Pork chops with mustard onion sauce

This was good. Not my favorite pork chop prep, but it was a true 30 minute meal from Cooks Country Magazine.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons olive oil (I think I halved this)
6 garlic cloves, pressed (ditto)
2 tablespoons low sodium (gluten free!) chicken broth
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
8 thin cut boneless pork cutlets
1 onion, sliced thin

Combine oil and garlic in the bowl. Pop it in the microwave for a minute to combine flavors. The recipe suggested that you use half of the oil now, half later. I used it all now since I didn't want to cook with FIVE tablespoons of oil - blech. Combine the broth, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar and thyme in a separate bowl.

Pat pork chops dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, then add the chops to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side (if they're indeed thinly cut), then transfer to a plate.

Add the onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook for a few minutes until the onion gets soft. Stir in the broth mixture, cook for around 2 - 3 minutes.

Add the pork chops back into the pan and cook just long enough for the pork to soak up some juices and get hot again. Then you're ready to serve!

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce

This is my third recipe for enchiladas on this blog. I love both the enchiladas verdes and beef enchiladas, but both are pretty time consuming. For the verdes, you have to roast and peel the peppers before you start. For the beef, you have to simmer the sauce for 90 minutes. I wanted a weeknight enchiladas recipe, and this is the closest I've come.Not surprisingly, this is a Cooks Illustrated recipe.

Ingredients:
1.5 tablespoons veggie oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 medium cloves garlic (I halved this, since Doug won't eat food once it's crossed the line into garlic-y)
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
12 ounces boneless, skinless, diced chicken. CI suggested thighs, but I used chicken breasts.
2 cans of tomato sauce (pureed tomato, not marinara) leaves
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 can pickled jalapenos, drained and chopped
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese.
10 corn tortillas (most corn tortillas are GF - flour tortillas are NOT)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add onion and cook for a few minutes until soft and starting to brown.

Add garlic, chili poweder, coriander, cumin, salt and sugar. Cook for another 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, for another 30 seconds. The chicken should be totally coated with spices. Add tomato sauce and 3/4 cup of water. Cook, uncovered, for around 8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Dump the whole thing into a bowl lined with a mesh strainer to separate the filling from the sauce. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and put in the fridge or freezer until cool enough to combine with cilantro, cheese and jalapenos.

Spread  1/2 - 1 cup of sauce over the bottom of your baking dish. Heat the tortillas up in either the microwave or the oven. Fill each tortilla with one tenth of the filling (around 1/3 cup) and line seam side down in the baking dish. Cover the rolled enchiladas with the remaining sauce and shredded cheese. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes and serve! You can serve with whatever staples you pick - sour cream, avocado, lettuce, etc. I also think it's crucial to make mexican rice with enchiladas! The recipe for mexican rice can be found at the bottom of the beef enchiladas post.

Newton Center GF Pizza!!

Hooray! I was already tired of hiking out to Needham center for Stonehearth GF pizza. OK, it isn't that far, but getting a quick pizza should be easy!

I was running down Beacon Street through Newton Center a few days ago. Bright purple writing on the window of old favorite Bill's Pizza caught my attention:

Woohoo! Doug and I went the following day for a gluten free pizza lunch. GF toppings excluded anything from the grill, so we went with ricotta, caramelized onions and green olives on half.  

It was delicious! Stonehearth makes very good GF pizza, but this was better.

 
I don't think they have GF info on their website yet - but here it is if you want to check them out!

Coconut Flour Waffles

I already love my new waffle maker. I also love these waffles. Coconut flour doesn't taste like coconut, it's just a light and sweet gluten free flour alternative. They're also very high in protein and low in carbs. Just magic!

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1.5 teaspoons oil (I used veggie)
1.5 teaspoons of vanilla
3/8 teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1.5 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons coconut flour

Preheat the waffle maker. Mix together all of these ingredients. Spray the waffle maker with nonstick cooking spray. Then add the batter and cook your waffles!

I served with blueberry sauce - I just threw some frozen blueberries into a saucepan with some apricot jelly and some honey. Healthier than maple syrup :-)

I also made some eggs and bacon, per Doug's request, since he needed to recharge from snow blowing the driveway! We also both needed some fuel before spending the snow day snowshoeing around Brookline! Hooray for a post Christmas blizzard!

Creamy Parmesan Risotto

I love a good, simple risotto. This is just the ticket. Contrary to common kitchen lore, you do not need to stir risotto constantly. You just need to stir constantly for the first few minutes after the rice is added in order to convince it to become creamy. 

Ingredients: 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups low sodium (g-free!) chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Heat the chicken broth over low heat in a covered saucepan. When you add it to the rice (gradually) later, it needs to be warm. Make sure it's covered so it doesn't reduce. 


Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, around 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it's coated with butter and begins to turn translucent, around 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, still stirring constantly, until all the liquid is absorbed, around 3 - 5 minutes. Begin adding 1/2 cup of the warm chicken broth, making sure to let the rice absorb the broth before adding more. This is where you can stop stirring constantly. Pay attention and stir frequently, but you no longer need to hover (and I bet your arm is getting a little tired). The whole process should take around 20 - 25 minutes. When you're done adding all of the chicken broth, turn off the heat, add the remaining butter, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Stir to combine, and serve! 

Gorgonzola and Porcini Risotto

So, I have to admit - I don't really like mushrooms. However, I had the most fabulous meal at cousin Laura's wedding back in September at the Chatham Bars Inn - which included mushroom risotto! This was fantastic, I thought I was coming around on the fungus family!

False. I think this risotto was especially mushroomy. Perhaps the stuff back at CBI was milder. Anyway, Doug and my mother raved about it (and my mom took the leftovers home, since we were heading out to PA and wouldn't get to them) so I figure it's a good recipe for all you mushroom fans. This recipe was featured on Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis back in 2008. She called for 4 cups of chicken stock, but I found the rice to be not quite done. 2 additional cups did the trick.

Ingredients:
6 cups chicken stock (my go-to gluten free chicken stock is available at Trader Joe's)
1.5 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter (I found this didn't cover the rice completely, so I added a little more, so perhaps it was closer to 4 tablespoons)
1 medium diced white onion
1.5 cups Arborio rice (rice is naturally g-free, as long as it's not "messed with" at all with spices or whatnot)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup shaved Parmesan
3/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola - some blue cheeses are aged on bread, though this is becoming less common. Just make sure you're buying GF cheese. All Trader Joe cheese is GF, FYI.
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

I had some trouble finding dried porcini mushrooms. This could have been because I was shopping so close to Christmas. I ended up buying these from Whole Foods:



Bring the stock to a boil with the porcini mushrooms in a covered saucepan.


Turn off the heat and let the mushrooms seep in the broth for around a half an hour, until the mushrooms are tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms. Bring the chicken broth back to a simmer (covered), since the broth must be warm when added to the rice.

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the butter until melted. Add the onion and mushrooms and let cook for around five minutes.


Add the rice and stir to completely cover with butter (this is where I added a little more).


Add the wine, and stir constantly until the wine is absorbed (around 3 minutes). Add the warm chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time, letting each additional absorb into the rice before adding more.


This whole process will take around 20 - 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and add in the salt, pepper, chives, parmesan and gorgonzola.

A note about adding the broth - figure out which of your ladles holds approximately a half a cup. It will make this process much easier!

My final product, snuggling up to a piece of steak!

Merry Christmas!

Our first Christmas was a romantic dinner for two, since the rest of our week would be so crazy. We made dinner together, drank some wine and opened presents. I made some mushroom risotto (I'll post the recipe later), and Doug grilled some filets. Of course, he had to wipe the snow off the grill first! I served the sweet onion marmalade I made earlier with the steak, and it was very good. Take note that a little goes a very long way. I had been surprised at how little it made - but turns out it will last for a very long time! Good thing, since it's supposed to get better with time!


Doug's plate. He insisted that I take the photo with a nice background. So enjoy the view of our tree!

For the first time, Doug and I did stockings! I won't bore you with all of our gifts, but I had two I had to share! First, my first GF cook book:


I can't wait to try out some recipes!

Also, this might be more embarrassing than funny, but I find it adorable. I wear fuzzy pink crocs as my slippers (I PROMISE I don't leave the house with them), and somehow Doug found a matching ornament:


And a shot on the tree:


He ALSO got me a waffle maker, and I'm looking forward to making GF coconut flour waffles Meredith found on Comfy Belly (and of course posting the recipe as well).

The next night, we did another early Christmas with my mom at my sisters house before heading to PA to visit with the Sherwood crew. I made an additional plain risotto for those non mushroom people. Again, I'll post the recipe separately. But here are my risottos (risotti?):


The entire meal was g-free and delicious! Thanks to mom for an awesome tenderloin!

Meredith made a gluten free apple brown sugar cheesecake. I'll have to get the recipe from her ( but I have to make it before I post it!), since it was fantastic. The crust relies on gluten free ginger snaps, which are available at most grocery stores.

Before:


And after :-)


One more shot to leave you with from the first half of Christmas - my cutie pie little nephew, ready for his first Christmas!