Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

Each afternoon when the boys come home from school, they have one thing on their minds: food.

“Mommy, I’m hungry.”

“Mommy, when are we going to eat?”

“Mommy, what’s our snack today?”

“Mommy, I’m starving. What’s for dinner?”

“Mommy, I don’t like that.”

“Mommy, I just want a lollipop for dinner.” (When Monkey Boy said that, I had to look away so he wouldn’t see me giggle.”) Read more

Stuffed Pizza with Spinach and Chanterelles

Around this time last year I received an email from Susan (Farmgirl Fare) telling me that I had won a box of fresh chanterelle mushrooms from Marx Foods in her giveaway. Once I recovered from the happy shock of winning two pounds of chanterelle mushroom I eagerly anticipated their arrival. When the box arrived at our door I was giddy with excitement. I don’t get giddy over too many things, but I was giddy over these chanterelles. Read more

Peruvian Grilled Chicken

Why would a Peruvian grilled chicken recipe have soy sauce? Peru has hosted a large Japanese expatriate population since the late 1800s, and over the years Asian flavors mingled with local and European flavors to create one of the most diverse cuisines in the world. I didn’t know this when I lived in South America in the early 1990s. While living in Colombia I did have big plans to visit Peru, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina but simply ran out of time in my two short years there, though I did make it to Ecuador a couple times. I still hold out hope that someday I’ll go back to travel in the region and enjoy the local cuisines.

This grilled chicken is simple to prepare and has big payoffs in flavor. I leave it in the marinade for up to 24 hours then grill and serve with whatever vegetables are on the menu or use it for sandwiches or salad toppers. The marinade helps keep the chicken moist as it cooks, and it always finishes nice and juicy.

I’ve given directions for cooking on a grill pan with boneless chicken breasts, and the Variations includes directions for cooking on gas and charcoal grills and in the oven. I cooked this chicken on the Scanpan I reviewed, and today is the last day for the Scanpan giveaway. Make sure you enter before 9 pm EST, just leave a comment on the Scanpan giveaway post about your favorite grilling food. Only comments at the original giveaway post will be entered.

More Grilled Chicken Recipes

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Jambalaya with Shrimp, Chicken, Andouille, and Ham and a Giveaway

I don’t have any Creole or Cajun relatives (that I know of), so for authentic recipes I turn to some of my favorite cookbooks. Emeril calls this particular recipe his “Clean Out the Ice Box and Freezer” Jambalaya, my kind of food, particularly now because after the holidays and fall harvest we have a freezer stuffed full of…stuff. After going through it a week ago we renewed our commitment to using up some of the stash and cleaning it out over the next month, which will of course make room for more stuff. The cycle never ends.

The recipe is pretty straight forward, but I made a few modifications as a I went. First of all, I couldn’t believe it had no celery and I added some anyway. The recipe calls for a mix of dark and white meat, but since Michael doesn’t care for dark meat I used only white meat. I also used brown rice instead of white rice and reduced the oil to 1/3 cup. Not much of a difference in the amount of oil, I know, but I think the recipe turned out just fine. And because this was dinner for all of us, I cut back on the cayenne so the boys could enjoy it too. Michael made up for the lack of heat by pouring some hot sauce onto his servings.

This is an easy dish to prepare, and it’s practically a meal in a pot. Add a green salad or other green vegetable and you are set. Read more

Grilled Eggplant Lasagna

When I started the South Beach Diet a few weeks ago, I had to rethink some of our meals, and less pasta was high on the list. It’s easy to get good fresh vegetables at this time of year, and we’ve kept the refrigerator stocked. I’ve had eggplant lasagna on many occasions, but always with the noodles, so this time I decided to use the eggplant in place of the noodles, thus keeping the hearty comfort food a little healthier.

Grilling the eggplant lends a nice smoky flavor to the lasagna, and I left the skin on to help hold the slices together on the grill. The sauce is our favorite spaghetti sauce from Michael’s mom, and the rest is just easy layering and baking. I made this on a weeknight after simmering the sauce all morning and afternoon, but you could also make this a weekend family meal or even for company in individual portions.

Equipment

grill
9×13 baking pan
medium mixing bowl

Ingredients

1 recipe spaghetti sauce
1 eggplant, 16 ounces (~454 g) or larger
olive oil
15 ounces (425 g) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan + more for sprinkling on top
2 teaspoons dried basil or 3/4 cup (~30 g) fresh basil leaves, torn
8 ounces (227 g) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Prepare the sauce according to the directions. You can make this ahead and store in the refrigerator or freezer. If frozen, thaw before using.

2. Preheat the grill to medium, about 350° F/175° C.

3. Slice the eggplant into 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) rounds with the skin still on. Brush with olive oil. Grill for about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

4. Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C.

5. In the medium mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, grated Parmesan, and dried basil. If using fresh basil, leave it out for now.

6. Spread a ladle or two of the prepared sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Lay down a row of the grilled eggplant, then spread about 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. It doesn’t have to look pretty, just make sure that it is evenly distributed, even if it’s in clumps. If using fresh basil, add 1/2 of the leaves in a layer.

7. Add about 2 more cups of sauce, then half the remaining grilled eggplant, 1/2 of the remaining cheese mixture, and the rest of the fresh basil (if using).

8. Add another 2 cups of the sauce, the rest of the grilled eggplant, and the rest of the ricotta cheese mixture. Spread the remaining sauce on top then top with the shredded mozzarella and some more Parmesan.

9. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the lasagna is cooked all the way through and the top is bubbly and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

More Italian Recipes

More Lasagna Recipes From Around the Blogs

101 Cookbooks – Thousand Layer Lasagne

Ms. Adventures in Italy – 3 Cheese Pesto Vegetable Lasagna

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Grilled Zucchini Lasagna with Italian, Sausage, Tomato, and Basil Sauce

One Hot Stove – Roasted Squash Onion Lasagna

Zucchini and Mushroom Pasta with Lemon Basil

With zucchini in season and a garden full of herbs, I had plenty to work with for creating a quick and easy meal. For this dish, I sauteed shallots and garlic, tossed in some baby portabella mushrooms and julienne zucchini, added some lemon basil chiffonade, then finished it off with a dry white wine and some grated Parmesan.

Using julienne and thinly sliced vegetables makes the dish cook up faster and adds some visual interest as well. You can find julienne peelers or mandolines at many stores or online, or you can use a very sharp knife and cut thin slices and then stack the slices and thin slice again lengthwise for julienne. To chiffonade the basil, lay the leaves on top of each other, then roll them into a cigar shape. Using a sharp knife, slice across the cigar starting at one end and working your way to the other, making very thin cuts.

You can user either lemon or Genovese basil, though we liked the fresh light flavor from the lemon basil. Read more

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