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Apple & Apricot Glazed Pork Chops
Christmas is done and hopefully everyone is a bit more relaxed about entertaining, gift giving and everything else that comes with the holidays. This is the week to relax when everyone is home and together.
I like to make great meals at home and enjoy them with my family. It is nice to go out and give yourself a break, but nothing like cooking a meal at home, from scratch.
This particular one is quite easy to make. I usually don’t end up making pork chops too often. I don’t really care for the pork quality we get in most stores. I tend to stick to local meat from Whole Foods but somehow the pork is not that great. Once cooked, it tends to dry up since it is so lean.
I decided to pick up pork chops and challenge myself. I have seen many time on television how most cooks brine the pork to make it juicier. It is a great idea, but I find it a bit time consuming and laborious. So, I figured out a short cut. I had apple cider in my fridge. I used that as the base and added some salt- a brine has a sweet, tangy and savory element to it. I brined the chops overnight and cooked them the next day with a glaze.
The glaze was again a combination of apple cider, apricot jam and of course- smoked paprika. I am obsessed with smoked paprika right now- I absolutely love the flavor. Well, the chops were amazing with the tangy glaze and amazing roast potatoes. I also served roasted brussels sprouts- recipe to follow.
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Arugula Pesto with Pine Nuts
I love making pestos. I don’t find myself making a whole lot of different kinds of basil pesto for some reason. I do love it but I always find myself making a sauce with another herb or vegetable.
This on is an arugula pesto. Arugula is one of my favorite greens. I love its versatility.. I can use it in a salad, cook with it and now make a pesto with it.
I simply paired it with garlic and pine nuts. I don’t like to use too much olive oil but it is important to use a really good quality one- so a little goes a long way. I used Pecorino instead of Parmesan as Pecorino has a stronger taste which is great for the bitter greens.
That is all I needed to make a delicious sauce. I used it for pasta and in this case- for pizza. Even my daughter ate it- she doesn’t usually like arugula but she really enjoyed the pesto on the pizza.
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Chinese Broccoli and Chicken Stir Fry
I am sticking with the Asian theme so here is another delicious dish. One of our favorite Asian greens is Chinese broccoli. I love it! We make it a point to order it every time we go for dim sum. They usually steam it and serve a delicious hoisin sauce which is equivalent to a barbecue sauce. I love the earthy leaves with the crunchy stems.
A trip to the Asian store resulted in a big bunch of the greens and some of the tofu noodles. I realize once I get obsessed with an ingredient- I use it all the time. This dish can be served with any starch including white or brown rice- but we just love the tofu noodles. I also bought one ponzu sauce from the store. Ponzu soy sauce is a savory sauce with citrus notes- very yummy. I used it to marinate the chicken to give it a delicious flavor and I used it in a yummy sauce as well. The sauce also includes tamari, agave and orange juice- to mimic the ponzu flavors.
Overall it was a very easy and quick dish to make. It is super healthy and great for a weeknight meal…
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Pan Seared Flounder with Bok Choy Tofu Noodles
If you are trying to feed your kids less pasta- you need to try this dish. A few months ago, I started buying tofu noodles (shirataki noodles) from an Asian store. Later I noticed them in my regular super market and was thrilled. They are very low in calories and are delicious. The texture is a bit different and might need a bit getting used to- but sky is the limit with them.
I usually use them in Asian preparations but they can be used in anything. My daughter loves, loves them. When I was planning on making this dish, I made sure I bought enough packs of these noodles (each pack is a small quantity). I actually bought five to make sure all three of us get enough noodles. I then sautéed some delicious flounder which I sprinkled with a spice mix. The dish was delicious with sautéed bok choy with the noodles and the fish. I used a bit more chicken broth to mimic some of the delicious noodle soups we have been having at Asian restaurants.
The dish was a big success! Try this super healthy meal…
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Panang Curry
So here is my interpretation of one of our favorite dishes. We all love Thai cuisine and almost every trip to a Thai restaurant includes panang curry. I love the perfect balance of sweet, sour, savory and spicy. It is delicious. We drive 45 minutes every couple of months to our favorite Thai restaurant- Pad Thai in Highland Park. It is a bit far but the food is totally worth it. A few years ago, my daughter would wonder why we travel all the way there but now she gets it.
The food there has been consistently good for over 15 years. I know I just dated myself by making that statement, but that is okay.
Anyway, I usually don’t end up making too many Thai dishes at home but somehow I got inspired and decided to make this dish. The flavor is very similar to what we eat but it is not the same.
This dish does require a lot of ingredients but once you buy them, you have them for a while. So, definitely make this dish.. totally worth the effort…
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