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.

Papas con Chorizo

This was a delicious meal. It was hearty and satisfying, yet unmistakably summer. And the best part? Almost all of the vegetables came from my small garden! Beautiful and plump orange cherry tomatoes, a delicious and gigantic zucchini, a few small, but tasty peppers, and they were all grown right in my back yard. It's summer time and local eating at it's best! There is something immensely satisfying about eating something you grew. It's like using chopsticks for Chinese food, it just makes it taste better. Even if your backyard isn't overflowing with tomatoes, this delicious concoction is still worth whipping up, for a fast and delicious summer dinner.

Papas con Chorizo
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 large russet potato (about 2 cups diced)
1 medium yellow onion
1 zucchini
1 bell pepper
1 small jalapeno
2 chorizo style sausages
1/2 cup of chicken stock
1/2 tsp of pepper
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/4 tsp of chili powder
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 clove of garlic
Salt
Avocado and cheddar cheese for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Chop the potato into small pieces, about 1/2 inch. Add to the oil and stir. Let potatoes brown slightly, while you chop the other vegetables, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Chop the onion, zucchini, and bell pepper into roughly the same size pieces as the potatoes. Add to the pan and stir. Dice the jalapeno and add. Squeeze the Chorizo from it's casings into the pan and break up with a wooden spoon, while the chorizo is browning. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender. Add the stock, pepper, paprika, and chili powder. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until all the liquid is gone. Chop the tomatoes into halves or quaters and mince the garlic, stir into the pan and cook 1-2 minutes more until tomatoes are warm. Add salt to taste. Serve topped with chopped avocado and cheese.

Happy Eating.

Peach-Blueberry Crisp

I'm very lucky, I don't have an allergies or food sensitivities. I can eat anything (and will, at least once). Luckily for people who do have food troubles, there are a lot of great options and alternatives this day. And lucky for my visiting friend with Celiacs, I am willing to bake her up some Gluten Free. This easy crisp lends itself to that easily, the hardest part for me was keeping everything clean to avoid cross contamination with the non-gluten free things I had baked earlier. This crisp tastes amazing, whether or not you are Gluten Free. Enjoy!

Filling:
3 lbs peaches
1/2 pint of blueberries
3 T. Tapioca starch
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of golden brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup almond flour
1 cup of rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 cup golden brown sugar
1/2 cup of almonds, sliced

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut peaches into medium thick slices. In a large bowl, mix together the peaches, blueberries, tapioca, sugars, and salt. Let stand while you prepare the topping. In a medium bowl mix together the butter, almond flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, and sugar, until the butter is incorporated and you have a crumbley mixture. Stir in the almonds. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish and pour in the peach mixture, spread so it's even. Cover the peaches with the topping, distributing evenly, most will be covered but there will be some holes. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown, about 40-50 minutes. Serve plain or with ice cream, hot or cold.

Happy Eating.

White Sangria

Today is an Eat, Knit, Grow first. I have a drink for you, the fun grown-up kind! I am not a big drinker at all, which is probably why there haven't been any cocktails on here yet, but on a hot day at a big BBQ, a glass of sangria sounds delicious and refreshing. This sangria was scoffed at by my Spanish pseudo family who was visiting for being made with white wine, because it's not really Sangria (they still drank it happily though). The other guests loved it for being not too sweet or fruity and perfectly refreshing. Plus as a bonus, once your glass is devoid of liquid, you can nibble on the delectable vodka soaked fruit. This is really the perfect drink for all these hot summer days!

White Sangria:
3 cups of orange flavored vodka
2 Plums
2 Apricots
2 Peaches
2 Gala apple
1/3 cup of sugar
4 bottles of white wine, Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

Pour the vodka into a large bowl or pitcher. Chop the fruit into small square pieces and add it to the vodka, stirring so all fruit is coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight. Stir sugar into the vodka and divide between two pitchers (or pour all into 1 big container). Add wine to vodka and stir. Serve over ice.

Happy Eating.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Imagine the richest, chocolaty, most fudge like brownie you have ever had. Now imagine that was the "bread" in an ice cream sandwich. Absolute hot weather heaven. That's what these ridiculously rich and decadent sandwiches are. They are tested on ages 2 to I shouldn't say, and were approved as an amazing and cooling summer treat. So while this heat rages on, or makes a comeback, and you don't think you could even contemplate hot food, whip up a delicious batch of these easy ice cream sandwiches for your next BBQ and be a dessert summer superstar.

Ice Cream Sandwiches:
7 oz of unsweetened chocolate
12 sticks plus 6 tbsp of unsalted butter
2 2/3 cups of sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp of salt
2 cups of flour
1 container of Vanilla Ice Cream (with some leftover)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a heat proof/microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter, stirring occasionally until combined and melted. Add the sugar and mix until the mixture is smooth and sugar is mostly dissolved. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring after each addition. Stir in the the vanilla. Add the baking powder, salt, and 1 cup of flour and stir until just combined. Add the remaining cup of flour and stir until combined, do not over mix. Line two 9 x13 inch dishes with parchment paper and spray with non stick spray. Divide batter between the two pans and smooth so it is distributed evenly, and you have a thin layer of brownie batter in each pan. Bake until the top looks dry (the insides will still be a moist, and a toothpick will NOT come out clean), about 8-10 minutes. Let brownies cool completely, then remove from the pan by lifting the parchment paper. Freeze until cold and firm, about 10 minutes. Let the ice cream soften slightly. Flip 1 brownie over onto a tray lined with additional parchment, so that the bottom is facing up. Spread with a thick layer of vanilla ice cream. Invert the second brownie on top of the ice cream, so the the top side is facing up (if the brownies are stuck run a sharp, hot knife underneath). Push down on the sandwiches slightly and freeze tray until firm, about an hour or up to a week. Cut into sandwiches before serving, smoothing ice cream if necessary. (adapted from Martha)

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.

Deep Dish Berry Pie

Have I expressed my love of summer enough on here? Probably, but yet I can't seem to stop doing it. Maybe it's because my garden is in full bloom, and the veggies are budding, which means garden fresh deliciousness is right around the corner. Or maybe it's because the farmers markets are open, and the grocery stores have the most beautiful and cheap local produce. My once "expensive berry habbit" (as the boyfriend likes to call it) is now extrememly economical, so I decided to make a pie. A deep dish pie, so full of berries, they were literally oozing out the sides, bottom, and center. Yum.

Crust:
2 1/4 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp of sugar
2 sticks of butter, in pieces and chilled
1/4 cup of cold water

Filling
1 pint of blueberries
2 small containers of blackberries (12 oz)
2 cups of strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 lemon, juiced
3 tbsp of flour
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 egg
1 tbsp of half and half

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbley. With processor running, add water and mix until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured piece of partchment paper and form into a disk, refridgerate for 30 minutes, in the mean time make filling: In a large bowl, mix the berries, sugar, lemon juice, flour and cinnamon until combined. When dough is chilled, roll out into a large circle, about 18 inches. Line an 9 inch spring form pan, or a deep dish pie tin with the dough leaving the overhang. Pour the filling into the crust and then fold the overhang back over the pie, leaving a small cirlce exposed in the middle. Refridergate pie until firm, about 30 minutes. Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees, and position rack in the bottom third of the oven.Whisk together the egg and half and half. Brush the exposed crust of the pie with mixture. Place tin on a cookie sheet coated in foil to prevent a mess. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and continue baking until juices are bubbling up, about 35 minutes more. Let cool before serving. If you used a spring form pan, run a knife around the edge of the pie to loosen, before releasing spring. (adapted from Martha)

Happy Eating.

Palella

It's Summer!!! Officially, and I have the sun burn to prove it. Do your eating habbits change in the summer? Mine definitely do. Something about the warm weather, makes me want to switch up everything I eat. So while all winter long, when I needed that saffron fix, I made risotto, now it's Palella time! Now that I have a grill, I would like to figure out how to grill this (because what doesn't taste better on the gril?!), but in the mean time, here is a quick palella that you can make in the oven and tastes just like your on the beach in Spain!

Palella:
2 chorizo style sausage links, raw
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 vidalia onion
1 bell pepper
1 garlic clove
2 cups of rice, medium grain
4 cups of chicken stock
1/2 tsp of paprika
1 tsp saffron
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 medium tomato
1 can of artichokes, drained and washed
1 lb of mussels
1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt, pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and position rack in the center. Grease a stone or metal baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and put in oven while pre-heating. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the chorizo into 1/2 inch slices and put in the pan. Cook until edges are charred and the chorizo is fragrant, about 2 minutes, set chorizo asside. Add remaining olive oil to the pan. Cut chicken into small chunks and season with salt and pepper. Add to the hot pan and brown on all sides. Lower heat to medium. Dice the onion, garlic, and pepper and add to the pan and cook until onions soften slightly, about 3 minutes. Add rice to the pan and "toast" until slightly opaque, about two minutes. Add stock, paprika, saffron, and sherry vinegar and stir. Pour the contents of the pan into the prepared baking dish. Cook for 15 minutes. Dice tomato, and cut the artichokes in half. Add the tomato, reserved chorizo, artichokes to palella, and gently stir to combine, trying not to disturb the very bottom layer of rice (so a crust forms). Cook until the all the stock is absoarbed, about 10 minutes longer. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Add mussels to the palella as well. Cook until the shrimp turn pink and the mussels open, about 3-4 minutes. Enjoy! (adapted from epicurious)

Happy Eating.