Category: Dinner

Roasted Pork Loin with Pears

Posted on by Lisa P

Serves: 2-4 people
Hands-on time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min

I made this Pork Loin with Pears recipe last year when I found it on the Williams Sonoma website and it was “quite good” or at least that’s what I wrote in my notes. It just so happens that we received a box of Harry and David pears for Christmas this year and I’m looking for something to make with them, so decided to try this recipe again.

I changed a few things this time around. Since I wanted to create a larger quantity of pork, I bought a 3-lb pork loin roast instead of the 1-lb loin the original recipe called for. Obviously this big roast was going to take much longer than the 1-lb loin, so I sliced it into three pieces and increase some of the other ingredients to compensate. Some of the pork is going to be saved for later in the week so I didn’t need to triple the pears and such, just the seasonings and browning oil.

Anyway, here’s the recipe. I think it makes a great-tasting but easy Sunday night meal. Continue reading “Roasted Pork Loin with Pears” →

The Versatile Salad Bowl

Posted on by Lisa P

This is one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers at the end of a week. It was inspired by those assembly line-style, create-your-own-salad restaurants that are popping up like weeds in malls across America.

Start with the base, usually lettuce or rice (I prefer lettuce), then just add a bunch of healthy add-ins (leftover items from your frig) and top with a homemade vinaigrette. It’s a perfect “clean out the fridge” meal.

The thing to remember here is that you are going for a balance of colors, textures, and macro-nutrients. Try to use ingredients that have not been previously seasoned, so you won’t have strange combinations of seasonings from different meals. (Hey, if you want to try that anyway, go for it, sometimes you hit the jackpot.) Try different things! Experimentation is good — it teaches you what works and what doesn’t work — it helps you improve your ability to “throw a meal together.”

So, enough preamble. Let’s get to the instructions already. Continue reading “The Versatile Salad Bowl” →

Moroccan Roasted Salmon and Cauliflower

Posted on by Lisa P

Serves: 4 people
Hands-on time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min

This roasted salmon recipe came from Cooking Light magazine. The basic recipe is intact but I modified a few things to make it healthier and fixed the time (as usual) to reflect actual prep work. (Read here about why cooking always take longer than the recipe says.) Continue reading “Moroccan Roasted Salmon and Cauliflower” →

Pasta Mish Mash

Posted on by Lisa P

Serves: 2 people
Hands-on time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min

This pasta dish is a great way to use up leftover items from the week.  A thick pasta (penne or fusilli work great) plus a ton of veggies and some protein are all it takes.  The ingredients are very flexible, and I’ve never had a bad batch!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb thick pasta such as penne or fusilli (gluten free preferred)
  • 1 C of onions, peppers, shallots, fennel, cabbage or other fragrant vegetable with a lot of water content
  • 1 C any leftover non-starchy vegetable such as broccoli, green beans, brussels sprouts, asparagus, etc.
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • 1-1/2 C leftover protein
    • meat-based: chicken sausages, meatballs, chicken, steak, pork chops, etc.
    • vegan/vegetarian: cooked chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, pine nuts, peas, soybeans, etc.
  • 1/2 C white wine or chicken broth (veggie broth if vegetarian/vegan)
  • 1/2 tsp italian seasonings (or herbs de provence)
  • 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
  • parmesan cheese (optional, omit if vegan or dairy-free)

Continue reading “Pasta Mish Mash” →

Healthy Chicken Piccata with Spinach (GF)

Posted on by Lisa P

Serves: 4 people
Hands-on time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min

This recipe started as a much higher-calorie version of chicken piccata from Cook’s Illustrated magazine. I replaced the all purpose flour with millet flour to make it gluten free, omitted the shallots and parsley, used pre-minced garlic, and reduced the quantities of oil and butter by almost half. The result is a healthy chicken piccata that is much lower in calories while still retaining the delicious flavor. The spinach at the end was also my personal touch, which I think makes the dish more complete (and prettier!). [Side note: The original recipe was way too lemony for my taste so I cut that back as well. Feel free to add more lemon back in if you like it that way.] Continue reading “Healthy Chicken Piccata with Spinach (GF)” →

Chicken Piccata (adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

Posted on by Lisa P

Serves: 4-6 people
Hands-on time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min

This is one of those recipes that looks complicated because of the number of steps involved, but once you get started it goes pretty quick. Even so, it is a tad longer than 30 minutes but totally worth the extra time! Continue reading “Chicken Piccata (adapted from Cooks Illustrated)” →