Pork carnitas with roasted corn and cilantro cabbage salad

I saw a yummy looking recipe the other day in a magazine that I’d been carrying around in the bottom of my purse for a couple weeks. Generally, I look at the picture, read the title and wing it. This was the case with tonight’s dinner and everyone loved it!

1 pork loin
1 tsp. olive oil
zest from 1/2 lime
1 tsp. each cumin and chili powder
pinch of kosher salt and pepper

2 C. frozen corn
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. each cumin and chili powder

½ head napa cabbage, finely chopped
¼ C. chopped cilantro
juice from 1 lime
¼ C. olive oil
pinch of kosher salt and pepper
-optional- thinly sliced radish

corn tortillas

-optional- sliced avocado

Heat grill to high, and oven to 350. While grill heats, rub pork loin with olive oil, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Grill pork for 4 minutes per side, remove and wrap in aluminum foil and place in oven for 15 more minutes.

While pork cooks, place frozen corn on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, cumin and chili powder and bake for 15 minutes or until corn turns crisp. Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in the oven for 5 minutes.

Assemble salad by combining cabbage, cilantro, lime, olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Season to taste.

Remove pork from oven, thinly slice and pour juice over pork. Place pork, cabbage salad and a little corn on a tortilla.

Curried bulgur salad with golden raisins, pine nuts and green beans

Another great salad to serve or bring to any party. Use your Vidalia chopper for quick prep.

3 Tbs. olive oil
½ C. finely diced onion
2 tsp. curry powder
1 C. finely diced carrot
2 C. bulgur wheat
16 oz. (2 C.) chicken stock
1 C. golden raisins
½ C. dried apricots, diced
½ C. toasted pine nuts
1 C. fresh green beans, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
½ C. finely diced English cucumber

Heat olive oil in a pot on medium high heat. Add onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add curry powder, carrot and bulgur and stir to combine. Add chicken stock, raisins, apricots, and pine nuts. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes until liquid has absorbed. Remove from heat, add green beans, season to taste with salt and pepper and keep covered another 20 minutes. Add bulgur to a large bowl and toss in diced cucumbers. Cover and let cool completely before serving.

(Easy) Cold Soba noodle salad

As the weather gets warmer and potluck season begins, I love to bring this dish. It a snap to make, can be made a day in advance and packs a ton of flavor. You can also make the dish vegetarian by omitting the chicken.

For salad:
1 package soba noodles
1½ C. frozen shelled edamame
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 C. cooked chicken, diced
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro leaves
1 Tbs. chopped fresh basil

For dressing:
½ C. chunky peanut butter
2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
Shiracha-optional to taste
2 cubes frozen garlic
3 cubes frozen ginger
½ C. sesame oil
2 Tbs. black sesame seeds

Boil soba noodles for 4-5 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water, set aside. Combine noodles with remaining salad ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, combine all dressing ingredients and whisk until thoroughly combined. If dressing is too tangy, add a bit of honey. Add dressing to salad and toss. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

Thai meatballs with dipping sauce

I made these tonight for my family and they were a huge hit! Although they have lots of flavorful ingredients, they were not too strong for little palates.

These meatballs are delicious served in a lettuce leaf or eaten over rice and the flavorful dipping sauce is incredible!

FOR MEATBALLS:
1 lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground turkey
3 finely chopped scallions
1/4 C. chopped cilantro
3 cubes each- frozen garlic and frozen ginger
3 Tbs. fish sauce (nap pla)
3 Tbs. vegetable oil

FOR SAUCE:
1/4 C. fresh lime juice
1/4 C. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. fish sauce
3 Tbs. each- chopped cilantro and mint
1 grated carrot
1/2 peeled, grated cucumber
2 Tbs. sweet chili sauce
1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 head butter lettuce, leaves carefully removed
1/4 C. dry roasted peanuts

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients -except vegetable oil- in a bowl, hands work best. Heat oil in a large nonstick pan on medium high heat. While oil heats, roll meat into balls, about 2" wide. When oil shimmers, add meatballs and cook 2 minutes per side or until meatballs are golden brown. Remove from pan and add to a casserole pan. Cover with foil and finish cooking in the oven for 20 minutes.

While meatballs cook, assemble sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Assemble meatballs by placing 1 meatball in a lettuce leaf, spoon sauce and a few peanuts before eating.

Mexican cabbage slaw

We made delicious black bean and brown rice burritos last night. The kids had wanted to make guacamole, so while they mashed away, I made a crunchy and refreshing salad to go with the burritos. The salad is really a snap to make, just throw everything in a bowl and toss.


1/2 head shredded Napa cabbage
1/2 head shredded purple cabbage
2 chopped scallions
1 finely sliced red pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 C. toasted Pepitas (pumpin seeds)
1/2 diced green apple
1/4 C. Ume plum vinegar (if you don't have it, use red wine vinegar)
1/2 C. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder

Combine all vegetables in a large bowl, add vinegar, oil , cumin and chili powder and toss well to combine.

This salad can easily be made Asian by using sesame oil, 2 cubes of frozen ginger and toasted sesame seeds. OMIT the Pepitas, cumin and chili powder.

Pan seared chicken with white wine cream sauce

Made a delicious dinner tonight for a gaggle of my daughter's friends. The running joke is that while kids would never eat these things at home, when they come to our house they gobble it up.

I made steamed green beans and thinly sliced crispy roasted potatoes to accompany the chicken.

Here's my recipe for pan roasted chicken and crispy potatoes.

2 split chicken breasts
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper
smoky paprika
1 C. chicken stock
1/4 C. white wine
1/4 C. chive or plain cream cheese

2 Russet potatoes
olive oil
kosher salt
pepper

green beans

Preheat oven to 425. Thinly slice 2 Russet potatoes. Place on a Silpat lined cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Place in lower 1/3rd of oven.

Heat a cast iron/Le Creuset pan on high heat. Season chicken breasts with kosher salt, pepper and smoky paprika. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan and when hot place chicken breasts skin side down in pan. Cook for 2 minutes until chicken is seared and golden brown. Turn breasts, add chicken stock and place pan in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes, add white wine and cream cheese and whisk to combine.

Turn potatoes carefully to crisp on both sides and continue cooking chicken for another 10-12 minutes. 5 minutes before chicken is cooked, steam green beans.

Banana blueberry oatmeal muffins with dark chocolate chunks

I had a bunch of bananas that were begging to be turned into muffins. This recipe is so easy and makes delicious fluffy muffins, great for breakfast or a snack.

1 1/2 C. flour
1 C. rolled oats
1/2 C. granular sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
1 egg
3/4 C. milk
1/3 C. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C. mashed banana
1/2 C. fresh blueberries
1/4 C. dark chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, mash bananas and add wet ingredients, but not blueberries or chocolate chunks.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stir to combine and add blueberries and chocolate chunks. Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 14-16 minutes until golden brown and when touched, the top springs back.