Canned pears are not to be underestimated.

Here's what I hate about feeding a baby. On Tuesday and Wednesday, said baby LOVES pears. Not fresh pears you've peeled and chopped, mind you. He loves the canned pears you've painstakingly chosen due to their low sugar content and own-juice marinating they've been doing. (No heavy syrup, thanks.) Whatever. He wants to eat something other than cheese, peas, or yogurt. I. don't. care. On Thursday, you offer him these same pears, but since they have been refrigerated, or because they've been open for more than 6 hours, or simply because babies are just kind of jerks sometimes, damnit, he's not having ANY of it. And so you find other things to do with the can of sliced pears. (And the juice. Don't drain too quickly) Blue Cheese Topped Pork Chops with Pear and Blue Cheese Arugula Salad   Salad from a Sandra Lee Recipe (serves 2 large servings)  2 tbsp pear juice 1.5 tbsp Olive Oil .5 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar Pinch each salt and pepper Several cups Baby Arugula (4? What's in a bag?) About 8 pear slices (slice the canned slices in half) 2 tbsp blue cheese 2 tbsp candied pecan pieces (whatever you find that look good. Mine were honey glazed) Combine pear juice, oil and vinegar and S&P. Toss with Arugula. Top with pear, blue cheese and pecan. Blue Cheese Pork Chops  Two boneless pork chops salt and pepper dried thyme blue cheese Spray oil water Season each chop well with S&P and thyme. (A good pinch of each) Cook over high heat for 3 minutes until brown, and then flip. Cook another 3 minutes, then add a 1/4 of water of so, cover, and cook another 6-8 minutes or so until cooked through. When almost done, sprinkle blue cheese on top, cover (with heat off) and let sit a few minutes until cheese has mostly melted. Served with multi-grain rice. Because E usually will eat the leftovers.

I don't know why I didn't just make them meatballs.

Does anyone actually eat Bulgar Wheat? My phone keeps trying to change it to "vulgar" wheat, which I take as a sign that I do not, in fact, want to try it. Well, I'd try it, of course, but I'm not going to buy it. Anyway, this recipe called for it. But it also called for me to make my own plum sauce from scratch.

Heh. Cooking Light. Heh.

I had whole wheat couscous (which, really, is the same thing), and I had hoisin sauce and sweet chili sauce, so substitutions were readily made. Not the same as plum sauce, obviously, but they worked great-or you could always buy plum sauce. Or make it. That's all you.

Pork Patties with Slaw
2/3 cup boiling water
1/3 cup whole wheat couscous
1 package ground pork, 80% lean
Good squirt Sriracha
4 stalks green onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp sherry
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Cooking spray

Hoisin Sauce and/or sweet chili sauce, to serve

4 stalks green onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 cups shredded coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
Sriracha (to taste)
pinch ground pepper (white)
handful peanuts, chopped

In saucepan or bowl, combine water and couscous, cover and let stand 5 minutes. When all liquid is absorbed, fluff with a fork. In large bowl, combine couscous, pork, sriracha, green onion, cilantro, sherry, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Divide into 10 to 12 small patties. Poke a hole in each one. (I don't know why, but the original recipe said to, and I did, and they were good, so why chance it?)

Heat pan over medium high, spray with cooking spray. Cook 5-6 patties for 5 minutes, then turn and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove and repeat with remaining patties.

Combine remaining green onion, cilantro and cabbage in a large bowl. Whisk together vinegar, oil, sriracha and pepper, and pour over cabbage mix. Toss well and top with peanuts.

Serve slaw and patties together, and top with hoisin and/or sweet chili sauce.



 

Happy Baby Daddy Day!

Everyone have a nice weekend? I hope you got to spend some QT with your daddies, baby daddies, or by blissfully ignoring the holiday altogether. My dad's in Costa Rica right now (I know, his life is hard), so I didn't get to call him, but I'm taking Lil' E to visit on Thursday, so I'm thinking I'll be forgiven.

We don't really do much for holidays around here—flowers and a card are pretty much the hubby's MO, which is fine with me. But this new mama was still pretty annoyed when he totally blew off Mother's Day altogether last month. So instead of ignoring Father's Day, I decided to buck up and make him feel guilty celebrate my man.

Whatever, I made him a dinner I knew he'd like and got him a card. It's not like I bought him a gift or anything, come on.

Indian Spiced Pork Salad
1 pork tenderloin (about a lb-or you can use boneless chops)
1 8oz container greek yogurt
About 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper (I used white)
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 piece ginger (about 3/4 inch long) peeled and minced
Good shake red chile flakes (1/2 tsp?)
3 celery stalks, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
About a cup of grapes, halved (I used green)
1/2 cup mango chutney
About 1/3 cup light mayo
Juice from half a lemon
Romaine, to serve
Naan bread (I like garlic Naan-check Trader Joes or Fresh & Easy)

In large ziplock, combine yogurt, S&P, garlic, ginger and chile flakes. Seal, and mush together until well combined. Add pork, reseal, and mush around some more until it's well coated. Stick in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

When marinated, heat grill (indoor or outdoor) to medium high. Remove pork from bag and throw away the rest. Cook tenderloin about 6 minutes, roll over, and cook another 6 minutes on each additional side (4 sides total), or until done. Let sit about 10 minutes, then slice. Let cool some more, then pull apart into bite sized pieces and place in large bowl. Add in remaining ingredients (through lemon), and toss gently. Stick back in the fridge for a half hour or more to chill.

Serve over romaine leaves with warm bread. I also served with pilau, which rarely works out well for me, so I guess I should give yesterday's recipe, too:

Pilau
Olive Oil
Half an onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
2 bay leaves
5 cardamon pods
About 1/4 of a cinnamon stick
2 tsp curry powder
1 heaping tsp cumin
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed well and drained
2 cups chicken broth

Heat a swirl of olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger, and saute a few minutes until onion has softened. Stir in bay leaves, cardamon, cinnamon, curry and cumin. Saute another minutes, then stir in rice. Saute one minute more, then add broth. When it comes to aboil, reduce to simmer and cover. Cook 15 minutes, and leave covered until ready to eat. Remove pods, cinnamon, and leaves before serving.

Did you have a Shake-and-Bake childhood?

I totally did. There was a lot of shakin' and bakin' happening in my mama's kitchen. And it was always chicken..but I'm having a hard time remembering what the sides were. Probably broccoli, green beans or lima beans (which my sister always promptly fed to the dog)? Those were kind of staples growing up.

But I digress. Let me introduce you to a whole new way of looking at coated, baked meat. I used pork, but chicken would work just as well. It totally reminded me of the old-school in-a-box variety, but better ("waaay better," according to the hubs).

Went well with Stanky Brussels and a salad.

Oven "Fried" Pork Chops
4 6oz boneless pork chops, pounded with flat sided mallet
1/4 cup flour
large pinch salt
1/4 cup brown mustard
water
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
About a tsp smoked paprika
About 1/8 tsp white pepper
1 packet onion soup mix (Lipton, etc.)
Spray butter
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. Arrange 3 shallow dishes on the counter. In the first dish, combine flour and salt. In the second, combine mustard and a couple tablespoons of water. In the third, combine the panko, paprika, pepper and onion mix.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

One chop at a time, dredge both sides of pork in flour. Dip in mustard, coating both sides, then place chop on panko mixture, turning over gently to cover both sides completely. Place on foil and repeat with all chops. You'll have some flour and panko mix left over. Spray the chops with spray butter (a few good squirts each).

Bake at 400 about 7 minutes, then flip and cook another 7 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Roughly 350 calories each.

Vietnamese Pork Salad

Ok, I promised easy this week, but I actually made this last week, so no calling me a liar. The recipe was described as pork bun, but this is actually more like the other Thai/Vietnamese salads I make and less...bun-ish. I know only those of you who are familiar with Bun can make any sort of sense of that, but oh, well.

It really is pretty easy, though. Cutting the veggies is the hardest part of this-once that's done and prepped it all comes together really quickly. Oh, and the longer you marinate the pork, the better. Overnight, ideally, but an hour will work in a pinch.

Vietnamese Pork Salad
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
A little less than 1/3 cup lime juice
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp chili paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz rice sticks
Romaine lettuce
Half an english cucumber, peeled and match-stick cut
About 20 baby carrots, match-stick cut
About a cup of bean sprouts
handful fresh mint, chopped
about 20 basil leaves, chopped
about a tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup dry roasted chopped peanuts
Pork:
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp chili paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 4oz boneless pork chops

To marinate the pork, combine soy sauce, hoisin, honey, chili paste, garlic and chops in a large zip lock bag or covered bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Bring water to a boil in small sauce pan. Add sugar, and stir till dissolved. Turn off heat and stir in lime, fish sauce, chile paste and garlic.

While that cools, cover rice sticks with boiling water and let sit 10-30 minutes or until they are soft to the bite. Drain and let cool.

Remove pork from marinade and then grill over high heat about 3 minutes a side or until cooked through. Slice into 1/4 inch thick pieces.

On plate, spread desired amount of romaine lettuce. Arrange noodles, veggies and herbs on top, then top with pork slices. Serve 1/4 cup or so of fish sauce mixture alongside each plate to use as dressing.


375 cals/4 servings
500 cals/3 servings

Man-made meatballs

Meatballs should taste like meat. Or so says Esquire magazine, anyway. And that said, their Eat Like a Man recipe this month does not disappoint. Hubby was reading the latest issue in bed the other night, and it was all he could do to not get up and start cooking right that second. (Which I would have been ok with. Spaghetti and meatballs are always welcome right now.)

The two days we ended up waiting were well worth it, however. It was absolutely fantastic—totally restaurant quality, totally time consuming, and totally appreciated. All I had to do was run to the store for him, eat and do some dishes (and not even that many! He cleaned as he went! He's learning!!). Well, and not think about how many calories are in these suckers. Bacon and olive oil are kind of in excess here...

There were some changes, of course...veal is not allowed in our house (yep, I pull that card), so that went out the window. We also wanted to use pancetta, but it was $6 per 3oz, and bacon was $6 for 16oz. So, yeah. Oh, and we did half in the toaster oven and half on the stovetop...the stovetop set ended up having a thicker sauce, but that seemed to be the only real difference.

So here you go. The man's awesome, total fat-kid, meat-heavy meatballs and sauce. It makes a ton. Make it on a night you have a handful of hungry dudes to feed.

Basic Tomato Sauce (also from Esquire)
4 28oz cans good quality whole tomatoes
6-8 garlic cloves, crushed
olive oil
a few basil leaves

Pour tomatoes and their juice in a huge bowl and squish/crush tomatoes by hand (or use a potato masher, if that's more your bag)

Heat about a half cup olive oil in large-enough sauce pan, and add garlic. Let cook until they sizzle but don't brown, a couple of minutes. Add about a third of the tomatoes at a time, letting them come to a simmer before adding more.

Lower heat, tear some basil leaves (4 or 5 big ones), and throw them in. Cook at a low simmer for about 45 minutes.

Meatballs
1 lb ground beef (85 percent lean/15 percent fat)
1 lb ground pork (as lean as you can get)
About 2/3 a package of thick-sliced smoky bacon, finely minced
2 whole eggs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried rosemary

Combine above ingredients and mix well with your hands. Just do it.

1/3 cup bread crumbs (we used seasoned)
1/4 cup 1% milk
1 heaping tsp coarse sea salt
1.5 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Slowly add milk to bread crumbs, stirring until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Add S&P, and add to the meat mixture, mixing well. It'll be super sticky at this point-it's ok. Refrigerate the meat mixture for about 30 minutes.

canola oil for browning
your tomato sauce (above), kept warm over low heat
finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape meatballs into roughly 2 inch balls, shaping with your hands. In a large skillet, heat about a quarter-inch canola oil until very hot. Working in batches, brown all sides of each meatball ( a couple minutes a 'side').

As they finish, transfer browned meatballs to a deep, ovenproof dish. Cover meatballs with tomato sauce. (Totally submerged, if possible) Bake until done, an hour or more. They should feel firm to the touch.

If you're going the stove top route, place browned meatballs in large skillet or dutch oven—two if necessary, you don't want to overcrowd them—and cover with the sauce. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and cook, partially covered, about an hour.

Serve alone or over a bit of pasta.

Or you can just be lazy and open a bottle of Barilla.

I'm a big fan of meat sauce. You saute up some ground meat, add a bottle of marinara, and boom. Meat sauce.

Orrrr you can spend an extra 10 minutes and do it from "scratch." I'm pretty sure I'm in competition for The Laziest Preggo on the Planet this week, but I still peeled myself off the couch and away from the TiVo long enough to chop a couple things.*

*I totally cheated and used the Chop Wizard. Much like the infomercials, it is ridiculous. It is also awesome, and luckily I have a mother who enjoys buying me As Seen on TV products. Also, for the sake of full disclosure, I am being overly dramatic and totally worked out for half an hour after work, so I'm not quite as lazy as I complain that I am.

I even made a salad. Although, by "making a salad," I really mean taking the walnut and raspberry leftover salad from the night before and adding an extra handful of greens.

It's a little sad how much the small things impress me right now. Anyway, here is Giada's Bolognese, modified just a bit. (And see? When you make it from scratch, you can give it a fancy name like Bolognese, which sounds so much more legit than "meat sauce," yeah?)

Easy Bolognese
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot (or handful of baby carrots) chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 package (around 20oz) lean ground pork (or beef or turkey)
1/2 cup red wine
Large can crushed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp oregano
Small handful chopped basil
Small handful chopped Italian parsley (opt.)
S & P
Shredded Romano or Parmesan

Heat a pour of oil (1-2 tbsp) over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute for 5 minutes. Add carrot, celery and onion, and saute an additional 5 minutes. Add meat, and continue cooking until cooked through, about 8 minutes, moving often and breaking up into small pieces.

Stir in red wine and cook for another minute or two. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, basil and parsley, if using. Combine well, adding a bit more wine if it seems really thick. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

Cook over low heat for 20-30 minutes or until sauce has thickened back up. Add a good pinch each of salt and fresh pepper, tasting to make sure the salt is right.

Serve over hot cooked pasta and top with shredded cheese.

This is happiness.

I love me some Italian Wedding Soup. Like, to pieces. Not only does it make me happy, it's also awesome for preggo sickies like me who can't take Nyquil and therefore are stuck with a cold for a week and a half and need to live off of soup and OJ. This makes about 6-8 servings, which has lasted me about a week.

I know I've posted this before, but I changed up the recipe enough to warrant a Round 2. This time I based it off of a Giada recipe and went with ground pork (which actually has less calories than the turkey) and went with mustard greens instead of spinach. Totally enriches the flavor...Hubby says we're adding it to the menu (of our imaginary restaurant).

Italian Wedding Soup
Half a small onion, grated
Handful of chopped basil
1 egg
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 package ground pork (97-3% or so)
Large pinch ground black pepper

14 cups chicken broth
About 8 oz mustard greens, chopped and rinsed well under hot water (or use spinach, curly endive, or escarole)
1/2 cup orzo pasta (or other small shape)
1 egg
2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish

In large bowl, combine onion though pork, and sprinkle with pepper. Use your (clean) hands to combine well. Pull off a small chunk and roll into a ball with your hands. Aim for about an inch or so across. Place on a cookie sheet and continue with remainder of pork mix. You should end up with roughly 12-14 meatballs, but more or less is fine.

Bring broth to a boil in a large stock pot. In the meantime, heat a large saute pan over medium high, coat with cooking spray, and place a half dozen (or however will fit comfortably without touching) in pan. Let that side brown about 2 minutes, then turn over and brown another side about 2 minutes. Remove back to cookie sheet and brown remaining balls.

When broth is boiling, add the meatballs one at a time. Reduce to a simmer, and cook about 4 minutes. Add greens and orzo, stirring very gently, then cook another 8 minutes. Combine an egg and 2 tsp parmesan in a small bowl, and whisk with a fork. While soup is still simmering, stir gently while adding egg mixture very slowly. The egg should cook immediately, making strands throughout the soup (just like egg drop soup).

Serve hot with fresh parmesan and fresh pepper on top to taste.

Back in the saddle.

I'm kind of amazed that today is only the 20th...I've been to New York and back, spent two days at the beach, wasted a week being sick, read about a million books, and watched far too many Lifetime movies to admit. The only thing I haven't done enough of is cook. And so here we are again.

How was New York? Fantastic. I don't really feel like it was New York as much as it was Hanging Out at the Parallel's House, but that was the whole reason I went. I even brought some Buffalo home with me...the world's most adorable child sweetly gave me her baby cold (how does something that has only been on this planet for 4 weeks have access to germs I haven't yet encountered?), which would have been fine with me, except for the fact that it was the gift that kept on giving, day after long, sneezy day. (Hubby says thanks for his share, as well.)


And so, rather than cooking, I spent last week eating meals that were more dorm-style than anything else.


Mac & Cheese out of a box is totally a meal. Especially the Three-cheese kind. But it's not exactly creative. This week, I'm making up for it. My plan is for Thai, Cambodian, falafel, and tropical chicken. In that order...and I'm excited, cause if everything is as good as Thai night, we're eating well this week.

This one takes a ton of basil; it's hard to give it an exact amount. I used one of the large containers from the grocery store, then just cleaned and stripped the leaves from the stems. You can chop them if you want, but they work fine if you leave them whole, too. I'd guesstimate I used about 3 to four cups of whole leaves.



Basil Pork
2 tbsp canola oil
6 cloves minced garlic
2 minced chiles (more or less according to your taste)
1 lb ground pork (or ground chicken or turkey)
5 tbsp fish sauce
Large package basil, washed picked from the stems (a good few cups worth)
Half a cucumber, peeled and sliced
Half a lime, quartered
Cooked rice, to serve
Cooked spring rolls (whatever frozen ones look good)

Heat oil over medium high, cook garlic and chiles a couple minutes. Add pork and cook until it turns completely white and not at all pink, about 8 minutes. Add fish sauce, then stir in basil leaves. Turn off heat. Serve over hot rice with slices of lime, cucumber, spring rolls, and dipping sauces (below).


Dipping sauces
Spicy-Sour
Combine:
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 shallot, minced
1 chile pepper
juice of 1/2 lime

Spicy-Sweet
Combine:
1 tsp chili paste
pinch of salt
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp water
And microwave 30 seconds at a time until dissolved

Counting calories.

Hubby has decided he's on a diet, which I am hoping is the boost I need to get my ass in gear and take my own diet seriously. Cause I've been half-ass dieting, apparently…I've been cutting my cals and hitting the gym at least 3-4 times a week, and so far the only thing I've lost is a pair of Reebok EasyTones (oops.).

I keep hearing it's harder to lose weight the second time around, but it seems like it came off SO much easier 3 years ago. I'm sure my body has aged a bit, but come on…it's frustrating, to say the least.

I'm glad for the excuse to obsessively count calories again, honestly…I know it works. But don't be surprised when I start cursing about him losing faster than me…as a male, he somehow gets to still eat 2000 a day in order to lose 1.5 lbs/week. Me? I have the same goal, and my calorie goal is 1350. So when he informed me his tall boy of beer wouldn't hurt since he has a good 1200 LEFT for the day after lunch…well, it was a struggle to not pour it right on his head...Iiiii want a tall boy. (pouts)

At least he likes salad and other green stuff, cause that makes low-cal cooking a ton easier. Tonight I just did a greek salad and he grilled some boneless pork chops…easy, summery (well, at least springy) and delicious. And low-cal…I'll prove it. The recipe amounts given are total, but the calorie count is per person. Makes enough for 3 big restaurant-size salad servings (yay for free lunch tomorrow!), but I was nice enough to do the math for you. You're welcome.

For the dried spices, oregano would be good in here (in addition or instead of something), but I'm all out. Use what you like.


Greek Salad with Creamy Dressing (190 cals)
8oz nonfat greek yogurt (45 cals)
Spices (dried): A good pinch each of pepper, garlic powder, thyme, rosemary, dill, and tarragon (like 2 cals)
Juice of half a lemon (6 cals)
1 tbsp or 2 of roughly chopped fresh mint (another 2 cals)
12oz Grape/Cherry tomatoes, quartered (35 cals)
3/4 of an english cucumber, peeled, sliced and quartered (12 cals)
2 stalks of green onion, sliced (3 cals)
8 kalamata olives, sliced (30 cals)
5 cups chopped lettuce (20 cals)
3oz fat-free feta (35 cals)

Dressing: combine the spices and put about 1/2tsp in medium bowl (save the rest to use as a rub for the pork), and stir in yogurt and lemon juice.

Combine mint, tomato, cucumber, green onion and olives.

Arrange lettuce on each plate. Top with dressing, veggie mix, and then sprinkle with feta.

Grilled pork (160 for 3 oz)
Sprinkle both sides with remaining spice mix before you grill it for about 4 minutes a side or so. Yes, that's as detailed as I'm getting tonight, I'm sorry.

Our enormous meal was only 350 calories. If you need some reference for that, Panera's Greek Salad (without meat) is 440 cals. Islands'(with chicken and a piece of bread) is pushing 1000.

Jamie's Green Chili

One of the most interesting things about this cookbook is that he seems to have traveled deep into parts of the country most of us will never go. This particular dish, Green Chili, is a Navajo dish from Arizona, and it really isn't like anything else I've made. It's a little like a taco, a little like a lettuce wrap, a little bit southwestern, a little bit Cali-fusion. I mean, look at these fresh ingredients! Not exactly what I think of when I think 'chili,' which to me typically means meat, beans, and spices...maybe with a can or two of tomatoes thrown in. So this was a welcome change from the norm.


How come his and mine always look so different? Where's the tomato, Jamie??

So there's a bit of chopping involved in this one, but Jamie uses one of my favorite cooking phrases over and over here: Rough Chop. Love it. Especially since it's got a bell pepper, and it's damn near impossible to cut bell peppers evenly. Or maybe that's just me...anyway, I cut down the quantities of everything a bit, since he called for 1.75lbs of meat and I only had a bit over 1lb, but hubby and I both thought it turned out great. It's definitely spicy, but the yogurt and lime help with that, so don't skimp.


Green Chili
olive oil
package lean ground pork
dried sage, about a tsp
S&P
Really big onion, roughly chopped
large bell pepper, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
4 green chilies, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped
a couple green onions, sliced thin
flour tortillas
lime
greek yogurt

Heat a splash of olive oil in large pan over high heat, add pork, sage and a big pinch each of salt and pepper. Break meat apart and let cook about 5 minutes. Add onions, garlic, bell peppers and chilies, stir fry everything about 20 minutes or until they start to brown a bit and all the liquid is gone. (It may take less or more time depending on what kind of pan you're using)

Add tomatoes and a bit of water (1/4 cup or so—you want it pretty dry), and let cook over medium for 10 minutes or so. Stir in the juice of a lime, half of the mint, and more salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over hot flour tortillas, topped with chopped lettuce, and a bit of greek yogurt. Sprinkle with the rest of the mint and green onion.

Makes four big servings. Minus the tortilla, about 260 calories each.

I'm so ready to cook.

After last week's non-cooking, I'm ready for a challenge…so it's officially Jamie Oliver week. I totally got excited/ahead of myself and shopped for like a week's worth of food...only to later realize that I'd only be cooking Sunday, Monday, Tuesday (only for myself, Hubby has a game), and Wednesday...Thursday I'll be in LA hanging with Daniel Tosh (as well as two of my fave gf's), followed by a ridic weekend of LA/SD/LA/back home. So needless to say, a lot of what I bought ended up in the freezer. On the menu we have beer butt chicken, green chili, and couscous and zucchini salad...and once things are thawed, we also have gumbo and enchiladas. First, however, we're trying braised pork with greens and turnips.


I have never made collared or other greens…I've only even used kale and swiss chard like once each, so I have no idea what I'm doing. Jamie was kinda vague, so I did a quick peek around the interweb and took some advice from Ms. Paula Deen—after washing the greens, I cut out the hard center stalks before slicing them. Pretty sure this was a good call, cause they were super tender.

Jamie's recipe also calls for pork knuckle…I have no idea what that is, and the only real descriptions I found online were less than helpful ("A lean boneless cut from the tip portion which is the front part of the leg above the kneecap also known as the forecushion of the hog. Braised or "red cooked" pork knuckle is a classic Shanghainese dish"......oh.). Whatever the hell it is, Vons definitely didn't have it…so we went with pork shoulder, instead. And it was fantastic...fall off the bone-tender-fantastic.

As I served this, I told Hubby that Jamie is convinced that everyone has a favorite part, be it veggies, pork or broth, and to be ready to pick one. So once all the dishes were clean and we were settling down for the Grammys (you're so welcome to everyone who got to follow my running commentary on fb last night), I asked for his decision. His answer? "I liked the veggies...and the broth...and the meat was great."

Normally I would totally roll my eyes at this non-response, but to be honest, I totally agree. The meat was perfectly tender, the veggies were delish, and we both slurped up the broth at the end, totally face first. Next time I may even try this in the slow-cooker and see how it turns out. Cause there will definitely be a next time.

And with that, day one of the Jamie Oliver Experiment complete, I gotta say...I'm excited for the rest of the week.


Greens with Pork and Turnips
Pork Shoulder (ours was 3lbs, that was the smallest they had)
S&P
Cooking spray
4 Bay leaves
A couple large bunches of greens (I used one bunch of mustard greens and one bunch of kale, both washed and stalks removed)
2 or 3 carrots, peeled and cut in big pieces
2 or 3 stalks of celery, trimmed and cut in big pieces
4 or 5 medium sized turnips, peeled and quartered
Vinegar and tabasco to serve

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Coat a large soup/stock pan with cooking spray and heat over high heat. Be sure and use a large enough pan; I started with my dutch oven, but had to relocate everything to a stock pan once it came time for the veggies. Not something I recommend. When hot, add meat. Place two bay leaves on top and cook over high for a couple of minutes. Turn meat over, repeat with remaining bay leaves, and brown the other side another couple minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add about 3 cups water. When it comes to a boil, cover and let simmer over medium low for about 2 hours or until the meat starts falling off the bone. Add carrots, turnips and celery and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. If the water is really low, add another half cup or so. Cook about 20 minutes, add greens (smash them down if you need to!), stir it up a bit, and cook another 30 minutes or so or until tender. (If you are using collard greens, they take longer, so put them in at the same time as the turnips, carrots and celery and cook about an hour total.)

The meat should be basically unattached from the bone at this point, so it should be easy to remove. Besides the bone, also remove any pieces of fat you can see and the bay leaves. Add a good few shakes of tabasco and/or vinegar before you dish it up (and we each added more tabasco at the table).

You'll probably want to serve with some bread to help mop up any extra goodness.

Fig Stuffed Pork and Spring Salad

What not to do with stuffed meat? Stick them in an indoor, 2 sided grill. My brainiac self didn't really think ahead...soft goat cheese kinda squishes right on out when it's under pressure. Duh. So. I'd go ahead and either pan-fry in some cooking spray or grill them on the BBQ.
Top both salad and chops with chopped chives. Great with mashed potatoes. Gorgeous.


Fig and Goat Cheese Stuffed Pork
3 boneless lean pork chops, each split widthwise
1 tbsp fig jelly
2oz goat cheese
Salt and pepper

Cut a slit horizontally across the cut side of the pork to make a deep pocket. Stuff each equally with some fig and goat cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Cook about 4-6 min a side or til done (I like a bit pink, hubby likes pork a little more cooked).

Spring Salad with Fig Basalmic
1 tbsp fig spread or jelly
Small splash canola oil
Large pour basalmic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Spring mix lettuce
About 4 large strawberries, sliced thin
2 oz goat cheese
Handful candied pecans, chopped fine

Whisk together fig spread, basalmic, oil, salt and pepper.

Divide cheese into about 8 pieces, roll each into a ball, then roll in crushed pecans.

Toss greens (as much as you want for two people) with dressing. Serve into bowls, top with strawberries and cheese balls.

Apricot Pork Chops with Blue Cheese Asparagus Salad

On days like this, when I'm trying desperately to remember what I made and how, my savior is delicious.com. Do you guys use it? It's so awesome. I could use it to bookmark anything, but being called, you know, delicious...I only save recipes. It saves the day constantly. Love it.

And that's my endorsement of the week. On to important things, like this gorgeous little number...

Apricot Chipotle Pork Chops
One pork loin
1 cup apple cider
About 2 tbsp salt
black peppercorns (about 8)
1 1/2 cups apricot preserves
2 tbsp rum
About 2 chipotle chiles, minced (the kind in adobo sauce)

In large ziploc or bowl, combine pork, cider, salt and peppercorns. Refrigerate an hour or more.

In bowl, combine preserves, rum and chile.

Grill pork about 10 minutes a side or until cooked to 145 degrees (use a meat thermometer). Baste with preserves before you turn it the first time, and then again about 5 minutes into the second side. When it's done, cover with foil and let sit about 10 minutes. Baste again before serving, and slice. Serve with preserves.


Blue Cheese Asparagus Salad
Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

one bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into (2-inch) pieces
salt
One shallot, minced
About 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
About 2 tbsp olive oil
grated lemon rind (one lemon worth)
fresh pepper
2 oz (1/2 cup) gorgonzola cheese (or blue)
One package mixed salad greens

In medium soup pan, bring water and a couple pinches of salt to a boil. Add asparagus, cook about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water.

Whisk together a pinch of salt, shallots, vinegar, oil, lemon and a couple dashes fresh pepper in a small bowl. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese.

Combine asparagus and greens in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Any excuse for risotto, really.

I admittedly didn't know much about Winter Solstice before today, other than it falls on December 21 and it's the shortest day of the year. But I don't like not knowing things, so I consulted my own personal holiday savior...Google.

Here are the Cliffnotes: Pretty much every ancient culture celebrated Midwinter with slaughters and music and feasting...with traditions like gift giving and other things which have actually evolved into many modern day Christmas traditions. Interesting. And now you know.

And since holidays are fun excuses for fancy meals, I went with it and created my own little Winter Solstice feast. Add a little music and I've got two outta three...and I don't slaughter, so that'll have to do.

It's not the easiest dish, but it goes much more smoothly if you do all the prep work ahead of time. Really, when it comes down to it, it's just fancy comfort food. Perfect for a winter feast, no?

Oh, and for you vegetarians out there...I know I label a lot of dishes as vegetarian even though I use chicken broth. I trust you know how to substitute veggie broth for chicken broth without me telling you, but I thought I would throw it out there anyway. Juuust in case.

Blue Cheese Fig stuffed Pork Chops
1 lb pkg Boneless pork chops
Fig spread/jelly (about 3 tbsp)
Crumbled blue cheese
salt and pepper
toothpicks (3 per chop)

This is an eyeball recipe...use as much or as little as looks right.

Heat oven to 450.
With a sharp knife, cut each chop down the side almost all the way through. Open the chop up(so it's butterflied), place between plastic wrap, and beat it with the flat side of a tenderizer (now that I have one!) til it's about a half inch thick or so. Spread a spoonful of jelly across the pork, sprinkle with some blue cheese (keeping it from getting too close to the edges), and fold the pork back together. Use toothpicks to "sew" up the open sides of each chop.

Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper, and place in oven safe dish. Spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake about 12 minutes. Pull out, brush with a bit of jelly, and return to oven for another 5 minutes. Take out of oven and let sit for 10 minutes or so. Remove toothpicks, slice, and serve.
4 servings. About 250 cals, 8g fat, 1g fiber, 25g protein, 20g carbs

Winter Risotto
About 2/3 of a small head radicchio, thinly sliced
1 pkg cubed butternut or other winter squash (or a regular one, pre-cut is just a million times easier), cook according to directions
Half small brown onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
3 cups broth
1/2 cup white wine
pepper
salt
2 tbsp fat free half and half
1/4 cup blue cheese
handful Parmesan cheese

Either mash or chop about a cup of the squash, set aside.
Spray dutch oven with cooking spray, heat over medium heat. Add radicchio and saute for about 3 minutes or until soft. Put in bowl, add large pinch pepper, mix.

Heat about 2 tsp olive oil in dutch oven over medium high, saute onion and garlic a couple minutes. Add rice, saute about a minute. Add wine, stir pretty much constantly until liquid is absorbed, then add 1/2 cup broth. Stir til absorbed, repeat 3 times (2 cups broth total). Stir in squash, then stir in 1/2 cup broth, let absorb (it'll take longer at this point...be patient), then add the last 1/2 cup broth. When absorbed, stir in radicchio, half and half, and a large pinch each of salt and pepper. Turn off heat and stir in cheese.
Serves 4. About 275 cals, 8g fat, 3g fiber, 8g protein, 42g carbs

Cooking light to make me light.

Taking medication that makes you gain weight is crap. Seriously, it's horrible. Especially when you've worked all year at maintaining your previous weight loss. But since I'm now off said meds, and am trying to knock off these extra five pounds, I'm sticking with Cooking Light meals this week.

I bought a bag of pre-cubed sweet potatoes a couple days ago, so I knew pork would go well...but pork can be boring, so I turned to cookinglight.com for inspiration.

Did my thing and added/substituted what I had, and was very happy with the result. Heads up, it makes a lot of chutney. And for the potatoes, I boiled them in water about 6 minutes, drained them, and mashed them with a 1/2 tbsp butter and about an 1/8 cup 1% milk, a big pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. And they were really, really good.

Pork with Apricot Chutney
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp cider vinegar
pinch salt
1 lb boneless pork chops
Cooking spray
water
1 cup dried apricot, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup cider vinegar
small handful craisins or raisins
large pinch each nutmeg, all spice, cinnamon and a couple cloves (or 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 small apple, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine sugar, cumin, pepper, vinegar and salt in a shallow dish. Mix well. Add pork to dish, turning to coat. Cover and let it marinate in the fridge until ready to cook.

In saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, apricot, craisins, nutmeg, cinnamon, all spice, cloves, and mustard. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes. Add apple and 1/2 cup water, simmer covered another 20 minutes. Uncover and let sit until ready to eat.

In the meantime, place marinated pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for about 20 minutes. Serve with a scoop of chutney. Serves 4. About 255 cals, 5g fat, 3g fiber, 30g carbs, 26g protein

20 minute meals mean more time to drink.

You know those days where you don't quite feel like you've woken up on the wrong side of bed, but you're still annoyed by pretty much everything? When even the thought of talking to your best friends on ichat is a little more than you can bear? (Sorry, Parallel...I love you!)

Those are the days I want to go home and hide in my couch(yes, in. It's like a cloud). Or drink. Or both, preferably. But since I had a hair color appointment after work, I figured I'd let the impending pampering cheer me up. Especially when I remembered the wine bar next door to my salon lets you take wine to go. Score.

So a (very expensive) glass of Cakebread, new highlights, and a quick grocery trip later, I was finally home. In a much better mood. But since it was close to 7pm, I wasn't in much of a mindset to cook anything extravagant. Luckily, I had planned on something easy.

Thank you, Cooking Light, for your 20 minute recipes. Last night we tried their Spicy Sweet Pork.

We decided this tasted like it came from the same island as Jamaican Chicken with Mango salsa(ohh, I should make that soon)...just the other side of the island. The less popular one.

I tried this pretty much exactly as written (I used hot salsa and added green onion to the garnish), but next time I'd add some chopped red onion and maybe marinate the pork in the sauce before cooking it. But it was good. Fast little pantry meal, really. We already had everything but the pork, and you could totally substitute chicken breast if you have that. And you could use pretty much any jam or preserves you have. I'm a fan of easy on days like this.

We just ate it with spinach salad with Raspberry Pomegranate balsamic, but mashed potatoes or rice would make good sides. But by the time I realized that, I was starving and ready to eat already.

Oh well. Three chocolate chip cookies more than made up for the lack of carbs later last night. They're awesome/evil like that.