Recipe #8-Roasted Eggplant

So easy and so good!! 

Ingredients;
1 large eggplant (about 1-1.5lbs)
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375
-Cut eggplant in half, then into quarters
-Place skin side down on a baking sheet
-Brush flesh with oil
-Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper
-Roast for 30-40 minutes

Recipe #7-Skillet Paella

Billy Joel's ex-wife is a better "chef" than she was a wife...  In the November 2011 edition of Cosmopolitan, she contributed a "perfect one-pot meal" that turned out very delicious and was surprisingly quick and easy to make.  Plus, it forced me to expand my rice horizon and pick up some basmati rice.

Ingredients:
4oz chorizo, diced - I used Johnsonville Chicken Sausages, Monterrey cheese flavor to be a bit healthier
1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces (I used 4 thighs)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups white rice (try arborio or basmati)
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (3 cans)
2t paprika
1t dried thyme-I used fresh since I had that versus dried
1 bay leaf
1c frozen peas
1/2 lb med shrimp, peeled and deveined- When I went to the grocery store to get shrimp, the service counter closed 10 minutes before.  Fail.  Frozen shrimp was a bit out of my budget so I got a small pre-cooked shrimp cocktail ring.  Worked perfectly.
1T freshly squeezed lemon juice- I used the whole lemon's worth.
1/4c thinly sliced green onion- whoops! Forgot





Directions:

-Heat large skillet (I used my trusty green dutch oven, a VERY large skillet will be needed otherwise) over medium heat
-Saute chorizo until fat is rendered, about 5 minutes.  Drain on paper towel.  If using chicken sausage like I did, brown in pan and remove. There is no need to render fat since none will come out!
-Season chicken with salt and pepper
-Cook until evenly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes
-Remove chicken
-Add onion, red pepper and garlic and cook until tender, about 4-7 minutes
-Stir in rice and cook for 2 minutes
-Add broth, paprika, thyme, bay leaf, reserved chorizo/sausage and chicken and salt and pepper if needed
-Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer
-Cover and let cook for 10 minutes
-Stir in peas, shrimp and lemon juice
-Cook until peas and shrimp are hot
-Sprinkle with green onions and serve

Recipe #6-Quick and Easy Tangy Pork Chops

Last night, pork chops were on the menu.  Normally my fiance makes the pork chops because they are AMAZING but in light of trying to be healthier, instead of frying them in oil, I tried an alternative route. 

Ingredients:
4 pork chops-preferably bone in but whatever you have or prefer
Salt and Pepper
1/2 c Apple Juice

Directions:
-Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper
-Place in a pan over high heat
-Sear each chop until there is some brown on each side
-Pour in apple juice
-Cook until done, braising (scooping the liquid onto the pork chops) occasionally

Product Review-McCain Simply Potato Slices

Last week, McCain Simply Potatoes were on sale.  I also happened to have a coupon for them in which I doubled and practically got these babies for free-too bad they should just give these away anyway!  These starchy, tasteless potatoes are not worth the money.  The variety of options for how to cook the slices range from an electric skillet, to fry pan, to steam in the microwave.  I chose to steam them while the other components to dinner (apple juice pork chops and carrots) were cooking away on the stove.  After 14 minutes, the potatoes were done.  After cutting a slit in the bag so the steam can escape, I dumped them into a bowl and one big ol' potato chunk came out.  Hmm.. the back suggested making mashed potatoes out of them.  Since the chunk wasn't going to be that appealing, I grabbed some salt, pepper and fat free half and half and went to town making mashed potatoes.  What resulted were weird, almost fake mashed potatoes with weird texture. 

All in all, I won't be making these again.  I however will give McCain Simply Potatoes a try, but the whole ones to maybe try to roast in a pinch... if I can get them next to nothing :) 

Recipe #5-Cuban Steak & Beans from Good Housekeeping, Jan 2012

 This recipe is a 30 minute or less "Healthy in a Hurry" meal.  It is super quick and very tangy due to the citrus.  Plus, it's chocked full of antioxidants to help boost your heart functions!

Ingredients:
1 orange
2 limes (original recipe called for 4 with 2 being garnish but you really don't need it in my opinion)

photo credit: Good Housekeeping

4 gloves of garlic, crushed with a press.... or smashed with a knife and roughly chopped

1 T ground cumin
1 beef top sirloin steak, 12 oz, 1/2 in thick
1 lg red pepper, chopped




1 can (15oz) no-salt-added black beans

2 c. corn kernels, fresh or frozen/thawed

Directions;
-Into a small bowl, finely grate 1t of peel and squeeze 2T of juice from orange (I used a decent sized orange and zested the whole thing and squeezed juice out of the entire thing); finely grate 1t of peel and squeeze 1/4c juice from 2 limes (again, zested entire 2 limes and squeezed all the juice I could from them).  Stir in garlic, cumin and 1/8t of each salt and pepper.
-Place steak in resealable bag along with half of citrus mixture; turn to coat.  Let stand.
-Chop pepper, drain and rinse beans and if using, cut remaining limes in half.
-Heat 12in heavy skillet on high and add steak when pan is hot.
-Cook 1-2 mins per side for med rare or until desired depending on your taste and thickness of steak.
-Transfer steak to cutting board when done.
-To skillet, add red pepper, corn and beans with remaining citrus mixture, 1/4c water and 1/8t of each salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 mins, stirring occasionally, until peppers are tender and most of the moisture is soaked up.
-Serve sliced steak with bean mixture and limes (optional).

This would also taste good if you were to chunk the steak before cooking it then adding it to the bean mixture to make a casserole.