Bison Flank Steak

It's almost the end of grilling season, and with all this rain, I don't feel like I have gotten everything out of it that I could. In July, I grilled nearly every dinner, but rainy August was definitely more of a mixed bag. I still had a few things left I needed to grill before it was too late, or too cold really. One of them was Bison. I am already a huge fan of the bison burger, but the past few times I have been at Whole Foods, I noticed they had other cuts, and that they looked tasty. My only other experience with bison, was brought back from a hunt, and it did not smell so great (it tasted fine though), so I was a little timid. One day, the boyfriend went to Whole Foods without me, and he came home with a beautiful bison flank steak. It was perfectly lean looking, and did not smell out all! Once it was grilled up, it tasted amazing, and I'm pretty sure you could serve it and no one would know they weren't eating beef. So, step outside your comfort zone, for a delicious and lean dinner!

Marinated Bison Flank Steak:
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 tbsp of good balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp of Worcherstershire Sauce
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tsp of dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
salt, pepper
1 bison flank steak, about 1 lb.
Olive oil

In a small bowl combine the vinegars, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and mustard. Season a bison flank steak (or a beef one) with salt and pepper. Put in a plastic bag and pour in the vinegar mixture, add the red pepper flakes and garlic. Seal the bag and shake until the steak is coated. Refrigerate overnight. Pre-heat the grill. Remove the steak from the marinade and run with a little bit of oil. Cook for about 4 minutes on one side, and then flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, for medium rare. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. To serve, slice against the grain.

Happy Eating.

Pepperoni Pizza

This has definitely been the summer of homemade pizza. Ever since I realized the grill gets infinitely hotter than the broiler (essential to pizza making) I can't get enough of the homemade stuff. I have done classic pizzas and healthy pizzas, fancy flatbreads, and now finally one with a delicious crust. My latest discovery, for making the pizza look pretty, is assembly on the grill. It's much easier to get an empty crust onto the grill and assemble the toppings quickly there, than it is to get a fully assembled and unstable pizza onto the grill without collapsing the toppings into the center. So while the last of grilling season is upon us, make sure you have grilled up at least one tasty pizza this summer!

Dough:
1 cup of warm water
1 1/8 tsp of active dry yeast (1/2 a packet)
2 1/2-2 3/4 cups of flour
1/2 tsp of salt
Olive Oil for coating the bowl

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, dissolve the yeast into the water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add in 2 1/2 cups of flour and salt. Process by pulsing until combined. Process until dough is soft and slightly tacky, adding additional flour (1 tablespoon at a time) as necessary. Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil. Turn dough out onto the counter and roll into a ball. Put it in the greased bowl, and cover, let stand until dough has doubled inside, about 3 hours (or a little longer is fine), or refrigerate overnight and then let stand on a counter all day and it will also be ready for dinner. When dough has risen, punch down and remove from the bowl. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a ball. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes before rolling out into pizza shape. Flatten dough into a disk, and then work your hands around the edges stretching the dough into a circle. Lay on a floured surface (preferably a movable one, like a large cutting board) and roll out to desired thickness. I rolled mine out as thin as I could without ripping the dough in the middle, but leaving it thicker around the edge for a delicious crust. Repeat with second dough ball. (adapted from Chris Bianco's Recipe)

Toppings:
1 1/2 cups of pizza sauce, bought or homemade
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (or more to taste)
1/8 lb of sandwich style pepperoni

Pre-heat the grill. Make yourself a plate that has all the toppings on it. Take the dough and the toppings out next to your grill. Carefully transfer the crusts to the grill. Working quickly, top each pizza crust with sauce, the pepperoni and then cheese. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Using a large grill spatula, check to make sure crusts are firm then rotate the pizzas. Lower heat or turn off grill and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, until cheese is gooey and the crust is cooked through. Slice using a pizza roller and enjoy!

Happy Eating!

Tandoori Grilled Chicken

I haven't cooked a whole chicken in awhile, well that's not entirely true. It's just in a different form. Summer's version of the whole chicken, is grilling a whole, split chicken. A split chicken is a wonderful thing, it's just a regular chicken with the backbone removed and chopped in half. Then you can easily grill the two halves, which lie flat on the grill. This is my FAVORITE marinade for the chicken. The yogurt keeps the chicken super moist and it's got a lovely smokey, slightly spicy flavor. You can eat the grilled skin, or pull it off and the chicken tastes amazing either way. The leftovers make a wonderful lunch sandwich or salad topper.

Tandoori-Style Chicken:
1 Split chicken, about 4-5 lbs
3/4 cup of Greek yogurt
1 lemon
2 tsp of paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of ginger
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and put in a freezer bag. In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon and seasonings. Add to the chicken bag, and seal the bag. Shake, and press the bag until the chicken is coated. Marinate in the fridge overnight. Pre-heat the grill. Place chicken on the grill skin side down, and cook for 20 minutes, flip the chicken and cook on the meat side until chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes, but will vary based on the size of the chicken. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Happy Eating.

Grilled Stromboli

The other night I sat staring at the ingredients for a pepperoni pizza, willing them to be something else. The dough was already made, the sauce was simmering on the stove, the grill was hot, I was having pizza, there was no way around it. I don't know why I really didn't want it, just not in the mood, I guess. In a last ditch attempt to be inspired I opened the fridge and spotted a container of ricotta. Jackpot. Next thing I new, I was grilling up some Stromboli and my whole attitude for dinner had changed. Yes I know, that pizza and Stromboli are all the same ingredients, just assembled differently, but somehow, this made everything different, new, and exciting. And I guess, that was all I needed.

Stromboli:
1 recipe of pizza dough
1 cup of ricotta cheese
2 cup of mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 lb sliced of pepperoni
Olive oil
Tomato Sauce, for serving

Preheat the grill. Divide pizza dough in half. Roll out one of the dough halves into an oval, about 1/4 inch thick. Spread half the ricotta cheese over the left side of the dough, leaving about half the dough uncovered on the right, and a small section on the left uncovered as well. Put 1/2 the pepperoni on top of the ricotta and top with half the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Roll the dough into log by pulling the right side over and folding the empty part on the left side under the right. Then wrap the right side around as far as it goes. Repeat with the remaining dough half and ingredients. Brush both Strombolis with olive oil. Grill on direct heat, fold side down for about 2 minutes, then flip over and transfer to the top rack. Cook until dough is browned lightly and puffy, about 8-10 minutes.

Happy Eating.

Soy Glazed Flank Steak

This is my favorite summer dinner, not necissarly flank steak, or this particular marinade (although both are delcious), but meat, onions, peppers, and corn, all grilled. It's absolute summer perfection, with almost no clean up after (always a plus). I could eat charred onions every single day, it just doesn't get any better, unless you are adding them to a delicious steak. This dinner is so easy to throw together and so incredibly delicious, it will taste like you must have worked hard, but really, it's just a great piece of meat, cooked to the right temperature and the summers best produce, shining on it's own.

Soy Glazed Flank Steak:
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
2 tsp of sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 flank steak, about 1 lb
Salt, Pepper

For Serving:
1 Onion
2 Bell Peppers
Corn
Butter

In large ziplock bag, mix together the soy sauce, Worcestershire, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, sesame oil, and red pepper. Lightly salt and pepper the flank steak on both sides. Add to the plastic bag, and shake and rub the steak, so the marinade distrubes over the meat. Refridgerate overnight overnight. Pre heat the grill, and let meat sit on the counter. Cut the onion into thick slices. Remove the stem and seeds from peppers, by cutting the top off and pulling out the ribs and seeds. Shuck the corn and lightly butter. Wrap corn individually in tinfoil. Place corn on the top wrap of the grill and onion slices and peppers in the back of the grill. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Remove steak from bag and shake off the excess marinade. Put steak on the grill and cook 6-7 minutes each side (medium rare). Flip the onion and peppers when appropriate, and rotate the corn. When meat is finished let rest 5 minutes. Remove corn, peppers, and onions from the grill (I like mine onions/peppers very charred, if you like them less burnt remove sooner). Slice steak against the grain. Serve steak with onions, peppers and corn.

Happy Eating.

Grilled Fried Rice

My obsession with grilling knows no bounds. I am seriously addicted, even when the planned dinner does not involve the grill, I can find a way. Like fried rice, which is a staple im my house. We eat it at least every other week and it's one of my absolute favorite easy meals. So how do you kick it up to the summer extreme and indulge my grilling addiction, while still enjoying this comforting staple? Grill the meat and all the veggies!! Wow! That is all I have to say about this, it is seriously awesome! If you like fried rice, you will love this. The char on the vegetables and meat, mixed with the delicious salty soy of the rice is such an amazing combination, I am astounded I didn't think of this sooner! Seriously, if you are like me and love to grill, try this now!

Grilled Fried Rice:
2 cups water
1 cup white rice, dry
1 large vidalia onion
1 bell pepper
1 poblano pepper
1 T-Bone Steak, or other meat of your choice
Olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 egg
1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
Salt, Pepper
Sriracha and Mayo for serving (optional)

Preheat the grill. Bring the water to a boil in a small pot, add rice, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absoarbed. In the mean time, Cut Onion into thick slices, and remove stem and seeds from peppers, brush lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place veggies on the grill (directly, or on a grill basket), grill until charred and cooked through, about 15 minutes, flipping half way through. Season steak on both sides with salt and pepper, and brush lightly with olive oil. Grill until desired doneness, flipping once halfway through (about 8-10 minutes total for medium rare). Let steak rest. Heat a skillet on medium heat, and spray with non-stick spray. Chop grilled onions and peppers and add to pan. Mince garlic and add that. Crack egg into pan, and scrammble it into the veggies. Add cooked rice and stir. Add soy sauce and stir together. Raise heat to high to crust the bottom of the rice (optional). Cut steak into bite size chunks, discarding bone. Turn off the heat under the pan and stir in steak. Serve with sriracha, may or sriracha mayo.

Happy Eating.

Daring Cooks Potato Salad

Blog-checking lines: Jami Sorrento was our June Daring Cooks hostess and she chose to challenge us to celebrate the humble spud by making a delicious and healthy potato salad. The Daring Cooks Potato Salad Challenge was sponsored by the nice people at the United States Potato Board, who awarded prizes to the top 3 most creative and healthy potato salads. A medium-size (5.3 ounce) potato has 110 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no sodium and includes nearly half your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana!

***This post won 3rd place in the Daring Cook's contest hosted by the United States Potato Board***

I could not have been more excited about this month's daring cooks challenge. I love potaotoes, and generally hate potato salad. The cold, creamy, mayoed up stuff hardly tastes like the glorious root vegetable that is it's chief ingredient. So as I was looking through diverse and mouthwatering potato salads in the daring kitchen, I realized, just becasue that thick mayo version is what I first think of when someone says potato salad, doesn't mean that is the only one. So I set out to make a completely delicious, non-creamy, warm potato salad, and the resulting recipe is simple, fresh, healthy and absolutely delicious.

Grilled Potato Salad:
4 medium-large red potatoes
1 bunch of asparagus
1 medium shallot
4 tsp of olive oil, divided
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp champangne vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.
Plus additional salt and pepper

Chop potatoes into 1 inch chunks. Fill a pot with water and season with salt. Bring water to a boil and add potatoes. Cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Let potatoes cool, or chill briefly, until they are around room temperature. Pre-heat the grill. Season potatoes with salt, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and toss to coat. Cook the potatoes in a foil packet, or a vegetable basket on the grill until golden and cooked through. In the mean time, cut the ends off the asparagus and toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and salt and pepper. Place asaparagus on a vegetable griller, or directly on the grill and grill until slightly charred, about 8 minutes. Remove potatoes from grill and put in a large bowl. Chop cooked asparagus into 1 inch pieces and add to the bowl as well. Whisk together the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the dressing over the warm potatoes and asparagus and toss to coat. Serve warm.

Happy Eating

Grilled Salad Pizza

So you may notice an uptick in the number of grilling recipes in the next coming month, and yes it has to do with summer, but more so that I just got a brand new grill! I am absolutely in love with it, and everything that comes off it. Grilling just makes it better. So I decided to grill some pizza, which was the most fantastic idea because pizza (the restaurant kind) is cooked at extremely high temperatures, way higher than your broiler can go. The grill gets significantly hotter than the oven, so the pizza comes out delicious crisp with that amazing crustiness. I love thin crust pizza, and it happens to be easier (in my opinion) to make (you don't have to worry about the crust puffing up), so I make it every chance I get. I usually make the crust the night before and let it rise in the fridge, so I can spend the whole day dreaming what to put on it...

1/2 Wheat Crust:
1 packet of dry active yeast
3/4 cups of warm water, about 110 degrees
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 cup of bread flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt

In the food processor fitted with the dough blade, add water and yeast, let stand until foamy, about 5-10 minutes. Add olive oil, flours and salt and process until a dough forms. Continue processing until dough is smooth and elastic, about 6-7 minutes. Lightly grease or oil a bowl and place dough in it to rise, cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter until doubled in size, 1-2 hours, or refridgerate overnight. Makes one large pizza.

Pizza:
1 batch of dough
3 medium tomatoes
1/2 large vidalia onion
2 oz of goat cheese
1/2 of part skim mozzerella
2 cloves of garlic
2 packed cups of spring mix salad (or spinach, or other salad greens)
Olive oil
salt, pepper

Pre-heat the grill. Bring dough to room temperature. Roll the dough out as thin as possible, so that it just doesn't rip. This will take some time, eventually the dough will stop "springing" back. My pizza was very thin, and a rough circle, about 15 inches in diametar. Place dough on a cutting board or pizza slider. Slice tomatoes and onions and spread evenly over the dough, sprinkle with cheeses. Transfer the pizza to the grill, and cook covered for about 5 minutes. Mince garlic. Add garlic and sping mix to the pizza, and cover and cook for another minute. Remove pizza from the grill using tongs/giant spatula to help. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Slice with a pizza cutter, makes 8 large slices.

Happy Eating.

Cooking Class

Last night my mom and I cashed in on my mother's day gift to her, a cooking class at Viking Cooking School in Bryn Mawr, PA. This was my second adventure at the cooking school and last night was a delight in a completely different way. The first time I went was last year (also for mother's day) I was fresh out of school and an excellent baker, but not quite the little chefette I am now (practice makes perfect, or better anyway). Last year I was slower, dizzier, and waving my knife around. I could feel my year's improvements in every chop, dice, and spice and I loved it! The class we took was Mediterranean Grill (yum!), which featured delicious, healthy season cuisine. We chopped, seasoned, cooked and ate with professional level equipment. Naturally, I want nearly everything I used, but I will have to go back to my mundane equipment and dream of better knives.


One of the recipes was for a white bean hummus. I took one look and knew that it needed some adjustments. My strong dislike of tahini caused some creative thinking, and resulted in a spectacular dip.

White Bean Hummus:
2 cups white beans, cooked
1/4 cup of tahini
2 lemons
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of sage
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup of olive oil
Sriracha, to taste
salt and pepper

Juice both lemons and zest one lemon. Dump everything except the Sriracha and Olive oil into a food processor (sigh. I wish I had one). Blend together and drizzle the olive oil in while mixing. When it is a good consistency give it a generous squirt of Sriracha, blend and taste. Adjust salt, pepper and Sriracha levels to taste. Serve with veggies, pita, chips, anything really, or just spoon feed it to yourself, its good.

Happy Eating