Bobby Flay's Crab Salad

So we are finally coming near to the end of my Bobby Flay marathon :), and Noah and I are going to maybe try to develop some recipes together, we'll see how it goes ;).  Today's salad was super delicious, it received a 9 from Aaron, Noah and me, and Owen gave it a 7.  Each serving was 428 calories the way I made it, and I found this recipe in Bar Americain cookbook.  Here's what to do:

3/4 c mayonnaise
2 T red wine vinegar
2 T paprika
1/8 t cayenne
salt and pepper
24 oz crab (Krab) meat
1 avocado, diced
1/2 c pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1 c cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c green onions, chopped
1 bag arugula

Dressing
1/4 t lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
1 T orange juice
1 T mayonnaise
1 heaping t whole grain garlic mustard
1 t honey
salt and pepper
1/4 c olive oil

Mix the dressing ingredients together, whisking in the olive oil slowly to the rest of the ingredients to emulsify properly.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside, or refrigerate to use later.

Mix the Mayonnaise, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper together, then add in the Krab.  This can be made ahead.  When ready to serve, add in the avocado, olives, tomatoes, and green onions. Salt and pepper to taste.  Toss the arugula with the dressing, then top with the crab mixture.

Bobby Flay's Kentucky Hot Brown

I love me some hot sandwiches, and especially open faced ones, because I have never been a huge fan of traditional sandwiches.  Cold cuts just don't do it for me :).  Anyway, this hot sandwich from Bobby Flay was so delicious, and I loved the cheese sauce with the chicken and bacon.  I changed the recipe to fit our needs a little bit, so it isn't a traditional Kentucky Hot Brown, but try it anyway, it's great.  Each sandwich was 519 for 8 servings, and Owen and Aaron gave this a 7, I gave it a 9, and Noah gave it a perfect 10.  Here's what I did:

around 2 lbs chicken breast tenders well seasoned and cooked
2 c whole milk
2 T butter
2 T flour
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated

4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c whole milk
salt and pepper
8 slices bread
2 tomatoes, sliced
1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
8 slices bacon, cooked
Parsley to garnish

Cook the chicken as desired, I used my crockpot :).  Melt the butter in a large pot, and add the flour.  Whisk the milk into the roux, and cook until thickened.  Add in the cheeses and stir until melted and combined well, then season to taste.  Set aside.
Heat a griddle over medium heat.  Beat together the milk, eggs, and salt and pepper.  Dip the bread slices into the mixture, and coat on both sides.  Cook until well browned on both sides.
Preheat the broiler, then spray a pan with cooking spray, place your tomato slices on the tray, and salt and pepper the tomatoes.  Broil them, and flip half way through your broil time, about 2 minutes through.  Serve the sandwich with one slice of bread, some chicken, some cheese sauce, more cheese, a slice of bacon, tomatoes, and parsley.  Eat and enjoy :).

Michael Symon's Sloppy Mikes

This was a huge hit at our house, especially with Aaron, which always makes me happy.  This sloppy Mike from Michael Symon is a sloppy Joe using sausage rather than ground beef.  It makes for a nice change, and everyone really liked it, except Noah.  Noah gave it a 7, Owen and I gave it a 9, and Aaron gave it a perfect 10.  Each serving, without a bun, was 247.  I used the hamburger buns we used in our date night, and they were awesome after being frozen too, which is great.  Here's what to do:

12 oz Italian sausage
1 onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
28 oz canned tomatoes
3 T packed light brown sugar
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley leaves
Mozzarella cheese and Hamburger buns for serving

Brown the sausage, then add the garlic and onions.  Cook until the onions turn translucent, then add in the tomatoes and brown sugar, and season to taste.  Let cook a minute or two more, then serve.

Michael Symon's Pasta with Corn and Feta and Tomatoes

This was the most amazing dinner.  We all gave this a perfect 10, and we couldn't believe how amazing it was.  I found this recipe in Michael Symon's 5 in 5 cookbook, our family's favorite, and this recipe just spoke to us.  The feta with the corn and tomatoes, what an amazing combination.  I made some Italian seasoned ground beef for Aaron to put on his, which is why he also gave it a perfect 10 :).  Anyway, for 8 servings, the calories were 290, and here's what to do:

12 oz pasta
2 T olive oil
salt
3 ears sweet corn, kernels cut from the cob
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t red pepper flakes (can use more)
3 T fresh oregano leaves
2 c cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 T olive oil
1 c crumbled Feta cheese

Cook the pasta in very well salted water.  Reserve 1 c of the pasta water, then drain and set the pasta aside.
Heat the olive oil and corn in a large skillet until the kernels start to brown, then add in the garlic and oregano and salt.  Cook about 1 minute.  Stir in the red pepper flakes and the reserved pasta water and cook for another minute.
Add the pasta to the pan, stirring the noodles into the sauce.  Remove from the heat and stir in the tomatoes, olive oil and feta.  Serve immediately.

Michael Symon's Chicken with Mozzarella Salad

I wasn't going to post this, because it's so easy and similar to many things we've had before, but this was super great, the boys gave it perfect 10 and Aaron and I gave it a 9.  This tastes like summer on a plate, and it is super healthy, only 416 calories the way I make it.  This is another Michael Symon hit, from his 5 in 5 cookbook, and again, it's easy and delicious.  Here's what to do:

1/2 c plain dry bread crumbs
seasonings to taste
1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders
seasoned butter (garlic butter, etc.)
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 lb fresh Mozzarella cheese, diced
1/2 c torn fresh basil, chopped

Dip the chicken in seasoned bread crumbs.  Melt the flavored butter in a large skillet, and brown the chicken on both sides.  While the chicken is cooking, mix together the olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss the tomatoes, cheese and basil together with the olive oil mixture, then serve over the chicken.  Serve and enjoy :)

Michael Symon's Bacon and Tomato Pasta

So the boys and I loved this, and the second day Aaron had it he also really enjoyed it.  Noah and I gave it a perfect 10, and Owen gave it a 9, and if the way Jonah gobbled it up was any indication, I would say he gave it a perfect 10 as well.  Aaron gave this a 7 the first night, but he said he really enjoyed it for lunch the next day.  I found this in Michael Symon's 5 in 5 cookbook, and it was so great.  I will be trying it again with Heirloom tomatoes in the summer time.  This comes together super quickly if you have everything prepared ahead of time, so a great weeknight meal!  Each serving was about 400 calories (it was hard to know exactly how much bacon fat there was) for eight servings, and here's what to do:

1 lb angel hair pasta
1 c diced bacon
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 c medium-diced tomatoes (I used around 6 roma tomatoes I think)
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c torn fresh basil leaves
1 T extra-virgin olive oil for finisher

Cook the pasta in well salted water until al dente, reserving 1 c pasta water.  Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp, reserving all the drippings.  Add the garlic, then the tomatoes, and stir and cook for about 1 minute.  Add in the pasta and the reserved pasta water, then stir in the basil, Parmesan and olive oil.  Season and serve.

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.

Picky Palate's Smoky Black Bean Pasta

This Chicken, Corn and Black Bean Pasta in Fire-Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce from Picky Palate is one of those meals that is better the next day.  The day of, the flavors were rather bland, but they developed over night and it was better the next day.  We didn't love this meal, but it was easy and not bad, so Aaron and I gave it a 6, and the boys gave it a 7.  For eight servings, each serving was 336 calories, and here's what I did, which is a little different from the original recipe.

1/2 lb bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
1 T olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 T minced garlic
3/4 lb chicken breast, diced and seasoned
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
2 14 oz cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/4 c heavy cream
Salt and pepper
1/4 t garlic salt
1/2 c Monterey Jack cheese

Heat the oil in a large pot, add the onion and stir until tender.  Add the garlic, and the seasoned chicken, and cook until chicken is no longer pink.  Add the beans, corn and cilantro, stirring until heated through.  Add the tomatoes and pasta to the chicken mixture, then the cream, salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Add the cheese and stir.

Cook's Illustrated Seared Shrimp

Here is another family favorite around here, everyone loves it, and it is such an easy dish to make.  We love this, and Cook's Illustrated Best International Recipe cookbook comes through with another hit :).  This recipe makes four servings, and each serving was 277 calories.  We all gave this a 9, because I used a little too much lime juice, otherwise it would have a 10.  Also, I changed it a little from the original recipe because I didn't have green onions :).

Doesn't that look beautiful? Here's what to do:

1 lb shrimp
1 1/2 T olive oil
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1 t salt, divided
pepper
1 pinch sugar
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 t chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
1 T garlic, minced
2 T lime juice
1 avocado, diced

Mix together tomatoes, garlic, onions, chilies, cilantro, and 3/4 t salt.  Set aside.  Sprinkle shrimp with 1/4 t salt, pepper to taste, and a pinch of sugar.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet, then add the shrimp.  Cook the shrimp on one side, about 1 minute, then remove.  Shrimp will not be fully cooked.  Add the lime juice to the skillet, then add in the tomato mixture and cook until the onions have softened a little and the tomatoes just start to lose shape.  Add the shrimp back in, cook together, then remove from heat and add in the avocado.  Serve.

We had ours with refried beans.  Yummy!

Crockpot Caprese Chicken

This was an easy recipe, and the boys gave it a 9, and Aaron and I gave it an 8.  It is super easy, and just requires a little time in the crockpot.  I used some Italian marinade/dressing and cooked the chicken in the crockpot for about 4 hours, then removed it, layered tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella on top, and broiled it in the oven for about 5 minutes.  Season more to taste, but this gave us moist, flavorful chicken with really delicious melty mozzarella.  Each 4 oz portion was 270 calories.  This was great and easy!

Picky Palate's South West Quinoa Salad

For my birthday I received Picky Palate's cookbook, and we have been enjoying the food we have tried.  This salad was great to make in the morning, then eat for dinner with some pork quesadillas.  This is quick and refreshing, and pretty healthy.  I added some chicken broth and avocados to the original, and cut down on the dressing a little.  We split this into 10 servings, and each serving was 310 calories.  Aaron gave this a 6, Owen a 7, I gave it a 9, and Noah gave it a perfect 10.  Here's what I did

1 1/2 c quinoa
2 c chicken broth
2 c water
15 oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz canned corn, drained
1 roma tomato, chopped
20 olives, sliced
1/2 chopped green pepper
1/2 c cilantro leaves
3/4 t salt, divided
scant 1/2 c (a little less than that really) olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
pinch of sugar
1/4 t ground cumin
1 avocado, diced

Rinse the quinoa in warm water and bring chicken broth and water to a boil.  Add the quinoa, bring it back to a boil, and cook until the liquid is absorbed.  Let sit for 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork and place in a bowl.  To that bowl add beans, corn, tomato, olives, green pepper, cilantro, and 1/2 t salt.  In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lime, sugar, cumin, 1/4 t salt, and cumin.  Pour it over the salad ingredients, and place in the fridge to serve.  When ready to serve, add the avocado and mix it all together.  Serve.

Pantry Chicken and Beans

We had this pantry chicken and beans for a meal the other day, and this is a great way to use up some of your canned goods ;)  This was an easy recipe, and everyone liked it, although Owen thought there were too many beans and he didn't like the tomatoes, which Aaron and I thought might be the best part.  Aaron, Noah and I gave it an 8, and Owen gave it a 7,  and the calories for 6 servings were 378 per serving.

1 t Olive Oil
1 can (14.5 Oz. Size) Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed.
1 can (14.5 Oz. Size) Kidney Beans, Drained And Rinsed
1 can (14.5 Oz. Size) Navy Beans, Drained And Rinsed
1 can (14.5 Oz. Size) Diced Tomatoes, Slightly Drained
1 pinch Crushed Red Pepper
2 t Anchovy Paste (I didn't use this, I just added a little more salt and garlic powder)
⅓ c Chopped Kalamata Olives (I used California olives)
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
½ c Cherry Tomatoes
6 whole Chicken Breast Tenders
1 pinch Coarse Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper
½ c Freshly Grated Parmesan
¼ c Parsley, For Garnish (I didn't use this)

Grease 9x13 pan, then place beans and canned tomatoes in the bottom.  Cover with olives and spices, then season the chicken pieces and place on top of the chicken.  Cook for about 40-50 minutes, or until chicken is done.  Serve with parmesan cheese on top.

Green Beans in the crockpot

Cooking in the crockpot is always chancy around our house, because we like flavor, and the crockpot just doesn't deliver.  Regardless, I love the crockpot for the ease it brings me.  Monday, we had to drive Aaron to and from work, so I knew I had to have food prepared ahead of time so we could eat right when we walked in the door, since we had hungry people by the time we got home ;).  I premade dinner to just warm up, and I decided to try a recipe from my cookbook The Italian Slow Cooker from Michele Scicolone.  This is one of the better crockpot cookbooks, with lots of flavor usually.  The green bean recipe was easy, and I thought it would be flavorful, but it just wasn't.  Noah gave it a 2, Owen gave it a 4, and Aaron and I gave it a 6.  This wasn't a hit, obviously :).  Still, with some tweaking, it might be okay, and it is in the crockpot, so it won't take very long to make.

1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 whole onion, chopped
2 oz bacon, chopped
1 c canned tomatoes and their juices
1 T fresh marjoram, basil, or thyme (I used dried marjoram)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 T olive oil

In a skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes, until very tender.  Add the bacon and cook until bacon crisps up.  Add the tomatoes, green beans, onion mixture, herbs, and salt and pepper and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours, then stir and cook for another 30 minutes.  (I did it on low for about 3 hours.)  Season again to taste, and serve.

Again, this wasn't great, but it was easy, and not terrible :)

Linguine with Heirloom Tomato, Capers, Anchovies, and Chile

So we had Michael Symon's pasta a few days ago, and I thought it was okay, and that's all anyone else thought too.  I was sick when I made it, and so I don't know if I did it right or not, and I know it didn't turn out how we wanted, but I'm not sure I can blame the recipe on that.  Anyway, we all gave it between a 4 and 5.  One fun thing I got to do was make my own pasta, since I received a pasta maker for Christmas this year, so the pasta was homemade for this meal.  Fun!

Here's the recipe

kosher salt
1 c dried bread crumbs
1 T olive oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (I used less)
Pasta dough cut into linguine
1 large brandywine heirloom tomato, about 1 cup
6 salt-packed anchovies, rinsed, filleted, and minced
1 T salt-packed capers, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c sliced flat leaf parsley leaves

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta and add salt until it tasted seasoned.  Toast the bread crumbs in a dry skillet over medium heat, tossing as needed, until lightly browned, about 3 or 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat.
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sweat it for 2 minutes.  Add the red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.
Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the tomato, anchovies, and caper to the sauté pan, bring to a simmer, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the tomato has released its juices and the anchovies have melted into the sauce.  Remove the sauce from the heat and add the extra-virgin olive oil and parsley.
Strain the pasta and add it directly to the sauce.  Toss well before dividing among four bowls.  Top with the bread crumbs.

This was from Michael Symon's Live To Cook cookbook, and again, we didn't love this.  However, it was alright, and maybe another time when I can actually taste and smell again, we'll try it again.

Pasta with Bolognese Sauce

We had Pasta with Bolognese Sauce from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Cookbook for dinner tonight.  This was something new for all of us to try, and it was different than I expected it to be, and it was a fun change for us.  I think we'll probably stick to our normal meaty tomato sauce, but this was a great change.  I like that it is sweeter and less tomatoe-y, and I like how much meat there was.  We all gave it an 8, and for 1/8 of the total the calories were 405.  Here's the recipe:
Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms (I used dried oyster mushrooms, since that's all I could find)
1/2 c water
1 1/4 c sweet white wine (I used 1 c chicken broth and 1/4 c wine vinegar)
1/2 small carrot, peeled
1/2 small onion, peeled
3 oz pancetta (I used 3 slices bacon)
28 oz canned tomatoes
1 1/2 T unsalted butter
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 t sugar
1 1/4 lbs ground meat (I used 1 lb ground beef)
1 1/2 c whole milk
2 T tomato paste
salt
1/8 t pepper
1 lb pasta (I used 1/2 lb pasta)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving

1. Rinse the dried porcini mushrooms in a small strainer under cool running water; drain.  Add the mushrooms and water to a small bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap, cut several steam vents in the plastic wrap with a paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds.  Let stand until the mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes.  Lift the mushrooms from the liquid with a fork and mince.  Pour the liquid through a small strainer lined with a single sheet of paper towel set over a measuring cup.  Reserve the mushrooms and strained soaking liquid separately.
2. Bring the wine to simmer in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat; reduce the heat to low and simmer until the wine is reduce to 2 T, about 20 minutes.  Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, pulse the carrot in a food processor, about 10 1-second pulses.  Add the onion; pulse until the vegetables are broken down into 1/8 inch pieces, about ten 1-second pulses.  Transfer the vegetables to a small bowl.  Process the softened mushrooms until well ground, about 15 seconds.  Transfer the porcini to the bowl with the carrot and onion.  Process the pancetta until the pieces are no longer than 1/4 inch, 30-35 seconds; transfer to a small bowl.  Pulse the tomatoes with their juice until chopped fine, six to eight 1-second pulses.
4.  Heat the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat; when the foaming subsides, add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 2 minutes.  Add the carrot, onion, and porcini; cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 2 minutes.  Add the carrot, onion, and porcini; cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes.  Add the garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the ground meat, breaking the meat into 1-inch pieces with a wooden spoon, about 1 minute.  Add the milk and stir to break the meat into 1/2-inch bits; bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer, stirring to break up the meat into small pieces, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat begins to sizzle, 18-20 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook until combined, about 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes, reserved porcini soaking liquid, 1/4 t salt, and the pepper; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid is reduced and the sauce is thickened but still moist, 12-15 minutes.  Stir in the reduced wine and simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes.
5.  Meanwhile, bring water to a boil, add 1 T salt and the pasta of your choice.  Cook until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1/4 c pasta cooking water and put pasta in serving dish.  Add the cooking water and 2 c sauce; toss well.  Divide the pasta between individual bowls and top with more sauce.  Serve immediately , passing the parmesan separately.

This is nice because unlike traditional bolognese sauce, this can be made in an hour, and so it works as a weeknight meal if desired.  We all liked it, and it was fun to try a new sauce.

Monday we're having the shrimp.

No Cook Tomato Sauce with Pasta and Fresh Mozzarella

This was a great summer dinner, it's still quite summery here in Tucson, even though I see fall recipes all over the internet right now, we're still feeling the heat here :).  Anyway, the tomatoes, and green onions came out of our garden, and we had some carrots from our garden as a veggie.  We really like eating garden food!  This was a fabulous quick dinner, the longest part was cooking the pasta, unless you plan on making your own mozzarella, which I have done, but I didn't do it this time.  I bought fresh mozzarella from our deli at Fry's.  I got this recipe out of Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe cookbook.
No Cook Tomato Sauce with Pasta and Fresh Mozzarella
1 lb pasta (they recommend fussili, I used rotini)
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, diced, seeds removed
2 green onions, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c olive oil
8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Salt and Pepper

Cook pasta according to directions, salting well.  Mix together the tomatoes, green onions, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper.  Drain the pasta, then add the tomato mixture to the pasta.  Add in the mozzarella and serve.

This tasted fresh and wonderful, and like I said it came together super quickly.  We all gave it an 8, and the calories for 1/8 of the total were 412. 

Sundays are going to be a no post day around here, so I'll only post 6 times per week.
Tomorrow we're having fish and green beans.

Pork and Beans!

We laughed when we realized we were having pork and beans tonight.  That is not what it tasted like, but it really is what we had.  I made the beans using a recipe from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Cookbook, and I altered it because I don't like leaving food cooking on my stove top for hours at a time.  Here's the recipe the way I made it, and it's called White Beans with Garlic, Sage and Tomatoes.

Pork and White Beans with Garlic, Sage, and Tomatoes7 1/2 c water
1 lb great northern beans
2 small carrots, chopped in fourths
1 onion, chopped in half, not peeled
2 bay leaves
1 head garlic, top chopped off so cloves are exposed
salt
1/4 c olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1/4 c sage, roughly chopped
28 oz canned tomatoes
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into medallions

In a large crockpot, place beans, water, carrots, onion, head of garlic, and 1 t salt.  Cook on high for 4 hours, then turn to low.  Cook until 1/2 hour before ready to serve dinner.  When beans are done, reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then remove the garlic head and set aside.  Drain the beans, discard the bay leaves, the onion, and the carrots.  Smoosh out the soft garlic into the beans, and set aside.
In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the sliced garlic and the sage to the oil, and shake the pan to evenly brown the garlic and sage.  Add in the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes.  Salt and pepper the pork to taste, then add the pork, the reserved bean water, and the bean mixture to the tomatoes.  Cook for about 20 mintues, stirring occasionally, until the beans have thickened and the pork is cooked through.  Serve.

Noah and I really enjoyed this, he gave it a 9 and I gave it an 8.  Aaron only gave it a 5, he felt it was bland, and Owen gave it a 6 but I can't tell you his reasons ;).  The calories for 1/8 of the total were 260 per serving.

Tomorrow I'm making a cake for my Dad's birthday...yummy :)  I love good excuses to make cake!

Greek Style Chicken and Potatoes and Salad

Tonight we had Greek Style Chicken and Potatoes from tastykitchen.com, and we all enjoyed this.  We gave it an 8, and the calories for 1/4 of it, since we only used 4 thighs, and 3 T of olive oil was 423 calories per serving.This is a great recipe, but I like to add about 4-5 cloves of garlic along with the olive oil and lemon juice, and I brine the chicken for at least 1/2 hour in salty water to add more flavor. 
For our salad, we had a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis's Everyday Pasta cookbook called Anytime Vegetable Salad.  We made 6 servings out of this, and each serving was 156 calories.

Anytime Vegetable Salad

2 c frozen edamame, shelled (I used steam in the bag, so I'm not sure how much I used)

8 oz thin green beans, trimmed

9 oz yellow wax beans, trimmed (i just used more green beans)

1/3 c red wine vinegar
1 t salt, plus more to taste
¾ t freshly ground black pepper
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ c halved cherry tomatoes
2 t chopped fresh basil or tarragon
1 t chopped fresh thyme leaves

Cook the edamame in a large pot of boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.  Drain.  Rinse under cold water, then drain well and pat dry.  Repeat with the green beans and yellow beans.  Leave the green and yellow beans whole or cut them crosswise into 1 to 1 ½ inch pieces.

Whisk the vinegar, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.  Gradually whisk in the oil.  Add the beans, tomatoes, basil, and thyme, and toss to coat.  Season the salad to taste with more salt and pepper, and serve.

 

We thought this was only okay.  Aaron and I gave it a 5, and Owen and Noah gave it a 6, but neither one enjoyed it very much. 

Tomorrow we're having rouladen and rotkohl.  Yummy!!!

Cornbread Panzanella

We tried this cornbread panzanella recently, and we really enjoy bread salad.  The cornbread added a different element, and although we enjoyed this, I like traditional panzanella better.  I thought this dressing was a little lemon heavy.  This is an easy salad to make, and very summery with fresh tomatoes and basil. This comes from Giada's cookbook Everyday Pasta.

Cornbread Panzanella from Giada de Laurentiis

1 lb cornbread, cut into cubes

1 c halved cherry tomatoes

1 c cubed fontina cheese

½ hothouse cucumber, quartered and sliced

½ c chopped fresh basil

Dressing:

2/3 c extra-virgin olive oil

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 2 lemons

1 t kosher salt

1 t pepper

Combine the cornbread, tomatoes, cheese, cucumber, and basil in a large bowl. 

Ina small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon zest, and juice, salt and pepper.  Stir together and pour over the salad.  Toss very gently to combine.  Serve immediately.

 

This is 452 calories per serving when you split it into 8 servings, which is about a 1 to 1 1/2 c serving.  We all gave this an 8.

The shrimp recipe I mentioned yesterday will be up soon, but tomorrow we're trying chicken shawarma.

Roasted Corn Salad

Today we had Pioneer Woman's Roasted Corn Salad and we had high hopes for this.  You can find the recipe in her first cookbook.  Our high hopes were not fulfilled.  We scored this lower than anything we've ever had, only a 2.  We grilled everything just like the recipe said, the only change I made was to cut everything in half, and it was just not enjoyable.  We had to make ourselves force it down.  We couldn't even taste the corn, and the onions overpowered everything, as did the balsamic vinegar.  I'm not going to post the recipe, because I don't think anyone should make it.  Sorry PW, I love almost all of your recipes, this one just didn't cut it for me. :( 
For 1/6 of the total, the calories were 208.
Tomorrow we're having a pasta bake.