Today's Bottom of the Jar Recipe

I have posted before about using the bottom of jelly/mustard jars for creating flavor profiles. Today, I made a new one.

I had about 1 teaspoon or so of mustard stuck at the bottom of a squeeze bottle of spicy brown mustard. It just wouldn't come out of the container anymore. So, I added 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup. Shake well. Covered 4 chicken leg quarters with the mixture and roasted in the oven at 375 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. YUMMY!!

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Bottom of the Jar Cooking

I have posted about using up the bottom of jelly and mustard jars before. Today I used up the bottom of a mayonnaise jar. I made a vinaigrette very similar to my Risingwoods dressing and left out the oil. I poured some into the nearly empty mayonnaise jar, attached the lid and shook to remove all the residue of the mayonnaise from the bottom of the jar.

Voilà!! Perfect dressing for the shredded cabbage to make a slaw for dinner.

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Potatoes and Wasted Food

How often have you gone out for a burger and after the big sandwich you can't finish those fries on the side?? It happens to me all the time. Or, you just don't want to eat that much more.

Don't send the fries back to the kitchen to be tossed out. Take them home in a "doggy bag". "What???" you say. "Leftover cold fried potatoes are disgusting. They get soggy and are just not good tasting." Well, here is my take on that.

I use leftover potatoes from fast food or a restaurant to make many breakfast dishes. My favorite is potatoes and eggs.

Last week I took about 1/2 a serving of fried potatoes home from a restaurant. In the morning, I preheated the broiler and I sautéed a few leeks (you could use onions) and added the potatoes after I chopped them up. When they were hot through and a bit crispy again, I poured 3 scrambled eggs over them and stirred to make sure the eggs got through the entire pan. After the eggs looked dried on the bottom, I transferred the pan to the broiler and cooked until the eggs were puffed and no longer runny.

Remove from the broiler with a good mitt, careful not to burn yourself. Slice in wedges and serve with grated Parmesan cheese. YUMMY!

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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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Diane's Chicken and Quinoa Chili in Rice Cooker

I am always experimenting with my rice cooker and grains. Today I made something so good for lunch that I have to share it.

Diane's Chicken and Quinoa Chili in Rice Cooker

2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
1 medium onion diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 cup quinoa
1 small can fat free chicken broth
1 small can stewed tomatoes
1 precooked or grilled chicken breast
1 packet Sazon seasoning
1 can corn or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernals

In rice cooker on browning cycle, if you have one, heat oil and add onion and jalapeno pepper to saute for a few minutes. When soft add cumin and quinoa, stir to coat. Add chicken broth and tomatoes. My chicken breast was fully cooked, but frozen so I put it in at this point. If yours is cooked and cold, you might want to also put it in at this point. If it's cooked and room temperature you could wait till the end. If you want to cook the chicken in the rice cooker, you can chunk it up in 1 inch chunks and also add it at this point. Add the Sazon seasoning. Close rice cooker and set for regular rice. It will take about 1 hour. When it has 2-5 minutes to go, add corn and stir to distribute. Close rice cooker and allow to finish.

This is SOOO good. Spicy and tasty and very filling. I think this will be enough for 2 lunches or if I had made it for dinner and added another chicken breast it would have been enough for my husband and I both.

It is totally on the WW plan for Simply Filling. I didn't figure out points because I am not counting points at this time.

Prep and Planning Make Weekday Meals a Breeze!

Does anyone else besides me watch Robin Miller on the Food Network?

I love her recipes and techniques. So I thought I would share one or two that I use all the time. Actually I started doing this long before Robin Miller, but today she reminded me.

When I plan a meal, I automatically think about what ingredients go into that meal and try to plan another meal in the same week or the following week that will use those same ingredients so that I don't have to cook something twice.

For example: If we are going to have a pasta meal, I will cook 2 pounds of pasta at the same time. I use part for the first meal, take the remaining and split it in 2. Make a casserole with some of it and a pasta salad with the rest. Most casseroles made with pasta can be frozen for future use.

Next week, we will have a pork roast on one of the days. The roast is too big for one meal on purpose! In the same week I will also have twice baked sweet potatoes with diced pork that was left over from the roast and soaked in BBQ sauce poured over the top of the sweet potatoes.

Menu to be posted in the next few hours.

Paninis

Here are some of my favorite combinations for Paninis:

• grilled Veggies (especially eggplant, red peppers, zucchini and onions) with goat cheese
• ham and cheese
• salami, pepperoni, provolone cheese and a tomato paste spread. Season with oregano and garlic and you will swear you are eating a pizza.
• roast beef, cheddar cheese, horseradish
• hamburger, cheese, bacon, ketchup
• corned beef or pastrami, sauekraut, swiss cheese, thousand island dressing
• meatballs slice, mozeralla cheese, marinara sauce
• tuna salad, swiss cheese

More to come!

TODAYS GRIPE! Slow Cookers and Good Quality Meats

OK, so I am going to spend this post ranting my opinions. It's my blog after all!

I love my slow cooker. I use it 2-3 times a week, sometimes even more. It makes soups and stews and flavorful combinations that meld spices and inexpensive pieces of meats to make lusciously comforting meals.

I don't understand why someone would spend $7.99 (or more) per pound on a pork tenderloin and then cook it in a slow cooker. (Crock-pot) A pork tenderloin has almost no fat. It is an expensive piece of meat that begs to be quickly grilled or roasted. It is a piece of meat that will dry out by just looking at it. It is a piece of meat that will be tasty when cooked to an internal temperature of 150° but will taste like straw when cooked to more than 165°. Why would you waste such a piece of meat in a slow cooker??

I cook pork in my slow cooker often. I use pork legs, shoulders and butts. The pork is tender and delicious when done and never dry. It ranges in price from sometimes less than $1 a pound if bought in bulk on sale to no more than $2 per pound. Yes, the pieces are usually too big for one meal but how wonderful it is to have meals of pulled pork or pork fried rice or pork and beans already cooked in the freezer for busy nights.

So, if you want to save money and improve the results in your slow-cooker, don't use expensive lean cuts of meat.

The Pilaf Technique for Rice Cookers

My latest made up recipe involves a technique of using the rice cooker. I am a big believer in learning techniques. When you are a student of cooking techniques you never need a recipe because they are automatic.

For example, the pilaf technique in a rice cooker is melting some fat, sauteing some flavorful vegetables like onion, garlic etc. Then adding a grain and stirring to coat with the fat and heat through. Then add liquid and any additive ingredient and close the rice cooker and press cook. When the cooker changes to keep warm, check to see if the grain is cooked. If not add a little more liquid and press cook again. When cooked add garnish or topping that doesn't require cooking like grated cheese, butter, etc.