Healthy Sweet & Sour Fish

I don’t know about you, but when I am browsing for new recipes and I see the word HEALTHY in the title I automatically pay attention.  Of course, sometimes upon further investigation of the recipe I decide it’s either just not for me, or not nearly as healthy as it claims, but lucky for me I decided to give this one a try.  I honestly don’t even care if it’s healthy or not because it was just so good!

It has all the elements of a nice Hawaiian type sweet and sour with the vinegar, peppers, pineapple, etc, but then you get the kick from the chili sauce and this just takes on a whole new level of goodness.  I really liked the use of fish in this rather than something like chicken, which I would typically do.  It was so soft and flaky and the flavor was perfect.  You just have to be a little more careful in the cooking process so as not to break up the fish too much.  Besides being full of flavor, this dish has a lot of color and would be sure to impress at your next dinner party.

This dish does take a little longer to prepare, but it’s worth the extra effort, and having everything prepped and ready to go from the start really makes things go smoothly.  The recipe says to serve over rice, but you’ll probably notice I just mixed it all together in the picture.  I was just saving myself the hassle and mess of trying to do it later on my plate lol.

Serves : 8          Time to make : 40 minutes

Ingredients :

• 2 lbs. tilapia
• 2 T. olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne
• salt and pepper
• 2 yellow onions
• 2 each,  red/yellow/green bell peppers
• 2-3 cups fresh pineapple
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup sweet chili garlic sauce, or more to taste
• 2 T. + 1 tsp. cornstarch
• cooked brown rice
• sesame seeds

Directions :

1. Fish: Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and mince 1 onion. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute for 1 minute. Add the fish and sprinkle with cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, flipping occasionally and draining any excess liquid, for 5-10 minutes or until the pieces are golden brown on the outside and white all the way through. Set aside.  (Be careful with the fish to avoid breaking it up too much)
2. Vegetables: Chop the bell peppers and 1 onion into bite-sized pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet and saute the peppers and onions for 5-10 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and tender-crisp. Chop the pineapple into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan, cooking for another few minutes. Set aside.
3. Sauce: Combine the vinegar, ketchup, sugar, salt, pineapple juice, orange juice, and sweet chili garlic sauce in a large skillet over medium low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk the cornstarch into a few tablespoons of water until smooth. Add to the sauce in the skillet and bring to a low boil. Cook for a few more minutes until the sauce is thickened.
4. Combine the fish, vegetables, and sauce (you might not want all of it – just eyeball whatever looks good) in a large pan or bowl. Serve over brown rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds. I liked mine with extra sweet chili garlic sauce.

Recipe from pinch of yum

Slow Cooker Beef & Mushroom Stroganoff

Everyone has their own idea of comfort food, but this is definitely one of them for me.  It reminds me so much of something my mom used to make, though her’s was done with venison, and a thicker gravy.  I don’t have her recipes unfortunately, so this is a good substitute for now.  As with most crock pot dishes, this is very quick to put together and once that is done you don’t have to do much.  Just give it a stir once in a while to keep things mixed and heated evenly, but also just so you can sneak a good smell and taste once in a while lol.  Then at the end, you just stir in some cream cheese and serve it over whatever pasta you like.  I used orecchiette because I knew it would hold the sauce well and pick up easily with a fork.

Beef and mushrooms have that classic earthy taste that is so good, and in this they are only made better by the addition of the onions, Worcestershire and golden mushroom soup.  Then at the end the addition of the cream cheese really just brings it all together leaving you with a nice thick creamy sauce.

 

Serves : 4             Time to make : 6.5 hours

Ingredients :

• 1 lb. cubed beef stew meat
• 1 (10.75 oz) can Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini)
• 2 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 C. water
• 4 oz. cream cheese (I used fat free)
• Pasta of choice (I made about 12oz Orecchiette)

Directions :

1. Combine the first six ingredients into your crock pot and cook on low heat for 6 hours.
2. Make your when time is just about up, and just before serving stir in the cream cheese until melted.  Serve over pasta.

Recipe from Dreaming All Day

Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo

A title that seemingly defies the laws of physics!  We’re all familiar with the amazingness that is Alfredo.  And most of us are also painfully aware of how bad it is for you.  I can still remember the first time I made it at home and how shocked I was to find out the particular recipe (which is right up there with the best I have ever had btw) called for not one, but TWO sticks of butter, a TON of parmesan and cream.  It’s no wonder it tastes so good!  After that day I vowed to find a more guilt-free, or least less guilty version to satisfy that craving.  I actually have found some rather great alfredos, that are indeed lower in fat or calories, but far from “healthy”…… until today that is!

I won’t sit here and try to tell you this tastes as good as the full fat, cheesy, creamy version… that would be ludicrous.  I can however, in all honesty, tell you that this recipe definitely delivers on the creamy factor and the taste is surprisingly much closer to actual alfredo than you would imagine.  In case you haven’t figured out my dirty secret by now, this recipe is made with a cauliflower based sauce.  You do get that hint of cauliflower in your bite, but the texture is so rich and creamy and the garlic masks a lot of the veggie taste.  It’s not perfectly smooth like some alfredo sauces, but then again, neither are some of the other low fat versions I have tried.  For a person who is quite picky about textures I found it not only NOT bothersome, but pleasant in it’s texture.  I did cheat just a little and added some fresh grated parmesan to the sauce, in part because I had it and didn’t want it to got to waste, but also because I admit I was a doubter and couldn’t imagine alfredo without parmesan.  I only added a little… probably not even enough to notice, but I think it could be a good addition nonetheless.  It certainly didn’t take away from it in any way.

The recipe comes from a blogger in the Philippines, and there seems to be some difference in our produce from what they have over there.  So her estimation of using three small heads of cauliflower was a bit tricky to figure out.  I ended up going with about 1 2/3 heads of cauliflower, and the heads were just your average size I’d say.  I only had one box of vegetable broth on hand, which is 4 cups, but that seemed to be just enough to cover my cauliflower, which I assumed was the point since you only use about 2 cups of it later anyway.  I ended up with almost exactly that amount after the cooking process.  Unlike the recipe I was following I didn’t see a need to add any of the pasta water to my sauce, so I would just make that call when you get to that point on whether you think it is necessary or not.  The other thing I did differently was in my haste to get dinner on started and while struggling to keep my youngest out of the way I used the olive oil while sauteing the garlic and skipped the butter altogether.  I didn’t go ahead and add any extra olive oil in the blending and didn’t have any problems.  I used a food processor to blend mine which worked very well.

I took a few extra pictures of this particular dish in an attempt to prove to you how good it really was by how beautiful the sauce looked both in the skillet and on the pasta.  If someone had not told you it was cauliflower you honestly might not have figured it out.  The recipe included a nutritional calculation, and though I imagine it could vary slightly depending on ingredients used and measurements being exact, the calorie count was at only 316 calories a serving, and fat was a measly 5 g.!!!  Finally alfredo you can enjoy without the guilt!

Serves : 8          Time to make : 30 minutes

Ingredients :

• 3 small heads of cauliflower (I used 1 2/3 heads, see note above)
• 1 lb. uncooked fettuccine noodles
• 6 cups vegetable broth (I found 4 cups to be enough)
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 T. butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of black pepper
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup starchy pasta water (see note above, I didn’t need to use any of this in mine)
• Fresh grated parmesan (this wasn’t included in original, but is something I added, and I would just add however much you like)

Direction :

1. Chop the cauliflower.  Bring the vegetable broth to a boil over medium high heat and add cauliflower.  Cook until cauliflower is soft, about 15 minutes.  The softer it is, the smoother your sauce will turn out.  Meanwhile melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add minced garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes or until soft and fragrant.  (4-5 minutes seems like a long time to me for garlic so I just did it until it started to turn golden)
2. As the garlic and cauliflower are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the fettuccine according to package directions, reserving some oft he starchy pasta water for the sauce.
3. Transfer cauliflower along with 2 cups of the vegetable broth to a blender (or food processor).  You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender.  Add the sauteed garlic, salt, nutmeg, and black pepper, and puree until very smooth.  Once mixture is moving stream in olive oil.  Add more broth if the mixture is too thick.  When it is very smooth return it the skillet.
4. Add the cream and cook over low heat.  Add the starchy pasta water (I didn’t need any, and I suggest adding it a little at a time if you feel it might be necessary until you reach a desired consistency) and keep warm until ready to serve.  Combine noodles and sauce in a large pot and serve immediately.

Recipe from pinch of yum

Fettuccine with Salmon, Mushrooms & Apsaragus

I love smoked salmon, but I don’t buy it very often.  So when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it.  I have had smoked salmon in pasta dishes before, and feel it works really well because of the concentrated flavor, as opposed to fresh salmon.  It’s also super easy to just flake already prepared fish into a quick pasta dish, and you can buy it in advance rather than having to make whatever fresh fish you purchased the day you buy it to preserve the freshness.

The recipe I followed was formatted for the metric system, and so I had to do a bit of converting.  This isn’t a big deal with the help of some of the online converters.  But aside from that I find that there are also often differences in things like produce sizes.  Specifically for this recipe, it called for an entire bunch of asparagus, for a pasta that is meant to serve two.  I didn’t think much of it until I started to cut it all up and then it seemed like a LOT!  To my surprise it turned out ok (though I did make a bit more linguine than it called for), but I still have to wonder if I was meant to use that much.  The original recipe also called for swiss brown mushrooms, which I am unfamiliar with (at least by that name) so I used crimini mushrooms, and about 8 oz of them.  One other thing I wasn’t quite certain of was the call for “hot smoked salmon”.  I have no idea if that meant spicy, or if you can perhaps purchase smoked salmon heated or what, but I just went with a nice thick smoked salmon I found in the seafood section of my local grocery store.  To make things easier for all of you, I am just going to share my conversions/alterations when I type up the recipe.

The dish itself really was fantastic by the way.  Full of flavor, nice and creamy….. this is not your figure friendly type of dish necessarily lol…. and had wonderful color to it which you know I appreciate.  This is another one of those recipes that is great for any night of the week, but good enough to stand up to a special occasion or dinner party with friends!

Fettuccine with Salmon, Mushroom & Asparagus

Serves : 2               Time to make : 20 minutes

Ingredients :

• 8 oz. linguine (though I used more like 12oz)
• 1 T. olive oil
• 8 oz. sliced brown mushrooms
• 1 bunch asparagus, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz. heavy whipping cream
• sm. handful chopped parsley (about 2 T.)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lb. smoked salmon

Directions :

1. Boil a large pot of water and cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and saute mushrooms and asparagus for a few minutes until tender.  Add the garlic the last minute to avoid over cooking.    Lower heat to a simmer and pour in the cream.  Simmer for 3 minutes then add the parsley, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine and remove from heat.
3. Strain linguine and transfer to the cream mixture.  Toss to combine.  Flake most of the salmon into the pasta, reserving a few pieces to garnish with.  Divide into two bowls and sprinkle a bit of parsley on top with the pieces of salmon.

Recipe from Chew Town

Sweet Chili Shrimp Stir-fry

This is a fabulously simple dish, ready in under 20 minutes.  It would be just as good for a special occasion as a quick weeknight meal and has a lot of flavor despite the seemingly simple ingredient list.  I had to really fight the urge not to throw a little something extra in this, and really give it a chance, but I am glad I didn’t.  The peas give it that freshness, the sauce gives it the heat and sweetness, the nuts give it that crunch and have a great buttery texture that just goes so well with the shrimp, and of course the lime just ties it all together and gives it that little something extra.  I almost didn’t even make this because it seemed SO simple, and I wasn’t sure if Jeff would be ok with it.

I accidentally grabbed cooked shrimp when I was at the store, but it was ok since all the flavor is in the sauce and I didn’t have to worry about getting it into the shrimp since it coats everything.  I didn’t have Jasmine rice on hand so went with some boil in a bag brown rice and I actually think it went perfectly with this.  For the chili sauce I had some garlic chili thai sauce already opened so I used that.  My only issue with this recipe was when it was time to photograph it…. it’s not exactly the prettiest dish to look at, but what it lacks in appearance it makes up for in taste!  You won’t regret trying this one.

Serves : 2         Time to make : less than 20 minutes!

Ingredients :

• 1 lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 C. sweet chili sauce
• 1 1/4 C. snow peas
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 C. cashews, roughly chopped
• 1 lime
• 1 1/2 C. jasmine rice, uncooked (or another quick cooking variety)

Directions :

1. In a medium sized pot cook rice according to package directions.
2. In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over moderate heat.  Cook garlic in oil until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add shrimp and saute until pink and cooked through.  Remove from pan.
3. While shrimp is cooking, trim ends off snow peas and cut into thirds diagonally.
4. Add sesame oil to the pan and saute snow peas until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Return the shrimp to the pan and add the sweet chili sauce, cook until  heated through.  Add more chili sauce if necessary.
6. Serve over rice and top each plate with chopped cashews and a fresh lime cut into wedges.

Recipe from the clever carrot

Grilled Turkey Burgers and Feta

I have tried numerous turkey burgers over the years in an attempt to cut fat/calories from my diet.  Some were good, and others were flavorless and dry.  This is the main issue with turkey burgers.  With the help of a few things you can still have a flavorful and moist burger AND live healthier.  This particular recipe is probably THE best one I have tried thus far.  It was definitely the most moist and though I have done them with feta before this is the first time I have done the sundried tomatoes and their concentrated flavor really goes a long way in something like this.  The tzatziki is a nice addition and not something I would have thought to serve with it.  I took some help from the store and purchased pre-made tzatziki which was ok, but I think next time I will use my own tried and true recipe.

The recipe called for these to be made on a grill, but not only is it still a bit too cold here for grilling weather, but our grill has been out of commission for quite some time.  I typically make burgers and the like on a foreman which is ok, but not great.  It tends to flatten the burgers quite a bit and press all the juices out leaving it almost rubbery.  This is especially bad for turkey burgers!  I recently got a Griddler and have only tried making burgers on it a couple of times but it has all the same issues.  I had just about given up on using it for anything but a griddle or panini maker, but I decided to give it one more shot.  I laid it open flat, using only one side of the grill rather than closing it on the patties.  I wanted them to stay thick.  Then I made sure it was nice and hot before brushing a little olive oil on the side I was going to use.  This helped get some nice color and grill marks on the patties.  Since they grill doesn’t get very hot and I can’t close it like a regular grill I decided to lay a huge glass lid over them that I have which was the perfect size to cover all four without actually touching the patties.  This helped them to cook through all the way and stay nice and moist.

 

Serves : 6                         Time to make : 20 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 1 C. crumbled feta
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 C. breadcrumbs
• 1/4 C. sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1/4 C. onion, diced
• 2 T. flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• tzatziki for serving
• 6 buns (I used kaiser rolls)
• baby arugula

Directions :

1. Preheat grill for 10 minutes. (If you are using a counter top grill you may not need to start it first but you do want it fully heated before you place your burgers down.)
2. In a medium bowl combine the ground turkey, feta, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, sundried tomatoes, onion, parsley, oregano, and salt and pepper by hand, being careful not to over mix.
3. Shape into 6 patties.
4. Reduce heat to medium on place burgers on lightly greased grill, cooking covered for about 8 minutes or until done through, flipping about halfway through cook time.
5. Serve with a bit of tzatziki on the bottom and top with baby arugula.

Recipe from Zesty Cook

 

Blueberry French Toast Sandwiches

This is a fantastic recipe for a special breakfast, or for a brunch perhaps.  We really enjoyed them.  However I did have to make a lot more egg mixture than the recipe stated.  I had doubled it right from the start and about halfway through realized I was going to have to make almost twice as much to coat all six slices (I had purchased thick french toast bread…. which I didn’t know even existed before the other day lol).  So total I did 3.5 batches of the egg mixture.  This wasn’t a problem, except for the fact that I had picked these because I thought I could keep the calorie count down to a reasonable amount by using fat free cream cheese and still be able to have a nice treat…. with the extra eggs I am sure that wasn’t the case any more.

Still, as I said, they were very good and one day isn’t going to make or break me.  I didn’t find them to be very sweet, which was ok by me, but Jeff liked it better with a little blueberry syrup drizzled on top which I thought was nice as well,  just not necessary.  Blueberries are not my first choice when it comes to these things so I want to try this again some time with raspberries perhaps, or if I can get my hand on them, maybe some huckleberries!  I am sure you could also use strawberries, bananas, or whatever you prefer.  Even mix them together!  The presentation is beautiful as well.  It would be perfect to make for that special someone on Valentine’s day, or any other day just to say “I love you”.

 

Serves: 3                          Time to make : 25 minutes

Ingredients :

• 6 slices thick bread (sourdough or whatever you prefer)
• 1 tsp. vanilla (I used 3.5 tsp.)
• 2 eggs (I used 5 eggs and 2 whites)
• 1 T. milk or cream (I used 3.5 T. cream)
• 3/4 C. fresh blueberries, washed and dried
• 1 pkg. cream cheese, softened (I used fat free)
• 1 1/2 T. powdered sugar + extra for dusting
• butter for frying

Directions :

1. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, vanilla and cream.  Pour into a shallow dish and start soaking your bread slices in the egg mixture.  Let soak for a couple minutes on both sides.
2. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Place your coated bread into the skillet and cook on both sides until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes a side).  Drain grease by placing on a paper towel.  (After this step I then placed them on a plate in the oven set to warm)
3. Meanwhile combine the soft cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl, stirring to mix well. 
4. Spread cream cheese mixture on all 6 slices of french toast once done and sprinkle blueberries on top of 3 of the slices.  Place remaining three slices on top to make your sandwiches.
5. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with additional blueberries.

Recipe from Farm Flavor

 

Knock You Naked Brownies

If you have already “liked” my facebook page (link on right side of blog) you have probably heard about these and been waiting for the recipe.  I believe I used the word AMAZEBALLS to describe them the other day lol.  Yes, they are a little insane, and perhaps even unnecessarily over the top, but they are seriously the best brownie I have ever had.  The texture of the brownie is perfect, soft and chewy and full of nuts.  Then you get that thick gooey layer of melty caramel with chocolate chips! YUM!!  By the way, I have no idea where the name came from, but I assure you, people will leave their clothes on…. probably!

I was pretty surprised that the brownie portion came from a cake mix, and if you are concerned, don’t be.  I honestly couldn’t tell it had if I didn’t already know.  It sure makes preparation easy though!  In fact, the entire recipe is quite easy to make, and results in not only a delicious brownie, but also an impressive looking one.  I got the recipe from Pioneer Woman, which for those who are unfamiliar is a cooking show about a woman who lives on a Ranch, and cooks for her family.  In the recipe she mentions a 9×9 pan, but I think I watched her use an 8×8 which is what I also used.  You could use either, but she also mentioned that the original recipe called for a 9×13 pan.  If you want a giant thick gooey brownie go with the square pans, but if you don’t have one go for the other.  I cut mine into 9 brownies, and while they were on the “too large” size, I feel like if I had gone for 12 it might have made them even harder to get out of the pan.  It’s not so much that they stick to the pan (as long as you grease it well) as that the caramel layer makes them hard to separate without breaking them trying to get them out.  Just go slow and make sure you slice all the way through and all the way around.

You are going to want to cut into these right away…. DON’T!  They really do need time to set up in the fridge.  So plan ahead for these.  I made them for our Superbowl party, and so I made them the night before and didn’t cut into them until that morning.  Wait to put the powdered sugar on until just before you cut them.  If you can’t wait over night I suggest at least 3-4 hours in the fridge.

 

Serves : 9-12                          Time to make : 40 minutes + chill time

Ingredients :

• 1 box German Chocolate Cake mix
• 1 C. finely chopped pecans
• 1/3 C. evaporated milk
• 1/2 C. butter, melted
• 1/2 C. evaporated milk (additional)
• 60 whole caramels, unwrapped
• 1/3 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 C. powdered sugar

Directions :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pecans, butter, and 1/3 C. evaporated milk.  Stir until well combined.  Batter will be thick.  Pat it down in bowl with a spatula and cut it in half.
3. Take one half and press it into a well-greased 9×9 (see notes above) pan and bake for 8-10 minutes.  You just need it to set up, so don’t worry about cooking it longer.  Once done, set aside.
4. Place your caramels and the 1/2 C. evaporated milk into a double boiler and melt until you get a smooth consistency.  This takes a few minutes.  Pour over the brownie.  Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the caramel.
5. Take the second half of the brownie dough and place it on a piece of wax paper.  Using your hands, shape it into a square (about the same size as the pan, but just a little smaller because it will expand).  Using the wax paper will allow you to easily turn it over and peel it off so you can place it on top of the caramel and chocolate layer.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top layer looks done.
6. Allow to cool then refrigerate for several hours.  Before cutting them, generously sprinkle powdered sugar over the pan in a thick layer.  Take care to loosen and cut all the way around brownies before trying to remove them from pan as the caramel tends to stick.

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Crockpot Chalupas

It has been a busy week with being sick, appointments/activities for the kids, and hurting my back but I am finally getting the recipe up for dinner last Friday.  I don’t often cook with my crockpot, but when I do I always love how easy it is, and how great my house smells all day.  I should use it more, but I have this weird fear about actually leaving my house while it’s on, which is silly since that is kind of the point of a crockpot…. being able to start something in the morning/early afternoon, going about your day and having it ready for dinner.  Anyway, this dish definitely delivered on being easy and smelling great.  I didn’t think it delivered quite as well on taste however.  It wasn’t bad, I just wanted MORE flavor/spice I think.

We served ours with sour cream, cheese, and a little lettuce on top originally, and as I said it was just a little bland for my tastes.  But after I was done as I was discussing it with Jeff I had the idea to put a little salsa on top so I tried a little that way and it was AWESOME.  So with that little addition this ends up being a keeper afterall.  Additionally I would have added more spices and salt and pepper to the crockpot too.

I did have a little trouble with the beans… even after the 8.5 hours of cook time I felt they were a little on the firm side.  We were rather hungry so they were good enough lol, but I would have liked them to have gotten a little softer.  It was my first time cooking with dry beans, and sadly wasn’t convincing enough for me to want to do it again any time soon.  I wonder if you could get away with canned beans for this, or if the long cook time would result in them becoming too soft.  I also hadn’t used pork shoulder before, as pork isn’t something I cook with often.  Being as picky as I am about fat and the chewy parts it was kind of a hassle to clean them up when I got the shredding part, but not impossible, and likely most people would have left a lot of what I took out.  One more thing… I did end up putting a little more water in (maybe a half a cup) during the cooking process because I wanted to keep the meat and beans submerged as best I could, so towards the end when it was looking a little too liquid I just took the lid off during the cooktime for a while.

 

Serves : 12                Time to make : about 8.5 hours total

Ingredients :

• 1 lb pork shoulder
• 1 (15 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 lb. dry pinto beans, rinsed
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz. light beer
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 T. taco seasoning
• generous pinch or two of salt
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 C. shredded cheese
• 12+ flour tortillas (we used medium sized and filled them a little fuller so only got about 6-8)

Directions :

1. Place pork shoulder in crockpot and cover with beans, tomatoes, beer, jalapenos, garlic, spices, and water.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 without opening the lid as that adds to the cook time.
2. Remove lid and shred pork shoulder with two forks, this can be done in the crockpot or on a plate and put back in.  If it’s too runny cook a bit longer with the lid off, and if it’s dry add a little more water.
3. Sprinkle cheese on top and cook another 30 minutes with the lid on until cheese has melted.
4. Meanwhile preheat broiler.  Place tortillas directly on your oven racks and bake for a couple minutes just until golden brown before flipping and repeating on other side.  Watch closely as they can burn quickly.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.
5. Top each with your pork and bean mixture and sour cream.  (see additional topping options above)

Recipe from pinch of yum

Chicken Nacho Soup

I may have mentioned before that I am not much of a soup person, but that doesn’t stop me from trying them from time to time.  In doing so, I have actually found a couple I really like, which is a pretty big change from hating all soups.  Tonight’s soup was pretty good, but I am not sure it will become a favorite for me personally.  I think I would have liked it to be a tad creamier somehow, or a little less hot sauce since that was the dominating flavor to me.  I did like it with the chips for dipping though, and as far as soups go I would probably eat it again just to keep things different once in a while… perhaps with the changes I mentioned.  Jeff eats soup a lot more often than me and he said it was good, so perhaps he’s a better judge for this one.

It comes together quite easily, and doesn’t need a lot of time to cook which is always a good thing on those busy weeknights.  I love that it uses rotisserie chicken because that’s even less work you have to do, and I just really like rotisserie chicken.  At first I wasn’t sure what the recipe meant by “nachos”, but I decided it must have meant tortilla chips since the article also mentioned dipping them in the soup and some were pictured with it.  So anyway, I went with an Artisan Toasted Southwestern variety and they were perfect for this.  For the cheese I used Monteray Jack, but I bet cheddar, mozzarella, or even pepper jack if you really like the heat would also be good.

Serves : 4-6             Time to make : 40 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1/2 (8 oz) package cream cheese (I used fat free)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 can corn, drained
• 4 C. chicken broth
• 1 T. hot sauce
• 3 T. tomato paste
• 1 C. nachos, crumbled
• salt and pepper to taste
• shredded cheese for topping
• cilantro or parsley for topping (optional)

Directions :

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook onions in hot oil until translucent.  Add garlic and jalapenos and cook a minute more.
2. Add water and cream cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.  Add crumbled nachos next, this helps to thicken the soup.  Add chicken, corn, and salsa and stir to combine.  Then add your broth, hot sauce, and tomato paste and stir again.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a low boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.
3. Serve with shredded cheese, cilantro, and more nachos for dipping.

Recipe from Jo Cooks

Pomegranate Margarita

This has got to be one of my new favorite drinks!  I have been on a real pomegranate kick lately, so this was right up my alley.  The recipe I found did call for Grand Marnier, but I only had Cointreau and a little less than it called for.  It also called for plain Tequila, but I had lime on hand.  For a bit of garnish/color I added some lime zest and peel as well.  And the last change I made was to use a pomegranate sugar I found for the rims rather than salt.  Since I did make so many little changes I am just going to list the drink as I made it, but I will still put the original recipe link at the bottom.

The color is gorgeous, the taste is smooth and tart/sweet, and it doesn’t have a really strong alcohol flavor which is perfect for me.  This is the sort of drink I could probably drink all night and not even realize I was drinking alcohol until it was too late.  My only regret is that I am now out of Cointreau and can’t make it again every night this week.

 

Serves : 2        Time to make : 5 minutes

Ingredients :

• 3 oz. Cointreau
• 3 oz. Lime Tequila
• 4 oz. Pomegranate juice (like POM)
• 4 oz. fresh lime juice
• 3 oz. simple syrup
• sugar or salt for rim (If you can find it, pomegranate rim sugar)
• limes and pomegranate arils for garnish
• ice

Directions :

1. First make your simple syrup.  Just add equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil and allow sugar to dissolve.  Remove from heat, and allow to cool completely.
2. In a cocktail shaker (or you can just stir them together) filled about halfway with ice, combine Cointreau, Tequila, Pomegranate juice, lime juice, and simple syrup.  Put on lid and shake vigorously for a minute to two.
3. Take a wedge of lime and run it around the rim of your glass before dipping in your sugar or salt.  Then strain the contents of your shaker into glasses filled with more ice.
4. Grate a bit of zest into the glasses or add wedges/slices of lime and/or fresh arils.

Recipe from how sweet it is

 

Stromboli

Emeril Lagasse really knows what he’s doing!  This all comes from him, from the homemade dough to the finished product, and though it’s labor intensive it is SO worth it.  Not only is it beautiful to look at, and would certainly wow anybody you served this to, but it tastes amazing with all the peppers, onion, meats, olives and cheese!  Plus the dough is seriously awesome, and is a dream to work with.

If, like me, you have always been afraid to make your own pizza crust I strongly suggest you just take the plunge and try this recipe.  It was very simple to make, and as I mentioned it was absolutely amazing to work with when forming the stromboli and pizza.  I actually made two batches of the dough because I had first thought that I might have gotten it a bit dry as I was having to add flour to my surface during the kneading process.  So for the second time I reserved a little (about 1/4 cup) of the initial 3 cups and used that during the kneading instead.  They both turned out fantastic though, and I used half of the first batch on a pizza for my son and froze the rest.  It is nice and airy/soft, but gets a good crunch on the ends where it brown.  Seriously probably the best homemade pizza I have ever had as far as crust is concerned.  I usually use frozen store bought dough, or Pilsbury dough, or even a pre-made crust.  The frozen stuff usually results in a good enough crust, but not only do you have to remember to thaw it out first, but ones I have tried have been a bear to roll out and take forever to actually get to the point where they won’t just shrink back up on me.  This dough took 2 minutes tops each time.

You could certainly adjust the fillings to your tastes, but the combination Emeril creates for this recipe is perfect.  I used pepperoni because the salami I had was looking a bit turned, but I my original plan was to use half and half between the two.  As I mentioned before I don’t particularly like sausage, but again it was crumbled up small enough with the fat rendered out that it didn’t bother me… except for the fennel in the particular sausage I bought lol.  I especially liked the combination of mozzarella and provolone, as well as the crispy Italian cheese blend on the top.  It called for finely grated parmesan and had I read that far ahead I would have gotten a block and done it myself, but when I read grated I assumed they meant the powdery type as I equate shredded with the other.  I definitely don’t think that would have worked though so I used some of the 4 cheese Italian shred I had on hand.  I also put a bit of course salt and fresh ground pepper on the top of the stromboli after brushing on the egg wash which really makes a nice crust.  And one last tip… when rolling it up just go slowly press down on your fillings a bit to keep them flat so you have less chance of breaking your dough.  Also try not to roll it out too thin to begin with and stick with the measurements he suggests.  Oh and I guess one more little tip I found really helped… I lined my baking sheets with foil first and then sprayed that and it really made clean-up a breeze since some of the grease escapes out the bottom.

 

Makes : 2 stromboli               Time to make :  3.5  hours total

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 C. warm water (110 degrees, important)
• 1 (1/4 oz) envelope dry active yeast
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 T. + 1 1/2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 C. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp.  salt

Stromboli:

• pizza dough as directed
• 1/2 lb. Italian sausage, crumbled and casings removed
• 1/2 C. thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 1/2  C. thinly sliced green bell pepper
• 2 T. thinly sliced jalapeno, seeded
• 1 C. yellow onion sliced
• 2 T. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 lb. sliced ham
• 1/4 lb. sliced pepperoni or salami
• 1/2 C. sliced black olives
• 2 C. grated provolone
• 2 C. grated mozzarella
• 1 Lg. egg, beaten with 1 T. water to make an egg wash
• 1 C. finely grated Parmesan
• course salt and fresh ground pepper  (my addition)

Directions:

Dough:

1. In a large bowl combine warm water (110 degrees), yeast, sugar, and 1 T. oil by stirring together.  Then let sit without touching it for about 5 minutes until it is foamy.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth.  Continue adding flour 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition until all the flour is incorporated but the dough is still slightly sticky. (I reserved about 1/4 cup for the kneading the second time and that worked better) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured flat surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes.  (If you have never kneaded dough before I suggest a quick youtube search for technique)
3. Place remaining 1 1/2 tsp. oil into a large bowl and roll the ball of dough around in it until covered on all sides.  Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm dry place with no drafts (I placed mine in the oven with the light on) and allow to rise until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Stromboli:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.   Grease a large baking sheet and coat with non-cooking spray. (I used two medium baking dishes that would fit side by side in my oven and lined with foil before spraying each.
2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until browned and fat is rendered, about 5 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain the grease off.  The recipe says next to remove about a Tablespoon of grease from the pan, but I didn’t have any from my sausage so I actually added a little bit of olive oil before the next part.  Throw in your onions, peppers, and jalapenos and cook stirring often until very soft.  Add in garlic and Italian seasoning and cook about 1 minute more stirring.  Remove from heat and allow to cool (add the sausage back in as well).
3. Punch down the dough and divide in half.  On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 10×14 inches.  Spread half the cooled sausage mixture onto each rectangle leaving a 1-inch border all the way around.  Overlapping slightly, layer half of your ham next onto each stromboli, then your pepperoni or salami, olives and cheeses.  Using a pastry brush, pain the border of 1 long edge with some of your egg wash.  Starting on the opposite long side roll up your dough into a cylinder, pinching together the edges to seal.  You can sort of pinch and tuck the ends under.  Place on prepared baking sheet/s and allow to sit and rise for 20-30 minutes.
4. Brush on your egg wash to the tops of each Stromboli and if you choose so, sprinkle a bit of course salt and fresh black pepper on top now.  Bake until nearly completely golden brown all over, about 20 minutes.  Sprinkle each stromboli with parmesan cheese and return to the oven for about another 5 minutes until cheese has melted and starts to brown. 
5. Let stand 10 minutes out of the oven before slicing thickly and serving.

I couldn’t quite decide on one picture so I am going to share a few, including a quick snap from before I put the egg wash on of the assembled Stromboli.

Orecchiette with Sausage and Arugula

I wasn’t sure what I expected from this, but it definitely exceeded those expectations.  Jeff and I have a love hate relationship with tomatoes in that we like red sauces, but always opt out of fresh tomatoes on things like sandwiches and whatnot.  Seeing that there was an entire pint of tomatoes in this made me a bit nervous, but at least they were the small variety and cut up which we can sometimes deal with.  Still, there were a lot.  The great thing is that they break down a lot during the simmering process and lend their flavors to the sauce which is seriously delicious.  So, if you’re like us and don’t really like tomatoes or usually cut back on the amount stated at the very least, don’t be afraid to put them ALL in this one.

The sauce was nice and creamy, but had a sweetness to it from the wine.  I used a moscato because it’s what I had but the recipe didn’t state anything other than “white” wine.  The recipe recommended putting some of the pasta water into the sauce, but I really didn’t need to.  I did spoon the orecchiette into the sauce though and bits of water went along with that so maybe that was just enough.  It’s just one of those things you’ll have to judge based on  how thick your sauce is by the end.  The original recipe also called for turkey sausage, to result in a lighter dish, but I just went with some of the meat counter Italian sausage at my local grocery store that was likely pork.  I personally don’t even like sausage… something about the chewy texture, but in this it honestly didn’t bother me at all since it was broken up into pieces.  This is nice and hearty and I think would easily serve 4 people for a main course, but the recipe stated 3.  If you can’t find arugula you could easily substitute spinach instead, but for those not familiar with Arugula it has an almost peppery taste which is a nice addition to this meal.  I would check in the salads and spinach section of your grocery store.  I got mine in a big plastic container.

serves : 3-4               Time to make : 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Orecchiette pasta
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. Italian sausage (cut back calories and use turkey sausage if you prefer)
• 2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup half and half cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups Arugula
• freshly grated pecorino romano to serve

Directions :

1. Put water in a large pot over medium-high heat and allow to come to a boil.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook onions until soft and starting to brown.  Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until fragrant before adding your sausage.  Cook until browned; about 5-6 minutes.  You want to crumble the sausage up to manageable bite size pieces.  Add tomatoes and cook another 3 minutes stirring gently so as not to break up the tomatoes too much.  Add the wine next and allow to start bubbling in your skillet for a minute or so before adding the cream.  Allow sauce to simmer like this as you cook the pasta.
3. At this point your pasta water should be boiling and you can go ahead and throw in the Orecchiette.  Cook 10 minutes, but don’t drain because you may need some of the pasta water for your sauce.  Rather using a slotted spoon transfer the pasta to the skillet and gently toss around to coat evenly.  If the sauce if too thick add a bit of the pasta water.  Next throw in the Arugula and stir allowing to wilt.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and serve topped with the fresh grated cheese.

Recipe from skinnyluscious

Chilean Salmon with Avocado Cream Sauce + Island Nectar

As promised last night on my facebook page, here is Chilean Salmon with Avocado Cream Sauce and a drink I made up to use the rest of the coconut water.  If you are following my facebook page (there is a button on the right hand side of this blog) you will know that I had a bit of a fiasco with this recipe last night.  Because I had such a thick piece of salmon, and didn’t want to cut it and take away from the photographic presentation, I ended up with a portion in the middle/bottom that wasn’t quite done.  Having the skin still on the bottom side didn’t help either.  It wasn’t a big deal though, as I just flaked off the parts that were done and then put the rest back in the skillet for a minute more until it was done.  It was quite the mess however since I had already put the sauce on top.  I suggest making sure your pieces are cut more reasonably though if you want to present a beautiful piece of fish on the plate.

The flavor of this salmon was fantastic!  The actual preparation of the salmon is very simple, but allowing the lemon juice to soak in a bit and then covering the top with a generous amount of course sea salt and pepper results in such a beautiful crust that is full of flavor and allows the actual salmon flavor to really be the star.  Topped with the cool, creamy, slightly spicy avocado cream dip this is melt in your mouth good!  As I mentioned, my piece of salmon still had the skin on one side, which can be nice for presentation if you like that sort of thing, but I feel like it kind of messes up the cooking process… at least in a hot skillet since it seems to block some of the heat from reaching that bottom side and making it through to the middle to ensure a fully cooked fillet.  It would also be nice without the skin to have the option to salt and pepper both sides for even more crust.

Note : my piece of salmon was quite wet to start, and I had forgotten to pat dry it a bit before putting the lemon juice on.  As a result when I placed in into the hot oil in my skillet there was a LOT of splash from the moisture which not only caused a disaster on my stove top, but also managed to give me quite a few little burns.  I imagine even if you do dry your fish off well before putting the lemon juice on it’s going to splatter a bit from the lemon juice so beware and consider having a splatter screen handy!  And here is another little tip when cooking fish in a skillet.  Once you set the fish down don’t touch it until you see the bottom is starting to brown and the color will start to change up the side of your fillet.  You want it to be about halfway before you flip it.  If you try to move it before it starts to crust over you chance breaking the fish or having it stick to the skillet.  Also, always use oil or non-stick spray and cook in a quality skillet.

Chilean Salmon w/ Avocado Cream Sauce

Serves : 2+                          Time to make : 15 minutes

Ingredients :

• 1 lb fresh salmon fillets (2 good sized fillets or you can opt for smaller pieces to serve more people)
• lemon
• course sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• olive oil (about 2-3 T.)

• 1 Haas avocado, about 2/3 cup
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1 T. finely chopped shallots
• 1/3 C. coconut water (I used Blue Monkey with pulp)
• pinch cayenne pepper
• pinch chili powder
• pinch smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 2 tsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. chopped chives

Directions :

1. Pat dry your fillets and then place on a plate and squeeze the juice of one lemon over top and allow to sit for about 5-10 minutes.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking.  Generously sprinkle your course sea salt and fresh ground black pepper onto the salmon fillets before carefully placing into the hot oil.  Cook on the first side about 3-4 minutes depending on the thickness of your salmon until browned on bottom and the color has turned light pink about halfway up the side of your fillet.  Flip and cook through.
2. Meanwhile for the sauce (It can help to have some of the sauce ingredients ready to go before you start cooking your salmon) cut open your avocado and scoop out the insides.  If you have never cut an avocado before what you do is take a knife and make a cut from top to bottom.  You won’t be able to cut through because of the pit, once you hit that sort of roll the knife around the avocado until you cut all the way around from top to bottom.  Holding both sides twist and pull and you’ll have two perfect halves with the pit in one of them.  I like to use a knife or spoon to pry the pit out at that point and then using a spoon slide it between the peel and the avocado and you can scoop it out in one swipe usually.
3. Place all sauce ingredients together in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.  Spoon over your finished salmon.

Recipe from : domestic fits

Now for the drink… I am calling it Island Nectar because the flavors are very “Island-y” and it has Guava Nectar in it… real creative I know lol.  As I mentioned on the facebook page, I just wanted to use up the rest of the can of coconut milk and figured some sort of cocktail would be the way to go.  I have a rather diverse bar in my pantry from all the various drinks we have tried over the years so I knew I could probably come up with something.  Unfortunately the ones I wanted to use, such as the rum were pretty low, hence the somewhat random amounts listed, but it actually ended up just right for my tastes.  Jeff likes a lot more alcohol in his drinks, whereas I am more about the taste, so if you are more like him you might want to add some straight rum or vodka to it so as not to change the taste too much.

So without a real plan I just started pouring things together and at first it was AWFUL… I mean seriously bad.  This was around the point that it was just coconut water and guava nectar.  I hadn’t really ever tried guava nectar before, but had a few cans lying around for a drink I wanted to try from Guy Fieri.  It is definitely not something I would drink on it’s own… So I knew I needed to sweeten it up and just started grabbing other things I had and voila it was suddenly good!  I don’t know how much this makes, but it about filled a basic pitcher.

Island Nectar

makes : 1 pitcher

Ingredients :

• 1 can Blue Monkey Coconut Water with pulp (or slightly less if you used some on the fish)
• 1 (11.3oz) can guava nectar (I found some called Jumex in the beverage isle at the grocery store)
• 1 can 7-up
• 2 oz. triple sec
• 6 oz. pineapple rum
• 1 oz. vanilla flavored syrup (like for coffee drinks)
• ice
• mint sprigs or lime wedges for garnish (I didn’t have anything on hand)

Directions :

1. Combine everything over a generous amount of ice in a pitcher and stir.

Snickerdoodle Cookie Granola Bars

I wasn’t sure if I was going to blog these after messing up the recipe so much, but the results were still very good and I am sure would be even better if made correctly.  In true Monday fashion, I wrote down the ingredients wrong when I was making my notes and ended up putting twice the amount of sugar it called for and only a teaspoon of cinnamon when it called for a tablespoon.  As I said, the results were still very good, but definitely on the sweet side, so using the correct amount of sugar would likely take care of that issue.  My bars did remind me of snickerdoodles, but the additional cinnamon would definitely boost that familiar taste.  My version reminds me a lot of the Cinnamon and Brown Sugar instant oatmeal in bar form.

One thing I can’t be sure of is texture… mine were soft and very chewy/filling, but I have to wonder if they would have been firmer perhaps with less sugar.  Or maybe the opposite, I honestly don’t know.  The recipe I followed describes them as dense and chewy so I think it worked out fine.  The real test is whether they are enjoyable anyway right?  Well my 2 year old sure thought so as he sat at my feet begging for bites of the one I tried lol.  I do hope to try these again soon when my diet will allow and make them the correct way, so perhaps I will come back and add an update with notes on how they turned out.  I’d love to hear from anyone who makes them correctly as well.  Maybe it will turn out that the perfect recipe is somewhere in the middle!

I loved the simplicity of this recipe, and that there was no cooking involved.  I have never made my own granola bars before and now that I know how easy it is I can’t wait to try many other varieties.  I can’t say that they are particularly healthy, and especially not with double the sugar like I used, but they aren’t too bad since they are pretty filling, and they do have oatmeal which is good for you.  You can likely save a few calories on these by using margarine, and perhaps replace some of the sugar with splenda.  The recipe also suggested honey as an alternative to the light corn syrup and, though I don’t know if it’s much lighter in calories, I imagine it is probably more beneficial to your health.  I used the light corn syrup because it’s what I had on hand, and I needed to use it up to make room in my fridge.  One last thing I found was that I didn’t need as much chocolate as it called for to make a nice drizzle across the bars.  I probably ended up using about half of it, but if you like more chocolate go with the full amount.

 

Makes : 12                        Time to make : 10 minutes + 2 hours

Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 T. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp. salt (optional, or to taste)
• 3 1/2 cups quick oats (I used the Quaker 1-minute oats)
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour, + up to 4 T. as needed
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted for drizzling

Directions :

1. Line an 8×8 baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  You want the foil to have an overhang so you can easily lift it once your bars have set.
2. In a large microwave safe bowl combine the butter, syrup and both sugars.  Heat for a total of 3 minutes, stirring at the end of each minute.  You are making a caramel sauce so watch closely in case it starts to boil over, but you shouldn’t have an issue as long as you used a large bowl.
3. To the sauce add your vanilla, cinnamon, cream of tartar and salt and stir to combine.  Next add the oatmeal and stir to combine.  Add the flour last and a little at a time stirring to incorporate it all.  If after the 3/4 cup of flour your mixture is still sloppy you can add up to 4 T. extra (one at a time).  Mine didn’t need any extra flour.  You do want it moist and sticky.
4. Press into your prepared pan firmly and evenly.  You can either top with your melted chocolate now or later on each individual bar. (I did it now)  Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set up, or 1 hour in the freezer if you are in a hurry.  Once set, lift your bars out and cut into 12 bars.  Individually wrap each in plastic wrap if you aren’t serving them right away and either store in an air-tight ziplockbon the counter up to a week, in the fridge up to a month, or in the freezer up to 3 months.

Recipe from averie cooks