Flour, Too's Pork Loin with Mojo Sauce

So I wasn't sure I was going to feature this recipe, since I changed it a little, and didn't do all the recipe said to, but we really enjoyed this pork and sauce, all of us giving this a 9, except Noah who gave it a perfect 10, and it was relatively easy, so good things :).  Each serving was 292 calories for six servings.  Flour, Too, is where I found this recipe, and I was happy to be able to crockpot this and still have it turn out well.  I ended up leaving the pork in the brine for almost 48 hours in the fridge, and it was just so flavorful and tender.  Here's what to do:

Brine:

1/4 c salt
1/2 c packed brown sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
1 orange, halved
1 t dried thyme
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 T fennel seeds
1 T coriander seeds
3 bay leaves
1-2 lb pork loin

Oregano Mojo:

1 cup (more or less) fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c freshly squeezed lime juice
3 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1/2 t salt
pepper

onion powder, oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper to season the pork

Mix the brine ingredients in a large pot with 2 1/2 qt water, bring it to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar.  Let it cool completely, then place the pork in the brine and refrigerate at least over night.

Make the Mojo by mixing all the ingredients together, stirring well.  Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours.

When ready to cook the pork, season the pork, then place in a greased crockpot.  Allow the pork to cook for around 4-6 hours on low, making sure not to overcook.  Serve with the mojo sauce.

Flour, Too's Parmesan Polenta

I didn't grow up in a house where we ate any kind of southern food, so I didn't try grits until I stayed at a friend's house over night, and her mom made us grits for breakfast.  I loved them, promptly went home and told my mother that, and she just grimaced and said she wasn't going to make grits any time soon :).  I still don't have grits, or polenta, very often, but when I do I always enjoy them, and this is a delicious recipe from Flour, Too.  We had some short ribs along with the polenta, also from Flour, Too, but I am only going to feature the polenta.  It's an easy recipe, and we gave them a 9, and each serving was 155 calories for 9 servings.  Here's the easy recipe the way I did it:

3 c beef stock
2 c whole milk
3/4 t salt
1 c coarsely ground polenta
1 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring the stock, milk and salt to a boil.  Whisk in the polenta in a slow, steady stream.  Reduce the heat to very low and simmer, about 15 minutes, stirring often.  Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan.  Season to taste and serve.

Flour, Too's Oven Baked Potato and Red Pepper Tortilla

I loved this, even though it is eggs.  The flavors and smells were so enticing, I couldn't wait to dig into this.  We found this recipe for a Spanish tortilla in Flour, Too, and as always, the recipe turned out really well.  Each serving, for a total of eight servings, was 274 calories.  Noah gave this an 8, Owen and I gave this a 9, and Aaron gave it a 7 (no meat :)).  I like that this is Spanish, a tapas, and the fried potatoes really make this a delicious breakfast meal.  Here's what to do:

3 medium Yukon gold potatoes
6 eggs
3/4 c whole milk
1 c grated Romano cheese, plus more for garnish
4 scallions, minced
3 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt
5 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t paprika

Boil the potatoes until fork tender, drain, and remove the peels after they have cooled a little.  Slice them into slices 1/2 inch thick.
Preheat the oven to 450.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, Parmesan, green onions, and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
Heat 1 T of the oil in a large oven-proof skillet, then add the onion, pepper, and garlic and cook until the vegetables soften.  Season with salt and pepper, then transfer the veggies to a bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat 3 T of the oil over high heat.  Add the sliced potatoes and reduce the heat to medium.  Sprinkle with the paprika and more salt, then let cook for about 3 minutes.  Flip the potatoes over, drizzle with the remaining 1 T olive oil, and sprinkle with salt if desired.  Cook for an additional 3 minutes or so, making sure to get some crispy potatoes in there, even if not all of them are browned or crispy.  Remove the skillet from the heat.
Spread the veggie mixture over the potatoes, then pour the egg mixture over everything.  Bake for 16-20 minutes, until the middle is just set and the egg puffs and browns.  Let cool a few minutes, then serve.

This was great for breakfast the next day as well, so it holds up well in the fridge.

Flour, Too's Sausage and Lentil Soup

One of our most favorite soups ever, this stew from Flour, Too was amazing.  Aaron and I gave this a perfect 10, and the boys gave it a 9.  I made a couple of changes to make this more our style, and it was so flavorful and delicious.  Each serving, for 12 servings, was 189 calories the way I made it, and here's the recipe:

12 oz sweet Italian sausage
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 T tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
1 T paprika
1/2 t thyme
1 t turmeric
1 t oregano
3/4 t cumin
1/2 t fennel seeds
1/2 t curry powder
2 small potatoes, chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and chopped
1 small turnip, peeled and chopped
2 quarts chicken broth
1 c tomato sauce
3/4 c green lentils, rinsed
2 c arugula

Cook the sausage over medium heat until well browned, then with a slotted spoon remove the sausage to a plate.  In the left over grease, cook the onion, garlic, carrot, salt and celery until the onions are translucent, scraping the bottom of the pan.  Add in the tomato paste and salt, then add in the bay leaves and stir for 2-3 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low, add in the spices, and toast the spices for 3-4 minutes.
Add the sausage back in, then stir well, add in the potatoes, parsnip, leeks, and turnip.  Add the broth and the tomato sauce, and stir in more salt and pepper to taste.  Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add in the lentils and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes to an hour.  Discard the bay leaves, then add in the arugula.  Serve.

Flour, Too's Cinnamon Cream Brioche

So although this isn't a beautiful picture, this is a beautiful pastry :).  Flour, Too, a great cookbook, came through for us again.  I have previously mentioned my love of pastry cream, and since this pastry uses that, I knew I would love this, and I did.  Owen and I gave this a perfect 10, and Noah and Aaron gave it a 9.  While high in calories, not surprisingly, this is so delicious and worth it.  Each pastry was 596 calories, and the recipe makes 8 pastries.  Here's what to do:

1/2 batch Joanne Chang's brioche dough
1 3/4 c pastry cream, or any recipe
3/4 c (or a little less) sour cream
1 1/4 c sugar
1 t cinnamon

Preheat the oven(s) to 350 and line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the cinnamon and sugar together.
Shape the brioche into 8 rounds, similar to mini pizzas, making sure the center is quite thin.
Spread the pastry cream into the center, then top with about 1 T sour cream, or a little more.  Top with the cinnamon sugar mixture, making sure to sprinkle the entire pastry with the mixture.  Bake the pastries for 25-30 minutes.  Let them cool and serve them warm.

Flour's Apple Turnovers

I am super excited about these turnovers, they were such a success.  I have made these cheese danishes before with laminated dough, and I really liked how they turned out, but as you can see from the picture, the turnovers had that flaky dough that I was so happy to achieve.  I am only going to feature the dough today from Flour, Too, and Friday will have a filling for them from my chocolate cookbook.  The apple turnovers pictured here were just filled with a tart apple sauce filling.  Each apple turnover was 379 calories, and we gave these a perfect 10, although the chocolate ones were a bigger hit.  This dough is kind of a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it.  This recipe will make 20-22 turnovers, and I did 10 apple and 12 chocolate.  Here's what to do:

1 3/4 c flour, plus lots for dusting and folding, probably another cup
1/2 t salt
6 T unsalted butter, plus 1 c unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c ice water

1 egg, beaten
3 T sugar

In a stand mixer, combine the flour, salt and 6 T of butter and beat on low speed for 6-8 minutes, or until the butter is completely mixed into the flour.  Add the water and mix on low for about 20-30 seconds more.  Shape the dough into a 5 inch square, transfer the dough to a cookie sheet, and cover it with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a generously floured surface.  Press the dough into a rectangle about 8 inches wide and 5 inches tall.  Roll the remaining 2 sticks of butter out to cover 1/2 of the dough, so 4 inches wide by 5 inches tall.  Fold the bare half of the dough over the butter half of the dough and press to seal the butter between the dough.  Turn the dough 90 degrees clockwise so the dough is 5 inches wide and 4 inches from top to bottom.  Flour the dough on all sides.
Begin rolling the dough from side to side and top to bottom, ending with the rectangle about 15 inches wide and 10 inches tall.  Fold into thirds like a letter, right side coming in, then left side.  Rotate the dough clockwise 90 degrees, then repeat the rolling and folding process.  After the second rolling and folding, return the dough to the refrigerator and rest the dough in the fridge for an hour.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and place it on a well floured surface.  Have the long side facing you, and the folded seam on top.  Roll out the dough into a rectangle 27 inches wide and 8 inches tall.  Fold right side into thirds, then left side, then turn clockwise and repeat the rolling to 27 inches and folding.  Return the dough to the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour more.
After the hour, roll it out to 27 x 8 inches again, fold into thirds again, rotate, then reroll it out to 27x8 inches again, refold, then cover and refrigerate for one more hour.  After this last fold, the dough can be refrigerated for up to five days.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet or two with parchment paper.  Roll out the dough into a rectangle 28 x 12 inches.  Cut the dough into 10 equal squares, then fill 1/2 half of the square diagonally with desired filling.   Brush the egg on the bare side of the square along the edges, then pinch the edges together and press them with a fork.  Brush the tops of the pastry with more egg, cut small slits in the tops to allow steam to escape, then sprinkle the tops with sugar.  Bake for about one hour, then let cool.  Serve.

Chorizo Breakfast Pizzas

So we found a recipe for breakfast pizzas in our Flour, Too cookbook, but we didn't want to make them the way the recipe said :).  Instead, we made them using Flour's brioche recipe, which can be found here, or more easily here.  Anyway, I used half of this batch and made 8 pizzas out of this.  Each pizza was 530 calories, approximately, and Aaron gave this a perfect 10, Noah and I gave this a 9, and Owen gave it an 8 because he doesn't like chorizo :).  Here's what we did:

1/2 batch of Vicki's breakfast burrito meat, minus the egg (chorizo and potatoes)
2 onions, sliced very thinly
2 T butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1/2 batch of brioche
1/4 c sour cream, divided (we used a little less)
2 oz grated Monterey Jack cheese

Toppings of choice, we used avocados and tomatoes

Follow the directions for the brioche, and after proofing it overnight, begin making the pizzas.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Melt the butter in a pan, and caramelize the onions for about 30 minutes, seasoning well.
Cook the chorizo and potatoes with the caramelized onions and the egg.
Cut the brioche into 8 segments, then shape them into circles with a rim, like little mini pizzas.  Cook for 10 minutes on parchment covered cookie sheets.  Remove the brioche from the oven, then place around 1 T of sour cream in the bottom (or less) of the brioche, then top with the chorizo mixture.  Top with grated cheese, and cook for about 20 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don't over bake.  Serve hot.

CJ's Spiced Banana Pancakes from Flour 2

These are a great, easy breakfast that we tried one morning, and the boys and I really enjoyed them.  I found them in my Flour 2 cookbook.  The pancakes are quick to put together, and since there is so much banana in them, they are super moist, sweet and kind of healthy :).  The allspice is kind of strong, I love allspice, but maybe play around with the spices if you don't like allspice.  Noah and I gave them a 9, and Owen gave them an 8 because of the allspice.  Each pancake, for 11 pancakes, was 135 calories, and here's what to do:

1 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 t allspice
1/4 t pepper (you can use more, I didn't want very much, but the recipe called for more)
2 T packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 c milk (I used 1%)
2 T vegetable oil
4 medium ripe bananas, 3 chopped up or mushed up, 1 sliced to go on top
Syrup, butter, etc. for toppings

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, slat, allspice, pepper, and brown sugar.  In another bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and vegetable oil.  Add in the mushed up banana, then fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones.  Cook at a low heat on a griddle or pan, and brown well on both sides.  Serve with banana slices and toppings.

Yummy :)

Flour Too's Mushroom and Leek Lasagna

So unlike Aaron, I love different pastas and lasagna.  If it were up to Aaron, we would always have my lasagna, and we would have it more often :).  Anyway, I found this Mushroom and Leek lasagna recipe in Flour, Too, and I decided to try it.  I made very few changes, but I did add bacon to have some meat, because my family has to have meat :).  Each serving, for 16 servings, was 367 calories. Aaron gave this a 7, Owen gave this an 8, and Noah and I gave it a 9.   Here's what to do:

10 dry lasagna noodles
1 c fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
1 c whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 c chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper
6 pieces bacon plus bacon fat reserved
1 lb mushrooms, chopped (I used a mixture)
5 garlic cloves, smashed
4 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced and rinsed well
2 14.5 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes

6 T unsalted butter
1/3 c flour
4 c whole milk (I used a mixture of 1% milk, half and half and heavy cream, since I was running out of whole milk :))
salt and pepper
dash of nutmeg

3 c shredded mozzarella

Cook the lasagna noodles in well salted water and set aside.
Combine the goat cheese, ricotta, basil, half of the mozzarella and salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Crisp the bacon, remove to a plate, then in the remaining fat (about 1/4 c), cook the mushrooms and leeks with salt and garlic.  Add the tomatoes and bacon and season well, then let cook and reduce a little.  Set aside.
In the same skillet, melt the butter, make a roux with the flour, and then slowly stir in the milk and whisk constantly.  After the bechamel thickens, season to taste.
Preheat the oven to 350.
In a large pan, spread half of the bechamel on the bottom, then lay 5 of the noodles.  Scatter half of the tomato mixture over the noodles, then top with half of the goat cheese mixture, then top with another layer of noodles, the rest of the mushrooms, the rest of the goat cheese, then the rest of the bechamel, then top with the remaining mozzarella.  Bake for about 1 hour, and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Flour Too's Steel Cut Oatmeal with Pear Compote

I found this recipe in my Flour, Too cookbook, and I really enjoyed it.  Aaron didn't love it, but the rest of us did, and Aaron really liked the candied pecans.  This is one of those satisfying breakfasts for me, I could eat oatmeal every day :), and this is my first time trying steel cut oats, and I really enjoyed them.  For five servings, each serving was 506 calories.  Here's what to do:

Pear Compote:
4 pears, peeled and chopped
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 t vanilla
pinch of salt

Crunchy Pecans
2 T sugar
3/4 c pecans, chopped finely

Oatmeal
2 c whole milk
1/8 t salt
1 c steel-cut oats
dash of nutmeg
1/4 t cinnamon

Combine the pears, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a small pan and cook until the pears have softened and broken down, about 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a pan, bring milk, water, salt and oats to a boil over high heat, then stir, and reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes.  Also meanwhile :), in a small saucepan, mix together the sugar, and 2 T water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Let it caramelize and turn brown, then add in the pecans, stirring until all the pecans are covered.  Spread on a plate and let cool.
When ready to serve, divide the oatmeal, top with the pears, and break up the pecans and divide them among the servings.

Flour 2's Chipotle Chicken Stew

I found this recipe for soup in Flour 2, the second cookbook from JoAnn Chang, and these are more savory dishes, so fun to try new things!  I didn't follow the recipe super closely, I love making soup in the crockpot, and that is what I did for this recipe.  We gave it an 8, it was hearty and filling, and I especially liked the smoky, spicy flavor from the chipotle pepper.  Each serving was only 276 calories, and we made 8 servings, which is the portion shown above.
Here's what I did:

2 14.5 oz cans black beans
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 canned chipotle pepper, seeded and minced (if you want more spice, don't completely remove all the seeds)
1/2 t ground cumin
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes with juice
salt
1/2 c uncooked rice
shaved zucchini, about 1/2 c
2 t oregano
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
juice from one lime

Place the beans, onion, carrots, garlic, chipotle pepper, cumin, tomatoes, zucchini, and oregano in the crockpot.  Salt the chicken well, then add the chicken.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low, then add in the rice.  Cook for an hour on high, checking to make sure the rice gets done before serving, then add in the cilantro and lime juice and serve.

Easy and delicious!