Lucky Nectarines and Mozzarella

Photo taken from Real Simple

I am a firm believer in buying food in season. Not only is it more flavorful than buying the same produce out of season, but it's sooo much easier on your wallet. This week I was just plain lucky at the grocery store. The most succulent, crisp, perfect nectarines were on sale, and they were organic no less. I bought as much as Dave and I could eat before they go bad, or perhaps a bit more. As I left the produce and passed the dairy, my eye caught a sale tag on the fresh mozzarella, one of my most favorite of all the cheeses! I snagged a lb. of the stuff for under $4. Then adding to my already lucky venture, when I got home and stumbled over this recipe, I realized I had everything on hand to make it --even the fresh basil from my herb garden. My only adjustment was nectarines instead of peaches, and honestly, I think that's an improvement.

All I can say is this was spectacular, and it took me 5 minutes.

Potato, Chorizo, and Green Chile Burritos - Testing a Cooking Light Recipe

(Title photo: Dave's serving. Bottom: my serving. Go figure.)

Dave and I love to eat. And we really love to eat Mexican food. I'd conservatively say that 3-4 nights a week our meals are Latin-inspired. We love the warmth and heat of Tex-Mex, and the originality of authentic Latin food. So when a recipe brings both, and it's easy and inexpensive, we pretty much feel like we're winning.

Chorizo is the primary conduit of flavor in this dish, and that is a beautiful thing. The potatoes are cooked in the juice and spices of the cooked chorizo and peppers, which makes even a basic russet-variety hash into a delight.

After a first try that was decent but still had potential, I made some of my own alterations, listed below. This Cooking Light Recipe can be found here.

• The recipe calls for Poblano chiles, which are fine, but we added 1/2 a jalapeno (with 1/4 of the seeds) to add kick. And I actually had a spectacular garden-fresh green bell pepper on hand this go, so I used that instead of Poblano.
• The remaining 1/2 Jalapeno went into the pico de gallo to brighten it up and add more than just the mild heat offered by the onions.
• We used Cotija cheese, which we had on hand, and it was as darn tasty as queso fresco.
• Plain flour tortillas are only slightly less healthy than the price-equivalent in wheat, so if you only have regular, don't bother with wheat. Now if I could make my own whole-wheat tortillas... but alas, that's for a later challenge.
• Added avocado slices just to be awesome
• Lastly, Dave and I both felt that searing the burrito along the seam was unnecessary and skipped it the second time we made these. Just as satisfying.

I love, love, love Cooking Light and have nothing but praise for that fine magazine. But I do often find their Mexican food to be a bit over-cautiously mild. Still, that's an easy problem to solve if you have some fresh peppers on hand. I like to keep Jalapenos and Serranos in the fridge for just such occasions.

Chow!

Off The Cuff Cooking: Maple Balsamic Pork w/ Plums

For the second day in a row, I was feeling inspired to cook what was on hand and do it fast. For the second day in a row, I loved the results.

Here is my "recipe" for Maple Balsamic Pork Chops with Plums:

Time: approx. 30 min.
Serves: 4 (or 2 very enthusiastic eaters)
Nutritional facts: Fatty meat, real butter, and deliciously sweet maple syrup, so have a hefty side of greens and don't worry about it.

Ingredients:
4 Pork chops, thawed
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 c. Maple Syrup
1/4 c. Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 c. White Wine
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 a large onion (more or less to taste) sliced into thin rings
2 small black plums, washed and sliced into small wedges

Melt butter over med-high heat until bubbling in the pan. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and add to pan, browning each side for 1-2 min. Remove pork and set aside. Toss onion and plum wedges in the pan, quickly adding maple syrup, balsamic, and wine. Reduce heat to med-low and toss ingredients until onions and plums soften- about 1 min. Return Pork to pan with onions and plums and add thyme. Cover and cook until meat is cooked to desired doneness (pork has somewhat recently been deemed safe to eat when still slightly pink, but I like mine well done.) Serve immediately with rice or couscous and green beans or other vegetables.

The best recipes are born out of desperation

I love when I accidentally invent a new staple-recipe in the Thomassen kitchen. Here is the back-story to the garlicy, tangy pasta dish that surprised Dave and I both with it's full flavor in little time.

I am participating in a 40-day corporate fast with my church. Yesterday was my first of two days where I will be abstaining from all food from sundown the night before to sundown the next day.

Let me tell you, I am an AWFUL faster. Yes, my hunger pangs led me to pray a little more fervently than usual, and more often, but for the most part, fasting just brings out the whiny baby inside me. So self-centered and food-dependent that going without just two meals made me feel weak, dizzy, and gave me a headache. What I wish I could do would be to take these symptoms cheerfully, pressing into Jesus. What actually happens is I can't stop thinking about food and arguing with myself about why I can't just fill my growling tummy.

My husband says I should be a juice faster, kindly telling me I'm too skinny to handle just water for 24 hours. I don't give myself so much grace. I think it's my flesh in its spiritual concept, not the flesh of my actual physical being, that gives me the affectation of complete depletion during a fast.

All that to say, when the sun set last night, I was not going to just stuff my face with a frozen dinner; I felt the absolute neeeed to break my fast with something delicious, satisfying, and worth the wait.

Had I planned a meal? Of course not. So into the kitchen I went, with just 30 minutes to cook before Dave and I had to go to a fantasy football draft.

Desperate, hungry, but unwilling to settle for less than inspired, I surprised myself with this, my very own...

"Break-Fast Chicken Pasta"
AKA "Pollo, verdure, e la pasta con il vino bianco e aglio"  (haha thanks, Google translate!)
AKA "Chicken, veggies, and pasta with white wine and garlic"

Ingredients: 
Chicken:
2-4 frozen, ready-to-cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts (ingredient caveat: this is what we had on hand that would be the fastest to prepare from frozen, but since these are cheaper than regular boneless skinless chicken breasts, and there is added water and rib meat, using a better quality cut, thawed in advance, would be advised. I am just recording this recipe as it was actually prepared.)
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Pasta:
1 pkg. thin spaghetti
1 tbsp. EVOO

Sauce:
1/2 large onion, minced
2-3 tbsp. EVOO
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 package fresh spinach
4-8 small, fresh garden tomatoes, sliced to preference (I did 1/4" thick wedges)
1/2 c. white wine

Topping:
4-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat the oil for the chicken in a large saute pan until shimmering. Add frozen chicken cutlets and cover, cooking about 10 minutes, or the time recommended on package directions. 

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti (or farfalle, or whatever pasta you desire, though be mindful of cooking time) in boiling water and oil.

Remove lid and flip chicken over. It should be slightly browned.  
Add lemon juice, then add seasonings to cover both sides of each piece of chicken. Cover and cook a few more minutes. Remove lid and using kitchen shears, cut chicken into smaller pieces to ascertain level of doneness and to incorporate seasonings. Let cook a few more minutes if still a little pink, until juices run clear and chicken is noticeably browned.

While chicken finishes cooking, heat oil in a large, high-walled sauce pan or pot over med-high. Saute minced onion until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Wilt spinach in this mixture, stirring constantly until all leaves have wilted, but still retain a bright green color. Turn heat down to simmer. Add tomatoes, cooked chicken, and pasta, stirring to incorporate.

Last, while it's still hot, deglaze the pan you used for the chicken using the white wine. It should bubble up to an immediate boil and you can scrape up all those tastey browned bits of flavor left from the chicken. Just wait until the wine stops bubbling and pour the glaze over the pasta, chicken, and vegetables.

Toss together with basil and cheese.

Enjoy!

(Photos next time I make this!)