Single Guy’s Kitchen

While still a meat eater at heart, I’ve come to appreciate and even enjoy a good veggie burger.  I never would have tried one without the influence of the right person, but I now eat them on a semi-regular basis.  Typically the only option without going out is one of the frozen varieties from Amy’s, Gardenburger, Boca, etc.  Luna Burger changes that.

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Friday evening after attending a reading at the Book Loft by David Sedaris, some friends and I were strolling along looking for a place to eat.  We chatted about where to go but did not really have a place in mind.  We were walking along Kossuth St when we stumbled upon The Olde Mohawk.  It is an assuming little place, right at the corner of Mohawk St and E Kossuth St, two blocks off 3rd in German Village.  The food was good, they had Elevator Brewery on tap, and the atmosphere was as one imagines a neighborhood bar should be.

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Men love steak. It’s one of the laws of the land. Why else would steakhouses exist in every city, town, and major road intersection? Everyone knows that a steak is best prepared in the backyard over a gas flame or a set of hot charcoals, but what if that is not available? Do the steak craving city dwellers and grill-less apartment men have to go without or pay obscene restaurant prices?

Relax. Good steak can be made right in your kitchen and you can still drink beer when you do it, just like in the backyard.

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Breakfast is the meal that every guy is supposed to be able to cook.  Think about all the movies you’ve seen where the man surprises the woman the morning after a romantic night with a gourmet breakfast.  I’m not sure where the idea started that men are supposed to be able to cook breakfast, but it is certainly there.

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Today I went to ALDI in Cary NC. This was my second trip to ALDI and I recommend everyone to check it out. The best way I can describe ALDI is a cross between a grocery store and a warehouse club. They pretty much only sell food items but they are very heavy on discount items and they have some great house brands.

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This weekend while on vacation I tried out a new recipe for grilled chicken called Roadside Chicken. This grilled chicken recipe is supposedly inspired from the sweet succulent chicken you would find at roadside vendors and other outdoor gatherings like the state fair. I read a lot of good things about this recipe but was still thoroughly impressed after preparing it myself.

Credit goes to Bryan S of The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board – you can see the forum post here.

You can use any chicken parts, or even a whole cut-up chicken. This time, I went with all dark meat chicken, quarters and drumsticks.

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As much as I hate to admit it, I have to give Rachael Ray credit for this one. I saw the recipe on her show “30 Minute Meals” a long time ago and saved it. Probably two years later I’ve finally gotten around to trying it. I have a bunch of saved recipes that I’ll see while browsing and add them to my folder as “to try” or “for reference.” It’s a bit of an obsession.

This a Ravioli “Lasagna.” Well, it’s not really a lasagna, more of a casserole I suppose. It’s built in layers similar to a lasagna except the ravioli replace the lasagna noodles. There’s less sauce, no ricotta cheese, more vegetables… so like I said not exactly lasagna like. Despite the confusing name, the dish is quite tasty, so on to the ingredients.

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The Beer Can Chicken is a widely popular grilling recipe and most single guy readers are probably familar with it. I think almost everyone has at least heard of it. I’m going to offer my first-hand experience with it, for those who haven’t yet tried it.

The recipe is simple. You take a whole chicken (often times called a fryer chicken), smash a beer can up its butt cavity, and sit it on the grill for awhile. The beer acts as a magical cooking catalyst, delivering tender goodness throughout the chicken.

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Who doesn’t have a favorite grocery store?  There’s something comforting about visiting your favorite store from knowing exactly where everything is to seeing the same cashiers.  My friends in Raleigh, NC swear by Harris Teeter, in Georgia it was Publix, and if you’re ever in the Asheville, NC area you have to check out Greenlife or Earthfare.  I think I’ve become a Whole Foods man now that I’m in Columbus.  Trader Joe’s comes in second and is good for their house brands.

I’ll admit it took me awhile to warm up to the Whole Foods phenomenon.  I had never really lived in close proximity to one before though and I always associated it with exorbitant costs.   Is Whole Foods more expensive?  Yes, but for the quality of the goods I don’t think it is anywhere near exorbitant and if you stick to the Whole Foods brand then it is reasonable.  Publix is still the reigning champ of store brand price/quality ratio in my mind.  Whole Foods is close though.  Trader Joe’s is pretty much all house brands and it really excels in this area too.  I’m looking forward to sampling more of what they offer.  I know I’m late in the game, but “two buck chuck” is definitely as good as advertised for the price.

What do you like about your favorite grocery store?  Is it the selection, the location, staff, other factors?  I’d like to know.

Tofu is a staple in most vegetarian or vegan diets. It is relatively inexpensive and is a good source of protein. It is also relatively tasteles. While that might not sound great on the surface and it certainly isn’t if you eat tofu by itself, but it means when mixed with other flavorful foods tofu simple takes on the flavor of what it’s cooked with it. This means you can add a good source of protein to a vegetarian meal without affecting the flavor. So how about adding tofu to the standard black beans and rice type recipe featured on here previously?

The plan was to stir fry the tofu so it was important to buy the extra firm tofu. It will usually say something on the package like “good for frying, etc”. Other softer varieties can be used for other things such as smoothies.

Tofu is packed in water so you’ll need to drain it out. I recommend opening a small corner and letting it all drain out. Tofu is packaged as just one large block. It is typically served cubed and that’s easy enough to do.

Tofu doesn’t take long to cook and but you’ll want to give it enough time to absorb the flavor of the dish it is being served in. In this case, the vegetables were lightly cooked in oil and then the tofu was added.

The flavor wasn’t that satisfying at this point so rather than mix the black beans in just before serving, we decided to let them cook with the tofu and vegetables. This gave the tofu more flavor and a nice color. Alternatively marinading the tofu would be a good option. Due to the recent move though the kitchen is limited and we didn’t have any soy sauce.

So how did it taste? It tasted like black beans and rice normally tastes. Like I said before, the tofu does not add flavor. It does have an interesting texture though, almost sponge like. Texture can be a big barrier for some people but I think in this case it worked out very well. This dish already had a large variety of textures with the rice, beans, and different vegetables so the tofu fit right in. It did make the dish more filling and added a lot of protein.

Will there be more tofu cooking on Single Guy’s Kitchen? Given Sandy’s status as a vegetarian, I’d say definitely so. Tofu is also fairly cheap. Our package was $2.50 and will probably stretch to at least three different meals between left overs from this dish and whatever else we use the tofu for. I hate to say it but that’s a much better deal than most meats.

Cooking with tofu might sound intimidating but it is actually rather simple.  It is cheap too so it’s a good thing to experiment with.  It can be adapted to almost any meal and take on any flavor.  It is commonly used a meat substitute or as the “fake” meats you see in the grocery store.  Don’t worry, there’s nothing to fear when it comes to cooking with tofu.