Name: Philly Cheesesteak Bowl
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 servings rice of your choice, prepared according to package directions; 1 pound skirt steak; 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons buttermilk; 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 1 medium onion, thinly sliced; 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced; 4 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 4 slices American cheese

Philly Cheesesteak Bowl

August 5, 2015

This Philly cheesesteak bowl has all the deliciousness of a Philly cheesesteak sandwich without the bread. Not that there’s anything wrong with the bread!

I have gotten quite a few requests for gluten-free recipes. The thing is, we don’t observe a gluten-free diet, and certainly not a low-carb diet…so it can be a little difficult sometimes for me to wrap my head around cooking and eating this way. I puffy heart love bread, and I have recently discovered that there can be gluten hidden in the most seemingly unlikely foods (like ice cream?!?!).

I like to make people happy, though, so I really do try to think about where I can fit these things in. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever decide to eat entirely gluten-free unless I have to, but it certainly can’t hurt from time to time! My aunt suggested recently that I create some recipes for rice bowls. I started thinking about how I could build some rice bowls that haven’t been done over and over and over. Last week, I was dreaming about Philly cheesesteak sandwiches as I was making my meal plan, and it dawned on me: a Philly cheesesteak rice bowl. Good golly, Miss Molly. Why haven’t I thought of that before?

Now, I can tell you that nothing-NOTHING-will ever take the place of a Philly cheesesteak for me-bliss on a hoagie roll, I tell you. But imagining a Philly cheesesteak bowl made me think of a lunch I had with a colleague once, years and years ago. We were dining in a Subway, and this lady-who had a job similar to the one I have now, with access to microwaves being pretty limited and many meals taken behind the wheel while driving from one school to the next-ordered a salad. She told me, “Sometimes, I just feel like I need to eat something for lunch that requires the use of a fork.” All these years later, I get it.

Not that I eat that many dinners that don’t require a fork, but you get it. Sometimes, you don’t want a sandwich. And if you can pile glorious browned bits of skirt steak mixed with slightly burnished onions and peppers and softened mushrooms with American cheese melted all in it into a bowl with some rice, why wouldn’t you? That’s right, you would.

Philly cheesesteak bowl for the win.

Yield: 4 servings

Philly Cheesesteak Bowl

20 minPrep Time:

20 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

4 servings rice of your choice, prepared according to package directions
1 pound skirt steak
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
4 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 slices American cheese

Instructions

Set rice to cook according to package directions. Cut the skirt steak into 3-4 pieces in the direction of the grain. Place on a sheet pan and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
While the meat is in the freezer, prepare the sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Remove the meat from the freezer. Slice into thin strips (1/4-1/8 inch thick) against the grain. Pile the strips on the cutting board and run the knife through several times until the meat is finely chopped (I probably sliced through it about 50 times in different directions).
Preheat the vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned and crispy (this will take several minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat to a separate bowl and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium. Drain all but one tablespoon of the oil from the pan. Add the peppers and cook until they begin to soften. Add the onions and cook until the peppers and onions are softened and browned. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened.
Add the meat back to the skillet. Sprinkle with the Parmesan then place the American cheese slices on top. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove the lid and stir in the melted cheese.
Divide the rice among four bowls and top with the Philly cheesesteak mixture. Drizzle with the sauce.

Notes

Cook time does not include time to cook the rice. This will vary based on the rice that you choose to use.

https://chattavore.com/philly-cheesesteak-bowl/

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This Philly cheesesteak bowl is everything you love about a Philly cheesesteak sandwich...piled on top of a bowl of rice! | chattavore.com

Baked Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti

July 31, 2015

Baked Buffalo chicken spaghetti has all the classic flavors of Buffalo wings-chicken, wing sauce, and blue cheese-all baked into one delicious pasta dish!

I am really not an eater of Buffalo wings. It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that I find them kind of a pain to eat. You know, bones and all. I can never get much meat off of them and I always feel a little dejected staring at a pile of bones with a whole bunch of chicken that I just can’t quite get to (I have a bit of an overbite, which doesn’t help). Besides that, I’ve mentioned here a few times that I’m a pansy when it comes to spice and I’m always afraid that if I order wings in a restaurant that they’ll be too spicy. Plus, Philip shares my feelings about how much work it takes to eat wings so it’s no thing to him.

That said, I really do like the flavor of Buffalo wings. I love the spicy tanginess of Buffalo sauce and I love how it pairs so perfectly with whatever dressing you serve it with for “cooling” purposes. I love blue cheese dressing and ranch dressing, and I have grown into a love of the funkiest of blue cheeses. Add some celery to that for the crunch and health factor, and you have a match made in heaven. The legend goes that Buffalo wings were created in a bar (Anchor Bar, to be exact) in Buffalo, NY, for the college-aged son of the owner and his friends. They wanted a snack, so she whipped something up out of the ingredients that she had in the kitchen. Talk about luck, pairing all of those ingredients so perfectly together. I can’t think of many thrown-together flavor combinations that work quite that well!

For some reason I kind of got on a Buffalo kick recently while doing some blog recipe brainstorming. Buffalo chicken spaghetti came to mind, and it would have been awesome if I had just stopped there. I decided, though, that I wanted this to be a more casserole-ish sort of Buffalo chicken spaghetti, so I spread it in a pan and made baked Buffalo chicken spaghetti. I did not regret this decision. I made the sauce with creamy cauliflower sauce that I mixed with ranch dressing spices, then coated some shredded chicken (I cooked it ahead of time in the slow cooker) with hot sauce. Onions and celery added some flavor and a little crunch to the pasta & sauce mixture, and yes, I used an entire container of blue cheese. If you are a hater of blue cheese, leave it out and sub in some shredded mozzarella or cheddar. By the way, the second night I decided to drizzle my baked Buffalo chicken spaghetti with a little ranch dressing. It was a good idea. Amen and amen.

Yield: 6-12 servings

Baked Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti

15 minPrep Time:

40 minCook Time:

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Ingredients

One 13.25 ounce box angel hair, spaghetti, or linguine, cooked according to package directions and drained (I used whole wheat)
two tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small or 1/2 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, cleaned and finely chopped
2 cups creamy cauliflower sauce (you can substitute jarred Alfredo sauce, but be aware that this will affect the calorie & fat content)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds chicken thighs or breasts, cooked and shredded (I made mine in the slow cooker the day before, seasoned simply with salt and pepper)
3/4 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's), divided
5 ounces crumbled blue cheese (or substitute shredded mozzarella or cheddar)
ranch or blue cheese dressing, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the pasta according to package directions in an 8-quart pot. Drain and set aside.
In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook until softened. While the onions and celery are cooking, stir the spices into the cauliflower sauce and set aside.
When the onions and celery are cooked through, add the chicken to the pot. Add 1/2 cup of the hot sauce and stir to combine. Add the drained pasta, the cauliflower sauce, and four ounces of the cheese. Stir to combine completely.
Spread the pasta into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and drile with remaining Buffalo sauce. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut into squares and serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing driled over, if desired.

Notes

Cook time does not account for cooking the chicken or the cauliflower sauce. I recommend making both of these ahead of time.

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Baked buffalo chicken spaghetti has all the flavors of Buffalo wings with none of the pesky bones! | chattavore.com

Barbecue Shrimp (Easy!)

July 29, 2015

Barbecue shrimp is (unbeknownst to me until recently) a traditional New Orleans food. I don’t claim to have any sort of corner on an “authentic” recipe, but this version (adapted from Cook’s Country), with its spicy, deep flavors, is pretty fantastically tasty!
Have you ever heard of barbecue shrimp? Until recently, I don’t think I had any idea that such a thing existed. I mean, around here, the word barbecue entails a meat that is smoked low and slow until it falls apart. At the very least, we think of barbecue as having some sort of barbecue sauce on it. This shrimp = neither of those things. I’m pretty opinionated about how the word “barbecue” is used (please do not call a cookout a barbecue in my presence) but I’ll allow it here, since this is, apparently, a traditional food in New Orleans. Who knew? Maybe everyone but me.

The funny thing is that I’ve been reading about barbecue shrimp in a lot of places lately. When Cook’s Country aired a recipe for it recently, it looked so good that I decided that I must try it. I cook a fair amount of shrimp and this barbecue shrimp seemed easy and delicious…like something that would pair perfectly with some creamy, cheesy grits like, oh, I don’t know, the ones on Cook’s Country. Man, I love those America’s Test Kitchen people (for any of you who aren’t familiar, Cook’s Country is by America’s Test Kitchen.

Philip loves shrimp and grits. When went to Hennen’s for our anniversary recently, he was immediately drawn to the shrimp and grits on the menu but decided not to order it because it had a tomato based sauce and he doesn’t love them that way. I thought I’d make it up to him by making shrimp and grits later in the week and this barbecue shrimp was a perfect way to do it. It was super-simple to make, just tossing the shrimp with some spices and cooking them, then making a sauce, letting it reduce, and tossing the shrimp in it. This barbecue shrimp was great with creamy grits, but it would have been just as good with a crusty baguette!

Ready to make this barbecue shrimp?

Yield: 4 servings
Barbecue Shrimp (adapted from Cook's Country)
15 minPrep Time:
10 minCook Time:

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Ingredients
1 pound uncooked large shrimp (preferably shell-on)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon tomato paste (the tubes of tomato paste are ideal for this!)
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons beer
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Peel and devein the shrimp and pat dry with paper towls. Place in a bowl and toss with the salt and the cayenne.
Preheat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the shrimp into the skillet and cook until just pink. Remove to a clean bowl.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the skillet until melted. Whisk in the flour, tomato paste, rosemary, oregano, and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the beer and Worcestershire sauce and cook until slightly reduced and thickened.
Add the shrimp back to the skillet. Cook and stir for about one minute, until completely cooked through and the shrimp is coated with the sauce. Serve with grits, rice, or crusty bread.
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Cheesy Mushroom Artichoke Melt

July 15, 2015

Ready in under 30 minutes, these cheesy mushroom artichoke melts are simple, quick, and relatively healthy…just what I’m looking for in a weeknight meal!

I fully recognize that I am a total weirdo when it comes to food. Long gone is the girl who made Ore-Ida fries and Hamburger Helper on a regular basis…I have fond memories of those foods, but now I make homemade mac & cheese and baked fries and the like. Being of the childless variety, I also have the luxury of pretty much having endless time to spend making dinner on weeknights. And endless time I do spend, if only because I’m usually trying to make dinner while simultaneously packing lunches and photograph said dinner. I don’t shy away from making recipes that take forever to make, though, and have been known to spend up to two hours making dinner on a Tuesday. I’m telling you guys, I’m a total freak.

The thing is, though, that I know that if I’m not making food on this blog that other people look at and think I can make that for my family in a reasonable amount of time then there’s a good chance that they are not going to continue reading. That’s the funny thing about food blogs…most people follow blogs that make food that they’d actually cook and eat. Imagine! And honestly, the two-hour dinner fiascos are fairly rare. When I get home from work I work out then start on dinner and after an hour of pushing myself doing HIIT and strength training, I’m usually in no mood.

I recently discussed in my black bean garlic rice bowl post how I’m just not much of a meat-and-three kind of cook. Soups, pizzas, casseroles, sandwiches….those are my jam. I like things that can be thrown together and served simply. Open-faced sandwiches like this cheesy mushroom artichoke melt fit the bill. I caramelized the onions in one skillet and sautéed the mushrooms in another, then tossed in the artichoke hearts to warm them through. Piled on a slice of bread and topped with melted cheese…this is about as simple as it gets. Okay, maybe not as simple as a BLT or a good old grilled cheese sandwich, but come on-mushrooms, artichokes, and caramelized onions? How can you resist??

Cheesy mushroom artichoke melts are easy and heavenly!

Yield: 2-4 servings
Cheesy Mushroom Artichoke Melt
5 minPrep Time:
25 minCook Time:

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Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces button or crimini mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
1 cup artichoke hearts, well drained and thinly sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
4 slices sturdy bread, such as a hearty wheat or country bread
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 ounces cheese-Gruyere, muenster, havarti, or provolone would all work well here (I used slices)
Instructions
Melt one tablespoon of the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, reducing heat if the onions start to brown too quickly. This should take about twenty minutes.
While the onions are cooking, heat the remaining butter in another medium skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned. Add the artichokes and cook until warmed through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and mustard. Preheat the broiler and place the slices of bread under the broiler until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven but leave the broiler on. Spread the mayo-mustard mixture on the toasted bread.
Divide the onions among the bread slices then divide the mushroom-artichoke mixture among the bread slices. Top with the cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. Serve immediately.
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Summer Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing and Fruit

July 10, 2015

This summer salad with poppy seed dressing also has mixed greens, fruit, and candied walnuts. It is sweet and satisfying on the hottest summer days!

There comes a time every summer, right about now when the mercury is really hitting its hottest temps (though really it’s not as hot here right now as it was a couple of weeks ago) when all I can think about eating is salad. Well, and ice cream. Always ice cream. I have sworn a solemn oath to never complain about the heat, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like to eat foods that are cooling and don’t require me to turn on the oven and heat up the whole house.

We visited Nashville last week and our friend took us to Hattie B’s, a restaurant that serves Nashville hot chicken. It was really crowded…people love that place! We decided to take our food back to his house to eat, but he decided to eat at home (he’s a vegetarian). He made a salad with kale, avocado, and strawberries and, even though that chicken was delicious, I was seriously jealous of his salad. I started dreaming about what my perfect summer salad would contain and this is what I dreamed up.

A summer salad, in my opinion, should have fruit-berries, to be exact (with some mandarin oranges thrown in for good measure). Poppy seed dressing is the perfect complement to a fruity mixed green salad, with its sweet, salty, and “shallot-y” bite. Candied walnuts come together in less than five minutes on the stovetop and add the perfect sweet crunch, and bacon and feta add a salty accent. This summer salad was perfect on our dinner plates as well as in a Mason jar for lunch the next day. What are your favorite ingredients for a summer salad?