meatless mondays: grilled vege pressed sandwiches

I'll admit it. I've found a great new cooking show to love. And it's not found on the food network. Though with the advent of Ree Drummond's show next month, I may be enticed back, I've found the network has just gotten filled with a lot of reality tv style shows that aren't really my thing. And a lot of the "stars" that they're choosing to host their new shows, just aren't my style. I've had enough experience in the cooking industry that I want shows featuring techniques, herbs and spices that I've never used {or maybe sparingly} and that's tough to come by on their current lineup. I'd love to hear if you have a favorite to recommend, though!

Anyway - back to the new favorite:

I happened upon the show while catching up on a few Martha Stewart episodes this summer. I never, ever get to watch, so it's been fun. I'll always admire Martha's style and what she's done for modern homemaking. And yes, she's always been one of my go-to stops for finding any recipe that I might need, from cakes to salads and entrees.

Back to Mad Hungry. I was instantly drawn in by Lucinda's easy going {yet intensely driven} conversational style as she moved deftly around the kitchen preparing the day's meal for the show. Her recipes are typically quick to assemble, using easy to acquire ingredients. But she always seems to offer some little twist to vary you from the typical path in order to keep things exciting. I. Love. Her. Style. She means what she says. Bringing back the family meal. Her meals are typically pretty healthy {being a mom} and often offer great vegetarian alternatives or sidedishes that work well for me, while still getting dinner done for the guys. Once I found a bit more info on her, I found it small wonder that I admire her so much. She's been the food editor for Martha Stewart for quite a while. Yes. As I said before, Martha has taste.

If you're interested in learning more - check out her blog. And did I mention that she's awesome enough to answer questions on her facebook page? I made her Vermont Burgers {the turkey version} for the boys' birthday party last week, and posted asking if she thought I could make them ahead and freeze them, since we were going out of town for the days leading up to the party. And yes. She replied. So. If you're interested and have a chance, check out her show. I definitely recommend. For what it's worth.

Mmm. On to today's meatless monday post. I had this really awesome recipe designed and put together for curried chickpeas, but, um, misplaced my notes. {oops!}

It's really, really yummy, and based on what I've learned from my mother-in-law, so it's Jamaican style curry. More sweet and savory than heat. I'll be doing my best to locate those notes. {I really need one of these.}My meat eating guys devoured it, just like the meatless shepherd's pie - without a peep. Except to comment on how yummy it was.

So, in it's stead, I'll offer up this great meatless recipe that I recently tried from Mad Hungry. Pressed sandwiches.

I'll admit to being super busy with both of our boys having birthdays within 6 days of each other, so this was a last minute thing. Which meant that I couldn't make the fresh pesto. A bit of a bummer, really, since I know that's the best way. I also couldn't locate a ciabatta bread that was ok for our son with peanut allergies. {Most bread is marked "processed on the same equipment with nuts".} So, I went with a nice, crusty, fresh loaf of French, and some store bought pesto, which I left off of our little guy's portion, since it contains pinenuts. They were amazing. 

My recipe ended up something like this:

Pressed Grilled Vege Sandwiches

• 1 red bell pepper (about 7 ounces)
• 1 medium size eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 2 medium size zucchini , cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• olive oil, for grilling
• sea salt
• 4 oz. store bought pesto sauce
• 8 oz. fresh mozzarella ball, sliced roughly 1/4" thickness
• 2 loaves of fresh, crusty French bread
• 
  
• Prepare your grill for cooking, and throw your red pepper on the back. Watch and turn as the flames crisp the outer skin. While this is cooking, place the eggplant and zucchini slices on the grill that you've given a light coat of olive oil and sprinkle of sea salt. Grill those, flipping once until cooked tender. Once the red pepper is a bit blackened on all sides and starting to deflate a bit, remove and let it rest. While it's resting, slice the loaves of bread lengthwise, horizontally, and pull out most of the doughy center. {this makes great homemade croutons for your salads if you're interested.} Coat both the top and bottom halves of the bread with pesto. Layer the grilled vege on the bottom half of the bread. Then peel, seed and cut your grilled red pepper into strips. Add to the sandwich and top with the slices of fresh mozzarella. Finish with the top portion of bread that already has pesto. Place between two pans and add a weight to the top to press it flat.  After pressing, cut in slices to serve. 

They were definitely a hit!! No one believed that there wasn't any meat on them {extended family included}. They were filled with flavor, and loved by all - even my self proclaimed eggplant hater of a husband. Yes. I won him over! I so wish I had photos, but between the hustle and bustle of the party, and the rain storm that descended as we finished grilling, I don't have much, even from the party! I'm sure we'll be making them again, so I'll have to make sure I get some photos then!

Happy Monday!

patriotic shortcake and meatless adventures

The shortcake from my previous post that I made for our July 4th bbq. It. Was. So. Good.

And I'm always, always on the look out for meatless recipes that my family will enjoy! Since I know it's the healthiest way to go, it's good to be able to share great experiences with them - and things that convince them that they aren't losing or giving anything up. It's also a great way to help your budget and the planet! I'm thinking I might start a "meatless monday" post soon - to share ideas for meatless meals that your whole family will enjoy, not just your vegetarians.

This idea came from Kelleigh's post for "Lentil Sheperd's Pie". I'll be sharing my take on the recipe this upcoming monday! I'm considerably less on the cheese/dairy, and more on the seasonings. Our family mowed through an entire 9x13 pan for dinner with just a tiny portion leftover. ^_^

vegan food adventures

Can I tell you this was SO yum?! It was my dinner last night when the guys were having burgers... It's grilled aloha marinated tofu, topped with grilled pineapple. I ended up drizzling with some catalina dressing. It. Was. Yum. Even my hubby, the meateater thought these looked good. He definitely has no problem with my choices, but feels he's not ready to take the leap into something like this yet! lol

Happy Hump Day everyone!

an accidental vegan

I know there's sort of been a craze over the vegan thing lately after the whole Oprah episode where people were educated a little bit about how certain foods are produced here in The States... I'm not really sure what all she talked about, because honestly, I don't watch much tv. {I've been privy to that info for a while, and have only been eating organic products.}

I've started on my own journey for entirely different reasons. Health issues that I'd rather not share - but, I will say this: It's really changing me - in a way that's GREAT. :) I'm not super, super strict, though - I have a few tablespoons of milk here and there, and a few baked goods - but nothing that has dairy as a main ingredient. I'm also still eating small amounts of fish and lean chicken - roughly once a week. {have I mentioned that my mom thinks I'm pretty close to nuts?? lol Of course she doesn't have a problem with it, she just doesn't think it's humanly possible to not crave all of the foods that you cut out...}

{one of the lovely roses from hubby for Valentine's set in my messy work space}

Just for today, I wanted to share some of the sites for recipes that friends have passed along! I really need to link up to my friend Wendy - thanks for all the advice! She's been a vegetarian/vegan for a while, so she had some great tips for me!

The Kind Life I'm looking forward to checking out the book as well!

Fat Free Vegan - Even the photos are drool worthy! Ack!

Please share more if you have them! I always love finding new sites/books for recipe ideas!^_^

And just short note: I will be mia most of this week! We have a wedding coming up in the family that we are all involved in, and with everything else, I didn't have time to blog and schedule posts. I'm actually finishing my dress for the big day today {can't wait to post pics - it's based on this concept here, but done in a dove gray color. I'm going for a simple, elegant, understated look.}Also printing programs, doing alterations for someone, picking up tuxes for the guys, rehearsal dinner etc., and on top of that, D is still a bit under the weather. :P

Enjoy your week!

a new journey

Doing the almost vegan thing. I'm still consuming small amounts of milk. But very little meat, and no cheese. And it's a bit of an adjustment. But it's ok. Because I'm feeling a lot better for it. :) So some of my upcoming recipes might be shifting focus just a wee bit! Above is my delicious lunch of steamed carrots with cinnamon, golden split peas with lots of onion, garlic and other seasonings, and long grain brown rice.  It was seriously yummy. 

In all the reading that I've done about going vegan - they always seem to mention something they call "brain fog". And it's funny. I had an idea of what they meant by it - but until you experience it, it's hard to understand fully. A clearer head. More focussed thinking. It's honestly amazing just after a few days... I would tell you, it's worth trying the changes, just do you can experience that.

one of our fave holiday treats

Things got so busy around the holidays that I never got the chance to share this beaut. This is what's left of the platter after it's pretty much been demolished. Eggnog Cheesecake! Rum and all! And it wouldn't be cheesecake without heavy cream all whipped up for the top, right?

Don't worry! Once things settle down just a bit {I've been busy with projects for the upcoming tradeshow}, I'll be back to sharing recipes and lots of projects! I've got a bunch of baked goods on the list - like my yummy apple pie and the above mentioned Eggnog Cheesecake.

I'm also back and forth LOTS right now to have a reconstruction done on a broken tooth that also happened to be infected. WHOA. Not cool. I'm making up for not having dental insurance for quite a few years. I can assure you, I brush, floss, etc., regularly,  but I just don't seem to have good teeth. Never have. {sigh}

Today was also all about errands - both personal and business... so much to do! And it feels awesome.

So, thanks for your patience with my irregular posting! Have a fabulous midweek!

ruffled tuxedo tshirt

For those of you that know me in real life, you know that on the average day, you'll find me in a pair of well fitting jeans and some type of t-shirt. That's just how I roll. And of course a cute skirt with a t-shirt mixed in. So recently I've been seeing all of those cute ruffled t-shirts {which I love}, and every time I thought about buying one, I kept thinking, "I could totally make this."

Yes, believe it or not - this started out as a plain jane, fitted t-shirt. In fact, a high-necked one as well. {which I bought on accident. That style just doesn't work for me...} Found for $8 at my local Target.

For some strange reason that I can't explain, I've been into creating/altering my own clothes lately. I have no idea why.

Look for my very first DIY tutorial on creating this exact look next week!

And last night's dinner was amazing:

After a really tough day with the boys, it was a yummy treat. And I topped it off with an early night to relax and rest. I needed it. Today I'm feeling really refreshed and I'm getting lots more accomplished!

one down, two to go!

I finished the first dress that I was working on! In fact, I wore it to the movies with my hubby last night. ^_^

I LOVE Amy Butler's meticulous attention to detail in her patterns... I've never been disappointed. I used this one for this dress, and her fabric for it as well. Her cottons are heavy weight with great durability - and you can't beat the bright colors and lovely patterns.

This is the inside of the bodice:

invisible zipper. And yes, it takes a bit of skill to match the pattern in the fabric, just so...

And finally, the hem.

The only thing that disappointed me was my under - or I should say, over estimation of myself! I really am having a hard time getting used the that fact that I need to shop and sew things that are a size small. Never in my life, people. Never. I made this as a medium - going according to the measurements on the pattern, and I really could have gone with a small! Ack! I'm totally not disappointed in the dress at all though! It fits my style to a "T" - comfy. chic. I'm comfortable, but at the same time, look like a million bucks! It's also the best way to beat the summer heat in my opinion!

I'll be sure to keep you updated on my other two projects!

Mmmm... we were treated to a yummy Jamaican family breakfast this morning, courtesy of my mother-in-law.

It was delish! Happy weekend all!!

summer salads: part 2 {death by broccoli}

hehe... i must apologize for two food posts in a row! It's the abundance of subject matter with the recent holiday... and since one of my major goals this year is to document and categorize my recipes, you'll have to bear with me! and hopefully enjoy it! lol

{Death by Broccoli}

and a pleasant and happy one it would be, too! This is inspired by a recipe of one of my aunts! She used to bring something really similar to this to family gatherings - I've basically switched up the proportions. Even as a child, when raw broccoli wasn't my thing, I loved this salad. Now that I'm grown and am happy to munch my veg regardless, this is still a fabulous treat! We love it especially for bbq's to go alongside potato salad and a grilled burger. Mmmm...

2 heads of broccoli

6 oz. of cheddar cheese, grated

9 oz. of bacon, cooked and crumbled{ I bake mine in the oven - WAY less hassle and mess. And if you're wondering how it turns out -  you already know! it's the only way it's cooked in restaurants. ;-)}

3/4 c. onion, finely chopped

Toss everything together is a dish that'll be easy to stir everything around in.

the sauce:
2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sugar
4 T. white vinegar
Mix together and pour over the above ingredients.

Toss everything together and serve! It's great for a couple of days, too, so if you need to make it ahead, it's perfect. ^_^

i'll have mine with a twist of lime, please

this is a summer family favorite! we seem to somehow end up with it at our july 4th celebration bbq almost every year...

And though the usual cheesecake is flavored with lemon - this one gets a hit of real, live keylime juice to give it a soft tang - much more intriguing to the tastebuds than even the typical limes used to create the "regular" lime juice that we buy at the grocery... I really don't even care for traditional keylime pie. It seems to have a bit of a rubber-y texture to me - like it has gelatin in it {I think it really does...}, but I'll take a slice of this on any hot summer day!

KeyLime Cheesecake:

Crust:
2 c. finely crushed graham crackers
6 T. butter, melted
2 T. sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Whiz up your graham crackers in a food processor or coffee grinder until they're really fine. Dump them into the bottom of a 9" round springform pan. and toss with the melted butter and sugar.Shape around the pan and press. {Tip: a highball glass is perfect to shape your crust!! ^_^}

Bake the crust for 5-8 minutes in your preheated oven. Set aside to cool on a rack as you mix up the filling ingredients. Reduce the heat on your oven to 325 F.

Filling:

4 - 8 oz. packages of cream cheese, room temperature 

1/3 c. keylime juice {if using "regular" you must adjust quantities. I don't recommend substituting.}

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs, room temperature

1 1/3 c. sugar

Place the room temp. cream cheese in a large-ish mixing bowl and beat is well. Add vanilla and keylime juice and mix well. Add eggs one at a time beating each addition. Scrape the bowl in between, too, since the texture will change dramatically and any chunks of cream cheese will become hard to incorporate. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Pour filling into the prepared crust that you set aside to cool earlier. Bake in a waterbath at 325 F for 60-75 minutes. 

The top should turn just barely brown and the cake will swell up like pictured. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack until it's room temperature. This part's important - if you just toss it into the fridge, the heat will steam up any wrapping you put over it and make the cheesecake slimy. Eeeew. After it's cooled to room temp, then put it in the fridge to cool. Serve chilled with whipped cream and garnished with lime slices. I usually make cheesecake a day before I plan to serve it!

And while I'm on the subject of whipped cream, I'll share my recipe. ^_^ No substitutes for the real thing...

Whipped Cream
2 c. heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. real vanilla
Pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high speed with an electric mixer until it's light and fluffy. Easy peasy. ^_^

Just as a reminder, all of the ingredients used in my recipes are all natural and organic. We believe it's important for our bodies and the earth! And don't forget - if you're interested in more of my recipes, check under the "Food Love" tab up on top. There's a link there to all the recipes that I've posted so far on my blog!

Success!

Remember my "shop my pantry" challenge for this year? Creating all-natural & organic foods at home for less $$?

Well, with all this fabulously cold weather we've been having, we've been drinking bunches of hot cocoa - and I had a reaction to the pre-made packets. :P {I'll spare you the details, but it involves lots of itching! lol}

So I looked up this recipe for hot cocoa mix and put together a batch!! So far it's been super yummy - no reaction, and only cost about $3.00 to put together mix for 92 cups. lol - So, I'm sharing and passing along! I spooned some of the mix into a plastic sandwich bag, printed the directions onto a pre-made tag {from a digi kit I'm working on to release Monday! } and packed it into an empty tin leftover from some Maya Road clear alphas. Nothin' fancy, but I know my sister-in-law will appreciate the package!
Topped with a little whipped cream in my cozy mug...
And just a peek at what I've been working on this week! Playing with fabric and yarn...
Hope you have a fabulous weekend ahead of you with lots of creative plans!