The Philly

Hey guys!

This week I'm going to share a great meal suggestion for using left over grilled or BBQ chicken.

You will need:
Left over chicken breast meat
Bell peppers
Onion
Mozzarella cheese
Gluten free bun (I used hot dog buns)
Oil
Salt and pepper
Mustard and mayonnaise (optional)
Side item(s) of choice

Take grilled chicken and cut into thin slices, dice up red and green bell pepper and white onion. Begin cooking veggies with a small amount of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. When veggies are mostly cooked, toss in chicken strips and heat thoroughly (being careful not to cook too long where the chicken gets dry) top with grated or thinly sliced mozzarella cheese, cover and continue heating until cheese is melted.
While the veggies are cooking, lightly toast the gluten free bread.
When ready to serve, prepare bread with desired condiments and fill with mixture of chicken, veggies and cheese.

(helpful note: after making this dish the first time, when the photo was taken, I realized that simply slicing the veggies was less time consuming during prep but created slightly increased cooking time and made the sandwich harder to eat... Round two with diced veggies worked much better)

Serving suggestion (as pictured)-
Sweet potato fries with ketchup and homemade honey-mustard dipping sauce.

Black bean salad

A few days ago, a co-worker mentioned eating a delicious black bean salad and it got me thinking... Why not try my hand at making my own? I was presently surprised at how simple, yet tasty this recipe turned out. I will certainly be making this one again.

Ingredients-

1 can black beans, strained and rinsed

1/4 cup canned sweet corn (drained and rinsed)

1/8 of a green bell pepper, diced

Finely diced white onion (about equal parts with pepper)

1 medium Roma tomato, chopped

1 jalapeño, diced (I also like to use a splash of the juice as well)

Juice of about 1 lime (or 2-3 squeezes of lime juice)

Season with salt, pepper, and parsley

Directions-
Mix all ingredients in medium bowl, stir, and chill for about 20 mins

Serving suggestion-
Pair with tortilla chips or serve as side dish with your favorite summer dinner.

Tip: if you double or triple this recipe it would make a great passing dish for your next gathering or potluck.

Meatless Sloppy Joes

I was reminded the other day of a childhood favorite, sloppy joes. As that familiar smell came wafting back to me, I had I new thought... Why not make sloppy joes with tofu? It suddenly seemed so simple that I just had to give it a try for this week's recipe.
While I have to say this variation is a little more grown-up and less "sloppy" than the traditional, meat-filled, canned version of our childhoods I was pretty pleased with the taste of the final product.
Since I was looking to replicate a familiar flavor I didn't want to stray too far into experimenting with other spices, at least not this time around. Who knows what additions I might throw in next time (BBQ sauce, chili powder, or more chopped veggies are potential additions and substitutes that I might want to try out).

For those of you not that familiar with using vegetarian substitutes in your favorite recipes this is a good one to get you started.


Ingredients-

1 package (12-14oz) medium/firm organic Tofu

1 Roma tomato (diced)

1/8 c white onion (finely diced)

1/4 c green bell pepper (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

3/4 c ketchup

1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard

4 tsp brown sugar

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions-
Lightly coat medium skillet with olive oil blend, begin pre-heating over medium heat
Drain tofu and cut into cubes, using fingers crumble tofu directly into skillet
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tofu begins to turn a slight golden/brown (about 10-12 mins) Add chopped veggies and stir. Thoroughly mix in ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for another 15-20 mins. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper.

Total prep and cooking time: about 30-40 mins

Serve on gluten free bun with your choice of sides.

Last night's dinner

Sometimes it's not always trying out a new recipe that can spice up the ordinary dinner routine, but rather trying out new combinations or adding a twist to an old favorite. Last night I didn't really know what I felt like having for dinner so thought I would simply see what I could make using all ingredients I already had. I opened the freezer and discovered some fillets of Pollack and some frozen snow peas. That seemed like a good start... I first defrosted the fish, and made a light breading (using coconut flour, lime juice, and various spices). I preheated a skillet, greased it with a small amount of olive oil, and cooked the breaded fish for about 3 mins on each side. Meanwhile I "baked" a potato in the microwave and started boiling a small pan of salted water for the snow peas. Once everything had finished cooking I realized that the fish might also be good in a salad, so I chopped up about half of the fish and tossed it with romaine salad mix, tomatoes, and italian dressing. All in under 15 mins start to finish I had made a very filling, yet simple meal.

Pictured below:
fish, salad, and snow peas with a garlic baked potato
(topped with margarine, salt and pepper and a bit of garlic powder)

What did you make for dinner last night? Feel free to share your creations in the comments below!

Vegetarian Chili

Happy Friday everyone!

This week I give to you my brand new chili recipe.... let me know what you think by leaving a  comment, or feel free to share one of your favorite veggie recipes below.

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients-

1 cankidney beans (drained)

1 canwhite beans (drained)

2medium sized tomatoes, cut into chunks

2 wholegreen chilies, diced

2jalapeno peppers, diced

3cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼green bell pepper, diced

1 cuptomato sauce

½package firm tofu, cubed

drizzleof olive oil blend

Tapatioor similar hot sauce

Driedonion flakes

Spicesto taste:

oregano

parsley

extraspicy seasoning blend (ie. Mrs. Dash)

salt

blackpepper

paprika

cayennepepper

garlicpowder

Directions-

Pourkidney beans, white beans, tomato sauce and tomato chunks intomedium-large sauce pan. Heat over low flame while preparing otheringredients. Individually add garlic, peppers, and chilies as eachitem is prepped. Add remaining ingredients: drizzle of oil (toprevent sticking as the chili slow cooks), onion flakes, hot sauceand spices (stir and taste testing as you go). Once chili hasreached the desired level of spice, toss in cubed tofu. Cover andlet simmer for at least another 40 mins over very low heat, stirringoccasionally.

Preptime: about 30 mins

Servingsuggestions: 

- pair with corn tortilla chips or corn-bread

-top with shredded cheese and/or sour cream