Sauteed Green Beans and Butternut Squash

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Sauteed Green Beans and Butternut Squash
Serves 4

1 pound fresh or frozen whole green beans (4 cups)
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes (2 cups)
3 teaspoons olive oil
2 clove garlic, sliced thinly
Salt and/or Pepper

1. Preheat a 10-11" non-stick skillet over med-high heat.
2. Add 1 teaspoon oil. When it is hot, add the squash cubes.
3. Saute for 4-5 minutes, until the cubes begin to get lightly browned. Remove from the skillet, cover and keep warm.
4. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to skillet. When hot, add green beans.
5. Toss frequently, until the beans become hot and are beginning to lightly brown (4-5 minutes if fresh, 7-10 minutes if frozen.)
6. Return the squash to the skillet. Add garlic. Toss together until thoroughly hot (1-3 minutes.) Season with salt/pepper as desired.
7. Serve.

Nutritional data:
Calories:      64
Fat:            2.5g
Sat fat:       0.4g
Chol:            0mg
Sodium:     6.3mg
Carbs:      10.6g
Fiber:         2.9g
Protein:      1.8g

Beer Braised Pork Chops

BLOGGER WON'T LET ME UPLOAD A PICTURE AT THIS TIME! I have a nice photo of the meal, but Blogger seems to have changed it's procedures. :-(

Beer Braised Pork Chops
Serves 4

2 teaspoon olive oil
4 boneless pork chops (approximately 6 ounces each)
2 Anjou pears, peeled, cored and each cut into 8 wedges
12 ounces beer (it can be a lager or an ale, but NOT a hoppy beer!)
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
Your preferred seasoning (I like Penzey's Krakow Nights.)

1. Season pork chops with pepper or your preferred seasoning blend.
2. Preheat large 10-11" non-stick skillet over med-high heat.
3. Add oil.
4. When oil is hot, place chops in skillet and sear 4 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Remove to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
5. Add pears to the skillet, cooking about 6 minutes, or until golden. Remove to a plate.
6. Add beer and sage to the pan. With a plastic or wooden spoon, scrape any caramelized bits from the bottom of the skillet.
7. Return pork and pears to pan, partially cover the skillet and bring to a simmer.
8. Keep heat on low and braise 5-7 minutes, or until the pork is heated completely.
9. Remove pork and pears from skillet, cover to keep warm. Increase heat to medium, and cook about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced by half.

Nutritional data:
Calories:        305
Fat:                8.5g
Sat fat:           2.6g
Chol:            82.5mg
Sodium:         3.5mg
Carbs:          20.9g
Fiber:             3.6g
Protein:        32.3g

I specifically said "NOT a hoppy beer."  When the beer gets boiled down, all the flavors will become concentrated. If the chosen beer is a hoppy, deliciously bitter ale (such as the classic Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, or Dogfish Head's 60 Minute IPA) the resulting sauce will be overwhelmingly bitter. Find a soft, mild beer. I used New Glarus Spotted Cow. A German wheat ale (Franziskaner), a malty and fruity Belgian white ale (Hoegaarden) or Ommegang's Rare Vos would all work very well in this recipe because their flavors would pair well with the pork, the pears and the sage.

Mac 'n Cheese, Baked

Mac 'n Cheese, Baked
Serves 4

Note: this is not an ooey-gooey cheese-dripping version of Mac 'n Cheese. It uses relatively small amounts of cheese, but the end result is still a rich-tasting, warm comfort food meal.

2 cups dry shell pasta (8 ounces by weight)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (5 ounces by weight)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2 ounces by weight)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (1 ounce by weight)

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Prepare pasta according to directions on package.
3. Spray a 1 or 1.5 quart casserole with cooking spray (makes clean up easier).
4. Drain cooked pasta.
5. Combine pasta and remaining ingredients. Add to casserole.
6. Bake uncovered, until the cheese melts and gets browned (about 10-15 minutes).

Nutritional data:
Calories:        301
Fat:               6.5g
Sat fat:          3.3g
Chol:             19mg
Sodium:       145mg
Carbs:         43.9g
Fiber:               2g
Protein:       15.6g

As I served it with my Roasted Carrots and Peas.

Chicken Lo Mein

Chicken Lo Mein

Serve 6 (or fewer if there are hungry teenagers involved.)

6 ounces angel hair pasta (dry)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 medium onion, sliced and quartered

1/2 cup matchstick carrots

1 large green bell pepper, sliced

1 large red bell pepper, sliced

1/4 cup white wine

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced (8 ounces by weight)

2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

1/4 cup Asian Toasted Sesame salad dressing

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 pound precooked chicken, shredded and heated.

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large (10-11" non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Add olive oil.
3. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Saute for 3-5 minutes, or until they are beginning to become soft.
4. Add carrots, green peppers, red peppers and mushrooms.
5. Turn heat to high and add wine.
6. In a small dish, combine salad dressing and peanut butter. Warm in microwave to melt the peanut butter. Stir together.
7. Add salad dressing/peanut butter mixture to the vegetables. Stir to coat.
8. Add chicken. Stir to combine.
9. Either mix the angel hair into the chicken-vegetable mixture, or portion out the pasta per plate and top with 1/6 of the chicken-vegetable mixture.

Nutritional data:
Calories:        345
Fat:              17.6g
Sat fat:           4.2g
Chol:              60mg
Sodium:        248mg
Carbs:          28.5g
Fiber:             2.3g
Protein:        18.6g

Baked Alaska (built on Lemon Cake)

This is my first attempt at a Baked Alaska. I made a two person piece and two individual servings because I didn't know if any would work. I think this was a good first attempt, but I need to work a bit more on getting the meringue brown. (It went from was white for the first 3 minutes under the broiler, and then went from white to browned in about 15 seconds. I think it needed about another 10 seconds, but I panicked.)

All the various attempts.

The best single portion.

Already starting to melt.

Melty, but tasty.

Since I haven't mastered the Baked Alaska (yet) I am not going to give the recipe here. (If you want it, you can easily find one online.) However, I will give the recipe for the incredibly lemony cake that I used as the foundation. It is part cake, part souffle, and total deliciousness.

Lemon Cake

Serves 8

3 tablespoon butter, softened

1 cup sugar (or I used Splenda)

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 egg

1 cup Greek Yogurt

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup flour

3 egg whites

About 1 liter boiling water (for the water bath in the oven.)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Spray eight 5 ounce ramekins or 6 ounce custard cups with cooking spray
3. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and lemon zest, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg at low speed.
4. Add half the yogurt, half the lemon juice and half the flour. Beat until smooth.
5. Add remaining yogurt, juice and flour, beating until smooth. Set aside.
6. With clean beaters, beat egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form.
7. With a rubber scraper, fold half of the egg whites into lemon mixture, gently folding until no white remains. Repeat with remaining egg whites.
8. Divide mixture between ramekins. Place ramekins in a 9x13 baking dish. Add boiling water to the baking dish to surround the bowls with about one inch of water.
9. Bake until golden brown and just set in the center (about 30 minutes.)
10. Transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack and let cool for 10 minutes
11. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and serve warm. As the cake cools, it will begin to collapse.

Nutritional data:

Calories:       105

Fat:               5.1g

Sat fat:          2.9g

Chol:             48mg

Sodium:        44mg

Carbs:          9.1g

Fiber:           0.7g

Protein:        6.7g

Note: the flavor is HUGE lemon, but the color is very pale. If you want it to look more "lemony" you will need to add artificial food coloring. But the aroma and flavor is so pronounced that everyone will know it is lemon cake just from the incredible smells coming from the kitchen.

Bacon and Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms

Bacon and Cheddar Stuffed Mushrooms
Makes 24 Mushrooms

24 large button mushrooms
2 slices bread, torn
3 tablespoons bacon bits (or 2 slices bacon, crumbled)
1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

1. Remove stems from cleaned mushrooms. Finely mince the stems.
2. Preheat oven to 375F.
3. Preheat a 10" non-stick skillet and spray with cooking spray.
4. Add minced mushrooms stems. Saute until then get soft (4-6 minutes.)
5. Add torn bread. Continue to cook and stir until the bread becomes well-mixed.
6. Add bacon. Stir.
7. Add cheese and remove from the heat. Stir until well-mixed.
8. Fill each cap with a teaspoon of filling.
9. Place all caps in a 9x13 baking pan.
10. Bake, uncovered for 30-45 minutes, or until the mushrooms get hot and the stuffing browns.

Nutritional data (per mushroom):
Calories:     29
Fat:           1.9g
Sat fat:      1.1g
Chol:        5.5mg
Sodium:  72.4mg
Carbs:       1.2g
Fiber:        0.3g
Protein:     2.1g

Alternatives:
Onions, garlic instead of bacon
Crab meat instead of bacon
Onion and avocado instead of bacon and cheddar
Onion, sausage and mozzarella instead of bacon and cheddar
Sun-dried tomato, garlic and mozzarella instead of bacon and cheddar
Onion, black olive and feta instead of bacon and cheddar
Minced ham and shredded Swiss instead of bacon and cheddar

Baked Cod and Wilted Spinach with Parmesan Panko Crumbs

Baked Cod and Wilted Spinach with Parmesan Panko Crumbs
Serves 2

12 ounces cod fillets
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, mashed and minced
6 cups (9 ounces by weight) baby spinach, torn
1 tablespoon panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place fish in a shallow oven-safe dish. Sprinkle with your preferred seasonings (I used Penzey's Sunny Paris and Dill Weed.)
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or when the fish begins to flake apart. (Start checking for that at 20 minutes.)
4. While the fish is baking, preheat a small non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil.
6. When the oil is hot, add the panko crumbs. Toss frequently to prevent burning.
7. Then the crumbs begin to get toast colored, add the parmesan cheese.  Toss to combine and remove from the heat.
8. In the last 5 minutes of the fish cooking, heat a large (10-11 inch) non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil.
9. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Let it cook for a minute, and then add the spinach. (If you use a smaller skillet, you will need to do half at a time.
10. Toss the spinach frequently. You want the spinach to wilt, not fry. This will start slowly at first, but when the leaves start collapsing it will finish quickly.
11. Remove the spinach from the heat before all the leaves are wilted. Ideally, only about half the leaves will be soft and wilted when you remove the skillet from the burner. (They will continue to wilt as they sit in the pan.)
12. Add half the spinach to each plate. Top with half the panko-parmesan crumbs. Place half the cod on the plate and serve immediately (this is a dish that will not wait for people to come to the table.)

Nutritional data (for 6 ounces of cod + one portion of spinach):
Calories:       250 (179 cod + 71 spinach)
Fat:             7.3g (2 + 5.3)
Sat fat:        1.3g (0.4 + 0.9)
Chol:    124.7mg (124 + 0.7)
Sodium:   263mg (177 + 90)
Carbs:         4.5g (0 + 4.5)
Fiber:             2g (0 + 2)
Protein:     54.9g (51.8 + 3.1)

Variations:
You can also use haddock, pollack or just about any white fleshed fish
Add crushed red pepper to the spinach
Replace the parmesan cheese with sesame seeds (and replace the olive oil with sesame oil)