Vegan with a Side of Beef

I made these chocolate dipped pretzel rods, which look like lit cigars, for a recent Ugly Sweater Party. (That would explain the hat.)

They’re simple, quick, delicious, gluten free and vegan friendly! And they look quite realistic.

I used:

Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten Free Pretzel Rods. I found them at Meijer. Finding gluten free pretzel rods is no easy task. You’re just going to have to look around for them. When I find them I usually get 3 or 4 bags and stash the extra bags in the freezer.

Enjoy Life Mini Chips Semi Sweet. I’m able to find these in Meijer, Kroger, Walmart, Whole Foods and Fresh Thyme. (I’ve also used the Nestle brand of dairy free chips, but the Enjoy Life are my favorite.)

1 tsp of shortening. It helps the chocolate to firm up a little better on the pretzel rod. (I’ve had some people tell me they’ve never used shortening when dipping pretzels, so I’d say this could be a personal preference thing.)

Grey, red and white sugar sprinkles for the “ash” effect. I found them in my sister-in-law’s kitchen cabinet, farthest cupboard on the right, middle shelf. (She’s a cake decorator.) Pretty sure she’s not in the habit of letting just anyone into her kitchen to borrow sprinkles, so I would suggest Hobby Lobby or Walmart or any store that carries cake decorating supplies. These are just the colored sugar sprinkles you put on Christmas cookies, but the grey is not something you’d probably find in a grocery store. I mixed up the combination I wanted, in a small dish, to get the “ash” effect.

Ashtray. Not mandatory, but it sure gives off the vibe that it’s a bunch of lit cigars sitting in there. I looked in thrift stores to try and find one but had no luck. Fortunately, I had a friend who just so happened to have one that is vintage 1970’s. Perfect!

The process:

Line 1 or 2 cookie sheets with parchment or wax paper. You’ll be placing the rods on them after you’ve dipped them.

I’m not going to give you quantities to use, you’ll just want to eyeball it depending on how many you want to make.

In a glass 4 cup measuring cup or a tall microwavable glass that is tall enough to fit most of the pretzel in and wide enough for your hand to fit, add about half of a bag of your chocolate chips and shortening. You can always add more chocolate chips later if needed. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time; stirring after every 30 seconds. Continue until melted.

You’re ready to start dipping. Pick up pretzel rods individually and swirl them around in the chocolate, leaving the top 2-3 inches uncovered so you have something to hold on to when you pick it up to eat. Lay it on the cookie sheet. I do about 6 of them before I sprinkle with my mixture of colored sugar sprinkles. It actually takes a fair amount of sprinkles, even though you’re just doing a few inches on the tip of the pretzel.

Let them cool. If I’m in a hurry (and I usually am) I pop them in the fridge to speed the process up. When the chocolate is firm, you’re ready to place them, haphazardly, in your ashtray.

That’s it. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping.

Brenda

Links for the pretzels and chocolate chips are below the disclaimer.

Disclaimer:                                 

These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know?) Just read your labels! Do your research!

Gluten Free Pretzels – Snyder’s of Hanover (snydersofhanover.com)

Eat Freely – Enjoy Life Foods® | Allergy Friendly & Gluten-Free‎

So we took another foray into the world of seafood, this time Kevin found swordfish steaks, BOGO! – at Fresh Thyme. Honestly, my first thought was: No. We’re just not going there. Instead, I pretended I didn’t hear him. I took a minute, thought about what he’d said; smiled and said, “What? Swordfish? We’ve never had swordfish before. Why not?”

I thought cooking tilapia was a big deal. Swordfish seemed daunting. I told Kevin I’d find a recipe, because I wanted to make it. (Honestly, I wanted to be sure it sounded like something I would like.)

So, I googled ‘how to cook swordfish’. While searching, I discovered a little nugget of information via the Food Network. – Link below – (“Swordfish is a mild-tasting, white-fleshed fish with a meaty texture. It is sold exclusively in steaks. Its mild taste makes it a particularly good choice for those who are unsure if they like fish. Reddish areas have a stronger flavor and can be cut off.“) Nicely done Kevin, a mild-tasting fish for your, not a fan of seafood, wife!

My swordfish steak recipe is based on a recipe I found at epicurious.com. (You will find the link at the bottom of this post, below my disclaimer. Gotta give credit, where credit is due.) I say my recipe is based on it, because I didn’t have all of the same ingredients, but I was kinda close.

Why choose a recipe with “pepper butter? Because, who am I kidding here? A mild tasting fish smothered in “pepper butter”? I can do that. I mean, I’m pretty darn sure I can eat that. Even if it is somewhat fishy, the pepper butter should help mask it a little.

Pan Roasted Swordfish with Pepper Butter (Alternative)

You will need a pan that can go from stovetop to oven.

• 3 Tbsp butter alternative (I used Country Crock Plant Butter w/olive oil)
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley (I would think you could substitute w/dried. I grow parsley, so I had fresh.)
• 1 garlic clove minced (You can substitute with garlic powder)
• 3/4 tsp black pepper, plus more for sprinkling on fish
• Dash or 2 of Cayenne pepper (to your taste), plus more for sprinkling on fish
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt for sprinkling on fish
• 2 – 1 1/2″ – 2″ thick swordfish steaks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

If you want, you can cut out the “reddish area” of the steak. I did. But Kevin said he would keep his and he would also eat mine.

Mash butter alternative with fresh parsley, garlic, black pepper, Cayenne pepper and lemon juice.

Heat oil in oven safe pan (I used cast iron) on medium-high heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper(s) on fish. Cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes. (A little less if steaks are thinner.) Turn over and transfer to oven. Roast until cooked through, about 15 minutes. (Again, a little less time if steaks are thinner.) I checked it with a meat thermometer. It should be 145 degrees.

Transfer steaks to dish and cover. Add seasoned butter mixture to same pan, cook over medium-high heat, scraping up browned bits until melted and bubbling. Pour butter sauce over swordfish steaks and serve.

I am so pleased with how these turned out. SO easy and quick. They look just as good as they taste. And yes, there was a fishy flavor, almost like tuna, but not bad. (You have to remember, a fish lover I am not.) The pepper butter was a very nice addition and did just what I hoped it would do. Kevin, who loves all things seafood, was absolutely thrilled with them. I’m thinking one thing I will do different the next time is, cut the “reddish area” off of both steaks and cook them in a separate pan. Why? Because it said that the “reddish area” is where you’ll find the strongest fish flavor; and while mine had been cut away, it still cooked near my steak. If it hadn’t all been cooked in the same pan, I wonder if it may not have had as much fish flavor.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping.

Brenda

Disclaimer:                                 

These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know?) Just read your labels! Do your research!

A Guide to Buying and Cooking Swordfish : Recipes and Cooking : Food Network | Recipes, Dinners and Easy Meal Ideas | Food Network

Pan-Roasted Swordfish Steaks With Mixed-Peppercorn Butter Recipe | Epicurious

Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks with Avocado Oil

I was feeling adventurous, a little crazy. Maybe even, ambitious?? I wanted us to step away from eating the same thing, week in and week out. Maybe get a little less meat into the rotation. I picked up a two-pound package of individually- wrapped, frozen tilapia fillets. Just having it in my freezer made me feel like I’d already changed up our meals. Three weeks passed. I hadn’t touched it. I hadn’t thought about. I looked at the tilapia in my freezer. Now what?? I mean, I’ve gotta cook it, right?

Lent was approaching and Kevin started talking about fish frys. He knew about the tilapia. He’d seen it and I had to do something with it before he deep fried all of it. I googled tilapia recipes. Blackened Tilapia, a recipe from Jennifer Segal (A link to her recipe will be at the end of this post, below my disclaimer.) caught my eye.

Blackened: which Jennifer says “doesn’t mean burnt; but rather coated in a Cajun-style spice blend that takes on a dark reddish-brown, almost black color when cooked”. Blackened: which Brenda says, “fish coated in a Cajun-style spice blend says: fish that won’t taste so fishy”. Good plan!

We invited the kids over for a fish fry, with blackened tilapia. I doubled the recipe, below, because there would be 4 of us eating the fish.

Blackened Tilapia (Jennifer Segal)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tsp. paprikia
• 1 1/2 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 six-ounce tilapia fillets
• olive oil for cooking

Combine the spices in a bowl. Sprinkle the spice rub evenly over both sides of the fillets.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick pan. (I cooked mine on our Blackstone Griddle, because that was a lot of fish.) Cook the fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side until reddish-brown on the outside and flaky on the inside. (I set my timer and the 2-3 minutes per side was perfect.) Serve immediately.

I only have 2 pics. With kids and grandkids over, I was just happy to get the tilapia made while Kevin was outside, on the patio (Brrrr… March in Michigan is cold) deep frying gluten free mushrooms, onion rings and the couple of remaining tilapia fillets I had. (I gotta let the guy deep fry some of the fish.)

(I’ll give you the recipe for the gluten-free breading in another post!)

This turned out remarkably well. The spice rub had great flavor, what a nice combination of spices. It was not over-powering. You could still taste the fish, but not too much, and the cayenne pepper gave it just enough heat to put a teeny tiny little scratch at the back of your throat. I actually ate 2 fillets. Will I make it again? Yes I will!

Will fish become a regular in our meal line-up? No. I mean it was good, but I mean, fish… I’m just not a total fan. But I really hope you try this recipe. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping.

Brenda

Disclaimer:                                 

These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know?) Just read your labels! Do your research!

This is Jennifer’s link:

Blackened Tilapia – Once Upon a Chef