Curtido

Curtido is a Salvadoran cabbage slaw or relish made with finely shredded cabbage, red onion, carrot, oregano, and vinegar.  This recipe is adapted from recipes found on tastesbetterfromscratch.com and cooking.nytimes.com

INGREDIENTS

1 pound cabbage, finely shredded (green or red or both)
2 1/2 cups water
2 carrots, finely shredded
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 jalepeno, minced
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
Black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse cabbage.  Place cabbage in a fine mesh strainer. Very slowly pour boiling water over the cabbage. Rinse with cold water. Drain well, pressing out as much water as possible.
2. Combine remaining ingredients. Add cabbage to a large bowl. Add carrot, onion, oregano, and vinegar and toss well to combine.
3. Curtido tastes best after it has marinated for several hours or days, but you can enjoy it fresh if you’d like. Store curtido in a covered container or mason jar for up to 1 week in the fridge.

Easy Mediterranean Lunch Bowls

Serves 4
(Found on glowinglywell.com)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa (browned in pan and cooked in advance in chicken broth)
1-2 cups vegetable broth or water (varies based on cooking method)
1 ⅓ (15.5 ounce) cans Great Northern beans (or other white beans), drained and rinsed (2 cups)
12 kalamata olives
8 ounces hummus, store bought or homemade
4 ounces arugula/spinach or spring greens
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium cucumber, partially peeled and diced (I leave some green)
½ medium to large red onion, diced (about ½ cup)
1 lemon, quartered
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare quinoa per package instructions with vegetable broth or water. For stovetop and Instant Pot directions, see notes. Let quinoa cool some before adding into bowls.
2. Assemble ingredients evenly into four 4 cup containers. Per bowl add: 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, 1/2 cup beans, 1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, handful of arugula, 2 tablespoons red onion, 1/2 cup diced cucumber, 1/4 cup hummus, one slice of lemon, drizzle 1 tsp olive oil on top, and add freshly ground pepper.
3. Cover and store in fridge for up to 5 days.

Stephanie's Sage Stuffing

INGREDIENTS

36 slices bread, cubed OR 3, 6 oz bags of dried bread crumbs
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3 medium size onions, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
3 cups chopped celery, with tops
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons fresh sage, crumbled (or 1 tsp dried sage)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley)
8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms

DIRECTIONS

1. Dry bread in a very slow oven (250); place in a large bowl. (You should have 12 cups.)
2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Saute onion and celery and mushrooms until tender, about 15 minutes. Add to bread with salt, pepper and sage.
3. Add enough of the chicken broth to make a moist mixture. Stir in parsley. 
4. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

CROCK POT - STYLE LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP

I found the recipe on food.com. Serves 9-12. I did 1 and 1/2 times it to better suit my family size. 

INGREDIENTS

9 large baking potatoes, peeled, cut in 1/2 -inch cubes
1 1/2 large onion, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
4 1/2 garlic cloves, minced (or pressed)
6 TBSP cup butter
1 TBSP + 1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cup cream or 1 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4-5 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
12 slices bacon, fried & crumbled
cheese, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine first seven ingredients in a large crock pot; cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours (potato should be tender).
2. Mash mixture until potatoes are coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened.
3. Stir in cream, cheese and chives.
4. Top with sour cream (if used), sprinkle with bacon and more cheese.

Boneless Pork Chops in Creamy Garlic Spinach Sauce over Quinoa

I found this recipe on eatwell101.com. I'm always cooking for a crowd, so I changed the ratios a bit to fit my family. I always cook it in the Presto Foldaway Skillet. This has got be the most used appliance in my kitchen. If you have more than 4 people in your household, buy it. You won't regret it. 

INGREDIENTS

8-12 pork chops, boneless
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Paprika, to taste
2 TBSP cup olive oil
6 TBSP butter
12 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 yellow onion, minced
2/3 cup vegetable or chicken stock
3 1/2 cups half and half or heavy cream
6-9 cups baby spinach
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes, optional
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, optional
Fresh chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork chops with paprika, salt and pepper on both sides, and sear in the hot pan, for 3-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness, or until cooked to your liking. Once done, remove pork chops from the pan and set aside on a plate and tent with foil.
2. Melt butter in the remaining cooking juices in the same pan.  Add onion and saute until almost translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and red crushed chili pepper and stir-fry until fragrant, about one minute or until the onion is cooked through. Add in the vegetable or chicken stock, and allow to reduce a little.
3. Reduce heat to low heat, add the half and half (or heavy cream), and bring the creamy sauce to a gentle simmer. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Add the spinach leaves and allow to wilt in the sauce, and stir in the parmesan cheese (if using). Allow sauce to simmer for a further minute until cheese melts through the sauce.
5. Transfer the pork chops back into the pan to reheat; sprinkle with the parsley, and spoon the sauce over each pork chops. Serve the boneless pork chops in creamy garlic spinach sauce over quinoa.
   
   

**For the quinoa, measure out 3 cups quinoa and toast in a dry skillet until golden brown and it starts to crackle. Then, transfer the quinoa to a rice cooker. Add 6 cups chicken broth and set the rice cooker to white rice.