Popeye’s Pick

So…it’s been awhile since I blogged.  Don’t hate.  Sometimes life just gets in the way.

Even though I have not been blogging, that certainly does not mean I haven’t been cooking!  One of the hubby’s most recent faves is a recurring Meatless Monday dish.  It even has approval from my vegetarian friend (please note: I have more than one vegetarian friend, however, only one has tried these).

I kinda don’t get how this is so delicious.  The recipe is so simple, yet the flavors just go crazy in your mouth. This is one of my, “When I own a restaurant one day, this will be on the menu,” recipes.  Seriously. Make these.  Soon.

Spinach Feta Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe

 

 

A Phantastic Philly

So, a phew weekends ago, the Braves were playing sweeping the Phillies and during the Sunday game, the t.v. announcers were tossing out some interesting facts.  Apparently, the Braves hold the record phor the most Philly Cheesesteaks ordered while at the Philles’ stadium than any other team. Well, they went on and on about it and within a phew minutes, my hubby and I were drooling over the idea of a cheesesteak of our own.  So, I phound a couple of recipes, blended them…and added some slices of jalapenos (a secret phrom a chef at a restaurant I used to work).  What I ended up with is enough to make your phamily turn into philly phanatics!

Cooking it up

Toasty, mayo slathered bun

You hit a home run when you serve this!

Philadelphia Cheesesteak with Garlic Mayo

• 4 whole wheat hoagie rolls
• 1 lb.deli roast beef, sliced thin
• 1 tbs evoo
• 1 tbs light butter
• 1 onion (I’ve been using Vidalias for everything lately and they work great!)
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper (control the heat by including, or omitting seeds)
• 4 slices american cheese
• 1/4 cup light mayo
• 1 garlic glove, finely chopped

Heat a pan on the stove on medium.  Add butter and evoo.  Once butter has melted, add onions and peppers.  Cook for about 10 minutes until all the veggies are soft.  Season with salt and pepper. Pushed vegetables to the side and add roast beef to pan and heat through until no longer pink.  Meanwhile, toast the hoagie rolls very lightly, smear them with the garlic mayo and top with the pepper, meat, cheese mixture.  Serve hot and with hot sauce, salt, pepper and extra mayo.

 

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A Summer Sammie

Nothing makes me happier in the summer (foodwise, anyway) than when green tomatoes are in season.  So imagine my excitement when I visited the DeKalb Farmer’s Market and there was a whole bin filled with perfectly round, beautiful green tomatoes.  I grabbed a few, googled a recipe for fried green tomatoes and was home making Fried Green Tomato BLT’s faster than you can say sweet tea.

Now, my favorite fried green tomatoes are made with a cornmeal batter, however you can find recipes without, if that’s your preference.  I also like to dress it with homemade chipotle mayo.  If you don’t like chipotle, or if it’s too hot for you, you can always use paprika, chili powder or fresh herbs like Italian parsley or cilantro.  Anywho, this recipe came out divine and I’ve already made two batches.  They are delicious when served immediately after frying the tomatoes.  I’m working on finding a way to heat them up later for a sandwich the next day or a way to take them for lunch, but they just get soggy.  Any suggestions on how to re-heat them while keeping them crisp are welcome!

Fried Green Tomato BLTs

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 4 large green tomatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
• 8 slices of whole wheat bread
• 1/2 pound low-sodium bacon, fried
• Lettuce
• Chipotle Mayo: 1/2 cup of light mayo + 1 tablespoon (or more, depending on your heat tolerance) of chipotle in adobo sauce, be sure to chop the chipotle before mixing

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes 1/2 inch thick. Discard the ends.
2. Whisk eggs and milk together in a medium-size bowl. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat. Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture. Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.
3. In a large skillet, pour vegetable oil (enough so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan) and heat over a medium heat. Place tomatoes into the frying pan in batches of 4 or 5, depending on the size of your skillet. Do not crowd the tomatoes, they should not touch each other. When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.
4. To serve, slather each side of bread with the chipotle mayo and layer fried green tomato, lettuce and bacon.  Enjoy!

A Hot Brown…Thanksgiving-Style

The traditional Hot Brown originated in Louisville, KY and consists of a piece of Texas toast layered with turkey, tomato and topped with gravy and cheese.  The piece de resistance is two slices of bacon criss-crossed on top.

My Thanksgiving version includes a slice of wheat toast, crusts removed, smothered with cranberry-orange relish and topped with turkey.  Drizzle with gravy, add a few slices of smoked gouda (leftover from my cheese plate) and pop in the toaster oven on broil for a few minutes until the cheese gets nice and bubbly.  Top with a couple slices of bacon, a sprinkle of paprika and Italian parsley and enjoy those sweet and savory  leftovers! 

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