Throwback Thursday: Spiced Pork Tenderloin w/ Sauteed Apples
There is something peculiar about combining sweet and salty flavors. I used to find my self being skeptical about pairing strange flavors, but recently they have really begun to intrigue me. Pork and apples is an old favorite combination of sweet and salty that never has seemed to bother me, probably because it is so common. Today, I find myself trying to find more unique combinations, but this is one recipe that will definitely still stay in the back of my head.
This recipe is great to serve when you have guests. The shallots give the sauteed apples a unique salty kick which pairs perfectly with a tasty slice of spiced pork tenderloin. A nice scoop of garlic mashed potatoes serves as a great side for this dish.
Mahi Mahi & Vegetable Medley w/ Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
After hearing about my plan to eat healthier, many of you voiced your desires for me to continue posting my comfort food posts. As much as I would love to be able to eat like that every day and not gain a hundred pounds, I can’t; but there is no need to worry! I stand before you with a recipe to prove that healthy can be just as delicious as all of my comfort food recipes.
This recipe is filled with nutritious vegetables and healthy fish, no cheese or empty carbs here, but I can guarantee that it has more flavor than most meals. I chose not to eat a starch with this meal, but it would go very well with a jasmine rice or white rice. The vinaigrette adds a delicious citrusy bang to the vegetables and fish.
Also!— I am happy to announced that there is finally a print button for my posts. Sorry it took me so long to figure out how to do that! You can find a button at the bottom right of each post, hope this helps you try my recipes more easily. =)
Throwback Thursday: Sauteed Steak w/ Green Peppercorn Sauce
This weeks Throwback recipe includes a very important staple in cooking- a basic brown sauce. A basic brown sauce is the base for many different gravies and other sauces. Once you are able to make a basic brown sauce, you will open all sorts of new doors for sauces. For me, this was a very exciting thing (like I tell you constantly, I am obsessed with sauces).
The green peppercorn sauce is great for steaks and simple enough to whip up on a weeknight. Looking back I am laughing at this meal… I ate every single peppercorn in my sauce and ended the dinner with my mouth on fire. Even with that, this was a delicious recipe!
Pork Involtini w/ Apples & White Bean Spread
This week I finally had a chance to go home and visit my family, and see my brother’s new American Bulldog/Boxer puppy! For me, visit home now consists of doing many loads of laundry (four huge loads this time), cooking with my mom, and playing pool with my dad. This week was especially exciting for me; my mom gave me a lighting kit! Hopefully now my little, yellow-tinted apartment will be easier to photograph my food in. =)
Involtini is great because it gives the cook room to be creative. You can fill involtini with pretty much whatever you desire. We chose a garlic white bean dip that my mom had made for a previous appetizer and added a classic match for pork, apples. This dish was great serves with swiss chard and wild rice.
Salmon in Lemon Brodetto w/ Pea Puree
I finally had a day off of work, which meant I could finally cook for me! After spending the day cooped up doing homework because of the blowing snow outside, I decided to make a semi-fancy dinner for myself as a reward for all of my hard work. =) This dish is plated kind of similar to the Cajun Salmon w/ Spicy Eggplant Salsa that I made a little while back, but has extremely different flavors. So, if that dish didn’t suit your taste, this one just might!
I have to say this might be one of the better things that I have tasted in a bit. The Lemon Brodetto gives the salmon a nice citrus kick and the pea puree tones it down with a rich flavor. I tweaked the original recipe, from FoodNetwork.com, and lowered the measurements for lemon juice. The lemon was just a tiny bit too strong with the original portions. I love how much flavor there is in this dish, plus it is super easy to make!
Honey Barbecue Glazed Chicken
It is interesting to me how quickly my brain can shift my food preferences throughout the day. Each day, sometimes even each hour, I feel like I am changing my mind about what would be good to eat. For those days when you want something sweet for dinner, a honey barbecue glaze is perfect. I think I have come up with a tasty honey barbecue glaze recipe that can easily be tweaked to suit any personal preference; I am looking forward to experimenting with it too! This recipe is great for weeknights, when you do not have much time for dinner. It goes great with Oven Roasted Potatoes as well!
Italian Sausage & Tortellini Soup
As I have mentioned numerous times before, I try not to eat pasta when I am not at work. So, to serve with the Double Tomato Bruschetta, I chose this recipe for an Italian sausage soup. Yes, I know that tortellini still counts as pasta, but it is a bit fancier and this recipe doesn’t use very much of it. This soup captures the essence of true Italian flavors- basil, tomato, garlic, oregano, and red wine- and is a great alternative to the typical Italian pasta dinner.
Cajun Salmon w/ Spicy Eggplant Salsa & Minted Cucumber Relish
This is probably the fanciest recipe I have ever made. A friend of mine typed this recipe up and sent it to me during her vacation, I had been looking forward to cooking it with her. I was like a little kid with a new toy while I was cooking and plating the food. It is always fun to make fancy dishes that you can plate nicely. This recipe has a LOT of flavors in it, but my friend and I decided that the cucumber relish really isn’t very necessary and it would probably have been better without it. The eggplant salsa was very unique, but really good!
Indian Meatballs w/ Curried Vegetables
I came across a recipe for Indian Meatballs while I was in New Zealand last summer, but never got around to making them. This week I decided to add to the recipe I found to make this dish. This dish is not very spicy because the coconut milk tones down the curry, but can be made spicier with Siracha if you desire. This took me a bit longer than I expected… I never realized that making meatballs was such a hassle!
Trailer Trash Pot Roast
My friends and I decided to have an early holiday dinner to celebrate Christmas this week. A little while back, I came across this recipe on the Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy blog, but hadn’t gotten a chance to make it. A pot roast is a great thing to make during the holidays, because you can begin cooking it early, then cook everything else while it finishes cooking. This recipe combines Coca Cola and Chili Sauce for a perfect combination of sweet and spicy.
