Who Says Vegetarians Can't Grill?

Okay, I might not be a 100% vegetarian, but probably 98% of the time I am, especially when we grill.  Most people will ask us, what in the world do vegetarians grill? So here is my blog to answer.  We try to grill once a week (every Sunday) during the warmer weather, here is a small breakdown as to what we have cooking in the Carlile back yard!

Of course you can always choose a Big Frank, Linkette, Grillers, Boca Burgers, whatever to be the main subject, but those things don't really take a whole lot of skill to "warm up" so I'm going to focus on some extras. This time we did a veggie dog bar - consisted of Linkettes and a ton of toppings for them.  (inspired by Sonic's new hot dogs) I made special relishes and of course the staples.

For the sides we did grilled veggies.  First off we did grilled sweet potatoes - incredible!

First, boil the sweet potatoes until they are tender the slice them, brush on some olive oil and place them on the grill.  Once nice marks are on both sides, take them off and top with a mixture of sea salt, cilantro, lime zest and black pepper.  The taste is out of this world!

Next we did squash.  Webers makes a great seasoning mix for vegetables (check it at walmart in the spice section) 

Pretty basic, coat with olive oil and sprinkle the mixture on then grill until tender.

Last but not least, asparagus is probably the best things to grill.  A little bit of olive oil, fresh lemon juice and some fresh cracked pepper make these things pop.  They don't need to be on long, just enough to be tender, don't overcook!

When you add everything together on a plate! It's just great! 

Look at that color!

For desert, this time of year is great for strawberry shortcake! Get a pre made angel food cake, cut up some fresh strawberries and add some cool whip! It's light but fulfills!

Make Your Own Baked Pasta

This dish was inspired by one of the MANY christmas presents I got Michelle this year, a subscription to "Food Network Magazine"  A really great magazine and a great gift, plus I get to look at food...

The issue was based on italian, and there was an article talking about baked pasta, so we decided to give it a shot.  It was quick and it was easy.  First off, choose your pasta and get it cooking. We used bowtie, some say it's over rated, but it worked great for this dish.

Next choose your vegetables.  We used baby portobello mushrooms, green onions, spinach and garlic.  In the summer you could use squash, zucchini, even asparagus.

In a large skillet, add EVOO and fresh chopped garlic, let simmer, but don't let it brown - it can start to get bitter if toasted too long.  Add the green onions and cook down, next add the mushrooms (quick tip: don't season the mushrooms until they are fully cooked, if you do it early, they tend to be over seasoned)

Sautee that for about 5-7 minutes or until the mushrooms seemed to be cooked well.  While this is cooking, get a medium saucepan and add a jar or even a jar and half of pasta sauce - your choice.  If you have the time to make your own tomato sauce, I would recommend it.  I think it would be that much better. We used the jar, heat that up and maybe add some fresh basil if you have some.

Back to the skillet, take about three large handfuls of spinach and throw it in there and let cook.  It will seem like a lot of spinach but trust me it will cook down.

When the pasta sauce has heated up, add a big spoonful of ricotta cheese. It gives it a nice creamy texture to the sauce.

Drain the pasta and add a little pasta sauce to it and add it to the skillet mixture.  Next pour the mixture in a casserole dish and pour the sauce over it.  Move the pasta around so the sauce gets all over it.  Next, cover with mozzarella and throw it in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese it melted.

Let stand for 5 minutes, then plate it up and eat! Enjoy!

This Is Me

When it comes to blogging, this is me... just plain lazy.  But the real reason is my work schedule. I just haven't had the time to cook, take pictures and blog.  By the time I get home it's well after 8pm and I'm pooped, so I make up something quick and really not blog worthy, thus the week flies by.  We are getting ready to have a set of meetings at our church for three weeks, so you can count on this... after the three weeks, you might hear from me.  As for now, I have a few recipes that I have documented and I would like to share them so you can try them.  They may not be 100% accurate, since it was made over the last several weeks.  I'm sorry, but enjoy!