Baking Turns Into Dinner...

My sister and I often send each other random links to new recipes we have tried out.  We are both pretty adventurous and we will try just about anything in terms of ingredients. More importantly we both keep a lot of the same ingredients in stock in our pantries.

Most recently, she sent me a recipe for Carrot Quinoa muffins. I know, it sounds like some health-nut dessert but its definitely not. Follow the link below to get the recipe.









I found myself shredding too much carrot and had been making some grilled chicken for my week's lunches, when I decided to throw together the extra ingredients from the muffins, into a delicious salad. The salad was comprised of the extra cooked quinoa, shredded carrot, diced apple, baby arugula, herbed goat cheese, grilled chicken, and my favorite go-to salad dressing, maple balsamic vinaigrette (another hit from my sister's collection!) This dressing is my secret weapon for dinner parties and will soon be yours as well!

The Dressing

3T balsamic

2t maple syrup

2t minced shallot

1t dijon

1/2 cup olive oil (add last, slowly while whisking)

salt and pepper

Make the Muffins: http://www.darcyeden.com/posts/2012/5/18/carrot-quinoa-muffins.html

Dinner in 20 Minutes: Panko Pork Cutlets with Chianti Balsamic Reduction with Roasted Garlic Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Craving a comforting fall inspired dinner, I had mashed potatoes on the mind early on in the day today. I always make my mashed potatoes with the peels still on, using my food processor to make them creamy and smooth. I tried a new ingredient this time around, a small pinch of cinnamon, and it added a nice sweet and spicy note in addition to the roasted garlic. I added almond milk, olive oil, salt & pepper, and roasted minced garlic to the food processor bowl.

I flayed boneless pork chops to make thin portions. Using an egg wash consisting of eggs, water and stone ground mustard, I breaded the pork in panko bread crumbs, fresh grated Parmesan cheese , garlic powder, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Then I pan fried in Olive oil until crispy and golden on each side.

To make the reduction I added equal parts of a leftover bottle of Chianti with Balsamic vinegar. I simmered over med low heat until it reduced to half and thickened. I drizzled the reduction over the plate and then plated the potatoes and cutlets. I ate my cutlets Milanese style over a bed of baby greens with an additional splash of french vinaigrette.

I suggest boiling the potatoes while you saute the cutlets. Transfer cooked cutlets to an oven safe dish and place in 200 degree oven to keep warm until ready to serve.  A side of some roasted apples and carrots would pair perfectly with this dish. What fall flavors are you craving when the weather starts cooling down?

The Slow Cooker Saves Dinner

I recently started working part time for a friend's family deli, (Gianella's of Glen Rock) and the evening hours are forcing me to get creative with dinner, and encouraging me to pull out my rarely used crock pot. The New York Times Dining section recently featured a recipe, with a picture that left me drooling: Grilled Baby Back Ribs with Spicy Peanut Shake. I purchased the ingredients fully intending to make them on a night I would be home and have the time required. Needless to say, that didn't happen! So I pulled out the Crock Pot and googled a variety of slow cooker worthy rib recipes. The following Thai inspired recipe is what I came up with. 

All of the marinade ingredients are usually in my pantry or fridge, making this a meal I can turn to time and time again as long as I have some ribs in the freezer. I paired it with two sides that are quick to heat/assemble; Trader Joe's Frozen Brown Rice, as well as, some raw baby carrots. The results were fall of the bone tender ribs that left the house smelling delicious.

What slow cooker recipe do make that you can't live without?

 Thai Style Crock Pot Ribs
1-16 oz can pineapple chunks in pineapple juice
1-2 T low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 T creamy or crunchy peanut butter
3.5 lbs pork baby back ribs
Salt to preference

Combine ingredients and allow ribs to marinate 8 hours or overnight in fridge. Place Ribs and marinade in slow cooker and cook on low setting for 8 hours. (It is ok to place the refrigerated crock into the warmer as long as you do not preheat the warmer)

Improving Childhood Recipes Part 1: Mac N Cheese

Mac n' cheese out of a box was a weekly staple in our home growing up. Easy and quick to make, it was our go to meal when friends stopped in, or to hold us over after school until dinner. Now a meal I keep on hand in case of emergencies and power outages, occasionally I get that craving and I have begun to come up with a myriad of ways to adjust the boxed dinner to the adult palate.  To start I use Annie's organic shells or the Trader Joe's version. Even though you can skip the butter in these recipes, I prefer the richness it contributes so I use my Earth Balance spread. I attempt to balance out the fat content of the mac n cheese by adding a veggie packed with antioxidants: sauteed spinach. To help add a new dimension of flavor I threw in some caramelized shallots and topped it off with a sprinkle of reduced fat shredded cheese (there goes that balance). Another version I made recently combined canned tuna, sauteed broccoli, and minced garlic. My husband's favorite is to just add some tomato sauce. What is your favorite way to make mac n' cheese?

Patriotic Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries

I've had steel cut oats before, but I have always bought them at my favorite coffee shop, Greenberry's. I always let them do the hard work, cooking the steel cut oats for half an hour in a huge black kettle. When I saw them in the store I decided to cheat and get the "Ready in 5" box, I could've cheated more and bought the "almost instant."I topped off my oats with sweetly fragrant sliced strawberries and New Jersey grown plump blueberries. No added sugar needed, the natural sweetness of the fruit perfectly complemented the oats. What are you eating that is Red, White, and Blue this week?

This is what you should be eating...

My original plan was to make a crisp and cool nicoise salad and partner it with a crusty homemade loaf of bread. Borrowed from the Food52 blog, and Jim Lahey's cookbook, this no knead bread was simple to make and just required some advance planning.

I prepared chopped chicken from a store bought leftover rotisserie chicken and added a generous drizzle of vinaigrette for my husband who isn't much of a tuna fan. I saved the tuna for myself. I boiled a few fingerling potatoes until fork tender, chopped them into 1 inch cubes and marinated them while hot in the same vinaigrette.

Next, I gathered my salad ingredients: hard boiled eggs, kalamata olives ( That's all I had in the house, adding Fairway's Nicoise olives to my grocery list this week!), hot cherry peppers, the cold potatoes, the tuna/chicken, marinated artichoke hearts, and baby spinach.

Then I realized I wanted pizza and with our new central air conditioning, I had no reason not to turn on the oven! I used flatbreads (lavash) from Trader Joe's and smeared each with a mixture of herbed goat cheese and half and half. I piled on my salad ingredients and drizzled the pizza with the vinaigrette dressing.

Popped into a 425 oven until the crust was golden brown at the edges, I could barely contain my excitement at trying what I was certain would become a staple summer pizza.
When it finally cooled down enough to sample, I knew it would not be the last time I made nicoise pizza. The next time I'll make sure to add asparagus, nicoise olives, and haricot verts.

Dinner Tonight 6-18-13

Tonight's meal was inspired by two of my favorite internet sources: Food52.com and Martha Stewart's Everyday Food website. I've paired Food52's delicious Spanish Roasted Potatoes with Martha's Crepes and improvised with fillings I have on hand. Tofurkey and cheddar fill these crepes and are topped with simple garnish of roasted cherry tomatoes tossed in olive oil, sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. The Potatoes are roasted with garlic until golden and crispy, then mixed with a creamy lemon and Dijon aioli.  

A colorful and flavorful dish to help brighten up this suddenly stormy evening. 

To drink I've chosen Leinenkugel's light & lemony summer shandy. It was difficult to get these potatoes onto the plate but somehow I managed to save half for dinner. Both our plates were licked clean and I have to say I'm sad there were no leftovers.