Tilapia Tacos, Gourmet Tots and Free Beer

Live music, delicious food and free beer make for a great little spot, but let’s be honest you had me at FREE BEER!

Before I left Oklahoma my brothers girlfriend invited me to lunch at this little spot known as Cafe Nova. It wasn’t until I arrived that I found out about the free beer at happy hour. Had I known about that prior I would have suggested a late (like 4 pm late) lunch!

Yes, from 4-7 PM Mon-Fri if you purchase a $5 appetizer you receive as much free domestic draft beer as you can drink. That could make for a fun Wednesday evening next time I come to visit

But enough about this amazing happy hour that I didn’t get to experience, let’s get to the delicious food that I did experience while lunching with the “FSIL” at Cafe Nova!

We ordered The Fish Taco, Super Nova Salad and Tilapia, as well as their famous happy hour appetizer, the Gourmet Tots!

The Fish Taco was my favorite! The poblano aioli was killer and the tilapia was seared perfectly.

The salad was also delicious.  I give them mad props for loading it up with tons of blue cheese and dried cherries!  Nothing worse than a skimpy salad

I won’t lie, I wanted to hate the Gourmet Tots just for the sake of our otherwise decently healthy meal being ruined.  But those little golden nuggets of goodness, filled with cheese and ham, fried to a golden perfection were pretty outstanding.

Dipped in the homemade ranch… not too shabby, even for this weirdo over here who doesn’t like ranch! (I know, I know, call in the authorities, there must be something wrong with me!)

And finally the Tilapia, served with whipped potatoes and wilted spinach.  While this was delicious, I felt the cream sauce and potatoes were a little heavy for lunch, but if you’re looking for something to fill you up mid-day, this would be the plate to get!

Come for the great food at lunch or the ultimate combo of great food and FREE beer at Happy Hour, either way Cafe Nova is a great place to go in OKC!

Roasted Vegetable Vegan Pizza

So excited because today marks the first day of “Meatless May”!!!  Yes, the next 31 days are dedicated to all my veggie lovers, vegans and vegetarians looking for some new yummy recipes minus the meat!

Part of my inspiration for this month was the fact that my roommate recently decided to “go vegan” so I found myself attempting to make recipes for him!  I thought it was downright impossible at first, no butter, no eggs, no milk, no CHEESE, heaven forbid!  But it has actually become a fun challenge to create something flavorful and filling without all these ingredients!

Not all the recipes this month will be vegan (I can’t go a whole month without cheese, come on people!) but I will include a few in hopes that you all will embrace them and see how delicious vegan can be!

Never fear my carnivorous friends, while I usually post a “vegetarian option” at the bottom of each post, this month I’ll post an “add the meat” option for each recipe as not to exclude any of my meat lovers!

This first recipe is my favorite vegan dish so far!  Someone once said:  “Pizza is a lot like sex. When it’s good, it’s really good. When it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.” Pretty much true, some pizza is amazing, some is really good and some is pretty good and that’s all, there’s just no such thing as bad pizza!

Ingredients (makes 1 pizza – serves 2)

• 1 large tomato (sliced)
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 large onion (sliced)
• 3 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (divided)
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh basil (sliced)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 10 sheets phyllo dough

Start by roasting the tomatoes and garlic. Line a baking sheet with foil and place tomatoes evenly in rows with cloves of garlic in between. Drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar on top.  Next sprinkle italian seasoning and black pepper evenly, then top with strips of basil.

Roast at 425° for 40 minutes.

Now it’s time to caramelize the onions.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet, then add the sliced onions.

Once onions become transparent add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and brown sugar.

Cook down until all liquid is absorbed and onions are a golden brown color.

Once cooked completely set to the side.  Now remove the roasted tomatoes from the oven.

Set to the side and prepare the phyllo crust. You want to make sure all of your ingredients are ready to go before you make the crust so that the phyllo dough does not dry out.

Lay the 10 sheets on top of each other and fold in half.  One at a time fold down the sheets of dough.

Brush (or spray) each layer with olive oil.  I chose the spray method for a faster process which is less likely to dry out the dough.

Repeat until all layers except the top have been coated then repeat on the other half. Finally coat the top and fold edges in to make the crust.

Once all edges are folded in spray or brush the crust with olive oil.

Start by topping with the caramelized onions.

Next, top with the roasted tomatoes and garlic.

Place into the 425° oven for 15 minutes or until the crust is brown and crispy.

Cut into square slices and serve!

This pizza is packed with flavor, light and crispy!

♣ ”Add the Meat” Option: Cooked Pepperoni, Italian Sausage or Canadian Bacon could be added between the onions and tomatoes for meat lovers!

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Sweet and Savory Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

For the final installment in my “sophisticated substitutes for traditional camp fire food” series I turned a plain jane cold cut sandwich into 2 warm and cheesy sandwiches of delight!

I started with a savory sandwich made with everyone’s favorite ingredient, buffalo chicken, and spiced it up with some pepper jack cheese!  Next, I made a sweet treat combining honey drizzled figs with goat cheese for a unique spin on a grilled cheese sandwich!

Don’t mind that the pictures are a little “thrown together”,  it’s hard to prep, cook and take pictures with half a dozen hungry guests drooling over your shoulder!!!

Buffalo Chicken and Pepper Jack Grilled Cheese:

Ingredients (makes 6 sandwiches)

• 2 chicken breasts (cooked)
• 1/2 cup Franks buffalo sauce
• 1 loaf french bread (cut into 12 slices)
• 6 slices pepper jack cheese (cut in 1/2)
• 6 tbsp butter

Start by shredding the cooked chicken breast and mixing with the Franks buffalo sauce.

Next, assemble the sandwich by spreading a 1/2 tbsp of butter on one side of each slice of bread, then place a half slice of pepper jack cheese on the other side.

Next add about 1/4 cup of buffalo chicken on top of the cheese and top with another slice of cheese and another slice of bread.

Grill on each side for 2-3 minutes or until browned.

Place on platter and serve.

Mmm look at that pepper jack oozing out the side! So yummy!

Time to hit up the sweet tooth!

Fig and Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese:

Ingredients (makes 6 sandwiches)

• 2 cups figs
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 lemon (zested)
• 1 loaf french bread (cut into 12 slices)
• 6 oz goat cheese
• 6 tbsp butter

Start by adding the figs to a small mixing bowl and drizzling the honey on top.

Next, zest one lemon into the honey fig mixture.

Now it’s time to prepare the sandwiches.

Start by spreading 1/2 tbsp of butter on one side of each slice of bread then spread the other side with 1/2 tbsp of goat cheese.

Next, add about 1/4 cup of the fig mixture on top.

Place in skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes per side.

Look, it’s the leaning tower of grilled chee-za!

♣ Vegetarian Option: The fig and goat cheese grilled cheese is vegetarian. The buffalo chicken pepper jack grilled cheese can become vegetarian by substituting Seitan for the chicken.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Kale Artichoke Pasta

Spinach artichoke dip, delicious yes, make it into lunch, yes please! I used the spinach artichoke dip recipe I served at my Pumpkin Carving Party last October with some alterations, including substituting kale for spinach and a creamy, hearty pasta dish was born!

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 8 oz penne pasta
• 3 tbsp olive oil (divided)
• 4 oz kale
• 1/4 cup water
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 14 oz can artichoke hearts
• 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup parmesan and romano cheese

Get your burners going by boiling water for the pasta on one burner. On another burner add the kale, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 cup water in a large skillet with lid.  On the third burner start making the sauce by adding the cream cheese to a medium saucepan to melt.

Next add the greek yogurt, salt and garlic to the melted cream cheese.

Next add the additional 2 tbsp olive oil, white wine vinegar and lemon juice, then drain and chop the artichoke hearts.

Add the artichoke hearts to the pasta sauce.

Stir to combine then add the cooked kale.

Drain the pasta and place into a large bowl. Mix the sauce well then add-on top of the pasta.

Now toss and serve topped with the red pepper flakes and parmesan and romano cheeses!

Yummy!

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♦ Gluten Free Option: Substitute gluten-free pasta.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.

Caramelized Pear and Brie Grilled Cheese

I have to give props to my friends at Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach for the idea for this recipe.

This sandwich is sweet, buttery and it comes with a warning: this will become your favorite grilled cheese sandwich ever!

Ingredients (makes 10 mini sandwiches)

• 1/2 sourdough baguette
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 large pear (peeled and sliced)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 oz brie cheese

Start by placing 2 tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once butter has melted add the sliced pears to the skillet.

Then add the brown sugar to the pears.

Cook for 5 minutes or until pears are caramelized.

While the pears are caramelizing begin thinly slicing the baguette and brie cheese.

Prepare each sandwich by spreading the tops of each slice of bread with the remaining butter, then layering with a slice of brie cheese.

When the pears are ready place them on top of the brie cheese.

Add another slice of brie cheese and buttered bread on top and grill on the stove top over medium heat for 2-3 minutes per side.

After both sides are the perfect shade of golden brown, place on a plate and get ready to chow down!

Now lets take a closer look at this amazing little sandwich of cheesy delight!

Oh yeah, I want a bite!

My mouth is watering just looking back at these pictures!!

These sandwiches make for really fun little party appetizers or you can make a small plate of them for a decadent, cheesy lunch!

♦ Gluten Free Option: Use a gluten-free baguette instead of sourdough to make this recipe gluten-free.

♣ Vegetarian Option: This recipe is vegetarian.

♥ All pottery seen on the littleleopardbook can be purchased by visiting www.longaberger.com/muffetbond or e-mailing keepsakebl@sbcglobal.net.