 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or some combo of dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, and basil
  • 2 cups freshly grated Romano cheese
  • 1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter, cut into 6 cubes
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

The method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels. Spread 1 tablespoon of the olive oil on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread out the potatoes. Overlapping is fine.
  3. Sprinkle the dried herbs evenly over the potatoes. Liberally spread the cheese and parsley on top. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the cheese. Scatter the cubed butter around the pans.
  4. Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, rotating the pans after 30 minutes, for 45 to 50 minutes total. Use a spatula to lift off the potatoes with all the crusty cheese adhered to them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Triple Smoky Mac ‘n’ Cheese and More Football Food!

Posted in BBQ, Grilling, Meat-Eater Approved, Meat-eaters and Vegetarians Unite! recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Dinner Recipes by

Well, it’s football season folks! As a vegetarian, it’s a lot of fun to get crafty in order to entertain your man-friend and a couple of his buddies. Nick wanted to entertain a group of his friends for the UofA game that was on Saturday night. I went to ASU myself, so I had to put my “big girl” pants on and buck up and cheer on the Wildcats while flipping back and forth to the Sun Devil game. Both teams won, thankfully – but I don’t think I‘ll be able to stay so neutral for the ASU vs. Arizona game come November. Get your claws out, Jorgenson…

We decided on grilling some burgers, and preparing mac n’ cheese and a salad for side dishes. I left Nick to grill while I prepared the side dishes. The boys has savory beef patties and Nick grilled up a nice Gardein burger for me J.

I felt the urge to impress Nick’s friends since one of them had just come back from Mongolia (figured he wanted some traditional cheesy and yummy tailgating food), and I was in a room full of UofA boys. I’m sure most people are aware of the rivalry between ASU and UofA… so the chances of a roast were very high. I couldn’t just make typical mac n’ cheese, so I opted for what I like to call Triple Smoky Mac n’ Cheese. As for the salad – I went with Alicia Silverstone’s Sexy Inspired Salad.

I want to give a big shout-out to Dave for chopping an avocado like a champ. I’m serious – dude’s got mad skills.

I’m hoping the yum-factor of the side dishes wiped their memory clear of the fact that I am a Sun Devil (and proud of it)!

Triple Smoky Mac ‘n’ Cheese

The Ingredients:

  • 1 pound elbow macaroni (I used shells because thats what I had on hand)
  • 6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • Half an onion, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced
  • 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced, or
  • 1⁄4 cup Frontera brand chipotle salsa
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
  • 8 ounces smoked cheddar, grated, or substitute regular cheddar if you can’t find smoked cheddar
  • 8 ounces smoked mozzarella, grated
  • Kosher salt
  • 1⁄2 cups Homemade Bread Crumbs made with 2 cloves minced garlic added. Recipe in the book.

The Method:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil pasta according to package directions, draining when it is just becoming al dente. This will bake more in the oven, so don’t overcook it. Drain, transfer it to a bowl, and toss with 2 tablespoons of the butter.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

3. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk pretty constantly for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Add the onion, smoked paprika, rosemary, chipotle, oregano, and nutmeg. Bring to a gentle simmer and keep cooking, whisking occasionally, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.

4. Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in the grated cheeses, a handful at a time, stirring each addition of cheese until melted. It is important to do this gradually, to avoid graininess.

5. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning to your preference. It will probably need just a little salt, depending on the cheeses. Add more chipotle if you’d like it hotter. Remember that the sauce should be pretty intense, because it needs to flavor a full pound of pasta.

6. Stir the macaroni into the sauce. Pour the pasta into the baking dish. Scatter the bread crumbs evenly over the top.

7. Bake until you can see bubbling around the sides and the bread crumbs are nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Let the dish rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Alicia’s Sexy Inspired Salad

The Ingredients:

  • Fresh salad greens such as red leaf, butter lettuce, or romaine (I used Romaine)
  • 1 small handful of arugula
  • 1/2 avocado, peeled and diced
  • 1/2-1 heirloom tomato (optional but nice)
  • 1/2-1/4 medium cucumber, chopped into bite size pieces (peel only if the cucumber is not organic)
  • 4 dandelion greens (optional, but good for you)
  • 1/2 carrot, shaved with a vegetable peeler
  • 3-4 chopped fresh basil sprigs
  • 4-5 chopped fresh cilantro sprigs
  • 1 teaspoon hemp seeds (optional)

Dressing

  • 2.5 tablespoons truffle-infused olive or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • juice 1/2 lemon
  • juice 1/2 orange
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated vegan Parmesan cheese

The Method:

  1. Add all the dressing ingredients together and whisk together.
  2. Get a big salad bowl that makes you happy with a lot of room to toss and play. Wash, tear and throw in the lettuce. Add the arugula, avocado, tomato and cucumber. Top with the dandelion greens, carrot shavings, and herbs. Toss with dressing and sprinkle with the hemp and sunflower seeds.

Grilled Buffalo Tofu Steaks

Posted in BBQ, Fast and Simple, Grilling, Meat-eaters and Vegetarians Unite! recipes, Vegetarian Dinner Recipes by

Well, it’s been summer for quite some time now – especially in Arizona – we’ve been hitting over 100 since May! The sweltering heat gets us in the mood for grilling on the patio. I had some tofu steaks on hand and Nick had just picked up his meat selection from some Groupon deal he bought awhile ago. Even though I don’t eat meat, I must say his steak choices were gorgeous and had perfect marbling. So perfect, that he didn’t even mess with it before putting it on the grill – just a dash of salt and pepper and he was good to go.

I had a hankering for something spicy and tangy – I think you see where I’m heading. Frank’s Red Hot “Buffalo” style sauce. The great thing about tofu is that it can pick up marinade flavors really well and in a very short amount of time. I just marinated the tofu for about 20 minutes, tossed it on the grill with Nick’s steak and let the grill do it’s thing. I served my tofu with a quick Garlicky-Lime Aioli; it was a nice cooling element with the spiciness.

Here’s a a picture of Nick with his prized steak:

Here is my recipe:

Buffalo Tofu Steaks

Ingredients:

  • 1 16-ounce block of extra-firm tofu
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
  • 1/8 cup Earth Balance Soy-Free Butter, melted

The Method:

  1. In a bowl, combine the oil, salt,  paprika, hot sauce and melted butter.
  2. Cut the tofu into steaks and gently toss to coat with the mixture. Let the steaks sit in the mixture for 20 minutes before grilling.
  3. Place each tofu steak in a single layer on the grill. Grill for 5 minutes on each side. (Nick’s steak needed to be cooked for 6 minutes on each side, so we timed it accordingly)

Garlicky-Lime Aioli:

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • pinch of paprika
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of pepper

The Method:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix and serve.

It was so yummy that even my well-mannered pit bull, Eleanor was begging for table scraps: