HWFD: 21DSD - Week 3 Meals: 21 Day Sugar Detox

Yay! It's week 3! I am counting. down. the. days.

DH & realized that our last non-21DSD meal was actually lunch on Saturday the 24th (we grilled pizza), and that our dinner had complied with it, so lunch on Valentine's day is officially our last meal on the 21DSD. So excited. I am SO looking forward to this fabulous dessert: 

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

C has also requested popcorn as we've been reading Tomie dePaola's The Popcorn Book a ton this week. And we have gouda cheese and GF crackers for an appetizer. So yes, we are all looking forward to Saturday night!

And now, back to reality this week. :)

Week 3 Meals

Breakfasts:

Sausage Frittata, same as weeks 1 and 2. I just love it.

Eggs and sausage grillers and whatever leftovers can be thrown in with them, like veggies!

Sunday
Tilapia with Asparagus & salad
I baked each piece of tilapia in parchment paper, sprinkled with paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, onion & chives and drizzled it with olive oil. Yum! 

Monday
Spaghetti with meat sauce
I make my own sauce using half hot italian sausage and half ground beef (this time I used an extra pound of ground beef, so 3 pounds of meat total. We like meat. :)) I throw in 1 can of diced tomatoes flavored with basil, garlic & oregano, and a can of tomato puree, onions, and a bunch of seasonings - salt, pepper, basil, garlic (fresh), oregano. I use spaghetti squash for the "noodles." 

Tuesday
Asian-style meatballs and cabbage slaw from the 21DSD cookbook
These meatballs were super yummy and made with ground pork. I made a double batch so we'd have lunch the next day, so I'm glad they turned out to be a thumbs up meal! DH & I agreed that the meatballs on their own would be a really good appetizer for a party!

Wednesday
Sausage grillers and a salad
I had chicken planned but we were out most of the morning and early afternoon, and it wasn't defrosted, plus I had choir rehearsal, so I threw this one together at the last minute.

Thursday
Chicken Thai Pad See Ew
I will have to omit the coconut sugar. I'm going to add some ginger instead! :)

Against All Grain, recipe here 

Friday

Salmon with creamy dill sauce 
from the second Against All Grain, Meals Made Simple

Saturday
End of 21DSD!!!! Woo-hoo!! We decided to grill our pizza - perfect for Valentine's day. :) And I. cannot. wait.

HWFD: Week 2 - 21 Day Sugar Detox

Happy Friday, everyone! I don't know where this week went; I meant to post my menu for this week at the beginning of the week. In any case, here is what we ate this week!

Breakfasts
Eggs and sausage griller links at the beginning of the week and the same Sausage Egg Frittata as last week.

Sunday
Beef Stuffed Peppers - recipe here
These were good although a bit on the bland side. I like making mine with a mix of italian sausage and ground beef to spice it up a bit.

Monday
Pumpkin Spice Pork with Butternut Squash
I did a much easier version of this recipe. But the linked one is excellent; I've mentioned it before!

Tuesday
Creamy Dill Salmon with Asparagus (Against All Grain, Meals Made Simple)
This was good... but I honestly prefer pan-seared salmon so I might make it that way instead of baking the salmon in the oven.

Wednesday
Curried Short Ribs - recipe here
My husband is a big fan of curry.... I never tried it until I met him. I love this recipe! Instead of making it with ribs, I made it with beef chuck roasts. The ribs are excellent, but I wanted something that was easier to deal with since it was a week night and I had choir rehearsal. It sits in the crock pot all day and I made the sauce Tuesday night so there was minimal cleanup Wednesday morning.

Thursday
Chicken Fajitas
Super easy - I used my own fajita seasoning that I made a bunch of a few weeks ago. I just cooked the chicken along with a few tablespoons of water and the seasoning, then added a green pepper, a yellow pepper and an onion. No wrap this time, but I will definitely add one next time and add some kind of cheese! :) I love this recipe for our wraps! The trick is making them thin enough - rotating the pan so the batter can spread is the trick.

Friday
Well, it is Friday and I realized I don't have the yellow squash for the noodles for our Pepperoni Pizza Pasta. Ack!! :) I might make it tomorrow night, but we actually have a ton of leftovers this week so I might not need to. So - leftovers tonight! Minimal kitchen clean-up. Win.


Some thoughts on week 2...
I'm still craving sweet stuff, though not as much as before. I am really enjoying my snack of an apple and almond butter. I've also realized that my snacks are also more of the crunchy carb variety - I love plantain chips - those are my favorite. :) And even though I crave the sweet stuff, it's more that I miss honey in my tea and berries and other sweeter fruits. I'm not quite as hungry as last week but I'm still looking for snacks in the afternoon. I've definitely eaten too many nuts! I'm looking forward to adding the raw milk cheddar back into my afternoon snack! I may stick with the apple most days though. Rather spontaneously I made the pumpkin pancakes from the 21DSD book for brunch last Sunday. Meh. Not much flavor and I love maple syrup. And butter. Can't wait for that again, haha.

Hope you all have a great weekend! :)

HWFD: Breakfast - Banana Nut Porridge

We often eat eggs in some form for breakfast around here, other days we have sausage links with peppers, and sometimes I even eat leftover chicken soup in the winter! :)

One thing I definitely do miss is oatmeal - the apple-cinnamon flavor was my favorite! And wasn't there a brown-sugar/maple syrup one too? :)

Anyway, I love this recipe of Banana Nut Porridge as an "oatmeal" replacer from Against All Grain. It's filling and so delicious! Recipe link below photo!

Recipe here!

HWFD: 21-Day Sugar Detox, week 1

I spent a bit of time last week while we were away looking through my two Against All Grain cookbooks (First One) and (Meals Made Simple), and the 21-Day Sugar Detox book for recipes that would fit the detox. It's been a while since I actually sat down to menu-plan this far in advance! :) I knew that it would be much easier for me to stick to it if I did! I wrote out all my ingredients on Saturday that I needed and bought everything for the week on Sunday. To keep this post shorter, I'll include only a few of the recipes, but if there is one you would like to try, let me know and I'll post it separately! Also, all of these cookbooks are available at my local library, so you could check yours!

Week 1 - 21 Day Sugar Detox

Breakfasts:
(1) Sausage, Kale & Tomato Frittata (AAG)
(2) Tomato, Basil, Bacon & Spinach Quiche (21DSD)

Lunches:
Dinner leftovers :) I got into the habit of making at least enough for 2 meals, often 3 when we first started eating Paleo. It saves me so much time in the kitchen and fortunately, none of us mind eating leftovers. Sometimes they are even better the second time around!

Dinners:
(1) Lemon-Oregano Chicken Kabobs (AAG-MMS) & Summer Squash Salad (AAG-MMS)
*I made this last week and served the chicken with homemade tzatziki sauce. Dairy is omitted for the 21DSD so I won't make it this week, but the chicken was delicious after marinating for several hours)

(2) Salmon with Garlic & Lemon, and Asparagus (and maybe a salad)

This one my MIL showed me - cover a baking pan with foil, then place salmon filets skin-side down on top. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste). Crush several garlic cloves (I figure 1-2 cloves per filet) and spread over the top of the salmon. Thinly slice a lemon and place several slices of lemon on each filet. Bake at 425 until fish flakes easily with a fork. (about 20-25 minutes) The asparagus I also drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a few squeezes of the lemon juice I had leftover.

(3) Beef Tacos (AAG-MMS)
LOVED THIS ONE - I made it tonight. It will definitely be on a regular rotation around here!

Ingredients:

3 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup diced yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
3/4 cup water
2 cups tomato puree
4-5 Tbsp taco seasoning (I make my own - you can find lots of recipes on Pinterest)

Brown ground meat and onion and garlic then add water, tomato puree and taco seasoning. 

*Note - I did find that there was plenty of tomato sauce. It ended up making a taco salad instead of wrapping the fillings in a lettuce leaf. Next time I will probably cut down on the water and tomato puree.

Top with whatever you like - diced tomatoes, guacamole, avocado, onions, salsa, cilantro, and cheese if you eat it! :)

(4) Ginger Chicken & Broccoli (AAG-MMS)

(5) Chili
(I make my own for this - I like to add liver since I can't taste it with all the spices, haha.)

(6) Pepperoni Pizza Pasta - (AAG-MMS)
The link is a video of Danielle making it online. I've made this twice already since getting the cookbook - it's fantastic! This will be our meal on Fridays since Fridays are always homemade pizza night. I'll miss grilling pizza - nothing like a slightly charred crust! - but I use this spiralizer to make noodles out of squash and that's fun!

Ingredients:

4-5 oz pepperoni (I use Applegate brand)
3/4 lb Italian sausage (I used 1 pound and used the hot Italian we got with our hog order)
3 cups kale, stems removed and chopped
3/4 tsp sea salt
3 pounds yellow squash
3/4 cup tomato paste
1-3 Tbsp water (I've used 1.5 Tbsp each time and it was fine)
1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
2 tsp. dried oregano

So that's it for Week 1! We briefly considered waiting until after the Super Bowl to start, but at least this way we'll be able to celebrate Valentine's Day evening and hubby's birthday (a few days later) with a yummy dessert! :)

Have you ever done a "detox" diet?

HWFD: Chicken Tortellini soup & Apple Cake

It's been a while since I posted any recipes, as but as we head into fall around here I'm thinking more about yummy soups and stews and apple desserts!

Last night for dinner I made an old favorite - one I hadn't made since we went gluten free 4 years ago! It's from the Cooking Light Super Fast Suppers cookbook.

source and recipe here

I purchased these GF cheese tortellini which became available at a local store only recently. The company will ship all over, with their pasta packaged in dry ice. They're expensive, but for the occasional splurge, I felt they were worth it! I served the soup with toasted "pita" bread. I used an Udi's frozen pizza crust, rubbed a bit of olive oil on it, and sprinkled a little of Penzey's Brady Street Cheese Sprinkle on top. Yum!!

For dessert last weekend I made this apple cake recipe. And then, since it was gone 3 days later, I made another one. :) It's super easy and so moist and delicious! :) 

source and recipe here

I did not follow this recipe exactly - I was out of cinnamon the first time I made it, so I used 1.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice mix to replace the cinnamon and cardamom. It was perfect. I also didn't glaze it or do the swirl exactly as directed; I ran out of time before naptime was over! After I smoothed out the batter in the pie pan, I lightly drizzled honey over the top and shook a little more of the pumpkin pie spice over it. It was sweet enough without the glaze, although it sure looks pretty in the photo! :)

Enjoy! 

HWFD: Breakfast! Italian Baked Eggs

My new favorite breakfast is this delicious recipe! It's grain-free and dairy free for those of you who need it! You can follow the recipe as linked to above, or you can adapt it if you want a larger amount for a bigger family or if you want leftovers.

Against All Grain - Recipe here!

I adapted it so that I could have easy leftovers - I just reheat my portion (and C's) on a plate in the toaster oven each morning. :)

Adaptation notes:
I used 1 pound of hot italian sausage - cooked first, then crumbled in a 9x13 pan.
I used kale instead of spinach because that's what I had from the farmer's market. I cut it into small pieces and spread it in a thin layer. (I say "thin" but kale is puffy - I figured I used about 2 squished handfuls.)
The first time I made it, I used 2 heirloom tomatoes, but the second time, I used canned diced tomatoes, spread in a thin layer.
I doubled the amount of the "cheese" sauce - yes, it really does make it taste cheesy!! Amazing! :)
I used about a dozen eggs, broken on top of the other ingredients, yokes intact.

I baked it at 350 for 25-30 minutes. My yokes were a little more well-done than I would have liked, but I wanted the whites fully cooked. Next time I think 20-25 minutes will be sufficient.

Have a great weekend, friends! Let me know if this makes it to your Sunday brunch! :)

HWFD: Pumpkin Apple Spice Waffles

This girl is my new best friend. I saw the photo for these waffles and thought "I need those in my belly. Now." The recipe did not disappoint. They were fabulous! We've had these for Sunday brunch the last 2 weekends. I substituted some of the spices in the waffle mix for the Pumpkin Pie spice mix from Trader Joes - just used an equal amount of spices. I also used regular coconut milk instead of canned. I didn't want to bother with opening a can for just a little bit. And maybe I wanted to save my one remaining can of coconut milk for making pumpkin ice cream later this week. ;)

PaleOMG

Pay especially close attention to instruction #10. :-D

Enjoy!

HWFD: Spiced Pork & Butternut Squash with Sage

My sister R's boyfriend B sent this recipe to me earlier this week. As it turned out, I had a pork tenderloin defrosting in the fridge and I had just roasted up some butternut squash that was waiting to be eaten. (Actually I roasted a butternut squash and 2 other kinds of squash that I forget the name of. But, they were squash. I figured they would work.)

Recipe here

A weird substitution - I didn't have fresh chicken or beef stock (I make my own) so I used 3/4 cup of water, a dash of poultry seasoning for flavor and 1/4 cup of apple cider, just because. It was great - the pork was so nice and tender and the seasoning was perfect for a fall meal.

Happy Friday, friends! :)

HWFD: Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin with Prosciutto & Figs

I apologize first for not having a photo of this recipe! We finished the leftovers before I thought to snap one. Oops. It was delicious though!

The original recipe from my Cooking Light Superfast Supper Cookbook calls for fig preserves (which are usually hard to find anyway) and chicken. I adapted it for a pork recipe because that was what I could get at the farmers market last week. The farm I buy all our meat from was selling the figs too. Yum!!

Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt - for sprinkling on the tenderloin
8 slices (about 1/4 pound each, maybe a little more) pork tenderloin (chops would probably work well too!)
1 1/2 cups figs (roughly)
1 package (4 oz) prosciutto - I used Applegate Farms
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. water

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Lightly season pork with salt on both sides, then add to pan. I made sure the pan was warm before I added the pork so I could sear the sides. I did have to layer and rotate the pork since I made 8 slices, but it seared quickly. While the pork (or chicken if you like) sears, dice up your prosciutto and chop the figs. After your pork has seared on both sides, turn the heat down to low and add the prosciutto, figs, balsamic vinegar and water. I had mine on really low because I was teaching a lesson during the cooking time so it was on the stove about 30 minutes. It was really tender and the prosciutto and figs with the balsamic was a great combination.

I served the pork with a nice big salad - spinach and cucumbers from the farmers market. Delicious!

HWFD? Sausage Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

For the record, I have NEVER liked mushrooms. Seriously. They are fungus. Gross.

However, I occasionally get brave (at times) to expand my palate. I figured combining something I dislike with things that I do would be a good way to ease into it. I figured if the mushroom was that bad, I could just eat the filling!

Oh, wow. Mouth-watering buttery goodness. I don't know if it was the tarragon (which was a new-to-me spice) but it was hea-ven-ly.

Here they are, piping hot out of the onen.

Here's a photo from Sarah Fragoso's blog - Everyday Paleo, along with the recipe:

source

Are you still reading? Get your ingredients! Your tummy is calling!

Enjoy! :)


ps: For variety, we used the leftovers on our homemade pizza. Yummy on that too!

HWFD? Cherry Tomato Frittata with Corn, Basil & Goat Cheese

This recipe was pictured in an old Williams Sonoma catalog - I had to look up the recipe online. It was worth it though!!! Made it earlier this week for our breakfasts the past few days.

source

I deviated a bit from the instructions because I like baking my frittatas. I just think they're easier that way... maybe that's just me.

I used a 9-inch glass pie pan.

In a small skillet, I cooked the corn (I used 1 cup of frozen corn) in 2 Tbsp. butter. I stirred the remaining ingredients. I used only 4 oz of the goat cheese- that was the size package it came in and I didn't want to buy 2. I saved a bit to sprinkle on top, but since I was baking the eggs uncooked, it kind of sunk in. Oh well. The pepper I saved for last and just sprinkled it on top. (I also used about half the recommended red pepper flakes - it was just enough of a "kick" for me.)

It was SO yummy!!! I think I'll definitely be making this a lot - it's very spring/summery with the grated lemon and fresh basil.

Highly, highly recommend!! :)

Homemade Yogurt

A few weeks ago I found myself with an extra gallon of raw milk. Since C has started solids, he's cut back on the amount of formula he drinks each day. I've made whey using the milk, but haven't always had success with it - sometimes it took the milk almost a week to separate. (Apparently as long as it still smells ok, it's fine.) One morning, kind of spontaneously, I decided to try my hand at making yogurt!

I followed the recipe that I've attached below, from our farmer's website.

I used a large stainless steel pot (8 quarts) to heat the milk on the stove. After the milk was on the stove, I got out my kitchen thermometer only to discover that the lowest reading was 130 degrees. Oops. Well, the milk was on the stove, C was napping, so that eliminated the option of a quick trip to the store. My only other option was a human thermometer (I called a neighbor but she didn't have one either). I left the milk on the stove and checked it every few minutes with the human thermometer and when I saw it rise from 107 degrees to "H", I figured it was ready!

**Side note: What does the "H" stand for? "You're hotter than he - -...?"or "Hospital NOW?" :)

In any case, I figured it was warm enough, so I followed the directions to remove 1 cup of the warmed milk, stir in 3 tablespoons of store bought yogurt (I used plain greek yogurt),  then added it back to the pot, and put it in the oven the rest of the day. It was in there pretty close to 9 hours. Since it was a cold day, I briefly turned the oven on to the lowest setting - maybe about 5 minutes, and before it even heated up the whole way, I turned it off. I also left the light on.

When I took it out... there it was in all it's glory! Homemade yogurt!

It would have been fine to eat that way - on the runny side, but since DH & I like Greek yogurt, I again followed the directions to make it nice and creamy. It did this part in 2 batches since my colander wasn't big enough. It worked just fine.

Once I had drained the whey, I stirred the yogurt using a whisk, and added a little bit of vanilla for flavor.

The first time I had it, I served it over some sliced banana, a clementine and sprinkled it with a bit of cinnamon. It was heaven!!!

It made quite a bit of yogurt and it was SO easy!! I definitely encourage you to try it!!

I'll be making more this weekend now that we have another gallon of milk to use! :) When I do, I'll try to remember to take photos!

Yogurt

Here's my recipe for making yogurt with one gallon of milk.
You can adjust it if you're working with less milk.
 
Heat gallon of milk on stove top to 110 degrees. Take pot off heat. Stir 3 tablespoons of store-bought yogurt into a cup of the warmed milk till well mixed. (really well mixed) Add to big pot of warmed milk. Stir well. Put pot in warm place (95 degrees) for about 8-9 hours. (If your pot is small enough, you can put it in the stove with no heat - just the oven light on for heat. Or some people put a heating pad beneath the pot and set on low.) After the 8 to 9 hours, put yogurt in fridge till it gets nice and cold. This next step is what makes our yogurt extra thick and creamy (similar to the brand "Fage`" in the healthy stores). Since we don't like runny yogurt, I strain it through a cheesecloth-lined colander for several hours or even a day (in the fridge) till it gets thicker like we like it. Then I whisk it in my kitchen aid and it gets creamy and smooth. If you'll be adding honey, sugar, or fruit, you can add it while whisking.

Source: http://www.alexanderadventures.com/recipes.html

HWFD? Asparagus Soup with Poached Eggs

My family used to have asparagus frequently while growing up as my parents had a pretty substantial patch of it in our garden. YUM!!! :) I love it in so many ways, but this was my first try at featuring it in a soup!

I found the recipe in one of the Williams Sonoma catalogs that I receive. I do not have a soup maker blender, nor do I think it's necessary. :) A large stockpot will work just fine. I used a 4 quart stock pot -  and my immersion blender - they worked beautifully. You could also ladle the soup into a regular blender if you have that. I do like the immersion blender because you can really blend to the texture you want - I left mine a little chunky.


Click on source at the bottom of the photo to get the recipe! :)

source

Oh, and I've made the leftovers for breakfast a few times - who doesn't like to wake up to yumminess? :)

HWFD? Daube Provençale (French Beef Stew with Red Wine)

Marinate meat in a bottle of red wine overnight? Uh... ok...

Garlic mashed potatoes? Yeah, twist my arm. 

Pinterest is becoming my new favorite place to find recipes!! This one I made this afternoon.... it simmered away while I taught a few evening lessons and was ready to serve once I was done. 

source

I marinated the meat (just the meat, although the recipe says to include almost everything) overnight in a bottle of wine - I used Cote du Rhone as recommended. I also used an orange, not a grapefruit. I sliced it and cut away the white rind on the inside as much as possible. One of the orange sections may have ended up in my tummy... not the pot....

I did not use the olives... just cause I'm not really a fan of them.

Enjoy!! 

HWFD: Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

Wowza. Another Pinterest find. This was a.ma.zing. :) I meant to take pictures of the process and our plates, but it was gone before I could blink! I LOVE salmon - and when we have it I always wait and get the wild caught when it's on sale. It's so much better for you and the flavor is so much better too.

Recipe source

Notes:
I didn't grill it - I used my trusty stainless steel AllClad pan, drizzled with olive oil (enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan).
I made about 1 pound of salmon, so I halved the seasonings part of the recipe, but I made the entire salsa recipe - ha! Avocado. Enough said.
I used half of a large jalapeno pepper for my "hot pepper" - it added just enough of a kick for me.

DH & I agreed it's totally company-worthy.... so... who's coming for dinner? ;)

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

HWFD? Grilled Chicken with Peaches & Arugula

Found this on Pinterest. (I've been trying to start actually making the recipes, not just getting hungry every time I pin one!)

Here's the link: Grilled Chicken with Peaches & Arugula

Notes: I didn't actually grill it (we tossed our grill a month or so ago... we need a new one but haven't replaced it yet). It worked fine in a stainless steel pan on the stove. I drizzled the bottom of the pan with a generous amount of olive oil, shook on some salt & pepper, placed the chicken in the pan and topped with onions. The peaches I heated in another stainless steel skillet on the stove. I wasn't watching them and they burned a little - oops! But they still tasted great! The arugula I drizzled with some lemon olive oil, but I'm sure regular would be just fine too.

This was delicious! It's a great summer recipes, especially now when peaches are in season! :)

Enjoy!

HWFD? - Ice Cream Cake

Ice Cream Cake

Of course you can make this for dinner. Who would complain? And I won't judge you. ;)

Please forgive the dark photo. It was taken at night and I had to take the photo quickly before it was eaten!

This one is GF, not dairy-free. (I'm going to try a diary-free one and I'll post that one soon!)

Crust:
2 packages of Gluutino chocolate vanilla creme cookies (almost 2 full packages, I had maybe half a dozen left over. If you are using regular oreos, one package should be fine)
1/2 stick of butter, melted

Grind cookies in a food processor until you have crumbs. (Vanilla creme and all!) I did this in several batches and transferred to a bigger mixing bowl. Add the melted butter. The crumbs should be sticking together pretty well.

Pack about 1/2 of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of a pie or springform pan. I used a small piece of wax paper to smooth out the bottom and press down the crust. (I used a Springform pan so it would be easy to remove. I also liked the higher sides for a bigger cake! The pan was non-stick, although I placed a piece of wax paper on the bottom then secured the sides. It worked really well!)

Cake Layers:
1 jar Fudge ice cream topping (I used Hersheys) - I used about 1/2 to 3/4 of the jar
1/2 Pint Ice cream (I used Edy's Grand Mint Chocolate Chip) - slightly defrosted
1 small container Cool Whip (defrosted)

After pressing down the crust, I melted about 1/2 to 3/4 of the jar of fudge in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds and spread it on top of the crust. Then I added half the container of ice cream. Then add about another 1/3 of the crumb mixture (I left just enough in the bowl to lightly decorate the top of the cake). Then add another layer of ice cream. After adding the last layer of ice cream, top with a layer of cool whip - however much you like--I happen to LOVE it :). Finally, use the last of the crumbs to decorate the top of the cake. You can also drizzle some extra fudge topping. Cover with foil (I used a large gumband* to secure the foil around the top of the pan).

Freeze for a few hours. Serve to happy people. Add birthday candles for a lucky recipient (this one was for DH!)

*What on earth is a gumband you ask? It's Pittsburghese for Rubber band. Rubber bands are made out of Gum Rubber. Therefore, gumband. Stop looking at me funny. It's a fun word! :)

HWFD?: Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Cherry Sauce

Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Cherry Sauce
(or How-to-have-your-Honey-ask-"Honey-What's-for-dinner?"-with-great-enthusiam :) )

It's from this cookbook.

1 Tbsp EVOO
1 1/2 lb Pork tenderloin
Salt & pepper - to taste
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup unsweetened cherries (I've used cranberries too - they're also delicious!)
1 sprig rosemary (I've only used dried - I used between 1/4 and 1/2 tsp in the photo below)
1 head cauliflower

Heat the oil in a saute pan, season pork with salt & pepper and sear on both sides for about 5-8 minutes or until browned. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 20-25 minutes, turning occasionally.

I didn't follow my own advice and make enough for 2 meals. Oops! But we had a tons of cherries!!

I serve this over mashed cauliflower. I buy a head of cauliflower, chop it up and boil or steam it (I've done it both ways) until tender, then mash it with a potato masher.

This is super easy, super yummy and makes your house smell fabulous!! :)

Enjoy!

HWFD? - Fish Chowder

Just in time for another Lenten Friday...

Fish Chowder
(from my dear Granny)

1-2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced
Salt & pepper, to taste
3-4 medium potatoes, diced
1-2 lbs. Cod fish filets, cut into chunks (I usually use 1.5 - 1.75 lbs)
1-2 cups Milk or Heavy cream (I used coconut milk, unsweetened)

Saute onion in butter in large dutch oven until onion is translucent. Add salt & pepper. Add potatoes and stir. Add chopped fish filets. Add milk until it almost reaches the level of the fish and potatoes. Cook on medium/low for about 20-30 minutes - use a temperature so that the broth is gently bubbling. Keep an eye on it to make sure it's not too hot--it will very quickly boil over! Stir frequently--I recommend using a non-stick dutch oven so it doesn't burn. Once cooked, mash in pot with a potato masher to achieve desired texture.

I've never frozen the leftovers, but they keep nicely in the fridge for a few days. Reheat on the stove so the fish doesn't get rubbery.

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Serves: Hungry tummies :)

Honey, What's for Dinner?

One of my favorites:

Tamari Beef Tips


Ingredients:
1-2 Tbsp. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 large green pepper, diced (about 1-inch)
1 medium onion, diced (about 1-inch)
1-2 lbs Sirloin, cut into stir-fry strips or stew meat (I buy it pre-cut at our grocery store or Farmer's mkt)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1/8-1/4 cup Gluten-free Tamari sauce (you can use Teriyaki if you can have gluten)
About 1/8 cup Red Wine - optional, but highly recommended ;)

Directions:
Heat EVOO in a large saute pan. (I use a 4-qt stainless steel pan so I can get the beef to lightly brown.) Add onions and green peppers and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add beef tips and season with salt & pepper. Once meat has lightly browned, drain excess liquid from pan. (Cooking time will depend on your stove - just watch to see when the liquid builds up. Then drain it. You don't want to add the sauces until you drain the excess liquid.) Add Tamari sauce and red wine if you desire. You want to see everything lightly coated with the sauce - but not drenched. :) Continue cooking for about 10 minutes on low-medium heat. The sauce will probably thicken slightly - this is fine.

(1) A little over 2 lbs of beef.
(2) This is what your meat will look like when you start draining the liquid. It's fine if the meat is still a little pink. Just get rid of the liquid before you add the Tamari sauce and wine. Otherwise, it doesn't seem to flavor the meat as well.

(3) I use San-J brand. I've used regular and lower sodium; both are good. It's usually in the organic section of the grocery store, near the dressings and such.
(4) DH is more of the wine consumer than me, but I LOVE using red wine to flavor dishes. :)

Notes:
This is delicious served over rice, or by itself with a side salad (which is how we usually eat it). Sometimes I cook it with extra green peppers and onions. Sometimes I add a red pepper too!
If you have time, marinate the beef tips in a bit of tamari sauce for a few hours before cooking.
I really recommend making extra (hence 2 lbs of beef) for leftovers - it is even better the next day! :)

I'd love to hear if you try it! And please let me know if you have any questions! :)

In case anyone is interested, here is my Menu Planning/Grocery List sheet.  It appears I can't upload a PDF to blogger, so if you want me to email you the real thing, I can. Just leave a comment. I have the week planned out on the left (breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks) and my grocery list on the right.

Menu planning helps a TON. It's so much better than trying to cook something and missing ingredients or needing to run to the store for 1 item. Once a week I sit down and plan about 2 weeks worth of menus and a grocery list. I try as much as possible to do a big grocery shopping trip every 2 weeks, and then if I need to, stop for fresh produce, or fresh fish if we're having it, once a week. I also buy most of my meats & eggs at a local farmer's market.

Happy Cooking! :)