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.