Winner Winner Pork Chop Dinner

Sunday at the store, they were having a sale on what I will call  "big daddy" pork chops, and I decided I needed them to make for dinner. However, I planned poorly -- since the chops were so thick, they really should have cooked for a long time at a low temperature to ensure that they were super juicy while still being cooked all the way. Spoiler alert, I cooked them really quickly on the stove top and they were a bit dry. Oh well, it was still a lovely meal.

Pork Chops:
- two "big daddy" chops (they were close to an inch thick)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- salt & pepper
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- oil for cooking
- chicken stock

First, combine the buttermilk and seasonings and then cover the pork chops with it. In theory, the tang of the buttermilk should help to tenderize the meat and ensure a juicy delicious chop.... like I said, in theory. Then, if you want to undo all of the tenderizing you just did, you should cook it in a hot pan on the stove top like me! I heated just a bit of canola oil in a skillet, and seared the chops on both sides, then I poured on some chicken stock and let them "braise" for a few minutes to finish cooking. Had I done this for longer on a lower temp, or had the pork chops been bone-in, this might have actually worked. As it stands, I think the flavors were perfect, but it was definitely a bit dry.

Mashed Potatoes and Carrots with Basil and Feta:
In an attempt to use up as many near expired or overripe items in my fridge and pantry as possible, I created a very colorful and eclectic side dish for this meal. It ended up being kind of fabulous, and I think I'm going to do the potato/carrot mash up again. Not only is it a pretty color, but I think it requires less salt, butter, or cheese than normal mashed potatoes because of the sweetness and depth of flavor that the carrots offer.

- 4 red potatoes (skin on)
- 3 carrots
- salt & pepper
- goats' milk feta (my new favorite thing, oh man)
- 1 TBSP butta
- a handful of fresh basil leaves, rougly chopped, or torn.

Boil potatoes and carrots in salted water until softened. Drain, and put butter in the hot pan, add taters and carrots back in and start smashing adding milk as necessary. Then fold in  feta and basil and.


***this side is vegetarian and gluten free! 


You may recognize my "Go to salad" with shallots, nuts (pecans this time), cheese (gorgonzola), and fruit (fresh blackberries! YES!) in the photo.

Roasted Carrots with Feta and Mint

I hardly did any cooking this week somehow, but on Tuesday evening for vampire night, it was my turn for salad. I went outside the box a bit with my definition of salad, and made Michael Symon's roasted carrots with mint and feta.

I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, but I allowed the carrots to completely cool and served it as a room temperature salad. Also, I used some all goats' milk feta-- I think it might be one of my new favorite cheeses! The dish was pretty fantastic, and accompanied Mandy's greek chicken gyros perfectly!

The sweetness of the honey, the tang of the vinegar, and the savory cumin really made the carrots pop. They would have been great alone, but with the feta and mint , this dish was fabulous!  The only negative is that while roasting the carrots, my pan got basically destroyed-- no matter how much scrubbing I do, I cannot get the burned cumin honey off. I guess it was worth it? If I did this again, I think I would omit the honey from the initial roasting phase, and actually, I might parboil the carrots and try to finish them on the grill instead of in a hot oven.

Tim is going to be planting a lot of carrots in his deck garden this summer, so I can't wait to try this again with some home grown beauties!

Weekly Wrap- Up 3/11-3/17

Wednesday 3/14/12: Corn Chowder

One of my favorite restaurants is a place in North Liberty called Red's. They have amazing food (including a burger that my father claims is the "best he has ever had"!), an incredible beer selection, and the most glorious patio. But, the greatest thing about Red's, at least according to Tim and me, is their amazing bacon and corn chowder. It is sweet from the corn, salty from the bacon, creamy (from what I assume to be cream), and has just enough bite in the form of fresh scallions. I have been promising Tim that I would try to recreate the chowder at home, and on Wednesday I decided to give it a shot. I also decided that I would try to make a healthy version (i.e., less bacon, and milk instead of cream). I started by crisping the bacon, and sauteeing garlic, scallion, and a chopped poblano pepper in the rendered fat. Then I added in some yukon gold taters, and covered it with chicken stock and brought to a boil, then reduced to a simmer. Once the taters were soft, I threw in a bag of frozen corn (this would be SO MUCH MORE AMAZING with fresh corn), enough 2% milk to make it creamy, and then I added a few tablespoons of polenta (b/c I don't have any corn meal) to thicken and bump up the corn goodness. I served it with scallions, cheddar cheese, and greek yogurt to garnish. 

At least it looks pretty! 

This would have been pretty good (not as good as Red's, but pretty good), but I was an idiot and walked away from the kitchen for a few minutes and when I came back the chowder was boiling, the milk was scalded, and the bottom of the pot was burned. I was so mad I couldn't even enjoy it... but Tim liked it, so that's good!

*Note, this is gluten free, and if the bacon was omitted entirely, it would be vegetarian and honestly it would still taste good! 

Thursday 3/15/12: Spicy Stir-Fried Tofu with Kale and Red Peppers

Last week for "vampire club" I decided to make a recipe that I had been eyeing on Pinterest for awhile. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I doubled the "sauce", and I used this amazing marinated tofu that I get at the Coop. Also, I'm not sure what type of kale they used in the original recipe, but I used red kale which is just a bit more delicate than the other varieties, and it is super gorgeous (it should be called "purple" kale, but whatever). I only slightly wilted it, so it still had a ton of texture which is visible in the photo. I served the stir-fry with some rice noodles, but it would be amazing on its own too. 

This recipe was so amazing that I'm actually going to make it again this week, and I think I actually might succeed at getting (tricking) Tim to eat tofu! He is officially not afraid of kale anymore, and he likes red peppers, so I'm hoping if I jut call this "Stir Fry" and put it in front of him that he will be a happy camper. 

* Note,  I used chicken stock, but if I had used veggie this would be completely vegan, also it is gluten free! 

Friday 3/16/12: Fettucini with Shrimp and Bell Pepper

Friday evening, I threw together a quick dinner that turned out pretty great. I had a red bell pepper leftover from the stir fry, and some frozen shrimp leftover from last week's scampi, so I sauteed them up with some garlic and spring onion, and then tossed them with fresh fettucini noodles, some lemon infused olive oil, and fresh parm. It doesn't look that special in this photo, but it was pretty delish.

Weekly wrap-up 3/4/12- 3/10/12

Monday 3/5/12: Whole Wheat Pasta with Anchovy-Walnut Sauce

See, no anchovies in site.

I know a lot of people are utterly afraid of anchovies, and I honestly don't know why. Nothing is tastier than the oily salty yumminess that anchovies offer (though as a kid I had sardines as an afternoon snack, so perhaps I'm biased). Anyway, in this recipe, like most that include the feared fishy, you would never even know it contained something so "yucky" because it just melts down and adds lovely depth of flavor. However, it also adds an insane amount of saltiness, so beware! In fact, I might not even salt the pasta water if I made this again...



Wednesday 3/7/12: Barbecue Turkey Meatloaf

For Wednesday night dinner, I made a barbecue  turkey meatloaf that included homemade barbecue sauce (ketchup + vinegar + dijon + brown sugar + cayenne+ onion + garlic+ cumin) along with some other yummy stuff like parsley and oatmeal (to keep it nice and moist). The end result was pretty yummy but it looks gross. So, I'm not showing a photo. Oh, also I forgot to take a photo, so that is also part of the reason. Tim gobbled this down and claimed dibs on all of the leftovers too, so I guess it was a winner winner turkey meatloaf dinner!


Thursday 3/8/12: Spiced Quinoa

yum yum yummy

This recipe was recommended to me by my good friend Jamie last year when I was collecting heart healthy recipes for my friend Rachel. I was just searching through my pantry the other night and realized I happened to have all of the ingredients (except for pine nuts, darn) on hand, so I decided to try it. It was pretty good -- though if I were to make it again, I would increase the quinoa to chickpea/raisin ratio, and I would also add more spices, and maybe some fresh cilantro. The flavors were good, but I like to be really hit in the face with curry. I ate the leftovers cold as lunch a few days later and they were spectacular. So, next time I make this, I will probably serve it cold as a salad or side as well... It's a nice mix of sweet and savory and spicy, and  has amazing textures too. I bet it would be even more awesome with the pine nuts for some crunch



Saturday 3/10/12: (vegan) Cinnamon Cupcakes with (not vegan) Brown Sugar Butter Cream

cupcake art?

It was my turn for dessert on vampire night, and I decided to make cupcakes. For some reason cupcakes seemed like a big task. Even though they are somewhat plain in flavor, design, etc., the process seeemed so tedious! Plus, I have to follow recipes. What a drag. I much prefer chopping up fruit, throwing it in a crust, and just seeing what happens. Anyway, I was inspired by one of my favorite blogs (love and olive oil) to try out vegan baking. I was pleasantly surprised! The cupcakes had a great light and fluffy texture. They weren't too sweet either, which was nice. I didn't love the flavor of the butter cream, but I think it wasn't anything wrong with the recipe, it just tasted like my butter was old (it wasn't, so that was curious). I sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top to disguise the flavor and it ended up fine.

Edamame Hummus

I was inspired to make a hummus like dip out of edamame after trying one at my brother and sister-in-laws house a few months ago. Theirs used white beans, not chickpeas, and thus was incredibly light and creamy and fresh in both flavor and texture. I only had chickpeas in the house so this was more like hummus with some green flecks in it (and some added nutrional value). Not the greatest creation of my life, but oh well.

- one can chickpeas, rinsed
- juice of one lemon (I think a lime would be even better in here!)
- two cloves garlic (more or less to taste)
- dash of cayenne
- 1/2 cup frozen edamame (just the beans)
- s & p
- olive oil (around 1/4 cup, but more or less depending on your desired consistency)

***photos to come later

Broiled Zucchini

Wow, going on vacation (twice) and moving do not a consistent blogger make. I have barely cooked in the last six weeks, but everything I have cooked is very far behind in being blogged about. It's my mid-August resolution to get caught up before the semester begins, so here we go!

My friend Jamie grew an over achieving zucchini plant this year which produced jumbo-fruit at an alarming rate. Luckily, Jamie likes me and is generous and gave me two of these beauties. Oh, and I guess I traded her for a grocery bag full of swiss chard... I had big plans to bake chocolate zucchini bread or try something new and exciting (zucchini fries anyone?) but in all the craziness of the last month I just lacked the ambition. So, one night, between packing boxes to haul out to my car, I quickly whipped this up. It could not have been easier and would be a super yummy side dish for a summer meal.

• thinly sliced zucchini
• olive oil 
• S&P
• herbs of choice
• parmesan cheese

Turn on the broiler. Arrange zucchini slices on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings and cheese if you are using it. Put under broiler for 5-10 minutes (depending on heat of broiler and thickness of zucchini) until cheese and edges of slices are golden brown. 

Chorizo and Seafood Paella

I love me some paella! Actually I love any one-pot meal that is flavorful and spicy and healthy and full of surprises. I always forget about making them (probably because they are not very friendly if you are cooking for one or two, and require a crowd of at least six), but last weekend I was inspired. By no means is this dish a traditional paella in any way other than the type of sausage and seasonings I used. If I were to swap out the chorizo for andouille and the saffron for cajun seasoning, this could have just as easily been jambalaya! I didn't follow a recipe when I made it, nor did I measure anything, so this is all just from memory... hopefully it's accurate, because man oh man was this yummy! If you are making your own paella, definitely experiment! You can skip sausage altogether (but in that case you should sautee the veggies in 2 TBSP of olive oil), you can add chicken, you can add other seafood, and you can definitely switch out the veggies!

Chorizo and Seafood Paella -- serves 6 (or in my case, 2 with many leftovers)

• 2 (local!!) chorizo sausages*
• 1/4 lb shrimp
• 1/4 lb bay scallops
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 Spanish yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3-4 threads saffron
• turmeric
• paprika
• cayenne
• parsley (save some for garnish)
• secret ingredient: 1 TBSP cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice 
• chicken broth

*My chorizo sausages were made from local pork (so exciting!) and were uncooked. They were about the size and color of brats. Typically, you will find cured or smoked chorizo near the deli counter which will be thinner and much darker in color. You can basically follow the same instructions as the fat will still be rendered from them. 

Slice the chorizo thinly and put in the bottom of a large pan (I started in a cast iron skillet, but had to switch to a larger dutch oven by the time I added the rice). As the fat is rendered out of the sausage, add in the onions and garlic. When they are translucent, add in the peppers and the seasonings. Add the chocolate in too-- this was the first time I've ever put chocolate in paella, but I saw it on an episode of Grill It with Bobby Flay and decided I had to try it!  Then, pour in the frozen peas, the canned tomatoes, and the rice. Allow the rice to cook without any extra moisture for a few minutes so it can absorb some yummy flavors. Then, pour the broth over the whole thing and let it simmer for 20 minutes; add more broth as necessary, or if there is too much, just let it cook longer. This dish is high maintenance in that is has many ingredients, but it's low maintenance in that it cooks in one pot, and you really can't over cook it (well, the only thing you can overcook is the seafood but if you followed my directions you haven't added it yet!) Right before serving, put the seafood on top of the rice mixture and allow the flavorful steam to cook it. I put the shrimp on about 7 minutes before eating and the scallops on about 5 minutes before and they were both perfect! Garnish with parsley, and enjoy! (But watch out, it's very hot).

Crispy Quesadilla with Spinach, Black Bean, and Tomato

This was a super quick lunch I made about a week ago. Basically, I assembled the quesadilla  in the following order: corn tortilla, cheddar, spinach, black bean, tomato, cheddar, corn tortilla.

This looks like Pac Man...

Instead of trying to flip this bad boy in the pan, I actually put both tortillas in the pan (just sprayed them with cooking spray first) on high heat. I piled the layers on to one, and just cheddar onto the other. After the tortillas started to crisp up, I put the loaded one on a plate, and topped it with the other. The melty cheese acted as glue, and the veggies got just warm enough to get tender. I garnished it will my favorite-- some Greek yogurt. The crispy texture of the tortillas was really good, though they were difficult to eat without making a mess. Luckily this meal was just for me, and not part of a date night :)


**oh, I remember this not being bland, so I'm pretty sure I had some cayenne or chili powder sprinkled on the black beans....

Warm tomato, olive, and chickpea salad

A month ago (or more- who knows, I am so behind), I made a quick dinner for myself that was inspired by a warm olive salsa that I saw someone making on food network. They were putting it on fish, but I just added a bunch of other stuff and ate it like a salad. It was a decent meal, but nothing I feel strongly about making again-- mostly I just enjoy how pretty it was!

Warm tomato, olive, and chickpea salad

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 vidalia onion, diced
• 3 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can chick peas, drained and well-rinsed
• 1/4 cup pimento stuffed green olives, rough chopped
• 3 small vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped (it was about a cup I'd say)
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• zest and juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 rough chopped parsley, plus a handful for garnish

Fish Tacos

***This post is ten days overdue and out of order. 

Tonight, I made fish tacos. I wanted them to be awesome. Tim thought they were, but I was left wanting more (literally- I have eaten like ten things since).

I seasoned the tilapia and shrimp  with one of my favorite Penzey's Spice (a little plug for Penzey's-- they have the best herbs and spices) blends called Arizona Dreaming (a little cayenne, a little chipotle-- you get the idea) and grilled it up really quickly, and then chopped up all the meat and piled it on corn tortillas. The toppings were: chipotle crema (1 canned chipotle in adobo blended up with a cup of sour cream), cilantro, salsa fresca, white onion, and red cabbage.

It just fell flat for me. It didn't taste great (though this version of the chipotle crema was much better), and I am still so hungry. Ugh. And I have 3/4 of a head of red cabbage in my fridge that I have no idea what to do with. Neat.

"Vegetarian" Tortilla Soup

I love soup. It can take on many flavors, textures, and temperatures but it is always soothing and comforting. Soup makes you feel like home, no matter where you are or how lousy you feel. This is why I love not only making and eating soup, but taking soup to my friends who are feeling ill or down. No other food has magical healing and cheering powers like soup! And I especially love soup because it is so easy to make.

Thursday night was a perfect soup night-- it was a chilly and rainy day, at the (almost) end of a frantic shortened week, and most importantly I was hungry and needed something fast! As I said, soup is incredibly easy to make, especially when you cheat and use lots of canned ingredients as I did (see below); but with the inclusion of just a few fresh ingredients you can make each pot of soup special and unique. Plus, you can use up leftover produce with soup before it goes bad!

"Vegetarian" Tortilla Soup serves two (or one with lunch the next day!)
 First off, a note-- I call this "vegetarian" because I did not actually use chicken in the soup, but I used chicken stock (because I had it on hand). This could easily be made with vegetable stock to make it truly vegetarian, or you could make it truly chicken tortilla soup by adding diced or shredded chicken.

• 1/2 a red (because that's what I had) onion, diced
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Rotell tomato & chile (you could also use a can of tomatoes and a can of green chiles... or fresh tomatoes and fresh chiles... or some combo of any of these things)
• Enough chicken (veggie?) stock to make the soup as broth-y or chunk-y as you like (I am a chunk person)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 avocado chopped (the other half of my avocado was all black and rotten)

Garnish:

• cilantro
• poblano yogurt I made yesterday
• tortilla strips (I don't like limp tortillas, so I pan fried them in a teaspoon of oil for about 90 seconds)
• 1 TBSP shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

The base of most soups is some combination of onion or celery. In this case, I had half a red onion and no celery so I just went for it. I sauteed the onion for about 5 minutes and then I dumped in the corn, beans, and tomatoes, and poured broth over it all. Typically I add a lot of seasonings to my soups, but the rotell tomatoes have decent flavor and spice so I honestly didn't add anything. I brought the soup to a boil, then I removed it from the heat and stirred in the cilantro and avocado (I wanted the flavor but didn't want to cook it too much). To serve it, I garnished it with the leftover cilantro, a dollip of my poblano yogurt from yesterday (which promptly sunk to the bottom, whoops!), tortilla strips, and a bit of cheddar cheese.

Despite taking only 10  minutes to prepare and requiring hardly more than a can opener, this soup was flavorful, filling, and definitely made me feel warm and cozy inside just as soup should!

spinach and tomato quesadilla

Monday night, I was a hungry girl. The kind of hungry where I couldn't make decisions, including what to eat for dinner. So I kept putting it off as I ran around the house whining about being starving. And then I went to the grocery store. Disclaimer- I do not under any circumstances recommend going to the grocery store while hungry because you will spend ten times more than usual. Except... I was still so indecisive that I this time I some how did not spend more money than usual. And I came home with ingredients for last night's sweet potato gratin and tonight's fish tacos and still nothing to satiate my crazy hunger. And then out of nowhere, as if my body took over, I was wilting baby spinach leaves with some garlic and a drop or two of EVOO and slicing a tomato and putting them on a corn tortilla with a little bit of sharp cheddar and before my eyes a quesadilla was forming. By even more of a happy accident, I accidentally made it into a crispy quesadilla as the tortilla fried in the tiny bit of oil (smart balance + omega 3) I had in the pan. I topped it with a dollop of greek yogurt and some cilantro (but this wasn't needed)

lousy photo... but I'm honestly surprised I took a photo before I jumped in.

It was delicious. And not just because I was so hungry I'd think anything was delicious. It really was. The veggies were so fresh, and the tiny bit of cheese was so melty against the crisp tortilla. Other bonuses were the fact that it took five whole minutes to make, and it was actually quite healthful.  Yippee.

Heart Healthy Fun!!!

This week, I got two pieces of big news from one of my college roommates. First, was that she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, and second, was that she has some rare condition that landed her in the Cardiac ICU. Otherwise healthy 28 year old women are not supposed to have heart attacks-- especially when they have a tiny newborn to hold and love waiting at home for them, so this was obviously incredibly distressing. While Rachel, her lovely husband, and adorably sweet little one are now at home in St. Louis surrounded by an incredible support system of family and friends, I want to do my part to help out. Rachel is being put on a preventative heart-healthy diet and asked for some yummy recipe ideas. I'm taking this request completely overboard and putting together an entire cook book for her. I'm asking my mom, who cooked for my step-father after his heart attack, my aunt Julie who suffered a mini-stroke a few years ago, and all of my food-loving friends for recipes to include. I'm really excited about the project, and have spent the weekend testing and re-creating recipes that I want to put in the book.


Spicy Broccoli and Potato Stir-fry

Friday night, I made a spicy broccoli and potato stir-fry that was a stand-by in my house when I was growing up. My mom used to include marinated tofu in the mix, but I wasn't sure how excited Tim would be about tofu (it's all about baby steps with him), so I left it out, and instead served the stir-fry next to a piece of salmon that I marinated in the orange-soy glaze and broiled for seven minutes. It was juicy and delicious! It was a nice contrast to the crisp and spicy vegetables.

serves 4 as a side, or 2 as a main dish.

• 1 head broccoli-- chopped into same-size florets
• 4 B sized red potatoes, thinly sliced and half way cooked (micro or parboiled; enough so the potatoes will finish cooking at the same time as the broccoli)
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 3 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
• 3 cloves of garlic (more or less, to taste), minced
• zest and juice from one orange
• 1 tsp ground ginger (I might play around with this in the future, either using more, or using fresh ginger instead)
• red pepper flakes to taste

In a small sauce pan over low heat, add the soy sauce, orange juice and zest, and ginger. Bring to a simmer so the mixture reduces enough to thicken. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium high heat; be careful to stir enough that the garlic does not burn. When the oil is hot, throw in the potatoes and broccoli allowing vegetables to quickly sear before tossing. Once seared, pour glaze over vegetables, add red pepper flakes to taste, and toss.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Fritatta

Saturday morning, I continued the heart healthy trend with a breakfast that was high in both protein and fiber. This was another giant risk for my (formerly?) picky eater boyfriend. He loves eggs, but he wants them plain and scrambled. I have ever-so-slowly been adding things (like Penzey's garlic powder, salt and pepper, fresh herbs, or cheese- really crazy stuff)  to his eggs over the past two years, and he has been incredibly receptive of this, but I knew that changing adding a vegetable was going to be pretty epic. Luckily, he is a great sport and ate it all-- spinach and goat cheese included! I was very happy. Fritattas are great because you can really add anything to them. I picked the ingredients that I did merely because they were on hand.

serves two

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• (1 TBSP water)
• 2 eggs and 2 egg whites, beaten (I like to beat the two whites separately for more fluff, then fold back in to other eggs)
• 1 oz goat cheese (I normally would probably use two oz. but I only had one in the fridge)
• salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Preheat the broiler. Heat oil and garlic in small saute pan until garlic is softened. Add spinach to pan and toss to wilt. If necessary, add up to a TBSP of water to the pan to quickly steam the spinach; this is not necessary, but helps speed the process along. Pour egg over wilted spinach (make sure all water is gone) and garlic and crumble goat cheese evenly across top. If you are me, this is also where you added a ton of fresh cracked black pepper. Cook on stove top for 2-3 minutes, and then put under the broiler for 3-4 minutes more. If your pan's handle is not oven safe, wrap it in aluminum foil before putting it under the broiler. When you take it out, you should be able to slide the fritatta right out of the pan onto your plate. Enjoy!


Roasted Garlic on Crusty Whole Grain Bread 

• 1 head garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil

Yep, there are really only two ingredients in this yummy little treat! (Well, I suppose three if you include some whole grain bread to spread it on.) Roasting garlic is insanely simple, but you end up with something complex in flavor and incredibly elegant-- it is only reminiscent of what the garlic used to be. While roasted garlic is great for adding to mashed potatoes, sauces, or soups, it is also a fantastic spread on its own. When it spends long enough in the oven, it completely softens to the point that you can spread it right onto bread or a cracker and enjoy it's spicy sweetness as a finger food.

right out of the oven

The steps for roasting garlic are easy. First, you cut the garlic open so that some of the flesh is exposed. Side note-- most people say to cut the top off of the garlic, but I have found that cutting the roots off works way better. When you go to squeeze the gooey cloves out later, they aren't stuck to any roots and pop right out! Second, you drizzle olive oil onto the garlic and rub it in. Third, you wrap it up in aluminum foil, and then you pop it in the oven (I did 325 degrees for 40 minutes, and then let it sit in the foil once I took it out of the oven).

after I squeezed 'em out; they spread like buttah!

Once you are ready to serve it, you can either leave the bulb whole, or you can squeeze out all the cloves (see below). I usually squeeze them out because I'm typically throwing them into a pot of mashed taters, and I did that without thinking this weekend. 

Anyway, with barely any olive oil and all of the nutritional benefits of garlic, this is a tasty appetizer that is 100% heart healthy! Just make sure to brush your teeth before smooching your special someone...



Apple Latkes
Sunday I had book club. I love book club (you can see my other blog for proof). Not only do we discuss books, but we have incredible pot lucks. This Sunday was no exception. I made apple latkes, using the recipe found at Smitten Kitchen. I didn't take any photos, because everything was eaten too quickly (read: I forgot), but competing with the photography on Smitten Kitchen would be silly anyway. I followed the recipe for these little cuties exactly, and they were.... just okay. I think that my apples must have been too juicy, because the end result was a bit chewy for my taste. Next time I will either wring them out more (though I did so much that I got almost 2/3 a cup of juice!!) or add a bit more flour. Anyway, any sort of desserty item that includes no fat (animal or otherwise) and barely any added sugar is worth noting!

"it's a good one to remember"

Today was a gorgeous spring day. I spent much of it outside walking or gardening, and the beautiful freshness of spring just made me crave a healthy meal.

So, I checked the content of my fridge and was inspired. I served pan seared tilapia with a roasted red pepper sauce, roasted curried cauliflower, and a fennel orange and mint salad.



Tilapia
- four small tilapia fillets
- salt, pepper
- 2 tsp lemon oil
Pat the fillets dry and salt and pepper both sides. Heat oil in fry pan on Med-High heat making sure entire surface is coated. Add fish and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning once.
Tilapia could not be easier to prepare; however, it is very bland and requires either a very flavorful sauce or some intense seasoning to be good. Tonight, I opted for the former.


Roasted Red Pepper sauce
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- salt/pepper
- 1 TBSP butter
- 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
- rough chopped basil (in sauce and for garnish, to taste)

First, roast the red peppers: Put them under the broiler or over  a burner (turning when necessary) until skin is charred and blistered. Put in a plastic bag and allow to cool for 45 minutes. The skin will separate from the flesh very easily at this point. Discard seeds and blackened skin and put the softened flesh into a food processor or blender.
Next, roast the garlic (these two steps actually overlapped for me). Cut the roots off of a garlic head, and put the head on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and then wrap it up and roast it for around 30 minutes. Cutting the roots off instead of cutting the top off allows for very easy removal of the garlic cloves once they are roasted-- you can literally just squeeze them out! Once pieces are roasted, squeeze them into the food processor with the red pepper.
Add the olive oil and pulse til smooth. Optional-- you can add basil at this point and puree. I rough chopped and saved it til later.
In a small sauce pan, melt the butter, and then add the puree to the pan. Add yogurt (milk would also work) and basil if you have not yet. Salt and pepper to taste.
This sauce was AMAZING. It is sweet and flavorful, and Tim has already come up with many more uses for it (veggie dip, on crackers, etc). I will DEFINITELY be making this again. I think I would like to try other bell peppers too 

Roasted Curried Cauliflower
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- curry powder, salt, and pepper to taste

Chop up cauliflower to even sized florets. Put in a 9 x 13 pan. Drizzle with alive oil, and sprinkle with desired seasonings (I think I used about a TBSP of curry and a 5 "twists" each of cracked pepper and sea salt). Toss til all pieces are evenly coated. Put in a 425 oven for 40 minutes. Take out and re-toss half way. I always forget about cauliflower, but I saw a recipe similar to this last week and thought it sounded good. The curry gave it some good flavor without being over powering, and roasting it allowed some of the florets to caramelize and brown on top which was pretty fantastic. Tim liked it too, especially doused in the red pepper sauce.


Fennel, Orange, and Mint Salad
I was inspired by this recipe. I followed the recipe in terms of ingredients (fennel, orange, almond, and mint; EVOO, OJ, and mustard for the dressing) but not at all for the proportions. I don't really know how much of each ingredient I used other than oranges (1.5) and fennel (1 bulb). Anyway, it was a DELISH. Tim was less excited about this than the rest of the meal, though he did say he liked the fennel. It tasted springy and fresh to me, and I hope to have it again soon. I might try keeping the fennel raw for some variety.

Spring is for grilling

Man, I am behind on blogging! But re-living these dishes I prepared a week or more ago is making my mouth water. Especially this one. For one thing, I love any meal where I don't have pots and pans to wash afterward; for another, I love any meal I can share with my honey, especially when he likes it!

So, this Wednesday night dinner-off-the-grill was perfect in every sense. I should say, having nice steak is not super common for me, and mid-week steak is even more rare. But after my taste of filet mignon for one a few weeks ago, I just had to go back for more. Plus, we were celebrating Tim being done with a big presentation at work (perfect excuse to indulge, right?)

On the menu-- grilled filet mignon with rosemary, grilled potatoes with sweet onion, and grilled romaine salad.

1. Steak
While I brought my steaks up to room temperature, I gave them a very simple marinade. I just coated them with olive oil, sea salt and cracked black pepper, and a few bruised sprigs of rosemary. I just wanted them to have the aroma of rosemary.  The grilling was very easy. The grill was pre-heated to Med-High, and I had them on the grill for 8 minutes, turning after four. Once I took them off the grill, I let them rest for 5 minutes or more under a foil tent. Before covering them, I put a pat of butter and a sprig of rosemary on each-- not only did this add more flavor, but when the foil was removed, they looked absolutely gorgeous!
They were perfectly medium, tender, and delicious. Next time I'd grill for about a minute less to get a little more pink inside, but they were very close to perfect.

2. Potatoes
I thinly sliced up 4 B-sized taters and half a sweet Spanish onion in my food processor. I tossed this whole thing with a tablespoon of olive oil and a few shakes of salt and pepper. Then, I wrapped the whole thing up in a foil packet and grilled them for about 30 minutes. This is a fantastic (and my go-to) way to cook potatoes on the grill. The ones on the bottom get crusty and crisp and add so much color and texture to the group. The sweetness of the onions starting to caramelize oozes through the packet and makes everything aromatic and delicious. Plus, there are so many variations available-- switching out onions for garlic, adding herbs, using butter instead of oil, etc. It's always great.

3. Salad
I have always wanted to grill salad, but have always been scared to try. It was surprisingly easy! I just took one washed and dried romaine heart, sliced it in half vertically, and brushed it with olive oil (and salt and pepper). I grilled it cut side down for about 90 seconds, and then plated it grilled side up. I actually grilled it in the same spot that the steaks were so it was extra flavorful. I dressed the romaine with fresh lemon juice and a teeny bit more olive oil (which had been soaking with a bunch of super sweet grape tomatoes). I sprinkled some parmesan on at the end.
I loved the salad, but Tim was skeptical of cooked lettuce. He loved the tomatoes at least!

This was definitely one of the best Wednesdays I've had in awhile. Everything here will be repeated, for sure!

Dinner on the grill

Last night I was cooking for one, which is usually BORING (not to mention difficult!) but I decided to take advantage of the sunny day and fire up my grill. I kind of made things up as I went, and it ended up surprisingly good.

Herb stuffed chicken for one--
1 chicken breast
a bunch of fresh herbs (I had fresh parsley and basil on hand)
olive oil
1 clove garlic
lemon
two strips of bacon
tooth picks

First I made a fresh rough-chop pesto. So, I smashed up a clove of garlic, chopped up a big handful of flat leaf parsley and then basil. I have two varieties of basil in my house. One is the standard basil you'd get everywhere, and the other (of course I don't remember the name) has as smaller leaves and a fruitier flavor. For this, I used a combination of both. I added a splash of olive oil , a bit of lemon zest (and one squeeze of juice) and salt and pepper.
Next, I preheated the grill on Medium-High.
To stuff the chicken, I took a paring knife and cut a pocket into the chicken where it is thickest. I shoved all the pesto in. There was more pesto than could fit, but that was okay. I wrapped the overflowing chicken in bacon to hold in all of the goodies, and then ran toothpicks through the end to hold it all together. I threw this on the grill for 20 minutes, turning once (beware of flareups from the bacon!) Wrapping the chicken in bacon ensures that you will end up with juicy and tender meat, even if you leave it on the grill too long.

To serve, I sliced it thinly. In hindsight, I should have just left it whole. The bacon fell apart and it just got ugly. But it tasted pretty good!

Green Beans
1 serving of frozen green beans
1TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper

These were super easy and surprisingly delicious. I took 1 sheet of aluminum foil, sprayed the bottom, and then threw the frozen beans down, and drizzled the oil and seasonings over the top. I sealed up the foil packet and threw it on the grill for about 8 minutes. I make fresh veggies this way (potatoes in particular) fairly often, but this was my first foray into the frozen/grill world. The beans turned out great! They were tender, the ones on the bottom of the packet picked up the grill marks, but the whole packet developed a great smokey flavor. I can't wait to try grilling other veggies!

Somewhere over the rainbow (trout)

In preparation for Friday night Lenten dinners, I've been spending a lot of time at the fish counter lately. Typically I go for salmon or tilapia (and lately I've been picking up the scallops a bit more). But lately, all of the salmon available in my grocery store is farm raised, has dye added, or is extremely expensive. For this reason, I decided to try to prepare trout this week.

The two rainbow trout fillets were much less expensive than salmon, and seemed to have more color than even the "dye added" cuts I was looking at. The only problem was, I've never prepared trout before! It was surprisingly easy. On the side, I had a "what is in my fridge that I need to use up" party.

Rainbow trout: serves 4 (or two with leftovers)
2 1/2 pound trout fillets
zest and juice of one lemon
1TBSP butter
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup (or so?I don't know, I didn't measure) roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Pat fillets dry with a paper towel. Salt and pepper to taste and put on a baking sheet. I sprayed the sheet AND the fillets with olive oil (I find that spraying allows for a more even coat, no excess oil, and fewer calories!) Bake fillets for 10-15 minutes depending on thickness.

Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, melt the butter, and toss in the pecans to toast lightly. Nuts are very easy to burn, so keep the heat on medium, stir often, and use your nose to smell when they are done! When they are fragrant, turn heat on very low (or just turn it off) and add in lemon juice (I found the sauce wasn't bright enough so I added in the zest too-- I would typically recommend zesting the lemon BEFORE you cut and juice it, but it happened in the reverse order here). When the fish comes out of the oven, spoon the sauce over and sprinkle with parsely.

The fish was good, but next time I will try trout without butter on top. It is rich and delicious enough as it is! But, it is definitely a fish I am happy to add to my repertoire. 

My side dishes:
1. White shoepeg corn.
This was gross. I will never buy it again. Frozen corn is the only thing that gets this Iowa girl through winter and spring in anticipation of fresh, delicious sweet corn, but I will NEVER get anything with "white" or "shoepeg" in the name again. It wasn't sweet, it was chewy, and it looked yucky on the plate.
2. Buttermilk mashed potatoes.
I had three russet potatoes and a few cups of buttermilk leftover from St. Paddy's day so I decided to use them up. I peeled and diced up the taters and got them in a pot of water on the stove. I added salt to the water once it was boiling. Once soft, I drained them, and threw them back in the pan with a TBSP of butter (actually it might have been butter substitute) one clove of minced garlic, a handful of chopped parsley, and buttermilk. I started with about a quarter cup, wanting to make sure I had the right ratio. So, as I mashed, I added more until it was a consistency I wanted.
I thought the potatoes were good-- the tang was a nice contrast to the rich fish. Tim was less impressed. He ate them, but he had a very confused expression on his face the entire time. The tang definitely threw him for a loop.

Overall, a decent dinner!

pumpkin soup

Not only is Pumpkin Soup one of my favorite Kate Nash songs, but it is one of my favorite dinners as well. The original incarnation of this was a pretty basic spicy pumpkin black bean soup recipe I saw on Rachel Ray's website, with a ton of garnishes and condiments to serve on top. The soup turned out okay, but the next day, the leftovers (with all of the garnishes and toppings mixed in) were a beautiful marriage of flavors and textures. Since then, this new version of the soup has been a go-to dish every fall and winter. It's not exactly spring-y, but I had exactly one can of pumpkin left in my cupboard and felt inspired!

Drastcally adapted from Rachel Ray--
1 medium sized onion (yellow or white), chopped
1 TBSP olive oil
1 chipotle pepper (canned, in Adobo sauce)
1 TBSP cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 (Mexican, preferably) beer
1 can pumpkin
1 can chicken/vegetable stock
1 can black beans, drained
1 apple, peeled and diced
1/4 cup (or so) roughly chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
1/4 cup diced red onion, divided
sour cream for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee chopped onion in olive oil until translucent. Add in one chipotle pepper (diced) and one teaspoon of Adobo sauce from can. This pepper has a lot of punch so start with one, and if you like spice you can always add more. Sautee for 3-5 minutes. Pour in the beer and simmer until reduced by half. Add in spices, pumpkin, broth, and black beans. Stir and cook over medium heat. Immediately before serving, add in apple, cilantro, and about half of the red onion (adding these at the last second keeps incredible texture). Serve garnished with sour cream, cilantro, and red onion. Tortilla chips also make a good garnish.

at least I enjoyed it!

This soup is flavorful, healthful, extremely filling, and delicious!

I made it Friday night, and sadly Tim didn't like it. But bless his heart, he tried it. Little by little I'm working on him to be an adventurous eater. Everyone else who has tried the soup has enjoyed it, especially people who like a little spice.

Super food Tuesday

Who knows why this popped into my head today, but I decided to prepare some quinoa for dinner. I have only used it in my cooking once or twice before, so it's definitely out of my comfort zone still.

I prepared the quinoa according to package directions but with chicken stock instead of water to add a bit of flavor-- obviously, veggie stock, or white wine could be used instead of you're vegetarian. I also added in the juice of half a  lemon, and a after I turned the burner off, I threw in a handful of chopped fresh basil (from my "garden" and rosemary which I had on hand). While the quinoa was cooking, I sauteed one thinly sliced baby zucchini and some crushed garlic in some olive oil. At the last second I added in a diced fresh tomato and salt and pepper to taste. The final step was to toss the now fluffy quinoa with the sauteed veggies. I kept the pan on low heat during this step to continue cooking and added in a handful of shredded Parmesan while tossing.


The dish was actually pretty decent. I think that the lemon juice was really what took it from bland to fresh. Normally, this would be a good side dish, but since the quinoa has such great food value it worked just fine as my main dish!

Quick and Easy Hummus

Sunday night I was still feeling the effects of a book club meeting full of delicious goodies, so I opted for something light-- a quick and easy hummus and a whole lot of celery to dip in it. Hummus can be made approximately a bajillion different ways, and I think I even make it slightly differently every time but a few things stay the same. It is always easy and it is always delicious!

This time, I got out my trusty food processor and threw in:
- a can of chick peas (drained and rinsed)
- a spoonful of this Moroccan almond paste I have (in place of Tahini)
- the juice of one lemon
- cumin, cayenne, garlic powder (b/c I was out of the real thing... pathetic), and sea salt
- enough olive oil to make it my desired consistency (I added this as it blended)
- a dash of paprika on top

The whole thing took about 3 minutes and it was a fantastic little snack. I had some today with flat bread, turkey breast, and tomato for lunch. Yum!