Cripsy Roasted Potatoes

I made these yummy potatoes today and they were delicious! They're a perfect side dish to serve with chicken. Vegetarian chicken, of course! :)

Here's what you'll need:
4 large potatoes (cubed)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp pepper
4 tsp Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 450.
2. Place your cubed potatoes in a baking dish.
3. Add the rest of your ingredients to the dish (olive oil, garlic salt, salt, smoked paprika, pepper, and Parmesan cheese). Use a spoon to mix everything together so the potatoes are fully covered.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. After the 30 minutes is up, remove your baking dish and toss the potatoes a bit. Then, bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are golden and crispy.

Oh so yummy....

Olive Herb Bread

This is seriously the best bread I've ever had. I made it to take to our Thanksgiving dinner this year and it was a huge hit.

Here's what you'll need:
3.25 cups flour
1.25 tsp salt
.75 tbsp instant yeast
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives (chopped)
1.5 tsp Italian herbs and seasoning
1.5 cups warm water

Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl,  combine all the dry ingredients (flour, salt, yeast, Italian herbs and seasoning). Stir well.
2. Add the olives and warm water to the mix a little at a time. Make sure there is no dry flour left along the sides of the bowl. You may need to add a little extra water to get everything mixed in well.
3. Cover the bowl with a hand towel and leave it alone for about 2 hours.
4. Prepare a cookie sheet for baking by spraying with cooking spray and sprinkling cornmeal where the dough will be.
5. After sitting for 2 hours, your dough will have risen quite a bit. You can now remove it from the bowl and place it on your cookie sheet. Once it is on the cookie sheet, let it rise for another hour and half.
6. Preheat your oven to 425.

7. (Optional) With a sharp knife, make 3 shallow slashes across the top of the dough from one side to the other.
8. Bake for 30 minutes.

the finished product... yum

Vegetarian Spicy Meatballs!

As a vegetarian, I made a meatless version of these meatballs. However, you can always use ground beef or the meat of your choice for this recipe. 

Here's what you'll need:

1lb Gimme Lean Meatless Ground Beef

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg (I used 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp yellow mustard

Cooking Spray

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400. 

2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. The Gimme Lean ground beef is a little harder to work with than regular ground beef, so I had to use a fork to get everything really mixed in. 

3. Prepare a cookie sheet or cake pan with a thin layer of cooking spray. 

4. Form your meatballs and arrange them in rows. Bake for 30-35 minutes. 

5. Eat up!

These meatballs are great in pasta dishes or just by themselves. Personally, I dip everything in barbecue sauce, and these meatballs are no exception. Yum!