BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Tonight was my night to cook dinner, and I took a lazy way out. I reinvented last night's dinner.

I took the left over pork roast, chopped it into small pieces, then put it in a mixture of bbq sauce (1 bottle of your favorite), 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 chopped onion, 2 minced garlic gloves, 1 tbs sriracha garlic sauce, and 2 tbs honey. I let it simmer for 20 minutes, just to get the flavors to develop.

 I toasted the bread (I found some dairy and soy free rolls at Grocery Outlet), placed sliced pickles on the bottom, thinly sliced red onions, then a heap of the pork, then added some lactose free Monterey Jack Cheese, and finally spinach. Fast and easy, Thanks to Jake for making the roast last night.

Pasta and Pork

Tonight was Jake's night to cook. He decided to cook a small pork roast and pasta, because we found some diced prosciutto at Grocery Outlet for 2 for a dollar.

For the pork, he put on a rub of salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary. He then seared it in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then he placed it in the slower cooker, covered it with red wine and chicken stock, then let it cook for 4 hours.

For the pasta, he started a large pot of water boiling (don't forget to salt the pasta water), he dropped the pasta when he started the sauce. . He then took a deep skillet, placed 2 tbs olive oil, 1 small red onion chopped, 3 cloves chopped garlic, a few chopped mini carrots, 1/2 of a green bell pepper chopped, and 1/2 a yellow bell pepper chopped. He cooked those until the onion was transparent. He then deglazed the pan with 1/2 cup white wine, and 1 cup chicken stock. He brought it a boil, added thyme, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. He let it simmer until the pasta was done. He then drained the pasta and placed it in the sauce and tossed.

Baked Chicken Tenders, Smashed Potatoes/Cauliflower, and Salad

I usually do not cook on Tuesdays or Thursdays, due to Jake being at school, and me home alone, but Henry was here, so I had to cook.

These are 2 more recipes in my new cookbook.

For the chicken, first, heat the oven at 450 degrees, next take a deep cookie sheet, line it with foil, then place a wire rack in the pan. Next,I took 6 chicken tenders, salted and peppered them, then set aside. Then, I placed flour in one deep dish, then, 3 egg whites in the next one making sure to beat them until they are very fluffy, but not stiff peaks, and lastly, in the 3rd dish I put a combo of Panko bread crumbs, and Mediterranean seasoning, mixed until well combine. Take the chicken dust it with the flour, shaking off the excess flour, next dip it in the egg whites, then into the bread crumbs. Spray the the wire rack with canola oil, place the chicken on top of the wire rack, before placing them in the oven, spray the chicken with the spray oil. Cook until the chicken is brown and crispy. 2 tenders equal 198 calories, I only ate 1.

Next for the potatoes and cauliflower, I cubed 4 potatoes, then placed  them in a deep pot, with 3 cups of cauliflower, and 3 whole cloves of garlic. I boiled them until the potatoes were soft. Drain them, add 2 tbls. spoon margarine/butter, 1/2 cup of Greek plain yogurt, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, smashed the potatoes, and mix all ingredients well. You can't tell there is cauliflower in them at all. It's a good way to sneak a veg in your dinner. Henry didn't notice, lets see if Jake notices when he gets home from school. That will be the real test. Only 101 calories per cup.

For the salad, I took a bag of dark greens, carrots, sweet peppers, pea pods, celery, radishes, and cucumbers and tossed. I served it with Italian dressing on the side. I was the only one who ate it.

Fettuccine Alfredo Shrimp and Veggies

Tonight was my turn for dinner. I tried another recipe from the "Now Eat This" book. Of course I changed up a few things. It calls for peas, but I don't like peas, so I added 1/2 onion diced, 1 small orange bell pepper diced, 1/2 a bunch of asparagus cut into small pieces, and 2 mushrooms diced. It also called for whole wheat fettuccine, but our 2 stores didn't have any, so I used whole wheat spaghetti.

First, get a large pot of water boiling. Then start your whole wheat pasta. Don't forget to salt your pasta water.

 Next in a large deep skillet, add 2 tsp butter, and 1 tbls olive oil, cook your shrimp, just until pink. Remove shrimp from pan, and cover. Next, add 2 more tsp. butter, then add the onion, pepper, and asparagus then add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add  3 cloves minced garlic, and mushrooms, then cook another 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl add 2 tsp. cornstarch, 1/8 tsp. grated nutmeg, and 1 cup of chicken stock, mix until it's smooth. Then add, it to the veggies, cook on high until it thickens. Next add about 1 cup of parmigiano- reggiano cheese, stir until melted, then turn off heat add in 1 cup plain greek yogurt, mix until well blended. Add the shrimp back in. Place the pasta in a large bowl, pour sauce on top and toss. Serve with extra cheese.

All veggies were bought at the 99 cent store, so none of them cost more then a buck. Pasta was $1.28, shrimp was bought at Grocery Outlet for $4.99, cheese was also bought at Grocery Outlet for $1.49. The yogurt was sale at Safeway for $3.50, for a large container. A Good dinner at a good buy.

Quiche

Tonight was Jake's night to cook. He decided to use some of the many eggs we have in the fridge. He wanted to make a quiche, one of the only ways I can get him to eat eggs.

He started by making a pie crust from scratch, I am unsure of what recipe he used, because I was at work. I am sure a store bought one would work just as well.

 He cut up, green onions, red and yellow sweet mini peppers, grated 2 cloves of garlic, sliced about 2 cups of baby spinach, and shredded 2 cups of swiss cheese. He also cooked 6 slices of bacon.

First, heat oven to 375 degrees. He mixed 6 large eggs, with 1 1/2 cups of milk (it called for heavy cream, but he used 2% lactose free milk), then added thyme, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and paprika. Whisk until well blended.

Next, spray the bottom of pan with a spray canola oil, then roll out your dough, place it in a quiche pan, or improvise like Jake did. He used a round cake pan. Then layer all your veggies and bacon into the pan. Lastly pour the egg mixture over the veggies/bacon. Place in the oven for 45 minutes or until the eggs are cooked. Our eggs were still runny, so he put it back in for a little longer. Lactose free milk tends to make baked foods runnier.

Eggplant and Roasted Red Pepper Torta

 I got this recipe out of Rocco Dispirito's Now Eat This! Diet book. I thought I would be the only one home tonight, but Henry showed up. I was planning on making this for myself, because I knew Jake had school and wouldn't eat it. It's not actually very hard to make and very healthy.

First heat your oven to 425 degrees, place a grill pan in the oven to heat it. Next place foil on a deep cookie sheet, then spray with canola oil, lay 4 low carb tortillas on it. Slice your eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds, season with salt and pepper. When the grill pan is hot, take it out of the oven, and place on the stove top, over medium high heat. Spray with a non stick spray.  Place the eggplant on the grill pan, grill about 5 to 6 minutes per side, or until it's tender, you may need to do it in batches, then lay on a plate. Next place spray the top of the tortillas with the canola oil spray, then place in the oven until they are brown, and crunch.

Meanwhile I took 1 large red bell pepper, placed on the gas burner, and charred it until it had black blisters on all sides, then set it in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Let it sit for a while, then take a paper towel and wipe all the skin off the pepper, lastly slice it into slices.

After the tortillas and eggplant is done, layer each tortilla, with shredded mozzarella, some tomatillo salsa, one of the eggplant rounds, some of the red peppers, sliced fresh mint, some of the juice from a lemon, then finally more cheese. Place in the oven until the cheese is melted. When you take them out of the oven place 1 on the tortillas on a plate, then top with another one.

                                            Henry said they were okay, and I really liked them.

Baked Salmon, Brown Rice, and Veggies

Tonight was Jake's turn to cook, I cooked last night, but didn't post. I got the grill going. I made steak, potatoes with onions, zucchini, and compound butter.

 For the salmon, he used, thyme, oregano, basil, and Mediterranean seasoning, along with lemon slices. He also poured white wine, and chicken broth over it. He then added a bag of fresh cut broccoli, carrots, and onions, along with mini sweet peppers. He covered it with foil, placed it in a 425 degree oven, and cooked for 20 minutes.

For the brown rice, he placed the rice, chicken broth, onion, sweet peppers, and garlic in a pot, brought it to a boil. He then covered it and let it simmer until the liquid was gone.

 As you can see. he doesn't always cook everything very good. I asked if he could cook some of my asparagus, he forgot about it, and it burnt.

FYI: I bought all the veggies at the 99 cent store in Chico. They have produce for a buck, great deal!