Avocado Bacon Dip

2 avocados
3 slices of bacon
3 tablespoons finely diced onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
16 oz tub sour cream
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 c shredded cheddar

Start by cooking bacon.When it’s crispy, crumble.

Meanwhile, pit and peel avocado and toss in food processor. Add in onions, garlic, oil, and lemon juice and mix until creamy. Scrape into a medium bowl. Mix in sour cream, cayenne, cheese, and crumbled bacon.

Serve with chips or your favorite veggies.

Rosemary pork roast and roasted potatoes

I’m still on a Curtis Stone kick, and found a similar recipe online. I’ve adapted it slightly because, for one thing, it takes longer to cook than his recipe states. I will be serving it with mushroom jus that I wrote about last week, salad, and watermelon.

1 boneless pork roast
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp rosemary

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

With a mortar and pestle, or a glass and a bowl, or even a food processor, grind rosemary with salt. Pierce fattier side of meat with a knife several times and rub seasoning on  top and in slits. Place on rack in pan and bake at 500 degrees for 20 minutes. Place an empty cookie sheet in the oven at the same time. You’ll need this preheated for the potatoes.

Meanwhile, you’ll need to start your potatoes.

8 potatoes of similar size, sliced in half diagonally
1 tbsp paprika
Medium onion, cut into chunks
4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced into 4 pieces each
Olive oil

Toss all ingredients together, then spread in one layer on cookie sheet. Reduce heat of oven to 350 degrees and put potatoes in. Cook for 40 minutes, then remove roast from rack, put on one side of pan, put potatoes on other side, cover, and continue to roast until meat is no longer pink, about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Random foodie rambles

Just a few things about what I’ve done with food over the week that have worked well for us.

I made mushroom jus the other day, which was something I saw on Take Home Chef. I served it over my pot roast and it was so delicious. I could eat it everyday! I was eating the meat off the kids’ plates when they were done because I didn’t want it to be thrown away. For something that’s used as a sauce, though, it made a lot. I wasn’t about to dump it out so I stuck it in the fridge and saved it.

Today, I used the mushroom jus with onion, zucchini, carrot, and celery and made a soup with it for lunch. I wasn’t disappointed, once again.

Yesterday morning, I made chicken breasts for breakfast. I marinated them in honey dijon dressing and wrapped them in bacon and they were delicious. Hubby couldn’t finish his so I stuck it in the fridge. As usual, he said he’d take it to work and forgot, so I cut it up and mixed it with homemade mayo, a bit of mustard, onion, and celery and served it on homemade crescent rolls.

Unfortunately, hubby burned what was left of the crescent rolls in the toaster oven this morning, because that would have been excellent with the soup, but that’s okay.

Since I had so much mayo for a little bit of chicken salad, I made potato salad too. Since half the family was away for dinner last night, we still have about half of a large bowl of it, so tonight when we have beans and rice, kid 3 will have potato salad, which she loves. She hates anything resembling a bean, other than lentils.

So that’s what’s up with my kitchen this week!

Slow cooker coq au vin

This is adapted from a couple of recipes I’ve found online. They’re all basically the same but I’m recording it here because it’s worth sharing anyway. My husband hates bone-in chicken so I make dishes like this on nights he works. More for me!

Approximately 6 Chicken legs and thighs
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 onion, Coarsely chopped
4 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
8 button mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 tsp thyme
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups red wine

 

Layer all ingredients and cook on low 6 1/2 to 7 hours. Serve with a starch (potatoes, rice, pasta).

Taco Casserole

Better late than never! Here it is.

3 cups cooked rice
1 lb ground turkey, browned
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 packet taco seasoning (so it’s not from scratch. I’m entitled to cheat sometimes.)
1/2 c salsa
1/2 c water
1 c shredded cheddar
Sour cream to pass at the table, if desired

Mix the rice, meat, beans, seasoning, salsa, water and spread evenly in a 13×9 pan. Cover with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, covered. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes to brown cheese. Serves 4-6 depending on how hungry you are.

Basic chicken salad for sandwiches

I know I promised a taco casserole recipe but my meal plan got a little mixed up so you get this instead. It’s really basic but it’s a good way to use up leftover chicken.

2 cups cold chicken, diced
4 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp mustard
1 stalk celery, diced
1 dill pickle spear, diced
1/2 small onion, diced

Combine. Serve on your favorite bread. That’s it!

My new pasta maker should be here tomorrow. We’re having spaghetti to celebrate!

Random food talk

I’ve decided to really buckle down on my eating after the past week or so. My food choices often left something to be desired but keeping track of the calories really forced me to be accountable for it. 450 calories? Really?

Today I had some of my yummy granola and milk for breakfast, then a salad of romaine, shredded carrots, chow mien noodles, and Caesar dressing for lunch. Later I had half an orange and cottage cheese, and copious amounts of coffee (one thing at a time!)

Dinner was chicken, mashed red potatoes, and glazed carrots. The chicken was my usual recipe that I posted the other day but I added about 2 teaspoons of garam marsala to the spice rub. It was absolutely amazing!!

The glazed carrots were relatively easy. Here is the recipe:

Glazed carrots
10 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
Salt and pepper

Cook the carrots until tender, boiling about 10 minutes. Maybe a bit more. Drain the carrots and return to burner with remaining ingredients.

Simmer about 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let stand so syrup thickens.

That’s it!

Other than that, I have had water. I find myself a bit hungry so I’m making a bit of strawberry shortcake topping (sugared strawberries, whipped cream) for a snack. Then I’ll fill my tummy with another glass of water and hope that does the trick!

I also intend to try to get to the gym in the morning for the first time in two and a half weeks, since I hurt my knee. Exercise is just as important as food choices and this may sound strange to some, but I have honestly missed it. Besides, gym memberships are expensive if they go unused!

Tomorrow I plan to make taco casserole for dinner so I will be back with the recipe then!

Adapted version of Alton Brown’s granola

I will be using mine for cereal but it can be used in any way you’d use any granola.

 

3 cups old fashioned oats (not quick oats)

2 cups walnuts

3/4 c shredded sweetened coconut

1/4 c plus 2 tbsp light brown sugar

1/4 c plus 2 tbsp honey

1/4 c vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup raisins or other dried fruit

Combine oats, walnuts, coconut, and sugar. In a second bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Pour into first bowl and mix well. Spread out evenly on two cookie sheets. Bake at 225 degrees, stirring gently and flattening out every 15 minutes, for 2 hours.

Pour into large bowl and mix in raisins. Store in an air-tight container. This should make about 5 average-sized bowls of cereal if you choose to use it for that.