(Early) Christmas Eve Menu

Stanislaw Christmas Eve has been moved to the 22nd this year! My sister-in-law and her family weren't going to be with us on the 24th so we're celebrating a few days early all together. 

Given the non-traditional timing of the celebration, we decided this year to go with a non-traditional (for us) menu. A Mexican inspired feast featuring recipes from Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home by chef Scott Linquist, a couple Rick Bayless recipes, and a few home-brewed ideas. 

We started prepping Thursday and had a major cooking session last night. We're heading out with bags and food in tow in a couple of hours to finish, assemble, and enjoy. Recipes to follow after the holiday!

Wild Mushroom Sopes

Chorizo, Potato, and Goat Cheese Sopes

Rice with Roasted Poblano, Spinach, and Fresh Cheese

Romaine and Radish Salad with Tomatillo-Lime Dressing

Cascabel Chile-Marinated Carne Asada Tacos

Pumpkin Black Bean Tacos

Chipotle Marinated Chicken Tacos

Ribeye Grilled with Rosemary

(Serves 2-3)

1- 12oz. ribeye steak
Salt & freshly ground pepper
4-6 sprigs of rosemary

- Let meat come to room temperature

- Meanwhile, start the coals in your grill (or turn on your gas grill)

- Season meat with salt and pepper on both sides

- Put steak on grill, and top with a sprig of rosemary. Close the grill.

- When you flip the steak, the sprig of rosemary should be dried out. Discard and replace with a new one. Continue replacing the rosemary as the sprig dries out.

- Remove from grill, let rest, remove fat, slice thinly and serve.

Sunday Supper - Tuscan Style

Fall is definitely in the air. Cooler evenings are beginning to lend themselves to jeans and sweaters. We pulled out the crock pot last weekend to make a large batch of Tuscan white beans, dried cannellini cooked with sage and garlic. Beautiful plum tomatoes from my mother's garden needed to be used and were slow roasted in the oven for hours with a dash of oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. We decided to eschew the Tuscan tradition of salt-less bread and picked up a crusty french baguette. A beautiful rib eye grilled with rosemary, a side of braised kale, and dinner is served.

Tuscan Beans with Sage and Garlic

Slow Roasted Plum Tomatoes

Braised Kale

Ribeye Grilled with Rosemary

Japanese Inspired BBQ Menu

In lieu of a more traditional Labor Day BBQ, Jason and I decided to give things a little twist. We came up with a Japanese inspired BBQ meal. We pieced together recipes we found online, from the Nobu cookbook, and that we made up on our own to create what was probably one of our best meals in quite awhile. We are already looking forward to leftovers tomorrow! Follow the links for the recipes...

Beef Yakiniku skewers
Marinated Japanese style chicken thigh skewers
Shrimp skewers
Soba noodle salad with scallions and cabbage
Green beans in a black bean paste dressing
Tomato ceviche, Nobu style

Sausage, potato, arugula frittata

So, not the healthiest frittata in the world, but definitely a weekend treat! I am intrigued right now with preparing frittatas and eggs in general. I like the idea of adding more protein to my breakfasts, and eggs seemed like a good way to start. The heirloom tomato tart carried me through several meals, but I like the idea of the frittata as a gluten-free alternative to the tart or quiche!

This recipe became a great way to use up a leftover grilled sausage from earlier in the week. A little potato, arugula, onion and cheese and remembering not to cook the eggs too long and I think I'm finally getting the hang of this!

Sausage, potato, arugula frittata

1 cooked italian sausage, cut into disks if using raw, remove from casing and brown before adding the potato and onion to cook
1/4 cup onion sliced thinly
1 small yellow potato sliced thinly with a mandolin and cut into half moons

pinch red pepper flakes
salt & freshly ground pepper

1 handful arugula, or spinach, tough stems removed
2-3 Tbsp grated Parmesan or Romano
6 eggs

- Preheat the oven to 400

- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs

- In a large non-stick, oven-safe skillet or cast iron skillet, heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat

- Add the onions, potatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and saute until onions are softened and potatoes are cooked

- Add the arugula and cook until wilted

- Lower the heat and stir in the eggs and cheese, mixing until all of the ingredients are incorporated

- Over low-medium heat, let the mixture cook until the bottom is set and the middle is still loose approximately 5 minutes

- Put the skillet in the oven and let cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit to finish setting.

Christmas Eve 2011

• Parsnip apple soup
• Pork loin in the style of porchetta
• Roasted brussel sprouts with bacon and pepitas
• Roasted kabocha squash with pomegranates, walnut oil, pomegranate molasses and thyme

Jambalaya with Creole Seasoning

It's that time of year and I was inspired to make jambalaya!  I used an Emeril Lagasse recipe off of the food network that I found online.  The original recipe called for shrimp but since Jason didn't want any, I eliminated the shrimp and upped the chicken and andouille a bit.  I've tried making jambalaya in the past but it always ended up a bit flavorless, not the case with this one.  Really flavorful and just the right amount of spicy!  Some of the reviews of the recipe I saw found the dish to be too salty.  The creole seasoning is pretty salty, so I used less than the 2 Tbsp recommended.  If you are using a canned broth or seasoned canned tomatoes, you might want to cut some more of the salt in the spice mix.  I used homemade broth which I purposely undersalt and my tomatoes had no salt added so I found the results to be perfectly seasoned!

JAMBALAYA

6 oz. chicken diced (1 boneless breast)
1 Tbsp Creole Seasoning (recipe at end)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp hot sauce
3/4 cup rice (I used brown rice)
3 cups chicken stock
6 oz andouille sausage, sliced

- - In a bowl combine the chicken with the creole seasoning and set aside

--  In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil on high and cook the onions, green peppers and celery for 3 minutes

-- Add the garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, worcestershire and hot sauce

--  Stir in the rice and slowly add the broth.  Reduce heat to medium and cook until the rice absorbs the liquid and becomes tender.  Since I used brown rice this took longer than I expected.  I also added 2 cups of the liquid at first, cooked that down for awhile and then added the third cup.  I kept a little extra broth on the side just in case the liquid cooked off too rapidly. 

--  Add the chicken and sausage and a dash more liquid if necessary and cook until meats are cooked through, about ten more minutes. 

--  Taste and season with salt, pepper and creole seasoning, but honestly I didn't add a thing! 

CREOLE SEASONING

2 1/2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp dried oregano

Pimenton Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and Dirty Potatoes with Romesco Sauce and Roasted Purple Carrots

And now for the main course.  The pimenton was courtesy of a little stocking stuffer Jason received from santa this year!  The rub was incredible and the photos do not do justice to the colors and beauty of the plate. 

Pimenton Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
serves 4

Pimenton
Salt
Pepper
Coriander
1-1/4 pound pork tenderloin

--  Preheat over to 350

-- Sprinkle a bit of each of the four seasonings onto the tenderloin and rub onto the meat

-- Sear pork tenderloin on all sides over high heat in a cast iron skillet

--  Put skillet and tenderloin into oven and cook until meat reaches 135 degrees (approximately 15 minutes).  Make sure to flip tenderloin once during cooking process. 

--  Let rest, slice and serve

Dirty Potatoes
serves 4

12 small yukon gold potatoes, halved the long way
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Coriander
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
Grated 1 year old manchego

-- Preheat oven to 350

-- Rinse the potatoes to get rid of some of the starch

-- In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with enough oil and spices to coat (spices approximately in equal proportions)

--  Place potatoes cut side down on an unlined baking sheet and roast until fork tender.  DO NOT FLIP. 

--  In mini-food processor combine kalamata olives and approx. a tablespoon of olive oil and blend to a paste-like consistency. 

--  Toss the roasted potatoes in the olive paste and serve with shaved manchego on top

Roasted Baby Purple Carrots

Baby purple carrots (or whatever colors you choose)
Salt
Pepper
Herbs de Provence
Olive Oil

--  Toss carrots in spices and oil and roast in 350 degree oven until tender

Romesco Sauce

3 roma tomatoes halved
1 large red bell pepper quartered
5 cloves garlic peeled
1/3 cup olive oil
2 slices of a french baguette
1/4 cup toasted whole almonds
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
pinch of Pimenton (Spanish paprika)
pinch of red pepper flakes

--  Preheat the oven to 425

--  Brush tomatoes, bell pepper and garlic cloves with oil.  Roast on baking pan for 15 minutes

--  Toast bread in same oven until lightly browned

--  Remove bread and vegetables from oven and let vegetables cool

--  Combine all recipe ingredients in the food processor except the olive oil and blend.  Drizzle in olive oil with motor running and process until it has a slightly chunky sauce consistency

Ny Strip Steak, Fennel Risotto, Mushroom Ragout and Rapini

Friday night and what better way to unwind from the week and kick off the weekend than to spend some quality time in the kitchen with Jason!

We were both craving some red meat and the strip steaks at whole foods looked delicious.  The most recent issue of Food & Wine featued Stephanie Izard's recipe for Mixed Mushroom Ragout which we had been wanting to try, and I am a sucker for anything with fennel, resulting in our fennel risotto.  We had some rapini in the fridge that needed to be used and added the perfect amount of green to the plate!

Jason decided to break out the molecular gastronomy kit to use up some leftover coconut milk I had in the fridge and create a delicious and beautiful dessert with blackberries and a little hand done whipped cream!

Venison Ragu with Polenta

We were lucky enough to be given a pound of ground venison from a co-worker of Jason's.  After some deliberation we decided to try out a ragu served over polenta.  The ragu took much longer to cook than I had expected!  I tried to have the dish ready by the time Jason got home after 8:00pm and it still wasn't ready.  We had to leave the pot simmering very low and run to the local bar for a burger for dinner!

Luckily, the ragu finally came together and we had the pleasure of inviting a few friends over the following evening to test out the recipe.  I must admit I was quite proud of myself with this one!  The ragu was really delicious, and I usually do not cook the meat in our house.  I also finally got the polenta cooked properly, something I have struggled with!  Ground beef could be substituted for the venison.

VENISON RAGU WITH POLENTA

FOR THE RAGU
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 clove garlic minced
1-2 Tbsp chopped rosemary
1 lb ground venison
1/2 cup red wine
1 bay leaf
1 can (14 oz) crushed roma tomatoes
3 oz cremini mushrooms sliced

FOR THE POLENTA
2 tsp salt
7 cups water
scant 2 cups polenta (not instant)
butter

--Ragu:  in a heavy bottomed pot (le creuset ideally) heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, season with a little salt and pepper and saute 15 minutes

--Add the venison and rosemary, and break up the venison with a wooden spoon to distribute the meat throughout the pot

--Raise heat to high and stir well, cooking until meat is browned

--Add the wine and cook until alcohol is evaporated (I go by smell)

--Add 1 1/2cups water and bay leaf and bring to a boil

--Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer about 45 minutes

--Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook over low heat until the sauce starts to become integrated. 

**This took a couple of hours over low heat but I was not using the ideal heavy bottomed pot.  I let the sauce go for quite awhile, letting the vegetables break down and waiting for the liquid to acquire a reddish-brownish tint.  I let the ragu cool and put the pot in the fridge overnight

--TO REHEAT:  Put pot back on stove top, add a little more red wine and water and heat over med-low heat

POLENTA

--Bring 7 cups water and salt to a boil in a large pot

--Add the polenta slowly, whisking constantly

--Reduce the heat to medium for about 5 minutes, until the polenta begins to thicken, then reduce the heat to low

--Cook stirring almost constantly with a long handled wooden spoon until the polenta comes away easily from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes

--Add a couple of thin slices of butter to polenta and stir.  Season with salt and pepper

Serve ragu over a polenta with a nice salad on the side!

Roasted Pork Loin with Pickled Raisins

Another recipe from the Food & Wine entire year of recipes 2006.  The original called for a veal loin but we didn't know how well that would go over with the group so instead we used 2 - 3lb pork loins.

ROASTED PORK LOIN

2 Tbsp rosemary leaves plus 3 sprigs broken into 3-inch pieces
2 Tbsp thyme leaves, plus 8 sprigs
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Two 3-pound pork loins
Salt and fresh ground pepper
6 Tbsp butter cut into 6 pieces
24 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

Serve with:  
   Pickled Golden Raisins
   Chestnut Stuffing with Fennel

--In a bowl, combine the rosemary leaves, thymes leaves and 2 Tbsp olive oil

--Put pork loins in a baking dish and rub all over with the herb oil.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

--Remove the pork from the fridge an hour before cooking

--Preheat the oven to 375

--Arrange the rosemary and thyme sprigs on the roast and scatter the garlic around the meat.

--Cook for about an hour until a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 140-145

--Let rest at least 10 minutes then slice and arrange on a platter, spooning a bit of the juice over the meat.

Curried Chicken Salad with Spiced Garbanzo Beans

I'm into spices right now.  I came across this recipe from Gourmet, August 2008 and had to try it.  I think this dish is one of my favorites of the year.  It is wonderfully complex yet simple to make, especially when using a rotisserie chicken.  I have issues with the rotisserie chicken.  I love it for its simplicity and cost-effectiveness!  However, I cannot get the same information on how and where the chicken was raised.  I'm doing my best to be as conscious an eater as possible, but I'm not perfect.  You could always buy a chicken from a trusted source and roast it yourself!

CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD WITH SPICED GARBANZO BEANS

For the Chicken Salad:
1 medium onion chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tsp ground cumin
1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used Pomi brand which were very good and did not come in a can)
1 cup plain, fat-free yogurt
2 Tbsp cilantro chopped
1 rotisserie chicken, most meat coarsely shredded
1 cup red grapes, halved
1 1/2 tsp salt

For Garbanzo Beans:
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (I use dried beans, you can also use canned, just rinse them)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp salt

Curried Chicken Salad:
--In a large pan, sautee the onions, garlic and ginger in the olive oil over med-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes

--Add the curry, cumin and salt and sautee another couple of minutes

--Add the tomatoes and cook over med-high heat until the sauce starts to thicken, about 5 minutes

--Transfer to a bowl and add the yogurt, cilantro and chicken.  Let cool to room temperature

(When I know I'm cooking for the week, I will cook in my dutch oven so instead of transfering to a separate bowl, I can finish the dish directly in the dutch oven and store it directly in the fridge)

Spiced Garbanzo Beans:

--Heat oil in pan over med-high heat

--Add the garbanzo beans and cook for about a minute, stirring to coat in the oil

--Add the cumin, turmeric, cayenne and salt and cook, about 2 minutes, until the pan is dry

--Cool to room temperature

To serve:  Add some grapes to a bowl, the garbanzo beans and the chicken salad

Turkey Tacos for Cinco de Mayo

For over a week I have been craving Mexican food, Cinco de Mayo working on my subconscious!  I had some frozen ground turkey meet in the fridge and figured a great way to use it up would be to make some turkey tacos.  A quick trip to the co-op for a variety of vegetables, a delicious Cascade Farms sour cream and a stop by Strack & VanTil for the tortillas and shredded cheese and I was in business.  Turkey tacos with sauteed zucchini and bell peppers, a variety of toppings and a side of black bean salad.

Over the years I had developed a disdain of turkey meat.  Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday from a culinary standpoint and I let that color my feelings toward eating the bird at any time of year.  But my experimentation with the turkey burger and mini turkey meatloaf muffins has been quite successful so I am starting to change my ways. 

The most labor intensive part of this meal was chopping up everything for the bean salad and taco toppings.  My next step is to develop my own taco seasoning mix.  The pre-packaged mix I had stashed in my cupboard is delicious, but after the list of spices there are a significant number of ingredients I don't recognize. 

TURKEY TACOS

1 lb ground turkey meat
1 package taco seasoning
Corn tortillas

Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Add the turkey meat and stir in taco seasoning.  Cook until meat is nice and browned.

Heat oven to 200 and throw a few tortillas on a sheet to warm.

SAUTEED VEGETABLES

1 zucchini sliced
1 large orange bell pepper cut into slices
salt
cumin
cayenne
chili pepper

Heat oil over medium heat in a sautee pan.  Add zucchini and bell pepper slices.  Season liberally with salt, cumin, cayenne and chili pepper (at this point I had run out of coriander while making the bean salad or I would have added that as well).  Cook thoroughly, until all veggies are softened.

TURKEY TACO TOPPINGS

Chopped green onion
1 roasted poblano pepper, cut into strips (roast the poblano just like you would a red pepper)
Chopped cilantro
Shredded taco cheese
Sour cream (I recently tasted the Cascade Farms brand and love it)
1/2 avocado sliced
lime wedges

Take your tortilla, top with turkey meat and whatever vegetables and toppings your heart desires, serve with a side of black bean salad and enjoy!

Linguine with Spring Vegetables and Cream

Sunday J came up with a creative new dish with some ingredients we had around the house.  Although the title involves cream, it is a very, very light cream sauce, barely a coating.  We had it for a main course but it could also be served as a side dish to a larger meal.  The dish was really delicious and lovely for a leisurely lunch served with a glass of Roussette de Savoie called Altesse from Domaine Giachino.

LINGUINE WITH SPRING VEGETABLES AND CREAM

1/2 lb linguine
1 Tbsp butter

dash olive oil (so butter doesn't burn, less than a Tbsp)
6 stalks asparagus chopped
1/4 red bell pepper diced
3 leftover grilled baby portabella mushrooms, diced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp rosemary garlic rub (rosemary, garlic powder, salt)
scant 1/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup white wine
handful of shredded parmesan cheese

In a large pot of boiling water cook the linguine until al dente

In a sautee pan, heat oil and butter.  Sautee over high heat the asparagus, mushrooms and peppers and season with black pepper, red pepper flakes and rosemary garlic rub.

Add the wine and cook until alcohol is gone (you can smell this) but some liquid remains.

Reduce the heat and add the half and half and parmesan cheese. Stir vigorously and remove immediately from the heat.

Add the pasta to the sautee pan and toss together.

Quinoa Turkey Muffins with Wild Rice Pilaf

I had seen a recipe for quinoa turkey burgers that I've been wanting to try, especially since the success of my last turkey burgers.  We decided to try making little quinoa turkey muffins to have for the week.  I had a bag of wild rice that I've been waiting to do something with, and along with some carrots, mushroom, onions and celery it made a delicious pilaf!

QUINOA TURKEY MUFFINS

Makes 12 muffins
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1 cup water
1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1 packet dried onion soup mix
worcesteshire sauce
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375

For the quinoa:
Rinse the quinoa.

Put the quinoa and water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes

For the muffins:
In a large bowl mix the turkey with about 2/3 of the quinoa (I felt like cooked, all of the quinoa was going to be too much)

Whisk an egg and add it to the bowl with the turkey along with the packet of soup mix, a few shakes of worcestershire and some black pepper.

Scoop the mixture into the 12 muffin tin.

Bake for 25-30 minutes

Chickpea Stew with Spinach and Chorizo

With plans to have dinner with our good friends Kristie and Aitor on Saturday, we browsed the cookbooks for meal ideas.  With some inspiration in mind, we walked over to the co-op to see which recipe we would be able to pull off from the selection of meats and veggies they had available.  Our co-op has a great bulk section and I couldn't resist buying several cups of dried garbanzo beans.  We also found some lamb chorizo from Mint Creek Farm in Stelle, IL which specializes in grass fed lamb.  We became big fans of Mint Creek as a vendor at our farmer's market in the summer and are so happy to see them supplying meats to the co-op!

And thus, we settled on the chickpea stew with spinach and chorizo from the book, Food & Wine 2006, an Entire Year of Recipes.  Right now I'm definitely on a Food & Wine kick.  I think their recipes are simple, healthy and really delicious and am happy both to follow them verbatim as well as use them as inspiration for new dishes.

The lamb chorizo was a really interesting meat.  I found it slightly less unctious then regular chorizo, which can be a little much for me.  And I am so glad that I have started cooking with dried instead of canned beans, I can really taste the difference in the flavor. 

The dinner was wonderful.  Our hosts made a warm salad of mixed greens served tossed with a vinaigrette and topped with sauteed mushrooms and a sprinkling of roquefort cheese and walnuts.  A perfect start to the meal.  The sauteed mushrooms in the salad is a something I've come to attribute solely to eating at our friends' home and it is always delicious, why don't I ever do it in my home?!?   We enjoyed the Washington State Kung Fu Girl Reisling before dinner and with the salad.  The name might be goofy but we all really enjoy this wine!

The stew was a lovely, hearty main which we served with a Volpaia Chianti Classico which we purchased in Volpaia, Italy this past summer.  It was a special wine that really worked with the meal.

Dessert consisted of an assortment of beautiful Whole Foods pastries.

Our host Aitor is from San Sebastian (Donostia) in the Basque Country of Spain.  Finally, we are planning a trip with them to his home town this August and we began making preliminary plans!  His parents are in the center of town and we hope to stay near the old center.  Beaches, mountains, rioja, and a land with an incredible culinary history.  Not to mention a ridiculous number of Michelin Star rated restaurants in such a small area.  I have a feeling that this will be a culinary adventure like no other, capped off by going to one of two of the best restaurants in the world.  Arzak or Mugaritz, how do you decide?

CHICKPEA STEW WITH SPINACH AND CHORIZO 

2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion diced
1 1/2 tsp minced dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
One 28 ounce can chopped italian tomatoes, drained, reserving the liquid
3/4 pound lamb chorizo, sliced and cooked
1/2 lb spinach
1/2 lb arugula
salt and pepper

In a sauce pan, cover the chickpeas with a couple of inches of water and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, adding more water as necessary.

Drain beans, saving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a dutch oven, heat  a couple of tablespoons olive oil.  Add garlic, onion, rosemary and bay leaf and cook over medium heat until the onion is softened.

Add the drained chopped tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat until sizzling.

Add the sliced chorizo, the chickpeas, the cup of reserved cooking water and the juices from the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.

Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted.

Stir in the arugula and simmer the entire stew for 10-15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

**This dish made more than enough stew for 4 adults.  Jason and I both had leftovers for lunch on Sunday and each are taking some, along with some leftover roasted cauliflower from a few days ago for lunch tomorrow.

Mustard and Black Peppercorn Crusted Pork Tenderloin

The cooking of meat falls to my husband.  I'll relate here as best I can what  he did!

MUSTARD AND BLACK PEPPERCORN CRUSTED PORK TENDERLOIN

2 - 1lb pork tenderloins, trimmed
1 - 2 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
Whole grain mustards (preferably Spartan Mustard from the National Mustard Museum!)

Preheat the oven to 375

Trim the fat from the pork tenderloins.

With a mortar and pestle crush the peppercorns.

Rub the tenderloins all over with the mustard and then some of the peppercorns.

On the stove top in a pan, brown the tenderloins on all sides over medium high heat.  This helps get a nice crust on the meat.

Put tenderloins in a baking dish and roast in the oven until desired doneness.  Ours was done medium, so to about 140-145 with the meat thermometer.

Let rest and slice thinly.

Note:  one of these days I will have my husband discus the art of cooking meat perfectly.  I know it takes years of practice but he seems to have mastered the skill.  It seems to involve cooking by sense of touch just as much as anything!

Stir Fried Red Rice with Sliced Sirloin Steak and Peas

1 cup red rice

2 1/2 cup water

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, minced
9 ounces sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
4 cups thinly sliced swiss chard
1 1/2 cups thawed frozen peas
3 Tbsp soy sauce
white pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
lime wedges

>Rinse and drain the rice.  In a small saucepan, cover the rice with water and bring to a boil. 
>Cover the saucepan and turn heat to low, cooking about 25 minutes, until the rice is tender and water is absorbed. 
>Spread the rice out on a baking sheet and let cool while preparing the rest.

>In a large skillet or pan heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium high heat. 
>Add the garlic and cook for just a minute. 
>Add the sirloin, season with salt and cook until browned on both sides, about a minute.
>Transfer the meat to a plate

>Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil in the skillet.
>Add onion and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until onion is softened
>Add greens and stir over high heat until they wilt, about a minute or 2
>Stir in rice and peas, then soy sauce and steak and stir well

>Season with salt and white pepper and transfer to a serving bowl.  Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

Chicken with mustard shallot sauce, twice baked ramekin potatoes and sauteed spinach

After the Wisconsin weekend I was dying to eat some nice, clean food AND try out my new mustard.

We decided to do chicken cutlets in a mustard shallot sauce with a dash of cream, twice baked potatoes in our little red le creuset ramekins, which I love, and sauteed spinach.  I was dreaming about greens, literally.  Friday night I dreamt that I had my juicer with me on the trip and mixed up a ton of veggies for breakfast in the morning! 

CHICKEN CUTLETS IN MUSTARD SHALLOT SAUCE

FOR THE CHICKEN:
3 chicken cutlets
scant 1 Tbsp olive oil
lemon
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a pan and cook each of the cutlets with salt and pepper.  As they are cooking, squeeze a little bit of lemon juice directly onto the chicken.  The juice almost carmelizes and gives the chicken a nice brown.

Set chicken aside

FOR THE SAUCE:
1-2 shallots diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp of my new Green Olive and Lemon Mustard (or mustard of your choice)
2-3 Tbsp chicken stock
dash of cream

Heat the oil in the same pan you cooked the chicken in.  Sautee the shallots.  Pour in a little chicken stock and stir to pick up all the delicious bits on the bottom of the pan.  ***here you could also use some white wine, we just didn't have a bottle that we wanted to open.

Add in the mustard and a dash of cream and continue to stir until it thickens.

Return the chicken cutlets to the pan with the sauce and turn to coat.

Brown Rice and Steamed Veggies with Asian Dressing

In an attempt to kick of 2010 right and get the weight loss plan underway I'm working hard to monitor my eating. 

I decided that a good lunch for the week would be brown rice with steamed veggies.  I was going to use quinoa but didn't have any at home.  I used up some bell peppers I had that needed to be used and most of a head of bok choy which I love and which gives it a little asian flair.  It's nice and clean food, simple as can be.

BROWN RICE AND STEAMED VEGGIES WITH ASIAN DRESSING

1 cup brown rice
3 small yellow bell peppers chopped
1 large red bell pepper chopped
2 green onions sliced
1 head bok choy chopped, stems and leaves
**Note:  use whatever vegetables you like or have on hand!  Snap peas, broccoli, spinach all would be great additions as well

Cook the brown rice according to the package.  I get the best results when I put 1 cup of rice in just over 1 1/2 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook about 35 - 40 minutes.  No peeking!

Chop up all the veggies and prepare a steamer (the Dream Steamer is one of my favorite items off of my registry).

Add the vegetables to the steamer in order of how long they will take to cook.  There are no hard fast rules, just use common sense.  Leaves take no time at all, the harder and crunchier the vegetable, the longer the cooking time.  I added the bell peppers first, then the bok choy stems, then the green onions and lastly the bok choy leaves.

I packed up a few tupperwares with rice and a healthy topping of veggies to bring to work for lunch.

FOR THE DRESSING
1 Tbsp miso
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp sesame oil
Freshly grated ginger to taste (about a 1in. piece)
red chili paste (to taste)
dash of fresh squeezed lemon - about 1-2 tsp
dash of fish sauce (optional)

Put all the ingredients (except the fish sauce) in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Keep tasting and add bits of this or that until you get the right flavor.  At the very end I added a tiny dash of fish sauce, just to give it a little kick.

I stored the dressing in a separate little jar and used on top of my rice and veggies. 

The dressing was particularly delicious.  I was the envy of everyone in my office with the fabulous smells coming from my lunch.