Grilled Romaine Salad with Bacon and Feta

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This is the first day of the rest of your life, because today begins your love affair with romaine. I know -- you thought romaine was the boring cousin of spinach and arugula. I'm sorry to break it to you, but you couldn't be more incorrect. 

I actually chose this salad over a burger for lunch last week. There the burger sat waiting to be warmed up, doused in mustard (Not ketchup. NEVER KETCHUP!) and devoured by yours truly. But, instead of eating that fabulous burger, I opted to go through the steps to make this salad - because it really is that good.

Before you have me committed to an asylum for choosing salad over a burger, hear me out. Due to its grilled preparation, the romaine takes on a completely different flavor, characterized by smokiness and scorch marks. Add some bacon and feta cheese and you have a salad that is finally worthy of running the show.

And it's pretty darn healthy, too. Not that you care...

Grilled Romaine Salad with Bacon and Feta

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 4 minutes

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 head of romaine lettuce - I have been using the smaller ones from CostCo because they are the perfect serving for one head per person. If you use a larger head, you could easily split this between two people!
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 piece of uncured bacon
• 2 tbsp feta cheese (or your cheese of choice)
• Ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon any way you want, then set aside. I save a few pieces after making a weekend brunch and crumble them up in a bag.
2. Rinse the romaine head, then pat dry.
3. Cut the romaine in half, lengthwise (see images below).
4. Rub both sides of each romaine chunk with olive oil.
5. Cook on medium-high heat on a grill (or on a grill pan - since it's winter already and going outside is awful!). 
6. After 2 minutes (or when scorch lines show up on the bottom), use tongs to flip each piece. 
7. 2 minutes later, remove from heat. Sprinkle with pepper and add feta and crumbled bacon.
8. ENJOY IT. YOU'RE WELCOME.

Brie and Roasted Tomato Grilled Cheese

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Due to a late harvest in my garden beds, I have a major abundance of tomatoes at the moment. Countless people have told me to start canning them, but I am being stubborn. I'm determined to eat them all without dealing with the canning process. We'll see how that lasts.

One of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes is roasted, with a tiny bit of sea salt. It brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes, which the salt compliments quite well. When I finally found some delicious Gluten Free bread that I like, I started experimenting with putting the delicious roasted tomatoes on a sandwich.

Brie and Roasted Tomato Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tomato (I used a yellow tomato from my garden, but feel free to use one of your favorite variety! Heirloom tomatoes are my favorite)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 sprinkling sea salt
• 2 slices bread (I used Gluten Free Bread, Super Seeded, by Essential Baking Co)
• 4 thin slices brie cheese
• Garneshes to taste (I added sriracha and guacamole because duh)

Directions:

1. Roast the tomatoes. Preheat oven to 350. Slice tomato slices 1/4 inch thick and place on a sprayed cookie sheet (I used a layer of aluminum foil and then sprayed it with coconut oil cooking spray). Brush or drizzle slices with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. After 10 minutes (or when the tomatoes have become gooey), take out of the oven.
2. Place two pieces of bread on a pan over medium-high heat on the stove. Place two thin pieces of brie cheese on each piece.
3. Add the roasted tomatoes to one piece.
4. Cover and wait 2-4 minutes, until the brie cheese begins to melt. Then, put the two pieces of the sandwich together and press down to glue them together. 
5. Heat for another 2-4 minutes, until the bottom piece is well-toasted, and then repeat on the other side. 
6. Serve with sriracha and guac, if you've got it!

Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, and Bacon Salad

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I made this tasty salad a few weeks ago but then completely neglected to share it with you all. Blame it on I-Started-My-Own-Business-And-Moved brain, I guess...

I used to make brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and bacon and devour it, but something about that combination on its own had its way of leaving me extremely full. Instead of following that tradition, this time I served up less, but used it to top a bed of spinach. It ended up being the most delicious and comforting salad. Seriously, it's like taking an old fashioned comfort food and making it healthy.

What's not to love, right?

Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, and Bacon Salad

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brussels sprouts, rinsed
• 2 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 8-12 strips uncured bacon
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp oregano
• salt, pepper to taste
• 4 cups spinach

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Place bacon in a thin layer and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crispy. Drain and let dry.
3. Toss butternut squash with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, oregano, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
4. Line another baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Spread butternut squash on top of the foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until butternut squash is soft.
5. Steam brussels sprouts for 15 minutes, or microwave for 8 minutes, until soft and tender. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
6. Combine cooked butternut squash and brussels sprouts. Crumble bacon and add to the same bowl. Toss well.
7. Put over a bed of fresh spinach! No dressing required, but this would be delicious with a simple drizzling of olive oil and lemon.

Tofu Bi Bim Bop

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Bi Bim Bop tastes like the heartiest salad you've ever had. A single fried egg adds buttery moisture while adding health benefits, too. Tofu is a light substitute for meat and is coated in Italian seasoning to pack a lot of flavor punch. Stir it all together and life couldn't be better. Well, maybe with more Sriracha...

I have wonderful memories of true Bi Bim Bop. When I lived with a gaggle of girls in Memphis, there were inevitably a few Saturdays when we woke up at noon and required spicy food and a "Friends" marathon. Bi Bim Bop was always the go-to. Oh, and a Route 44 Diet Cherry Limeade from Sonic. Don't forget that. 

Since then, I frequently find myself wanting Bi Bim Bop. Have a cold? Want Bi Bim Bop. Don't have a cold? Still want it.

But the problem was that I had no idea what was technically in Bi Bim Bop. So I made my own. And it is definitely not the same. It's better :) Instead of rice or noodles, you've got everything good for you... chunks of smooth, seasoned Tofu. Lots of Spinach to mix in. Chives (mmm!). Feta Cheese. Sriracha. And an egg.

Below are the technical directions, but don't be fooled: If you cook all these ingredients and throw them together in a bowl, you will have succeeded. With this dish, you'll end up stirring it all together, anyway!

Tofu Bi Bim Bop w/ Italian Seasoning

Servings: 2 per recipe (or bump it up to 4 by using 4 eggs)

Ingredients:

• 1 package Tofu, extra firm, cubed
• 2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 2 cups Spinach, ripped
• 1 cup Spinach, not ripped
• 1 tablespoon Chives, sliced
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons Feta
• Sriracha, to taste

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a pan (I do this by adding a small amount of olive or canola oil, then using a paper towel to move it around and soak up any excess puddles).
2. Cut up Tofu into small cubes and place in a pan over medium heat.
3. Pour white wine vinegar over the cubes and then distribute about half of the Italian Seasoning
4. Flip and season Tofu. After 2 minutes, flip the tofu. Sprinkle Italian Seasoning on top. Then, repeat a third time 2 minutes later. This doesn't have to be exact, but is a nice way to coat at least 3 sides of your tofu in the italian seasoning. If you'd prefer to skip this step, feel free to just cook for 4 minutes before proceeding to the next step, and add the rest of the italian seasoning then.
5. Add ripped up spinach and chopped chives on top of and in between the tofu pieces. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Then, break two eggs over the mixture. Try to keep the yolk intact and let it cook alongside the spinach and tofu. 
6. After 2 minutes, add feta cheese, sprinkling over other ingredients in the pan. Cover and cook for another minutes.
7. Remove from heat. 
8. To serve, first place 1/2 cup of Spinach (the Spinach you didn' rip) in a bowl. Spoon out the parts of the tofu, spinach, feta and chive mixture that is not touching the egg first, then top by spooning the egg (and whatever else has become connected to it during cooking) on top. Try not to break the egg!
9. Add Sriracha, to taste
10. When ready to eat, use a knife and fork to break the egg yolk and stir everything together. Then eat!

Recipe | Frangelico Nutella Cupcakes

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What's so awesome about liquor-infused desserts? I remember, as a kid, being told that the delicious truffles on the Christmas buffet table at a family party were "Rum balls."  WHAT?! There's ALCOHOL in there? I couldn't taste it. Alcohol was gross, right? So how were the desserts so good?!

This year, my ex-babysitter-turned-friend, Marianne, dropped by our house on Christmas and brought with her a bottle of Frangelico for my parents. The syrupy, hazelnutty flavor of Frangelico is not just good in coffee (though it is, truly, quite good in coffee...). It's also delicious in... you guessed it... desserts!

So into a cupcake it went! But what kind of frosting would "deliver" on a Frangelico cupcake? Hmm. Hazelnut goes with... hazelnut? Nut...ella? Nutella? Nutella? Eh? Eh? Eh? Ah, yes. After adapting my peanut butter frosting recipe for use on these Nutella Cookie Dough cupcakes, I was confident in its ability to "deliver."

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