Grilled Potato Medallions

I'm not sure if you noticed, but lurking in the background of Monday's post was a fantastic side dish that didn't get its appropriate time in the spotlight. 

The boy and I have been searching for the best way to make a healthy-ish baked potato that has a nice crunchy outside. Somehow, roast potatoes or oven fries never seem to get crispy for me. I've tried boiling first, more oil, less oil, nonstick spray, small pieces, large pieces. The potatoes always end up either burnt or just kind of baked, not really crispy.

There is one way to make crispy potatoes in the oven - buy a bag of frozen tater tots and put in the oven. Set on high. Crispy that shit right up.

But then those are fried. And I'm trying to lose weight. And even though I workout for an hour, 4 days per week. And work with a personal trainer strength training twice a week. And have cut out a lot of carbs, most dairy, 99% of my diet soda (I still get one Diet Pepsi on Saturdays), and chocolate...I've still only lost 0.8 lbs in the last month. So bagged tater tots are off the menu.

But I think I've finally found something that works. It takes a little time, but it's easy and totally worth it. Just look at that crispy little 'tato below! All it took was my Foreman Grill!

I think it's the perfect combination of pre-cooking, a little oil, and a hot surface.

Ingredients

4 large red potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Directions

1. Preheat Forman Grill (or panini press) on high 
2. Wash and dry potatoes
3. Slice into thick slices (about 1/2-inch thick)
4. Boil potato slices in salted water until soft, about 10 minutes
5. Remove from water and allow to cool long enough so you can handle them
6. Toss with salt, pepper, garlic, and oil in ziploc bag
7. Place slices on grill and press down. 
8. Grill for about 30 minutes, flipping potato slices occasionally.

Rejoice in the crispiness!

Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta

Saturday was date night. 

We saw a movie where I only snapped at one person who insisted on texting during all the most harrowing scenes. 

I'll call that a victory!

Then we spent way too much on a wonderful dinner:

~ a gimlet ~

~ caesar salad (tried anchovies for the first time) ~

~ sourdough bread ~

~ onion ring tower appetizer (with three dipping sauces) ~

~ Layer Cake merlot ~

~ lobster macaroni and cheese ~

~ grilled asparagus ~

~ a full pound of medium-rare kansas city strip ~

and

~ chocolate velvet cake ~

and that was just what I ordered.

No, I'm not kidding.

Luckily I had the sense to bring a lot of that home for breakfast and lunch on Sunday.

No, I'm not kidding - I definitely had cake for breakfast.

Everything was wonderful; however, by Sunday night, we felt it was best to eat something a little less "meaty."  

I had a batch of Easy Tomato Basil Cream sauce in the freezer and figured this would be the perfect time to use it. It's a vegan recipe that uses cashews to make the sauce creamy. I don't know why that works, but it does, and I don't question it.

I also had some mushroom and spinach pasta "sauce" in the freezer too, but I had my doubts about it. It really wasn't a sauce. It was more of spinach and mushrooms in olive oil.

So I did the only logical thing - combine the two. We now had a delicious vegan, creamy pasta sauce that was also full of vegetables. Totally hidden too - I'm thinking that may help people trying to get their kids to eat more veggies.

I've started making smoothies in the morning and I always add a huge handful of spinach. It gets completely blended it and you can't taste it at all. So I have a new theory that you can pretty much blend spinach into anything and you won't even notice.

I also veggie pasta. Have you used this stuff? There is a carrot variety too. It's really delicious. 

(not entirely - I also used wheat penne and wheat macaroni).

Ingredients (adapted from Oh She Glows)

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons white wine

1 cup fresh basil, chopped

2 cups fresh spinach

8 ounces mushrooms

1 large onion, chopped

3 cups dry pasta

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. 
2. Add tomatoes, cashews, water, and tomato paste to blender and blend until smooth.
3. Heat olive oil in medium skillet over low heat. Add garlic, onions, and mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes. Add spinach and saute until wilted.
4. Add spinach, garlic, onion, mushroom mix to blender and blend again. This step is optional if you want the veggies to stay chunky. I wanted a smooth sauce with the veggies "hidden."
5. Pour sauce to skillet and heat over medium heat, stir, and allow to simmer. Add salt and pepper and let cook for 4-5 minutes. Add wine to thing out, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve over pasta and enjoy a creamy sauce without dairy!