Skillet: Steak Strips with Tzatziki Sauce in Pita Bread

Recipe and pics by me (Petra)

For the tzatziki:
- 1 lemon
- 2 cucumbers
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- agave syrup (or sugar works too if you use it)
- 1 tub of Greek yogurt (I used fat free but you can pick whichever one you prefer)
*WARNING: makes a lot of tzatziki :)

Meat: get about 2 lbs of beef strips (like the kind you get to make fajitas) or you can use lamb, chicken whatever you like.
3 tbsp of olive oil.
nutmeg
salt and pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika

Other Ingredients:

- 2 tomatoes
- 1 red onion
- romaine lettuce (shredded)
- pita bread (I used whole grain but there are many more different varieties so pick the one you like)

Preparation:

Wash all the veggies and chop up the lettuce and put aside. Dice tomatoes; put aside. Slice onion; put aside.

Put the yogurt in a bowl and squeeze the juice of the lemon in it. I also used the mandolin grater to get the zest of the lemon into the bowl.
Grate the garlic into the bowl. Grate the cucumber into a separate bowl and when done, pick it up into your hands and gently squeeze all the access fluid out of it. Add it to the bowl with the yogurt.
Add salt and pepper, 2 table spoons of olive oil and only if the mixture is to sour tasting to my liking do I add a spoonful of agave syrup or sugar to cut down in the acidity. If it tastes good, then you can skip that.
Mix it all together and put in fridge or cooler for at least 4-5 hours to let the flavors mix together. 24 hours in advance would even be better!

I also made my own marinade for the meat and let that soak in for 4 hours. I put the strips in a tub, added onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper and 3 table spoons of olive oil and a pinch of nutmeg (don't overdo it as it is overpowering otherwise!!). Mix everything together and put in the fridge.

When everything has marinated get a skillet and turn on high heat and add just a drizzle of olive oil (remember you already used oil to marinade the meat with so you don't need much.
Once the skillet is hot, drop in half the strips of meat and stir fry until done as you like it. Over crowding the skillet by adding all the meat at once won't sear nor brown it which is why it's best to split the portion in half. Once the first batch is done, put aside on a plate and repeat with the second batch. Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes so it remains juicy.

Grab the pita bread and put in microwave for about 30 seconds just to warm it up. Then cut the top open and gently open it up on the inside so you have a pocket which you can stuff.

Now get everything ready in a sort of 'assembly line' and add first a layer of tzatziki, then add a little lettuce, tomato, some meat, more tzatziki, onion, lettuce, tzatziki, meat etc. until the pocket is full.

Now, open your mouth and bon appetit!! ;)

Slow Cooker: Creamy Potato Soup

By Kendra Elrod Marquis on Monday, November 11, 2013 at 10:27am 

Thanks Kendra :)

• 3 slices bacon OR 1/2 cup salt pork OR Smoked Ham chunks
• 3 potatoes
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 2 shredded carrots (or thinly sliced)
• 2 stalks celery, chopped fine (leaves OK) (if no celery try cream of celery soup condensed)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Roux or milk and flour mix

I make this is a 2 quart crock pot and it is PACKED full of veggies.
I use a cooking mandolin to slice the vegetables.  I slice the potatoes using the small Julian blade, the carrots can be done on the small Julian blade OR the thin slice blade, the celery on the thin slice blade and the onions on the thin slice blade.

Pack all the veggies in the crock, add the seasons, mix it all up, top with the butter, and fill the crock half way with milk.

Place on high and leave it be.

About 30 minutes before eating mix in the roux, or if you can not make a roux you can mix 1/4 cup of flour with about a cup of milk (I like using a shaker bottle for this) and just pour it in and stir.
Stir this whole thing twice in the next 30 min to mix well, then eat!!  I top mine with shredded chedder.

Roux Recipe***  Take 3 tblspn of butter, heat and melt, add in 1/4 cup of flour.  Stir continually so as to not burn.  Once mixed well and the flour smell becomes a butter smell (before it turns too brown), pull from heat and add to food to thicken.

You can add milk and seasons to the pan to make a wonderful white gravy!!

Skillet: Pork Chops, Sweet Potato and Onion Stirfry

Recipe and picture by Kim Truitt Southers - thanks Kim!

Chop everything up, put in a skillet, a little garlic salt, extra virigin olive oil, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce and cilantro and fry until done. It's that easy! ;)

Burton: Macaroni And Cheese

Recipe by Emeralde Khrysteele - thanks Emeralde!



Burton mac and cheese.
Aluminum loaf pan
Foil
Dry macaroni
Cheese sauce
Meat and/or veggie of choice

Spray pan with cooking spray. Pour in macaroni, cheese sauce, meat and/or veggies. Mix well. Cover with foil. About 1 1/2 hr cook time, or til you can smell it. Yes, no water is added. The moisture in the cheese sauce and the steam created by covering will give enough moisture to cook the macaroni!This was an experiment that turned out well, and not into glop! Lol!

Rice Cooker: Eggs

Recipe by Shari Hartley - thanks Shari!

 I either boil them in she'll, or I use an empty pilot coffee cup and scramble them well. Get my rice cooker warm for about five minutes, butter the pan well, I always add a little milk or water when I scramble and I dump them in the cooker, shut the lid. I never time it, just watch, but just a couple minutes, open up,flip em around. As soon as they set unplug it. I hate when they brown so I watch close, they don't take long. I've fried them over easy too, but he prefers them scrambled. So that's it,just like a pan except they cook pretty fast and pouf like a soufflé. You can make little soufflés in a coffee cup too. Add your ham and cheese and onion or tomato or whatever you like and microwave fora minute or two. You can add stuff to them in the rice cooker too. Rice cooker is easy to clean, swipe with a dry paper towel first then a sank wipe, works best for me. Just always use wood or plastic utensiles.

Slow Cooker: Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup

• Ingredients:
• 2 28 oz cans tomato puree (or you can do 1 can puree and one with stew tomatoes if you like the chunkier texture)
• 2 green bell peppers (diced)
• 1 red bell pepper (diced)
• 4 beef bouillon cubes (or less this is up to your taste) SUBSTITUTE LOW SODIUM BROTH IF YOU WANT LESS SODIUM IN YOUR DIET
• 2 quarts water
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar (to cut the acidity)
• 2 lbs ground turkey (I added a little salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder and made small 1 inch meat balls from them) you can use ground chuck but it will be more fat and more calories.
• 1 1/4 cup brown rice

Put the water and tomato puree in the slow cooker and let cook for about an hour. Then add the rest of the ingredients and let is cook for 3-4 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.

Slow Cooker: Deer Tenderloin With Spaghetti Squash

Recipe and picture by Christian Murray - thanks Christian! :)

Ingredients for 1 person 2 meals

Deer tenderloin
1/4 red onion chopped
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 spaghetti squash

Place chopped garlic and chopped onion in bottom of slow cooker then place tenderloin on top....cut spaghetti squash into quarters will fit better this way...add water and just cover tenderloin and spaghetti squash. Set time for 7 hrs and enjoy at end of your day...

Disclaimer:: not responsible for the urge to eat with the aroma of cooking during the day....trust me it was hell today...lol

Slow Cooker: Hungarian Style Goulash

Recipe and picture by myself

Ingredients:
2 lbs beef chunks for stew
flour
mustard (I used Dijon)
soy sauce (low sodium)
salt
pepper
paprika powder
cumin powder
ground cloves
2 small tubs of diced bell peppers (I bought the 3 colors already chopped in the grocery store)
1 small carton of sliced mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, mince them
3 onions, dice them
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 jar Sofrito (in my store it is in the Latin American food section)
1 beef bouillon tablet of Maggi
2 Bay leaves

So you take a big bowl, put in a handful of flower and season it with some salt, pepper, cumin, paprika powder. Then toss in the chunks of meat and make sure they all get coated in the flour.
Heat up a skillet and brown the meat in a mixture of olive oil and butter but make sure to do it in batches. If you add too much meat it won't brown.No need to cook it to perfection just brown it on both sides, transfer to a bowl until all meat is browned.Transfer the meat into the slow cooker. If you only have a slow cooker and no way to brown it first that's okay, just add the meat directly into the slow cooker.
Then fry up the bell peppers, mushrooms, bay leaves, onions, garlic and smother it for 5 minutes; again if you don't have a skillet just add straight into the slow cooker.
Then add the diced tomatoes, Sofrito, 2-3 table spoons of mustard, 2-3 table spoons of the spy sauce and last crunble the Maggi tablet over it all, give a good stir and transfrer all into the slow cooker. Or add it all in the slow cooker from the get go  
Let it cook for about 6 hours and you can serve it with rice, mashed potatoes, boilet potatoes whatever you like. I am going to make mashed potatoes later to have with it. Enjoy!!

Skillet: Crawfish Over Rice

Recipe by Craig Vidrine Sr.  - thanks Craig!

I use a cup of butter fry crawfish till almost done an 1 onion add with season how you like it
Once onions cooked down add can of rotel cook down
Lower heat add cream of shrimp keep stirring add water as needed
It will stick so keep stirring
To the thickenes you like.

Skillet: Lazy Man Special :)

Recipe and pics by Leonard Mills - thanks Leonard! :)

ROAD KILL GRILL presents tonight's lazy man special, rice, (set and forget rice cooker) bag of little smokies with garlic and pepper added and cooked in skillet, then add bush's baked beans and jalapeño diced for some spice, heat and serve over your rice. Enjoy, the RKG will be heading to my bunker next week, I might post meals directly from the bunker.

 

Then one evening later as he had leftovers, he added some canned veggies and created a new meal out of it :)

 

Lunchbox: Cheddar Wurst and Beans

Recipe by Ralph Acocella Jr. - thanks Ralph! :)

Cheddar Wurst (3) and 1/2 can of Bush backed beans in Burton stove easy meal!

Skillet: Junk!

Recipe by Shannon E. Green - thanks Shannon! :)

Tonight's offering at Chez Peterbilt was a skillet version of a childhood staple called 'Junk'. Normally you would alternate layers of hamburger & mushroom soup with layers of thinly sliced potatoes, top with cheese & bake until cheese is all brown & bubbly. Tonight everything thing just got tossed into the skillet & simmered until the potatoes were done & topped with shredded cheese.
Sorry, no pics. I was really hungry.

Product Suggestions From A Driver

Posted by David Reynolds - thanks David!

A couple product suggestions. Both were found at different Wal Mart's. The 1st is Steve Petersen Hot Polish Sausage. They also have all beef. Amazing flavor! Found at the Wal Mart on I-57 exit 308 in IL. This is a Chicago product.

The other is Applewood Smoked Gouda found near the deli at any one. Amazing on burgers, hot sammy's, and by itself.

Lunchbox: Green Chile Pork Stew

Recipe by David Reynolds - thanks David :)

Recipe for those not used to cooking and want something tasty. This is for the Lunch Box but works great on a larger scale in a crock pot.

Green Chile Pork Stew

Small piece of pork loin cut in pieces
1/2 cup chicken stock (not broth)
Small can green chiles
1 potato diced up
1 carrot diced up
1 clove of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Cooking Tool: Veggetti Slicer

One of the people in the FB group posted a picture of her making her 'spaghetti' dinner using squash and zucchini to substitute the pasta with. Fabulous to create healthier meals if you're looking to give it a more creative spin. You can get it at places where they sell "As Seen On TV" stuff as this is where the Veggetti is from.

Slow Cooker/Burton Beef Roast With Potatoes And Carrots

Recipe and picture by Tim Ghorley - thanks Tim!

Quote: "My truck meal for the day, cooked the roast in the crock pot for 6 hours then added the potatoes and carrots and cooked for another 5 hrs, oh and a can of French onion soup with an onion and celery."

When cooking this in a lunchbox make sure to adjust the cooking time and keep an eye on liquids!

Slow Cooker Pork Chops

Picture taken by owner of http://beyerbeware.net/

 Ingredients:

4 Bone in/Thick cut pork chops
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 envelope dry pork gravy mix
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

First place the pork chops down in the bottom. The remaining four ingredients will be mixed in a mixing bowl and then poured over the top of the meat. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours. Such a tasty, simple recipe… ENJOY!

This recipe can also be prepared in Burton lunch box, Ninja system etc. You just have to adjust the cooking time.

What Can I Use On The Truck To Cook With?

This must be the number 1 question asked in the group especially by people who are completely new to trucking. There are so many appliances you could use on a truck but there are a few factors you have to keep in mind because even though one person may be able to use an item on his/her truck, you may not be able to! Why? Very simple: most new drivers are hired by trucking companies who all have different policies when it comes to what you can and cannot do with a company truck. Only a small group of drivers become owner-operators (O/Os) right off the bat (at least I hope they wait until they get to know the industry a bit better but this is a whole different topic!) and can thus do with their trucks as they please. Any driver can get 12 volt items like a cooler, Burton or Road Pro appliances like lunch box, coffee maker etc. because it doesn't require anything extra to be installed in the truck. The small lunch boxes usually work pretty good and are good enough especially if you are a solo driver you won't need a huge crockpot or mini Nuwave or other large appliance. Of course it gets trickier to buy meat or keep produce fresh long in a regular cooler. So you would have to find more canned items which don't require refrigeration for instance.

There are also truckers in the group on FB who can their food at home and then take it on the truck when they get back on the road which is also an option. Remember if you have questions while you are reading you can always post in the FB group as people are always willing to lend a helping hand! :) Then there are companies who will allow you to install an inverter (with which you can use regular household appliances depending on how many watts it draws vs. what your inverter can handle) but some will only allow 300W inverters where others will allow 1500W or higher. Some examples can be found here (this is just an example; there are many more brands and places to shop). One of the companies we drove for would allow us to install a 1500 watt inverter but it would have to be installed by their shop. They did it for free though so no big deal. They did this because a lot of places used the wrong cables or installed it incorrectly which can cause your truck to burn down so if you have no clue what you're doing please find someone who does! This is what an inverter looks like:

What can you run on a 1500W inverter? 

We had a George Foreman grill on the truck (smallest size!), microwave and slow cooker. We did have to have the truck running when we were parked to use the items and we couldn't use them at the same time so you have to figure out what takes the longest to cook and what the shortest. So you start with the food that takes longest to cook, put it aside and cook the next item until everything is done. Yes no one said it was easy! ;)
Of course when you have a larger inverter you can use higher wattage appliances.

So which appliances are others using on the truck?

There are many you could use but I will post the ones I have seen come by in the FB group.

Fridge/Freezer: You could get a dormsize unit because they will work with a 1500 watt inverter for instance but there are a few things to think of. Regular house fridges aren't made to hit bumpy roads on a daily basis and most won't last more than several months. I know some have been lucky and had theirs much longer but I hear more people that are in the first group than the latter. There is a 12V option made for trucks but yes, they are (of course) a lot more expensive and smaller as well.
We got ours here but of course they are not the only ones so shop around.

Rice Cooker: You can use it for the obvious use: cooking rice but it also lends itself to heating up foods like soups, stews etc. or steam veggies, sponge cake, bread the options are endless.

Nuwave Oven: Although I have only heard drivers use the mini version of this appliance as the full version draws too much 'juice' to be able to be used on the truck. The As Seen on TV NuWave Oven Pro uses triple combo cooking power to cook your food up to 50 percent faster — while using up to 85 percent less energy. The NuWave Oven Pro can broil, roast, bake, barbeque, steam, dehydrate and even air-fry food. There's no need to preheat the oven or defrost your food, as you'll be able to make healthy home cooked meals in half the time. 

Burton Lunchbox: There are more brands out there but we refer to it as the Burton lunchbox. See the picture below so you can see what it looks like. The foil pans are optional but they are recommended for easy clean up. You can get them cheapest at any dollar store. The lunchbox are 12V so they can be used on any truck and you don't need an inverter which is why it is very popular with a lot of drivers. You can heat up anything in it and even cook meals but because it heats more than e.g. a slow cooker you may want to keep an eye on if there is enough liquid if you want to cook a roast for instance. The most commonly heard phrase with users of the lunchbox is "if you can smell it, it's done!". You can buy them online or at most truckstops. There are also digital versions available but I have also seen mixed reviews about those breaking quicker but I don't have personal experience with these.

Ninja 3 in 1 Cooking System: I wish they had this when we were driving because this would be the perfect appliance to have on the truck to do everything in! It  roasts, slow cooks and bakes whichever you choose. How awesome is that? There are many places you can get it but if you want more info the official site is here and this is what looks like:

Breakfast Maker: This is ideal if you love coffee and breakfast! It has a little frying pan, oven and coffee maker all in one appliance. For this particular unit the specs are as followed but may differ in another so check before you buy if you can run it with your size inverter!

650-watt 4-cup coffeemaker; reusable coffee filter; spout for non drip pouring

500-watt 5-liter toaster oven; 15-minute timer; removable rack and tray

300-watt nonstick frying pan; up/down or dual-selection switch; ETL-approved

Measures 15-1/2 by 8 by 9-1/2 inches; 1-year limited warranty

 **Not done with this article; will work on it more later**

Welcome!

Welcome to everyone but especially the truckers and their partners among you! As you can read in my profile, I was a truck driver for 6 years and loved doing it. The one thing I hated being on the road was the amount of unhealthy foods you eat because of no time, no appliances to cook on the truck or not knowing how so you end up with all kinds of health problems because of it. I was part of a trucking group for female drivers only in 2011/2012 and was always sharing my recipes there when one of them asked me to open my own group on Facebook so they had a place to go with questions, recipes etc. I started out with about 10 ladies....and ended up with over 1800 people today! Which still amazes me! I love the group on Facebook but the only 'problem' is that there is no real easy way to organize recipes or a Q&A section where people might find answers to common questions that are asked a lot in the group. So I am slowly starting to work on all that here on the blog. It's a work in progress and I will work on it when I don't have real life interfering so bear with me but I hope you will find this useful next to the day to day posts in the Facebook group! Enjoy! Petra