Pinterest Win: Dynamite Tofu

I have seen a lot of postings on Pinterest about "Meatless Monday". I know that I surely could eat healthier so I figure "why not"? Of course, I launch this tonight... the same day that I meet my friend Felicia for lunch downtown at III Forks for Houston Restaurant Weeks. That's right, Momma had a steak - medium rare - for lunch. It kicked butt. So, going meatless tonight probably was a really good idea. Look at me! Woot woot!

Over a year ago I pinned a tofu recipe called Dynamite Tofu. Hello... it has the word dynamite in it. The dish has to be good!

The recipe looked crazy easy so I obviously had to make it. Granted, the actual recipe calls for it to be served with broccoli and rice. I skipped the rice trying to be healthy, but still steamed some broccoli to eat with the "dynamite" tofu.

I went to the store on the way home to pick up the tofu and broccoli. I had all the other ingredients on the website. Conveniently I love making Asian food, so that is helpful when I find new recipes.

Yes I have said this before, but the dynamite tofu recipe is literally one of the easiest ones to make. I believe it was written so that you can easily change the recipe for your personal liking. I prefer spicy food so I added more Sriracha than the recipe calls for and I added red pepper flakes. Yes, it was hot... and yes, it was SOOOOO good.

Including the prep time of cutting the tofu (which literally takes less than a minute), the total cook time for me was 24 minutes. That, ladies & gentlemen, makes me happy after a day at work - especially a Monday.

To get to the part you have been waiting for, the recipe can be found on my Hungry Hungry Hippo board on Pinterest. Since I have so many recipes on that board, I recommend you fun a search for "tofu". It will show up much easier. Doesn't the pic look yummy?



Photo from http://www.peta.org

Now, I have to be honest that I didn't realize the above beautiful picture would take me to the PETA website when I clicked on it. If you have met me then you know I heart animals, maybe not roaches or spiders, but definitely animals. However, I also think fur coats are soft & comfy. Man, did I just set myself up to get harassed by a hippie? Dangit.

In all seriousness, the PETA website actually has some awesome recipes on there. I definitely recommend you checking it out. Don't worry all my Oil & Gas working friends, I think your company will allow you on the PETA site. At least I think so. I dunno.

Back to me... I mean the recipe. So easy. So tasty. So awesome. Definitely will make this again. Now, my picture doesn't look at yummy as PETA's but pictures can be deceiving. This dish was delish, or shall I say DYNAMITE! (Below is my sad, pathetic picture...)

Maybe next time I should use a smaller plate...

Now go out there and try some tofu. I swear you won't notice a difference from chicken. That's right, I am not gonna lie - you'll know the difference from steak. Definitely will know the difference between tofu and steak. Give me a break, I am a true Texas girl... through & through.

Hope you join me for Meatless Monday!

Pinterest Win: Salisbury Steak Meatballs!

I remember growing up and loving Salisbury Steak at school. Those cute trays where each food had its own assigned spots, the "steak", the mashed potatoes, the corn, my milk... Ahhh, memories.

Playing on Pinterest one day and found a picture of Salisbury Steak Meatballs, served over egg noodles. I was beside myself, it looked so good. Of course, I had to make it. This recipe comes from the Pioneer Woman blog. Yes, people, I was channeling Ree Drummond this evening. I hope she would be proud, but I am also sure she would laugh at me a little bit at the small mistake I made. If you are not familiar with this fabulous woman then you are missing out! She has an awesome cooking show on cable, her blog and her Facebook page rock. Start following her... NOW! Check out her version of this dish:

Photo from http://thepioneerwoman.com

John is introducing me to a new-to-me movie, The Big Lebowski. I figured it was a great night to try a little flashback for dinner! (Ok before you think your eyes have deceived you... yes, I have never seen The Big Lebowski, or as John refers to it "The Dude".)

Now that you are done laughing at me and my lack of movie knowledge, let's get to this tasty dish!

I've always thought of Salisbury steak as a "poor man's meal", not because of the frozen versions from the freezer section of your local grocer. More for the fact that it has always reminded me of meatloaf. I can say that after buying all the ingredients at the store today, it definitely is a great meal for those who are trying to save your pennies. But in addition to that, it has awesome flavor. I am on Cloud 9 after making this. John even asked that I make it again. I swear!

I eluded to a mistake earlier. This recipe from the Pioneer Woman blog makes enough for 12 people. Since we don't include the three dogs in our meal plans, I cut the recipe in half. I made the meatballs too moist. Unfortunately, I didn't notice that they were too moist until the very end. When you see the picture of my final product you will see that the meatballs didn't turn into mush, they just weren't as defined as I would have liked. Yes... I referred to "defined balls", top that!  

This was an easy dish to make, and does not take too long. The last part makes me happy because the last thing I want to do after work is to spend too much time in the kitchen. I want a good meal that is quick and easy, but most importantly delicious. This is it!

I am very happy with this dish. Please visit my Hungry Hungry Hippo Board on Pinterest to grab the recipe. Get off your tush and make it tomorrow for your Sunday night meal!

Enjoy!!! :)

~ Lee

Pinterest Win???? Lemon Butter Chicken Breasts

We just got back from a fun trip to Lafayette and Avery Island (Louisiana), where we ate like a King & Queen. I hella ate, so figured we needed something easy to make and a little lighter for dinner. (Basically, no gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, beignets, etc.)

I found a recipe a couple weeks ago on Pinterest that I really wanted to try. Figured tonight is the best night to do it. We stopped by the store to get fresh ingredients because I've watch too much Food Network and Cooking Channel, so I prefer the fresher ingredients rather than the pre-packaged.

These Lemon Butter Chicken Breasts can be found on my Hungry Hungry Hippo Pinterest board. The pin will link you to a Better Homes & Garden recipe. The picture looks fantastic, and yes - I am aware that BHG has people (probably paid well) to stage & take these pictures. But, still... YUM!

Photo from http://www.bhg.com

This was really an easy and quick recipe. The fresh ingredients really did help. John said he would eat it again. So, I can totally see you sitting there wondering why this was a questionable Win. Well... I failed to give the second part of John's comment. Of course there was a second part!

I wish you could have been there when John took his first bite. I was plating my dinner and looked up as he did it. I was torn... cry at another failure or laugh at his expression. It looked like he might choke if he had to swallow it.

I asked him what was wrong, and then he laughed and said that he needs to quit teasing me because I take him so seriously. Don't worry ladies, I didn't fall for it. And, men, we aren't stupid. Geesh!

I sit down next to John (we ate on the couch to watch the Bar Rescue marathon). I took my first bite, and coincidentally made the same face John did. Once I swallowed it, the taste wasn't too bad. It was actually good. Makes you wonder what was wrong with it, huh?

First, let me tell you some of the "enhancements" I made to the recipe. I added two cloves of freshly minced garlic. Totally a good idea. I also added some lemon zest to the flour. Not sure, but thinking that was the problem.

Overall, this was a good dinner. John is traveling this week, so I am eating the leftovers and I want to. I will be happy doing it. I swear!

Ok, fine... I'll get to the point (aka the problem). The lemon flavor tasted bitter. It's weird. It wasn't too lemony, but it was a bittery lemon. I can't pinpoint what went wrong, but think it is the lemon zest. Maybe I should not have put it in the flour? I don't know. If you have any ideas, let me know.

I'm definitely making it again. But might just do the one enhancement: fresh garlic. Recipes that don't ask for garlic confuse me. Not trifle, cheesecake or a garden salad... but any entrée. We need garlic in our lives. Garlic is a godsend.

I'm sorry, I totally digressed here with the garlic. Basically, this dish is good. I'd make it again and John said he wants me to. It even looked really good (proof below), I just need to figure out why it's so bitter?

You can check out the recipe here: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/poultry/lemon-butter-chicken-breasts/

Ok, bitter detectives... help me figure this out!