I haven't posted any recipes in a while, but I wanted to share what I am doing this week because I like the idea so much. My sister told me about this blog, and as I was looking through it the other day I found this post. In case you don't want to take the time to go over there, the idea is this: roast a whole chicken the first day, eat part of it, then use the rest of the cooked meat for 4 separate, different meals the rest of the week. We just finished day 3. So far, each of the recipes has been delicious, with just the right amount of leftovers (1-2 meals' worth). Here's the menu:
Marcella Hazan's lemon roasted chicken with carrots and potatoes
Chicken picadillo with rice and black beans (our favorite recipe so far--wish we had more leftovers of this EDIT: I have now made this recipe twice. I liked it MUCH better the first time when I used already-roasted chicken that I had chopped into small cubes. The recipe tells you to grind the raw chicken in a food processor and cook it with some of the other ingredients, but I recommend cooking and chopping the chicken first and then adding it in. Also, I used On the Border salsa the first time and I liked that better than the Target salsa I used the second time. It made the dish less watery.)
White chicken chili
Sesame noodles with chicken (Another edit: I've made this dish twice now. The first time, I only had enough noodles for two helpings. The second time, I doubled the noodles and now we have yummy leftovers. Also, I used Chinese noodles found in the extremely tiny Asian foods section of Wal-mart, and I think it was a lot better using these than spaghetti. This is now my favorite recipe of these 5.)
Chicken curry
The blog claims that you'll spend $26 for all the meals combined, but I can't attest to that because I just shopped for the ingredients when I bought the rest of our groceries and spent way more than $26, but I can say that so far I am 3 for 3 and that RARELY happens. Also, I like the idea of not wasting anything, and I LOVE the idea of a grocery list being made for me. I tend to make a large meal, and then we are eating on the leftovers for days, and we both get so tired of it that I end up throwing food out, which I hate. It might seem like it's kind of boring to have chicken 5 days in a row, but the recipes are so different that I haven't even noticed that it's the same protein...plus it's much better than spaghetti for the 7th time in a row. And, the meals are healthy. I might get two chickens next time, but this time I'll be using boneless/skinless breasts for the last meal. And finally, try the chicken picadillo recipe, even if you don't make all of them, and don't bother grinding the chicken--I just chopped it really small and it worked great. I posted a recipe a while back for Moroccan meatballs, which were yummy, and this recipe reminds me of that. It has raisins and cinnamon in it, which kind of takes it out of the Mexican category for me and more North African. I just made brown rice and black beans and Chad and I both mixed all 3 things together and just ate it like that. Also, I should say that when I asked Chad today if he was going to eat the leftovers, he said yes, that he had been looking forward to them all day (which made me kind of sad...I was hoping he'd say no so I could have them. Yes, we were fighting over leftovers). The post also said that you could make a stock from the bones, which I will do next time. Then, you can use that stock for the white chicken chili on day 3.
I realize this is not a revelatory concept and that people have been using one chicken, roast, etc. to stretch their food dollars for years. I was just excited about this one because each of the recipes (so far) is SO good, healthy, and fits our "eating style"--meaning, it's all stuff that both of us like, which is not an easy task if you are cooking for more than just yourself.
Tonight, I am making oatmeal cranberry scones from another budget food blog (I think this person is a vegan so I don't use her recipes as much). If they're good, I will freeze them so we can have them for quick breakfasts.
If any of you try these, let me know how you like them!
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Recipes: pork tenderloin with spicy honey glaze, white chicken chili, strawberry cobbler
Pork tenderloin with spicy honey glaze
This was a really easy recipe. I have just decided after cooking with chipotle in adobo a couple times that it's not my favorite ingredient. Chad liked this more than I did. I prefer the pork tenderloin recipe that you can find in this post. Anyway, here's the recipe:
2 (12-ounce) pork tenderloins, silver skin removed
salt and ground black pepper
1 T vegetable oil
1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees
2. Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Head the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the tenderloins on all sides, reducing the heat if the fat begins to smoke, about 10 minutes. Transfer the tenderloins to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
For the glaze:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup juice from 4 limes
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
3/4 t cumin
After browning the pork, pour off the fat left in the skillet. Add all of the glaze ingredients to the skillet, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until slightly thickened and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Brush the entire recipe of glaze over the tenderloins before roasting. Roast them until the thickest part registers 135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping the tenderloins over halfway through the roasting time.
4. Transfer the tenderloins to a carving board, cover with foil, and let rest until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees, 5 minutes, before slicing into 1/4 inch thick pieces.
White chicken chili: this recipe was pretty good. It takes quite a bit of prep work (chopping especially), but it is an easy recipe. It also takes a while to cook with all the simmering. It made a LOT of soup, so I saved a little bit for leftovers and froze the rest so we'll see how that works. 320 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 39 grams of protein, and 9 grams of fiber per 1.5 cup serving.
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
salt and ground black pepper
1 t vegetable oil
3 medium poblano chiles, 3 medium anaheim chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped medium
1 medium jalapeno chile and 1 small jalapeno chile, seeds and ribs removed and flesh minced
2 medium onions, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 T)
2 T ground cumin
2 T dried oregano
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (15-ounce) cans cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup juice from 2 to 3 limes
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
4 scallions, sliced thin
1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper (note: I just used 3 large skinless chicken breasts and it worked fine). Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear the chicken, skin side down, until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and sear on the second side until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove and discard the skin.
2. Add all of the chiles except the small jalapeno, onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, and 1 t salt in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer half of the chile mixture to a clean plate; set aside.
3. Stire in the broth, chicken and beans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a large plate. Continue to simmer the chili, uncovered, until it has thickened, 35 to 40 minutes.
4. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding the bones. Stir the shredded chicken, reserved chile mixture, lime duice, cilantro, scallions, and small jalapeno into the chili. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the chili is too thick, stir in additional water to thin it out. This chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Strawberry cobbler...my favorite recipe of the week! We went to some friends' house for dinner last week and brought dessert. It uses a biscuit-type crust, kind of like an old-fashioned strawberry shortcake. Very easy recipe. 220 calories, 5 g fat, 3 g protein, 3 g fiber (8 servings in recipe)
Filling
2 quarts strawberries (I used the frozen ones in a bag from Wal-Mart. Recipe says if you are using frozen, use the smaller amount of sugar and double the amount of cornstarch. Amounts in recipe are for using fresh fruit)
1/4-1/3 cup sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 T cornstarch
Biscuit topping
1 C unbleached all-purpose flour
3 T yellow cornmeal
1/4 C plus 2 t sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/3 c buttermilk
3 T unsalted butter, melted
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/8 t ground cinnamon
1. For the filling: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the fruit filling ingredients together in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fruit releases its liquid and is hot and bubbling around the edges, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. For the biscuit topping: Meanshile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla together; set aside. In a third small bowl, mix the remaining 2 t sugar with the cinnamon; set aside.
3. When the filling is ready, stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and no pockets of flour remain. Remove the cobbler filling from the oven and stir. Pinch off 8 equal pieces of the biscuit dough and arrange them on top of the hot filling, spaced 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with the cinnamon sugar.
4. Continue to bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through and the filling is again hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.
This was a really easy recipe. I have just decided after cooking with chipotle in adobo a couple times that it's not my favorite ingredient. Chad liked this more than I did. I prefer the pork tenderloin recipe that you can find in this post. Anyway, here's the recipe:
2 (12-ounce) pork tenderloins, silver skin removed
salt and ground black pepper
1 T vegetable oil
1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees
2. Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Head the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the tenderloins on all sides, reducing the heat if the fat begins to smoke, about 10 minutes. Transfer the tenderloins to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
For the glaze:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup juice from 4 limes
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
3/4 t cumin
After browning the pork, pour off the fat left in the skillet. Add all of the glaze ingredients to the skillet, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until slightly thickened and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Brush the entire recipe of glaze over the tenderloins before roasting. Roast them until the thickest part registers 135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping the tenderloins over halfway through the roasting time.
4. Transfer the tenderloins to a carving board, cover with foil, and let rest until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 to 150 degrees, 5 minutes, before slicing into 1/4 inch thick pieces.
White chicken chili: this recipe was pretty good. It takes quite a bit of prep work (chopping especially), but it is an easy recipe. It also takes a while to cook with all the simmering. It made a LOT of soup, so I saved a little bit for leftovers and froze the rest so we'll see how that works. 320 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 39 grams of protein, and 9 grams of fiber per 1.5 cup serving.
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
salt and ground black pepper
1 t vegetable oil
3 medium poblano chiles, 3 medium anaheim chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped medium
1 medium jalapeno chile and 1 small jalapeno chile, seeds and ribs removed and flesh minced
2 medium onions, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 T)
2 T ground cumin
2 T dried oregano
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 (15-ounce) cans cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup juice from 2 to 3 limes
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
4 scallions, sliced thin
1. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper (note: I just used 3 large skinless chicken breasts and it worked fine). Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear the chicken, skin side down, until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and sear on the second side until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and remove and discard the skin.
2. Add all of the chiles except the small jalapeno, onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, and 1 t salt in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer half of the chile mixture to a clean plate; set aside.
3. Stire in the broth, chicken and beans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a large plate. Continue to simmer the chili, uncovered, until it has thickened, 35 to 40 minutes.
4. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding the bones. Stir the shredded chicken, reserved chile mixture, lime duice, cilantro, scallions, and small jalapeno into the chili. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the chili is too thick, stir in additional water to thin it out. This chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Strawberry cobbler...my favorite recipe of the week! We went to some friends' house for dinner last week and brought dessert. It uses a biscuit-type crust, kind of like an old-fashioned strawberry shortcake. Very easy recipe. 220 calories, 5 g fat, 3 g protein, 3 g fiber (8 servings in recipe)
Filling
2 quarts strawberries (I used the frozen ones in a bag from Wal-Mart. Recipe says if you are using frozen, use the smaller amount of sugar and double the amount of cornstarch. Amounts in recipe are for using fresh fruit)
1/4-1/3 cup sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 T cornstarch
Biscuit topping
1 C unbleached all-purpose flour
3 T yellow cornmeal
1/4 C plus 2 t sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/3 c buttermilk
3 T unsalted butter, melted
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/8 t ground cinnamon
1. For the filling: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the fruit filling ingredients together in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fruit releases its liquid and is hot and bubbling around the edges, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. For the biscuit topping: Meanshile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla together; set aside. In a third small bowl, mix the remaining 2 t sugar with the cinnamon; set aside.
3. When the filling is ready, stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and no pockets of flour remain. Remove the cobbler filling from the oven and stir. Pinch off 8 equal pieces of the biscuit dough and arrange them on top of the hot filling, spaced 1/2 inch apart. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with the cinnamon sugar.
4. Continue to bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through and the filling is again hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Recipes
I made some new recipes this week from a blog I recently started following called the Weight Watchers Blog. This has been a crock pot kind of week. I love that thing, when I have liners for it so I don't have to clean it. I've used the crock pot twice (lasagna and roast), and plan to use it a third time when I make the Mexican chicken.
-Skinny chili cheese fries...this is actually a video. I wish she would have just put the recipe in normal recipe form...I had to watch almost 10 minutes of video just to get the recipe. Anyway, this was fine, it just used canned turkey chili and the recipe calls for fat-free cheddar cheese, which I call nasty, so I used my 50% fat free. It did teach me a good technique for making oven fries though.
-Slow cooker lasagna...this was a good recipe...easy and not a lot of ingredients. It makes a lot for two people...I think Chad and I have both eaten it twice and we still have leftovers (which, in my mind, is a good thing because it means I don't have to think about what we're going to eat so often). The recipe calls for no-cook lasagna noodles, but I couldn't find those at my grocery store, so I just used regular and par-boiled them before adding them to the crock pot. I think I could have just put them in raw and it would have worked too. Another thing I did was drain the ground beef after cooking it and before adding the other stuff for the sauce. To me that is a no-brainer if you are trying to eat healthy, but oddly enough this recipe didn't say to do that.
-I'm making Mexican crock pot chicken to make chicken tacos with as soon as we're finished with our leftovers. I have an entire roast in the refrigerator that I had to make today because it had already been sitting in the fridge for a couple days.
-I thought this popcorn brittle was going to be my demise this week. True, it is supposedly "light," but I had a hard time eating just a little bit, and a serving size is about 1.5 ounces. It was good though, so try it if you're looking for something sweet that is a little bit better for you than cheesecake or something. Also, we used 94% fat free kettle corn instead of "popcorn popped without salt or fat" like it called for.
I hope these recipes are useful for someone. I know I am always looking for new stuff to make, and I try not to repeat recipes a lot. Enjoy!
-Skinny chili cheese fries...this is actually a video. I wish she would have just put the recipe in normal recipe form...I had to watch almost 10 minutes of video just to get the recipe. Anyway, this was fine, it just used canned turkey chili and the recipe calls for fat-free cheddar cheese, which I call nasty, so I used my 50% fat free. It did teach me a good technique for making oven fries though.
-Slow cooker lasagna...this was a good recipe...easy and not a lot of ingredients. It makes a lot for two people...I think Chad and I have both eaten it twice and we still have leftovers (which, in my mind, is a good thing because it means I don't have to think about what we're going to eat so often). The recipe calls for no-cook lasagna noodles, but I couldn't find those at my grocery store, so I just used regular and par-boiled them before adding them to the crock pot. I think I could have just put them in raw and it would have worked too. Another thing I did was drain the ground beef after cooking it and before adding the other stuff for the sauce. To me that is a no-brainer if you are trying to eat healthy, but oddly enough this recipe didn't say to do that.
-I'm making Mexican crock pot chicken to make chicken tacos with as soon as we're finished with our leftovers. I have an entire roast in the refrigerator that I had to make today because it had already been sitting in the fridge for a couple days.
-I thought this popcorn brittle was going to be my demise this week. True, it is supposedly "light," but I had a hard time eating just a little bit, and a serving size is about 1.5 ounces. It was good though, so try it if you're looking for something sweet that is a little bit better for you than cheesecake or something. Also, we used 94% fat free kettle corn instead of "popcorn popped without salt or fat" like it called for.
I hope these recipes are useful for someone. I know I am always looking for new stuff to make, and I try not to repeat recipes a lot. Enjoy!
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