Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

We love eating pizza at home. I usually buy a pizzeria dough and divide it into 4 pieces to make four individual pizzas. I am always looking to make something new or at least try some new toppings for the pizza.

My daughter likes her usual- tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and either sauteed mushrooms or black olives. She doesn’t like to mess with perfection and likes to stick to her usual. My husband is very similar- well, he is a bit more adventurous- as long as the pizza has red sauce on it. I love white pizza but am the only one in our family. My favorite is a white pizza with ricotta, spinach and lots of garlic- hmm- that sounds delicious- I could use some right now.

While picking up the pizza dough, I also stopped at the wine store. I couldn’t believe I had run out of wine- completely. As I was running my errands I was thinking what pizza to make for myself. I wanted something white and different. Pasta carbonara came to mind- I love eating it. The problem is that it is full of cream, bacon and eggs- definitely not an option for me these days. I guess once in a while it is okay to eat this stuff- right?. So, I decided to make a pizza carbonara for myself.

I sauteed some pancetta and turned the heat off. I stirred in eggs beaten with half and half (instead of cream). I then poured it all over my already rolled out pizza. Just in a few minutes the pizza crust turned golden brown and the topping rose way high. It looked beautiful. I added a lot of black pepper- that is what comes to mind when I think of carbonara. It was delicious. This would be great for breakfast, lunch or dinner- anytime, really.

Try pizza carbonara next time you want to change it up a bit.
Click here for the recipe… »

I used a Chinese style sausage in this recipe. A friend bought it for me from an Asian store. She makes a delicious Vietnamese style fried rice with this particular sausage.

I first had it back in college- I will not share how long ago that was. She would make it in our small apartment kitchen that we shared with three other girls. It was so hard to keep that kitchen clean- maybe that is where I get my anal cleaning habits… Anyway, the rice was delicious.

I had the sausage in the fridge and it had been there for a while. I decided to use it and make my own version of a fried rice. I usually add a lot of chopped vegetables but for this dish I used protein only. I was using brown rice to make a healthy dish and tamari as the primary flavoring. It is a concentrated soy sauce and packs a punch in any dish.

To make a balanced meal, I stir fried vegetables on the side. Recipe to follow tomorrow…

In the meantime, try this Chinese sausage fried rice- it is delicious.
Click here for the recipe… »

I am not sure if some of you recognize this particular chili. I made it last year for the big game and this year I will make another kind but thought I should give a recipe in advance if you are planning ahead.
It is a very busy week for me- my darling daughter turns seven on Thursday and initially I was planning to bake cupcakes for her class as well as her party on Saturday. As the week came upon me, I realized I will be baking 4 dozen cupcakes- somehow that didn’t sound very pleasant to me. I was initially very excited about baking all the cupcakes but the thought of 20 kids in her class eating just a bit of a cupcake and throwing the rest away was not a pleasant one. All that work and effort will go right in the garbage- so I decided to buy the cupcakes for the class instead- of course I talked to my daughter first and she was okay with it. A little less work for me this week- so it opens up some time for me to plan a meal for the Super Bowl.
I think if I had a bit more time I would come up with something very different. For now the plan is to make a chili verde- which is a Mexican stew made with pork shoulder in a tomatillo sauce. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? I can’t wait to make it and taste it- I think I will make it on Saturday because soups, stews taste better the next day. I will be using this recipe as an inspiration- so if you are so inclined- you can do the same.

I will also make some guacamole and corn bread. Although beer is the beverage of choice for the big day- I will stick to wine, thank you very much.

If I can get my act together- I will post the chili recipe at the end of the week. Now that I have shared what I will be making, I want to know what you will be making for the big game?? Please share and give everyone more ideas…. No matter what you do or eat- remember to enjoy the Super Bowl but do try to eat healthy.

This was a delicious meal. I had some tenderloin steak in my freezer and decided to use it. I wasn’t in the mood to make a regular, run of the mill steak with vegetables and potatoes (not that any thing is wrong with that). I was in the mood for something sweet, salty, sour and spicy- essentially something that will assault my taste buds- all the way.

Chinese food came to mind. I went food shopping and found great looking packs of baby bok choy. If you haven’t yet tried this vegetable, consider doing so. It is a sweet, crunchy green with a turnip like flavor- definitely one of my favorites. It is my husbands favorite as well. Sia will eat it- she doesn’t love it but she will eat it.

I marinated the steak and cooked it with long green onion cut on a bias- just like they do at restaurants. I made a sauce with orange juice, tamari, vinegar, etc. I was thinking of the orange beef served at Chinese restaurants. The problem is that it is fried and quite unhealthy- not my cup of tea at the moment. I decided to make a sauce instead infused with major orange flavor.

I sauteed the beef and added the sauce and corn starch. I cooked the bok choy separately and served it on the side. I find the green parts of the bok choy get quite wilted and soft if served in a sauce. It was delicious on the side especially with a serving of brown rice.

The healthy cooking continues… For those who want to make the dish healthier, use chicken or shrimp instead. For vegetarians, I would do a firm tofu and treat it the same way as the beef.

• 1 pound skirt steak (tenderloin steak is great as well), cut into thin strips
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons cooking rice wine

Marinate the steak with tamari, garlic and the rice wine for 4 to 5 hours.

Sauce

• 2 cups orange juice

Pour the orange juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or till it reduced to one cup or even less.

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce

Mix the reduced orange juice, rice vinegar, honey, tamari and chili sauce. Keep aside.

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch, mixed with 2 teaspoons water

• 4 green onions, cut at a bias
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil

In a wok like pan, heat the olive oil on high heat. Add the green onions and sauté for a minute. Add the marinated steak and sauté for 4-5 minutes till golden brown. Add the sauce and the cornstarch. Bring to a boil and cook till thickens. Taste for seasonings and serve with bok choy and brown rice.

Sauteed Bok Choy with Garlic

• 2 large heads of bok choy or 6 small ones, chopped, the greens and whites separated
• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• Salt

In a large frying pan, add the olive oil. Add the white parts of the bok choy. Saute for 2-3 minutes on a high heat. Add the greens and garlic. Saute for 4-5 minutes or till the whites are tender. Add salt and serve.

I made this dinner a few days ago. When I made the applesauce- pork came to mind. So, I went to Trader Joes and purchased myself a pork tenderloin to serve with the sauce. 

I cooked the sauce with some shallots and garlic to make it a bit savory. I marinated the pork with a mixture of garlic, rosemary, thyme and salt. It gave it a delicious flavor that complemented the applesauce really well. 

I wasn’t sure what to serve with the pork- but then while I was at the store, I saw broccolini. I have used this vegetable before, so I decided to give it a try. It was delicious with the pork and the potatoes.

I had potatoes at home and decided to try a side dish I saw a few years ago- it’s a Jacques Pepin’s recipe. I made it for Christmas couple of years ago and they were delicious. The potatoes are cooked in chicken broth and butter with some herbs. As the potatoes get soft, smash them a bit with the back of a ladle or a small bowl. As the smashed potatoes cook and brown up, they get crispy on the outside. They are out of this world. 

These potatoes will be fabulous for Thanksgiving. Easy and really delicious. I will be posting the broccolini recipe soon as well- it will be ideal for a holiday dinner!

Please go through the blog and choose ‘Holiday Ideas’ to get lots of other ideas for your holiday family dinners. Enjoy the festive time with your loved ones, eating some fabulous dishes! It’s a great time of year!

• 1½ to 2 pounds pork tenderloin, excess fat removed
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Have a digital thermometer ready.

 Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper to a mortar and pestle. Pound and mix well and add it to the pork tenderloin covering all sides. Keep aside for about an hour.

Place the tenderloin on a lined cookie sheet and put it in the oven. Roast till the internal temperature is about 145 to 150 degrees. Take out and cover to rest for 20 minutes before serving.

Applesauce with Shallots and Garlic

• 1 cup homemade applesauce
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, sliced thin
• 1 garlic clove, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper

In a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the shallots and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the applesauce, salt and pepper. Saute till everything is heated through. Serve on top of the pork.

Roasted Potatoes

• 4 medium yellow skinned potatoes, peeled and cut in half
• 1 cup chicken or beef broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

In a large non-stick frying pan add the chicken or beef broth. Add the potatoes cut side down. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to simmer and cover. Cook the potatoes till almost done- about 15-20 minutes. Take the lid off and increase the heat to evaporate the broth. Once most of the broth is gone, take a small bowl and squish the potatoes down with the back part of the bowl. Brown the squished potatoes till both sides are golden brown. Add salt and pepper and serve.