Thursday, October 11, 2012

Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes & Verts

GARLIC ROSEMARY ROASTED POTATOES & VERTS 


  • 1 pound fingerling potatoes, cut in half
  • 8-12 oz haricots verts (green beans)
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, sliced 
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped 
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
1. Wash & chop fingerling potatoes in half from top to bottom.



2. Clean & chop off end of verts or green beans.



3. Roughly chop rosemary.



4. Thinly slice garlic cloves.



5. Cover a baking sheet with foil, lightly toss potatoes, verts, garlic,
 rosemary, salt, & pepper with olive oil. 



6. Roast at 425 degrees for 25 minutes at lower middle rack, mix half way through roasting.



PLATE FINISHED PRODUCT 




STORY BEHIND THE DISH
I found this recipe in a Cooking Light magazine & thought it would pair perfect with my Pork Loin Chops. I added some rosemary to give the dish a little more flavor & they turned out crispy & delightful.

MODIFICATIONS 
You can use red potatoes or young potatoes in place of fingerling potatoes. If you do not like or have verts or green beans, you can use asparagus, carrots, or onions. Other herbs that would pair well are thyme, sage, or just parsley.


Pork Loin Chops with Apple Cider & Thyme

PORK LOIN CHOPS WITH APPLE CIDER & THYME
Printable Recipe
  • 4 boneless pork loin chops 
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil or olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter or ghee
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
  • 1/4 cup white cooking wine
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme 
  • 1 garlic clove, minced 
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 teaspoon pepper 
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes


1. Lightly cover each pork loin with salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes 
& thyme on both side.


2. In a medium pan over medium-high heat saute each pork loin chop in 
1-2 tablespoons canola oil. 


3. Turn pork loin chop & cook evenly on both sides, 3-4 minutes each side or 
until they are no longer pink inside. 


4. Remove pork from the pan & let rest on a plate for 2-3 minutes. Return pan to medium heat & add butter, apple cider vinegar, & white wine, simmer & reduce for 2 minutes. 


PLATE FINISHED PRODUCT
Top with apple cider wine reduction & serve warm.


STORY BEHIND THE DISH
My Dad has mastered quick, easy, & delicious pork chops. I always remember coming home to a home cooked meal after a long day of school followed by a long night of practice & when it was pork chops it was a great night. I tried to make a healthier take on his pan fried pork chops & they turned out better than I expected!

MODIFICATIONS 
There are many modifications that can be made to this dish. You can use standard bone-in pork chops, you can also roast them in the oven. If you want a breaded style pork chop add a light coat of flour to the pork chop with a little egg white to hold the breading. This dish pairs well with garlic mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, red smashed potatoes, & grilled veggies.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 
Printable Recipe

  • 2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • ½ teaspoon of Salt
  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temp.
  • ½ cup Granulated Sugar
  • ¾ cup Brown Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 (12oz.) pack of chocolate chips

1. Mix together flour, salt, & baking soda, set aside.
 
2. Cream butter & sugars together until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes.

3. Then add vanilla extract & egg, beat well.


4. Add flour mixture to butter & sugar mixture & mix well.


5. Add chocolate chips & mix in evenly.


6. Place a spoon sized balls of cookie dough on a greased baking sheet about 1 inch apart.


7. Bake for 8-10 minutes (depending on your oven it might even be 12 minutes). 
Rotate sheets halfway through cooking time.


PLATE FINISHED PRODUCT 
Serve warm :)


STORY BEHIND THE DISH
There is nothing better than a warm chocolate chip cookie. My Mom always baked us cookies from scratch when we were kids & still to this day her cookies always seem to taste better than mine even making the same recipe!

MODIFICATIONS 
There is not much that can be modified when following a baking recipe. I used milk chocolate chips but semi-sweet & dark chocolate chips do bake better. I just like milk chocolate.

Classic Pesto

 Classic Pesto
Printable Recipe

  • 1 bunch basil leaves 
  • 1 handful parsley 
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
  • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts 
  • 1 garlic cloves
  • 2/3 cup olive oil 





1. Put the first 5 ingredients in a food processor, or use a mortar & pestle. 


2. Blend together & add olive oil in a steady stream until you have the consistency you desire.


PLATE FINISHED PRODUCT 

Lightly toss the pesto through freshly cooked warm pasta or 
seal pesto in a air tight container & store in the fridge. 



STORY BEHIND THE DISH
Pesto has always been one of my favorite pasta sauces, this is a great pesto that stores well in the fridge & can be used for pesto chicken, pasta, & pasta salads.

MODIFICATIONS 
Pesto is a pretty straight forward recipe & there is not much that can be modified to keep the integrity of a classic pesto sauce. In this specific recipe you can remove the parsley & still have a fine pesto, but I like the extra touch.

Spaghetti Squash

SPAGHETTI SQUASH 
Printable Recipe


  • 1 whole spaghetti squash
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil 
  •  spaghetti sauce
1. Place whole squash on a baking sheet, poke 3-5 times with a knife & 
bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.


2. Cut squash in half from top to bottom & cut off the ends. 


3. Spoon out & remove the seeds from the center.


4. Now for the best part, using a fork, scrape the inside completely, from top to bottom, as you scrape the squash it magically turns into a spaghetti texture & is ready to go. 



PLATE FINISHED PRODUCT 
5. Top with your favorite spaghetti sauce, some fresh basil, & serve. 


STORY BEHIND THE DISH
I love a good spaghetti night & there is nothing better than a healthy low cal version of a great classic dish. Spaghetti squash is a fun dish to cook & always turns out delicious.

MODIFICATIONS 
Spaghetti squash is a very versatile dish, you can use so many different sauces & create fun weeknight meals. Pesto, turkey meatballs, a classic olive oil & garlic sauce, etc.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Classic Hummus

CLASSIC HUMMUS 
Printable Recipe

  • 1 cup garbanzo beans, cooked 
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
  • 3 tablespoons tahini, optional 
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper  
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 




 1. Put everything except the olive oil in a food processor.


2. Blend to a puree & add a little water if necessary to make it smooth. 


3. Season with sea salt, ground black pepper, & top with olive oil & paprika. 


PLATE FINISHED PRODUCT


STORY BEHIND THE DISH
Hummus is one of my favorite healthy dips, I use it a lot in substitute of mayo for sandwiches & wraps.

MODIFICATIONS
Hummus is a Middle Eastern & Arabic dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. If you do not have tahini just leave it out of the recipe, no need to substitute it. You can flavor hummus in many ways, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, artichoke, basil, cilantro, olive, etc.

Classic Tapenade

CLASSIC TAPENADE
Printable Recipe


  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 1 handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped 
  • 10 basil leaves, roughly chopped 
  • 1 teaspoon capers 
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil 
  • pepper to taste 



1. Roughly chop parsley & basil. 


2. Put first 5 ingredients in a food processor.


3. Blend to a rough paste. 


4. Add olive oil in a stream while chopping until you reach the desired consistency. 


5. Season with fresh ground pepper. 


PLATE FINISHED PRODUCT 


STORY BEHIND THE DISH
  Tapenade is mostly seen in South France & I had it a few times when I spent a month in Spain. It can be used as an appetizer, served with crackers, & crusty bread similar to a hummus or other dip. It can also be used as a condiment.

MODIFICATIONS 

Tapenade is a puree of olives, capers, anchovies, & olive oil, since I am not an anchovy fan, I just used garlic instead.