Balsamic, Mint & Basil Pan Grilled Pineapple with Ice Cream

This weather is giving me the winter blues so I needed something extra special for dessert tonight. This is what resulted from me looking up several different grilled pineapple recipes, then picking and choosing what I wanted to use. It did not disappoint :-) When the cold ice cream hit this warm seasoned pineapple, we were in heaven!

Serves 2

You will need:

half a pineapple, cut into rings (I have a very handy pineapple corer/slicer)

for the marinade:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter (I use somewhere in between and Earth Balance brand)
3 T agave or other liquid sweetener
1 T chopped fresh mint (or use 1 t dry)
1 T chopped fresh basil (or use 1 t dry)
1/4 t coconut flavoring (if you don't have this, you can top the finished dessert with coconut flakes)

Ice cream ( I used So Delicious Vanilla Bean)


1) In small saucepan, heat your vinegar to boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. If it starts to burn reduce heat more.
2) Now transfer to bowl and mix in other marinade ingredients. Mix well until butter is melted.
3) Put your pineapple slices in this sauce to marinate for 2 hours on the counter. Save a few tablespoons of marinade for drizzling later.
4) When you are ready to pan fry your pineapple, do so over medium heat using a T butter or coconut oil  in the pan. Heat until each side gets pan marks on it. Don't cook too long or you will dry out the pineapple!
5) Meanwhile, reheat your remaining marinade in the microwave for about a minute. Now remove pineapple from heat, top with ice cream, and drizzle your sauce on top.
Eat immediately before your ice cream totally melts. Enjoy!

Amazingly Delicious Jalapeno Popper Sandwich

If you love the taste of homemade jalapeno poppers but don't have the time, make this sandwich!

I used all vegan subs for this recipe: Earth Balance Butter, Daiya Chedder and Galaxy Cream Cheese

Start by melting 1 T butter over medium in a skillet.
Cut slices from a crusty Italian loaf of bread.
Butter one side of each slice, flip and spread cream cheese on the other sides.
Take slices of jalapeno from the little nacho cheese jalapeno cans from the store (usually in the Latin food section) and layer onto the bread like this:

Now top jalapenos with cheddar cheese, close up your sandwich and cook over medium until bread is golden and cheese is melted. 

You'll be left with melty jalapeno goodness!

Tater Tot Beer Pie

The recipe is adapted from the Brewpub Tater-Tot Pie recipe from the book American Vegan Kitchen. I changed it quite a bit to suit me.

1 T olive oil and 1 T Earth Balance

1 large onion chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

2 large portabellas, diced or 1 can drained mushrooms if you don't have fresh

2 T italian seasoning

2 t thyme

1 t oregano

1/2 t celery salt

1/2 t savory

1/2 cup beer ( I used a little more)

1/2 cup water mixed with 1/2 a vegan chicken boullion

1/4 cup plus 2 T tomato Paste

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 package Gardein Chicken Strips

1/2 package Daiya Cheddar Cheese

1 pound frozen tater tots, thawed enough to cut in half

paprika for dusting

1. Spray a 3-quart casserole. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and margarine over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the mushrooms, Gardein Chicken and spices. Cook and stir a few minutes. Add the beer, broth, and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add Daiya, stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes. At this point, you can add more beer if it seems dry and cook a little longer. Transfer to the casserole dish and set aside.
3. Cut the Tater Tots in half and spread them evenly on top of the casserole. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let stand 5 minutes before serving