Tag: dude food (Page 7 of 8)

      Meatball Stuffed Eggplant

      January 21, 2011 /

      Here is a good one I ran on Grub for Guys a couple years back. This is another great recipe to try on a lazy weekend in the winter. Enjoy!

      This is a good recipe for a lazy Sunday when you have an hour to whip something up, and it’s relatively easy and good for you. Eggplant can be bitter and tricky to work with, so choose ones that are firm but not too firm, and make sure to roast them as directed in the recipe before preparing the dish.

      Ingredients
      2-3 medium eggplants
      1 Tbsp. olive oil
      8-10 turkey meatballs (I like Purdue, but thawed frozen ones should work fine), finely chopped
      ½ green pepper, seeded and chopped
      1-2 cloves garlic
      ¼ cup chopped black olives
      1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
      ½ cup prepared spaghetti sauce
      ½ cup + 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
      ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
      Salt and pepper to taste

      Directions:
      Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce eggplant several times with a fork and roast on a baking sheet for 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Cut ends off eggplant and slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp into a bowl and save enough to make 1 to 1½ cups. Place eggplant shells on a baking sheet and set aside. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet and add eggplant pulp, sautéing for about 4-5 minutes or until it’s reduced a bit and darkened in color. Add chopped meatballs, green pepper, garlic, black olives, spaghetti sauce, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper, and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in ½ cup Parmesan and bread crumbs. Carefully spoon eggplant mixture into eggplant shells, dividing evenly, and sprinkle each with the remaining 2 Tbsp. Parmesan. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes and serve. Makes 2 large or 4 smaller servings.

      Serve with crusty bread and some good red wine.

      Recipes, Your Kitchen

      Chipotle Mac & Cheese and Tex-Mex Meatballs

      January 14, 2011 /

      This is another great dish (or two dishes) to try during cold weather months, and is especially great for football-watching-food. I posted this on Grub for Guys a couple years ago. Enjoy and let me know what you think….

      Two Spicy Dishes That Explode With Flavor:Chipotle Mac & Cheese and Tex-Mex Meatballs w/Spicy Tomatillo Sauce

      Guys, if you like spicy food the way I do, I’ve created two dishes that you’re going to love. Skill level is easy to moderate on the mac & cheese, and a bit more complex for the meatballs, but worth it. I’ve tried to give you a classic mac & cheese with a twist, and a summery, fiery meatball dish that is different and made for the bold taste buds of the common dude. Enjoy!

      Chipotle Mac & Cheese

      Ingredients:
      8 oz. macaroni
      4 small to medium chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
      1 cup whole milk
      8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
      8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese
      ¼ cup flour
      ½ stick butter

      Directions:
      Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook macaroni, drain and set aside. Melt butter in large skillet, then add flour and stir for about 20-30 seconds. Add milk and whisk to break up chunks of flour mixture. When mixture is warm and starts to thicken, add cheese. Stir until cheese melts, and then add chipotle peppers. Put cooked macaroni in a large bowl, and pour cheese mixture over it. Stir to combine and then pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake for about 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serves four, or like previous recipes I’ve posted here, two very hungry guys.

      Tex-Mex Meatballs w/Spicy Tomatillo Sauce

      Ingredients:
      For Meatballs
      1 lb. ground beef
      2 medium ears cooked corn on the cob
      2 jalapeno peppers
      ¼ cup chopped cilantro
      1 Tbsp. chili powder
      1 tsp. kosher salt
      1 tsp. black pepper
      1 slice white bread, cut into cubes and soaked in ½ cup milk

      For Sauce
      3-4 tomatillos, papery skin removed and rinsed
      1 jalapeno pepper
      ¼ of a large red onion
      ¼ cup chopped cilantro
      ½ medium avocado
      ½ tsp. kosher salt
      ½ tsp. black pepper
      juice of one lime

      Directions:
      For the sauce, spray the tomatillos, two jalapenos (one for sauce, one for meatballs) and red onion with cooking spray and grill over medium heat until the skins on tomatillos and pepper turn brown and begin to blister and onion lightly browns. Cut off tough core of tomatillos and remove the stem and seeds of jalapenos. Throw the vegetables in a blender, saving one jalapeno for the meatballs, and add remaining sauce ingredients. Blend for a few seconds until smooth.

      For the meatballs, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the corn off the cob, and chop the remaining grilled jalapeno. Combine in a large mixing bowl along with beef, cilantro, chili powder, salt and pepper. Then take the soaked bread and add to the bowl, discarding the milk. Mix thoroughly with your hands and shape into 1 ½ inch meatballs. Brown meatballs in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Then move meatballs to a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about ten more minutes, or until cooked through.

      Pour some sauce on a plate and top with a few meatballs. You should have about 20 meatballs in all, which will serve between two and four people. Serve with a frosty Mexican beer, and trust me, you’ll need it to wash down both of these dishes!

      Recipes, Your Kitchen

      Product review: Turkey Perky Jerky

      January 11, 2011 /

      We reviewed the original version of Perky Jerky back in May on the Bullz-Eye Blog, and now they have a new version–Turkey Perky Jerky. Try saying that five times fast.

      The concept of this jerky is an interesting one–caffeinated beef jerky. It’s like everything you love at a convenience store in a nifty little package–well, maybe minus the newspaper and one of those triangle packaged sandwiches for later. But I digress.

      The great thing about Perky Jerky is that it’s all natural with no preservaties or nitrates. And just like the beef version, the turkey jerky has a strong soy/teriyaki flavor that is addictive enough even before you realize there is guarana (i.e. caffeine) in it. Yes, you have eaten jerky and now you are Cornholio.

      Seriously though, the caffeine buzz is real enough to give you a bit of a lift in the afternoon, and the taste is just awesome. As far as the difference between turkey and beef–the turkey version is made with turkey breast meat, so it’s low in calories (50 per serving) and has 9 grams of protein and zero fat, while the beef has 90 calories, 11 grams of protein and 2 grams of fat. The difference in taste is not much different, but the difference in texture is noticeable. The turkey is much chewier and not as tender as the beef version, probably because of the lack of fat that well, you’re eating turkey breast instead of steak.

      But guys, you just have to try this stuff…..it’s delicious, good for you, and literally uplifting.

      For more info, go to www.perkyjerky.com

      Product Reviews

      Hot meals for winter months

      December 17, 2010 /

      Okay, so we moved from balmy Nashville to frigid Madison, Wisconsin in April–right after the thaw. And so now we are experiencing our first blast of winter–which arrived with a fury right after Thanksgiving. It’s not so much the snow that is difficult to take–it’s the insane cold and wind chill. It’s 24 degrees right now and feels warm. Well, whatever…we chose to move here and the best part about the cold weather is making warm–no, piping hot–comfort food. Even if you’re a dude, you can enjoy stuff like these two oven dishes I created on Bullz-Eye.com’s Grub for Guys last year……

      As the weather gets colder, we men retreat to the den and watch sports in the comfort of an easy chair. To sustain ourselves, we spoon up big bowls of rib-sticking hot casseroles. Below are recipes for kickass chicken and rice, and a dish that has everything manly in it except the kitchen sink. And yes, that includes beer.

      Dude Casserole
      Casseroles might bring to mind Betty Crocker, church potlucks or, well, the women who usually make them. But we’re here to put some testosterone in casseroles…not literally, mind you, but with four types of meat (including bacon), cheese, macaroni, cream of mushroom soup, jalapeno peppers and BEER among the ingredients, this casserole is made for the common man. It’s especially for the common man who likes to watch football and bulk up in the winter months. Make this for your buddies and you will suddenly have more buddies the next time you cook, I guarantee it.

      Ingredients
      1 lb. Elbow macaroni
      2 Tbsp. vegetable oil (we use canola)
      2 slices bacon, chopped
      1 lb. Ground beef
      2 bratwurst (we like Johnsonville stadium brats), chopped
      4 pre-cooked breakfast sausage patties (spicy kind if possible), chopped
      1 small onion, chopped
      1 poblano pepper, trimmed, seeded and chopped
      1 jalapeno pepper, trimmed, seeded and chopped
      1 tsp. chili powder
      ¼ tsp. garlic powder
      6 oz. beer
      2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
      2 cans cream of mushroom soup
      ½ cup milk
      2 Tbsp. soy sauce
      1 cup ketchup
      ½ cup canned corn
      1/3 cup sliced black olives (optional)
      1/3 cup bread crumbs
      Salt & Pepper to taste

      Directions
      Spray a large casserole dish or 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook macaroni according to package directions and set aside. In a very large, deep skillet, heat oil over medium/high heat. Add bacon, beef, brats, sausage, onion and peppers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. When beef is browned and onion and peppers are softened, add chili powder, garlic powder, then beer. Stir occasionally and let simmer until beer is almost completely absorbed, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile combine cheese, soup, milk, soy sauce, and ketchup in a large bowl. Stir pasta, corn and olives into soup mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. Add that mixture to meat mixture, and then dump everything into the casserole dish. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve hot. Serves 4 hungry dudes.

      Kickass Chicken & Rice
      Chicken and rice go together like football and beer. And while we’re not advocating eating a football, you get the idea—it just works. Here we take this dynamic duo and add some creamy chicken soup, cheese and other bright flavors to make another great hot dish for a cold day.

      Ingredients
      1 pound boneless chicken breast tenders
      salt and pepper
      Cooking spray
      1 can cream of chicken soup
      ½ cup milk
      1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
      1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
      ½ teaspoon onion powder
      1 teaspoon dried parsley
      1 cup white rice
      ½ cup frozen peas
      1 cup French fried onions

      Directions
      Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle tenders with salt and pepper and brown in skillet for 2-3 minutes per side. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine soup, milk, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, onion power, parsley and more salt and pepper to taste. Spray a large (preferably a short and wide) casserole dish with cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with rice, and add more if it doesn’t quite cover the dish entirely. Place chicken tenders on top, then sprinkle peas on top of chicken. Then pour soup mixture evenly over everything. Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes or until soup is absorbed by the rice and chicken is completely cooked through. Uncover and sprinkle with onions, and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately, and serves 2-4, depending on how hungry everyone is.

      Recipes, Your Kitchen

      A can a week: Chef Boyardee Whole Grain Beefaroni

      December 6, 2010 /

      Whole grains are all the rage these days. You can thank the fact that low-fat diets went out of style over the past ten or so years, and the focus was once again on low-carb diets for losing weight and burning fat fast. Whole grains, as the South Beach Diet will attest to, are “good carbs,” because they’re less processed than their white flour-based counterparts. Whew…you’d think I was a doctor or a nutritionist, but alas, I’m just a dude like you that likes to eat.

      I also like to have healthy options once in a while, so I’m kicking off this new weekly feature with a a review of the new line of Chef Boyardee Whole Grain Pasta, in this case the Beefaroni.

      I grew up on Beefaroni, so it’s not like I was trying the product for the first time. I was, however, trying this new “healthier” version for the first time. And quite honestly, there is almost no way to tell the difference. I didn’t taste the regular Beefaroni side by side with it, but I have had that enough times in my life that I didn’t have to.

      Whole Grain Beefaroni is absolutely delicious and satisfying, with just the right amount of ground beef and tomato sauce. Typically canned pasta is cooked more than pasta you’d cook at home or that you’d eat in a restaurant, and that’s the case here, but I’m sure they do that for a reason.

      This still isn’t exactly diet food, and if you eat the whole can, you’re talking 480 calories and 18 grams of fat. And who wouldn’t eat the whole can? But here is the good part–there are 18 grams of protein in the can, and a whopping 6 grams of fiber. If you read the ingredient list, whole wheat flour is right near the top. So really, if you’re going to eat Chefboyardee products, you may as well get some fiber into your diet…..especially when it really does taste this good.

      Food on a Budget, Your Kitchen

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