Pork Chops and Roasted Fingerlings

I was watching Rachael Ray the other day and saw her make a meal with huge veal chops topped with a "raw sauce" (which was essentially just a salad). I wasn't impressed with the pompous name, but it sounded tasty (hot meat, cool salad) and I had all this organic produce from Trader Joe's, so dinner was born.

Pork Chops & Salad
2 thin cut boneless pork chops
2 tsp salt-free seasoning blend
2 c baby salad greens
1 c chopped heirloom tomatoes (cherry tomatoes will work fine instead)
1/2 small red onion, diced
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

In a large-ish bowl, combine the greens, tomatoes and onion. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and then about 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season well with salt & pepper. Toss to combine, then let this sit off to the side while you make your pork chops.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Put 2 Tbsp olive oil in the skillet. Prepare the chops by sprinkling liberally with the seasoning blend, and salt & pepper. When the oil is shimmering in the pan, you'll know it's hot enough - add your pork chops. Remember that these chops are really thin though, so don't overcook them! I cooked mine for about three minutes, TOTAL - about 1 1/2 minutes per side.

Serve the salad with a chop on top and the roasted fingerling potatoes on the side (see below).

Roasted Fingerlings
1 small bag fingerling potatoes from Trader Joe's, cut in half
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp salt-free seasoning blend
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

On a rimmed sheet pan, toss the potatoes with the olive oil so that all sides are coated. Sprinkle with the seasoning blend and salt and pepper. Turn all the potatoes so the cut side is facing down, then roast 'em for about 25-30 minutes, until they are shriveled a bit and beautifully browned on the bottom.

Asian Chicken Salad

A light, tasty salad for hot summer evenings. Quick to put together, if you've got pre-cooked chicken on hand. I'll be submitting this easy weeknight dinner to Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup this week.

Asian Chicken Salad
1 roasted chicken breast, meat shredded
1 sweet bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
3 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
2 Tbsp sliced green onions
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 c Asian Dressing (see below)
1/4 c fried chow mein noodles

In a large bowl, toss the shredded chicken, bell pepper, coleslaw, green onions and cilantro with the dressing. Serve topped with the chow mein noodles.

Asian Dressing
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
juice of 1 lime or 1/4 c rice wine vinegar, whichever you've got on hand
1/4 c reduced-salt soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp shredded fresh ginger
2 tsp Sriracha sauce (or more, to taste)

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and use immediately.

Mushroom mushroom!

OK, I know I've been slacking, but I'll make up for it. A couple of weeks ago we had a barbecue here with friends. Mr Wonderful grilled up some incredible NY steaks while I made stuffed mushrooms and panzanella...and you get BOTH the recipes here! The mushrooms are a delicious twist on my usual recipe, and the panzanella is a quick & healthy side dish that's ideal for summer tomatoes. Both recipes will qualify for Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup - be sure and check out her site for other yummy recipes!

Stuffed Mushrooms
20 cremini or button mushrooms, cleaned
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 green onion, sliced thinly (green parts only)
4 Saltines or Ritz crackers, crushed to crumbs
1/2 pkg Boursin garlic-herb cheese
salt & pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop finely. Over medium heat, melt the butter and add the olive oil to a skillet. Add the mushroom stems and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic, parsley, green onion and some salt & pepper to taste. Add the cracker crumbs until you get a slightly moist, crumbly mixture (you may need to add a little more or less).

On a cookie sheet, lay out all the mushroom caps. Fill each mushroom cap with Boursin, smooshing it down with the back of a teaspoon. Top the cap with a little of the mushroom-garlic mixture and set it back on the cookie sheet. Fill all the caps, then top each cap with a little freshly grated Parmesan. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the mushrooms soften, start to give up their juices, and get a little brown on the bottoms. Serve immediately.


Panzanella
1 c chopped tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes, cut in half)
2 c rustic bread (pugliese, sourdough, whatever), cut into 1" dice
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 EVOO, plus 2 Tbsp
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Scatter the bread on a cookie sheet, and toss with the 2 Tbsp olive oil and some salt & pepper. Pop it in the oven and let the croutons toast for ten minutes.

In the meantime, combine the tomatoes, shallot, parsley, 1/4 c olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt & pepper. As soon as the croutons are done toasting, toss them in with the tomato mixture and let the bread soak up the olive oil/balsamic vinegar/tomato juices. Serve immediately.

Chicken Panzanella

Panzanella is a delicious Italian tomato and crouton salad, and the addition of roasted chicken breast it makes a light, satisfying spring or summer meal.

Chicken Panzanella
1 large chicken breast, roasted and shredded or cut into bite-size chunks (I buy chicken breasts with the bone in and skin on and roast them at 400 with olive oil & salt & pepper - this keeps them moist and delicious; if you do the whole package at the beginning of the week you'll have pre-cooked chicken to make quick meals with for a few nights)
2 c diced tomatoes (I used grape tomatoes, cut in half)
2 c sourdough bread, cut into 1" dice
1 shallot, sliced thinly
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c olive oil, plus 2 Tbsp
1/4 c good balsamic vinegar
fine sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, shallots, parsley, 1/4 c olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and chicken. Season well with salt & pepper. Let this mixture stand for at least 15 minutes - half an hour or more would be better - to let the flavors meld and allow the tomatoes to give up some of their juice. Don't worry if it seems like there's too much liquid at the bottom of the bowl; the croutons will fix this.

Toss the bread cubes with the 2 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Lay them out on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. As soon as the croutons come out of the oven, add them to the rest of the ingredients and toss to combine. The croutons should soak up the yummy liquid, but retain a bit of "bite".

Corn & Black Bean Salad

A fresh, light vegetarian dish that works well as either a side dish or as a healthier alternative to guacamole. Scoop it up with chips, add it to your tacos, spoon it over an enchilada...the possibilities are endless. This veggie-filled dish is a natural for Sweetnicks' ARF/5-a-day roundup.

Corn & Black Bean Salad
1/2 red onion, diced
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 basket grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 c chopped cilantro
2 avocados, cut into 1/2" dice
3 limes
1/4 c EVOO
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chile powder
1 tsp sugar
6-10 shakes Tabasco, any flavor (optional)
salt & pepper

Mix the first five ingredients together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the juice from the limes, the olive oil, the cumin, chile powder, sugar and Tabasco sauce, if using (I'd use the Chipotle flavor...mmmm...). Whisk vigorously until very well combined and the dressing begins to emulsify. Add the diced avocado to the dressing, and turn gently to coat all the sides (this will prevent the avocado from browning). Pour over the veggies, then salt & pepper the salad liberally and stir thoroughly but gently, to avoid crushing the avocado. Allow the salad to stand at room temperature for at least a half hour so the flavors can blend.

Asian Chicken Salad

Loosely based on the Thai Chicken Salad recipe in the September 2007 issue of Bon Appetit, this salad has a super-yummy peanut butter-based dressing. It was pretty heavy on the garlic though, so I think I'd scale that back next time.

Asian Chicken Salad

2 roasted chicken breasts (I roast my chicken breasts - with skin & bone - at 400 with just some olive oil, salt & pepper, for about 40 minutes or so), shredded or diced into bite-size pieces
3 c coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage & carrot)
1/4 c chopped green onion
Thai Peanut Dressing (see below)
1/4 c chopped roasted, salted peanuts
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1/2 c crunchy fried asian noodles (the stuff you get in a can)

Toss together the chicken, coleslaw mix and green onion with enough of the dressing to get it moist (you'll probably have a ton of dressing left over). Top with peanuts and cilantro, and surround the salad with the crunchy asian noodles.

Thai Peanut Dressing (from Bon Appetit recipe)
4 large garlic cloves (I found the garlic to be a little overpowering, so you might want to scale back on this)
1/4 c soy sauce
1/3 c fresh lime juice
2 T sugar
1 T smooth peanut butter
2 t chopped fresh ginger (I used a microplane and grated mine)
1 1/4 t hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
1/4 c vegetable oil

Puree all ingredients in a blender. Mr Wonderful brought over his Magic Bullet, which is like a wee little blender, and I used that. It works great for prepping small amounts of food or making salad dressings.

Curry Chicken Salad

A little bit of a twist on the traditional chicken salad sandwich. Yummy, easy, and best of all, it doesn't require turning on the stove or oven (as long as you've already got a cooked chicken breast, that is).

Curry Chicken Salad
1 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, meat shredded (you can use a rotisserie one from the store if you don't have any chicken leftovers and just can't bear to turn on the oven and roast your own)
1/4 c chopped red onion
1/4 c chopped celery
1/8 c chopped roasted, salted cashews (maybe 10 whole cashews, chopped)
1/4 - 1/2 c mayonnaise (enough to moisten everything and bind it together)
1-2 tsp curry powder (depending on how curry-ish you want it; I used about 2 tsp)
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Makes enough for two or three big sandwiches. I used yummy seven-grain bread to boost the nutritional value. You can also throw some lettuce and sliced tomatoes on there if you like. Or just serve it with the lettuce and tomato on a plate to cut the carbs (which I would never, ever do, because I live for carbs).

Playing Catch Up

Chicken Caesar Salad
Originally uploaded by snarkmeister

God, I know. It's been a while, right?

I made this yummy Chicken Caesar Salad for dinner last Thursday. Pretty standard - romaine, roasted chicken breast (boneless/skinless, roasted at 400 with olive oil, salt & pepper), cherry tomatoes, homemade croutons, and caesar dressing from scratch. Yes, with the anchovies. Mr Wonderful was hesitant about eating the anchovies, but he ultimately enjoyed it and said it was "right on the edge," meaning that the fishy taste was there, but not TOO strong. So that passed muster (or mustard, heh). I got the recipe from foodtv.com, from Barefoot Contessa's caesar salad with pancetta recipe.

I've made some other yummy stuff in the interim, but haven't taken pictures: a chicken wrap made with feta cheese, lettuce and cucumber strips, dressed with a mustard vinaigrette (we ate this on the way to Monterey), and an easier wrap with deli-sliced turkey, baby spinach, olives and Alouette garlic-herb cheese spread. Rugrat actually enjoyed this one, and it will probably go into the lunchbox rotation. I made some more fresh corn, since Raleys has the good local stuff at 4 ears for a dollar. And of course I've made tons of caprese salad, my summertime go-to meal.

I promise to get the camera out a little more often and document the meals better in the future. :-) This weekend I'm heading up to the mountains to go camping with Mr Wonderful, and I promise to take loads of pictures. I'm planning a white chicken chili for one night, and a campfire Bananas Foster dessert, so stay tuned!

"Greek" Chicken Salad

"Greek" chicken salad
Originally uploaded by snarkmeister

Light, healthy and very tasty. I'm not doing amounts for this one because you'll want to just adjust the amounts to your taste anyway.

"Greek" Chicken Salad
Romaine lettuce, torn or cut into bite-size pieces
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Seedless (AKA European) cucumber, diced
Red onion, sliced or diced
Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
Feta cheese, crumbled or diced
Roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced into bite-size pieces (I used olive oil, salt & pepper, but you can use any herbs or seasonings you want on it - throw it in the oven at 400 until done, about 30 minutes)
Lemon vinaigrette (see below)

Toss it all together & eat! The chicken soaks up some of the vinaigrette if you throw it on the salad while it's still a little warm. That makes the chicken extra moist and tasty.

Lemon Vinaigrette
Juice of one lemon
EVOO
Salt & pepper

Put the lemon juice in a small bowl, and add salt & pepper. Use more than you think you need; the vinaigrette will be used to season the entire salad. Slowly stream in EVOO while whisking fast; when you've got about a quarter cup of vinaigrette, you should be done.