Cranberry Pork Chops and Roasted Vegetable Soup

Here are two delicious recipes I tried last week after a week of eating eggs for dinner.  It was not a cooking week, so I felt I had to put forth some effort by the time Friday came around. Surprise, both recipes were a big hit, especially the soup - even with my husband and my dad!

We ended up inviting my parents to dinner, and it turned out to be a really fun and delicious dinner, with the soup and a salad as the first course, then pasta and meat. And both recipes were really fast and I made them in the afternoon and then just warmed them up. Thought you ladies might be proud. :) I'm back to eggs or pancakes for dinner. yikes.


Cranberry Pork Chops - From Keeping Up Cookbook

1 TBSP butter
1 onion, chopped
3 lbs pork chops, about 1-inch thick
2/3 cup bottle chili sauce ( I used the Sweet Chili Sauce from Panda Express located by the Asian foods)
3 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 tsp dry mustard (I used Dijon)
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries or 1 (14-oz) can whole cranberry sauce

In a 400 degree oven, melt butter in a 9x13" glass baking dish. Add onions to dish and back uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until onion is soft. Place pork chops in dish and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes. Stir together chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, dry mustard and cranberries. Spoon over the pork chops and continue backing for 30 minutes or until meat is fully cooked and cranberry sauce has slightly caramelized.

This recipe is also terrific with turkey or chicken breasts.

(The only thing I did differently was I shortened the baking times for the pork by about 5 minutes each time because I was worried the pork would be over done. Worked well in my oven)


Roasted Vegetable Soup From Keeping Up Cookbook

This recipe has you puree the vegetables and make a type of bisque. I love the vegetables in pieces, so I just cubed everything, including the eggplant (skin and all) and diced the onion and then roasted the vegetables and tossed them in the broth. Also made the recipe not so messy.  I added a bit of fresh parmigiano as well, which added to the flavor. 

4 ripe roma tomatoes, halved (or cubed)
1 large eggplant, halve lengthwise (or cubed, skin and all)
1 small onion, halved (or diced)
6 cloves of garlic peeled (or diced)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
(Also roasted fresh mushrooms - other vegetables would work as well!)

1 qt. (32 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/2 cup cream or half and half
crumbled goat cheese, for garnish
chopped, toasted pecans, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange vegetables on a baking sheet. Bush with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees until vegetables begin to brown and are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven.

Using tongs and a spoon, scoop flesh from eggplant halves into a large saucepan, discarding skins. Add remaining vegetables to pan, along with broth and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

In two batches, carefully puree hot soup in a blender. Blend until smooth and return to pan. Stir in cream, return to a simmer, then season with salt and pepper (if needed - plenty salty already, I thought).  Serve with goat cheese and pecan garnish if desired.

(Note: This method of making soup could be used with most any vegetable. Instead of eggplant and tomatoes, try cauliflower and broccoli, or butternut squash and apples, etc.)

Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread

I might get ousted from the blog for even posting this, seeing as 1. I haven't even tried it and 2. this recipe is most definitely, certainly not a healthy or even close to healthy recipe.  My only hope is that it is the holidays soon and maybe with all that cheery spirit, I will be forgiven for posting such an unhealthy recipe. I'm sure you can substitute agave for sugar though in the recipe. :)

Now that you've seen the picture, do you understand why I had to share this?!


Pull-Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread with Buttered Rum Glaze
(Adapted from Willow Bird Baking)

Ingredients
Bread2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Buttered Rum Glaze
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp rum *

*The recipe I used called for just a 1/4 tsp of rum but I really wanted to be able to taste the rum, so I upped it to a full tablespoon. It was just right for my taste, adding a nice warmth to the glaze. If you're not into rum you can sub a teaspoon of vanilla extract.


Directions
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn (turn black). Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through. Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook) and allow to cool so it is no longer hot but also not cool (about 100-110 degrees F). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to proof. Then add the the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time and knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.

While dough is rising, brown another 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix well.** Making sure sugar evenly absorbs the butter. Set aside. Next, grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes. Roll dough into a 20x12 inch rectangle.*** Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand. Cut the rectangle into 6 strips. Lay strips on top of each other and cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds). Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. Cover the pan with a clean towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes.

In the meantime preheat an oven to 350 degrees. After rising in the pan bake for 30-40 minutes (mine took 37 exactly) or until top is a very deep golden brown.

To prepare the glaze, heat the butter, milk, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rum and powdered sugar.

**Of course I didn't properly read this section of the directions... I was supposed to melt the butter and brush the dough with the butter then adding the sugar on top of the butter (instead of mixing it all together and sprinkling) but it worked my way so that's how I am listing it. It's really your call!

*** If dough is difficult to roll out, cover with a towel and allow to relax for a few minutes then try again.



This recipe is thanks to someone posting it on Pinterest, and me stalking a random lady in San Diego to find out how to make it.  Thank you San Diego

Salsa and Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

With the abundance of garden tomatoes this time of year, I thought it appropriate to share a couple of our favorite tomato based recipes: Aunt Abby's Salsa and Ina Garten's Creamy Tomato Basil Soup.

Aunt Abby's Salsa 
     (We like this salsa so much that it's just about the only salsa we eat.)

Total prep time: 10 min.

(We often half the recipe as the salsa will only keep for a couple of weeks). But for a party or if you are big salsa eaters, make the whole thing!)

2 14 oz can tomatoes, slightly drained, or 28 oz of fresh tomatoes
2 serrano chilies, diced (take out the seeds or some seeds if you prefer a more mild salsa)
1/4 bunch of cilantro
1/4 of a white or yellow onion, chopped
1/2 of a lemon, juiced (we also love lime juice - use a whole lime)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

Mix all ingredients in a blender (we found the food processor does a great job for a chunkier salsa). Pulse until well blended and cilantro is chopped. For the best flavor, refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.




Ina Garten's Cream of Fresh Tomato Soup.

John and I saw Ina Garten make this soup a couple of years ago and gave it a whirl. It nearly took us all afternoon the first time because we went shopping for a food mill, which didn't end up working anyway. We now just use a food processor and it seems to work well. We continue to make this soup every year as it is quite delicious!  If you discover any improvements though, we want to hear about them. 

Total Time:

1 hr 15 min

Prep

15 min

Cook

1 hr 0 min

Yield:

5 to 6 servings

• Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
• 2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (5 large)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves, plus julienned basil leaves, for garnish
• 3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• Croutons, for garnish

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and process it through a food mill into a bowl, discarding only the dry pulp that's left. Reheat the soup over low heat just until hot and serve with julienned basil leaves and/or croutons.

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Quick and Easy Salads

One of our quick go-to meals when in a time crunch is a main dish salad. In this particular picture we have lettuce (I believe both romaine and green leaf, but we use spinach all the time too), apples, grapes, craisins, feta cheese, walnuts, and chia seeds. We always do this and they are always different depending on what we have. But I ALWAYS put some sort of healthy nut (usually almonds or walnuts) and chia seeds (so so good for you and tasteless so you can add them to pretty much anything). Beans are good to get your protein so we add those frequently. We don't worry about getting enough protein because most americans get way too much anyway. There are plenty of other ways to get your protein throughout the day. Adding chicken, salmon, quinoa, and spinach are also good ways to add some protein. Pretty much the sky is the limit when it comes to what you add to it. We have been adding raw pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds lately that are also super good for you. You'd be surprised at the variety you can have, so be creative! I've discovered lately that cucumbers taste really good with fruits, and tomatoes, carrots, red onions, peppers, etc. can taste good in both a savory and a sweet salad. 

Now, the secret is really in the dressing. Nothing beats a delicious homemade dressing, but let's face it, who always has time for that. We have found heaven in a bottle AKA Sundrenchers. There are quite a few kinds which are all delicious but our favorite is by far the Honey Mustard. It doesn't have all the nasty, bad for you stuff in regular salad dressings and it tastes WAY better. I would be selfish to not share, so here you go. We get it at Good Earth, but I'm sure most any health foods store will have it (I have seen it at Real Foods too). 

This dressing is especially good for helping picky children and hubby's eat more greens. Don't be afraid to be unconventional. Any kind of salad tastes good with a delicious dressing.

Grilled Yummy Extra Delicious Sandwiches

So ladies, John's mom just made these for us on Saturday and they are super delicious! You can make them with chicken or, I believe the recipe is for a vegetarian sandwich. The onions and the white balsamic vinegar make these have a wonderful zing.

Southwest Quinoa

This is a delicious Green Smoothie Girl recipe that I have adapted slightly and we love it. You can basically make it your own and add whatever you would like to the quinoa that you have on hand. It is super fast to throw together as well. Plus we could eat mexican food every day all day over here so it's a good way to get a super healthy food like quinoa into our diet while still incorporating our love for mexican food! This makes a LOT so for the two of us we usually half the recipe. This is definitely my husband's favorite quinoa recipe that I make, so if you are trying to introduce your family to quinoa, start with this one!

This is the full recipe and makes a large bowl. Also, cherry tomatoes aren't amazing in it but it was all we had when I took this pic. I recommend Roma or vine ripened tomatoes for sure.

2 cups quinoa

4 cups water

2 cans black beans (or 3-4 cups cooked black beans)

4 medium tomatoes

8 green onions, chopped

1 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing:

1 heaping Tbsp. lime zest

¼ cup fresh lime juice

4-6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. pepper

Rinse quinoa thoroughly and strain water out through a fine strainer. Cook the quinoa in water (we just use our rice cooker, it's so easy!) and add everything else when finished. Pour dressing over top and gently mix. Top with fresh salsa and guacamole if desired (in my opinion the salsa and guac are a must:) You can serve this hot or cold but don't reheat once it is all mixed together. Buen provecho!

Chicken Chimichangas

I have a very trim, slim husband who can pack in the food and he was getting tired of sandwiches for lunch and I was getting tired of having left overs always ready, so voila! We discovered these scrumptious chicken chimichangas that can be frozen and then thawed for a quick lunch. They are much healthier and tastier than frozen food aisle burritos (though we are certainly guilty of buying those for a quick snack).

This recipe is adapted from one my mother makes.  I will show you the additions.

CHICKEN CHIMICHANGAS
2 1/2 cups cooked, diced, chicken (To make it vegetarian, use pinto beans for added substance).
1 cup salsa (we prefer homemade. I will share the recipe later)
1/3 cup sliced green onion
1 can black beans, drained (I frequently add another can).
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
I add:
1/2 jar/ 8 oz. of Green Enchilada sauce
2 TBSP honey
2-3 cups cooked brown rice

whole wheat flour tortillas
grated cheese
melted butter

Mix chicken, salsa, onions, cumin, oregano, salt, honey, enchilada sauce and black beans in a large bowl. (I don't think these pictures will get any awards, but you get the idea. :))

 Take your flour tortillas and place a good dollop of chicken mixture, then add a good dollop of brown rice and sprinkle with cheese.  Fold the two bottoms and then the two sides, so the tortilla looks like a square pillow. Turn over so the folds are on the bottom. Brush with melted butter.

To freeze:
Wrap individually in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 30 days.

To Bake:
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Bake for 13 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and crispy. Serve with fresh tomatoes, salsa, avocado and lettuce.

I also convert them to enchiladas and simply top with the rest of the green enchilada sauce mixed with a bit of half and half.

P.S. HEALTH BENEFITS OF BLACK BEANS, courtesy of Whole Foods:

Black beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other legumes. In addition to lowering cholesterol, black beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as brown rice, black beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein. You may already be familiar with beans' fiber and protein, but this is far from all black beans have to offer.

To read more, visit this article on black beans: whfoods.com.