Barbecued Vegetables

Yesterday we spent the day outside, so a BBQ seemed appropriate. Just sausages and veggies-simple and fast.

We love BBQ'd veggies in this house, and have them usually once a week in the summer months. We BBQ in the winter as well, just not as often. We tend to roast them in the oven more in the winter.

I took some pics of the sausage as well, but they were not as...um... macro friendly, if you catch my drift.

We tend to do different variations of these veggies depending on what we have, and what spices are right there when I open the cupboard door. Garlic, S&P, red chili pepper flakes and basil are the standards, but Italian seasoning, parsley, paprika, thyme and rosemary make regular appearances as well. Seasoning salt would be fine by itself in a pinch. Sometimes is just the spices and EVOO and other times I add some balsamic vinegar as well.

You can also so a southwest version by substituting cumin, coriander, chili powder or any of those types of flavours.

Any veggies will work, just cut them up to the same size so they cook evenly. We often use zucchini, onion( usually a red onion, or vidalia but anything is fine), red peppers (or whatever colour pepper you  have/like), mushrooms ( usually cremini or portobello), asparagus, yellow squash and sometimes tomatoes. 

Eggplant also works well.

Sometimes we top the cooked veggies with fresh grated parmasan or romano, or crumbled goat or feta cheese, or sometimes shredded mozzarella. But lots of times we don't top it at all.

Basic recipe-

Cut up your veggies of choice into approximately same size chunks. I use one of each of the bigger vegetables and about 10 or so mushrooms.

Mince some fresh garlic according to your taste. You could also use whole cloves, just smashed with the flat side of a knife a little to release the flavour.

Put the veggies and garlic in a large bowl, or large zip lock bag and add your S&P, seasonings of choice (I am going to guess at about 1 tsp of each? [except the hot stuff]) I usually add more basil, cuz I love basil, and about 1-2 Tbsps of Olive oil. You don't want too much olive oil. Just barely enough to coat most of the veggies. And if you want to add some Balsamic vinegar do that here as well. Not much. maybe a teaspoon? lemon juice or white wine is a good alternative as well.

Toss that around in the bowl or bag, then dump that all into a BBQ grilling basket, ( we have one like this but anything like this will do) or if the tines on your grill are close enough together you can put it right on the grill. Our BBQ is archaic so we need the basket. It takes about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. 

If you want to put it in the oven throw them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, or any shallow pan, and roast in a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes, stirring twice.

Super yummy and delicious.

Thanks for looking!

Enjoy!

~Pam

Steak Fajitas

Since I had oodles of steak left over from yesterday's dinner, and some avocado's I needed to use I decided Steak Fajita's were perfect. They were fast and yummy. I didn't have anything to go with them so I just had a handful of PC lime and habanero tortilla chips and they were quite tasty.

Steak Fajitas

Steak of your choice. I used two left over T-bone steaks from yesterday. This also works well with chicken.

**if you didn't season your pre-cooked steak, or if you are using raw meat, increase the amounts of spices a bit**

1/2 tsp garlic powder  or 1 garlic clove, minced (used powder this time)

Vegetable oil

1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, whatever you like for heat

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

juice from 1/2 a lime ( about 2 TBSPs?) If you dont have lime juice you could use lemon juice, or white wine.

one red pepper, sliced

one green pepper, sliced

1/2 an onion, sliced ( I used vidalia because that's what I had. Anything would work)

S&P

sour cream, avocado, plum tomato, shredded cheese, or whatever topping you like on your fajitas

Whole Wheat tortilla wraps

Thinly slice up the pre-cooked steak, (or raw if you are not using left overs) Heat up about a TBSP of oil in your frying pan over med-high heat, and toss in the steak. 

Sprinkle with S&P if you are using raw, or didn't season your grilled steaks, chili flakes OR cayenne, cumin, oregano and garlic powder. Heat that up well, while stirring fairly regularly. When its pretty much heated through, add the lime juice all at once, give it a good toss around then in less than a minute dump it out into a bowl to keep warm while you saute the veggies.

While the pan is still hot and has some remnants of the steak juice and oil in it, toss in the peppers and onions with a little S&P, and a little more of the cumin, oregano and chili pepper flakes. Toss them around in the pan until they start to brown up a little and soften a little. You want the pan to be hot and dry enough to saute them without steaming them and making them too soft.

Now you are ready to put together your fajita. First warm up your tortilla in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to make it more pliable and less likely to tear. After it's warm I usually slather some sour cream on the wrap first, then add a few pieces of steak, then the pepper/onion mix, then some avocado, seeded and sliced plum tomatoes ( I use plum tomatoes because they are usually less watery and more meaty) and sometimes I add shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack.

I always use saran or waxed paper or aluminum foil around my wraps. It keeps them from falling apart, and helps contain the juices better. It's really easy if you wrap it up, cut it in half then peel back the wrapping as you eat it.

Normally I might make this with some spanish rice but I totally didn't have the time or energy.

Enjoy!

~pam

Veggie Pizza with Zucchini and Goat Cheese

I never seem to eat enough pizza, which is a shame, because I  love pizza. Veggie pizza is my absolute favourite. This was a throw together pizza because I didn't get home from dance rehearsal until late, and I needed to eat so I could go to bed. This was pretty darn delicious... or maybe I am just REALLY hungry :)

Veggie Pizza with Zucchini and Goat Cheese

One store bought thin crust pizza or flat bread. ( I used a PC flat bread here) Or if you are really ambitious (and I am not) you could make your own pizza dough.

Olive oil

Presidents Choice Tomato Pesto ( this is my new favourite pizza sauce/topping)

one small zucchini sliced thinly into rounds then halved

one green onion, diced

one plum tomato, thinly sliced

salt, pepper, basil, red chili pepper flakes or whatever you like

goat cheese

I like to do my pizza on the grill, but it was too late at night to be firing up the grill so I did it in the oven on my grill pan. It's basically a cookie sheet with holes in it. First this I do is heat the oven to 425, and put the grill pan in the oven to heat it up. While that is heating I brush the underside of the pre-cooked pizza crust or flat bread with olive oil. 

Heat up a skillet and when it is hot pour some olive oil in, and when that is hot, toss in the sliced zucchini with some salt and pepper.

Now the pizza grill pan should be good and hot, so you can put the crust in to warm and crisp up a bit on the bottom.

When the zucchini has softened a bit, sprinkle it with some basil and the diced green onion.

When the pizza crust has warmed up, take it out and spread some PC tomato pesto all over it., top that with some crumbled (more like mushed) goat cheese, then the zucchini/onion mixture, and top that with the sliced tomatoes. Pop that in the oven for a few minutes to warm the tomatoes and you are good to go.

Thanks for looking.

Enjoy!

I stole this recipe from a friend of mine and fellow recipe blogger Jacy . Check out her recipes here.. Everything I have tried of hers has been delicious so far.

... and I totally borrowed (stole) her picture as well... thanks Jacy! ;)

We made this the other night and everyone LOVED it.


1 store bought pizza crust. I used Presidents Choice flat bread, but the thin crust pizza crust or anything you like would be fine. We use pita's on occasion.
Olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
6oz mushrooms (whatever kind you like, we used crimini)
2 leeks, green tops removed
2 sprigs of thyme
Tomato pesto (I used PC Tomato Pesto)
Fresh mozzerella
1 plum tomato
Salt and pepper

You can attack this pizza a number of different ways: do it on the grill...do it in the oven (on a pizza stone, the back of a cookie sheet, a pizza pan, or right on the rack). I used my flat grill sheet for my BBQ. Its basically like a cookie sheet with lots of holes in it. I like my pizza crust a little crispy on the bottom, but not crunchy.

Crank the oven to 350, put in the stone.cookie sheet/pizza pan, whatever. Heat a skillet on the stove, adding a tbsp of both olive oil and butter when the pan is hot. Add sliced mushrooms (we like them sliced thinly) and sliced leeks to soften and brown. When they are almost done, strip the leaves off of the thyme sprigs and toss them in there as well.

Let me divert your attention to something you may or may not know...leeks can be dirty veggies, and just rinsing them under the tap isn't going to get all the sand out. Get a bowl of cold water and, as you chop the leeks, place them in the bowl to float. You might need to give them a swish to break up the rings because that's where the dirt and grit will be hiding. The leek slices will float on the top, and the grit will sink to the bottom. Scoop the ones off the top and throw them into the pan. Add a bit of salt, pepper, and the thyme leaves.

Ok, back to this pizza. While the mushrooms and leeks are browning, I pulled the hot pizza stone out of the oven, oiled the bottom of the prepared pizza crust, put it on the stone, and put it in the oven to warm.

Once the crust is warmed, pull it out of the oven and smear on some tomato pesto. Distribute the mushroom/leek mess over the pesto, add slices of roma tomato, cover with rounds of fresh mozzarella. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil (optional), salt and pepper, and slide back in the oven to melt the cheese.

Penne Alla Vodka

Super simple and super yummy. I promise. This time I used cheese tortellini but you could use any pasta and it's just as delish,

This is more an American-Italian recipe than an Italian-American one. 

Often, restaurant chefs finish this dish by swirling butter into the sauce at the end. You can do the same, or use olive oil to finish the sauce..

Salt
One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes  with their liquid
1 pound penne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled
Crushed hot red pepper
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil for finishing the sauce, if you like
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing if you like

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.
Pour the tomatoes and their liquid into the work bowl of a food processor. Using quick on/off pulses, process the tomatoes just until they are finely chopped. (Longer processing will aerate the tomatoes, turning them pink.)
Stir the penne into the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and add them to the hot oil. Cook, shaking the skillet, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Lower the work bowl with the tomatoes close to the skillet and carefully — they will splatter — slide the tomatoes into the pan. Bring to a boil, season lightly with salt and generously with crushed red pepper, and boil 2 minutes. Pour in the vodka, lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and simmer until the pasta is ready.
Just before the pasta is done, fish the garlic cloves out of the sauce and pour in the cream. Add the 2 tablespoons butter or oil, if using, and swirl the skillet to incorporate into the sauce. If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into the sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, adding salt and red pepper if necessary. Sprinkle the parsley over the pasta and boil until the sauce is reduced enough to cling to the pasta.
Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle 3/4 cup of the cheese over the pasta, and toss to mix. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese if you like.


Makes 6 servings.