Veggie Dub

What the heck is a dub, you say? A "dub" is simply a tortilla filled with different varieties of sauteed/grilled fillings and sauce. They were made famous around MSU at a place called Menna's Joint. And I must say, they are fabulously delicious.

So, I had the idea yesterday to try and make one at home, with ingredients that we had from the farmer's market. Since we didn't have any meat in the house, that limited our options. I decided to try the "Hot Veggie Dub" which, as listed on their website, includes potato, mozzarella, green pepper, banana pepper, onion, mushroom, and ranch.

Now, these are simply fantastic. This is also another meal that you can tailor to whatever you happen to have in your pantry at the time. Try taking a basic recipe dub found on their website & then just add or subtract ingredients as you see fit.

Our veggie dub consisted of the following:

3 small potatoes, cubed
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
3-4 mushrooms, sliced
1 jalepeno, diced & seeded
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 yellow pepper soaked in water, diced (they come in a can...we found out that banana peppers all use artificial coloring, so we tried these instead, they are a good substitute)

shredded/sliced mozzarella & cheddar cheeses
tortillas

sour cream
BBQ sauce
ranch dressing

Sautee the veggies in the above ingredients in oil (I used an oil/butter combo) until done. I started the potatoes first as they take the longest to cook, then the peppers, onion, etc. Once the filling is cooked, transfer to a bowl. Add a small amount of oil to the pan, add one tortilla. Top the tortilla with bits of shredded cheese (we used mozzarella and cheddar) and the filling. Cook until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Repeat until all of the veggie filling is used up (this depends on the size of the tortilla...we used small tortillas & with the amount of veggies we used, this made 4 very stuffed dubs). Top the tortillas with your choice of dressing (we used a sour cream/BBQ sauce combo on 3 and tried a ranch dressing on the 4th). Fold and serve.

Our tortillas turned out a little fried/crunchy, so they didn't fold as nicely. But still tasted great!! I definitely recommend the sour cream/BBQ sauce combo for the dressing. Amazing.

Again, simply changing ingredients, sauces, and cheeses around makes this an easy, yummy dinner that you won't get tired of. :)

Breakfast for dinner

One of my favorite things to make for dinner is breakfast food. I usually always have ingredients on hand, and it is very easy just to change things up slightly. Breakfast food for dinner is also a favorite of my Dad, so I suppose my love of the same stemmed from him.

Breakfast food can range to any of the following (& mix and match):

-Scrambled eggs. If you desire, try chopping up a variety of veggies (onion, mushroom, green pepper, etc) & stirring it in with the eggs.

-Omelette. These are fun because they can be varied greatly by what you put in them. Try mixing in dried spices (Italian seasoning, oregano, thyme, basil, parsley) in with the egg mix. Try mixing up different cheeses (American, colby, monterey jack, mozzarella, pretty much anything). Try mixing & matching different veggies (onions, tomato, mushrooms, assorted peppers, etc).

-French toast (in case you don't know how to make it--mix a couple eggs & a splash or two of milk, & cinnamon in a bowl. Dredge slices of bread through the mixture & cook in a pan until browned (flipping occasionally)).

-Homemade hash browns (julienne a couple of potatoes & chop up a small onion. Add basil, salt & pepper. add an egg and some flour. Add a layer of olive oil in a pan. Add the potato mix to the pan & let it cook for about 5 minutes each side).

-Toast. Mix it up with different jams, or add a little bit of peanut butter.

Try it some night! & don't forget the juice. :)

Homemade Applesauce

Eating real food.


What does that mean, exactly? In a country which is geared toward convenience food and everything travels miles (sometimes thousands and across country borders) to get to the grocery shelf, it may be more complicated than you think.

To explore this idea of eating real food, my boyfriend created a website titled just that. It will showcase articles of sorts to eat local food, more sustainable food, practices, etc. It will also showcase recipes made with food that fit in with these principles. To check it out, go to http://www.eatingrealfood.com/.

On that note, I will be writing recipes for that site & if you frequent both, my recipes here may be double-posted there (although I will try to make the posts a little different & spice it up a bit).

I posted yesterday on eatingrealfood about making homemade applesauce. I know of 2 different ways to make applesauce. Growing up, my grandpa owned an apple orchard. So every fall, we had our fair share of fresh apples to use and there were lots of pies and applesauces made. :) My mom used one method, my grandma used another. Don't tell...but I've always preferred my grandma's method.


My mom's method was to wash & core the apples and to slice them into a pot filled with maybe an inch of water. You will want to adjust the water level according to how many apples you are using (obviously you don't need a ton of water if you are just cooking up 4-5 apples). Cook the apples on medium to medium-low heat until they are soft & mushy. Remove from heat and strain through a food strainer to strain out the skin. If you use red apples, this applesauce usually turns out pink in color. Add sugar and cinnamon to taste. That's it! Fairly easy (unless you don't have a food strainer...which brings me to.....)

My grandma's method was to wash, core, and peel the apples & then cook them in a pot (same way as above). This time, once the apples are done, mash the leftover bits with a potato masher until a smooth-ish/chunky sauce results. This applesauce usually is a white-ish/tan color. Add sugar & cinnamon to taste. This applesauce may take slightly longer to cook as you need to make sure its mushy enough, & peeling all those apples is hard work (but you don't need much in the way of equipment).

Now, you may be wondering what apples to use? Well, I never paid close attention to which kind my grandpa grew. The batch I made for these pictures used 4-5 Viking apples (which are very tart) & one Pink Lady. Tart apples, IMO, yield a better taste even though you have to add more sugar, but it is up to you. I made a batch the other day with Fuji apples (which are supposed to be excellent for applesauce, or so I read), but they didn't cook down hardly at all & left more chunks after mashed with the potato masher. So just experiment with your favorite type of apple. If you are making a large batch to can, I would suggest using a few different varieties of apples.


I plan on making a larger batch to can for the winter as it gets further into the fall & apple season, so stay tuned!

Iced tea

So, I have this mint plant that has grown like a weed. It has long drape-y tendrils over its pot, creeping across my balcony. I don't know that many uses for mint, besides making a mojito (which are quite yummy). So, I decided to try using it in tea.

There are many ways you can use the mint in tea. Here are a couple of ways that I've used it:

1. Just add a stalk of mint (leaves attached) to your glass of iced tea. Pinch the leaves between your fingers before adding so that the leaves release a little of their oil.

2. Boil 4c. water + a bunch of mint leaves + 1 c. sugar, then steep green tea bags according to directions on box. Remove mint leaves & tea bags. Makes for a sweet minty green tea. Adjust sugar according to tastes, 1c. was a little too sweet for my taste.

3. My favorite method: Boil 4-5 c. water + a bunch of mint leaves. Remove from heat, add 4-5 Lipton tea bags (regular flavor). Let steep 5 or so minutes. Remove mint leaves & tea bags. Add sugar for desired sweetness. Pour into a jar, add a little bit of ice to cool it down (not too much or it will be too watery). Add lemon. Chill in the fridge. :)

Iced tea is very refreshing on a hot day! :)