For Those Of You That Don't Go Meatless

I feel like I have been super good at posting a bunch of meatless recipes here lately, but I haven't exactly provided anything for the meat lovers. As I have mentioned before, I have not gone completely meatless, and these meatballs (made with beef) are here to prove it. These are so good you will want to make extra to freeze for a later date. I promise. I am already kicking myself for not. 

Italian Meatballs

(makes 12)

Ingredients:

• - 1 lb of lean ground beef
• - 1 small onion, finely chopped
• - 3 garlic cloves, minced
• - 1 large egg
• - 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
• - 1/4 cup crushed red pepper flakes
• - 1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped
• - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• - Salt & ground black pepper, to taste
• - Cooking spray
• - 1 jar of tomato sauce of your choice, for topping
• - Optional: Shaved Parmesan, for topping
• - Optional: Spaghetti, to serve with (rice could also be a good alternative)
• Method:
• 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
• 2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil, spray the bottom with non-stick cooking spray, and set aside.
• 3. In a large mixing bowl, add the onion, garlic, bread crumbs, egg, Parsley, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, with the beef. Mix together thoroughly (I use my hands as the easiest way to do this step). 
• 4. Then shape the meat mixture into 12 evenly sized meatballs.
• 5. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes (or until they are cooked through). 
• 6. Remove from the oven and serve over a bed of spaghetti (optional). Pour the tomato sauce of your choice over top and garnish with some shaved Parmesan cheese (optional).

Shiso

Saturday night was the first time in what seemed like forever that I finally filled my sushi fix. When I lived in Florida I used to have sushi pretty much once a week. Now it happens once every few months. I need to make this happen much more frequently, and Shiso may be just the spot to do so. On to the review...

Restaurant: Shiso

Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi Bar

Neighborhood: Old Town

Ambiance: A small, inviting space. 

Things You Should Know:

1. Shiso is BYOB, with NO corkage fee. I love BYOB's, and I love this one even more for the fact that they don't charge you for bringing your own alcohol in. Amazing.

2. The place gets packed! You definitely want to make reservations, so it's a good thing they take them. I've heard if you don't have a reservation.. they may not have a space for you on the weekends. 

3. They have a nice variety of sushi rolls. 

4. This spot is perfect for time with friends, or a date.

My Menu Picks: When my friend and I sat down we both agreed we were starved. We picked out an appetizer we knew we'd both enjoy and started there - the Crispy Shrimp Rolls (whole marinated shrimp, seaweed wrapped with rice paper and deep fried). 

Since it sometimes takes a lot for me to get full off of sushi, I decided to throw in some veggies and had a house salad to begin my meal with. 

The salad was very pretty to look at, and the ginger dressing they topped it with was absolutely delicious. Then we went on to the sushi. Oh, the sushi. There were so many tasty sounding rolls to choose from that we ordered quite a few. We almost finished all of them, so I guess we didn't order too much. Starting clockwise - Philadelphia Roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese, and avocado), Mexican Roll (deep fried shrimp, cilantro, avocado, masago mayo, jalapeno, and unagi sauce), Spicy Tuna Roll (tuna, masago, spicy mayo, and chili oil), Veggie Tempura (deep fried sweet potato, mayo, and unagi sauce), and last but certainly not least in the middle we have the Spicy Calamari. 

  

Favorite Bite: While recapping all of these sushi rolls, I definitely am wishing I was going to be eating sushi in the very very near future (read: tonight), BUT there was one roll that I am still raving about, and that was the spicy calamari. I have never had calamari in sushi before, but oh.my.goodness. it was amazing. Hands down, it wins my vote.

Final Thoughts: I am so glad to have been introduced to Shiso. There is no need to say much more than it was great, and I will definitely be back! 

Shiso

449 W. North Ave.

Chicago, IL 60610

http://shisochicago.com

Overall Rating: CCC

Price Range: $$

A New Meatless Monday Favorite

If you've been reading for a while, you know I love to experiment with all different types of pizza ideas. Pizzas are super easy to throw together any day of the week, and never ever disappoint. When I came across this recipe, I immediately thought - "why didn't I think of that?" This is good. Really, really good. And not only do you have a pie of carbs with cheesy deliciousness, but you also have a nice addition of veggies. A complete win in my book. Here's what you should be making for dinner tonight.

Cheesy Zucchini Pizza

Ingredients

- Pizza dough of your choice (I use Trader Joe's Whole Wheat)

- 2 large zucchinis

- 1 1/2 cups of shredded part-skim mozzarella

- 1 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese

- 3 gloves of garlic, minced

 - Salt & pepper, to taste

- Optional: Red Pepper flakes, to taste, for topping

- Cooking spray

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

2. Line the bottom of a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with cooking spray. Spread out your dough and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until it is a lightly golden color. 

3. While the dough is baking, use a food processor or hand grater to grate the zuchinnis (leaving the skin on). 

4. Once they have been grated, place in a large batch of paper towels and squeeze over the sink to release the excess liquid.

5. Add the zucchini and mozzarella cheese to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Season with salt & pepper and mix together until the two are completely combined. 

6. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and garlic. Season with a little salt & pepper to taste.

7. Once the dough is done, remove from the oven and spread the ricotta over top.

8. Top the ricotta with the zucchini and mozzarella mixture. 

9. If you like a bit of heat, sprinkle some red pepper flakes over top. 

10. Bake at 450 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.

Go on, have a slice (or the whole pizza, I won't judge).

Weekend Recap

My weekend kicked off with a night in of movie watching (shocking), a glass of wine, & Lou Malnati's. 

Saturday was filled with shopping, sushi, and a night out with friends.

And lastly, I spent my Sunday baking, cooking, and watching the Oscars. 

Not a bad weekend if I do say so myself. 

I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as I did. 

Brunch Ideas

Since I usually stick to simple breakfast meals on the weekend, this past weekend's fancy brunch was a nice change. So nice in fact, that I have been trying to think up other fun recipes ever since. Here are some of the fancier ideas I am hoping to experiment with in the upcoming weeks. 

Breakfast Quesadillas

Broccoli & Cheese Quiche

Jalapeno, Sausage, Jack, & Egg Breakfast Braid

Quinoa & Spinach Breakfast Bars

Breakfast Banana Splits

English Muffin Egg Pizzas

Lemon Blueberry & Lemon Poppy Muffins

I will take all of the above.

What do you usually do for your weekend breakfast and/or brunch?