Light Sloppy Joes

I was looking at my blog description and remembered that I was going to include a little training on my blog too. Ha! Funny. Maybe I'll start doing that, but it really isn't very exciting. Except that I go through leftovers pretty quickly these days - I'm up to around 15-16 hours of training a week! AAH! Sometimes people ask how I manage to get dinner on the table every night, which is NOT an accurate statement. I always try to look for recipes that will last for several days, so I really only end up cooking dinner around 2 times a week, maybe 3. Especially since we're a household of two students...we don't even always eat together.

Doug put in a request for sloppy joe's...which sounds a little weird, but I like requests because sometimes the most annoying part about trying to have home cooked dinners all the time is I run out of ideas on things to make. Also, I like trying to make Doug's favorite meals healthy! One of these days, he is going to get tired of everything he likes made with all kinds of lighter substitutions, but I don't think anyone feels bad for him!

Anyway, these sloppy joe's were tasty, hearty, healthy and lasted for several days. We ran out of buns (Star Market has surpringly good whole wheat buns in their bakery aisle) on day two, then I started eating the meat just plain and it was still good. Doug made a bun out of cornbread (see last post), but that would be a little much for me!

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 large white chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound lean beef - I used turkey - I think it was 97% lean. The 99% stuff doesn't absorb any other flavors in this type of dish too well.
1 six ounce can tomato paste
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
14 ounces low sodium chicken broth
1 fifteen ounce can corn, drained
Whole wheat hamburger buns - I got 4, you need more like 6 for this recipe
Red pepper flakes to taste

Heat oil in a large nonstick skiller over medium high heat. Add onion, pepper and garlic and cook for around three minutes. Add meat to pan, cook for around 5 minutes - until the meat is no longer pink.


Stir in chili powder, cumin, salt, broth and tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Stir in corn, let cook for another 2 minutes, and you're done!


Toast the buns, and spoon on meat mixture. I also put sliced dill pickles on mine! I didn't take a picture of my actual sandwich...but I have faith you all know what this would look like on a bun :-)

This was a high veggie to meat ratio. When I make this again, I would probably add a little more meat and keep the amount of veggies the same. I also added a LOT of red pepper flakes, because I like spicy food!

Cornbread

Apparently there are regional differences between cornbreads. Who knew? Probably most people, but oh well. I don't know what this is, I only care that is is darn good. I've made a few cornbread recipes and this is my faaavorite.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 packed light brown sugar
3/4 frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled a little

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter an 8 inch square baking dish. Mix flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, set aside.

In a food processor or blender, process brown sugar, corn and buttermilk for around 5 seconds. Add eggs and process for another 5 seconds. Don't worry, the corn will still be a little lumpy. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and pour in the wet batter, folding to combine. Add melted butter while folding and continue until mixed. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth out with a spatula. Bake around 25-35 minutes, or until a knife/toothpick can go in the middle and come out completely clean. Let cool for around 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to wire rack to let cool the rest of the way.



Best served warm!

Stroganoff

I honestly have never had stroganoff before. I had no idea what to expect. I was always wary of the nutrition content, but as most dishes - that can be controlled at home. I found a recipe in my Cooking Light magazine that said any meat could be used - they suggested pork or chicken. Since I already had a pound of chicken in my freezer, I went for chicken. Follow the same directions for any meat though. If you use pork, use pork loin or tenderloin.

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breast, cut into small pieces
8 ounces dry egg noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large chopped onion
2 tablespoons paprika
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 low or nonfat sour cream
Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste (but a good amount of each)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Cook the noodles, set them aside. Egg noodles are easy, they only take a few minutes (like, 3 or 4) to cook.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, around 5 minutes. Add paprika, mixing well, and let cook for another minute. Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook until the sauce has thickened, around 5 minutes.

Remove pan from the heat and stir in the sour cream. I mixed in the noodles at this point too, as opposed to just spooning the meat sauce over the noodles. I said to season to taste, but I used a fair amount of salt and red pepper flakes (but omit if you don't want any kick) - so use a heavy hand!

I almost forgot to take a picture until Doug was almost done, so here you go - Doug's almost empty dish of chicken stroganoff :-)

Taco night!

I will NOT say I am above the prepackaged Old El Paso (or whatever the brand is) taco mix. But I wanted to try my own.

Ingredients (for meat mixture part only):
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 white onion
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef or turkey (I used turkey)
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Pepper to taste

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add spices; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground meat and cook, breaking meat up with wooden spoon and scraping pan bottom to prevent scorching, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and vinegar; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently and breaking meat up so that no chunks remain, until liquid has reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

If you don't know what to do now I'm not sure you should be making these, but we served with cheese, shredded lettuce, hot salsa and sour cream. I also like making taco salads, which is my preferred method of consumption...meat and salsa over some shredded lettuce with a little cheese!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

The whole title is black pepper and molasses pulled chicken sandwiches, but that is a little long, don't you think? The chicken was great for sandwiches, also great just on it's own. I doubled this recipe, because the leftovers were really good. In case you haven't noticed, I cook a whole bunch of stuff at one time then let it last for a few days. Works especially well since we're two busy students!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons sharp honey mustard
1.5 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 package (around 3 breasts) chicken

This is easy...combine ALL ingredients in a dutch oven (or large saucepan...I used a dutch oven since I doubled) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for around 20-25 minutes or the chicken is done. Shred the chicken apart with two forks, then let simmer for another 10-20 minutes for additional flavor.


I served with whole wheat sandwich buns and coleslaw.

Bread Pudding with Apples and Brandy!

Like french toast but better, and meant for a dessert. Which I am convinced french toast should also be - what sucker decided to put word out that french toast is a breakfast treat?

I got some really good whole wheat challah from Rosenfeld's Bagels in Newton Center. It's just so good on its own - if you're going to make this, make sure to buy good bread. Either challah or brioche, and buy it from a bakery. I bought whole wheat because I like it better, it's richer (or something) than regular.

1 pound cubed challah
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 granny smith apples, peeled and cubed
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup brandy
4 large eggs
3 cups milk (I used lowfat)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay the cubed bread out on a baking tray, and cook for 15 minutes (stirring around halfway through) to toast it. Here is my bread, before I toasted it.


Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan. Add apples and 1/4 cup of sugar and cook for around 15 minutes.


Take off heat to add the cinnamon and brandy, then cook (over heat) for another minute. Make sure you stir this really well so you don't have clumps of cinnamon.

In a large bowl, stir remaining sugar with milk and eggs. Add the brioche and apple mixture. Toss to coat evenly and then let stand for five minutes.


Transfer to a dish and cook for 45-50 minutes. Good idea to lay a baking tray out beneath it to catch the drippings - I will have to clean my oven later :-)

Let sit for 15 minutes ish before serving. Great with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Sweet Potato "fries"

...but of course they're baked.

This is really simple, but if you toss some cubed sweet potatoes (or butternut squash) with some salt, pepper and old bay seasoning - you can stick them in the oven (on a baking sheet) at high heat (450 degrees ish) for around ten minutes per side for a delicious and healthy side dish. I served with chicken saltimbocca.

Chicken Saltimbocca

For some reason, mixing ham and chicken is really appealing to me. Yumm.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin.
Ground black pepper
Almond flour (between 1/2-1 cup, just used for dredging the chicken...you could also just use regular flour)
1 tablespoon minced sage
4 slices proscuitto
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.25 cups dry white wine
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt, to taste

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 200 degrees. Combine almond flour and pepper in shallow dish. Pat cutlets dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken in flour and transfer to large plate. Sprinkle evenly with minced sage and then place 1 prosciutto slice on top of each cutlet, pressing lightly to adhere.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to shimmer. Add chicken to pan, prosciutto-side down, and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until light golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to wire rack set on rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven.

Pour off excess fat from skillet. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Turn heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Off heat, season with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from oven and place on platter. Spoon sauce over cutlets before serving.

Farfalle with Sun-dried Tomatoes & Arugula

I made way too much of this stuff. Anyone is welcome to come over and eat some. I think I might add some grilled chicken to it tonight for a meal as opposed to a side dish so it will be consumed a little quicker.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes - the kind that are kept in oil, but drain the oil first
1/4 grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (they'll burn easily in the toaster, a better method is to heat in a dry skillet for around 5 minutes over medium heat)
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cups arugula
3/4 cup crumbled feta
1 pound of whole wheat farfalle
Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste!

Cook the farfalle al dente. While that is cooking, process first five ingredients in a food processor. When the pasta is done, drain, then remove to pot. Mix in the sun dried tomato mixture (you may need a little water if it's too dry).


Mix in the arugula. This is what six cups of arugula looks like:


Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Dish into bowls and top with crumbled cheese.

Pork Chops with Pears & Gorgonzola

This was one of those thirty minute recipes that really only takes thirty minutes. Amazing! Only if you do your prep work while your chops are cooking, though - they'll be in the pan for 10-12 minutes, so you won't even be rushed!

Ingredients:
2-4 Pork Chops, around 1 inch thick (I got a package of three from Trader Joe's that were a good size and in Trader Joe fashion, cheap!)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 firm bosc pear
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

Pat chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Heat oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot (just starting to smoke), add pork chops and cook 5-6 minutes per side. This is where an splatter guard (I don't know the correct name for it, just see the picture!) comes in really handy. I wish I had one that fit!


While your pork is cooking, prep the other stuff. Cut the pear into eighths.


Toss the pear pieces in a bowl with sugar, salt and pepper. Measure out the other ingredients. When the chops are cooked through, transfer to a large plate (but keep burner on). Cover with foil to keep warm while you cook the pears and make your sauce.

In your now empty pan, turn the burner down to medium and add your pear slices.


Cook around 2 minutes per side, then add your chicken broth. Cook the pears for another 2-3 minutes in the broth, until they're completely soft.


Remove the pears and add them to the plate with the pork chops under the foil. Let the sauce cook for another few minutes, until slightly thickened. Off heat, stir in vinegar and butter.


Arrange your pork chops and pears on the appropriate amount of plates. Sprinkle the cheese over each chop, then spoon the sauce on each piece - the warm sauce will melt the cheese just perfectly.

The sauce was so good we ended up getting spoons since our forks couldn't hold enough. Embarrassing, but true.

Eggplant Parm

Sister Meredith made this for my birthday dinner (thanks Meredith!), and I had to make it a few days later because it was so tasty. So, thanks to her for this recipe and especially the gluten free version.

Eggplant
2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon pepper
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
87 ounces of canned diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
2.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh mozzarella, sliced (however much you like, I used two balls)

Instructions

FOR THE EGGPLANT: Toss eggplant slices with salt, and suspend in a colander over a bowl. You'll probably have to divide this into two bowls. Let stand for around 45 minutes - you're draining the eggplant, there is a surprising amount of water in there! My two batches:



2. While eggplant is draining, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions, place rimmed baking sheet on each rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix almond flour with salt and pepper

3. Beat eggs in pie plate. As you go, wipe extra liquid and salt off each eggplant slice. Dip eggplant slices in eggs, let excess egg run off, then coat evenly with almond flour mixture.

4. Remove preheated baking sheets from oven; add 3 tablespoons oil to each sheet (should just be enough to cover the baking sheet with a film), tilting to coat evenly with oil. Place half of breaded eggplant on each sheet in single layer; bake until eggplant is well browned and crisp, about 30 minutes, switching and rotating baking sheets after 10 minutes, and flipping eggplant slices with wide spatula after 20 minutes. Do not turn off oven.

Process your tomatoes in a food processor (leave some out if you want chunks).Transfer tomatoes to a saucepan and add red pepper flakes and basil. Bring sauce to boil over medium-high, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking pan or big casserole dish. Layer in half of eggplant slices, overlapping slices to fit; distribute 1 cup sauce over eggplant; sprinkle with half of parmesan. Layer in remaining eggplant (picture below taken at this point) and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and the optional layer of fresh mozzarella.


Bake until bubbling and cheese is browned, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving so it isn't too soupy.

Of course we couldn't wait to eat before I took a photo :-)

Ham and cheese chicken

So good, and pretty easy.

Pound out 4 chicken breasts until they're thin enough to stuff and roll. Or, buy the thin chicken breasts. Either way works!

Saute 1/4 cup red onion in a tablespoon of butter for a few minutes, until wilted. Transfer to a bowl and add:
1 small minced garlic clove
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon chopped thyme leaves (fresh)
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese

Mix this, then spread equally over the chicken breasts. Lay a slice of ham over each chicken breast and roll. Using twine or toothpicks, secure the rolls.



Dip the whole thing in egg wash (an egg with a little water), then in almond meal (or breadcrumbs, but almond meal is healthier and makes it gluten free).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a little olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the rolled chicken breasts and cook for a few minutes on each side, then transfer to preheated oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

I took a picture at a bad angle, so looks pretty crispy, but the crisp was actually pretty good because it was just cheese that had oozed out and gotten crispy. Delicious.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

My favorite form of a carrot cake is a cupcake. I don't know why.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1/2 chopped pecans
1 eight ounce can drained crushed pineapple
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease either a 9x13 inch cake pan, or cupcake tins.

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil and sugars. Beat in the rest of the dry ingredients. Fold in pineapple, nuts and carrot. Pour into prepared pan. Cupcakes will take around 25 minutes to cook, the whole cake will take more like 45. But keep an eye on it!

Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted softened butter
8 ounces cream cheese, softenend
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all these together in a standing or hand held mixer. Make sure cakes are completely cooled before you frost them.

Two tiers for two birthdays

My first two tiered cake attempt. It wasn't perfect, but that was mostly because I had run out of frosting. But all the basic components were there, and it didn't collapse. Hooray! Most importantly, it tasted good. Pretty basic devils food cake with vanilla frosting. Yum.

Cake: (courtesy of favorite cooksillustrated)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1.25 cups boiling water
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted softened butter
1.5 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 large room temperature eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine cocoa and chocolate in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. Whisk together until melted and smooth.



Sift together flour, baking soda and salt.

Beat butter in a standing mixer at medium-high speed until creamy. Add brown sugar and beat on high for another few minutes until fluffy. Increase speed to medium-high and add eggs one at a time. Beat for a few seconds between each egg. Add sour cream and vanilla. This entire time, scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary.

With mixer on low speed, add about one third of flour mixture, followed by about one half of chocolate mixture. Follow with another flour third, then the rest of the chocolate, and finally the rest of the . Do not overbeat. Remove bowl from mixer; scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix gently to thoroughly combined.

Divide batter between your buttered pans. I used two nine inch pans and two six inch pans.


Cook for around 20 minutes (smaller cakes finish quicker!) - a good test for the doneness of a cake is to lightly press the middle. If it springs back up, it's done. Let the rounds cool on wire racks for a few minutes, loosen the cake from the walls with a knife, and transfer to the wire rack (without pans).

Let them cool entirely, and wrap in plastic wrap until you need them (unless its immediately).

Frosting:
1 stick unsalted softened butter
1 eight ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla.

This is pretty easy...just beat all these ingredients together with a mixer (either hand held or standing). If it needs some liquid, add a little milk. Try to make the frosting just before you frost the cake. I've never had much success trying to restore refrigerated frosting back to a desirable consistency for frosting.

Now, for the construction. You'll need cardboard rounds, and either wooden dowels or regular drinking straws for support. I prefer straws, because they're easier to cut, easier to find and plenty supportive enough.

I like to freeze my chocolate cakes, as it prevents your cake from leaving dark "freckles" in the nice white frosting. Make sure before you freeze, that you've leveled off your cakes. If its bulged on top, it will be hard to stack. Here are my cakes and the cardboard rounds:



Smear some frosting on the 9 inch cardboard round to hold as glue. Put large cake #1 on the round, cover with frosting, add #2, and then cover with frosting. Insert straws (same height as bottom tier) around the perimeter of where the top tier will be sitting. Otherwise, your cake will collapse. Do the same thing with the little set of cakes, then put the same tier on top of the large one, over the pre-inserted straws. Finish frosting your cake, and voila! Decorate how you please. Also, frosting a cake is much easier with an offset spatula, just FYI.



The red on my cake is just some brushed on raspberry reduction. I suspended a bag of frozen raspberries over a mesh strainer, let the juice collect, and then reduced in a saucepan over medium high heat.