Baked BBQ Tofu Veggie Salad - Vegetarian + GF

Do you ever picture something as just mediocre in your head? You don't really have expectations either way. Sure, it could be good but probably nothing to write home about. That's kind of how I was imagining this salad. I love all of the ingredients, and I knew they'd taste good together. But this was literally a throw together meal that I had no intention of posting the recipe to. Well, I had the first bite, and it was immediately apparent that this bad boy was going on the blog!

Not sure why I even doubted it in the first place. It's got Brussels, sweet potato, avocado, and my absolute favorite condiment - BBQ sauce. So there was really no going wrong. Plus it's vegetarian (easily made vegan by swapping the dressing) and gluten free, so it's the perfect fit for anyone in your life!

Here's What You'll Need:

-8 oz spinach or spring mix
-1 sweet potato, cut into 1/2 in cubes
-2 tbsp avocado oil, separated
-14 oz block of firm tofu, pressed and cut into pieces about 1/2" in thick and 1 in long
-1 bundle of Brussels sprouts (about 2-3 cups), bottoms removed and halved
-1/2 cup cooked sweet corn kernels
-20 cherry tomatoes, halved
-1 avocado, cubed
-1/2 tsp sea salt, separated
-1/2 tsp black pepper, separated
-1/8 tsp tsp garlic powder
-1/8 tsp chili powder
-1 cup Simple Girl Sugar-Free Carolina Style BBQ Sauce
-1/4 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (I used this one)
-1/4 tsp dried cilantro
-1/4 tsp lime juice

Serves 4

Instructions:

1) Marinate your tofu in the BBQ sauce for at least 30 minutes.
2) Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
3) Toss your sweet potato pieces with 1 tbsp avocado oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, the garlic powder, and the chili powder. Spread on baking sheet.
4) Toss your Brussels Sprouts with 1 tbsp avocado oil, 1/4 tsp sea salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Spread on a baking sheet.
5) Place your marinated tofu on a greased (or parchment-lined) baking sheet, and top each with a little of the extra BBQ sauce. Save extra BBQ sauce (there should be a decent amount).
6) Bake the sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, and tofu in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
7) Remove the tofu and sweet potato, and continue to cook the Brussels for an additional 5-10 minutes until slightly browned and softened.
8) In a bowl, mix together, 1/2 cup of the remaining BBQ sauce, Greek yogurt, cilantro, and lime juice to create the dressing.
9) Either mix together the spring mix, sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, corn, tomatoes, and avocado in a large bowl, or split each evenly between 4 serving bowls.
10) Top with tofu, and drizzle on the dressing.
11) Serve and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

BBQ Cauliflower Steak

Cauliflower steak - lazy or brilliant? That's what I ended up asking myself as I was throwing this one together. To be honest, for me it was probably lazy, BUT it was just so good that I don't even care!

I was going to grill up a big veggie-filled lunch, and cauliflower was in the mix. I love BBQ roasted cauliflower, so I figured why not just try it out on the grill. I knew it would be delicious and take about half the time to cook. 

As I was about to prep it, cauliflower steak popped into my mind. I have heard of/seen it before, but never really looked fully into it. I was already planning to grill, so this was the time to go for it. It ended up cutting my cauli-cutting time probably by 1/10 - four easy cuts versus cutting each little cauliflower piece off the stem. Plus there was the added bonus of not wasting as much stem, and if you know me and broccoli stems, this is a BIG DEAL.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 head of cauliflower
-1/4 cup olive oil
-Sea salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup all natural BBQ sauce

Instructions:

1) Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and cut it into four slices of equal width.
2) Brush both sides of each slice or "steak" with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You don't have to use all of the olive oil. You just want to lightly brush each side.
3) Toss the steaks onto a preheated grill and cook for 5 minutes per side.
4) Slather BBQ sauce onto each side of the steak and grill for an additional 3-5 minutes per side.
5) Remove from the grill, and serve with your favorite sides.

I hope you all enjoy this BBQ cauliflower combo as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Grilled Pineapple BBQ Shrimp Kabobs

I'm just gonna say it, grilling season is officially here! Okay, maybe not to everyone. But when it's warm enough to stand outside long enough to grill and the sun is shining, to me, it's grilling season. 

I recently tried Rootz Sauce's amazing sauces, one of which is a pineapple BBQ sauce (yes, you read that right - YUM). I decided to go with this pineapple BBQ idea and make some kabobs, and what better ingredients than shrimp, fresh pineapple, and some yummy veggies.

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 lb uncooked, de-veined, unshelled shrimp
-1 small container of fresh pineapple cubes (or feel free to cut up your own pineapple)
-1 small container of baby Bella mushrooms
-1 small container of cherry tomatoes
-1 red onion, cut into about 1 in chunks
-1 bell pepper, cut into about 1 in chunks
-1/2 cup of Rootz Pineapple BBQ Sauce

(Serves 4-5 people)

Instructions:

1) Marinate the shrimp in the BBQ sauce for at least an hour.
2) Soak your skewers in water for about 30 minutes or more before assembling your kabobs.
3) Preheat your grill and begin to assemble your skewers. Add at least one of each ingredient to a skewer, and double up where desired. I had at least 2 shrimp on each kabob.
4) Toss the kabobs on the grill, cooking for about 3-5 minutes per side. You can slather any additional BBQ sauce (from marinating) right onto the shrimp on the grill.
5) Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!

Honesty, these are so simple. The hardest part is assembling the kabobs, and that's more time consuming than difficult. And trust me, it's worth it!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!
 

Garlic Chili Potato Noodles with Collard Greens and BBQ Shrimp

I was literally in the middle of a spin class when I started craving some comfort food. I mean like southern BBQ, potatoes, you name it. So (still in spin class) I started coming up with ideas in my head.

Spiralized sweet potato is always one of my favorites, but spiralized potato is creeping up there. It really goes well with everything. I know it isn't necessarily as healthy, but toss in some other veggies, a light protein, and you have yourself a meal!

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 tbsp ghee
-1 potato, peeled and spiralized
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-6 oz cooked shrimp
-1/4 cup BBQ sauce
-4 collard green leaves, chopped
-1/4 cup (heirloom) tomato, chopped
-salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Heat up the ghee in a large skillet at medium high heat, and add in the garlic. Cook for about a minute.
2) Add in the spiralized potato and cook for about 3-5 minutes alone.
3) Add in the chili powder, mixing it around to cover the potato noodles.
4) Add in the collard greens, and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes.
5) In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Toss the shrimp in the BBQ sauce, and throw them in the oven for about 3-5 minutes. The shrimp is already cooked, so you just want the BBQ sauce to coat the shrimp and to warm them up.
6) Add the heirloom tomato, salt, and pepper to the potato noodles. Cook for another minute or two, and remove the pan from heat.
7) Split the potato noodles between two bowls, top each with half of the shrimp, and add additional BBQ sauce as desired. 

 Let me know if you give it a try and what you think in the comments below! It really was the perfect way to satisfy that comfort food craving.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt BBQ Ranch Dressing

With the summer season coming to a close, I found myself craving barbecue. I got a little sad for a second because barbecue food tends to be associated with grilling and summer. But then I caught myself; it doesn't have to be! 

This recipe kind of holds onto that summer feeling and taste, but it's prepared and cooked all inside. So when we eventually get to that first really chilly fall night, we can still have a little taste of summer right in the comfort of our own homes.

Here's what you'll need:

For the dressing:

-1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
-1/2 tsp dried parsley
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp German mustard
1/2 tsp lemon juice
-1 tsp BBQ sauce
-1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
-salt and pepper to taste

For the rest of the meal:

-1/2 Japanese sweet potato, chopped into small cubes for (croutons)
-2 tsp olive oil
-1/2 avocado, diced
-1/2 tomato, diced
-1/8 red onion, chopped
-2 chicken breasts (4 oz chicken breast used for nutrition information)
-4 tbsp BBQ sauce
-4 cups baby kale
-salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2) in a bowl or bag mix the sweet potato with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange the potato on a baking sheet to form a single layer.
3) Slather the BBQ sauce onto both sides of the chicken breasts, and put them on a baking sheet.
4) Once the oven in preheated, you can put both baking sheets (or one if you put everything on one) into the oven. 
5) After 10 minutes, used a spatula to move the sweet potato pieces around (flipping them over the best you can). Also flip over the chicken breasts. Place all the food back into the oven and continue to cook.
6) After 5 more minutes (15 minutes total) remove the sweet potato pieces, and set them on a plate to cool.
7) After 5 more minutes (20 minutes total) remove the chicken.
8) While the food is cooking you can mix together all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl.
9) Split the kale between two bowls. Top each with tomato, onion, and avocado.
10) Add the sweet potato "croutons" to each bowl.
11) slice the chicken breasts into strips and top each bowl with one breast.
12) Drizzle half of the dressing onto each bowl, and enjoy!

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! This may be one of my favorite recipes to date! Let me know what you think in the comments below, and feel free to subscribe for e-mail updates.