I’m back with another favorite from the simplest healthy cookbook, Cook This, Not That! These Hoisin Beef Kebobs are tender, sweet and savory. Pieces of sirloin steak get alternated with mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and scallions before being glazed in a five ingredient sauce and grilled.

I love that the scallions get nicely charred while the cherry tomatoes burst, which brings the best flavor to the steak. These kebobs are a perfect dinner dish because the vegetables could be swapped out with so many other kinds of vegetables since the sauce is versatile and really would taste delicious with most veggies.

I usually serve these kebobs over rice, but they would also be great served with salad or alongside some more vegetables, like some grilled corn.

The most important thing to remember when you’re making this recipe is that the other vegetables can’t be taller than the cuts of steak – and that the cuts of steak need to be equal. Particularly if you are cooking on a grill pan, which is requiring direct heat, if you have one large mushroom or one large piece of beef, that other piece of steak won’t get cooked enough since it won’t be touching the grill pan. This is less important if you are using an actual grill.

If I’m making these in our grill pan, I actually usually grill the steak and vegetables individually in two batches since our grill pan isn’t long enough for the kebob sticks. Either way, Matt and I can’t get enough of the juicy bites of steak and glazed veggies!

Hoisin Beef Kebobs

 

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons hoisin
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce (I use Trader Joe’s green dragon sauce)
• 16 ounces sirloin steak, cut into ¾-inch pieces
• 20 small mushroom caps
• 20 small cherry tomatoes
• 8 scallion whites, sliced into ½-inch long pieces
• 8 skewers (if wood, soaked in water for 5-10 minutes)

Directions

1. Combine the hoisin, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili sauce. Divide between 2 small bowls and set aside.
2. Skewer the steak, mushrooms, tomatoes and scallions, alternating between the meat and vegetables. Try to make sure the mushrooms aren’t larger than the steak pieces, and if the mushrooms are too big then cut them in half. Also make sure the vegetables aren’t pressed against the steak pieces to give the steak enough room to cook.
3. Using one bowl of the sauce, brush the skewers with sauce and grill for 3-4 minutes per side, basting the other side with sauce before flipping. If you’re using a grill pan, lightly brush the pan with vegetable oil before grilling and grill over medium-high heat. Remove from the grill and brush with the sauce from the second reserved bowl before serving.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

My go-to diner order is a tuna melt. I love tuna fish and when it’s sandwiched between two toasty slices of bread along with some gooey melted cheese I’m in heaven. I had some leftover egg roll wrappers from the Baked Barbecue Chicken Egg Rolls and when I was brainstorming what I could make with them I thought of my favorite diner food. Skinnytaste turned me on to baked egg rolls with the Southwest Turkey Baked Egg Rolls from her cookbook and I’m constantly thinking of new variations.

I stuffed the egg roll wrappers with cheddar cheese and a quick tuna salad I made with canned tuna, mayonnaise, scallions and fresh ground black pepper. Then I baked them until they were crispy and crunchy on the outside and had the perfect melted cheese in the middle.

As I mentioned in my Pasta Tuna Salad post (if you love tuna fish then you will go nuts for that dish!), Matt does not like tuna fish so I made these for myself for lunch. This is a small batch recipe as it only uses one can of tuna fish to make two servings. You could certainly make more if you are making it for more people, but I would not recommend saving them for leftovers as they taste best fresh from the oven.

Now that I have those Goat Cheese Spinach Pesto Egg Sandwiches on my mind from Wednesday I’m thinking I missed an opportunity to put some everything but the bagel seasoning on the top of the egg roll wrappers just for some added flavor. I’m not sure if you’ve ever had tuna fish on an everything bagel, but it is so good. There’s this place I used to order from at work that would make a tuna melt on an everything bagel with some of the bagel scooped out so it would get nice and crispy. Like these egg rolls! Minus the everything but the bagel seasoning, but maybe next time!

Tuna Melt Egg Rolls

 

Print

Yield: 6 egg rolls

Ingredients

• 1 5-ounce can of tuna fish, drained
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 scallion, end removed and chopped
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 6 egg roll wrappers
• 6 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
• Cooking spray
• Everything but the bagel seasoning, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a small baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine the tuna fish, mayonnaise and chopped scallion in a bowl. Season with the black pepper.
3. Before filling the egg roll wrappers, make sure you have a little bowl or cup of warm water and a clean work surface. Place the egg roll wrapper down so that a corner is facing you. Scoop ⅙ of the tuna mixture and place it near the bottom corner of the wrapper. I like to adjust the mixture so it’s more of a log shape then a big mound. Place a tablespoon of the shredded cheese on top. Take the bottom corner of the wrapper and fold it up and over the mixture so it’s completely covering it then continue to roll it one more time. Fold in the left and right corners so they create a little envelope then continue to roll it until it’s 1 roll away from the top corner. Wet your finger with the water and use it to moisten the whole exposed top corner. Fold the corner down to close up and seal the roll. Place it on the baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining rolls then coat all the rolls with cooking spray. Sprinkle with everything but the bagel seasoning if desired.
4. Bake the rolls for 8 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 8 minutes. They should be crispy and golden brown. Serve warm.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Friends, we have another epic sandwich on our hands and I’m having trouble containing myself yet again. This little breakfast sandwich is savory, creamy, tangy and a whole lot of deliciousness.

My inspiration for this sandwich came from a little weekday date Matt and I had. There is a cafe near Matt’s office and a couple months ago we had lunch there together. I got this crazy delicious egg sandwich with spinach, pesto, goat cheese and pickled red onions on a buttery roll. I’ve been craving it ever since so I decided to re-create my own.

Instead of keeping all the components separate I made the pesto with spinach and goat cheese. I’ve made spinach pesto before, but I’ve never used goat cheese in my pesto. Oh my goat cheese heavens! It made the pesto so creamy and gave it the consistency of almost a pesto spread. Which could not be more perfect since it gets spread right onto these toasted kaiser rolls. These are the same rolls from the Barbecue Meatloaf Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions and I used the same egg wash method with everything but the bagel seasoning since I’m channeling breakfast. You really could eat this sandwich for any meal, but I wanted to include some of those breakfast flavors since we’re working with eggs.

Next, we have the scrambled egg patty. You could scramble your eggs in a pan, but if you cook the egg in a ramekin in the microwave then it will be the perfect shape for egg sandwiches. Finally, after being slathered with goat cheese spinach pesto, it gets topped with some tangy Quick Pickled Red Onions and some additional creamy goat cheese. Yum!

Okay, back to the goat cheese spinach pesto because I’m still not done talking about it. The recipe below makes more pesto than you will need for the sandwiches, which is amazing because then you can either a) make even more sandwiches with it or b) use it on everything for the next few days. I had the pesto on chicken, mixed in with rice, on turkey sandwiches and stirred into pasta with shrimp. I couldn’t get enough of it and was very sad when we used it all up. I guess that just means I have to make it again soon!

Goat Cheese Spinach Pesto Egg Sandwiches

 

Print

Yield: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 4 cups spinach leaves
• ⅓ cup nuts, see note
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 ounce goat cheese, plus more for topping
• 2 kaiser rolls
• 3 eggs
• Everything but the bagel seasoning
• Pickled red onions, for topping
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Puree the spinach, nuts, garlic and salt in a food processor. Add the olive oil and continue to pulse until smooth. Add the goat cheese and pulse until smooth. Set aside.
2. Beat 1 of the eggs in a small bowl then add 1 tablespoon water. Brush the tops of the buns then top with everything but the bagel seasoning. Toast in your toaster oven or oven.
3. Spray 2 small ramekins or microwave-safe bowls with cooking spray. Beat each of the remaining 2 eggs in their own ramekin and season with salt and pepper. I usually add a splash of milk. Lightly cover and microwave for 1 minute.
4. To make the sandwiches, spread the bottom of each bun with some of the goat cheese spinach pesto. Carefully remove the egg from the ramekin and place on top along with the pickled red onions and additional goat cheese, if desired.

Notes

You can use whichever type of nut you prefer in pesto; I would recommend toasted pine nuts, almonds or walnuts. Alternatively, you could use 3 tablespoons of pumpkin seed butter instead as that is what I used for this recipe.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Now this, my friends, is how to truly enjoy hummus. I thought I had a love for hummus, but this Hummus and Roasted Veggie Flatbread Pizza just deepened my love ten-fold. Pita chips dipped into hummus is great. Warm, soft pita wedges dipped into hummus is even better. But a toasted pizza crust topped with warm hummus, roasted vegetables and slightly melted goat cheese is the hands-down winner.

I used Monday’s Caramelized Onion Hummus to make this flatbread pizza and the rich flavor balanced with the roasted zucchini and broccoli was perfect. The beauty of this dish is you can really customize it any way you would like. Swap out the hummus flavor, your favorite veggies or even add some additional protein, like some grilled chicken.

Or just make it with whatever is in your fridge because once you get the thought of a hummus pizza in your head nothing will matter until you are blissfully taking bites of the warm and crispy hummus-slathered flatbread.

I found these new pre-made rectangular pizza crusts at Trader Joe’s. They were giving out samples of them covered in pesto and gooey mozzarella so of course I got a few to stock up. They were super long so I cut them in half and popped them in my freezer. I would definitely recommend them, although naan bread, pita bread or any other type of pre-made flatbread would work well for this hummus pizza.

One key recipe step that I want to point out is that you have to spread the hummus on the pizza before putting the flatbread in the oven. Hummus spread on a warm pita is one thing, but hummus baked on a pizza crust is an entirely different experience. The hummus gets warm and bakes onto the crust. So good! Have you ever had a hummus pizza?

Hummus and Roasted Veggie Flatbread Pizza

 

Print

Yield: 2 personal sized flatbreads

Ingredients

• 1½ cups small broccoli florets
• 1 zucchini, sliced into rounds then halved
• Cooking spray
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning
• 2 flatbreads, about 8” by 6” each
• ½ cup hummus
• ¼ cup shredded raw beets
• 2 ounces goat cheese crumbles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place the broccoli florets and zucchini pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet. Lightly spray with cooking spray. Season the veggies with salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Roast for 20 minutes, or until tender and lightly charred.
2. Divide the hummus between the 2 flatbreads and spread in an even layer. Divide the roasted veggies, raw beets and goat cheese crumbles between the flatbreads. Bake at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes, or toast in your toaster oven, until the flatbread is warm and the goat cheese is slightly melted.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Before I dive into these epic meatloaf sandwiches, I forgot to tell you all last week how the February cookbook recipe went! Matt and I made the Angel Hair Frittata from the Half Baked Harvest Cookbook. It was loaded with broccolini, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto. The flavor was really good and I think we’ll make it again, but we weren’t one hundred percent sold on the angel hair pasta in it. We love pasta and we wanted to be able to taste it more so since we couldn’t really taste it we might just make it without the pasta next time.

Now, back to these Barbecue Meatloaf Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions. Matt’s birthday is tomorrow so I wanted to make him a special meal last week to celebrate. Yes, a week early because that’s what happens when you’re a food blogger! Matt loves meatloaf and while this meatloaf on its own is amazing I knew I needed to kick it up a notch to make it birthday meal worthy. Enter toasted bun, melted provolone cheese, fresh arugula and rich caramelized onions!

These sandwiches ate like a burger except multiply the tender factor and the flavor level by at least ten. Trust me, it’s a scientific fact. The key to a tender meatloaf is making sure you have enough fat and enough moisture. I used 80% lean ground beef and added moisture with barbecue sauce, an egg, Dijon, and balsamic. To take it even further, I added bread that had been soaked in beef broth. If you add bread crumbs all they will do is take moisture away from the meat.

To get an even richer flavor I added some sautéed mushrooms and onions. Raw veggies are great, but anytime you get a chance to sauté them it really brings out an unbeatable depth of flavor. Finally, cook the meatloaf low and slow freeform on a rimmed baking sheet so that all the barbecue sauce slathered sides get a chance to caramelize. Yum!

Every time I’ve ever made meatloaf I’ve made it slightly differently because I’ve used whatever I have on hand in the fridge and I always add ingredients by feel. If the meatloaf is sticking to the bowl then it needs more liquid ingredients. Now that I finally wrote down a recipe I can recreate it exactly next time Matt says make that really good meatloaf again! I will definitely be making it for these sandwiches again because this has got to be the most ultimate way to eat meatloaf for dinner.

Also, I normally dread taking photographs of burgers and sandwiches because they’re really hard to make look appetizing, but I’m so excited with how my photos came out and they’re really doing justice to these epic sandwiches! Enjoy!

Barbecue Meatloaf Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions

 

Print

Yield: 10 sandwiches

Ingredients

for the meatloaf

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ small onion, small diced
• 4 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
• Salt, pepper and Italian seasoning
• 1 egg
• 1 slice bread (I used potato bread), torn into pieces
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 cup barbecue sauce, divided
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 pounds 80% lean ground beef

for the sandwiches

• 4 medium onions, halved then sliced
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Salt
• 10 kaiser or brioche buns, cut in half
• 10 slices provolone cheese
• Arugula, for topping
• Barbecue sauce, for topping

Directions

for the meatloaf

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and mushrooms then season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Cook until tender and slightly caramelized, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Beat the egg in a large mixing bowl. Soak the bread pieces in the beef broth for a few minutes then add the soaked bread pieces to the mixing bowl; they will be really mushy. Add ½ cup barbecue sauce, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Add the sautéed onions and mushrooms then mix everything together. Add the ground beef then use your hands to incorporate everything together, being sure not to over-mix (see note). It will come together more on the baking sheet. Scoop the meatloaf mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and form it into a long log, making it roughly the width of your kaiser buns, a couple inches high and then however long it needs to be. Mine was about 12-inches long. Cover the outside of the meatloaf completely with the remaining ½ cup of barbecue sauce.
4. Bake until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 1 hour and 5-10 minutes. Let it rest for a couple minutes before taking the temperature of the meatloaf. Once it’s 165 degrees F, let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

for the sandwiches

1. Caramelize the onions. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion slices then toss to coat. Season with salt. Cook the onions, stirring every few minutes for 35-40 minutes. Towards the last 20 minutes if they start getting burnt in spots add a little more water (no more than a tablespoon at a time). If you want them really caramelized, you can continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, but you will want to stir very frequently to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from the heat when done.
2. Toast the buns. If desired, brush the tops of the buns with an egg wash (1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon water) then top with poppy seeds and dried onion flakes before toasting.
3. Melt the provolone over the meatloaf slices then place on the toasted burger buns along with some caramelized onions, arugula and barbecue sauce.

Notes

I recommend using one of the following methods to help keep the meatloaf mixture from sticking to your hands (because you’re able to better incorporate everything without over-mixing if you use your hands): coating your hands with cold water, lightly coating your hands with olive oil or using disposable gloves.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments