Category: PROTEINS

SOLE MENUIERE with BALSAMIC BROWN BUTTER LEMON SAUCE

We have been eating more fish and green veggies lately. When I went to Costco yesterday they had some GORGEOUS fresh caught Dover sole that was calling my name.  So I found this recipe over at food network and dinner was perfect. I made only a few changes for our liking and what I had on hand.

The term meunière refers to both a sauce and a method of preparation, primarily for fish. The term meunière itself means “miller’s wife”. So to cook something à la meunière is to cook it by first dredging it in flour. A meunière sauce is a simple rustic preparation of brown butter, chopped parsley, and lemon.

SOLE MENUIERE 
       with BALSAMIC BROWN BUTTER LEMON SAUCE

Total Time: 40 min     Prep: 10 min     Cook: 10 min
Yield: 4 servings

4 (6-ounce) sole fillets, skin removed
2 cups milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons AVOCADO oil
1 cup flour
Salt, pepper
4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
6 tablespoons butter
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, or to taste
Lemon slices, for garnish

  • Soak fillets in milk for 20 minutes. Remove from milk and pat dry.
  • Generously season fillets with salt and pepper.
  • Heat the avocado oil over a medium high heat.
  • Put flour into a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Dredge fillets in flour, shaking off any excess flour. Dip the fillets back into the milk and then again into the flour. 
  • Place fillets in saute pans and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy. 
  • Transfer fillets from pans to a platter, sprinkle with parsley.
  • Wipe the skillet clean and add the butter. 
  • Heat until the butter begins to brown. Add lemon juice and cook a few minutes.
  • Remove from heat and stir in balsamic vinegar. 
  • Pour sauce over fish and serve. 
  • Garnish with lemon slices.

MEATBALLS MARINARA

I cut this recipe from one of my aunt’s old magazines because it sounded SOOOO good – just simple enough to NOT take ALL day, but flavorful enough to make everyone’s palette stand up and take notice.

The recipe calls for great big meatballs served over pasta which are often better in theory than in practice and while they were tasty I will make twice as many next time at half the size – just personal preference for hubby and I.

Most meatball recipes call for equal amounts of pork and beef, but theirs uses much more beef than pork – a mixture that held its shape well, but allowed for very moist meatballs. I made just a few changes to use what I had on hand and hubby said it was some of the best I ever made.

MEATBALLS & MARINARA serves 8 easily
recipe CHANGES in red

ONION PORTION
1/4 cup olive avocado oil
2 3 onions, chopped fine
1 shallot, chopped fine
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  • Cook onions and shallot until golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Transfer half of onion mixture to large bowl and set aside.

MARINARA PORTION
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
4 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaf
Salt
1 – 2 teaspoons sugar, as needed

  • Add tomato paste to remaining onion mixture in pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add wine and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in water and tomatoes, simmering over low heat until sauce is no longer watery, 45 to 60 minutes.
  • Stir in cheese and basil and adjust seasonings with salt and sugar.

MEATBALL PORTION
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread extra sour dough
3/4 cup milk
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 large eggs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck (80 percent lean)

  • Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees.
  • Mash bread and milk in bowl with reserved onion mixture until smooth.
  • Add remaining ingredients, except ground beef, to bowl and mash to combine.
  • Add beef and knead with hands until well combined.
  • Form mixture into 2 1/2-inch meatballs (you should have about 16 meatballs), place on rimmed baking sheet, and bake until well browned, about 20 minutes.
  • Transfer meatballs to pot with sauce.
  • Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta. (Meatballs and marinara can be frozen for up to 1 month.)

TROPICAL PORK KEBABS

I’m continuing yet again with my experimentation streak and another recipe torn from the pages of a magazine.  At least this time I know It was from Cooking Light September 2011. I made a few changes to accommodate my family’s likes and my pantry and am VERY pleased with the final recipe.

Since it’s just the 2 of us I also make two recipes at a time when I need to use the grill – it’s just plain easier! LOL the hard part is making sure that I use the right sauce on the right meat.

TROPICAL PORK KEBABS
1 1/4 cup SMUCKERS apricot PINEAPPLE preserves*
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch pieces
Fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste
PAM

  • Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
  • Place preserves in a 2 cup measure cup and heat on high in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir and heat for another 30 seconds.
  • Stir in soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic.
  • Place 2/3 cup of the mixture in a large Ziploc bag.
  • Add pork to bag and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  • Remove pork from bag, discarding the marinade.
  • Thread pork pieces evenly onto skewers.**
  • Generously salt and pepper skewers.
  • Coat grill rack with PAM.
  • Arrange skewers on hot grill.
  • Baste with a third of remaining sauce.
  • Grill 3-4 minutes.
  • Turn pork over and baste again with another 1/3 of sauce.
  • Grill another 3-4 minutes.
  • Baste with remaining sauce.

*I prefer apricot pineapple, but the original recipe called for apricot only preserves.
** I use Fire wires. They are flexible cable skewers. These are AMAZING!!!!! If you don’t have a set, you NEED a set!

GRILLED PEPSI CHICKEN

I’m continuing my experimentation streak with a recipe torn from the pages of an unknown magazine that was originally titled Grilled Chicken with Cola Sauce.  I made a few changes to accommodate my family’s likes and my pantry and am VERY pleased with the final recipe.

Since it’s just the 2 of us I also make two recipes at a time when I need to use the grill – it’s just plain easier! LOL the hard part is making sure that I use the right sauce on the right meat.

 GRILLED PEPSI CHICKEN
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 large shallot, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces (3/4 cup) Pepsi
1/3 cup Hunt’s Jalapeno ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
PAM

  • Preheat grill to medium high.
  • In a sauce pan over medium high heat swirl oil to coat. Heat oil for a minute or two.
  • Add shallots and saute for 2 minutes.
  • Add garlic sauteing for a minute more until fragrant, stirring constantly.
  • Add Pepsi, Hunt’s Jalapeno ketchup, apple cider vinegar Worcestershire sauce and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until sauce has reduced to 3/4 cup. Set aside 1/3 cup in reserve, keep warm.
  • In a small bowl combine sugar, paprika, salt and cumin until well blended.
  • Rub chicken completely with sugar rub.
  • Spray grill rack with PAM.
  • Arrange chicken on the grill and baste with sauce.
  • Grill 5 minutes, baste again and cook another 5 minutes.
  • Serve with reserved sauce.

BREAKFAST for DINNER ~ HAM & CHEDDAR SAVORY BREAD PUDDING

I’ve been trying really hard to work through my stack of recipes for experimenting.  This one was labeled as breakfast for dinner, which was FANTASTIC, but it would also be REALLY GREAT for a Sunday brunch or holiday brunch since it can be prepared in advance and reheated as needed.

HAM & CHEDDAR SAVORY BREAD PUDDING
8-10 slices multi-grain bread with seeds*, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 (3/4, 1/4 divided) cup SHARP cheddar cheese
6 large green onions, chopped
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken broth
Fresh ground black pepper
8 ounces ham steak, chopped fine
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 large egg whites
Sour cream

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • Coat 15×10 jelly roll pan and 4 large ramekins with PAM.
  • Place bread cubes on jelly roll pan and bake for 10 minutes, turning as need or until lightly toasted.
  • Cool toast.
  • Combine bread cubes, 3/4 cup cheese, 3/4 of the onions, milk, chicken broth, pepper, ham, and egg yolks, tossing to mix and coat.
  • In a small bowl beat egg whites at high speed until foamy.
  • Gently fold in egg whites.
  • Spoon 1 cup into prepared ramekins or see note.
  • Top the ramekins with the remaining cheese and onions.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until toasted brown.
  • Top with sour cream and ENJOY!

NOTE: If I’m cooking just for us I will use a shallow baking dish and cook it as a casserole.  By using the shallow baking dish you get a toastier crunch effect.

*ALSO works well with a really SOUR sourdough, but you’ll want to add some extra seasoning!

PIZZA CHICKEN

PIZZA CHICKEN
1 tablespoon avocado oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, flattened to even sizes
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
20 slices pepperoni
1 small red onion coarsely chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chopped oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • Preheat oven to 375°.
  • In a small skillet heat oil to medium high and saute onion and garlic until fragrant and softened. Drain off oil and toss with lemon juice.
  • In a lightly greased baking dish arrange chicken pieces in a single layer.
  • Generously salt and pepper.
  • Cover and bake 15 minutes. 
  • Remove from oven, uncover and layer pepperoni in a single layer over chicken pieces.
  • Top with onion garlic mixture.
  • Top with mozzarella cheese and return to oven uncovered for another 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
  • Top with Parmesan, oregano and parsley.
  • Serve over angel hair pasta.

CHILI CHICKEN – ALLOW MARINATING TIME

I’m finally getting around to a few of the recipes that have been hanging around waiting to be experimented with.  This one turns out to be a great recipe for both the grill or the oven and can be frozen and pulled out to thaw for even a weeknight meal. I prefer it best on the grill and use bone-in for that.

CHILI CHICKEN
1 bottle chili sauce (12 ounces)
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup avocado oil
10-12 garlic cloves, minced
4 DOROT basil cubes*
Salt and pepper to taste
8 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless **

  • Whisk together chii sauce, white wine, oil, basil and garlic until well blended.
  • Prick each chicken thigh several times with a fork and place in a tupperware marinader or ziploc bag.
  • Pour most of the marinade over chicken pieces.  Seal and refrigerate. Refrigerate the remaining marinade for basting during the grill time.
  • Turn frequently for 8 hours or overnight.
  • Drain chicken and discard marinade.
  • Place chicken on greased grill rack/pan.
  • Cover with foil and grill 10-15 minutes.
  • Uncover and baste pieces with marinade.
  • Turn pieces and grill another 10-15 minutes until cooked through. DO NOT RECOVER.

NOTE: You can also also freeze the ziploc of chicken with 1 1/2 cups of marinade and remaining marinade in a separate small ziploc for future cooking.  Just defrost overnight in the refrigerator and cook at dinner time.

*I love these frozen herb cubes.  With just the two of us  fresh herbs go to a huge waste many times so these are a fantastic alternative.

**Original recipe called for bone-in, skin-on thighs, but I changed it and they taste just as good.

SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS

I originally found this recipe in COOK’S ILLUSTRATED  and changed it very little.  I served it with rice here for a change, but really prefer it served with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles since it makes such a nice gravy.

SMOTHERED PORK CHOPS
3 slices bacon, diced
2 tablespoons Avocado oil
2 tablespoons Wondra flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
4 bone-in thick pork chops
2 sweet onions, halved and sliced thin
2 tablespoons water
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh minced thyme
1 tablespoon minced parsley 
salt and pepper to taste

  • Fry bacon over medium heat, stirring frequntly for 8-10 minutes until browned. Remove with slotted spoon to a paper towel and allow to drain.
  • Reduce heat and add oil to make 2 tablespoons total in pan.
  • Whisk in flour and cook until golden like the color of peanut butter.
  • Slowly add broth and increase heat, whisking continuously until you reach a slow boil. Cover and set aside.
  • Pat pork chops dry.
  • Season both sides with salt and pepper.
  • In a large skillet bring 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil to high heat. Add pork chops and brown 2-3 minutes each side. Transfer chops to a plate.
  • Add remaining oil to skillet and bring to heat.
  • Add onions and water to skillet browning until just beginning to caramelize.  Be sure to scrape up any browned bits from the skillet.
  • Add thyme and garlic cooking until fragrant.
  • Add pork chops back into pan and pour sauce from other pan over top.
  • Simmer 20-30 minutes until pork is tender and cooked through.
  • Remove chops to a warming platter.
  • Stir in parsley and season sauce with salt and pepper.  Continue cooking until it reaches a gravy like consistency.
  • Spoon over pork chops and top with reserved bacon.

PARMESAN PEPPERONI CHICKEN

I found this recipe in Woman’s World, but immediately thought I needed to change it to be a bit less heavy and with no bones.  The original recipe called for bone in, skin on chicken breasts.  We just don’t do skin on chicken unless it is that occasional Cajun fried chicken breast or chicken fried chicken steak.  I hate bone in chicken unless it’s at a picnic and fried or BBQed. Even with my changes this was a real treat!

PARMESAN PEPPERONI CHICKEN aka PIZZA CHICKEN
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
8-12 pieces pepperoni
2-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 small red onion, sliced thin into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Lay chicken breast in a single layer.
  • Sprinkle with lemon juice.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Top with pepperoni slices.
  • Top with garlic and onion slices.
  • Top with Mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and Mozzarella is beginning to brown.
  • Top with Parmesan cheese and serve.

SLOW COOKER BALSAMIC CHICKEN

SLOW COOKER BALSAMIC CHICKEN

1 tablespoon. avocado oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound baby carrots
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 onion, sliced
1 pound green beans
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

  • Pour olive oil and garlic in the bottom of a 6-qt slow cooker. Line the bottom with baby carrots, then place the chicken thighs over the carrots.
  • Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil and vinegar. Top with sliced onion.
  • Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Add green beans during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
  • Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.

RUSTIC GARLIC JALAPENO CHICKEN & GRAVY

I love this recipe! It is so simple and is a fantastic recipe for company. I LOVE FRESH herbs, but let’s face it with just 2 of us it is difficult to buy them in small enough quantities that they don’t go bad before I use them all and some just aren’t available the way I want them.  I WILL GET MY HERB GARDEN GOING eventually.  In the meantime I’ve been using LITEHOUSE freeze dried herbs and they are really good.

RUSTIC GARLIC JALAPENO CHICKEN & GRAVY
2 tablespoons avocado oil
6-8 chicken thighs
1 head of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Litehouse Freeze dried Red Jalapenos
1 tablespoons Litehouse Freeze Dried Chives
2 tablespoons Wondra flour
3/4 cup white moscato wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
Fresh Ground Salt and Pepper to taste

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • Add chives and jalapenos to the chicken broth so they can reconstitute. Set aside.
  • Heat the avocado oil in an oven proof skillet over medium high heat. 
  • Pat dry the chicken thighs and brown in oil for about 8-10 minutes, turning regularly until well browned.
  • Remove chicken to plate and reduce heat to medium.
  • Add garlic and saute’ until it begins to brown.
  • Add flour and whisk until smooth.
  • Add chicken pieces back, cover and bake for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
  • Remove skillet from oven and return to the burner.  CAREFUL it will be hot!
  • Remove chicken pieces to plate. Tent with foil to keep warm.
  • Add in wine and whisk until smooth.
  • Whisk in chicken broth, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens.
  • Turn off heat and add butter, whisking until smooth.
  • Add chicken pieces back into skillet and coat well with sauce.
  • Serve with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles, spooning sauce over top.

STUFFED MEATBALLS & ROASTED VEGGIE SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE SAUCE

 

  • I start with whatever vegetables I have in the vegetable bin. Today was Roma tomatoes, celery stalks, green onions and snap peas.
  • Then I drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper over it all and bake it for an hour at 400°.
  • I started the sauce with a can of Contadina tomato paste, 1 teaspoon Better than Beef Bouillon paste, 2 cups orange juice and a V8. This truly was a clean out the fridge day.
  • When done roasting add the vegetables to the sauce and set to simmer all day. The vegetables will continue to cook down into a uniform consistency with the sauce. Salt & pepper taste.


For the sauce:
1 pound COSTCO organic ground beef
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
5 large Roma tomatoes, slice thin
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Lasagna  Noodles, prepared or oven ready**

  •  Brown ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic. Drain fat.
  • Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauce.
  • Stir in sugar, salt, pepper, basil, Italian seasoning and fennel, mixing well.
  • Lay tomato slices evenly on top. Cover.
  • Simmer for 2 hours over low heat. Stir in tomato slices until well blended.  At this time you can proceed to finish the lasagna or refrigerate the sauce until ready.

For the meatballs:
1 pound hamburger
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
3 large slices sourdough bread, crumbled
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Align Center1/2 teaspoon fennel
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
1 bunch green onions, finely minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
mozzarella cheese, about 4 ounces, cut into 1 inch cubes

  • Crumble bread into a large bowl.
  • Toss in Parmesan cheese, parsley, green onions and garlic.
  • Add meat and with your hands mix extremely well until you have a uniform mixture.
  • Roll meatballs around a Parmesan cheese cube.
  • Chill Meatballs until sauce is done.
  • Just before the sauce is finished, brown meatballs.**
  • Add the meatballs to the sauce and bring to a medium high simmer until meatballs are cooked though, about 20 minutes.
  • Prepare pasta and Parmesan Cheese Bread while meatballs are cooking.
  • Enjoy

**If you prefer you can add the meatballs directly to the sauce and SLOW simmer for a couple hours instead of browning.