We've Moved! Check Out Our New Blog...

First of all, I want to thank all of our readers for following us and trying our recipes over the past several years!

As you may know, we have been working on updating our blog network over the past few months. After lots of thought, we have decided to discontinue our Cooking From Scratch blog. You can still find all of our past recipes here, so feel free to look for your favorites and bookmark them for future use!

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We will still be posting recipes, however - they will just be on our new health blog. We will be posting a delicious, whole-food, health-oriented recipe every Friday, so be sure to check it out!

You can find us now at:

HolisticHealthWire.com

Just click the "Real Food Recipes" category to pull up all of our new recipes.

Thanks again for reading, and don't forget to come back and browse through the previous recipes here whenever you feel like finding a new idea for dinner!

We'll see you on our new healthy living blog soon!

Rose.

Recipe: Spring Egg Scramble with Leafy Greens

Spring is a great time to start eating healthy (if you haven't already) - with most of us longing for lighter fare after the heavy comfort foods of fall and winter - and fresh salad vegetables just starting to come on.

This tasty recipe uses fresh eggs and fresh spring greens for a quick, simple, and healthy breakfast or brunch.

Spring Egg Scramble with Leafy Greens
(Serves 2.)

Ingredients:

3 whole large eggs - preferably from pasture-raised chickens
1 Tbsp whole milk
1 cup finely chopped kale (or spinach, chard, or other green leafy vegetable)
1 tsp real butter
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Whisk eggs and milk in a bowl; set aside.
• Put a skillet over medium heat with the greens and butter and cook just until greens soften, about 5 minutes (2 if using spinach), stirring frequently.
• Pour the eggs into the skillet, sprinkle with red pepper flakes and salt and pepper, stir and turn heat down to medium-low.
• Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, carefully pick up the egg mixture as it cooks and turn it over gently, continuing to cook until egg is set. Do not stir too much or turn heat up too high.
• When egg is set, transfer to plates and serve hot.

3 Fast & Delicious Pasta Dishes With 5 Ingredients Or Less

When you think of pasta do you think of meat sauce bubbling away on the stove top all day? That's how my Italian grandfather made it; I remember visiting when I was a kid - you'd walk in the front door and the whole house would be filled with the mouthwatering scent of his family recipe for Sicilian spaghetti sauce....

I'd love to make it that way every time I make spaghetti, but sometimes we just don't have all day to simmer a sauce. The question is, can you create a tasty pasta dish without spending all day in the kitchen?

Luckily, the answer is: Yes!  Making a good pasta dish does not have to be difficult.  The wonderful thing about pasta is that you can use very few ingredients and make a ton of different dishes that the whole family will enjoy - and it doesn't have to take you all day.  Here are a few quick, delicious pasta dishes to try.

1. Pasta Bake

Baked rotini with tomato sauce, grated cheese (Parmesan and Romano), and dried parsley. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a super simple pasta dish that can be created in thirty minutes or less. "Pasta Bake" is a generic term I'm using here for any type of pasta, meat, sauce and cheese combination made exceptionally gooey and delicious by placing it in the oven to bake rather than cooking it all in a pot. The idea is that once you have your pasta cooked, pick a sauce, some cheese, maybe some veggies, and rather than just stir it all together, turn it out into a casserole dish and bake it.  Baking it just makes the dish look more appealing and taste better.  Let's just say it's more like dinner and less like something thrown together on a hotplate in a college dorm room. :-)

How easy is this dish? Just put any pasta you cook, ziti, rigatoni, spaghetti or whatever, in a buttered or oiled casserole dish, then add whatever sauce ingredients you have on hand. Grab some tomato sauce and even a little tomato juice and mix it in, along with some dried oregano. Stir in that last bit of muenster cheese and add a little yellow mustard for tangy goodness. Maybe a spoonful of sour cream, too. See what kind of sausage links you have left from breakfast. Top with shredded mozzarella or Parmesan. Experimenting with different ingredients is key, but what takes this dish from being just a mixed-up bunch of noodles to a delicious pasta dinner is that you baked it. Pulling a casserole out of the oven is so much nicer than just scooping noodles out of a pot.

2. Tortellini Soup

Most people don't automatically think of soup when thinking about how to make a simple dinner using pasta as the key ingredient.  But, tortellini soup is definitely one meal to keep in mind.  This soup is filling and light at the same time. Tortellini soup consists of chicken cut into chunks, chicken broth, a couple of carrots cut into rounds, either Swiss chard or kale depending on your taste for greens, and a package of tortellini.

Bring the broth and carrots to a rolling boil and let them cook for about seven minutes, just until the carrots are softened. Then add the chicken and simmer for just a minute, since it's already cooked.  Cut your greens up into small strips and add to the soup, then add in the tortellini and cook following directions on the package of tortellini. This is such a simple soup, but it tastes amazing, and is actually rather elegant. You can omit the chicken if you want and choose a meat stuffed tortellini. You could also choose cheese-stuffed tortellini and add a handful of diced tomatoes or some tomato juice to the broth. No matter what you add to this soup, it's never going to take very long to make, so you can have a delicious pasta dinner on the table in no time.

Tagliatelle carbonara with basil (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3. Pasta Carbonara

For a meal with only five ingredients, pasta carbonara is one of the most delicious dishes you will make.  And, the best part is you probably have all of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry right now. You will need a box of spaghetti, about six strips of bacon, diced and fried crisp, four egg yolks, a cup of Parmesan cheese, and some frozen peas. Add some chopped parsley or basil on top and you have a pretty pasta dish that tastes better than many you will find in a restaurant.

When making this simple dish, it is important to have the egg yolks and Parmesan mixture ready before the pasta is done cooking. The heat from the pasta, after you drain it, is what cooks the egg yolks.  Just whisk together your egg yolks and Parmesan cheese in a big bowl. Then dump in your drained pasta and stir.  Add the peas and the bacon, and that's it. You have a pasta dish that is ready to serve in practically no time at all, and one that tastes as good as it looks.

A great pasta meal is only five ingredients away... or less.  All it takes to create simple pasta dishes is a bit of creativity and the willingness to experiment. Dig around in your kitchen right now and I'll bet you find the inspiration you need to throw together a fabulous pasta dinner with very little fuss at all.

And for more great recipes that are super simple and use just a few fresh ingredients for an amazingly delicious meal, be sure to pick up a copy of our FREE Recipe Book: Cooking with 3 Ingredients or Less!

No Recipe? No Worries! Cook One Pot Meals From the Pantry

We've all been there. We find a great recipe for a one pot meal and plan to make it for dinner. Then, the day gets busy and dinnertime arrives and we didn't make it to the grocery store. Or, we get to the grocery store and forget the recipe or the grocery list. Even if we guess the ingredients, inevitably we arrive home without some crucial element for that particular dish.

The solution may be simply removing the recipe from your plans.... Of course, this goes against every meal planning procedure you've ever learned! Meal planning starts with finding the recipe, right? Well, that works great - until it doesn't work....

One pot meal recipes are typically chosen because they save time. When you rely on specific recipes to make your one pot meals, you also rely on having everything you need. When time is short, or your day gets chaotic, that becomes a problem. Removing the recipes from the planning can help.

How do you remove the recipes from the planning? You stock the basics. Cooking a one pot meal can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. For real time savings, stick to the simplest strategy and fill your kitchen with the basics. Let's take a look at how you can stock your kitchen to have the makings of a one pot meal, with or without a recipe.

Protein

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Buy chicken, beef, pork, sausage, seafood, etc. in any variety you like. Clean, trim, and cut these proteins up in bite size pieces so they thaw fast and cook fast. Bag them in good freezer bags or containers in individual recipe portions, typically 1 to 2 pounds will work for most recipes. Now you can reach in the freezer for a one pot meal inspiration.

Fill your pantry with good canned tuna, salmon, shrimp, crab meat, and other protein that your family likes. It doesn't hurt to have some canned chicken and ham on hand, either. When you're trying to make dinner in minutes instead of hours, having a canned protein on hand can help get a tasty meal on the table fast.

Canned beans, peas, and lentils are another way to easily build a protein rich meal in a hurry. Choose a wide variety of products. Don't over-think what you buy to have on hand. It's amazing how an unfamiliar type of bean can inspire a completely new dish that your family will end up loving, and requesting over and over! Of course you can use beans, peas, and lentils as the protein source alone, or mix them in dishes with meats and seafood.

Nuts and nut butters, like peanut butter, are also excellent sources of protein. Think about Thai food and the inspiration for a one pot meal will become clearer. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top of a dish for extra crunch. Just keep an open mind and you'll find uses for this often-overlooked form of protein.

Eggs should not be overlooked, either. There are many popular dishes in all kinds of cultures that call for the addition of eggs. Some dishes may call for the egg to be beaten and drizzled in, like egg drop soup or fried rice. Other dishes may call for hard-boiled eggs to be placed on top of a dish. When you look at your ingredients, take a moment to think about whether an egg would enhance the flavors.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Produce

Keeping fresh fruits and vegetables on hand for quick meals might be a challenge. Perhaps, you can stock your kitchen with a bag of onions and potatoes, but when it comes to anything further than that, it gets a little more difficult. That's where canned, frozen, and dried may be your best bet.

Begin by stocking up on as many easy to keep vegetables and fruits as you can. Go ahead and grab a bag of onions and potatoes and keep them handy. If you have a cool spot for apples, stock up if you can. Any other root vegetables that keep longer, like rutabagas, turnips, parsnips, carrots, and even cabbage can be a good investment, but only if you have a place they will keep fresh for a while.

However, it's my experience that in order to spring into one pot meal action at the end of a busy day, you really need to have some 'grab and go' produce on hand. That means canned and frozen varieties. You will be surprised to find out how many of the fruits and vegetables you're used to cooking with are available either canned or frozen, or both.

Give some of these choices a try. A bag of frozen diced onions can be a real time saver. You'll even find combination 'basics' to use, such as frozen green pepper, celery, onion combinations.  A bag of frozen potatoes, any variety, can help speed up dinner, too. If you want convenience and class, a box of frozen pearl onions can really dress up a dish.

Have canned or frozen fruit on hand to add a kick to recipes that you have become bored with. Just think about what a can of pineapple will do for that pot of beautifully browned pork. Choose canned fruit in its own juices and you have some built-in liquid for the pot, too.

Grain

Brown rice. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This category is very broad. It includes pasta, rice, quinoa, bread, and everything in between. Grains (and seeds) added to your pantry should include a good variety. You want standard fare, such as spaghetti and macaroni pasta, but you also want to expand your choices.

Add brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, whole grain pasta, steel cut oats, buckwheat, and other grains and seeds to your collection. Stock all sorts of shapes and flavors of pasta. You never know were the inspiration for a meal might come from. If you have large shell shaped pasta, for instance, you may decide to turn your one pot meal into a seafood extravaganza. If you have wild rice on hand, you may want to go a little wild with lots and lots of mushrooms, beef, and nuts added for crunch.

To shorten cooking time, have these ingredients already cooked and in the refrigerator or freezer. Rice and quinoa are especially easy to freeze. If you cook pasta ahead of time, drizzle some olive oil over the pasta before you put in a container in the refrigerator. This will keep the pasta from sticking to itself.

Spices (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Seasonings

Snipping fresh herbs from your garden would be ideal, but that just is not in the plans for many of us. Buy a small variety of herbs and spices that you use often, and make your own seasoning mixes as needed. You will save money, and avoid the additives and preservatives that often come in the pre-packaged kinds.

Depending on what types of foods you often cook, choose dried herbs such as basil, oregano, parsley and rosemary (or grow your own fresh herbs - these are easy to grow in pots on a window sill!). Choose common spices such as ground cinnamon, cumin, and chili powder. If you like Asian or Indian food, curry powder is usually easy to find and inexpensive. Add some crushed red pepper, black pepper, and sea salt to your pantry, and you'll be able to season any dish with pizazz!

You're ready to cook!

That just about covers everything you'll need to create a one pot meal without having to rely on a recipe. Of course you'll be adding some sort of liquid and perhaps a thickener or binder, but once you get these basic ingredients in the pot, the rest is gravy, so to speak. Have fun and get creative and you'll have a delicious one pot meal on the table without even glancing at a recipe!

Tips for Making Pasta At Home

Have you ever had pasta at a restaurant and thought; “Is this what pasta is supposed to be like? It's so tender and light. It's so good!”  You don't have to go to a restaurant every time you want good pasta.  You can have the same experience in your own kitchen.  All it takes is some time and a few simple ingredients and you can create pasta that is far superior to anything you will ever buy in a box.

Home made pasta. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I can almost feel your panic right now, but you needn't be afraid.  Before you run and hide, vowing never to try making your own pasta, let's examine the truth about making pasta at home. Then you can decide for yourself if you want to try your hand at making pasta at home, or continue giving that restaurant your money.

The Benefits of Home-made Pasta

The ingredients used to make pasta are very inexpensive. Some oil, salt, water, flour, and eggs are about all you need to make a fantastic basic pasta. You can tweak the ingredients that you use to make your pasta taste exactly how you like it. Experiment with different flavors and fillings and come up with your own signature pastas, perhaps varieties you will never find in your typical grocery store. Another benefit you may not have thought of is that homemade pasta has a better ability to hold sauce. Yes, sauce does stick better to homemade pasta.

Time is Money

While making your own pasta at home can be less expensive than buying a box of pasta at the store, there is a time-money trade off to consider. To make simple egg noodles, it takes about forty-five minutes to create from scratch. The more difficult the pasta creations get, your time can actually creep up to about an hour and a half. While it may be a little cheaper to make your own pasta, you may find that it's not cheap enough to justify spending an hour or more on it. In other words, the cost savings don't amount to enough of a reason to make pasta at home, especially the more complicated your pasta becomes. So, make pasta at home for the superior taste and the fun, not the money savings.

Pasta making (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How Hard Can it Be... Really

Making pasta isn't hard, but it does take time and patience. The most difficult part of making your own pasta is the kneading and the rolling. That is, unless you own a stand-mixer and a pasta rolling machine. With these appliances, making your own pasta becomes a lot easier. If you don't have either of these machines, figure about ten to fifteen minutes for kneading the dough and another fifteen for rolling the dough out until it's thin enough to cut. That process may be alright in the beginning, but once you're hooked on homemade pasta, you'll want to give your hands, arms, shoulders, and back a rest by investing in the right tools.

Best Bang for Your Buck

Of course, having a pasta machine would make life easier if you plan to make your own pasta at home. When considering which machine to buy, take a hint from the restaurant business and check out the brands they use. Most manufacturers will make home pasta machines as well as industrial styles.  I suggest avoiding the all-in-one machines for your home kitchen. Instead, make the dough separately and buy a machine that will help you roll out and cut the pasta. But, you can always go with a good old rolling pin if you decide to stick with the cheapest method, and it will get easier and faster with time.

Making your own pasta will give you a far better end product, there is no doubt about that.  The packaged pasta just doesn't hold a candle.  Sure, making pasta at home may take time and a bit of practice, but once you crank out those first noodles and cook them up, the feeling of satisfaction, not to mention the taste, is well worth the effort.

Fall Cookbooks for Cooking Fall Favorites From Scratch

We may have our first frost tonight, the leaves are gold and red, and the wind is nippy - there's no doubt that fall is here - and with it, my favorite season for cooking! With late-summer veggies still plentiful, and fall favorites available in the garden or at the farmer's market, there is plenty to choose from when making hearty fall recipes to keep you warm at night. Here are several autumn-inspired cookbooks to give you some great ideas for your fall cooking.

Homemade Harvest
~ Gooseberry Patch ~

This is a collection of some of the best seasonal recipes you'll find anywhere. You'll find delicious recipes perfect for tailgating and other Fall family fun as the summer season comes to a close. This book includes hearty home favorites to make the most of Autumn's harvest flavors. Cooking and decorating tips are a welcome plus to this book, with some great ideas for homemade crafts to go along with this warm, welcoming season.



Cooking from the Farmers' Market
~ Jodi Liano, Tasha De Serio, Jennifer Maiser ~

This book from Williams-Sonoma features 245 recipes to create foods using fresh produce and vegetables straight from the Farmer's Market. Shopping at these down-home businesses is a national obsession, and the fresh-picked goodness translates into great-tasting recipes you can share with family and friends all year.


Fall Harvests: Menus & Recipes That Celebrate Autumn's Bounty
~ Martha Phelps Stamps, Meryl Truett ~

This book takes you through the fall and winter months with lots of delicious recipes collected by a veteran Southern cooking author. Within the 176 pages of recipes you'll find treasures like Refried October Beans, Chicken and Apple Sausage with Ginger, Garlic, and Mint, and a delightful Roast Acorn Squash with Maple. This is a book written for the home cook who desires simple, delicious meals made with the freshest ingredients from farmer's markets and home gardens.

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets
~ Deborah Madison ~

This book reflects the public's concern for organic produce grown locally. Our desire to avoid over-processed foods is reflected in this 400 page book dedicated to market-fresh ingredients. You'll learn how to make the most of everything from crucifers, roots, berries, dairy products, cabbages, and so much more. This is a richly illustrated collection of seasonal recipes that highlights the wonders of local produce grown from coast to coast.

You can find these books at your local library, or just click the links above to buy on Amazon.com.

A Quick World Tour of Kitchen Seasonings

Herbs, spices and other seasonings are a natural and healthy way to add a lot of flavor to your recipes without adding a lot of extra calories. With a little practice, you can create an endless variety of delicious recipes, such as Mediterranean-inspired favorites bursting with the fresh flavors of lemon, garlic and rosemary and spicy Mexican dishes featuring cilantro, cumin and chili powder.

Spices (Photo credit: srqpix)

Of course, your options won’t end there. A wide range of herbs, spices and seasonings are used throughout the world to make food taste better, and in some cases, last longer. Over time, certain flavors have come to represent the culinary identity of the areas where they originated. In large part, the seasonings you choose will define the direction of your own culinary development, as well.

With a little creativity, you can put a fresh spin on some of your favorite tried-and-true recipes by simply swapping out the herbs, spices and seasonings you use. For example, if you add fresh or dried basil or oregano to diced tomatoes, chopped onion and finely minced garlic, you have the makings of a wonderful red Italian pasta sauce. On the other hand, if you replace the basil and oregano with cilantro and lime juice, those same ingredients become the foundation for a fabulous homemade salsa recipe.

To help inspire you, the following chart shows some of the most popular culinary ingredients based on geographic region.

Most Popular Kitchen Seasonings From Around the World

Italian
basil, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, parsley

French
thyme, French tarragon, rosemary, basil, sage, mint, marjoram

Greek
dill, lemon, oregano, fennel

Spanish
saffron, smoked and regular paprika, rosemary, thyme

German
mustard, rye, caraway seeds, borage

Mexican
cilantro, chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano

Indian
curry powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric

Chinese
five-spice powder, star anise, fennel seed, cloves, cinnamon, ginger

Thai
Thai basil, cumin, turmeric, lemon grass, cinnamon

Of course, this chart is far from comprehensive, but it can serve as a good reference point for assembling your own collection of must-have herbs, spices and seasonings.

Harvesting Herbs (Photo credit: Chiot's Run)

Keep in mind, some herbs, spices and seasonings, such as salt, black pepper and garlic, have an almost universal appeal that isn’t limited by geographic borders. Chances are you will notice those items popping up in recipes from all over the world. As a result, you may want to keep an adequate supply of these basic ingredients in your own pantry or spice rack.

You will also see a lot of crossover among dishes from countries that border one another. For example, French, Italian, Greek and Spanish dishes often feature many of the same herbs, such as basil, rosemary, oregano and thyme. Of course, this isn’t surprising when you consider how these populations interacted with and melded together over the course of history. Depending on your personal tastes and cooking habits, these ingredients may be good to keep on hand, as well.

While assembling your own collection of herbs, spices and seasonings from around the world, remember you can save money by growing your own! Fresh herbs are super easy to grow from seed or from cuttings in your own garden and many can be brought indoors for year-round enjoyment.

However, if growing fresh herbs isn’t your thing, many popular fresh and dried varieties are readily available. Dried herbs can be a great alternative to fresh, but take note of expiration dates and suggested storage methods. Dried herbs, spices and seasonings can be quite expensive, so buy smaller amounts at one time if you won’t be using them often.

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day everyone!!

We hope you have a healthy, happy, Memorial Day holiday, and remember to thank all of those who have given their lives serving our country.

Last week we posted some tasty Memorial Day picnic recipes and ideas, so be sure to check those out.

We are on vacation and will not be posting for the rest of this week, but be sure to check back next week for more delicious from-scratch summer recipes - and in the meantime, if you haven't checked out our website in a while, we have a new design, and lots of great resources for cooking healthy meals from scratch.

Visit the Cooking From Scratch page for a FREE E-Book of 3-Ingredient Recipes - the ultimate in delicious simplicity!  http://www.newholisticliving.com/cooking-from-scratch.html

The Trick to Successful One Pot Meals: Preparation

When you're looking for ways to save time in the kitchen, making a whole meal in one pot has to top the list.  You just have to grab a big pot, grab your ingredients, and go, right? But wait. This is where the idea and the implementation collide.

You've got your pot sitting on the stove, alright, but then you're looking at a pile of ingredients that seem to have taken over the kitchen. Suddenly, you realize that your one pot meal is going to be a lot more work than you planned.

There's the chicken that needs to be cut up and the vegetables that need to be cleaned, peeled, and chopped. The recipe calls for cooked rice and there sits the box of rice, uncooked. You think about searching for another one pot recipe, but by the time you interrupt what you're doing to dig through recipes, you are going to find yourself frustrated as the clock ticks away, resulting in yet another call to the pizza delivery place.

How do we stop this madness? It's really not with magic at all; it's all about planning and preparation. Here are a few simple ways to plan ahead so your easy one pot meals actually end up being as easy as they should be.

Protein

Cooked chicken torn into strips in preparation for a dish. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No matter what protein you're using in your one pot meal, get the basic preparation done well before hauling out the pot. If the recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken, get the bones and skin pulled off the chicken as soon as you bring it home from the grocery store. If the recipe calls for cubed chicken or beef, cut it up ahead of time. Another tip to remember is slightly frozen meat cuts up easier than fresh meat. Put the chicken or meat in the freezer for a half hour and then cube it if you wish. You may want to freeze it after you cut it up to keep it fresher longer. Another bonus is that frozen cubed meat thaws faster than frozen whole meat.
If you really want to speed up your protein prep work, check the recipe to see if it calls for browning the chicken, beef, or ground meat. You may wish to do this step beforehand and store the cooled meat in the refrigerator or freezer to be used when you're ready to put the meal together. In this case, remember, the pan drippings (the brown bits on the bottom of the pot) may be a part of the flavor element for the recipe, so keep this in mind. But, if speed is most important, this step may be the best choice.

Beans are another protein we use a lot in one pot meals. As simple as it sounds, if you use canned beans, open the cans you're going to use that week, drain and rinse them, and store the beans in containers in the refrigerator. Now when you're mixing your one pot meal together, you just open and dump out the beans, removing the need to even grab the colander during your mealtime preparations.

Produce

One of the most time consuming parts of preparation for any meal, whether it's a one pot meal or not, is getting the vegetables cleaned and cut up. In restaurants, the chefs can concentrate on getting the dish cooked to perfection because all the ingredients are sitting there nicely prepared and waiting. Most of us don't have the luxury of having a sous chef busy in our kitchen working to make our life easier! So, we have to plan ahead.

The best way to make sure we can put our meals together quickly is to have all the produce prepared ahead of time. And, the best way to do that is to do the prep work when we bring home the produce - or pick it from the garden! If you wait until dinnertime, chances are time will get short and you'll find yourself chopping celery when you should already have it in the pot.

Take a look at the recipes you plan to make this week. Do the dishes call for things like onions, celery, green pepper, spinach, carrots, parsley, lemon juice and zest, or other produce? Get ahead of the game by washing, peeling, slicing, dicing, squeezing, or otherwise preparing these fresh ingredients. Then, when a recipe calls for a diced onion, you can reach for a Tupperware container of diced onion and throw it in. No cutting boards, no knives, and no clean up to worry about. Planning ahead is the key.

Pasta, Etc.

Many one pot recipes call for some sort of grain or seed ingredient, whether it's pasta, rice, quinoa, bread, or another fiber. Even these food items can be included in your preparation planning. If the recipe calls for cooked rice or quinoa, for instance, you can stock your refrigerator or freezer with plenty so you are ready to grab it and go.

Cover of One-Pot Meals (Great Taste, Low Fat)

If the recipe calls for raw pasta to be added in the pot with the other ingredients, this makes it easy. But if it needs to be cooked first, you can make the pasta ahead of time according to package directions, but be sure to leave it slightly under-cooked so your don't end up with mushy pasta after it cooks in the dish. Put the drained, cooled cooked pasta in a food storage container and drizzle olive oil over it to prevent it from sticking to itself, then keep it in the refrigerator. You can even use cooked pasta in a recipe that calls for uncooked pasta - just reduce the liquid in the recipe and throw the cooked pasta in during the last minutes of cooking time, just enough to heat it up.

Some favorite one pot meals call for dumplings or biscuits dropped on top. It is easy to whip together a simple dumpling or biscuit dough, but do it in advance. Divide the dough into pieces the size you need for your recipe and wrap them up in plastic and put them in the freezer. They will keep for quite some time and be ready to grab to plop on top of your delicious soup or stew when you need them.

Putting meals together quick and easy calls for more than a simple recipe; you need to know how to work smarter in the kitchen. Planning and preparation go a long way to getting meals on the table in a hurry. Use your time wisely to make cooking from scratch more simple, efficient, and delicious!

Southwest Cuisine In Your Slow Cooker

In a world where everything moves at such a fast pace, it’s nice to know that you can depend on a nice, home-cooked meal when you return from a long day at work.  In the world of southwest cuisine, there are many recipes that can be turned into a slow cooked delight.  The colors, flavors, and carefully chosen ingredients are what makes America's southwest cuisine stand apart from other regions.  What are some of the reasons for using a slow cooker for your southwest meal?  Let's take a look.

Timing

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We live in a world where everything seems to move at the speed of light.  This 'microwave' society has its benefits, but a good home-cooked meal is not one of them.  Between work, kids, and family events, we often feel we don’t have time to turn around much less come home and prepare a meal from scratch.  That’s where the slow cooker comes in.   With a small amount of preparation time, you can throw a bunch of ingredients together and leave the slow cooker to its own devices while you go about your day.  Then, at the end of the day, your family can all sit down together and enjoy a tasty meal.

Healthy

The slow cooker allows you to prepare a balanced meal that you may not otherwise have the time to do.  Also, you don’t have to add the extra cooking fat that you may use in other methods.  The slow cooker preserves the natural juices and flavors of the foods you are cooking and allows them to blend together to create a hearty, healthy meal.  Slowly cooking vegetables in their own juices means no more throwing nutrients down the drain in the boiling water. If you have a vegetarian in the house, the slow cooker works wonders for meat-free meals, as well. 

Save Money

You can also view the slow cooker as an energy saver.   It doesn’t take up nearly the amount of energy that it would to fire up the oven and have it going for hours.  And, since the idea of the slow cooker is to cook at a low temperature for a long time, slowly cooking and tenderizing your food, it’s also possible to buy cheaper cuts of meat.  Your slow cooker will produce tender, juicy, tasty meals out of the most humble ingredients.

(Photo credit: Tobyotter)

Versatile

Not only can you create well balanced meals in the slow cooker, but you can also make a wide array of appetizers, snack foods, and even beverages.  Hot dips and sauces, along with a variety of tiny bites are perfect in the slow cooker.  Shredded chicken  taquitos and mulled sangria are definite crowd pleasers that are easy to make and serve right out of a slow cooker.  Imagine preparing a snack or beverage the 'normal' way, then tweak it a bit and prepare it in the slow cooker instead.

When it comes to cooking southwest cuisine, we can see there are many reasons why the slow cooker should be put to work in the kitchen.  It saves time and money while making it possible to have a filling, delicious, and nutritious meal or snack waiting when we're ready to sit down and enjoy.

For some tasty Southwest recipes for your slow cooker, be sure to check back later this week!

Fresh Breakfast Ideas From the Farmer's Market

If you are looking for fresh, creative breakfast ideas, you can't do better than the local farmers market.  Who knows better about how best to use what's fresh and available than the people who grow it?  You need a day's worth of energy in your breakfast, just like the farmers do.  So, why not start your day by making a great breakfast with the ingredients you picked up at the local farmers market? Here are a few ideas to get you started making a nutritious and delicious morning meal.

Crepes with strawberry syrup and blackcurrants (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Maxed Out Pancakes

A farmers market breakfast can start with anything.  To make it simple, let's look at a breakfast favorite, the pancake.  But, if you're thinking plain, think again.  How about a plate of pancakes with chives, goat cheese, and fresh peas? If that idea doesn't get your mouth watering, you might want to try other herbs, vegetables, fresh greens, and specialty cheeses. You can even mix some pureed pumpkin or other squash or sweet potatoes into the batter.

If you're looking for sweet instead of savory, or a combination of the two, try a selection of seasonal berries or fruit, then mix in fresh herbs to compliment.  Peaches and rosemary are a good combination that surprises and delights the taste buds.  You can add soft cheeses to fruit filled pancakes just as successfully as you can to savory pancakes.  No matter what's in season at your farmers market, you can find a way to include it in a pancake in the morning.

Market Medley 

Some people call it hash, others call it a skillet meal, but no matter what you call it, you know it's downright delicious. Start by taking fresh potatoes, scrub them or peel them, and cook them in a big pot of salted water just until knife tender.  Drain the pot and let them cool, then dice them, and you have the beginnings of a hash skillet medley.  Grab any fresh produce you brought home from the market;  onions, peppers, zucchini, radishes, bush beans, rutabaga, turnips, carrots, kale, collards... well, you get the idea.

Get your big cast iron skillet out, throw in some oil or butter or bacon and start frying.  Get your potatoes in there, then start adding whatever you want and cook until potatoes are browned and the rest of the veggies are tender. You can top the skillet meal with some cheese, chili beans, shredded cooked meat, or even an egg or two.  Whatever you add to the skillet, you've got a base built on farm freshness that is bound to please.

Clever Crepes

Crepe batter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Don't panic - crepes are actually incredibly easy. The problem people have with crepes is that the batter is not the right consistency.  Make sure the batter is thin enough to easily swirl around in the pan.  If your batter looks like pancake batter in the bowl, it's too thick.  Find a good recipe for crepe batter - it's really easy to make and healthier than a packaged mix. But, enough of that.  Let's get to the fun stuff.

Crepes can actually be flavored themselves.  If you are making a savory crepe dish, filled with herbs and veggies, throw a few herbs right into the crepes.  If you are making sweet crepes, filled with warm spices and fruit, throw a few of those spices in the crepes.  This isn't necessary, but it is pretty and tasty.  Once you have made your crepes, you're ready for the filling.  Lightly fried or grilled strips of zucchini with a soft herbed cheese makes a nice savory crepe.  Seasonal fruit combined with a simple custard is a beautiful start to the day.  Whether sweet or savory, crepes make breakfast just seem more special.

A trip through the local farmers market should give you plenty of inspiration for these three simple breakfast choices.  Fresh is best, whether it's dinner, lunch, or the nicest meal of the day – breakfast.

Check back later this week for some fun farmers-market inspired recipes!

Recipe: Roasted Asparagus Penne Dressed With Parmesan Garlic Butter

Get creative with this tasty summery pasta recipe featuring the fresh sweet taste of roasted asparagus simply dressed with butter and Parmesan cheese - yum! Your dinner guests will think this gourmet meal took hours, but it's actually really simple and easy.

Roasted Asparagus Penne Dressed With Parmesan Garlic Butter
(Serves 4 to 6.)

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh asparagus, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 tsp olive oil
1 pkg (8 oz) penne pasta
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put a big pot of salted water on the stove, and bring to a boil.
• While waiting for the water to come up to a boil, put asparagus on baking sheet, drizzle with the 3 tsp olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and use your hands to coat the asparagus pieces throughly.
• Put the asparagus in preheated oven for 10 to 13 minutes or until just starting to get a few specks of golden brown - don't let them get too soft or turn dark brown.
• During this time, cook the pasta until al dente; drain well, put back in the pot, cover, and keep warm.
• Check the asparagus; it should be almost ready to come out.  But, just before you remove the asparagus, sprinkle the sesame seeds over and put back in the oven just for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until you can smell the sesame seeds; remove and set aside.
• Get out a big serving bowl and put the butter and garlic in and smash together with a fork until smooth and garlic is incorporated, then add the Parmesan cheese and mix again until combined.  
• Now pour the warm pasta into the bowl with the garlic-cheese-butter mixture and mix until pasta is coated, then pour the asparagus into the bowl, scraping in all the oil from the baking sheet, too.
• Toss, sprinkle with chives, taste for seasonings, salt and pepper if necessary, and serve warm.

Edible Spring Blossoms from Unexpected Places

It's springtime, which means the start of one of my favorite seasons - salad season! While early spring may not offer as many options, this just means it's time to use your creativity in the kitchen. When looking for ways to turn an ordinary salad into a gourmet treat, many people have turned to edible flowers.  But, you don't have to make a beeline for your flower garden to find spring flowers for your salad.  Instead, you may want to take a second look at your vegetable garden, herb garden, and even your lawn.  Perhaps the blossoms you see there are more than just pretty - maybe they are delicious, too!

Edible Blooms in the Vegetable Patch

The Art of Salad (Photo credit: Chiot's Run)

Yes, many edible flowers are not actually found in your flower garden, but are actually staring right at you from the vegetable garden.  Some of these 'edible blooms' you actually know quite well, even if you haven't thought of them as the flowering part of your vegetables. The cool weather crops, broccoli and cauliflower, are both actually flowers, just as the artichoke is also the flower of the plant.

Not only are you eating a flower when you eat a head of cauliflower or broccoli, but you can also allow the flower to flower, so to speak, and enjoy that treat as well.  The pretty yellow flower of the broccoli can be picked, cleaned, and enjoyed sprinkled on top of a bed of lettuce tossed in a light vinaigrette. Watch for the flowering shoots on cauliflower and artichokes, too, and experiment with the flavors to create a gourmet salad that is both delicious and colorful.

Some of our favorite vegetables sport lovely blossoms that we watch disappear as the vegetable forms.  Zucchini, for instance, although a later season vegetable, has a brilliant yellow blossom that is absolutely beautiful to look at.  Other squash varieties share this gift, as well. But, squash blossoms have a surprise in store for us; they are also delicious! 

There are a number of ways to prepare squash blossoms, but one favorite is to pick the blossoms when they are still small and closed, then wash and prepare by dipping in a light batter and frying quickly in a hot skillet.  This makes a delicious somewhat sweet surprise on top of a mixed green or fresh spinach salad. Another favorite is to scatter the blossoms raw around the plate. No matter what, squash blossoms will turn any salad into a gourmet salad.

Herbs Doing Double Duty

We all know that fresh herbs add a gourmet touch to any salad.  But did you know that many herbs have edible blooms as well as the foliage we're familiar with?  Thyme, for instance, is a very fragrant and versatile herb, but when you harvest the flower, you'll find a secret ingredient for a gourmet salad, or even a tasty sauce or dressing.

Borage, an annual herb the leaves and flowers of which are used in cookery. The seeds are a source of oil rich in gamma-linolenic acid. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you plant basil, fennel, and cilantro, you may want to gather the flowers as well as the herb greens.  Go ahead and experiment in your favorite salads and other dishes.  A less known, but certainly valuable herb, is borage. This prolific herb will have you thinking you smell a fresh cucumber - making a great addition to a salad, and the flowers borage produces are just as tasty as they are pretty.

With a patch of dill you'll have plenty to experiment with.  Harvest the yellow tops as they appear, but before you see the seeds form. Sprinkle on your green salad or use in a creamy yogurt dressing.  Dill is the perfect flowering herb to add freshness to any salad.

Unexpected delights can be found when you allow an onion or garlic bulb to blossom. Designate a little patch of these plants to flower, and enjoy a delicious surprise in your salad.  Instead of clipping your chives down to the ground, allow the pretty blue flowers to just open, then cut them immediately and serve on top of a spinach salad for a real gourmet look and taste.

A Weed by Any Other Name

You may want to pay attention the next time you're mowing your lawn, too. Those dandelions you've been cursing could be your next tasty gourmet salad. This weed is actually an herb with edible flowers and greens. Pick the flowers while they are still closed buds for a sweet taste similar to honey. Once the flower opens, it will be bitter. Aside from the buds, the dandelion greens make a wonderful salad, but again, pick them while they are very young and small. Who knew that pesky little weed could be so tasty and elegant! (Be sure not to eat dandelions from lawns treated with chemicals.)

Clover is another tasty treat that may be hidden away in your lawn. You may have seen either red clover or white clover growing among the grass.  Some regions produce an edible clover that produces both a leaf and stem to enjoy as well as a small flower. When identifying clover to eat, be sure to check your region's type of clover before you proceed.

Now that you know just how many options there are for finding gourmet ingredients right in your own vegetable garden, herb garden, and even your lawn, maybe it's time to take a closer look.  Those buds and blossoms that are so pretty may also provide you with some gourmet salads.  The general rule is if you can eat the plant, you can usually eat the blossom.  However, not all vegetables, herbs, or weeds produce a blossom that's edible, or tasty, or that should even be eaten, for that matter.  Before you bite in, do a bit of local research. Then you can enjoy the brilliance that these blossoms can add to your gourmet spring and summer salads.

Recipe: Easy Walnut Cookie Squares

Mmmm-mmm-mmmm! Nothing like using superfoods as an excuse to eat cookies, right?  :-)  This recipe incorporates lots of heart-healthy walnuts, and fresh eggs full of Omega 3's - and it's fast and easy, and really tasty! Try this one to satisfy your sweet tooth without feeling too bad about it.

Easy Walnut Cookie Squares

Walnuts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped
2 eggs (from pasture-raised hens)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
• Add the brown sugar and walnuts and mix until blended well.
• In separate bowl, whisk eggs together with vanilla extract.
• Stir egg mixture into dry mixture and stir until combined.
• Press dough onto bottom of baking sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until browned lightly.
• Remove and let cool on rack, then cut into squares.

Recipe: Nutty Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you want to make a carrot cake to rival the Cheesecake Factory's version, but with less fat and calories, here is a great recipe to try. Substituting buttermilk for oil creates a moist, tender cake, with less fat and none of the trans-fats contained in vegetable oil. Choose reduced fat cream cheese, and you'll still get that creamy taste you crave, but with fewer calories. Dress it up with some additional walnuts on top, or just eat it with cream cheese frosting - either way, it's a tasty treat you can enjoy without leaving home!

Nutty Cream Cheese Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

Carrot cake (Photo credit: angrydicemoose)

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose Flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup regular table (granulated) sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup butter milk
3 medium size carrots, grated
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
4 oz pkg reduced fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Dressed Up Topping:
1/4 cup finely chopped Walnuts
2 Tbsp light brown sugar (packed)

Instructions:

Cake: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9 inch round cake pan first with a light coating of grease then sprinkle in flour, coat evenly, then tap pan so excess flour falls out; set aside.
2. In a bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 
3. In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugar and cream together at a medium speed until light and fluffy, then with mixer running, add one of the eggs, mixing until combined, then add another egg, mixing to combine, then add the final egg, mixing to combine.
4. Turn the mixer down to the low speed, then slowly start adding the dry ingredients in small batches, alternating in between each batch by adding some of the buttermilk.  Do this in about 3 steps - flour, milk, flour, milk, flour, milk, mixing until combined well.
5. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in the grated carrots and chopped walnuts until combined well; then pour this batter into your prepared cake pan. 
6. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched with your finger or when a toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean; remove and place cake pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.
7. Turn cake upside down to release it from the cake pan and continue to cool on the rack until completely cooled.

Cream cheese frosting:

• With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together butter and cream cheese until very smooth.  With mixer running, add vanilla extract and then confectioners sugar and continue beating until very smooth and fluffy.

Dressed up topping:

• In a bowl, mix together walnuts and brown sugar with a whisk or fork.
• To assemble; place cake on cake plate and spread frosting on top and up the sides, then sprinkle with the dressed up topping all over or just on the top.

Better Than Cheescake Factory: Decadent Desserts Get A Healthier Makeover

If you want a cheesecake at least as good as the one your grandmother used to make, a trip to the Cheesecake Factory may be in order. With hundreds of fantastic desserts on the menu, your taste buds will soon be dancing merrily about. But, if eating healthier and weight loss are your goals this year, why not find an alternative. Yes, you can have your cake and eat healthy, too. Plan ahead, take a few minutes, and create a healthier alternative in your own kitchen - with a few little tweaks, you can make your own versions taste just as good, but they'll be a lot better for you!

Carrot Cake

Carrot cake in pan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The average carrot cake has almost 1500 calories per slice. Yes, you read right. More than half of the daily intake of calories for an adult male football player in one delectable slice of what sounds like a healthy dessert! There has got to be a way to enjoy this moist, delicious dessert without adding all those calories to your day's intake.

To start with, a simple substitution of buttermilk can make a world of difference. Rather than adding oil when making the cake as it calls for in the recipe, you can substitute buttermilk. Buttermilk sounds fattening but it actually has much less fat and calories than oil.  In fact, buttermilk even has less fat and calories than regular whole milk which makes it a healthier choice for the icing, too - and it will add a richer, fuller flavor at the same time. You'll end up with a moist cake and tasty frosting with fewer calories and fat. So, yes, this is one classic cake you can enjoy with less guilt if you tweak the recipe and make it at home.

Warm Apple Crisp

What about that wonderful warm apple crisp topped with creamy rich vanilla ice cream?  Of course, substituting frozen vanilla yogurt is the most obvious substitution for a healthier dessert (although watch out for nasty substitutions which turn up in lowfat ice cream substitutes, such as chemical sweeteners and propylene glycol - aka antifreeze), but there is something else to consider. The biggest culprit of added calories is the apple crisp itself. This healthy-sounding dessert has almost three times as many calories and grams of sugar than that topping of real ice cream.  So we want to start from the bottom up when talking about making a healthier alternative to this tasty dessert.

apple crisp (Photo credit: elana's pantry)

To put the skinny on your apple crisp, start by eliminating that can of apple pie filling. Instead, simply cut up fresh ripe apples. If that sounds like too much work, an apple cutter that slices the apple into wedges in one motion would be just the ticket.  They can be found in many stores and are very inexpensive. For an even tastier creation, choose a variety of apples. You'll find different tastes and textures in different apples.  And, using a sweeter apple will allow you to reduce the sugar in your recipe even more. There's nothing better than homemade from scratch apple crisp - even the Cheesecake Factory's version can't stack up!

Cheesecake

In order to keep your cheesecake on the healthier side at home, try using low-fat cream cheese, and make your own crust from graham crackers. Low-fat cream cheese is one of the few reduced fat items which actually taste as good as the full-fat version. In fact, I actually like it (Neufchatel) better, because it's softer, so it's a bit easier to work with. You also don't need nearly as much sugar in cheesecake as many recipes call for. Cutting down some of the sugar will in many cases actually make it taste better - not to mention much better for you. Being able to control your ingredients is the biggest way to manage your healthy diet when it comes to desserts.

Just because you want to eat healthier doesn't mean you have to skip out on desserts all together. You can have the best experience possible by taking the time and experimenting to find what works best for you and your health goals. Whether it is carrot cake, warm apple crisp, or the all-time favorite classic cheesecake, when you use the proper ingredients and make it yourself, you can enjoy these desserts without ruining your healthy diet. You may even find these newer versions of the classic desserts actually taste better!

Recipe: Asian Chicken And Edamame Linguine Skillet

This tasty recipe will give you the flavors of the far East, with the fresh, bright flavor combinations of soy sauce and rice vinegar, accented with mild Chinese cabbage and chicken. These ingredients are all easy to find at any American supermarket, but if you can find them, you can also substitute rice noodles or thin egg noodles for the linguini for a more authentic Asian flair.

Asian Chicken And Edamame Linguine Skillet
(Serves 4.)

Ingredients:

8 ounces linguine
2 (8 oz each) boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced in thin strips
1 tbsp cornstarch
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion, cut in half and sliced thin
1 pound napa cabbage, shredded thinly
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cups frozen shelled edamame

Directions:

•  Cook noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions, leaving them just al dente; drain and rinse under cold water, draining well, then set aside.
• Toss chicken strips with cornstarch in a medium bowl, then season with salt and pepper. 
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Cook chicken two to four minutes in batches until lightly browned. Transfer chicken to a plate and reserve remaining juices in skillet.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, then saute garlic and onion one to three minutes until soft. 
• Add napa cabbage and cook three minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.
• Add to the skillet the vinegar, soy sauce, edamame, noodles, and chicken, then season with salt and pepper as needed. 
• Cook about four minutes until noodles and edamame are well-tossed and warmed through.

Recipe: Tangy Hot Bacon Spinach Salad

Mmmm....just reading this one will make your mouth water! Tangy vinegar meets the spice of onion and pepper, contrasts with the richness of bacon, and melts into the smoothness of hard boiled eggs, under which the tender bite of fresh spinach provides the perfect foil!  For a truly healthy meal, be sure the eggs and bacon are free-range raised on pasture, and that the spinach is organic - if it's from your own garden, even better!

Tangy Hot Bacon Spinach Salad
(Serves 4.)

(Photo credit: jeffreyw)

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
salt and black pepper to taste
4 cups fresh baby spinach, washed and dried well
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
hot pepper flakes or smoked paprika for garnish

Directions: 

• In a skillet, cook bacon pieces until crisp; remove to paper towel to drain.
• In same skillet with bacon drippings, add the onion, cooking until just starting to get translucent, then add the apple cider vinegar, stirring to combine and get brown bacon bits from bottom of skillet.
• Turn heat to simmer, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
• To serve, divide washed spinach between 4 salad plates, immediately drizzle hot dressing from skillet over each serving, tossing slightly.
• Sprinkle bacon pieces over each serving evenly, and finally arrange the egg slices evenly over the top. If desired, sprinkle a few hot pepper flakes over each salad or a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

Recipe: Ginger Mustard Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Here is a hearty and delicious recipe fancy enough for a holiday feast, yet simple enough to make for a Sunday family dinner. Ginger and soy sauce gives this classic cut of meat an Asian twist of big flavor which will tantalize the most advanced palate, and they'll never need to know it only has 6 ingredients!

Easy enough for beginner to intermediate cooks, but those who eat it may just mistake you for a gourmet chef!

Ginger Mustard Marinated Pork Tenderloin
(Serves 4 as a main dish.)

Ingredients:

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1.5 lb pork tenderloin (naturally raised or organic)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger root, grated
2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
* serve with sauteed shredded red or green cabbage, optional (see suggestion below)

Directions:

• If pork tenderloin is in two parts, tie together with butchers string.
• Put the soy sauce, mustard, garlic, and ginger in a large ziploc plastic bag and shake to mix.
• Set the pork in the plastic bag and shake around to coat pork well.
• Place the pork in the refrigerator for 4 to 8 hours (overnight is fine), turning plastic bag over several times to make sure pork is marinated evenly.

To cook:

• Remove the pork from bag, letting marinade drip off; set pork in dish and evenly sprinkle with black pepper.
• Preheat grill or oven and cook until internal temperature of pork reaches 150 degrees.
• Remove and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into thin slices to serve.

Serving Suggestion: For a side dish, saute shredded cabbage (cole slaw) in hot skillet until just tender.  Sprinkle a touch of soy sauce in skillet and stir into cabbage to season.