Pork Medallions in a Creamy Porcini Sauce

Wild, earthy mushrooms, black pepper and whiskey - I love those flavors together. This pork dish is my own creation, inspired by my Filet with a Whiskey Reduction as well as my Filet Au Poivre.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless pork chops or 1 small pork tenderloin, cubed into medallions
• Salt, freshly ground black pepper, dried thyme
• Olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 6 dried porcini mushrooms
• 1/4 c whiskey
• 1/4 c brandy
• 1/4 c light cream
  

Directions

• Place mushrooms in a cup of hot water; let sit to rehydrate. Remove from the water and chop, reserving the water.
• Season pork medallions generously with black pepper, then thyme, then salt (just a few pinches salt)
• Heat about 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat
• Add pork and cook approximately 2 min per side until all sides are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. If the pork is still not cooked through. Transfer the pan to a 400 degree oven until just cooked, remembering it will continue to cook as it rests. Transfer the pork to a dish and keep warm.

• Add another tbsp oil to the pan
• Add shallots and mushrooms, saute 2-3 min
• Add the whiskey and brandy, let simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring to scrape up the brown bits.
• Add a small amount of the mushroom water (maybe 3 tbsp); reduce heat and add the cream; bring to a slow simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
• Optional: whisk in 1 tbsp butter.
• Serve sauce over pork.

Barley Pilaf with Porcini Mushrooms

Barley is a wonderful grain as it is packed with fiber (so it fills you up), is low in fat, and is cholesterol free. But alone it's a little boring, in my opinion.

I came across a recipe for Barley Mushroom Pilaf on Barleyfoods.org. Looked interesting, but I'm not a fan of rosemary so I changed it a bit. See the link above for the original recipe.

Ingredients

• 6 dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated in a small amount of boiling water (4 minutes) then chopped
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 c pearl barley
• 3 c chicken or vegetable broth (I used 2.5 c low chicken broth, and .5 c of the water after rehydrating the mushrooms
• 2 chopped green onions
• 2 pinches dried thyme
• Pinch of salt; freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan
• Add rehydrated mushrooms, saute 2-3 minutes
• Add green mushrooms, barley, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir until everything is nicely mixed and coated.
• Add broth and water; reduce heat to low, cover, simmer for 45 minutes (mine was done in about 35)
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

This is a very earthy, delicious, and filling side dish -I'll be making this one again!

Chicken-Parsnip Soup

Sunday used to be my day to spend in the kitchen, and I would always make a soup. I'm trying to get back to that, at least the soup part, anyway.

I stumbled across this recipe for Chicken-Parsnip Soup when browsing the Cooking Light web site. I liked that it was a different, non-traditional chicken soup, and using garbanzo beans was interesting to me. The result - one of my new favorite soups! Flavorful, light, but filling at the same time.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 2 parsnips, thinly and diagonally sliced
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 4 oz gourmet mushrooms (I used about 5 white mushrooms, sliced - I think the flavor of porcini or shiitake mushrooms would be too heavy for this soup)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2.5 cups fat free, lower sodium chicken broth (I used 4 cups low sodium and omitted the water)
• 1 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 c shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (I didn't do this; instead I seasoned a boneless, skinless chicken breast with a touch of Kosher salt, pepper, and thyme and roasted it until done, then shredded it)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp hot sauce (I omitted this)
• 1 thyme sprig (I used a pinch of dried thyme as well as the thyme I used to season the chicken breast)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions

• Heat oil in a large pot
• Add shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and parsnips; saute 3 minutes
• Add broth, chickpeas, chicken, pepper, salt, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes or until parsnips are tender.
• Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
  

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I'm still here and am still cooking!! I never knew how busy things would get with a little one in the house (so much fun!!!). But we have still been doing a lot of cooking - I just haven't taken the time to experiment with new ideas or recipes. Every now and then I do, like on my dad's birthday back in October (yes, this is a post from October finally making it to my blog in December!).

Better than PF Changs - that is what we all said about these Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps. I always liked the wraps at PF Changs, until I made my own, that is. I went to PF Changs a week after making these, and I was not impressed! Their wraps are much saltier, and the chicken mixture has a heavy soy flavor. The wraps I made had more flavor depth and were much lighter and fresher.

I used this recipe from Wasabimom.com, a gluten-free cooking site. To see the original recipe with gluten-free substitutions, see the link above.

The Pouring Sauce

• 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 c warm water
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (I used low sodium)
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp hot water
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in 1/2 c warm water. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, and sesame oil. Mix well and throw in fridge until ready to it. Before serving, combine the hot water, Dijon, and garlic - you can add this to the pouring sauce 1 spoonful at a time to taste.

The Stir Fry Sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce (I used low sodium)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Mix in a small bowl and set aside.
Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes. I chopped mine even smaller than that.
• 1 8-oz can water chestnuts, chopped into pieces the size of corn kernels
• 1/2 c mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped (Basically I chopped my chicken, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and onion to pieces of the same size)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 large leaves iceberg or Napa cabbage

Cooking the Chicken Stir Fry:

• Heat oils in a large saute pan or wok until glistening
• Add the chicken and cook until mostly cooked, about 5 minutes (max.. mine took less time)
• Turn the heat down to medium-high, add another tbsp oil, then add the onions, garlic, water chestnuts, mushrooms. Saute 1 minute then add the stir fry sauce.
• Cook about 4 minutes and transfer to a serving dish.
• Serve 1-2 spoonfuls of the chicken mixture in a piece of lettuce. Yum!

These wraps disappeared in a matter of minutes. My only suggestion for next time - make more!!!

Asian Orzo

I never would have thought to cook orzo pasta with Asian flavors and ingredients, but it totally worked! This is my new favorite orzo dish, and is a great side with Asian marinated meats, like the grilled marinated pork tenderloin I served this with. It's also a nice alternative to noodles or rice when you need a side for an Asian dinner.

Inspiration - this recipe from the Easy Gourmet Dinners web site. I changed up the cooking method and added a few ingredients so my variation is below.

Ingredients

• 1 c dry orzo pasta
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 4 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp brown sugar

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a small pot
• Add onion, saute 3-4 minutes or until soft.
• Add orzo, toss to coat/toast for 1 minute
• Mix the broth with the soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar. Add the broth mixture to the pot, stir, bring to a simmer then lower heat and cover.
• Cook on low heat, covered, for about 15 minutes or until done. The broth should just be absorbed as the pasta finishes cooking.
• Stir to fluff and serve.

Great marinade for pork

No picture, just a quick post to share this amazing marinade.

I actually made it, not my master-of-marinades husband, although he was giving me suggestions while I was mixing. We marinated the pork tenderloin for 8 hours before Jon grilled it.

Mix all ingredients together and pour over the tenderloin in a ziploc bag. Note, amounts are approximate, and this was for 1 small tenderloin.

• 1/3 c olive oil
• 3 tbsp soy sauce (I always use low sodium soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

Chicken with Peppers, Onions, and Mushrooms

Quick and easy with a lot of flavor - that's the name of the game these days. Oh, and it helps if we can eat it with one hand while holding a baby in the other.

I threw this dish together because I had some mushrooms leftover. Amounts are approximate.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts sliced into strips
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 sm onion, sliced
• Handful of mushrooms, sliced
• White wine, about 3 tbsp
• 1 c chicken broth
• Salt, pepper, thyme, paprika
• Olive oil

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat
• Season chicken with salt, pepper, a touch of thyme, and paprika. Add to pan and cook until just about cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.
• Move chicken to sides of pan and add the onions, peppers, and mushrooms, Saute 2 minutes.
• Deglaze pan with the white wine
• Add chicken broth, adjust seasonings, and let come to a simmer. Lower heat and let it cook another few minutes to thicken. Serve over rice.

Chicken Stuffed with Golden Onions and Fontina Cheese

This is another dish I made several weeks ago but am just now getting around to blogging. I do remember that it was delicious! I have a new love for Fontina cheese after eating this chicken. It is creamy, light, and slightly nutty, and worked well for stuffing chicken. A few nights later I used it to make a cream sauce for pasta - sweet, creamy, and smooth, not too salty.

I found this recipe on the Eating Well web site, and of course made a few changes. My version is below.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts; cut a pocket in each
• 2.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/3 c shredded Fontina cheese
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 1/4 c dry white wine
• 1 c low-sodium chicken broth mixed with 1 tbsp flour or cornstarch
• salt and pepper
• Flour, egg, breadcrumbs (the original recipe did not call for breading the chicken, but I was in the mood for breaded chicken. The recipe would work either way.)
  

Directions

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and season with half of the thyme. Cook slowly until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, mix with the Fontina cheese, and set aside.
• Stuff each chicken breast with half of the onion/cheese mixture. If you are breading the chicken, season it with salt and pepper, dip in flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. If you aren't breading it, just season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the pan used to cook the onions. Add the chicken and cook over medium high heat until done, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a dish and keep warm.
• Add 0.5 tbsp oil to the pan; add shallots and cook 2 minutes.
• Add wine and remaining thyme to the pan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.
• Add broth/flour mixture (make sure it is thoroughly whisked and smooth first). Let reduce 2-3 minutes. Serve sauce over the chicken.

I really enjoyed this chicken dish. The Fontina cheese worked well with the caramelized onions, and the thyme in the sauce brought the right aroma to the dish. Jon suggested adding some bacon next time... we all know bacon makes everything better! I agree that it would work well with this chicken.

Grilled Cauliflower

Nothing says summer like grilled veggies! And this summer we experimenting with grilling everything - it made life easy and we discovered that pretty much any veggies can be grilled. Well, except radishes... I read about grilled radishes in a magazine several months ago so I wanted to give it a shot. Big fail!

Cauliflower was one veggie that we loved on the grill. I made a foil packet, tossed the cauliflower with olive oil, salt, and pepper and tossed it on the grill for about 8 minutes. It was tender, sweet, and slightly caramelized - just delicious!

Lemon-Honey Chicken

Is anybody out there? I know it's been a while, but I hope you are sticking with me! I promise there will be a lot of yummy things coming out of my kitchen again soon.

I can't believe our baby girl is 10 weeks old already - time is flying and life is crazy, but wonderful. Believe it or not, Jon and I have done a lot of cooking since becoming a family of three. Thank goodness for the grill - Jon has been marinating and grilling like crazy, and our meals have mostly consisted of grilled meats, grilled veggies, and easy sides, like baked potatoes, orzo, pasta, rice, or noodles. I have also been cooking meals that we love from my blog, so I haven't had anything new to write about here.

The biggest change in our kitchen is that we usually have to eat one at a time, or cut our food quickly so we can hold our baby girl. Why is it that she can be sound asleep, but as soon as she hears our plates hit the table, she's awake and screaming? And it doesn't matter if we eat at 6, 7, or 8, she knows when it is dinner time.

Ok, back to the food. I did make a few new meals over the summer, one of them being this Lemon-Honey Chicken. Actually, I made it a month ago, but am just now getting around to posting! I bookmarked the recipe a while back when I saw it here on the blog Closet Cooking. I made a few changes, so my version is below.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• Flour for dredging
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp ginger, grated
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 2 tbsp honey (I used 1 tbsp)
• Added: 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 c chicken stock (I used about 3/4 c)

Directions

• Season chicken with salt and pepper, coat with flour, shaking off excess
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan over high heat
• Add the chicken and cook for 2 min per side, lower heat, and cook another few minutes per side until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a dish and keep warm.
• Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan over medium high heat
• Add ginger and garlic; saute until fragrant
• Add the lemon zest, juice, honey, and stock. Bring to a simmer, reduce to thicken.
• Serve sauce over the chicken (I made this a month ago so I can't remember exactly, but I am pretty sure I returned the chicken to the pan for the last 3-4 minutes of cooking).

This dish was very fragrant, actually a bit too much for Jon's tastes (too much ginger and still too sweet, even with just 1 tbsp of the honey). I agree with him on the ginger, so next time I'll use less, but I did like the sweetness from the honey mixed with the brightness from the lemon.