Saturday Night's Tuna Sandwich! BOOM!

So... While I spent my afternoon watching some of my favorite baseball players play in their last "regular" season game... And LOVED IT!!! The news was full of something about... Kanye and Kim-whoever that got married today? And I was like... WHO... CARES??? THIS IS NOT NEWS!!!! And then I puked a little in the back of my throat... and then I recovered, just in time for dinner! OY!! And then I thought... so, here's some real news... good news... Joe's coming for dinner, and tuna is on the menu tonight! Super lean, protein packed tuna, in a sandwich with swag!! Here goes... First, I started by making some rolls for our sandwiches, and it was so easy!! I used frozen bread dough and cut it into quarters, then formed into rolls. I brushed the rolls with egg wash and topped with some sesame seeds and popped into a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes... And this is what I got!! Super easy, super fresh, warm rolls ready to deliver some wicked tasty grilled tuna!! So now it's tuna time!! These little tuna steaks were frozen... and Joe was starving, so we decided to try and grill them before they thawed out, and it was just fine!! First, I seasoned with some simple salt, pepper and garlic powder on each side. Then, I fired up my grill on medium high heat, sprayed it with cooking spray, and laid those tuna steaks down!! Like I said, they were still kinda frozen, so I cooked them for about 4 minutes on each side... and they were perfect!! After pulling those delicious tuna steaks off the grill, I let them rest for a few minutes, while I prepared the freshly baked rolls! You can treat these sandwiches with anything you like... lettuce, tomato, mayo, cheese, soy sauce, lime juice... but tonight, we kept it simple! Dinner Joe's way... A double!! Two delicious tuna steak sandwiches with fresh sliced tomato and a tiny bit of mayo... with fresh green salad on the side! Dinner Stevie's way, that same delicious tender juicy tuna steak sandwich, with fresh greens, tomato and mayo... and it was awesome!!! Turn the volume up on your tuna sandwich with some grilled tuna steaks! Lean, mean, super nutritious grilled tuna!! Boom!

Move Over Mac and Cheese... Broccoli's in the HOUSE!!

Well... this is a familiar scenario.... chicken. But not just any old chicken, oven baked bone in chicken breasts... super moist tender and full of flavor. And in the chicken world, this is a bargain! I always get these enormous chicken breasts on the bone, and pay WAY less than boneless or tenders! Watch for them. They are always on sale and serve HUGE portions of chicken! So, tonight we brushed a little olive oil on our chicken, sprinkled with garlic powder, thyme, oregano, salt and fresh cracked black pepper! Pop into a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes (depending on their size). If you're not sure if they are cooked through, the juices should run clear when you slice into the meat (if juices are pink, pop in for another 5-10 minutes, that awesome bone will keep the meat moist while you cook it all the way through)! While my chicken was cooking, I felt the need to get creative, but I only had broccoli and potatoes. Hardly the makings of something exciting, special, or blog worthy... But then, I thought about macaroni and cheese and how I shouldn't want mac and cheese, with all of it's comforting calories, and cheesey creamy goodness!! I should eating lean, low calorie, super health conscious dinners... right??? So I compromised on this.... Broccoli.... and cheese sauce. That's right, I basically made mac and cheese, but subbed out the mac, and added broccoli instead, and it was spectacular, comforting, and ridiculously delicious!! First, I washed, cut and blanched the broccoli in boiling (salted) water for 2 minutes. Then, I poured that broccoli out into a strainer, just like it was macaroni, and rinsed it with cold water to stop the cooking. Time for a cream sauce to make into some cheesey, saucy, awesomeness for our broccoli. So, in that same pan, I added about 2 tablespoons of butter and a tiny bit of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon) with 3 cloves of garlic and sauteed for about 1 minute over medium heat. Then, I added 2 tablespoons of flour with some salt, pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper and cooked for about another minute. Add about 2 cups of milk (I used 2% lofat) and whisk over medium high heat until you see bubbles and it begins to get thick! Once your sauce is thick, remove from the heat and add the cheese. I added 1 full cup of grated cheddar and jack cheese (combined) and let it melt into the sauce. Then I thought it would be... fun... to make little serving portions of this broccoli and cheese dish. So I divided my broccoli into each of these little dishes (coated with cooking spray). I added the cheese sauce to the broccoli, and topped with a mixture of grated parmesean cheese and panko bread crumbs! So GOOD! Then, I popped my little broccoli side dished into a 375 degree oven for at least 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, this is what I had... Dinner Stevie's way ... supremely moist, juicy chicken with garlicky broccoli and cheese, and baked potato... Yukon gold... soooo good! Try this broccoli and cheese and watch the veggies steal the shine out of your chicken dinner! So GOOD!

Chipotle Talapia Po' Boy.... and My Joe!!

So, I get a text.... from my grown man boy.... "dinner tomorrow"? And, again, my heart explodes, and I start planning what to cook and what will go with it!!! So... For my Joe tonight, I decide on fish... lean, healthy, and pair it with some super fresh chipotle slaw!! Sounds awesome, here goes! First, I started with the slaw, and this small head of purple cabbage, small green cabbage, 3 scallions and sliced carrots. I sliced the cabbage, and scallions and added to the carrots. Here's my coleslaw short cut... and you can call it cheating.... but I call it smart and tasty.... I added about a half cup of this chipotle dressing to the slaw, and it was flipping awesome! Set slaw aside and get ready for the fish!! Time to get set up for fish fry!! First, I got a half cup of flour and half cup of corn meal, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and my favorite chipotle seasoning! Next, I whisked some eggs (2 or 3) with added a tiny bit of water, about a teaspoon. We're ready for fish, so set yourself up! I had my fish ready (and seasoned, salt, pepper, garlic powder), next to the eggs, and then the flour and cornmeal.... ending with my frying pan (medium high heat coated with oil and ready to fry)! Dredge each fish filet in egg, then flour and cornmeal, then put in the pan! Cook the fish over medium high heat on each side for about 3 minutes! After 3 minutes this is what my filets looked like... So I flipped them for 3 more minutes on the other side... When they were done, I pulled them out of the pan, and put on a rack so they'd stay crisp and tasty (though, they were gone in seconds...) To top off this ridiculously tasty fish, I has some secret flavor weapons.... fresh lime juice, cilantro, and sliced avocado! So, here's dinner Joe's way.... Crispy, delicious fresh talapia with chipotle seasoning topped with super slaw and lime! Nothing better than a house full of boys for dinner... especially when they're yours!

Super Fast Super Tasty... 30 Minute-Pasta with Red Sauce!!

Another spectacular New England Saturday afternoon... full of baseball...weather... and boys! The afternoon started with another Astros win against a tough team whose "ball magnet" center fielder spoiled every potential base clearing home run hit we had to offer... but, still, we prevailed!! Good thing we had our own Astros spoiler in center field to make some spectacular catches as well!! Go #13!! So tonight, our victory dinner has to be good, special, something worthy of a WIN! So, tonight, with absolutely nothing in the house to eat....at all... I found this... A can of St. Marizano tomatoes! Who needs red sauce when you have a can of these... so tonight, it's super simple, super satisfying spaghetti and red sauce, courtesy of these tomatoes! First, I put a little olive oil and chopped garlic (5 cloves), and a pinch (about 1/4 teaspoon) of crushed red pepper flakes into a sauce pan over medium heat and let it soften for about 1 minute. When you smell the garlic, it's time to add the can of tomatoes along with about half a teaspoon of salt, and sugar. Mix to combine, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. After the sauce simmers for a few minutes I cue my kitchen gadget addiction!! I used my handy dandy mixing wand to blend it all together right in the pan! I have to admit, I love this kitchen gadget! She gets the job done and she's easy to clean! Way to go kitchen wand mixer thingy!!! Next, I cooked my pasta according to the directions, and chopped up about 4-5 baby zucchini. While the pasta cooks, I kept an eye on the sauce, and will add the chopped zucchini into the pasta in the last minute and a half to cook. Drain the pasta and plate it up with your delicious home made (in minutes!!) red sauce! Super simple, but so hearty and satisfying! Top with grated cheese and fresh basil if you have it! How I love having a house full of happy pasta eating baseball boys! Go Red Hawks!! GO Red Sox!! Go Astros!!! No such thing as too much baseball!