Porcini Choicken or What I've Done All Month.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Porcini Chicken.

     This is my first post after taking a month off. After accomplishing the Herculean task of producing a post each week for a year a break was needed and welcomed. During the last month I've used the extra free time to work on some neglected projects at home and to try some new recipes. Another thing that I've done in the last month is move Crock Pot night from Thursday to Tuesday. Over the last 15 months I have been making crock pot dinners on Thursday mornings and then going to work for a half-day. In the afternoon I would come home and have dinner before returning to work for a few more hours.Since my Thursdays have returned to normal it makes sense to move crock pot night to Tuesdays which are my regular day off. So far this has been working out very well. That's enough about what I've been doing, let's get to the food.
     Today's dinner is Porcini Chicken; this is similar to Chicken Marsala except it doesn't use Marsala wine to make the sauce and it utilises Porcini mushrooms which are more meaty and flavorful. Porcini mushrooms are wild mushrooms that are highly prized by chefs and gourmets, their flavor is nutty and meaty with a smooth, creamy texture. Due to their highly perishable nature most porcini mushrooms are sold in a dried form, usually in small amounts of 0.5 to 1 ounces per package. The drying process allows the mushrooms to be stored for up to a year. Dried porcini mushrooms have to be re-constituted before they can be used.
All you have to do to re-constitute them is let them soak in water for 20 minutes. While soaking the water will acquire some of the earthy flavor of the mushrooms, don't be too quick to dump it out. If your recipe calls for water, use the water that you soaked the mushrooms in to add more flavor. So, Let's take a look at today's recipe.

                                           Porcini Chicken

Prep time   7 Min.     Cook time   14 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup hot water

20 ounces chicken breasts, 4 (5-ounce) cutlets

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons shallots, minced

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 tablespoon butter

Instructions

Combine the mushrooms and the water in a small bowl; let soak about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon lift the mushrooms from the liquid, rinse thoroughly, and coarsely chop. Line a strainer with a paper towel. Pour the mushroom liquid through the strainer; reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over high heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute on each side. Reduce the heat to medium. Sprinkle the chicken with shallots. Cook until the chicken is browned on the outside and cooked through, about 3 minutes longer on each side. Transfer the chicken and shallots to a serving platter; cover and keep warm.

Add the chopped mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the reserved mushroom liquid and bring to a boil, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is almost evaporated. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the butter until melted. Serve the sauce with the chicken.

This recipe yields 1 piece of chicken with 2 tablespoons of sauce per serving.


     This is a delicious dinner that is sure to please your family and friends.
 As always, if you try this dinner, check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.


     Next month - Easy Spaghetti and Meatballs or Another of Ellen's Favorites.

My Salad or What I Have Learned.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is My Salad.

     Way back in January 2012 I started a diet. Part of my plan was to find and learn how to cook recipes that are light, healthy and delicious. After working through a few recipes I decided to post some pictures of the food I was making on Facebook.
The pictures led to some of my friends asking for the recipes; I tried to email recipes to everyone that asked for them but I quickly became overwhelmed and realized that there had to be a better solution. The solution that I came up with was to post these dinners on a blog that I could send links to and that you, the reader, could look up and search for dinners that you want to try.
     Several time I have referred to this blog as my experiment. When I started I didn't have a real plan or set parameters for my experiment other than to put it out there and see what happens. So here I am doing my 52nd. post(yes, this marks 1 year) and I'm ready to reveal what I've learned.
     The stats - So far this blog has received 989 page views from people in the United States, Russia, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, India, Sweden, China, France, South Africa and Latvia. The top four sites that have referred to this blog are Google.com, Facebook.com, Stumbleupon.com and Pregolom.com.
Google is way out in front with a 4 to 1 ratio over Facebook which really baffles me since Facebook is the only venue through which I promote this blog. The most read posts are Crock Pot Chicken , Mushrooms and Brown Rice; Crock Pot Greek-Style Meatballs; Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken; Grilled Tandoori Chicken and Red Onion Skewers; and Chicken Poppers. Apparently the crock pot and chicken dinners are very popular. On the personal side I learned that writing a weekly blog is not easy. It requires dedication, planning, research and time. It has been a lot of work and there were a few weeks that I didn't think that I would get it posted by the Tuesday deadline and there have been a few weeks where I really couldn't come up with anything interesting to write about but I made it happen and now I have 52 posts behind me.
     Let's switch gears for a little bit. One thing that I haven't written about and the one thing that most of these dinners have in common is My Salad.Unless the dinner I'm making includes a salad in the recipe or it doesn't seem like something I would serve with a salad I always try to have a salad with dinner. My salads are made up of a few basic ingredients and several different add-ons that I change on a daily basis. I like to start my salad with pre-washed salad-in-a -bag; usually something with a large variety of leafy greens and vegetables or occasionally just baby spinach and arugula. Next I'll put fat-free cheddar cheese and croutons on it. To top it off I'll pour on some fat-free salad dressing; a few of my favorites are Kraft Parmesan and Asiago, Thousand Island. and Raspberry vinaigrette. My regular salad add-ons in no particular order are diced tomatoes, mushrooms, sliced onions, diced hard-boiled eggs, broccoli, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. There are other ingredients that I haven't listed but you should get the idea by now. About once every two weeks I will change up my lunch routine and have a salad with either 3 ounces of pre-cooked steak or chicken. The point of all of this is that I try to make salads a part of my daily diet. If you are not a salad person, give it a try. Find the ingredients that you like, get rid of the ingredients that you don't like, and don't be afraid to try new things. The worst that can happen is you make a salad that you don't like and you end up throwing it out. At least you have the rest of your dinner to enjoy.
     So, now that we've reached the one year milestone, what do we do next?
My first thought is that since there are 52 ideas here, I challenge you to make the ones that you haven't tried yet. My second thought is that there is no way I can keep this up, I have to cut back on the amount of time and energy that I put into this blog. With that said I have decided that I am going to take a month off. I will return to this in April with one post at the beginning of each month. I want to thank you for reading this blog and for trying these dinners. I hope that you have been entertained so far and that you now have some delicious dinners that you can make for your family and friends. Now, get in the kitchen and make a mess.

     Next month - Porcini Chicken.

Cashew Chicken or The Things We Do For Others Part II.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Cashew Chicken.

     Way back on May 15, 2012 I put up a post about Chicken Marsala that was sub-titled "The Things We Do For Others". The idea of that post was that although we are dieting, I love my wife very much and I don't want her to have to avoid her favorite dinners. My solution was to find diet recipes that replicate her favorite dinners and learn how to make them. Cashew Chicken is Ellen's favorite Chinese dinner; it doesn't matter which Chinese restaurant we go to or what is on the the menu, she will be having the cashew chicken. When I realized that I was going to have to find healthy versions of Ellen's favorite dinners, this was one of the first ones I looked up.
     Although I've posted a few Chinese/Asian dinners on here, cashew chicken was the first one I ever attempted from scratch. Before I tried this recipe I was apprehensive that I could pull off a Chinese dinner but as I worked through it I realized it was a lot easier than I though it would be. When it was time to eat Ellen was pleasantly surprised to see that familiar favorite; the look on her face when she tasted it let me know that I had made a winner.
     Now that you know my reason for making cashew chicken, let's take a look at the recipe.

                                          Cashew Chicken

Prep time   25 Min.     Cook time   12 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

2 teaspoons peanut oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1-1/2 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, or more to taste

2 ribs celery, chopped

8 ounce canned bamboo shoots, drained

8 ounce canned water chestnuts, sliced, drained

1-1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

2 cups cooked white rice, kept hot

1-3/4 ounces unsalted dry-roasted cashews (about 6 tablespoons)

Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Cook until browned on all sides stirring frequently, about 4 minutes.

Add 1 cup of broth, soy sauce, celery, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and cashews to chicken and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup of broth; add to skillet and simmer until sauce thickens, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

To serve, divide rice among 4 shallow dishes. Spoon chicken mixture onto rice. Enjoy.

This recipe yields 4 servings at 1 cup of chicken and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.


     This is an easy to make,delicious dinner that will rival any Chinese restaurant.
If you have family or friends that are fans of cashew chicken try this dinner on them. And if you want to boost the flavor, give it a couple of extra splashes of soy sauce. As always, if you try this dinner check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - My Salad or What I Have Learned.

Grilled Sesame Asparagus or More Asian Goodness.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Grilled Sesame Asparagus.

     Today's dinner is actually a cross-series post that is part of the Asian series and the the Salad and Sides series, it's not so much a dinner as it's on asian side dish. In fact, it could also be part of the Grill series
     Grilled sesame asparagus is a quick and easy side dish that combines the flavors of grilled asparagus and a light soy and ginger based sauce. My hope with the Asian series so far has been to help you understand the ingredients that create asian flavors. This recipe and next weeks recipe should help you to understand how to create asian flavors in a real and applicable way.
     While this is a delicious side dish I believe that a good part of it's appeal lies in it's simplicity. These are basic ingredients that, when combined impart a wonderful, unique flavor.
     So, instead of going on and on about how simple and delicious this side dish is, let's just jump into the recipe.

                                   Grilled Sesame Asparagus

Prep time   10 Min.     Cook time   10 Min.     Serves   6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ginger root, fresh, minced

2 sprays cooking spray

1 pound uncooked asparagus, ends trimmed

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Instructions

In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, oil, honey, garlic and ginger; set aside.

Off heat, coat grill rack with cooking spray; heat to high (or cook on a stovetop grill). Grill asparagus, turning frequently to char all sides, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Place asparagus in a shallow serving dish and pour sauce over top; toss to coat and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.

This recipe yields 6 servings at 1/6 of asparagus per serving.


     Grilled sesame asparagus goes well with beef and broccoli stir-fry, szechwan pork, cashew chicken or any other asian dinner, give it a try and find out for your self. If you try this recipe check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.

     Next week - Cashew Chicken or The Things We Do For Others Part II.

Steak with Roquefort and Mushrooms or Yes, It Is Healthy.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Steak with Roquefort and Mushrooms.

     When I was young, growing up in my parents house, my mom used to make huge "Fred Flintstone" steaks. I call them Fred Flintstone steaks because each one was so big that it would cover a plate; if you wanted any side dishes to go with your steak you would have to put them on a separate plate. I know that you are probably thinking that eating steak that way can't be healthy; to be honest it probably wasn't but my point isn't really to debate that yet but to draw a picture. My mom's steaks were delicious and although they only had a pinch of salt and pepper they were so good that they didn't need anything to dress them up. Don't get me wrong, there was always steak sauce on the table but it wasn't needed. Those were truly great steaks.
     Fast forward many years to the present and there are a lot of new ways to prepare steak with all kinds of exotic and interesting ingredients. While I am still a steak purist in the sense that I believe a steak should be able to stand on it's own I'm not opposed to trying new ingredients that blend well with steak. One of the combinations that I like is steak with roquefort cheese and mushrooms.
Steak with sauteed mushrooms and onions is nothing new but when we add blue cheese to the equation we start to approach a sum that is greater than it's parts. The first time I saw blue cheese used this way was on a "Black & Blue" burger at a local restaurant, it seems that the jump to adding blue cheese and mushrooms to a steak would be a logical move.
     The three ingredients that you should consider before you try to make this dinner are roquefort cheese, cremini mushrooms and shallots. Roquefort is a type of blue cheese, if you can't find it in the store you can substitute gorgonzola, stilton or any other blue cheese. Cremini mushrooms should be available in most stores, if you can't find them labeled as "Cremini" mushrooms try looking for "Baby Portobello". Cremini mushrooms are simply portobellos that have been picked before they matured. Shallots belong to the genus Allium which includes onions and garlic, they are similar to onions but different enough that they shouldn't be used interchangeably. If shallots seem familiar it's because we used them when we made Maple-Mustard Pork Chops.
     As far as whether this dinner is healthy or not we will be using lean beef which is a healthy source of protein and fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth instead of butter. This dinner is healthy and flavorful while using a minimum of ingredients.
     So, let's take a look at today's recipe.

                           Steak with Roquefort and Mushrooms

Prep time   12 Min.     Cook time   10 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 medium shallots, sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

3 cups cremini mushrooms (1/4 pound), sliced

3 fluid ounces madiera wine

1 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 ounces roquefort cheese, crumbled

16 ounces trimmed beef eye round steak or roast, 4 (4 ounce) pieces

Instructions

Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steak with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, then add to the skillet. Cook the steak until browned and cooked through, 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently until the mushrooms begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the liquid completely evaporates and the mushrooms begin to brown, 3-4 minutes longer. Add the broth and cook about 2 minutes.

Add the cheese, reserved steak, and any steak juice on the plate; cook, stirring frequently until cheese just melts, about 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and serve at once.

This recipe yields 4 servings at 1 steak and 1/3 cup of mushroom mixture per serving


     This dinner is a great way to have a restaurant style steak without firing up the grill or adding unnecessary fat. If you try this dinner, check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Grilled Sesame Asparagus or More Asian Goodness.

Pastrami Hash or What Is It?

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Pastrami Hash.

     Occasionally I run across something that confuses me or is not easily defined by it's name. When I discovered Pastrami Hash I had an idea of what it is but not what it should be.What I mean is, based on my experience with corn-beef hash it's easy to extrapolate what pastrami hash is but as far as how to serve it I don't know if it's breakfast, lunch, dinner or a side dish. My first thought thought was that it's a breakfast item to be served with pancakes, eggs and bacon. My second thought was that it's a side dish to be served with dinner. As I read through the recipe I started to think that since it's large and intended to serve a group of people maybe it's a dinner. The only way to resolve my confusion was to try it in all of these scenarios to see what works and what doesn't.
     The first time I made pastrami hash I decided to make it as a dinner. This is a large recipe and I thought it would be good to try it as a stand-alone dish with a salad and artisan bread. This turned out to be a good call because at four servings we were able to have seconds and still have left-overs to combine with scrambled eggs the next day for breakfast. While I'm used to having hash as a breakfast food it made a delicious and satisfying dinner.
     The next time I made it I tried it as a breakfast. This is the way I know hash; with pancakes, eggs and a side of bacon. This recipe works great as a breakfast food because it will serve several people and is well-suited to Sunday brunch or Christmas and Easter breakfasts. I like this as a breakfast but to me it seems like a lot for two people.
     The third and most recent way I tried Pastrami Hash was as a side dish.
My sister-in-law Elaine and her husband Mike host a New Years day dinner, this year I decided that since I had all of the ingredients on hand I would make it and take it along. As usual with Mike's cooking the dinner went well and the sense that I got from everyone was that it worked well as a side dish.
     The one thing that I haven't covered yet is the pastrami component of this recipe. We are probably all familiar with pastrami but in this recipe we will be using Turkey Pastrami. You should be able to find it in the deli counter at your local grocery store. Turkey pastrami usually comes with a light coating of black pepper, if you don't like spicy food you may want to omit the tablespoon of black pepper.
     So, let's jump into today's recipe.

                                            Pastrami Hash

Prep time   18 Min.     Cook time   51 Min.     Serves    4

Ingredients

2 sprays cooking spray

4 medium uncooked yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces

1-1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/3 pound turkey pastrami, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper, or less to taste

1/2 teaspoon thyme, fresh, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450f. Coat a 9 X 13-inch oven-proof dish or pan with cooking spray.

Set a medium pan of water to boil over high heat. Parboil potatoes just until fork tender, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Combine potatoes, onions, red pepper, tomatoes, pastrami, scallions, salt, black pepper and thyme in prepared dish; toss with oil. Bake to desired degree of doneness rotating dish once or twice during cooking, about 30 to 45 minutes.

This recipe yields 4 servings at about 1 cup per serving.


     This is a great recipe that defies you to decide what it is. I've tried it in every situation that I can think of and I still don't know if it's a breakfast, lunch, dinner or side dish. While I reserve the right to serve it anyway that I want I have to say my favorite way is as a dinner. If you try this recipe check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Steak with Roquefort and Mushrooms or Yes, It Is Healthy.

Crock Pot Jerk Turkey Soup or How Hot?

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is

Crock Pot Jerk Turkey Soup.

     I found this recipe while doing an on-line search for diet turkey recipes, I usually lean toward spicy foods and I needed a new recipe for Crock Pot Thursday. Considerings that I like jerk foods and I've never tried to make any this recipe was a no-brainer. Since most jerk food is either chicken or pork based the idea of trying jerk turkey sealed the deal.

     If you are not a spicy food person this dinner may not be for you, but, if you want to try something new this might be the ticket. The three ingredients that a make jerk recipe are Chili peppers, Allspice berries and Thyme. In this recipe we will be using Cayenne powder in place of the traditional Habanero pepper. Allspice berries are different from the ground allspice that you may know from baking pumpkin pies and they shouldn't be substituted. You should be able to find allspice berries in any well-stocked spice aisle or the Latin section of your local grocery store. Thyme is pretty self-explanatory, we've already used it in other recipes and you should already have it in your kitchen. One other item that you should consider when shopping for your ingredients is the turkey. The turkey that you'll want to buy should come pre-packaged and will look more like pork chops than the turkey that you're familiar with from Thanksgiving. If you use regular turkey breast it will fall apart in the crock pot and you'll end up with little strings of turkey instead of bite-size chunks.

     Now that we know a little bit about jerk foods let's take a look at today's recipe.

                                Crock Pot Jerk Turkey Soup

Prep time   20 Min.     Cook time   420 Min.     Serves   8

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice berries

1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided

1 pound turkey breast, cut in 1-inch chunks

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

14-1/2 ounce canned diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

15 ounce canned black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups fat-free chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons cilantro, fresh, minced

Instructions

In a medium bowl combine allspice, cayenne, ginger, garlic salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Add turkey and toss to coat; set aside for 15 minutes.

Place turkey in a 5-quart crock pot; add any spices remaining in bowl. Add thyme, garlic, onion, tomatoes, beans, broth, salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of pepper; stir. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Stir in lime juice and cilantro; let sit for 5 minutes for flavors to blend.

This recipe yields 6 servings at about 1-1/2 cups per serving.

     This is a delicious soup with a little bit of a kick to it. I recommend that you try it once as the recipe is written and then adjust the spiciness if you need to.

To complete this dinner all you need to add is a salad and some crusty whole-wheat bread. If you try this dinner, leave a comment here and let me know how it turned out.

     Next week - Pastrami Hash or What Is It?

Szechwan Pork or Part 2.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Szechwan Pork.

     Last week I covered Crunchy Asian Salad in part 1 of this two-part series, this week we will conclude with Szechwan Pork.
     I've written about foods from many areas of the world and many styles of cooking, one area that I've briefly touched on but want to cover in more detail is Asian/Chinese food. Of all the types of food I've written about Chinese food is probably the one that we can all relate to but is also the one that we know the least about. It's ingredients are foreign (pun intended) to us and it's flavors are hard to define. As I stated in my Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry post, until recently I've had very little experience at cooking Chinese food but over the last year I've gained a better understanding of the ingredients that create these uniquely Asian flavors.
     Most of the Asian dinners that I've made utilize traditional ingredients, Szechwan pork is different in that it uses non-traditional ingredients to achieve a traditional taste. Peanut butter may not seem like an Asian ingredient but peanuts and peanut sauce are featured in many Asian foods. The really odd ingredient is picante sauce. When I read the recipe I thought it was a typo but when I tried it, it actually worked. The way I look at this recipe is that it's a simplified way to get to a delicious result. And if anyone asks how you made it, you don't have to tell them about the picante sauce, Just tell them it's an ancient Chinese secret.
     So, let's take a look at today's recipe.

                                          Szechwan Pork


Prep time   14 Min.     Cook time   7 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 teaspoons ginger root, peeled and minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips

1/3 cup picante sauce

2 tablespoons reduced-fat peanut butter

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

2 cups cooked white rice, hot

1/4 cup scallions, sliced

Instructions

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork, ginger and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Add bell pepper; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add picante sauce, peanut butter and soy sauce; stir-fry 3 minutes or until pork loses it's pink color and sauce is thick.

To serve - transfer pork and rice to individual plates and top with scallions

This recipe yields 4 servings at about 1/2 cup of pork mixture and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.


     If you like Chinese food this dinner should be easy to work into your menu rotation. Next month I'm planning to cover a couple more Asian inspired dinners.
As always, if you try this dinner, leave a comment here and let me know how it turned out.


   Next week - Crock Pot Jerk Turkey Soup or How Hot?

Crunchy Asian Salad or Part 1.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Crunchy Asian Salad.

 

     Today's post is part of the Salad and Sides series and is also part of a two-week Asian food series that will conclude next week with Szechwan Pork. When we think about Asian food we normally think about Chinese restaurants. At our favorite Chinese restaurant we will probably order soup, egg rolls, a main course and the obligatory fortune cookie; a salad simply never crosses our minds. With this salad I am asking you to think outside the box and try something new.
     At it's core Crunchy Asian Salad is just like every other salad, the only difference is that we will be using different ingredients to give it an Asian flavor. One of the ingredients that we will be changing is lettuce, instead of the typical lettuce we will be using cabbage and lettuce in equal amounts to give this salad a lot of it's crunchiness. The rest of the crunch comes from edamame (shelled) and slivered almonds.
     Salad dressings generally come in two forms, vinegar based and mayonnaise based, in this recipe we will be making a vinegar based dressing using rice wine vinegar, honey, soy sauce and sesame oil. Where the cabbage, edamame and almonds give this salad it's crunch the dressing gives it an Asian flavor.
     So, let's jump into today's recipe.

                                  Crunchy Asian Salad


Prep time   10 Min.     Cook time   0 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

2 cups packaged coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)

2 cups romaine lettuce

1 cup edamame (shelled)

1 cup scallions, sliced

1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons ginger root, finely minced or grated

1/4 cup slivered almonds

Instructions

In a large bowl toss together coleslaw, romaine, scallions and tomato.

In a small bowl whisk together rice wine vinegar, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger.

Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle almond slivers over salad and serve.

This recipe yields 4 servings.


     This is a great salad to go with any Asian dinner. As I stated earlier this is part 1 of a two-part series, I recommend you serve it with next week's dinner and treat your family to make-it-yourself Chinese food. As always, if you try this salad leave a comment here and let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Szechwan Pork or Part 2.

One-Pan Pork Chops with Fennel, Onion and Apple or Easy and Delicious.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
One-Pan Pork Chops with Fennel, Onion and Apple.

     If you've been reading this blog you have probably noticed the theme of easy and delicious, today's dinner is no exception. When I look at recipes one of the things that I consider is how difficult is it to make. If they require multiple tedious steps or a special piece of cooking equipment that I don't have I skip over them in favor of something more simple. One-pan pork chops with fennel, onion and apple is a delicious dinner that is well-suited to fall or winter. It's name implies a level of simplicity and most of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen already.
The most difficult part of this dinner is that you will have to go to the store to get a fennel bulb. The combination of flavors work well together with the fennel bulb giving it a tartness and the apple giving it a sweetness.
     Now that we've covered the simplicity of this dinner, let's take a look at the recipe.

              One-Pan Pork Chops with Fennel, Onion and Apple.


Prep time   15 Min.     Cook time   30 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

1 large red onion, cut into wedges

1 medium fresh apple, cored and cut into thick slices

1 medium fennel bulb, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic herb seasoning, or steak seasoning

1 pound lean boneless pork chops, four 4 ounce pieces

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375f.

In a large bowl, combine onion, apple, fennel, oil and seasoning; toss to coat and spread out in a large nonstick pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, Season pork to taste with salt and pepper.

After vegetable mixture has cooked for 15 minutes, *remove pan from oven and toss; move vegetable mixture to sides of pan and add pork to the middle of pan. *Bake until pork is cooked through and vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes more.

This recipe yields 4 servings at 1 pork chop and about 3/4 cup vegetable mixture per serving.

*Note: Be careful - the handle of the pan with be hot.


     This is a easy and delicious dinner that should appeal to every member of your family, make it on a cold fall or winter evening and watch as everyone warms up to it. Also, after you've made it a couple of times try substituting chicken and pears for the pork and apples. As always, if you try this dinner leave a comment here and let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Crunchy Asian Salad or Part 1.

Turkish Meatballs with Cucumber-Yogurt Dipping Sauce or Happy New Year.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Turkish Meatballs with Cucumber-Yogurt Dipping Sauce.

     When I started this experiment I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do and less of an idea of where it would lead. As it has gone along, this whole thing has evolved and moved in different directions. One of those evolutions has been the development of various series. As the series have grown I've found a commonality among them, the common theme that I've seen and fostered is food for entertaining. The grilling series was a great way to get you into recipes that you would want to make at a cook-out. The regular dinners are interesting and well-suited for entertaining family and friends at a dinner party and the snack series has been a wonderful way to introduce you to light and healthy snacks and appetizers to put out at a party or take to a get together. A couple of things that I've tried to express with these recipes are that food should taste good and cooking shouldn't be thought of as a difficult task but the one thing that I really want you to get from this is that food should be shared with others. If you've enjoyed the snacks that we've covered, make them and eat them with your friends and loved ones.
     So, let's take a look at our last entry into the snack series.

           Turkish Meatballs with Cucumber-Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Prep time   20 Min.     Cook time   32 Min.     Serves   12

Ingredients

1/2 cup uncooked burgur

1 spray cooking spray

1/2 pound 93% lean ground beef

1/4 cup scallions, sliced

3 tablespoons cilantro, fresh, chopped, divided

1-1/4 teaspoons minced garlic, divided

1-1/4 teaspoons ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup cucumber, finely diced

2 tablespoons fresh radish, finely diced

1 tablespoon dill, fresh, chopped

Instructions

Cook or soak bulgur according to package directions; drain any excess water and let cool.

Place oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 425f. Coat baking pan with cooking spray.

Put beef, scallions, 2 tablespoons of cilantro, 1 teaspoon each of garlic and cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, paprika, cinnamon and drained bulgur in a large bowl; combine ingredients with your hands until well mixed.

Roll meatball mixture into twenty-four 1-1/4 inch balls; place on prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make dipping sauce, in a small bowl combine yogurt, cucumber, radish, dill, remaining tablespoon of cilantro, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic, cumin and salt; mix well.

To serve, place meatballs on a serving platter with toothpicks and spoon sauce into a small bowl.

This recipe yields 2 meatballs and about 1-1/2 tablespoons of sauce per serving.

Note: You can form the meatballs up to 6 hours before cooking and keep them refrigerated until you're ready to cook them. The dipping sauce can be made up to 6 hours ahead too, but stir in the cucumber and radish just before serving.


     The snack series has been a long running part of this blog and I want to thank you for working through them with me. I hope that you have been entertained by reading about them and I hope that you have opportunities to serve them to your friends. Lastly I want to wish you a Happy New Year.


     Next week - One-Pan Pork Chops with Fennel, Onion and Apple or Easy and Delicious.

Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken Curry or One More Way to Make Indian Food.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken Curry.

     Over these many months we've covered a lot of recipes and we've seen a few recurring themes. With today's dinner we are going to revisit the theme of Indian food. As a child and a teenager I was not aware of Indian food; it wasn't until I moved to West Germany in the mid 1980's that I had any exposure to it.
Shortly after moving to Columbus I noticed that Indian restaurants were becoming more popular in the states and people were being exposed to these new and exciting flavors. I do have to say that until recently I had only eaten Indian food a handful of times and I had never experienced it at the level that I have since finding these recipes.
     In previous posts I have written about the use of skewers and tandoor ovens in Indian cooking but to the best of my knowledge crock pot cooking is not common among Indian cuisine but it lends itself very well to this dish.The one thing that might throw you off in this recipe is chutney; chutney is similar to jelly and is usually made from mango. The chutney that I have used when making this recipe is mango and ginger which adds an extra layer to the sweet and sour complexity.
     So let's take a look at today's recipe.

                        Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken Curry

Prep time   10 Min.     Cook time   240 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large vidalia onion, sliced

14-1/2 ounces stewed tomatoes

1/2 cup mango chutney

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1-1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Instructions

Place chicken, pepper and onion in a crock pot; top with tomatoes

Mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over chicken mixture, cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.

This recipe yields about 1-1/2 to 2 cups per serving.


     This is an easy and delicious dinner that has a wonderful complexity of flavors.
If you try this dinner, check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Turkish Meatballs with a Cucumber-Yogurt Dipping Sauce or Happy New Years!

Spinach Au Gratin or A Nice Alternative.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Spinach Au Gratin.

     Last month I started a new series I am calling the salad and sides series, spinach au gratin could be thought of as a salad but I consider it a side dish. At my house I do the vast majority of the cooking. Most of the time I make a main course dish with a simple salad and maybe some type of bread or I will throw vegetables in the microwave. A few times a month and when we have guests for dinner I like to make a more complete dinner with a couple of side dishes. My goal with this series is to give you some alternatives to salad-in-a-bag and mashed potatoes.
     Spinach Au Gratin is a variation of a French dish called Swiss Chard Au Gratin, the difference is that we are substituting spinach for the swiss chard. This is basically spinach that is wilted and then tossed with a melted cheese mixture; that right there puts it well into my simple and delicious category.
     Now that we know where we are going, let's take a look at today's recipe.

                                        Spinach Au Gratin

Prep time   10 Min.     Cook time   20 Min.     Serves   8

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup low-fat milk, at room temperature

1/2 small onion, minced

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, parmigiano-reggianno recommended

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Steam, parboil or microwave spinach until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes; drain and place in a serving dish.

Place a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat; add oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add flour, whisking constantly for 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.

Add onion and nutmeg; simmering gently and stirring often until mixture starts to thicken.

Remove pan from heat; stir in cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir until well-combined. Pour sauce over spinach; toss and serve.

This recipe yields 8 servings at about 1/2 cup per serving.

*Note- Skim milk is not recommended for this recipe.


     This is a great side dish that should appeal to adults and children. If you want to forgo the spinach and try it with Swiss Chard just change out the two ingredients but make sure you remove the tough center rib and boil the leaves until they are wilted.
     As always, if you try this side dish, check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken Curry or One More Way to Make Indian Food.

Roasted Brisket or Something New (To Me).

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Roasted Brisket.

  
     Recently I found a slimmed down recipe for roasted brisket; I have never had brisket and I've always been curious about it. With all of the places I've been and all of the different types of food I've eaten I somehow had never eaten brisket. So what is it and how is it prepared? I don't feel at this point that I have a definitive answer but with this recipe I think I have a good starting point. The one thing that I was aware of before I tried this recipe is that brisket is a large piece of beef (usually 2 - 4 pounds) that is cooked for a long time at a low temperature. In this recipe I found that I would be cooking my brisket in the oven for three hours at 325f. The second thing I discovered is that I would be roasting baby carrots, mushrooms, and onions in the same pan as my brisket; I don't know if this is the normal way to roast brisket but I do like the idea that it is getting me one step closer to a complete dinner so I will go with it. The third thing I discovered is that this recipe also has a tomato mixture that will be poured over the brisket and will be used to baste it.
     After working through this recipe I found that I had a large piece of beef similar to a pot roast but coated with a layer of tomato mixture on the outside similar to meatloaf. When I tasted it I found that it was very moist and flavorful,; how have I missed out on this for all of these years? The vegetables cooked in the tomato mixture and juices that had run off of the brisket were soft, moist, and delicious.
I don't know if this is the normal way to prepare vegetables with brisket but I definitely like it.
     Now that you have a little background about my limited experience with brisket, let's jump into today's recipe.

                                            Roasted Brisket

Prep time   15 Min.     Cook time   180 Min.     Serves   8

Ingredients

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound baby carrots

5 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (about 2 to 2-1/2 cups)

2-1/2 pounds lean and trimmed beef brisket

28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325f.

Spread onion slices and garlic on bottom of a nonstick roasting pan; top with carrots and mushrooms. Arrange beef over vegetables.

In a mixing bowl combine tomatoes, paprika, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and sugar; stir to dissolve sugar.

Pour tomato mixture over brisket and vegetables; tightly cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. Roast for 2 hours and then remove from oven; uncover, stir and use pan juices to baste meat. Return brisket to oven and roast for about 1 hour more uncovered, basting every 15 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing beef into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Serve meat and vegetables with sauce spooned over top.

This recipe yields about 3 ounces of beef and 3/4 cup of vegetables and sauce per serving.


     This is a wonderful, nearly complete dinner that would be great for holiday entertaining. I recommend you put this on the table at your Christmas or New Years party and prepare yourself to graciously accept the compliments. If you would like to add some extra color and flavor, add a cup of frozen green bell pepper strips and a few red skin potatoes. If you try this dinner check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.

     Next week - Spinach Au Gratin or A Nice Alternative.

Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce or More Food on A Stick.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce.

     As usual with the snack series I want to preface this by stating that this is a snack recipe. For some reason lately it seems as though I'm not happy unless I'm shoving a stick through my food. I'm not sure if this is my nature or if the pool that I'm getting these recipes from is a little shallow but lately I've been writing a lot about skewered food. It may be because it is the original form of cooking, it may be because it's easy and portable food, or it may be because I think that there are too many skewers in the world and I feel a need to use them up as quickly as possible one recipe at a time. At any rate I decided last week to recruit some help in my one man war on skewers by taking forty of them to a get together. I have to say if your friends have seen most of the tricks in your snack bag wait until you pull out the food on a stick trick.
     Chicken skewers with spicy peanut dipping sauce combines two different approaches to reach the same end result. I'm going to break these down into their parts, the first being the chicken which is Indian and the second being the sauce which is Oriental. The chicken skewers are similar to the Grilled Tandoori Chicken and Red Onion Skewers with Couscous that we cooked on the grill a few months ago; the chicken is marinaded in a yogurt and curry powder mixture and then skewered before cooking. The difference here is that we will cook these in the oven instead of grilling them. As we've seen previously this is an Indian style of cooking, the spicy peanut dipping sauce has a distinctly Oriental flavor and will pop up again in a different form when I get around to posting the Szechwan Pork recipe.
This sauce is basically reduced fat creamy peanut butter that is thinned out with red wine vinegar and soy sauce and given a kick with chili oil and sesame oil.
Since chili oil has a tendency to be very potent I urge you to try the sauce before you serve it and if you want to make it spicier add 1 to 2 drops at a time until it reaches a hotness that you are happy with. Once you've made the peanut sauce you should refrigerate any unused portions for later use.
     I feel that although I've written about skewers I haven't adequately explained how I like to use them. To better illustrate what I am talking about I have included a picture below. On the left are two metal skewers, I like to use these on the grill. They are metal which means they won't burn over an open flame, they are flat and have a twist so the food flop around while you are turning them, they have a ring at the handle end that aids when you are turning the food, and they are re-usable.
The skewer in the middle is made of bamboo wood, this is the kind of skewer I like to use in the oven or when I'm making skewers to serve many people. The main reason that I like these for the oven is that they are shorter and will fit. Another thing I like about them is they are cheap and disposable which is great when making multiple servings. The reasons that I like this type of wooden skewer is that they are flat like the metal skewers which keeps the food from flopping around and they are stronger than the thin dowel type of wooden skewers. Also they have an aesthetic that the dowel skewers don't have. The skewers on the right are the thin wooden dowel type that I don't like to use. These are very flimsy, prone to splintering, and are round which allows the food to flop around. I find the best use for these is lighting the fireplace. With all wooden skewers make sure you soak them in water for 30 minutes before you use them. If you use them on the grill or you find that the ends are burning, wrap the ends in aluminum foil.

     Now that we've covered chicken skewers with spicy peanut dipping sauce and the attributes of different skewer types let's take a look at today's recipe.

                Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce.

Prep time   20 Min.     Cook time 16 Min.     Serves   8

Ingredients

9 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 cup plain fat-free yogurt

1-1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup reduced fat peanut butter, smooth variety

1/4 cup hot water

1-1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon chili oil

Instructions

Place the chicken between pieces of plastic wrap and pound to an even thickness. Cut the breasts lengthwise, on the diagonal into 16 (1-inch wide) strips. Combine the chicken, yogurt, curry powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour or up to several hours.

Meanwhile soak 16 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.

to make the dipping sauce, whisk together the peanut butter, hot water, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and chili oil in a small bowl until blended and smooth. Taste the sauce and season with additional chili oil if desired. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl; cover and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400f. Spray a rectangular baking pan with cooking spray.

Thread 1 chicken strip onto each skewer in a snake-like fashion. Arrange the skewers in the baking pan. Cook in the oven for 8 minutes, turn the skewers over and cook for 8 more minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Pile the skewers on a plate and serve the sauce alongside.

This recipe yields 2 skewers per serving.


     This is a great snack for any get together and should go over well with your friends and family. If you make this snack, check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.
     We've been going through the snack series for many months and have covered some interesting and diverse foods. My goal with the snack series has been to equip you with delicious low-fat snacks that you can serve when you are entertaining guests or take to get togethers; to that end I think I have succeeded. Now, as we head into the holidays I hope that you put these recipes to good use. This has been a long running series and I think it is time to let it run down and make room for more main course dinners. I plan to post one more snack recipe on the last Tuesday of December and I may post a snack recipe or two after that if I think they are exceptional but I feel it's time to move on to something new. I hope that you've found this series helpful.


     Next week - Roasted Brisket or Something New (to me).

Provencal Beef Stew or The Better of The Two.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Provencal Beef Stew.

     Over the last couple of months I've found some recipes that are either variations of the same thing or different recipes that are similar. An example of this is the BBQ Pork Sandwiches that I posted two weeks ago; when I found that recipe I also found a recipe that was the same with the exception that it omitted the homemade slaw. The reason that I posted the one I did is because I think that the slaw added something that made it a better recipe. Another example is Boeuf Bourguignon and Provencal Beef Stew; these are two different recipes that have similar traits.
The two times that I made boeuf bourguignon it didn't turn out quite the way I expected it to and I felt disappointed that I had put so much work into something so bland. On the other hand I have made Provencal beef stew a couple of times and so far I have been very happy with it. This leads me to a decision, should I write about boeuf bourguignon or provencal beef stew? I think we know the answer.
     Provencal Beef Stew is a french dish that comes from the Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azure region. It originated as something considered a "peasant" food in an area that is good for grazing animals but is not suited for growing large crops.
The area is mountainous and the nutrient poor soil is best suited to growing root vegetables. Part of what I like about this stew is that it started with a humble beginning and an attitude of making something delicious out of simple ingredients.
     So let's jump into today's recipe.

                                      Provencal Beef Stew

Prep time   20 Min.     Cook time   425 Min.     Serves   6

Ingredients

16 ounces lean beef round, cut into 1-inch cubes (London broil)

1 spray cooking spray

1 small onion, chopped

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, sliced

15 ounces canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed, divided

1-1/2 cups beef broth, divided

14-1/2 ounces canned crushed tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, or 2 whole sprigs for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Place beef in a crock pot

Coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add onion mixture to crock pot; add carrots.

Place half of beans in crock pot; place remaining beans in a blender. Add 1/2 cup of broth to blender and puree; spoon mixture into crock pot. Add remaining broth, tomatoes, oregano, dried thyme, salt and pepper to crock pot.

Cover crock pot and cook on high setting for 6 to 7 hours. Garnish with fresh thyme before serving

This recipe yields about 1-1/4 cups per serving.


     This is a delicious dinner that will satisfy every member of your family.
Serve it with a salad and French bread and you will have a complete meal.
If you try this dinner leave a comment and let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce or More Food on a Stick.

Kale with Bacon and Cannellini Bean Salad or A New Series.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Kale with Bacon and Cannellini Bean Salad.

     Over the last couple of months I've been thinking about starting a new series, the idea came to me while thinking about how I had written about many main course recipes but I haven't covered very many salad or side dishes. The conclusion that I came to is that I should do a series that I am going to call the "Salad and Sides Series". My plan is to post a salad or side dish recipe on the second Tuesday of each month in the slot recently vacated by the grilling series.
     My first entry in this new series is Kale with Bacon and Cannellini Bean Salad. This is a different salad than most of us are used to in that it is a cooked salad that features kale instead of lettuce or spinach. Kale is a form of cabbage with green or purple leaves in which the central leaves do not form a head. It belongs to the genus Brassica oleracea which contains a wide array of vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, and brussel sprouts. Kale leaves tend to be stiff and contain a thick spine; in order to be made edible the spine has to be removed and the leaves have to be cooked to soften them.
     Another component of this salad is Cannellini beans. These beans are related to kidney, great northern, navy and green beans. You should be able to find them in cans in the bean section of your local store, if you can't find them you can substitute kidney or great northern beans.
     Beyond the flavor and uniqueness of this salad one thing that I like about it is that it can be served as a salad, it can be served over pasta as a side dish or it can be served in larger portions as a main course.
     Let's take a look at this recipe.


                     Kale with Bacon and Cannellini Bean Salad

Prep time   10 Min.     Cook time   32 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

3 slices uncooked reduced-fat bacon

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 cup onions, diced

1 pound uncooked kale, stemmed, roughly chopped

1 cup canned chicken broth

15 ounces cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

Set a large, heavy pot over medium heat; add bacon and cook to desired crispness. Remove bacon from pot and set aside; leave bacon drippings in pot.

Add garlic and red pepper flakes to bacon drippings; cook, stirring, until garlic becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion; cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add kale; cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to wilt, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add beans; simmer uncovered until liquid is almost evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in salt, vinegar and sugar; sprinkle with crumbled bacon and serve immediately.

This recipe yield about 1-1/4 cups of salad per serving.


     Although it's more involved than the normal ready-to-use bagged salad I believe that there are occasions when it is definitely worth the extra effort. Since this salad only requires three pieces of bacon I try to make it in a week that I also plan to make BLT sandwiches. If you try this salad, leave a comment here and let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Provencal Beef Stew or The Better of The Two.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Slaw or Football Fare.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is BBQ Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Slaw.

 

     At this point we are deep into football season. Here in Ohio the big game is The Ohio State Buckeyes followed closely by the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals. My favorite part of football is the social aspect; people with a common interest getting together to watch a game, drink a couple of beverages, and eat some food (and yell at the t.v.). The food component of this ritual is the one area that presents the most diversity; it can range from the basic potato chips and pretzels to full blown buffets. Over the last couple of years I have gotten into the routine of ordering pizza, wings, and bread sticks from the local pizza place, with my diet I have had to fundamentally rethink my football fare. With my new approach to food I wanted to find something that could be a snack or could be expanded to a more substantial meal. While looking through recipes online I found part of the solution in BBQ pork sandwiches. I like this because beyond the taste and ease of preparation it can be served along side other snacks or you can add something like sweet potato fries to make it a meal. I also like that you can make it at home, put the BBQ pork in a crock pot, and take it to your friend's party.
     This is not a pulled pork recipe but rather the idea is to use 1/4 inch thick slices of pork tenderloin and to further slice them into pieces that are roughly 2 inches by 1 inch by 1/4 inch thick. It may be hard to see but the sandwich in the picture above has five pieces of bbq'd pork stacked in three layers. Another thing you will notice in the picture and the recipe to follow is that the homemade slaw is piled on the pork in the sandwich. This is the way this sandwich is meant to be made; I suggest that you try it this way and if you don't like it you can put the slaw on the side next time.
     So let's take a look at today's recipe.


                BBQ Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Slaw

Prep time   20 Min.     Cook time   25 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

1 spray, cooking spray

1 pound lean pork tenderloin, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

15 ounce canned tomato sauce

1-1/2 tablespoon worchestershire sauce

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

4 reduced-calorie hamburger buns

3 tablespoons reduced-calorie mayonnaise

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (sub. white wine vinegar if you don't have it)

2 cups packaged coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)

3 tablespoons scallions, sliced

Instructions

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat. Add pork slices in a single layer and season with salt and pepper; brown 2 minutes per side. Do not crowd; cook in batches if necessary. Remove pork and set aside. Add onion and garlic to skillet; saut'e over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, white wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to skillet; stir and simmer 1 minute. Add pork to skillet and spoon sauce over pork; cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk mayonnaise, water, and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Add coleslaw mix and scallions; toss to mix and coat.

Divide pork into 4 portions, place 1 portion of pork on the bottom half of each bun and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of barbeque sauce; top with 1/2 cup of coleslaw and cover with top half of bun.

This recipe yields one sandwich per serving.


     These are great sandwiches that works well with football games or any gathering where you want to serve something quick and easy. These sandwiches will also boost the wow factor at the next tailgate party. As always, if you try this dinner, leave a comment here and let me know how it worked out.


     Next week - Kale with Bacon and Cannellini Bean Salad or A New Series.

Chicken Poppers or Homemade Finger Food.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog, today's dinner is
Chicken Poppers.

     This week we are back to the normal end of month snack series. Something that I noticed when I looked at my calender to see what I am writing about is that I inadvertently scheduled three chicken recipes for this month. I usually try to write about diverse dinners to keep this interesting but apparently I haven't fully thought through my choice of dinners this month. Since I'm already committed to writing about Chicken Poppers I promise I won't write about chicken again until the last post of next month.

     I recently stumbled across the recipe for chicken poppers, these are very similar to the chicken nuggets that we all know from many fast food franchises, the difference is that you are making them yourself and you are making the dipping sauce from scratch. When I made these I was very behind schedule; it was an hour before a get together and I had left no room for error, this recipe had to work the first time or I would be running to the store to pick up a veggie tray. As I pulled the first baking sheet from the oven I tried one; it worked, I'm halfway home. The popper was hot and moist but not greasy, it was a lighter, tasty version of the nuggets most of us grew up on. While the second batch was cooking I mixed together the dipping sauce. I took another popper from the first batch and dipped it in the sauce; it was different from most dips that I have tried but it had a little kick to it and I liked it.

     The idea of the sauce is that it's a low fat alternative to heavy, full fat sauces; it's a lighter sour cream based sauce that gets most of it's flavor from salsa and cilantro. I'm normally a honey-mustard person but I found this combination of poppers and dipping sauce a nice change of pace.

     Let's jump into today's recipe.

                                     Chicken Poppers

Prep time   12 Min.     Cook time   15 Min.     Serves   4

Ingredients

3 sprays cooking spray

1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute

1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup fat free salsa

1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise

1 tablespoon cilantro, fresh, minced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425f. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place egg substitute in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, cornmeal, garlic salt, salt, paprika and pepper.

Dip chicken in egg substitute and then in breadcrumb mixture; turn to coat. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Bake for 5 minutes, flip over and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

Meanwhile, to make sauce combine salsa, mayonnaise and cilantro in a small bowl; stir well.

Place poppers on a plate and serve sauce in a small bowl on the side.

This recipe yields about 6 nuggets and 2 tablespoons of sauce per serving.

     This is a quick and easy snack that requires very little effort. I would imagine that these can be made ahead of time and frozen until you want them or you could make large batches of them and freeze them in smaller batches to be eaten over a period of time. If you try this recipe leave a comment and let me know how they turned out.

     Next week- BBQ Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Slaw or Football Fare.