Green Beans Stir Fry with Tempeh – Vegan Dinner!

Tom December 19, 2016 Adventure Eating, Dinner, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian 0 Comments

Stir fry this and stir fry that… You can basically stir fry anything! This is a great combo (Green Beans, Carrots and Tempeh) for a meat-less option that will still keep ya full past dessert.

The unassuming fermented soybeans (tempeh) wear a meaty disguise to this veggie party with an amazing ability to soak up the dark soy sauce flavors. Add a pile of fresh crunchy green beans, a few carrots, with plenty of garlic and ginger for a bright and satisfyingly hearty ethnic taste.

Your co-workers may even ask: “What type of meat is that in your super delicious looking stir fry left overs??”

And no Bob, you can’t have any my stir fry…

Speaking of left overs, this is one of our staples for a pre-cooked, packaged meal and frozen meal. We have embarked on many stir fry cooking sprees of over 20 pounds on a Sunday afternoon. Then we split up the loot into 1 pound FoodSaver vacuum sealed bags, the perfect single serve healthy lunch or dinner for a guy on the go. Reheating is a breeze and the flavors / textures remain pretty darn good even after a few weeks!

As of this writing, I have eaten our packaged stir fry in 15 states and at 35,000 feet somewhere over Russia… Have stir fry, will travel.

Let’s Cook!

Green Beans Stir Fry with Tempeh

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Hot wings chicken oven roasted tom schmidt photo

Chicken Hot Wings – Oven Roasted and Cooked to Perfection

Tom December 19, 2016 Dinner, Easy Impress, Essential Homemade, Grain-Free, Paleo Friendly 0 Comments

Do chicken hot wings have their own place in the food pyramid? I think they might have left them off the bottom… Maybe they just ran out paper when they were drawing it.

Glorious chicken hot wings, how I love thee. If there ever was a food that could brighten even a dark Chicago winter day, it would have to be the perfectly roasted chicken wing, with magic dust of course, and finished with some Frank’s hot sauce. Worries disappear as you get covered in hot sauce and the lips start to tingle. BLISS.

I perfected this recipe while living in CHI-Town (Chicago for the rest of y’all) in a classic high-rise condo building. It’s nice enough, but they forgot to put a balcony with a grill on our unit! Consequently, I have been relegated to preparing my favorite chicken wings in the oven. My love for wings and chicken makes this one by far the most tested recipe.

For years I have oven-roasting these famous wings on aluminum foil lined pans, but recently switching over to parchment instead. I have heard from a few people about how aluminum might hurt the brain… I would much rather kill my brain cells with booze rather than aluminum foil!

Be careful, these wings are bound to impress your friends, so buy plenty if sharing. I have seen 100 pound girls demolish upwards of 20 wings, seriously.

These wings are also great un-sauced for those with a little less tolerance for the spicy.

Let’s Cook!

Recipe for Oven Roasted Chicken Hot Wings with Franks Hot Sauce and Magic Dust

Ingredients

Hot Wings
3 pounds high quality chicken wings
1/2 cup Magic Dust seasoning (Check out the recipe!)

Sauce
2/3 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
1/2 stick butter (not margarine folks…)

Chicken Hot Wings – Oven Roasted and Cooked to Perfection

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Kale Salad Recipe Parmesan True Food Kitchen

Savory Kale Salad Recipe w/ Parmesan – From Dr. Weil

Tom February 3, 2015 Dinner, Great Left-Overs, Recipe, Salad, Side Dishes, Video 4 Comments

Kale Salad Recipe with Parmesan, lemon and Breadcrumbs

This super quick kale salad recipe will remind you of your favorite Cesar salad, but without all the dressing! It features my favorite deep dark green lacinato kale. You will love this recipe as a savory contrast to the sweeter Massaged Kale with Cranberries and Sunflower Seeds.

The lemon juice with a little salt magically wilts down the greens making them soft and luxurious. I like to give this one a quick massage speed up the process and make it extra tender, but you can also just let the lemon and salt work their wilting magic over a few hours. Check out the video to learn how-to massage the kale!

Parmesan provides the blast of flavor. Be sure to look for a quality chunk of parmesan to grate into your salad, mmmmm… worth every penny. Even with the best parmesan you can find, you only need a few bucks worth for a whole dish!
True Food Kitchen Restaurant and Cookbook Review

Recipe Inspiration:

Adapted from Dr. Weil’s cookbook, this is a close cousin to the Kale Salad served in the True Food restaurants. On my recent trip to Denver, I tried the real deal at True Food in Cherry Creek. The restaurant is super hip: fun concept and lots of veggies on the menu (but also some meat and booze — look, it’s a party; bring friends!)

The True Food – Cherry Creek experience: trendy neighborhood, fashionable folks, intellectual chatter and open concept kitchen and food prep areas. The layout and attitude implies respect and authenticity on HOW your TRUE FOOD is PREPARED, the heart of the “True Food” concept. The service had a educational flair, with the waiter answering all menu questions with an underlying knowledge of the health benefits. Bottom line, a cool place to stop by in Denver.

The salad was great at the restaurant, but a little pricey for my big appetite for greens. As with any great experience comes a price tag, but HOORAY: this salad is one you can make at home. Thank you, Dr. Weil — for the cookbook featuring many of True Food’s popular dishes. Filled with beautiful images and fun commentary from the Chefs who worked along side Andrew Weil in creating these recipes, this cookbook is a treat. Pick up the True Food cookbook and read the story of how Dr. Weil convinced the Chef to embrace the use of a garlic press. Funny stuff!

Massaged Kale Salad Recipe Step by Step Images

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Pressure Cooker chicken soup recipe lemon vegetable

Chicken Soup Recipe – Pressure Cooker Method

Tom January 24, 2015 Dinner, Great Left-Overs, Recipe, Techniques, Vegetables 16 Comments

Pressure Cooker Chicken Soup Recipe – Fast and Delicious!

Delightfully satisfying and comforting chicken soup on the quick! This use of the pressure cooker creates both a wonderful soup broth and perfectly cooked chicken (not that soggy stuff…) ALL IN ONE POT.

The pressure cooker has earned its place on the shelf with this recipe. You might be thinking, damn, I don’t have a pressure cooker. Take a quick scroll through this recipe any way and check out the result. See how stinking fast you can have awesome soup?! If you’ve still got some Christmas cash laying around, check out the Fagor Pressure Cooker.

“I could eat this everyday! I like to grate a bit of white sharp cheddar on it too.” – Tom’s Mom

This soup features two layers of flavor, the deep rich and savory flavor from the fresh chicken broth and then it’s brightened up at the end with a large handful of spinach and some lemon juice. The lemon is amazing because the acidity enhances the flavor similar to salt AND causes the broth to transform into a white opaque color. Whooaaa food chemistry…

Recipe Inspiration: The Pressured Cook

This recipe was adapted from Lorna Sass’ book on pressure cooking called “The Pressured Cook.”
She is a pressure cooker master and the book is chockful of tips for pressure cooker success. According to Lorna, this recipe has been adapted from the Scottish soup called “Cock-a-leekie” — and COCK-A-LEEKIE CURES ALL AILMENTS. So there you have it!

My initial hesitation with this recipe was the idea of boiled chicken meat. Seriously it freaked me out. Sounded like it might turn out like some gnarly cafeteria goo. To my utter amazement this was absolutely not the case! I pride myself with my chicken cooking abilities, so I promise you won’t be led astray with this one.

Lemon Chicken Vegetable Soup with the Pressure Cooker Method Step by Step Recipe

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broccolini recipe plenty more edamame green beans coconut

Asian Inspired Broccolini Recipe, Edamame, Coconut

Tom January 18, 2015 Adventure Eating, Dinner, Grain-Free, Paleo Friendly, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetables 1 Comment

Broccolini Recipe with Edamame, Coconut and Kaffir Lime Leaves

Fresh and light with tons of lime and coconut. Take a ride around the world with this tropical vegetable dish. The Kaffir Lime leaves give an amazing aroma of lime throughout the dish without citrusy bitterness. Finished with heaping handful of cilantro for an ultimate fresh taste.

Over the Christmas break, I was back at home perusing cookbooks and found “Plenty More” by the uber famous Yotam Ottolenghi. At first glance I was thoroughly impressed by the images, but felt the ingredients may be too obscure for most. I still grabbed the book and loaded it up for some airplane reading on the way back from Missouri to the Chicago Arctic.

Recipe Inspiration – Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London’s Ottolenghi (pg.62)

While squished into an airplane seat and thumbing through the book, I found myself quite excited about a number of Yotam’s recipes. They seem to have an un-abashed other world flair to them. Due to his British tongue, a number of ingredients that sound exotic turn out to be easily attainable. For example, “haricots verts” actually are just simple green beans…

Ok, so beans are haricots verts, but when do I find curry leaves, and fresh ones to be exact? Well I haven’t yet… But I did find fresh Kaffir Lime leaves at an asian grocery store for real cheap. So I tossed ’em in! Although I am sure it’s a very different flavor from the original recipe, the aroma and flavor infusion from the leaves is worth a quick trip to the market.

Another substitution I made for this recipe was young coconut meat for grated mature hard coconut. Until preparing this dish I had never hacked into a fresh coconut in the kitchen. Recalling my childhood, we might have had one that I smashed with a hammer in the driveway, but that’s about it. My girlfriend loves coconut water and has many fond memories of drinking them along the roadside in Singapore. She assured me, “just cut here and here and the top will come right off.”

I sort of believed her, but I still wore my cut resistant gloves. I dug up an old knife and began gently hacking away at the top point. It’s easy to cut through the white flesh, but then there is a woody center that does take a bit more whacking. Then suddenly the coconut water begins to leak out and whoohoo! Just like finding water in the dessert. Take a look down below for images of how-to break into the young coconut, it is definitely easier than I would have imagined. AND the coconut is totally worth it in this veggie dish for a hint of sweetness and richness.

This recipe was the my first foray into “Plenty More” and it actually turned out real tasty! Either every recipe in this book is pretty good, or I just got lucky. Regardless, I am motivated to translate more British English to discover the world according to Yotam.

Yotam Otteolenghi’s Plenty More Recipe Adaptation for Broccolini and Edamame Salad Step by Step Images

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how to make sausage from scratch - illustrated recipe Eat with Tom

Chorizo Recipe – How to Make Pork Sausage

Tom October 13, 2014 Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Paleo Friendly, Party Food, Recipe, Techniques 2 Comments

A wise man once said: “When life gives you big ole pork butts, make Chorizo sausage”

Here we turn our pork butt into Chorizo, a dynamic and delicious team player in the kitchen. This sausage brings a strong spicy and rich flavor to any dish. (Check out the Seafood Stew!) Chorizo can also stand on its own, I’ll even throw a link on the grill and top it with some ketchup. Shoot, Chorizo can even take the lead on your next conference call, really just a great team player…

When picking out your next piece of butt, choose a nice big one with plenty of marbling. Good fat content is paramount to a successful sausage. Or if your local grocery does not have whole butts, grab a large pack of pork steaks, it is the same meat.

All spices our local shop The Spice House in Old Town

We shot this recipe when my parents were visiting and my Dad Jerry is the true sausage aficionado who got me started with this whole idea. I like to be a conscious eater, and sausage is terribly hard to find without NASTY chemicals. Soooo I am learning to make it at home without the monster toxins! Additionally you know that the ingredients include good quality meat with the proper fat content (approximately 20% with a pork butt), compared to store-bought sausages that can go as high as 50% fat!

Making Sausage at home is a bit of a project, but it saves super well and you will love spicing up all kinds of dishes with a bit of sausage. Add a bit of chorizo to Kale and Eggs or a frittata to give it a uniquely Spanish taste. Also you can simply poach these sausages in fry pan with a bit of water or pan fry to an internal temp of 165F for a quick lunch.

The Tools for Sausage Making

You need a few tools for this project, but seriously, you can afford these! The grinder is $50 and the stuffer is $100. Combined, about equal to the price of a pair of decent dress shoes. Of course you could get it done with the KitchenAid Grinder attachment, but you likely won’t have as much fun. Believe me, I was bit skeptical on this investment, but I am diggin’ it now!

Electric Meat Grinder
Harbor Freight grinder is a great cheap grinder for the foodie. It is perfectly capable of grinding any meats without bones. It is a simple, small and light enough to easily put away. It seems that this grinder will run for quite a while as long as you do not feed it rock solid frozen meat.

Although the grinder can stuff your casings it can be a real mess and take a long time to stuff and clean up. A true stuffer is a key tool for success.

Kitchener 5-Lb. Stainless Steel Sausage Stuffer
At $100, this is the least expensive route to a great sausage stuffing experience. The tool is finely manufactured and works great. The speed that you force the meat through the tube can be finely adjusted. The ability to control all that raw meat moving around your kitchen will go a long way toward enjoying your sausage making experience and keeping your food prep safe.

Chorizo Homemade Sausage Recipe and Stuffing Tutorial

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Summer Seafood Stew with Salmon and Mussels

Tom September 21, 2014 Dinner, Easy Impress, Great Left-Overs, Paleo Friendly, Recipe 4 Comments

Seafood Stew Recipe with Salmon, Mussels, Fennel, and Chorizo

Bright, hearty and complex! This salmon and mussel seafood stew has a delightfully fresh tangy flavor and a deep savory finish. Although it is a warm stew, it is perfect on a summer evening with a glass of white wine.

This is one of our favorites for at home celebratory meals. Compared to some of the more simple (and cheaper…) dishes featured on Eat with Tom, this one is definitely worth the investment. Maybe a good idea for the next big night in with your sweetie…

Feel free to make this with whatever seafood is available in your area, this dish is versatile. I have made it with a variety of fish and seafood ingredients, but have landed on Coho salmon and mussels as my favorite. The Coho Salmon has a strong flavor that is perfect in the stew and tends to hold together nicely.

Recipe Inspiration – Feasting at Home (blog)

Don’t forget the lemons! The stew develops a wonderful depth of richness that is brightened up with the zestiness of the lemon juice.

Step-by-Step Summer Seafood Stew Recipe

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Chinese food recipe for chicken stir-fry with vegetables - Illustrated recipe foodblog

Quick Weeknight Stir-Fry with Coconut Aminos

Morgan Paris September 20, 2014 Dinner, Paleo Friendly, Recipe 1 Comment

Guest Post from Morgan Paris Fitness

This extremely simple chicken and vegetable Stir-Fry recipe will leave your taste-buds feeling like you slaved over the stove when in fact you threw together a package of organic chicken (make high quality meat a priority!) and some pre-cut frozen veggies in a pan and pushed “go.”

You know the nights you get home from your workday and you are just so pooped it feels like it may be easier to eat an entire bag of chips than take time to make a healthy dinner? It’s not a pretty sight… I get whiny and draggy and I’m pretty sure my fiance (yes, we just got engaged this week, I am on cloud 9!) wants to stick me in the frying pan right along with the veggies.

My favorite part of this dish, besides the fact that it is healthy, is the sweet and salty flavors of Coconut Aminos. You can buy this alternative to soy sauce online or at Whole Foods. Not only does this replace soy (for those who are sensitive or who follow a Paleo diet), this baby is jam packed with healthy amino acids which are the fundamental building blocks of our tissues.

I hope this recipe will become a staple in your yummy food repertoire for the nights you need to make something quick that will still fuel you in a healthy way!

Quick and Easy Chicken with Vegetables Stir Fry

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Chickpea-egg-pizza-chicken-sausage-eat-withthom

Chickpea Pizza Refined – Plus Chicken Sausage / Magic Dust

Tom August 27, 2014 Dinner, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Great Left-Overs, Paleo Friendly, Recipe, Recipes Refined 1 Comment

Chickpea Flatbread Pizza Recipe – Gluten-Free

The original Chickpea Pizza with Eggs Recipe has become kinda small-time famous for some crazy reason. Maybe it’s the eggs on top that get all the attention… Personally, I dig this recipe so much that I make it nearly every week! It then becomes lunch and snacks for the next few days.

As I continue to make it time and time again, I have worked out a few new additions that you are sure to love.

I have been integrating more high quality meats into my diet these days and I am feeling as strong as ever. There is something about incorporating some delicious animal fats that tame my hunger and help me to think more clearly.

It would seem that I am evolving into a P-egan (Paleo-Vegan, borrowed from Dr. Mark Hyman) to get the building benefits of the Paleo diet and the cleansing benefits of lots of veggies.

For the Chickpea Pizza, the refinements include:

Spice up the CRUST: Add 1 tablespoon Magic Dust to the chickpea crust batter
Chicken Sausage the Slice: Add ½ pound of browned Italian Chicken Sausage to the pizza toppings
Simplified cooking instructions: “20-20-5” 20 minutes for the crust, add toppings, 20 minutes for the pizza with toppings, add eggs and cook for a final 5 mins for perfect yolks
Pizza Recipe with Chickpea Crust
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Spiralized Zucchini with Fresh Spaghetti Sauce – Paleo “Noodles”

Tom July 15, 2014 Dinner, Paleo Friendly, Recipe, Vegetables, Vegetarian 1 Comment

No noodles? No problem… when you have a spiralizer! You are going to love the light freshness of the zucchini with the simple, slightly sweet home cooked tomato sauce for this dish. This fare satisfies and leaves you feeling full (which makes me happy) without the drag and resulting carb coma of demolishing a huge plate of pasta. It’s got a double whammy positive effect!

I often make an entire meal out of a few heaping helpings of these zucs, but it can also make a nice side dish, or even an equal partner in a left-over buffet. I’m even happy to eat it cold the next day… Kind of like cold pizza?

Sooo how do you take this zuchini and turn it into a noodle?!? Magic… Of course. Actually the magic happens with a cheap silly plastic device that looks like a toy called the “Spiralizer.” I enjoy nice top quality kitchen tools as much as the next guy. This one is cheap and flimsy, but simply works well. Here is a LINK to the one I use. There seems to be about 5 different models on Amazon, but I think they are all the exact same. For 20ish bucks, you might as well try it out!

You won’t regret making the spaghetti sauce at home, it’s worth the few extra minutes. The sauce is assembled from organic canned tomatoes to make it a bit quicker and cheaper for those of us city dwellers that have to buy our tomatoes. Even canned tomatoes combined with fresh onions, garlic and herbs will knock the socks off of any bottled up sauce.

For the sauce flavoring I used an Herbs de Provence spice blend (savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano and lavender) for two reasons, it’s a wonderfully versatile and fragrant spice for many dishes, and I have a ton of it right now… But feel free to get creative with your spice choice or just put in regular ole I-talian blend.

Spiralizer Zucchini with Fresh Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

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