Shrinking Daisy

Small Things

Thursday, July 30th, 2009 | Recipe | No Comments

I know I know I’ve been completely MIA lately.  I have no excuse except to say that I think my brain stayed on vacation much longer than the rest of me!!!  As a peace offering, I have for you one of the biggest hits at my house this barbecue season, a recipe from my travels! (Modified of course with leaner meat) It’s fun, different, cheap, and everyone loves it.  Try “Mititei” or “Mici” (which means “smalls” in Romanian) the small and spicy Romanian version of burgers, OK, maybe closer to a grilled meatball.  Dip them in mustard and serve with a fresh tomato salad for a stellar grill!

Mititei (12 Mici)

12 oz 93% lean ground beef
12 oz 93% lean ground turkey (or lean ground pork is nice if you can find it!)
1 small onion — finely minced
2 cloves garlic — finely minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried marjoram (if you don’t have it, don’t freak out, thyme is nice too)
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1 pinch ground cloves

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together with your hands, squeezing and kneading to combine thoroughly.

Form mixture into 8 sausage-shaped rolls about 1 inch in diameter and 3 1/2 to 4 inches long. Cover with plastic, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

Build a hot fire on your grill (or use a grill pan), and cook, turning with a spatula, until browned and cooked through — 6 to 8 minutes. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		106.3
Total Fat		6.8 g
	Saturated Fat	2.6 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.2 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	2.1 g
Cholesterol		39.6 mg
Sodium		40.0 mg
Potassium		80.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate		0.0 g
	Dietary Fiber	0.0 g
	Sugars	0.0 g
Protein		10.8 g

Tags: grill, mititei

Dig Out Your Recipes People, It’s a Memorial Day Grilling Round-up!

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 | Recipe | No Comments

Are you grilling this weekend? This is the unofficial kick-off to summer and grilling season and I for one am more than ready!! Woo hoo get some sun, eat outside, hang out with friends; sounds like a fun time to me.  I’m such a grill fan I even went to see Bobby Flay when he came to town, and got a personally autographed copy of his grill book!!!

Grilling is also an awesome cooking method, it’s tasty, feels festive, and of course is healthy for you! So… this time I’m asking for help.  I’m going to give you some grilling ideas, and you should give me some too! 

Send in your most creative outside/grill recipe, I want to hear the good, the unique, the old standbys people, meat, pizza, dessert, whatever you’re grilling folks.  Also, if you haven’t got a recipe, but you have a sort of recipe (like say… grilling chicken breasts and then rolling them around in wing sauce) send those too, let’s build up a big fun pile-o-ideas for summer people!

Oh, and while you’ve got your grill hot, throw on a bunch of extra chicken breasts, you can save yourself some prep time and eat them for lunch all week!!!

Grilled Pepperoni and Mushroom Ranch Pizza (2 servings)

In college I adopted the not so healthy habit of eating my pizza crusts with ranch dressing.  This is that idea, lightened up!  If you’ve got dressing…. why not salad too? Don’t be afraid to grill your pizzas the smoky flavor from the grill is spectacular!

• 2 Western Bagel Alternative Pitas
• 1/2 c  tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes (NOT marinara sauce)
• 6 fresh basil leaves or 1/2 tsp dried (fresh is yummy, grow it on the window sill!)
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 clove or 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup shredded light mozzarella cheese
• 2 Tb shredded Parmesan cheese (I use the real deal, it’s a bargain considering how much flavor you get for such a small amount!)
• 10 peices turkey pepperoni
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (whatever kind you like!)
• 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup grape tomatoes
• 2 Tbs light ranch dressing
• non-stick cooking spray

 Fire up the grill, and get it good and hot with red coals, but not with flames still shooting up to the grill grate.  Spray one side of your pitas, and put them spray side down onto the grill for one minute (time depends on the heat of your grill) until they’re just toasted.  Pull them off onto a plate, hot side down. Spray the cold side with non stick spray and flip them back over hot side up. 

Mix  next 6 ingredients together as your sauce, and distribute equally on the hot sides of your pitas.  Top with cheeses, pepperoni, and mushrooms.  Lay the pizzas back on the grill with a spatula.  Put the top on the grill and leave there for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Carefully remove pizzas from grill with a spatula, top with romaine lettuce, tomatoes and equal amounts of ranch dressing.  Enjoy your personal ranch pizza!!!

 

Nutrition Facts
2 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		272.4
Total Fat		6.0 g
	Saturated Fat	1.1 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.5 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.7 g
Cholesterol		23.8 mg
Sodium		1,549.5 mg
Potassium		443.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate		37.3 g
	Dietary Fiber	9.9 g
	Sugars	4.6 g
Protein		23.5 g

Banana Boats (2 servings)

This one is a throwback to my illustrious career as a Girl Scout.  It brings back funny memories of my mother escaping snakes in the campground outhouse.  I’m sure she’s excited I remember that!

• 2 medium bananas
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 Tb Peanut Butter
• 2 Tb chocolate chips

Split bananas in half lengthwise without removing the peel, spread peanut butter inside bananas, and stuff marshmallows and chocolate chips inside.  Wrap stuffed bananas in aluminum foil, and place on hot grill, not directly over the hot coals.  Put cover on grill and wait 10 minutes until banana is hot and soft.  Remove bananas, let cool, and eat with a spoon.

Nutrition Facts
2 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		181.9
Total Fat		7.4 g
	Saturated Fat	2.7 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.3 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	3.0 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		49.0 mg
Potassium		290.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate		29.9 g
	Dietary Fiber	2.3 g
	Sugars	12.7 g
Protein		3.2 g

Tags: banana, dessert, grill, memorial day, pizza, Recipe, recipes, summer