... Argentinean Pork

Hi there... remember me?  Perhaps it just took an excellent recipe to get me back in gear... maybe it's the cooler weather that has me anxious to be in the kitchen... regardless of the reason, I'm back!  This recipe is really quick and easy - perfect for a weeknight meal or one of those weekend days when the weather is so beautiful you can't imagine wasting a minute of it indoors.

Marinate the pork in a fresh and flavorful combo of herbs and spices, then toss it on a hot grill until it's perfectly pink and moist.

After it's sliced, top it with an amazing pesto-like concoction that would be just as delicious on chicken, steak, or a Portabello mushroom as it was the pork... and you'll be trying it on each of them because it's so good.

Argentinean Pork
serves 4

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, divided
2/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
cooking spray
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 shallot, chopped

Combine 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 cup parsley, 1/3 cup cilantro, cumin, and red pepper in a shallow dish.  Add pork.  Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate one hour, turning once.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Sprinkle pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper.  Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 8 minutes.  Turn pork over, and grill 7 minutes or until a thermometer registers 145 degrees.  Remove pork from grill.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Slice pork crosswise.

Combine 3/4 cup parsley, 1/3 cup cilantro, 1/4 teaspoon salt, oregano, and remaining ingredients in a food processor; pulse 10 times.  Drizzle 1/4 cup olive oil through food chute with food processor on. Serve with pork.

Taylor's Notes:
I marinated the pork for just about 2 hours since I had the time.  I always think meat is better the longer you let it marinade, but the good thing is that you can get away with just an hour if you're short on time.  The pesto-like sauce had a bit of a bite to it from the lemon and garlic... which I loved.  If you're not a huge fan, you can always add a little at a time, tasting along the way.  


I served it with mashed red potatoes that may have had butter, milk and garlic in them... maybe.  Hey, sometimes the whole dinner doesn't have to be healthy.  Amiright?


Enjoy!

... Corn and Pasta Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

It's the age-old dilemma... do you take a green salad or a pasta salad to a Summer BBQ?  Or am I the only one who questions these things?  Just me?  Ok then.  Well, should you ever find yourself in my shoes, here's the perfect solution... both!

With fresh, bright colored veggies, crisp bacon, and sweet Summer corn roasted to perfection, this recipe will be the perfect addition to your backyard barbeque... or dining room barbeque if you're suffering the sweltering heat like we are.

The homemade ranch dressing was really easy and added the perfect creaminess and tang to this side.  And, lets be honest, anything that has pasta in it is good with me.

So next time you're pondering what kind of side salad to make, just think What Would Taylor Do? and you'll have your answer.

Corn and Pasta Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

serves 6

4 ounces gemelli pasta

1 small garlic clove

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/3 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 scallion, minced

2 small ears fresh corn

8 ounces grape tomatoes, halved

1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise

4 cups baby arugula

2 sliced bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions; drain and run under cold water to cool.

Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic clove on a cutting board; sprinkle with salt.  Using the blade of a chef's knife, press down onto garlic, smashing it to make a paste.  Add the garlic paste to a large bowl with the sour cream, buttermilk, cider vinegar, and scallion; season with salt and pepper.  Whisk the dressing until smooth and reserve.

Cut the kernels from the corn (breaking sheets of kernels into about 2-inch pieces, if desired).  Add the corn, tomatoes, onion and arugula to the bowl with the dressing; gently toss to coat.  Sprinkle with the bacon.

Taylor's Notes:

It's always surprising to me to find an incomplete recipe.  Like the one above... what are you supposed to do with the corn?  Just put it in raw?  That doesn't seem quite right...  And when does the pasta go in?  Here's my take on it, they just want us to all be creative and explore new ideas with the ingredients they've given us.  Pretend like you're on an episode of Chopped... only if Ted Allen ever shows up in your kitchen you better call me.  Pronto.

I digress... I decided to roast the corn before adding it to the salad.  My first thought was to grill it on the cob and then I remembered it was over 100 degrees outside and the oven practically turned itself on.  Thanks to my good buddy Mark Bittman, I found quick directions to roasting corn.  Put it on a baking sheet in a 500 degree oven for 10-20 minutes, rotating every few minutes.  What that meant to me was 15 minutes, rotating every five.   I put it in the oven as the pasta was boiling and then cut it from the cob and added it to the dish once everything else was finished.  As for the pasta, just toss it in with the veggies and dressing and you'll be good to go.  

And there you have it.  A quick summer side salad perfect for any occasion, whether you're in the mood for pasta or greens.

Enjoy!

... Maple-Glazed Salmon with Panzanella Salad

Well, hello Summer!  We're officially in the heat of it here in Kansas City (heat of it... get it... ba dum dum)  and it's about all I can do to bring myself to turn on the oven.  So why not fire up the grill instead?  Hey, at least it stays cool inside that way.

Once my friends Ben and Kim of Four Foodies posted their Panzanella Salad recipe, I knew I'd need to make it soon.  Pairing it with salmon and zucchini just seemed to be a great healthy match-up.

All of that accompanied by a couple of bottles... glasses, okay... bottles of crisp white wine and we had a great Summer meal.  Hey, when you have a healthy meal like this one, you can afford to treat yourself a little.  Amiright?

Maple-Glazed Salmon

serves 4

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground ancho chile powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

cooking spray

1 teaspoon maple syrup

Prepare grill, heating to medium.

Combine first 5 ingredients.  Sprinkle fish with salt; rub with paprika mixture.

Place fish on grill rack coated with cooking spay; grill 7 minutes.  Drizzle fish with syrup; grill 1 minute or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Taylor's Notes:

This recipe was super simple and easy considering I had everything besides the salmon in my pantry.  No wait, I didn't have ancho chile powder and couldn't find it at the store, so I just added a little more chili powder and cumin to make up for it.  I did half this recipe, as in I only grilled two salmon fillets, but I bet I used a full recipes worth of seasoning.  Next time I'll try to heat it up a little more... it was good and we liked the spicy-sweet thing it had going on, but the spice factor could have been taken up a notch or two.

Click on the link above for the Panzanella Salad - you'll love it.  It was really tasty, super easy, and will definitely become a staple for these Summer months.  

For the zucchini, I just sliced 'em up, drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled them with a little s&p and put them on the grill with the salmon.  

In case you're wondering, we drank Sauvingon Blanc from both Kim Crawford and Dashwood.  Delish.

Enjoy!

... Peanut Butter Crispy Bars

Here's a tasty little twist on your standard Rice Krispie Treat straight from one of my favorite bloggers, Smitten Kitchen.  Kid- (and, who are we kidding, adult-) friendly with a semi-sweet chocolate and peanut butter layer plus a more grown up dark chocolate icing.  So rich you'll try your best to eat just one... good luck with that.

Peanut Butter Crispy Bars


For the crispy crust
1 3/4 cups crisped rice cereal
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons salted butter, melted

For the milk chocolate peanut butter layer
5 ounce good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup creamy peanut butter

For the chocolate icing
3 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72 percent cocoa), coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
4 tablespoons salted butter

Make the crispy crust
Lightly spray a paper towel with nonstick cooking spray and use it to rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan.

Put the cereal in a large bowl and set aside.

Pour 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan.  Gently add the sugar and corn syrup (do not let any sugar or syrup get on the sides of the pan) and use a small wooden spoon to stir the mixture until just combined.  Put a candy thermometer in the saucepan.  Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil; cook until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, 235 degrees.

Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and pour the mixture over the cereal.  Working quickly, stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated, the pour it into the prepared pan.  Using your hands, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan (do not press up the sides).  Let the crust cool to room temperature while you make the next layer.

Make the milk chocolate peanut butter layer
In a large nonreactive metal bowl, stir together the chocolate and the peanut butter.  Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth.  Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for about 30 seconds to cool slightly.  Pour the mixture over the cooled crust.  Put the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the top layer hardens.

Make the chocolate icing
In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter.

Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth.  Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly.  Pour the mixture over the chilled milk chocolate peanut butter layer and roll it around until coated smoothly.  Put the pan into the refrigerator for 1 hour or until the topping hardens.

Cut into 9 or 16 squares and serve.  The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for up to 4 days.

Taylor's Notes:
I followed Deb's recipe exactly, but I doubled it and used a 9x13-inch pan.  Be careful when pressing the crispy crust layer into the pan... it's very hot and you'll burn your little fing fings!  


I would definitely recommend cutting these into smaller squares as they are very, very rich.  Plus, if you cut them into smaller squares, you can have more than one without feeling guilty... right?  


Enjoy!

... Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Feta Vinaigrette

After the mass amount of meat I ate this weekend, I figured it was high-time for a veggie salad.  So maybe I missed Meatless Monday by a day, but hey, better late than never, yes?  This recipe was right up my alley : Mediterranean flavors plus light, quick and easy to make.  Done and done.

Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Feta Vinaigrette
serves 4

1 cup uncooked orzo (about 8 ounces)
2 cups bagged prewashed baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons chopped red onion
3 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, undrained
3/4 cup (3 ounces) feta cheese, crumbled and divided

Cook the orzo according to package directions, omitting the salt and fat.  Drain; rinse with cold water.  Combine orzo, spinach, and next 5 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl.

Drain artichokes, reserving marinade.  Coarsely chop artichokes, and add artichokes, reserved marinade, and 1/2 cup feta cheese to orzo mixture, tossing gently to coat.  Sprinkle each serving with remaining feta cheese.

Taylor's Notes:


This was a perfect weeknight meal.  Do I say that a lot?  If so, it's only because I love easy weeknight meals.  And really, who doesn't?  Anyhoo... this would be perfect as a side with chicken or fish, but was really great on it's own too.  


Those of you who know me well will be very surprised that I actually used the sun-dried tomatoes.  But I did and I liked them.  I know, shocker.  I'm becoming such a big girl.  I also added capers... a salty little twist that, quite frankly, I'm surprised wasn't in the original recipe.  But, like I often say, make it your own.  Add what you want, leave out what you don't.  Double the amount of olives, cut the onions in half (hello, thank goodness it's not date night!)  Whatever you do...


Enjoy!

... Memorial Day 2011

I'm really not sure there's a way to introduce the following so let's just get into it, shall we?

- Stuffed Mushrooms with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Gorgonzola - 

Clean and dry Baby Bella mushrooms.  Remove the stem and, using a spoon or small melon baller, hollow out the cap to make room for the good stuff.  Fill each cap with a spoonful of sun-dried tomato pesto and top with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.  Drizzle the caps with a little extra virgin olive oil and top each one with a small basil leaf.  We found this great Greek Column Basil at the Farmers Market which has small leaves and, we're told, will survive in a pot year-round.  I'm not sure it'll last that long though... especially if I make Grapefruit Basil martinis this weekend.  Pop the caps on the smoker at 230 degrees for about 40 minutes.

- Fresh Tomato Salad with Balsamic and Gorgonzola -

We also found this gorgeous Beefsteak Tomato at the Farmers Market.  It was huge (a whole pound!) and so delicious.  We sliced it, sprinkled it with freshly ground pepper and kosher salt, drizzled it with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic, and tossed on the leftover Gorgonzola crumbles.  Now this is what Summer is all about. 

- The 'Fatty' -

Meat Lovers unite!  I'm not even one of them and I can definitely get down with this guy.  Three kinds of meat - Italian sausage, ground pork, and ground turkey - melded together.  (My apologies for the images of raw meat above... I don't think it's all that appetizing either, but I think it helps to understand the process...)  You'll need about a pound and a half.  We used one pound of Italian sausage (take it out of the casings if you buy it in links) and a quarter of a pound each of the pork and turkey.  Mix it all together in a big bowl, then spread it out on a large sheet of plastic wrap.  You'll want to flatten it out to be about 8"x11" and between 1/4" and 1/2" thick.  Now comes the fun part - choose what you want inside.  We used green and red peppers, green onions, garlic, and white cheddar.  We sauteed the veggies for just a few minutes until they were just tender and then layered them in the middle (lengthwise) of the meat.  Top the veggies with a little cheese and then, using the plastic as your helper, roll one side of meat over the veggies and then one more roll to create one large meat 'fatty'.  Sprinkle it generously with seasoning - I think we used something along the lines of Lawry's seasoning salt.  Throw it on the smoker around 230 degrees for one and a half hours.  

- Baby Back Ribs with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes -

Farmers Market to the rescue again!  We found these great purple and Fingerling potatoes at the same stand that we got the tomato and, like the tomato, they didn't disappoint.  Slice them in half - the larger ones in quarters - and place them on a cookie sheet.  Give them a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt & pepper, thyme, and oregano.  Slide them into a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes and they are the perfect pairing for the ribs.  If that sounds easy, try this on for size.  Sprinkle a couple racks of ribs with your choice of seasoning - we used the same one we used on the Fatty for one rack and a hot & spicy version for the other.  Place them on a grill rack in the smoker at 230 degrees for four hours and dinner is served.  

I hope you all have / had a terrific Memorial Day weekend!  I'm sure you'll understand if my next month's worth of posts are of salad.  

Enjoy!

... Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream

What a find this recipe was!  Fresh and delicious, quick and easy... what more could you ask for?  (unless a reminder to not leave a tortilla browning in a skillet when you go out on your balcony to chat with your neighbors...)  Not that I would know personally, of course.

The cilantro slaw and avocado cream were so tasty and I'll definitely be incorporating them into other recipes in the future.  Fish tacos... no brainer.  Nachos... absolutely.  

Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream
serves 4 (2 tacos each)

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips
3/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
cooking spray
1/8 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, diced
2 cups packaged angel hair slaw
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Heat a large skillet over high heat.  Sprinkle chicken evenly with chile powder, garlic salt, and cumin.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove chicken from pan.

Combine zest, 1 tablespoon juice, and next 3 ingredients (through avocado) in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon juice, slaw, onions, cilantro, oil, and salt, tossing to coat.

Heat tortillas according to directions.  Divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas.  Top each tortilla with about 1 tablespoon avocado mixture and 1/4 cup slaw mixture.

Taylor's Notes:
With the weather we had today (aka terrific), I had to grill the chicken instead of cooking it inside.  Either way would be great, of course, but the grill added that extra bit of oompf.  Instead of slicing the chicken and tossing it with the spice mixture, I just rubbed the mix onto a couple of chicken breasts and put them on the grill.  Other than that, I played by the rules.  I warmed the tortillas (and yeah, ok, charred one or two) in a hot skillet for just under a minute on each side right before the chicken came off the grill.  


We had black beans and chips as sides, but it was a brilliant move when we added the beans to the tacos.  Well played.  Now, if only there were leftovers...


Enjoy!