Favorites Week!!!

Since life has gotten away from me and I am behind again I am just going to post my most FAVORITE recipes that have cropped up recently.

Baked Eggplant Stacks with Roasted Tomato Sauce

This recipe was AMAZING. Definitely a lot of steps and takes a pretty decent amount of prep time but is is so worth it! I added feta cheese to the spinach mixture for fat and salt.

I highly recommend roasting your own tomatoes as opposed to using something canned. Really made the dish amazing.




Ingredients

8 plum tomatoes (about 1 pound)
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups diced onion, divided
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
20 garlic cloves, peeled (about 2 large heads)
1 cup canned vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
18 (1/2-inch-thick) slices eggplant (about 2 medium)
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
Oregano sprigs (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°.
Place tomatoes in a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Set aside.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup diced onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, red wine, oregano, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Place tomato mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Set aside; keep warm.

Place a saucepan coated with cooking spray over high heat. Add sliced onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add wine and garlic. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Place garlic mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Set aside; keep warm.

Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt over eggplant. Place half of eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure with remaining eggplant; set aside.

Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup diced onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add spinach; cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; (this is where you would stir in the soy cheese or feta in my case)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Arrange 6 eggplant slices, 2 to 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet. Spread 2 1/2 tablespoons spinach mixture over each slice. Stack each with another eggplant slice, an additional 2 1/2 tablespoons spinach mixture, and remaining slices. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Arrange 1 eggplant stack on each of 6 plates; spoon 1/3 cup tomato sauce and 2 tablespoons garlic sauce on each plate. Garnish with oregano, if desired.

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Balsamic Reduction

This recipe was fantastic. We had it with cauliflower mash (instead of potatoes) and green beans. I would recommend slicing the pork as uniformlly as possible to avoid under/over cooking random pieces. I find that if the pieces are a little under you can microwave them for a minute or so to finish them. This doesn't seem to harm the cooked flavors.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
• Cooking spray
• 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, cut into 12 slices
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. 1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add vinegar and next 3 ingredients; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup.
2. 2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Place pork in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side. Add balsamic reduction; cook 1 minute, turning pork to coat.

Warm Chocolate Pudding

This recipe is a bit time consuming and requires a lot of whisking. Don't worry if seems like you aren't getting anywhere on the thickening. All of a sudden it will all come together. I served with with a dollop of home made whipped cream (1-1 1/2 Tbs sugar + 1 cup heavy whipping cream beat on high in a mixer for a few minutes or whisked by hand until fluffy).

Ingredients

• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 cups nonfat or low-fat milk, divided
• 2/3 cup sugar, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Lightly beat egg with a fork in a medium bowl.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/3 cup sugar and salt in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining 3/4 cup milk until blended. Whisk the simmering milk mixture into the cocoa mixture. Pour the mixture back into the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and glossy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Whisk about 1 cup of the hot cocoa mixture into the beaten egg. Return the egg mixture to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until steaming and thickened, about 2 minutes. (Do not boil.) Whisk in vanilla. Serve warm.

Turkey Meatballs
Yeah so I don't have any pictures of these awesome morsels so instead we will look at these two proud birds. Anyway these meatballs have been a rampant hit with family and friends resulting in nearly 10 batches of them being made in the past few weeks (I currently have some in the fridge for dinner tonight!). These are from a clean eating site and are so loaded with flavor you completely forget they are nutritious and low fat. Serve them with fat free Greek yogurt for a completely guilt free dipping sauce!!


Ingredients

1 1/2  lbs  organic ground turkey
1    garlic clove, chopped
1   Tbsp  extra-virgin olive oil
1     egg
1/2  tsp  cumin
1/2  tsp  paprika
1/2  tsp  salt
1/4  tsp  cinnamon
1/4  tsp  cayenne pepper
2   Tbsp  finely chopped parsley
1  Tbsp  finely chopped mint

1. In a medium bowl mix together all ingredients. Lightly grease hands and
form into meatballs that are more oval and longer than regular meatballs.
Drizzle meatballs with oil. slide meatballs on 6 to 8 skewers. Gently lift
onto a hot grill and grill for 6 - 8 minutes a side.

**Note** I actually just make them into balls and sear them in a hot pan/grill pan. They don't really hang on to skewers well at all.

Orange Chipotle Chicken over Cilantro Rice

This chicken has a great heat while being mildly sweet. Pairs wonderfully with the clean flavors of the brown rice and cilantro combination. I think next time I might dice the chicken and make it more of a stir fry dish, possibly tossing in a little steam broccoli at the end to absorb more of the delicious sauce. I would recommend doubling the sauce components as its super tasty.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tsp chile powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp sea salt, divided
• 1 tsp safflower oil
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb), rinsed and patted dry, pounded 1/2-inch thick
• Juice 1 medium navel orange (1/3 cup orange juice)
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1/4 packed cup chopped cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, combine chile powder, cumin and 1/4 tsp salt. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet to medium-high. Tilt skillet to coat bottom lightly. Season both sides of chicken with chile-cumin mixture and cook for 3 minutes per side or until no longer pink in center. Remove from skillet and set aside.
2. Add orange juice and maple syrup to juice and bits left in skillet and cook for 1 minute to thicken slightly (until it measures 1/4 cup liquid), stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in chipotle chiles in adobo sauce and orange zest. Add chicken back to skillet, return to heat and cook for 1 minute on medium-high, turning constantly.
3. In a medium bowl, combine rice, cilantro and remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Serve chicken over rice and spoon any excess glaze over top chicken pieces.

Till next time!

Tait and Ems

Getting Back on Track: Part I

This is going to be a long post, mostly because I missed posting last week, therefore this week will be two weeks combined. Lots of great eats happened in the last two weeks. I discovered a new appreciation for co-op vegetables, found a new glaze for my favorite lean pork tenderloins (which apparently I can't find the recipe for again!), and fell madly in love with a vegetarian dish. Read on for more details!

Chicken Stir Fry Wraps

I have done a lot of stir fry in my days, but for this one I challenged my love of brown rice with them. A nice head of Boston lettuce helped ease me away from carbs and increased my veggie count for the night. I would suggest making sure your Boston is a good size, and you might need two since the leaves get pretty small and unusable as cups in the middle. If you are on a budge you could substitute a head of iceberg, or some green leaf.

I think if you have a talent for tofu this recipe could be easily modified to a vegetarian dish.

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally and thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• 12 to 16 Boston lettuce leaves (about 2 heads)

Directions

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Add half the chicken; cook, stirring constantly, until opaque throughout, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
2. Add remaining tablespoon oil to pan, along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until onion is tender and golden, about 4 minutes (reduce heat if browning too quickly).
3. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic, ginger, and red-pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
4. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch mixture; remove from heat. Add chicken and any accumulated juices; toss to coat. Serve in lettuce cups.

Penne with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce 

This dish was pretty interesting. It almost was like putting pumpkin paste on top of pasta. While tasty, the texture was a little off-putting. I would recommend perhaps adding a bit of cream to thin the consistency and add fat to the dish. The fried Rosemary was to die for! Who would have thought!

Ingredients

• 12 ounces penne rigate (ridged), or other short pasta
• Coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
• 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and set aside.
2. In pasta pot, heat oil over medium. Add rosemary and fry, stirring, until starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer rosemary to a paper towel, leaving oil in pot.
3. Carefully (oil is hot and will spatter) add pumpkin puree, garlic, half-and-half, Parmesan, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, and 1 cup reserved pasta water to pot. Stir sauce until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add pasta to sauce, and toss to coat. If sauce is too thick, add some reserved pasta water. Season generously with salt. Serve pasta sprinkled with fried rosemary and, if desired, more red-pepper flakes.

Citrus Spark Salmon Steaks

I would add a picture for this one, unfortunately the one on the site looks nothing like the finished product, so we will just breeze that. This was an interesting dish, however I would definitely make sure you get salmon without the skin. I had them skin up and it pretty much blocked all the flavor from getting to the fish. This is probably a "duh" moment for most people, but for those of you like me, just a warning.

 INGREDIENTS

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 4 6-ounce salmon steaks or fillets, rinsed and blotted dry
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger root, grated
• 1 large lime, thinly sliced
• 1 large lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste
• Springs of fresh cilantro and lemon wedges, to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Coat stoneware with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the salmon tightly in the bottom; tucking end of fillets under themselves to even out thickness of the fish.
2. In a small saucepan, combine water, orange juice, jalapeno pepper, and ginger; heat to boil over medium-high heat. Pour evenly around fish.
3. Arrange sliced lime and lemon evenly over fish. Drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cover; cook on High until the salmon is opaque and firm to the touch (about 1½ to 2 hours).
5. Turn off heat, and carefully lift fish out of stoneware and place on serving platter. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and lemon wedges. Serve immediately. 

 Jamaican Chicken Curry

So I didn't have any Jamaican Curry powder on hand so I basically did this like a regular chicken curry. I considered adding potatoes to it, but in the end decided it didn't need the extra starch. Overall pretty tasty, basic curry.

 I did slow cook this for several hours just to give the chicken more time to slow cook, and the spices to simmer. Overall it was juicy and flavorful.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 bone-in, skinless chicken breast halves (10 to 12 ounces each), halved crosswise
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons curry powder (preferably Jamaican)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
• Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in two batches, brown chicken, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, cumin, curry, thyme, and 1/2 cup water and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add carrots, coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, and chicken with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover partially, and cook until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas. Serve curry over rice.

 Roasted Yam Halves

 I am going to go ahead and blow over the pork chops with red-wine/dried fruit sauce. It wasn't my favorite and I think it needed a dash of balsamic vinegar to make it work, however until I try it out, I am not going to write about it.

These yams on the other hand were pretty great. I would recommend cooking them nearly an hour if your spuds are large. With the recommended cook time they were still a bit rooty in the middle.

I am beginning to believe that anything with fresh herbs on it is pretty spectacular.

 

Ingredients

• 2 yams or sweet potatoes (about 1 pound each)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve yams, and place, cut side up, in a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown and very tender, 35 to 45 minutes.

 Gluten Free Applesauce Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Unfortunately my bundt looked nothing like this one, however it was moist (maybe too moist?) and flavorful. I would recommend spraying and flouring even a non-stick pan, as the consistency of this cake is pretty wet. If I make this again I think I might reduce the pumpkin puree by half or so and add pumpkin spice as I have done in other recipes involving canned pumpkin.

Ingredients

• 4 Eggs
• 2 cups Sugar (see note above)
• 2 cups cooked/canned pure Pumpkin Puree
• 1 cup unsweetened, natural Applesauce
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cups any Gluten-Free Flour Mix (see note above)
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 tsp Baking Powder (corn-free; Hain Pure Foods is great)
• 2 tsp Cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs until fluffy.
3. Blend in sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, and oil by hand or with a mixer on low just until combined. Do NOT overmix!
4. Add all dry ingredients, one at a time, blending together.
5. Pour batter into a large, greased bundt pan and bake for 1 hour.
6. Check with a toothpick/knife to make sure it’s cooked through. If cake sticks to the utensil, bake 5 more minutes and test again.
7. When done, cool, and enjoy!

Notes

Freeze left-overs, wrapping in parchment paper before storing.
Do NOT try to make this cake in any regular pan. Because of its moisture level, it will only cook normally in a bundt pan.

And now I am sleepy, will do part two tomorrow!!

<3 Tait