Meatloaf Onion Balls!

I found this recipe on Pinterest and was so excited to try them!!! EXCELLENT camping food or a BBQ on the boat!

1lb Ground Beef 90% lean
1T Salt
1T Pepper
1/4c Ketchup
3 cloves Garlic
2 Egg Whites
1 Slice of Bread (tear up)
Mozzarella cheese sliced
1T Parsley Flakes
2 Onions



1. Chop Onions evenly in half, separate layers (use the outer 2-3 layers, save the rest in the fridge) 
2. Mix together all the other ingredients (excluding cheese)
3. Stuff the Meatloaf Mixture inside the onion halves, add the cheese
4. Wrap tightly in foil
5. Medium Heat BBQ - 15 minutes each side












Personally I like the flavor of the grill in the food, and onions on the grill... Wrapped in foil like this, the juices from the meat actually steamed the onion and the meat-- Might as well have put it in the oven. (But it is Camping Food after all) The dish was tasty, I might have added more garlic and pepper, but all in all a good dish. I did adjust the above recipe to reflect my taste buds. I liked having the onion wrapped around the meat and infusing the meat with the onion flavor, it was different. And I really liked that each bite had an onion sliver to munch with it.


  

Sashimi Grade AAA Ahi and Yellowfin Tuna Loin Testing!

          What do you do when you have 10 pounds of Ahi Grade Tuna loins, and a 2# bag of shrimp??? Have a party!!!!… I want you to know that nothing went to waste. I have eaten nothing but tuna the last 3 days, and I have LOVED it!! I shared the Tuna with many friends and family and everyone was giving rave reviews about the product.

26/30 Cooked Tail On Farm-Raised; Caught in China; Packed in China; “Goulian” brand:

These Chinese shrimp are actually soaked in tri-poly phosphate, a kind of saltwater before they are frozen. This basically makes them puff up, appear bigger, and makes them heavier.

The shrimp had a delicious crunch when we ate them. The flavor was great even though they were from China. I have not developed a taste for tri-poly phosphate yet so I didn’t really notice it. I didn’t add any seasoning to the shrimp, we just ate them as they came with cocktail sauce so we could get the true taste of them as they are. They were a hit.

As for the Tuna, I had 2 loins, about 5# each. One was a beautiful bright red color because it was CO treated. Tuna’s flesh color changes based on what it eats. The ones that have naturally bright red flesh are immediately bought by the Japanese because they are considered the best quality. Americans get the leftovers. Buy, the Americans found, that even when the flesh is a brownish color, if the meat is CO Cold Smoked, it turns a vibrant red. So, one loin was CO treated and bright red, the second was a brown, and all natural. Both are highest quality sashimi grade AAA Tuna loins! What a treat!!!!

To everyone that tried the Tuna, I told them all about how the flesh changes shade based on what the Tuna eats. I told them about the cold smoking and how the color changes so brilliantly. I did notice that the darker tuna got some funny reactions from people. It was an automatic response in their heads that the darker one was not up to par like the brilliant red one, even though it is highest quality and all-natural.  I decided that the best way to test the tuna, was to literally do as much as I could with what I had. Other than sushi, we cooked it and ate it with dinner, seared it and laid it on a salad, and just ate it raw….

The first night we made sushi! My friends planned an Asian-style dinner around the tuna… Miso Soup, edemame, Sake, and Kirin Beer. We made lots of little spicy tuna rolls! We used the “Marumi” brand Ahi tuna the first night (because the bright red color was favored by the people that were helping me test it). It was incredible. We couldn’t even wait for the rice to finish cooking.. as I was cutting the loin up, people were coming by and snagging pieces off the cutting board! We mashed some up for the sushi rolls, sliced some up for hand rolls, sliced some up for Nigiri-style sushi, and sliced smaller chunks for searing.

For breakfast the next morning, we made another batch of spicy tuna rolls, and made 5-6 tupperware containers full of the little rolls so everyone could have a little for lunch! One of my friends that was here for the taste testing is Japanese and she says that this is what they eat for breakfast, this and just the sashimi.





The next day, my mom and I cut up the loin of Yellowfin into several smaller pieces because the large loin took up too much room in the fridge! (This is the brown colored, all-natural one!) We seared half of the pieces on the outside, leaving the inside raw. The plan was to cut them up and put them on a salad with Ginger dressing later in the evening. I lightly peppered the outside before I seared them. Adding anything else to these delicious morsels would be a crime! 

For lunch on Saturday, my Mom, Brother and I made Spicy Tuna hand rolls… You get a lot more of the good stuff when you make them hand rolls!! They were a hit. My brother was actually making his next one while he was still chewing the previous one! That’s how much he was loving it!!



When we first tested the Yellowfin Tuna, we thought it was a little fishy tasting. Once we seared it though, it was absolutely to die for!

For dinner, we cut up enough pieces, of the Yellowfin Tuna, seared them, and took them (along with a whole fancy dinner) to my grandparent’s house. They live very close to us. We all enjoyed Seared tuna with Rice Pilaf for dinner. I did notice that when the tuna is cooked all the way through (Grandparents don’t like the raw stuff), the fish was a little dry and needed some fresh lemon juice. I could tell when it was being cooked that there was VERY LITTLE fat coming out of the fish.

For Breakfast Sunday, I made an entire plate of Spicy Tuna Handrolls with the remaining mix, and surprised my family! They were all so excited and I could barely take a picture of the plate before it was devoured. My family is a huge fan of sushi and Tuna so this was just such a treat for all of us

For dinner on Sunday night, we tossed a salad with spinach, Romaine lettuce, tomato and avocado, and laid thin slices of the seared Ahi Tuna from the day before over the top. Complete with Ginger dressing this was a delicious dinner! 

Fast BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

When you’re getting a craving for some pulled pork sandwiches, you don’t want to let them sit and cook all day or all night long in a slow cooker before you can enjoy them! You want a recipe that is just as good, if not better, than crock pot slow cooking. Well, I have done both to satisfy my pulled pork cravings, and I actually prefer the quicker version!!!!

Here’s the recipe:

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/quick-pulled-pork-sandwiches/?print=1

Quick Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Prep Time 15 Minutes Cook Time 1 Hour

Servings 2

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• FOR RUB
• 1-½ Tablespoon Paprika
• 2 teaspoons Brown Sugar
• ½ teaspoons Celery Salt
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• ½ teaspoons Dry Mustard
• ½ teaspoons Cracked Pepper
• ½ teaspoons Onion Powder
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• FOR PORK
• 1 whole Pork Tenderloin (weight Varies)
• Olive Oil
• 1 jar BBQ Sauce (try Grumpy's Black Label)
• 2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
• Sweet Pickles, Diced
• Handful Red Onion, Diced
• 1 package Hamburger Buns

Preparation Instructions

1. Mix all spice rub ingredients.

2. Pat pork dry and coat with the spice rub.

3. Heat a frying pan till hot with olive oil and sear the pork on all sides until seriously browned.

4. Reduce heat and cover, cook until done (about 15 minutes+) test doneness by touch. (can be done a day in advance, cool and chill, wrapped in fridge)

5. In heavy pot, combine pork with enough water to just cover it. Add cider vinegar and 1/3 cup BBQ sauce.

6. Bring to boil and then simmer over medium heat covered, about 1 hour.

7. Remove pork and shred.

8. Heat remaining bottle of BBQ sauce in pan over medium high, stir in shredded pork and heat thoroughly, allowing sauce to soak into pork.

9 Steam buns in pot with steamer rack over high, about 2 minutes.

10 Top bottom half of bun with pork, pickles and onions. Finish with top half of bun.

Yummy!

I don’t measure the spices any more… I just shake whatever I have in the cabinet over the pork and rub them in. I do brown the meat significantly on each side and then stab it all over with a knife so the juices can reach the inside of the meat. It gives it a head start on the cooking process and the brown adds such nice coloring.

To check to see if its done, try to separate the meat with a fork. If it comes apart nicely, its ready. To pull it, I put the whole pork on a cutting board and use two forks to separate the meat, putting it in a clean pot (or dump out the stuff that its been cooking in).I do big chunks of pulled pork rather than small ones because over time, it will get smaller. I then add the rest of the BBQ sauce and put the heat back on, and cover the pot. Every couple minutes while the BBQ sauce is heating up, I stir the meat.

While the meat is simmering originally, I cut up some pickles, red onions and tomatoes to add to the top. It not only adds color (eye appeal) and flavor (taste bud appeal), but it also adds nutrients (Vitamins A and C)! I also recommend a whole wheat bun (you can also find gluten-free buns at Whole Foods), for added fiber and protein. This dish is high in protein and calories; I would recommend serving with some fresh fruit or a garden salad!

Denise's Guacamole

Do you like creamy or chunky guacamole? Do you like flavorful guacamole with a little bite, or no bite? Do you prefer your guacamole simple and green, or bright and colorful? I like mine chunky and flavorful with a hint of Tapatio, and filled with delicious veggies for extra flavor, color, and nutrients!

Save a couple avocado seeds when you start to mash. Adding them at the end is supposed to keep the guacamole from turning a nasty brown color (oxidization). I like to add all my spices to my avocados before I start mashing. I add a lot lemon and lime juices (depending on what’s in the fridge-either can stand as a partial substitute for salt and offer vitamin C along with other important nutrients, and keeps the avocado for oxidizing too quickly), a couple dashes of Tapatio, salt and pepper, and a couple dashes of Lea Perrins Worchestire Sauce. This way, everything gets mashed in and you can add more as necessary. 

I don't add salt until the very end! Keep in mind.. the chips are salty! Remember, you can always add salt, but you can’t take it away, so be careful adding too much salt in the beginning. Mash your avocados with a fork, maintaining avocado’s thick consistency, and chunkyness. Don’t put it in the blender or it will be very creamy and lose all of its thick consistency.

I always put in A LOT of chopped cilantro, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, (sometimes white onions). I like my guacamole chunky and like to have quite a large helping of my guacamole on each chip.

I like to serve it in a clean bowl, topped with an avocado seed and a sprig of cilantro. For a healthy touch, I buy whole wheat tortilla chips, or choose the low-fat/lightly salted option. I also find that Wheat Thins and different kinds of healthy, whole-grain crackers are delicious with my guacamole, and knock off the calories that you put in your body. 



And of course, the best way to enjoy this guacamole, is with a frozen margarita, excellent company, and warm weather!

Lox and Bagles

Gravlax, literally translated to mean “buried salmon” is a method of curing involving “burying” a salmon in salt and spices (including dill) for a couple days so that it cures. This is not to be confused with lox, or commercially processed cold-smoked salmon.

Lox is generally eaten in the morning for breakfast on a bagel, or can be prepared as hors d'oeuvres for a dinner party. My family loves to buy cold smoked salmon from Sam’s Club. The quality and flavor is great, it’s economical, and it’s an excellent source of Omega-3 Fatty oils. I could just eat it alone, it’s so tasty!

We bought some whole wheat bagels (for added fiber and no dyed white bread), slathered on a layer of cream cheese (I used whipped- it looks like a lot of cream cheese, easy to spread, but less calories because its full of air), folded on some of the lox (the smoked salmon), and topped it with capers, and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper. We garnished with a thin slice of lemon. This was for breakfast.

In the picture I actually cut one of the bagels (the thicker half) in half and got a little more out of it. Bagels are full of calories and carbohydrates, and this is one way to spread the intake out a little, and then share with family. One for me, one for my Mom, and one for my Brother! Yum.  They are filling, even with a small portion because of the bagel!

For hor d’oeuvres, I would suggest small Wheat Thins or Triscut crackers (whole grains/fiber), topped with a small blob of cream cheese. (You can infuse/mix the cream cheese with dill- a spice that goes wonderfully with lox). Then fold over a small piece of the lox and top with 1-2 small capers or a sprig of dill. I love to sprinkle cracked black pepper over the top, and garnish the plate with thin slices of lemon. Use a white plate rather than a detailed plate so you can see the beauty in the little Lox hors d’oeurves!

Chopped Salad with Ginger Dressing

My mom brought home this amazing ginger dressing from the grocery store last week and we are totally hooked. We made a chopped salad with whatever we could find in the fridge and feasted. We had some Romaine lettuce, so we chopped and cleaned it early in the morning to let it crisp up before lunch time. This was a wonderful hint that I didn’t know about. When you wash and dry lettuce and leave it in the fridge for a couple hours, it will crisp up and be nice and crunchy come lunchtime.

When lunchtime rolled around, we chopped up some cold cut turkey lunch meat, Monterey Jack cheese, white onion, green onion, tomatoes and cucumbers. We also threw in a handful of sunflower nuts (sunflower seeds without the shell) for some protein and crunch, and then we drowned the salad in dressing. It was yummy.  Cheese adds calcium, protein, Vitamin A and substance to the salad. The turkey and sunflower nuts both add protein.

The best part was that it was a healthy salad. And not healthy like… eating a salad and you won’t feel quite full and you’ll be hungry in a couple hours. No! This salad has so much substance because of all the goodies we found and threw in, we were full for hours. And it was so flavorful with all the bite-sized morsels. Once we finished we felt extremely satisfied.

Some other things we’ve thrown in: chopped cilantro, spinach (extra iron and vitamins A&C), Julianne Carrots, grape tomatoes from the garden, turkey bacon bits. You can top it off with any dressing, and toss before serving. If you are going to be taking the salad to work and eating it at lunch, package the dressing separately and toss just before eating. If you leave the dressing on the greens, the salad will wilt and will not be as crunchy and satisfying. I recommend a Tupperware with some extra room so you can add dressing, replace lid, and shake!

Spam Musubi

A can of SPAM, some microwaveable rice and sheets of Nori... SPAM MUSUBI is a staple in Hawaiian snack food. In my College Graduation trip to Hawaii a few months ago, I stuffed my face with the delectable snack at every opportunity, and made sure I bought a Musubi Maker (to shape the rice into a rectangular shape) so I could enjoy them at home on the mainland. Finally, I got around to making it at home- It’s so simple!!! My family was very wary of eating it because of the stigma attached with SPAM, but they gave it a try and really enjoyed it! SPAM is actually not bad quality ham luncheon meat, contrary to the stigma attached to the name, and the product is high in protein and Vitamin C, and lower in calories than expected. It is very salty though, so I chose the “lite” option.

I used reduced sodium oyster sauce and soy sauce along with half the sugar recommended as the marinade (marinate for an hour), and actually cooked the Spam in the marinade (not in original recipe).  Then I formed the little squares of rice with the Musubi Maker and laid them on saran wrap until was ready to put them together. (I tried it with white rice and brown rice- white is traditional and stickier, but Brown is healthier because of the fiber and it’s not bleached). When it was time to assemble them, I wrapped the Nori (seaweed) around the rice and SPAM and sealed it with a drip of water. The little spam Musubi’s came out great!

Later in the week we got the MUSUBI craving again and tried making them with Teriyaki Marinade because we ran out of oyster sauce. It was just as tasty! You could tell the difference, but it wasn't very noticeable. Hint: I really like putting some of the cooked marinade on the rice before the slice of spam for extra salty/sweet delicious marinade flavor.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Instant Brown rice (Microwaveable)

1/4 c Soy Sauce

1/4 c Oyster Sauce

1/4 c Sugar

1 (12 oz) can SPAM Luncheon Meat

5 sheets of Nori

Directions:

1. Microwave the rice

2. Slice SPAM - 10 slivers

3. In a separate bowl, mix Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, and Sugar; marinate slices of SPAM in mixture for about an hour

4. In a skillet, heat some Veg. Oil over medium heat, and add the SPAM slices --- I always add a little of the marinade too

5. Form the little rectangles with the Musubi Maker and lay on Saran Wrap until ready to assemble.

6. Assemble: rice rectangle, SPAM Slice, and wrap with Nori

7. ENJOY!

Healthy Pine Nut Hummus (office snack!)

Now that I have an office job rather than a food service job, I get to pack a lunch and snacks for each work day! Because I’ll be sitting at a desk for hours a day, I want to be careful not to gain weight! What better way than by preparing and portioning ahead of time, and being careful to only stock healthy snacks?!

So, on day one I brought some fruit for a snack and decided to see what the other co-workers did for lunch. Most of them went out to lunch, but that can get expensive, and most of the options at restaurants are fattening. One girl had made a salad and kept her dressing in the break room fridge. Another was dipping into store-bought hummus. I love to make hummus! It is so easy, healthy and there are many variations that make it so delicious. Plus, pita chips aren’t the only thing you can dip into hummus- so this can be made very healthy!



I googled various Pine-nut Hummus recipes and created my own with elements of each. I prefer to use less tahini (because of the calorie content) in my hummus. I also drain and rinse my canned garbanzo beans. This helps keep sodium content down- I can always add salt if I need to. I like to add a lot of lemon juice in my hummus because I can get away with less salt (lemon is a kind of substitute for salt), and I like to taste the lemon and the garlic. I upped the amount of garlic that was used in all the recipes, and added parsley to mine, a detail that I noticed in one recipe and thought the added color and nutrients would be good.The best part of this recipe was the toasted pine nuts I used as garnish- added flavor and a little crunch to the creamy hummus. I toasted up the pine nuts first with olive oil and some of the parsley. Then I actually blended ¾ of that toasty mixture in the blender with all the rest of the hummus ingredients (for that toasted pine nut flavor) and used the rest as garnish and for crunch.

Pine Nut Hummus

1 Can  Garbanzo Beans/ Chick Peas (drained and rinsed)

3T     Tahini

1T      EV Olive Oil

3-4    Garlic Cloves

4T     Pine Nuts

1t       Cumin ground

1T      Chopped Parsley

6T     Lemon Juice

1/2t   Cayenne Pepper

1.     In a sauté pan: olive oil, pine nuts, cayenne pepper, parsley- toast the pine nuts

2.    Put half of the mixture in the blender along with all of the other ingredients

3.    Garnish with remaining Pine Nut mixture and drizzle of quality olive oil

To keep it healthy, I dipped in Low-Fat Wheat Thins, cucumber slices, and carrot sticks, rather than store-bought pita chips which can be high in sodium and fat.

Garbanzo beans are very good for you, and very high in protein. They are also high in calories, fiber, Iron and Vitamin C. Parsley and Lemon Juice will also provide your body with a lot of Vitamin C. Pine nuts add good fat to the recipe, as well as protein.

Applebees Happy Hour After Work!

Sometimes the work groupies hit Applebees after work to relax, especially after those crazy shifts. The new Bud Light Platinum came out so I had to try it even though it wasn't happy hour. I'm not the biggest fan of Bud Light but this beer is supposed to have double the alcohol content: 6% instead of 3.5%. I'm glad I gave it a try.... but I'm a loyal Coors Light drinker!

I ordered the build-your-own appetizer. It was AWESOME because you could pick and choose what you want. I gobbled it down before taking a picture but I'll probably order that platter every time now! I got Honey BBQ wings, their little tacos, and spinach artichoke dip. YUM!

Finals Week Brunch!- 2012

I had an online final, the Monday of finals week. That was my last final EVER in college because I was GRADUATING!!!!! So, because I wasn't overwhelmed studying for Vector Statics finals or Organic Chemistry..... I figured it would be fun to cook a brunch for several of my friends to start them off for a week of all-nighters and hard studying. Some brain food... My mom had a few recipes I wanted to try and I was excited to cook for the group.

I had juices and unlimited coffee for everyone. I made a zucchini quiche, a spinach quiche (the hit of the morning), a coffee cake, and eggs in baskets!!! Everything turned out to be delicious if I do say so myself, and I want to share the recipes with you if you want to plan a brunch too!!!! They were all SUPER EASY, super fast to put together, and all had the same cook time, so I could exactly plan service.

This is what the eggs in a blanket looked like on the fire! I added a little bit of pepper to the top, and no salt. That way, each person could choose how much salt to add for their liking. Cut a hold in a piece of bread and stick it on the pan. I used whole wheat bread. I did spray the pan with some PAM non-stick cooking spray. I toasted the bread on one side and then turned the fire way down and flipped the bread. Crack the egg in the center, sprinkle some pepper and wait. It only takes about 3 minutes. Make sure to keep checking that the bottom isn't burning!! Make sure the egg is completely cooked before serving.

This picture is the spinach quiche that was a huge hit. I altered the recipe slightly, using more spinach than it called for, and an Italian 5-cheese mix rather than Gruyere cheese. The recipe also calls for a pie crust, but I was too lazy and altered the recipe. Here is my altered recipe:

Spinach and Cheese Quiche

Prep: 15 Mins

Bake: 45 Mins

Serves: 8

½ onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

16oz package frozen chopped spinach (thaw and squeeze out water)

1 ½ cups grated Cheese (Italian 5 Cheese Mix works beautifully)

1 c whole wheat flour

1t Baking Soda

3 Large Eggs

Dashes of Salt and Pepper

Oven: 375F

1. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Thoroughly mix.

2. Spray pie pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour mixture in. Bake 45 minutes until brown on top.

3. Sprinkle with more cheese and broil the top until cheese melts and browns. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving!

 The next one I made was a Zucchini Quiche. I thought that it was equally as delicious as the spinach, but the spinach one was the favorite. The only thing I changed on the recipe was that cheese. I used the Italian 5 cheese blend rather than Parmesan.

Zucchini Quiche

Prep: 15 Mins

Bake: 45-60 Mins

Serves: 8

3c grated zucchini

1 small onion chopped

1c flour

1c Italian 5 cheese mix

3 eggs

1/4c vegetable oil

2t basil (fresh or dried)

1t baking powder

1t salt

1t pepper

Oven: 375F

1. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Thoroughly mix.

2. Spray pie pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour mixture in. Bake 45-60 minutes until brown on top.

3. Sprinkle with more cheese and broil the top until cheese melts and browns. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving! 

 The little puppies in the oven..... 

and out of the oven!