Pork Chile Verde with Cilantro Lime Rice

Happy Monday! It's been a long time since I've posted anything here, for myriad reasons. I'm trying to get back on track and appreciate those of you who've stuck around.

This pork dish is completely addictive - from the time you start chopping the produce until it all comes together and hits the plate. Waiting the hour for it to simmer can be like torture if you're really  hungry. You must love cilantro, though. Parsley might work as a substitute, but I haven't and won't ever try it that way because we love it as-is so I can't guarantee it'll be any where near as good as the original.
Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin, approx. 1 lb., cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
• ½ tsp. pepper, divided
• 2 tsp. canola oil, divided
• 10-12 tomatillos (about 1 lb.), peeled, rinsed and chopped into quarters
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 med green pepper, coarsely chopped
• ½ jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped, divided
• Zest of 3 limes, divided
• Juice of 3 limes
• Sour cream and additional cilantro for serving, optional

Method:

1. Combine pork, cumin, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and 1 tsp. oil.
2. Preheat large stock pot on med-high 2-3 min. Place pork mix in pan; cook 2-3 min to brown.
3. Place remaining 1 tsp. oil in pan, then add onions, tomatillos, and garlic; cook 3-4 min or until onions softened
4. Stir in zest of two limes and all of juice. Cover and reduce heat to med-low; simmer 60-65 min or until pork is tender.
5. Stir into pork: bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and ½ cup cilantro. Cook 4-5 more min or until peppers are tender.
6. Prepare rice following package instructions. Stir in remaining ½ cup cilantro, remaining ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper, and remaining zest of one lime.
7. Serve pork chili over rice. Top with a dollop of sour cream and additional fresh cilantro.

Portabello Stroganoff with Goat Cheese

When I first saw this recipe prepared on TV, it was presented as a meat-free alternative to beef stroganoff. While it sounded delicious to me, I couldn't really see it being "the" meal, so I halved the recipe - thank god, otherwise we'd have eaten it for an entire week - and served it along side pork schnitzel.

It turned out just as I expected. And, it heated up beautifully the next day for lunch. The only thing I'd change: I would have liked just a little more sauce - easy enough to remedy next time with a bit more stock and an extra dollop of goat cheese.

We both really like how this turned out and I'll definitely be making it again!

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces extra-wide egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 portabella mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced and white bottoms and green tops separated
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 14 ounces beef stock
• 8 ounces plain fat free Greek yogurt
• 4 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, plus more for garnish

Method:

1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions.
2. Melt the butter in a 12-inch straight-sided saute pan set over medium-high heat. Increase the heat to high, add the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Saute until they darken in color, soften and give off their liquid, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Add the white bottoms of the green onions and saute 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine. Cook until the flour disappears and the bottom of the pan turns dark brown, about 1 minute. Deglaze with the beef stock.
5. Bring to a simmer and decrease the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, and then add the yogurt, cheese, and black pepper. Stir to combine, and then partially cover and bring to a simmer to warm through, 2 to 4 minutes.
6. Drain the noodles, add to the pan and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Source: Food Network

Black Bean, Corn and Edamame Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing

 A few years ago, I found an edamame salad that was so good, it became our "staple" contribution to any summer get together. I've since lost the recipe and now can't even really remember what was in it - besides edamame, of course.

While searching the web for something to make for a  cookout this weekend (besides baked beans, potato salad or southwest quinoa salad - my current "go-to" salads and side dishes), I came upon this recipe. I loved the idea of using fresh-off-the-cob corn and cilantro is one of my favorite herbs.

I added a little cumin and eliminated the sugar. The bag of edamame I found was a little more than one cup, and I may have gotten carried away with the lime juice. Regardless, the result was a fresh, crunchy salad that everyone enjoyed - one of our friends even asked to take some of the leftovers home.

Looks like I've found a new staple!

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 small garlic clove, finely diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cobs of corn, cooked, cooled, and corn cut from cob (about 2 cups)
• 1 cup edamame, cooked and cooled
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained well
• ½ cup red onion, diced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice, oils, garlic, and cumin. Whisk together.
2. Add the corn, edamame, black beans, onion, and cilantro to the bowl. Toss to distribute dressing completely.
3. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to overnight, to allow flavors to blend

Source: Tastefully Julie

Spicy and Sweet Baked Beans

I follow a number of great blogs, food and otherwise. If you have a minute, take a look at some of my favorites...they are right over there, listed on the right-hand side of this page.

One of my favorite food blogs is The Wicked Noodle. Kristy, the writer, has a wonderful take on the day-to-day ups and downs, challenges and small triumphs we all face, and she makes some really great food in the process. Check her out. These beans are her recipe, and they are delish - just like I suspect all of her recipes are.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce 
• 2 (28-ounce) cans baked beans, both drained of liquid on top of can after first opening

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300°.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 4 minutes or until golden. Add cumin and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and oil, and cook for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add honey and the next 5 ingredients (through chiles). Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Combine beans and shallot mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until thick and bubbly.

Source: The Wicked Noodle

I wasn't terribly prepared when I made these beans. And these were some important beans - I was serving them at our first official party in our new home. Despite my scrambling and frantic measuring, they came out wonderfully...and they were a huge, spicy hit! So much so...that I neglected to get a photo.  But, they look like you expect baked beans would look and Kristy has some nice shots on her page is you really need to see them.

Southwest Quinoa Salad

My good friend Debi turned me on to quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) some time ago, and I'm glad she did. I love anything - like orzo, rice or couscous - that you can doctor up with just about anything you have on hand. It makes for a quick, easy side dish that goes with just about any meal.

This salad is from the back of the Archer Farms quinoa package and had a great smokey, southwestern flavor.  It has definitely made into the rotation!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 C chicken stock
• 1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.5 oz) can sweet corn, drained
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 C cilantro, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped

Method:

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions, using stock in place of water.
2. Whisk cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, and chipotle in bottom of large bowl to combine.
3. Gently fold in beans, corn, and red bell pepper.
4. Stir in cooked quinoa. Toss to combine.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve warm or chilled.

One of the best parts of this salad was how good it was for lunch the next day.

Potato Salad

I know everyone has their own potato salad recipe, but it's something I've just started to make.  I think I've hit on the perfect combo for our tastes...see what you think.

Ingredients

• 4 large Yukon gold potatoes - peeled, diced, and cooked until tender; cooled
• 4 eggs - hard boiled, peeled, and diced
• 4 scallions - thinly sliced, white and green parts
• 1/2 C mayo
• 1 T yellow mustard
• 2 T dill pickle relish
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Whisk together mayo, mustard, and relish in bottom of bowl.
2. Fold in potatoes, eggs, and scallions.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Chill until ready to serve

Mushroom Orz-otto

After have seen all 10 of the Best Picture nominees in this year's Oscar race, Brian and I had a bet on who could pick the most winners in 18 catagories. In the end, we tied in five categories, neither of us picked the winner in another five, I picked three winners, and Brian picked five...another bet lost.  (When will I learn?!)

The winner got to pick any meal that the loser would make. I'm paying up today, and Brian picked Steakhouse Steaks with steamed asparagus. He didn't have a preference on another side, so I decided to make Mushroom Orz-otto, a rich, delicous, risotto-like dish that's much lighter than traditional risotto.

And, apparently, I'm a slow learner - this bet wasn't even paid off and I'm in the red again, this time thanks to Phil Mickelson's win. Unbelievable...

Mushroom Orz-otto
1 T butter, divided
1 T olive oil, divided
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
10 oz. Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 C orzo pasta - I used whole wheat
3 C chicken stock, warmed - I heat mine in the microwave
1 T finely minced fresh rosemary
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat 1/2 T butter and 1/2 T olive oil in saute pan over medium high heat.
2. Add onion and garlic, and saute until translucent
3. Add orzo and toss to coat. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add 1 C chicken stock and stir to combine. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium.
5. Stir in rosemary.
6. Continue to cook, stirring occassionally, and adding additional stock - 1/2 C at a time - until pasta is tender and has absorbed all stock.
7. Meanwhile, in another saute pan, heat the remaining butter and oil over medium high heat. Saute mushrooms, then set aside. (You can probably saute the mushrooms with the onions and the garlic, but I don't like when my mushrooms become water-logged and chewy. I prefer to saute them separately, then fold them in at the end.)
8. Remove from  heat and stir in mushrooms and parmesan cheese.