Menu 10-5-2009 to 10-11-2009

Monday 10-5 - Pizza
Tuesday 10-6 - Roasted Chicken, Quinoa and Spinach Pilaf
Wednesday 10-7 - Strip Steak, Grilled Potato Salad, Broccoli
Thursday 10-8 - Chicken Sorrentino over Spinach and Rice Pilaf
Friday 10-9 - dinner sized Shrimp Cocktail, Salad
Saturday 10-10 - Indian Almond Curry Lamb **
Sunday 10-11 - Pulled Pork, Cole Slaw, Corn Bread

** from Glorious One-Pot Meals Cookbook recipes and review to follow.

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Another Recipe from Glorious One-Pot Meals: Argentinian Beef

For those of you who haven't followed my previous posts about Infusion Cooking in the past few days here are some of the rules:

Measurements are to be nearly exact

Cast Iron Dutch Oven - 2-3 quarts - no bigger unless you double the recipe

Layering as directed and don't mix up the food until you serve it.

This particular recipe made with my changes in () is totally Simply Filling, with a whole grain, lean meat, 4 servings of vegetables. It is VERY filling! Could easily be 3 servings instead of 2. If you eat 1/2 of it, it is 10 points. If you eat 1/2 of it, it is 7 points.

We had this for dinner today. Our dinner is mid afternoon. My husband didn't like it. Next time I make this I will add quite a bit of garlic. I found it a bit bland even with the amount of cumin that I used.

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Argentinian Beef

Feel free to make this recipe using ground turkey or pork instead of beef, or even meat-substitute crumbles. You could also use a tenderloin cut of meat. Look for peeled and chopped butternut squash in your supermarket vegetable aisle. Serves 2

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 medium onion, minced

1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and minced

8-10 cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (I used 2 teaspoons or 4x the amount)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (I didn't use salt at all, but LOTS of pepper)

3/4 pound ground meat (I used 7% fat or 93% fat free)

1 cup white rice (or any grain, I used brown rice that had been soaked for 30 minutes)

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon broth (preferably beef) or water (I used fat free beef broth)

2 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash (I used a single block package of already cooked and frozen butternut squash. I put it in frozen.)

1/2 head broccoli, cut into florets (about 2 cups)

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Brush inside and lid of a 2 quart cast-iron Dutch oven with olive oil.

In a large bowl, mix the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the meat to the bowl and mix well. Set aside. If using tenderloins rather than ground meat, set the onion-spice mixture aside and simply spoon over the steaks in step 5.

Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear. Tip the rice into the pot, add the liquid and stir to make an even layer.

Drop ragged forkfuls of the meat mixture into the pot. If using tenderloins, arrange them in the pot and blanket with the onion-spice mixture.

Arrange the squash in a layer, then load in the broccoli until the pot is full.

Cover and bake for about 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven.

Serve immediately.

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RED CURRY CHICKEN

Here is the recipe for our dinner tonight from the Glorious One-Pot Meals cookbook. . Made with chicken broth instead of lite coconut milk it is 6 Weight Watchers points per serving. If made with the coconut milk (lite) it is 9 points per serving. The recipe serves 2.

This is INFUSION cooking. Use the appropriate size pot and layer exactly as stated. DO NO STIR.

RED CURRY CHICKEN

1 cup Quinoa (can substitute brown rice, that has been soaked for 30 minutes, or regular rice but no longer Simply Filling)

3/4 pound chicken breasts or thighs

One 14 ounce can coconut milk, light or regular (I used fat free chicken broth, if you use coconut milk lite it adds 3 points per serving and it is no longer Simply Filling)

2-4 tablespoons red curry paste

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (found in Asian markets, substitute Worcestershire sauce if you don't have it or won't buy it.)

1 teaspoon brown sugar (I am using brown sugar Splenda. Points not figured for real brown sugar)

zest of 1 lime or 1/2 teaspoon lime juice

5-10 fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried

2 carrots, sliced into coins

One 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 large handfuls fresh spinach, or one 10 ounce package frozen

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Brush the inside of a 2 quart cast iron Dutch oven with canola oil. Don't use a pot that is much bigger as the timing and moisture content for this type of infusion cooking is based on the structure and size of the pan.

Since the quinoa in a strainer under cold water until the water runs clear. (I buy pre-rinsed Quinoa, but most has a soap like coating that needs to be rinsed off.) Spread the quinoa in the pot in and even layer. Place the chicken on the quinoa.

In a medium bowl, whisk the coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime zest and basil. Pour half the mixture over the chicken.

Scatter the carrots and then the chickpeas in the pot. Top with the spinach and pour the rest of the coconut mixture over all.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately. If you use rice and it is still a bit crunchy, quickly fluff with a fork and replace the lid. Let sit for another 3-5 minutes before serving.

On a scale of 1 - 10, hubby gave it an 8. I gave it a 9.5. It was very good! The quinoa was so nutty and the chicken was so tender and moist. It was everything I hoped for and more.

Tomorrow is Argentinian Beef. Review will be posted!!

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Cookbook Review: Glorious One-Pot Meals

Name: Glorious One-Pot Meals
Author: Elizabeth Yarnell
ISBN:978-1-60751-581-4
Publisher: Broadway Books, 2005
Pages: 223
No photos or drawings



The first thing I can say about this book is WOW! What an incredible technique even without the recipes.

Elizabeth Yarnell developed her revolutionary infusion cooking method to avoid often mushy slow cooker results and to make cooking and cleaning up after dinner a breeze. All it takes is a Dutch oven and a few basic fresh or even frozen ingredients layered - never stirred.

One pot meals are meals that can be layered into a dutch oven (caste iron or enameled cast iron) and baked in the oven and come out as a full meal of a protein, starch, and veggies. It is not to be confused with cooking a variety of things separately and adding them to a pot to finish or combine and served. It also isn't cooking something for a while and then opening the pot and adding more ingredients and then adding something else a while later. It is truly ONE pot and ONE step cooking.

The vegetables emerge crispy, the meats tender and the flavor is incredible.

Glorious One-Pot Meals has a long introduction and an even longer "What you need to know" chapter before the recipes begin. The technique is described in detail and timing charts are provided and suggestions for substitutions too! The recipe chapters are broken out into Fish, Seafood, Meal, Poutltry and Vegetarian. Every recipe is a full meal for 2 people. There are instructions in the first 2 chapters on how to double or quadruple the recipes.

I like being able to put everything together and then sit and relax with my husband or company while it cooks. I like having really great meals/recipes for just 2 people. I love the variety of the ingredients. Elizabeth Yarnell uses many different flavors, many different proteins, quite a variety of vegetables and grains.

I had many dishes in my menu last week from this book and each one was superb. Tonight we are having Adobo Pork.


ADOBE PORK:

Adobo, or roasted pork, is a staple in Latin America and some parts of southeast Asia. This is just one version of the Latin American-style dish, made easier as a Glorious One-Pot Meal. Replace the rice and broth with 3/4 cup quinoa and 1 cup of broth for a more authentic South American meal.

Ancho chiles are actually dried pablano chiles, which are rich in flavor and popular for cooking. They've been described as looking and tasting like prunes, though certainly with more of a bite. Anaheim chiles are a milder substitute.

You can use boneless frozen pork chops without increasing the cooking time. However, if they are frozen with the bone in, you may need to allow ten extra minutes in the oven. You can also substitute flank steask, or chicken pieces with good results. (ANOTHER wonderful thing about this cookbook is the ability to substitute things that are on sale, that you may have in the pantry or replace something you don't like.)

You can also add slices of fresh tomatoes to this recipe. Layer the sliced tomato on top of there is still space in the pot after adding the green pepper. (Serves 2)


Canola oil spray
1 cup Arborio rice (I will be using Quinoa)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons broth (beef, chicken or vegetable) or water
2 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1/4 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 to 3/4 pound center-cut and deboned pork chops, 1 inch thick
One 15 ounce can corn drained
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch strips

Preheat oven to 450°F

Brush inside and lid of a cast-iron Dutch oven with canola oil.

Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold water until the water runs clear. Tip the rice into the pot. Add liquid, reserving 1 tablespoon, and stir to make an even layer.

In a small bowl, stir-together the remaining 1 tablespoon of broth with the chiles, onion, oregano, cumin, pepper, allspice, vinegar, and orange and lime juices.

Place the pork chops in the pot and pour half of the mixture over them. Add the corn and bell pepper and pour in the rest of the spice mixture.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma of a fully cooked meal escapes the oven. Serve immediately.

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Diane's Menu September 21 - 27, 2009

Diane's Menu September 21 - 27, 2009

Monday 9/21 Adobe Pork (one pot meal with pork, rice, corn, chilli's, spices and green bell pepper)
Tuesday 9/22 Red Curry Chicken (one pot meal with chicken, brown rice, coconut milk, carrots, chickpeas, and spinach)
Wednesday 9/23 Argentinian Beef (one pot meal with ground beef, butternut squash, broccoli, and brown rice)
Thursday 9/24 Chicken Sorrentino
Friday 9/25 Hot Sausage over Polenta with peppers and spinach
Saturday 9/26 Moroccan Chicken with many spices, mushrooms and sugar snap peas, over whole wheat couscous.
Sunday 9/27 Football fare - Chicken Strips buffalo style, vegetable crudites

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I have a new cookbook called Glorious One-Pot Meals by Elizabeth Yarnell. All of the one pot meals listed come from her book. Feel free to ask for the recipes if you would like them. I would highly recommend the book.




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