By this time of the year, I am always trying to think up new ideas for using our grill. As summer is drawing to a close, I want to make sure we use the grill as much as possible before the cold weather sets in. Normally when I make sausage, (I always use turkey or chicken sausage) I cook it in the oven with a tomato sauce and red and green peppers. But after our grocery store trip this past weekend to Wegmans, I was looking at the meat counter and saw the most beautiful kabobs — the perfect summer grilling item. And then I saw the sweet Italian chicken sausage. I thought this was too perfect…I could combine the grill with one of our favorite oven meals! I decided to go with red and yellow peppers this time {truthfully, the green peppers just didn’t look that great} and cherry tomatoes to act as the “tomato sauce”. It was such a quick and delicious meal – this will definitely be making another appearance before grilling season is over! Happy cooking!

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Cube the red pepper, yellow pepper and red onion. Place in large bowl with cherry tomatoes. Toss vegetables with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cut each sausage link into 4 pieces. To assemble kabobs (I used my nonstick barbecue skewers, but you can used wooden skewers too. Just be sure to soak the wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before assembling kabobs!) Place the vegetables and sausage links on the skewers in any order you desire. Grill the kabobs for about 7-8 minutes or until the vegetables and sausage have a nice char. {P.S. The al fresco chicken sausage is fully cooked when you buy it!}

For the Sofritas:

14 ounce package extra-firm tofu, shredded

1 red onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings: Sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cheese, whatever you like!

Begin by heating the canola oil on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, remove tofu from packaging and drain excess water; dab tofu with paper towel. Shred tofu into small pieces with fork or hands. All tofu to hot oil and cook until the edges of the tofu begin to brown, 5 minutes. Add all the ground spices to the tofu and stir to combine; cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the vinegar and Sriracha sauce to the tofu mixture, stir to combine. To make the “burrito bowls” or tacos, sauté red onion and red and green pepper in olive oil until soft. Cook rice according to package instructions. Mix rice with chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice. Assemble burrito bowls or tacos any way you desire!

My version of the infamous Philly Cheesesteak is a little healthier than the ones you find in Philadelphia.  Even though I made this slow cooker dinner on Sunday, [and it filled the house with the most amazing smell ever] this is the perfect weeknight dinner  — so I guess we can file it under both weeknight and weekend dinners 🙂 Slow cooker recipes are some of my favorites because you can just throw it in and dinner is magically ready 6 hours later! I normally save my slow cooker recipes for the fall and winter months, but making this into a sandwich is the perfect summer meal. Happy slow cooking!!

Philly Cheesesteaks

1.5 pound round steak

2 medium green peppers, thinly sliced

1 medium white onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

32 ounces beef broth (I used no salt added)

4 hoagie rolls

8 slice provolone cheese

Place the round steak in a slow cooker. Sprinkle pepper and garlic powder over the steak. Place pepper and onion slices on top and pour beef broth over steak, peppers and onions. Cook for 6 hours. Once the meat is cooked, slice the hoagie roll in half and toast under the broiler for about a minute. Remove from the oven and place one piece of provolone cheese on each half and spoon the beef, peppers and onions on one side of the hoagie. [The meat will fall apart after 6 hours of cooking so you should be able to use kitchen tongs to place the meat on the hoagie.] Place both halves under the broiler again for 1-2 minutes just until the cheese melts.

This is a delicious, fresh and super easy salad to make on any weeknight. This light and refreshing salad can be served as a side dish or even a meal! I love this go-to dressing this time of the year, it just screams summer! Enjoy!

Cook quinoa according to package instructions. [For my quinoa, I place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover for 10 minutes until the water is evaporated and the quinoa is fluffy.] While quinoa is cooking, slice the zucchini, basil and avocado. Combine all the vegetables in a large bowl. Allow quinoa to cool (5-10 minute) before mixing with the vegetables. Dressing: combine white wine vinegar, Dijon and whole grain mustard in a medium sized bowl. Whisk to combine; season with salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil. Drizzle dressing over vegetables and quinoa mixture and serve!

This was my first cooking experience with tofu. I have had it out at restaurants, but have never tried cooking it myself. My biggest fear was that it would taste awful and have an even worse texture. But much to my surprise, it was easy to make and it tasted amazing! The seasoned panko gave the tofu an incredible crust and the flavor was unbelievable (especially for tofu). And believe it or not, the texture was similar to that of a Chicken Parmesan Sandwich! I think for some people, the word “tofu” is scary. But it really shouldn’t be! This sandwich is going to become a regular in our house and I’m so excited to come up with new ways to use this healthy food! 

P.S. For all the carnivores out there, my husband (who LOVES meat) said this is his new favorite sandwich and would have no idea it was tofu unless I told him. Mission accomplished 🙂

 Happy cooking!

8 ounces extra-firm tofu

1 baguette or other loaf of bread

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes (I used about 2/3 of the can)

1 garlic clove, minced

6-8 basil leaves, chopped

1 egg

½ cup panko

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon rosemary

1 tablespoon thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced

½ cup fresh spinach

Preheat broiler. Begin by combining the crushed tomatoes with the garlic, basil and between ¼ and ½ cup water in a saucepan. Let sauce simmer on medium-low heat until it begins to thicken, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the tofu from the packaging and drain any excess water and dab tofu with a paper towel. Slice the tofu in half lengthwise and in half again so it will be able to lay flat on the bread. (I recommend leaving the tofu in the refrigerator until right before you are ready to use it. I took mine out a little too early and it started falling apart.) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. To bread the tofu, beat the egg in a bowl with about a teaspoon of water. Mix panko, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper on a plate. Soak each side of the tofu in the egg wash and then place in panko mixture, coating both sides. Place tofu in the hot skillet and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side (or until golden brown). Meanwhile in a separate skillet, sauté red and yellow peppers in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Once the peppers are soft, add the spinach and stir just until the spinach begins to wilt. To assemble sandwiches: slice the baguette in half lengthwise and place cut side up on a baking sheet. Spoon the tomato sauce on each half. Place tofu on one side of the bread and top with desired amount of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle a pinch of Parmesan cheese on top. (I also put a little mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on the other half of bread, on top of the sauce.) Place under broiler for about 2-3 minutes, or until the bread is crispy and the cheese begins to melt. Remove from broiler and top tofu with pepper and spinach mixture. Finish by placing the top slice of bread on top.

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup pesto, homemade or store-bought

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 cups spinach

2 tablespoons mayo

1 loaf bread of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken on baking sheet. Pour about 1 tablespoon olive oil on each chicken breast; season each with salt and pepper. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (mine took about 40 minutes). Allow the chicken to cool on separate plate. Once chicken is cooled, shred (or you could dice) chicken and place in large bowl. In medium-sized bowl, mix pesto and Greek yogurt together; season with salt and pepper. Pour the pesto and Greek yogurt mixture into the chicken and stir to combine. Turn your broiler on and place each slice of bread under the broil for about a minute on each side, or until toasted. To assemble sandwiches, spread barely enough mayo to cover each slice of bread (I only used mayo so all the ingredients would stick together). Place 2 scoops of the chicken on one slice of bread followed by the tomatoes and spinach on top. Finish by placing the top slice of bread on top.

1 store-bought graham cracker crust

In a large bowl, whisk the JELL-O instant pudding with the cold milk until pudding becomes thick, about 2 minutes. Fold in half of the thawed Cool Whip (4 ounces). Fold in 1 cup of the shredded coconut. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and spread evenly. Spread the remaining Cool Whip on top of the coconut mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining shredded coconut. Keep refrigerated, at least an hour, before serving.

This recipe combines two of my favorite things: avocados and tomatoes, specifically orange tomatoes. The avocado sauce is so creamy and delicious — I am already thinking of ways I can use this in other recipes! The avocados make this sauce slightly rich, but the meal is surprisingly light and perfect for a summer evening. Enjoy!

Avocado Pasta with Roasted Orange Tomatoes

2 ripe avocados

Begin by cooking fettuccine or other favorite pasta according to package directions; reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water once pasta is cooked. Turn your oven to broil to roast the tomatoes. Toss orange cherry tomatoes with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove. Roast in oven for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, peel one avocado and place in food processor with 1 garlic clove, 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Pulse until the mixture is smooth and set aside. Once draining the pasta and reserving pasta water, return the pasta back to the pot and toss with avocado sauce, adding a few tablespoons of pasta water to make sure the sauce coats the pasta. Dice the remaining avocado. Add the roasted tomatoes and diced avocado to the pasta. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.