Don't you hate it when you go to the store and pick up a whole bag of apples or oranges and you come home only to discover that you got a "bum" bag? The apples are a bit mushy or the oranges a bit dry and you've got a whole darn bag of them? So recently this happened to me with a bag of Pink Lady Apples. They were not bad but they were not great so immediately I thought---Let's cook the hell out of these apples! I happened to have some nice loin chops and an onion. I always have white wine and there's basil growing on the deck so I had the makings of a dish that made me happy I had purchased a bad bag of apples!
boneless loin chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
3 apples, cored and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
salt and pepper
3/4 cup white wine
olive oil
bunch of fresh basil, roughly chopped
Season the chops and then sauté in a bit of olive oil until well browned on each side--4 minutes each side. Remove and add some more olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions and apples for about 8 minutes or so--getting them browned in spots. Add the chops back in and the wine and basil-cover and lower the heat. Cook for 25 minutes or so. Serve chops with apples and onions over top and drizzle with pan sauce.
Serves two
12 large shrimp, peeled
1 bunch asparagus, washed, trimmed cut in bite size pieces
yellow, orange and red pepper cut in strips
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 t Thai Garlic Sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
sesame oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
Cooked brown rice
After you've done all the chopping and peeling, you're home free cause this cooks up really fast!
In wok add some sesame oil and quickly cook shrimp--remove to a bowl-they can be a little undercooked cause you're gonna add them back in in a few minutes. Add some more oil and cook the asparagus and peppers until they're starting to char a bit--Throw in the Thai garlic sauce and the fresh garlic and stir around. Add the shrimp and the vinegar and oyster sauce--stir well --serve over rice.
I always pick up frozen fish when shopping at Trader Joe. Decided to thaw out the Dover sole for tonight's dinner. TJ's sole is super thin, so however you decide to cook it, know that it will be quick! I happened to have a nice bag of kale so I decided to do a yummy bowl dinner with brown rice topped with kale and sole--quite tasty I must say as well as healthful---a win/win!
1 lb dover sole
1 bag kale
4 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1 cup white wine
4 T butter
1 small tomato, chopped
1 T capers
1 T balsamic vinegar
brown rice ( I use Uncle Ben's in a pouch when I don't already have some cooked brown rice in the fridge.)
In large deep pan (with lid) melt 2 T butter, throw in the garlic and stir, add the bag of kale and pour in the white wine stir and then cover to wilt--maybe ten minutes--keep checking in case it gets dry and needs more liquid. Lay the fish on top of the greens, salt and pepper well, and then dot with some butter. Put lid back on and cook for maybe ten minutes? In the meantime, in small saucepan, melt 2 T butter, add the tomato, the vinegar and the capers. Cook for a couple of minutes.
In bowls, layer some rice, kale and fish and top with butter sauce. Serve with some bread cause the sauce is good.
So I was reading about a book that was written called "Sheet Pan Suppers" (see at end of post) and I happened to see this recipe from the book and it looked mighty tasty indeed. It has a really good peanut sauce and really, for me, anything with a peanut sauce is a "yes" and I'll be happy to eat that for dinner :-)
This recipe is a keeper and it really serves only two with a little bit of leftovers for possibly the cook tomorrow.
Olive oil cooking spray (optional)
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (commercial or natural)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed
4 thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts or cutlets
1. Preheat the oven to broil, with a rack 4 inches from the heat. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil or mist it with cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the brown sugar, peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha, vinegar, water, and lime juice in a medium-size bowl until smooth. Set aside 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce for serving.
3. Rub the asparagus and chicken with the remaining peanut sauce to thickly coat, and arrange them in a tight single layer on the prepared pan. Broil, keeping a close eye on the pan to prevent burning, and flipping the chicken halfway through, until the chicken is just cooked through, the asparagus is well charred, and the sauce is bubbly and deeply browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Serve the chicken and asparagus hot from the oven with the reserved dipping sauce alongside.
How about a delicious side salad when you have no greens in sight? Slice up a tomato, an avocado, drizzle on some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper and voila!
I love a main course that I can prepare and then have bake a bit while I get the side dishes ready. This is really good and I owe it all to one of Trader Joe's simmer sauces. I happened to see this sauce which is intended for chicken the other day while shopping. It's a take on a traditional dish called "Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic" and I decided to give it a try. The sauce is actually quite tasty and saves you all the time of peeling all that garlic! I'm lazy :-)
1 cut up chicken
1 jar Trader Joe 40 Garlic Clove Chicken Simmer Sauce
Fresh basil (optional)
Brown the chicken, put in a 9 X 13 baking dish, pour on sauce, cover with foil and bake 45 minutes at 350. Uncover, bake another 10 to 15-top with fresh basil and enjoy. I served with roasted cauliflower that baked in the oven at the same time and liked being around that sauce :-) That sauce also likes being around some crusty bread!
Sometimes you want a good tasty dinner and you want it to be quick. This dish fits the bill. Slice a red pepper and half an onion and then make yourself a cocktail! You can have a cocktail while the shrimp defrosts in cold water. You can also be heating a pot of hot water at that same time.
When you're ready to make dinner, just throw the tortellini in the pot of boiling water and cook according to pkg directions which will roughly be around 9 minutes or so. That's the right amount of time to sauté the red pepper and onion in some olive oil-season with salt, garlic powder, and pepper, throw in the shrimp and stir around. Drain pasta, throw into pan with shrimp mixture, stir and top with parmesan. Enjoy!
1 pkg cheese tortellini (I use Butoni brand)
12 large frozen shrimp, defrosted
1 red pepper, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic powder
parmesan cheese
Workman
