Thursday, February 18, 2010

Unchartered Territory

I remembered to defrost something last night (a first for this week...it's been a crazy one since getting back to work after all the snow!)  And because I have little experience cooking pork tenderloin, I decided to actually use a recipe.  Well, my husband recommended I use a recipe (thanks honey, I get the hint.)  I did not plan/shop well before the week began so I found a recipe that I already had all the ingredients for.  A second dish in less than a week that includes cooked apples and onions, oh well, they do work really well together and it sure saves money on ingredients.  I had exactly two apples left!  So it's in the oven as I type and I will be done with the dishes before the timer goes off.  It was fast, easy and smells delicious (I'll have to update once I actually taste the dish.)
So here is the recipe.  For those who have never seared meat or cooked pork tenderloin, neither had I and voila!  I did it and so can you.
Enjoy!

***update
The pork was cooked perfectly, a gentle pink in the middle and not dry at all (as some pork dishes can be.)  My husband, the baby and I all enjoyed it.  Highly recommended!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Monday Night Chicken

Chicken with Onions & Apples
Fast, easy, completely made up (I'll do my best to recreate) and delicious!
You'll need the following...
2 boneless/skinless split chicken breasts, sliced into strips (whatever size you like)
1 can coconut milk
1-2 onions (depending on how much you are cooking, I'd say 1 onion per 2 people)
1-2 apples (peeled, cored and diced)
garam masala * or can simply use the spices that follow
cinnamon
corriander
cayanne
cumin
sea salt
ghee or coconut oil
Directions:
Coat chicken pieces in garam masala or a combination of spices
Heat oil in large pot on medium to medium/low heat (I used a Le Creuset cast iron oval french oven)
Cook onion and apples until tender (around 5-10 minutes) adding a few more spinkles of spices and salt.
Remove mixture from pot.
Add a little more oil/ghee to pot if necessary and add chicken, cook a few minutes until mostly done.
Add back in the onions and apples and 1 can of coconut milk.
Cook on medium to medium/low until chicken pieces are cooked through and sauce reduces and thickens a bit.
Serve alone or over some brown basmati rice.
I wish I had taken a picture but alas, it was gone to quickly!
The baby, my husband and I all enjoyed for dinner that evening and lunch the following day.  I didn't even heat it up!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Steak and Eggs

Well, Korean steak and eggs to be precise.  My husband made a delicious and different dinner on this snowed in Saturday night.  I know this blog is about easy dinners I made, but I must share his recipe.  It looked easy enough from my seat in the kitchen. 
Ingredients:
2 chopped scallions
2 chopped shallots
coconut oil
2 cups cooked brown rice (ensure the rice is dry before you stir fry)
1 1/2- 2 cups Kim Chee chopped fine
2 Tbsp mirin
1 flank or skirt steak (ours was a grass-fed flank from Fields of Athenry)
Ghee or lard (we used pork lard we picked up from a farm market)
course sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1 egg per person
butter or ghee
Directions:
Rub steak with sea salt, pepper and set aside. 
For the rice...
Saute scallions and shallots in coconut oil.  Add cooked rice, stir for a minute or two.  Then add Kim Chee and again, stir for a minute or two.  Finally add mirin and scrape down the rice sticking to the pan.
In a hot cast iron skillet heat oil or lard and add steak.  Cook until desired doneness and let rest before slicing.  Be sure to slice across the grain of the steak. 
In the hot skillet drop a bit of butter and fry an egg right on top of sizzling butter.
Plate the rice, then the sliced steak and top with the fried egg.  Sprinkle a little sea salt on top and viola, a warm and filling meal for a cold wintery night.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Lentil Soup

Here is a wonderful and hearty soup that has sustained the whole family (baby included) for the past three days (and two nights.)  Great for the winter weather this soup includes protein (from the lentils) and plenty of nutrients from the vegetables and the turkey stock.

Ingredients:
1 c. red or green lentils
4-5 c. water, broth or a combination
(I used 2 cups homemade Turkey stock, frozen from my Thanksgiving turkey and 2 or so cups of water)
1 5" (spprox.) strip of Kombu (it's a seaweed, find at your local health food store, Whole Foods or MOM's)
a variety of chopped vegetables, use what you like.
I used...
celery (a few spears)
onions (1 large)
garlic (2-3 cloves, finely minced)
carrots (2-3)
parsnips (1-2)
brown button mushrooms (1 pint)
1 zucchini
chopped lucinda kale
1 can of organic diced tomatoes (I used the juice as well)
a splash of apple cider vinegar
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
cumin (1-2 tsp.)
a dash of cayenne (or to taste)
1-2 bay leaves
Any other fresh/dried herbs you enjoy

Cook lentils in water/broth according to directions with a strip of Kombu in the pot as well.
Add vegetables and cook until they are done to your liking.
Remove strip of kombu and bay leaves.
I like to add a swirl of EVOO and some coarse sea salt  upon serving.
Enjoy!