This is my belated post for last week since I have been unable to get to the server where my recipes are stored....hopefully we can get that issue resolved this weekend. This recipe, like probably most of mine, is a pasta dish. I love love LOVE pasta; it is one of my favorite things to eat (and make). It is really versatile and I am always a big fan of a 'one pot' meal. This pasta has a little bit of sweetness from the tomatoes (and I sometimes add a little honey just for a little more, especially if not using san marzano), and a nice kick from the crushed red pepper flake.
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1 large onion
4 small bell peppers or 3 large, assorted color (red, yellow, orange)
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flake
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2, 14 ounce cans of tomatoes (I used 1 large can of san marzano tomatoes for added sweetness)
1 lb. of short cut pasta, such as penne
Instructions:
Heat a heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook until done. Remove to a plate.
While the chicken is cooking, slice the onion and bell peppers into strips and mince the garlic.
Add the onions to the pot and cook until almost tender. Add in the garlic and bell pepper and cook for a few more minutes until the onions are tender/softened and the bell peppers have softened slightly.
When the chicken has cooled, chop it into bite sized pieces.
Add the chicken, wine, chicken stock, tomatoes, crushed red pepper flake, and balsamic vinegar to peppers and onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 20-30 minutes uncovered until slightly reduced.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente.
Once the pasta is done and the sauce has slightly reduced, add the pasta to the pot with the sauce and continue cooking for a few more minutes so the pasta absorbs some of the flavor and finishes cooking.
Serve this pasta dish with some warm crusty bread and use it to sop up the sauce as you go...you don't want it to go to waste!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Apples and pork are best friends....you just can't separate them
So today, we were trying to figure out what to make for dinner tonight and I remembered that we had pork chops in the freezer. Great! But....what to do with them? I put in a little thought, and decided to make honey dijon pork chops with apples, onions, and bacon. As we strolled through the produce section, the sweet potatoes caught my eye, so I decided to serve the pork chops along with a sweet potato puree of some sort. Last but not least, what meal is complete without something green? So to finish it all off, I made fresh green beans with lemon, garlic, and almonds (which is pretty much how I always make them). The slightly sweet and tangy honey/mustard mixture on the pork was perfectly complimented by the natural sweetness of the cooked apples and grounded slightly with the earthiness of the thyme. Combine that with the sweet (and slightly spicy) creamy sweet potato puree and the light citrus flavor of the green beans, and you have yourself one tasty meal. Sound good? Well let me tell you....it was!
PS...The pork chops and apple mixture were both made intentionally for two portions with no leftovers, but can easily be increased. The green beans and sweet potatoes made easily enough for 4 portions...but that, of course, depends on how you portion things. :-)
Honey-Dijon Pork Chops
Ingredients:
2 bone in pork chops, large in size
Equal parts of honey and dijon mustard (about 1/4 cup each, enough to fully coat the pork chops)
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
1/3 tsp of dried thyme
Instructions:
Mix together all of the ingredients to make the marinade for the pork.
Bring the pork to room temperature prior to cooking. While it is sitting out, coat the pork all over in the marinade and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with olive oil.
Remove the pork from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off.
Sear the pork for a few minutes on each side until done (of course, how long really depends on the size and thickness of your chops).
Apple topping for the pork chops:
Ingredients:
2 medium/large apples, I used (and prefer) gala
1 small/medium sized onion, chopped
2 slices of bacon, chopped
(NOTE: we use center cut reduced sodium bacon, which doesn't have a whole ton of salt or drippings when rendered)
Juice of 1/2 of an orange (couple teaspoons or so)
(NOTE: I did not season the apple mixture with either salt or pepper. With the salt from the bacon and the other flavors in the pork itself, I did not want to overpower anything.)
Instructions:
Heat a small pan or sauce pot over medium heat.
Meanwhile, chop the bacon into bite sized pieces, the onions into small pieces, and the apples into about 1/4 inch chunks (you want the apple large enough that when it softens, it maintains its shape)
Start by cooking the chopped bacon over medium heat until almost crisp. I don't get a whole lot in the way of drippings, so I didn't drain it.
Add the onions to the pot with the bacon and saute for a few minutes until almost translucent.
Add the apples and continue cooking until the onions are completely softened and the apples are softened as well.
Squeeze the orange juice over the apple mixture and continue cooking until the juice has almost completely reduced.
Top the pork chops with the apple mixture.
Sweet potato puree:
Ingredients:
2 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
About 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, to taste
3 tablespoons of butter
Enough half and half to thin the potatoes slightly and help them move around when being pureed, about 2 or 3 tablespoons
(NOTE: We use fat free half and half and the 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' in sticks)
Instructions:
Chop the sweet potatoes up and boil them in water until softened as you would with regular potatoes.
Drain the sweet potatoes and return to the pot.
Add in the butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper and puree with an immersion blender until mostly smooth.
Add in as much half and half as needed to slightly thin out the sweet potatoes to aid in the puree process. (This can also be done in a blender or in a food processor, but the immersion blender is easiest)
Fresh green beans with garlic, almonds, and lemon
Ingredients:
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
Large handful of sliced almonds (about 1/2 cup, more if you like)
1 pound of fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
2 tablespoons of butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the green beans for about 4 minutes. Immediately remove the green beans from the boiling water and into ice water.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan large enough to hold the green beans over medium low heat.
Add the garlic and saute a few minutes. Add the almonds and continue cooking until the nuts are slightly toasted. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
Add in the green beans and cook them until warmed through.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the green beans and remove from heat.
And so it went, that my first concoction of the year was a keeper...hopefully you will enjoy it too :)
PS...The pork chops and apple mixture were both made intentionally for two portions with no leftovers, but can easily be increased. The green beans and sweet potatoes made easily enough for 4 portions...but that, of course, depends on how you portion things. :-)
Honey-Dijon Pork Chops
Ingredients:
2 bone in pork chops, large in size
Equal parts of honey and dijon mustard (about 1/4 cup each, enough to fully coat the pork chops)
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
1/3 tsp of dried thyme
Instructions:
Mix together all of the ingredients to make the marinade for the pork.
Bring the pork to room temperature prior to cooking. While it is sitting out, coat the pork all over in the marinade and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat and coat the bottom with olive oil.
Remove the pork from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off.
Sear the pork for a few minutes on each side until done (of course, how long really depends on the size and thickness of your chops).
Apple topping for the pork chops:
Ingredients:
2 medium/large apples, I used (and prefer) gala
1 small/medium sized onion, chopped
2 slices of bacon, chopped
(NOTE: we use center cut reduced sodium bacon, which doesn't have a whole ton of salt or drippings when rendered)
Juice of 1/2 of an orange (couple teaspoons or so)
(NOTE: I did not season the apple mixture with either salt or pepper. With the salt from the bacon and the other flavors in the pork itself, I did not want to overpower anything.)
Instructions:
Heat a small pan or sauce pot over medium heat.
Meanwhile, chop the bacon into bite sized pieces, the onions into small pieces, and the apples into about 1/4 inch chunks (you want the apple large enough that when it softens, it maintains its shape)
Start by cooking the chopped bacon over medium heat until almost crisp. I don't get a whole lot in the way of drippings, so I didn't drain it.
Add the onions to the pot with the bacon and saute for a few minutes until almost translucent.
Add the apples and continue cooking until the onions are completely softened and the apples are softened as well.
Squeeze the orange juice over the apple mixture and continue cooking until the juice has almost completely reduced.
Top the pork chops with the apple mixture.
Sweet potato puree:
Ingredients:
2 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
About 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, to taste
3 tablespoons of butter
Enough half and half to thin the potatoes slightly and help them move around when being pureed, about 2 or 3 tablespoons
(NOTE: We use fat free half and half and the 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' in sticks)
Instructions:
Chop the sweet potatoes up and boil them in water until softened as you would with regular potatoes.
Drain the sweet potatoes and return to the pot.
Add in the butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper and puree with an immersion blender until mostly smooth.
Add in as much half and half as needed to slightly thin out the sweet potatoes to aid in the puree process. (This can also be done in a blender or in a food processor, but the immersion blender is easiest)
Fresh green beans with garlic, almonds, and lemon
Ingredients:
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
Large handful of sliced almonds (about 1/2 cup, more if you like)
1 pound of fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
2 tablespoons of butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the green beans for about 4 minutes. Immediately remove the green beans from the boiling water and into ice water.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan large enough to hold the green beans over medium low heat.
Add the garlic and saute a few minutes. Add the almonds and continue cooking until the nuts are slightly toasted. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
Add in the green beans and cook them until warmed through.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the green beans and remove from heat.
And so it went, that my first concoction of the year was a keeper...hopefully you will enjoy it too :)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year...how about some butternut squash soup?
I thought I would post something quick and easy for my first recipe: butternut squash soup. Like so many of my recipes, this one started off as a concoction and turned out pretty well. I don't actually use a food scale (though I do I have one....and should probably dig it out), so this recipe has a lot of variance in the amount of seasoning depending on the size of the produce. I almost always cook to taste, and suggest that you do the same :)
Let's get started!
Let's get started!
Ingredients:
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 large carrots
1 large apple, such as gala
1 small butternut squash
About 1 cup of reduced sodium chicken stockPinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne pepper, if desired
Pinch of cayenne pepper, if desired
About 1 cup of fat free half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Prep the produce: peel and chop the butternut squash, chop the onion, mince the garlic, peel and chop the carrot, and peel and chop the apple. Try to make sure all of the produce is bite sized and all about the same size for even cooking.
Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the onions and garlic, season with a little salt and pepper, and sweat them for a few minutes.
Add the carrots and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
Add the apple and continue to cook for a few more minutes. At this point, everything should be (at least) slightly tender.
Add the butternut squash to the pot and add enough chicken stock to cover the all of the veggies - just enough to go slightly over the top of them. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cooking uncovered until the squash and carrots are fork tender, about 20 mins.
Reduce the heat to low and carefully puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. (You could also pour it into a blender or food processor or mash it with a potato masher for chunkier texture.)
Add in about 1/2 - 1 cup of half and half until the soup has reached your desired consistency and season to taste with nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
PS....this recipe is as of yet incomplete. I am working on a crunchy topping for it. More to come!
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