Late post!

Sorry this post is late, but life got hectic and then I took a week off from cooking to clear the cupboards a bit. Now back to our regularly scheduled blog.

Thyme-Scented White Bean Cassoulet

This hearty vegetarian dish left me rather unfulfilled, despite adding some spicy chicken sausage to it. It could be though that the sausage had a fennel flavor to it which detracted from the rather milder flavor of the Great Northern beans. I would perhaps suggest soaking and boiling the beans in a broth as opposed to water to infuse them with a little more flavor than they naturally have.

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut carrot
• 1 cup (1/2-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut parsnip
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups cooked Great Northern beans (if you buy them raw remember it takes several hours to soak and prepare them)
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 links meatless Italian sausage (such as Boca), thawed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, parsnip, and garlic; cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender.
Place in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Add beans and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaf). Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, and butter in a small bowl; toss with a fork until moist. Stir breadcrumb mixture and sausage into bean mixture; sprinkle with parsley.

Tilapia Tacos with Peach Relish 

These tacos were pretty fantastic! The relish is awesome though I used my new Ninja dicer and wound up with it being a little too fine chopped. The jalapeno really added a nice bright heat to the dish and complimented the Tilapia well. It was nice to have a taco I didn't feel inclined to put sour cream and cheese on. Served with re-fried beans as a quick easy side. Also I used nectarines because the peaches all looked pretty mushy.

 

 

 

Ingredients

• Salsa:
• 2 cups finely chopped peeled peach (about 2 medium)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Remaining ingredients:
• 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 pound tilapia, cut into 2-inch strips
• Cooking spray
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Preparation

To prepare salsa, combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add fish to bowl, tossing to coat. Place fish in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning once.
Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish and salsa evenly among tortillas.

Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast 

 Despite the heavy Asian style spices in this dish what I wound up with was a very tender, juicy bit of pork that didn't really seem very "soy saucy" for lack of a better term. I did make my own random Hoisin sauce since the jar I got at the store had wheat in it *bonk*. I made it with a bit of peanut butter just in case anyone goes looking for the recipe and wants to know the variation I chose.

I did warm this up the next day and using some left over BBQ sauce from last weeks ribs I made one heck of a BBQ pork sandwich!

 

 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.
Place pork and marinade in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm.
Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve with sauce.

Fall Vegetable Curry (vegetarian)

Overall I found this dish to be satisfying but slightly under-seasoned. I think next time I would add more curry along with a spicy Madras curry as well. The Greek yogurt complimented the dish well, but I think would taste even better with  more heat.

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup diced peeled sweet potato
• 1 cup small cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
• 1/2 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Decrease heat to medium. Add cauliflower, onion, and curry powder; cook 1 minute, stirring mixture constantly. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cilantro; serve with yogurt.

Ribs, Fritattas, and a Little Bit of Pork

This week was a mix of vegetarian dishes and down home meat on the bone. Overall not a bad week, however I did discover that fennel as a side dish is just not my thing.

Black Bean Tostadas with Corn Relish


This was a tasty dish I have to admit, however I am pretty partial to anything involving avocado right now. I substituted the flour tortillas with soft corn ones and it worked out pretty well.

Next time I would use fresh corn instead of the frozen since it needs to stand up raw. I will mention that I am not entirely sure why the recipe keeps telling you to refrigerate every little part, but I did it anyway.

Ingredients

• • 2 limes
  • 2 scallions
  • 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 jalapeno chile
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes
  • 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, not sliced
  • 4 flour tortillas (6-inch)
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans
  • 1 avocado
  • Reduced-fat sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. Thinly slice scallions, and add to bowl along with corn. Add 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate.
2. Halve jalapeno (remove ribs and seeds for less heat, if desired), and mince. Halve tomatoes. Combine in an airtight container; cover and refrigerate.
3. Coarsely grate cheese on a box grater; place into a resealable plastic bag, and refrigerate.
4. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Arrange tortillas on two baking sheets; brush both sides with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Rinse and drain beans; sprinkle over tortillas. Top with tomatoes, jalapeno, and cheese. Bake until golden and crisp, about 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
5. While tostadas are baking, pit and peel avocado; dice. Toss with corn mixture to combine.
6. To serve, top tostadas with corn relish, and, if desired, sour cream.

Roasted Salmon with Lime Cilantro Sauce

I highly recommend making the side dish listed with the recipe as I went out on a limb and made Roasted Fennel with Parmesan and Thyme which wasn't terrible but I am going to resign from posting and discussing here. The salmon however was flavorful, tangy, and delicious.

Ingredients

• • 4 skin-on salmon fillets (6-ounces each)
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • Roasted Sesame Asparagus (http://www.marthastewart.com/255723/roasted-sesame-asparagus)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange salmon in a shallow baking pan. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until no longer pink in the middle and flaky, 10 to 13 minutes. Using a flat spatula, remove fillets, leaving skin on the baking sheet.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, and sugar; fold in cilantro. Spoon sauce over fish, and serve with asparagus.

Baked Tortilla Espanola

The name of this dish is a bit misleading as there are no tortillas in it. Overall the dish was ok, so I am going to post about it, however it was pretty oily and I think I used too much onion (I am not much for measuring onions). I would suggest perhaps reducing the oil and searing the potatoes first, then sauteing the onions and then mixing it and pressing it and so on. I think this would give the potatoes a nicer texture and improve the dish overall.

Ingredients

• • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 strands saffron
  • 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced (1 cup)
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil and saffron in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion, and garlic, and stir well. Gently press into an even layer with a spatula. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir, season with salt and pepper, and press again. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Drain in a colander, reserving oil.
2. Whisk together eggs, parsley, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in potato mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons reserved oil in the skillet over medium heat. Pour in egg mixture, and gently press into an even layer. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes.
3. Bake until set, about 5 minutes. Invert, or serve from pan.

Shepherd's Pie

Alton Brown I freaking love you. I was looking for a Shepherd's Pie recipe that didn't involve fake potato flakes or ketchup and here it is! It is tasty and I have actually made it twice since I found it. One of these times I am going to find lamb (which I am not really a fan of eating) just to see how it changes the flavor from beef.

Ingredients

For the potatoes:

• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 2 ounces unsalted butter
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg yolk

For the meat filling:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced small
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas

Directions

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the lamb, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

Add the corn and peas to the lamb mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Roast Pork Loin with Carrots and Mustard Gravy

This was a great recipe and will tantalize the palates of even the more finicky members of your family. Feel free to leave the shallots whole as they roast as they will fall apart into sections when they are ready.

Also I am not quite sure what happened with the gravy but it seized and got super lumpy.

Ingredients

• • 2 pounds carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise if large
  • 1/2 pound shallots, peeled and halved if large
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons grainy mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots, shallots, and 1 tablespoon rosemary with 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, season pork with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add pork; cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate, and reserve skillet.
3. Remove baking sheet from oven; push vegetables to sides. Place pork in center; return sheet to oven. Roast, tossing vegetables occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Loosely tent pork with foil. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
4. While pork rests, pour off almost all of the fat from skillet. Add wine, and cook over medium-high, scraping up browned bits, until syrupy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 30 seconds. Gradually add 1 cup water, whisking constantly. Add 1 tablespoon rosemary. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Whisk in mustard, and season gravy with salt and pepper. Serve pork with carrots and gravy.

Oven Roasted Ribs with Barbecue Sauce

These ribs are a little time intensive but definitely worth it. Not quite fall off the bone, but still fantastic and flavorful with the tangy, homemade BBQ sauce.

Ingredients

• • 4 racks (about 8 pounds) Saint Louis style pork ribs, or baby back ribs, or spareribs, rinsed well and patted dry
  • 1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup paprika
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Barbecue Sauce 

Directions

1. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil, and place a wire rack on top of each. Transfer 2 racks of ribs to each wire rack, meat side up.
2. Using a sieve, sift sugar, paprika, salt, cocoa, cayenne, and cumin together into a small bowl. (Use the back of a spoon to break up any lumps and to press ingredients through a sieve.) Stir to combine.
3. Sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of each rack of ribs. Lightly rub mixture into the ribs to coat completely. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate on racks on sheets at least 20 minutes (or up to 2 hours for maximum flavor).
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Cook ribs on racks on sheets, switching positions of baking sheets about halfway through, until meat pulls away easily from the bones, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Let cool completely. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to finish cooking, up to 2 days. (If finishing cooking immediately, raise oven temperature to 425 degrees and continue with step 6.)
5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Let ribs stand at room temperature 20 minutes.
6. Using 2 cups reserved barbecue sauce, brush both sides of ribs. Cook ribs on wire racks set over rimmed baking sheets lined with foil until sauce is slightly caramelized and ribs are heated through, about 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes; serve with more barbecue sauce.

Barbecue Sauce

I did sieve this sauce to make it smoother more kid friendly (even though they claimed it was too "spicy".

Ingredients

• • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (12-ounce) jar apple butter or applesauce
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cups apple juice

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is translucent, about 1 minute. Add cumin and cayenne; cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute.
2. Stir remaining ingredients into onion mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Partially cover; simmer, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. If sauce becomes too thick, add water, a little at a time. Let cool. Puree sauce in batches in a blender until smooth.

Happy Cooking!

Tait

My Personal Rules in Cooking

As I sit there at 4 am prepping crepe batter for my family (both regular and GF) I was thinking about the rules I have created for myself when cooking.

1. Always clean up as you go. I find it so much easier to cook these days when I take the time to tidy up my area as I cook. Also this kills the dreaded fear of having all those dishes to do when I am done cooking.

2. Try new recipes each week. During a busy or low energy week I will often repeat a few family favorites such as Ginger Chicken or Dijon Chicken, however I try to push outside of those boundaries and make something new each of the weeknights that I cook. I find that this challenges not only my own palette, but also lets me see how far I can push my husband's as well.

3. Leftovers are only edible for three days. I am not really sure why I set this limit on my food. Perhaps it is because after three days if you haven't eaten it, more than likely you won't bother at all. I love left overs, but really only the next day. Thankfully now that my husband has a less cushy and snack stocked job, leftovers are often going with him for lunch.

4. Rachel Ray had the right idea with that garbage bowl. On the Rachel Ray show she uses a bowl off to the side to throw waste in. Now I believe on her show she only puts food waste in it, as I think it is an effort to compost, but I generally chuck everything in there while I cook. Then at the end I toss it out. I definitely like the idea of touching the garbage can as little as possible while cooking.

5. Always wash hands/knives/cutting boards immediately after touching raw chicken, eggs, pork, and other meats/seafood. I am not a fan of salmonella, plus it's just gross. This idea really got ingrained in me when I started watching Food Network. I saw many contestants on Chopped and other shows who would cross-contaminate their food and then the judges would refuse to even try it. 

6. Plan out the week ahead of time. As many of you have noticed I plan my weeks each Sunday by posting my meal list on Facebook. This gives me a sort of cross check and responsibility to cook what I talk about. I also try to do my shopping on the same day so I have everything ready to go for the week. 

7. Teach. Even though Emma is still to small to wield a whisk, or saute an onion, I still tell her what we are doing. I am excited for the days when she can help in the kitchen, but not too anxious for her to get that big. :)

Thanks for reading,

Tait

Home for the Holidays

Happy Holidays!


We are back from break and ready to bust out some new recipes this winter/spring season. Here is a recap of items I made over my holiday break back home.


Bacon Wrapped Venison Tenderloin

The recipe linked isn't exactly the same one I used but follows the same process. It turned out medium well, juicy and full of flavor! I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 to 2 pounds venison tenderloin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
• 4 bacon strips
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1-1/4 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, optional

Directions

• Rub tenderloin with 1-2 teaspoons of oil and the garlic. Combine the
• flour, salt and pepper; sprinkle over tenderloin and shake off
• excess. In a skillet, brown tenderloin on all sides in remaining
• oil. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms
• until tender; remove and set aside.
• 
  
• Wrap bacon around tenderloin, securing the ends with toothpicks.
• Return to skillet. Cook over medium heat until bacon is crisp and a
• thermometer inserted into tenderloin reads 160°, turning
• frequently. 
• 
  

Poached Salmon and Warm Quinoa Salad

While this is not a fancy meal by any means it is an easy, quick, healthy meal. Poaching the salmon this way cooks it in mere minutes and the quinoa salad can be made ahead of time.

Ingredients

• Two 4-6oz salmon filet without skin
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1 medium English cucumber, diced small
• Chopped fresh dill to taste 
• Drizzle of olive oil

Directions

In a saute pan heat white wine and water to a boil. Place salmon in boiling liquid and poach until flesh of salmon is soft pink and internal color is medium (slightly flaky with a slightly darker red center). Cook further if preferred.

Cook quinoa as directed and toss with feta, dill, diced cucumber, and drizzle with oil.

A compound butter of dill, capers, lemon, salt and pepper can also be made and added to the salmon for added flavor.

Roasted Garlic and Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

This recipe was something my husband found and translated to me over the phone. Unfortunately I can not find the original so I am going to just post the recipe as I interpreted it.

Ingredients

• 1 1-1.5lb pork tenderloin
• 1 sprig sage, thyme, and rosemary
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 head garlic, roasted (see below)
• Olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove outermost papery layer of skin off garlic and place on a generous square of aluminum foil. Drizzle garlic with olive oil, wrap up in foil, and roast in oven for 40 minutes. Remove from foil and cut soft garlic from skin.

Cut pork tenderloin in half lengthwise and rub one side with roasted garlic. Lay sprigs of sage, rosemary, and thyme on top of garlic and sandwich tenderloin together. 

Wrap tenderloin with bacon and secure with toothpicks.

In hot saute pan heat olive oil and sear all side of wrapped pork tenderloin. 

Place in glass baking dish and cook at 400 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes or until desired cook is achieved. (I believe pork needs to around 160 degrees internally.)

I served this dish with roasted acorn squash glazed with molasses, olive oil, and salt.

Enjoy!

Tait