Slow and Low Pulled Pork

A few weeks ago I bought a Boston butt, or, pork shoulder, if you will. I have meant to make a pulled pork probably every other day (bad me for no menu planning!)

The night before last was the night. I finally decided (remembered) that I had the pork, and it needed to be slow cooked. I seasoned it heavily, chilled, let come to room temp seared, and then roasted slow and low covered in the oven.

I contemplated using the slow cooker, but since I was to be at home that afternoon, I made the decision to oven roast.

Wow! The flavor was so delicious, and smoky (thanks to my liquid smoke). I know some poo-poo the idea of liquid smoke, but I am not able to grill so I had to get that flavor somewhere!

It wasn't a time friendly recipe, so if you plan to make this, do it when you have a half a day with nothing to do!

Pulled Pork

Rub ingredinets:

1 3lb. pork butt (boston butt; actually the shoulder)

2 1/2 Tbs. chili powder

1 1/2 Tbs. cumin

2 Tbs. smoky paprika

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. cayenne powder (or less if you don't like spicy)

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 Tbs. coarse salt

1 Tbs. pepper

2 tsp. liquid smoke

2 Tbs. canola oil (for searing)

Add all above ingredinets into a small bowl and stir to combine.

Pour rub over pork and rub it all over. top, bottom, sides, etc.

Put in fridge for 2 hours.

Take pork out and let come to room temp. Meanwhile preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking pan with foil.

Heat a large skillet over med. heat. Add the canola oil and let it heat up. Sear pork on all sides until brown (in my case it got a little black, but honestly it didn't matter. It still tasted phenomenal)

Put pork in foil lined pan and cover tightly with foil.

Put in oven and cook for one hour. lower heat to 325 and cook an additional 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Take out of oven and let rest (cool a bit) then shred with two forks.

Serve with a homemade bbq sauce, or use a store bought like I did.

I only dipped though, there was already tremendous flavor from the pork on it's own. : )

Chicken Kafta with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Traditionally, Kafta is made with ground lamb (or a mixture of beef and lamb). In an effort to continue my healthy cooking habits I decided to use ground chicken. Kafta is either grilled on a bbq, or simmered in a sauce. I did neither. I decided to make use of the broiler on my oven, and it worked wonderful. The kafta is very simple, and doesn't use many ingredients. You wouldn't know it though because the flavor is so intense. I made a cool cucumber sauce with some left over yogurt, a little mint and cucumbers to serve on top (or just dip into). The sauce complimented the kafta well, I'm glad I made it (it was a last minute decision).

This was the first time I used ground chicken and I am really happy how the kafta turned out. I don't think I want to go back to red meat, it was that good!

Chicken Kafta

1 lb ground chicken

1/4 cup grated onion

2 tbs. fresh chopped parsley

2 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. olive oil

1.5 Tbs. bread crumbs (I used this because the grated onion made the meat rather wet)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to broil

Mix all ingredients together and shape into oblong patties. Lightly oil an oven safe grill pan and arrange the patties on top. put in broiler and cook for about 5-6 minutes each side. (the temp may vary so keep an eye on them.)

Serve with a simple puree of cucumber, mint, and yogurt.

This is how I enjoyed mine, but they are just as good alone.

Arnabeet Mekleh- Pan Fried Cauliflower

This simple dish makes me think of my Giddy (grandpa) back in MI. He makes this often, and usually has a plate of it on his table to munch on. It is a popular dish in Lebanon, and I can see why. All you need are 3 ingredients; the cauliflower, some oil, and a pinch of salt. I swear I could have eaten the entire head tonight, but I was good and shared with Chad.

Pan Fried Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower chopped into florets

2 Tbs. olive oil plus extra in a spray bottle to squirt

pinch of salt

Heat medium sized skillet over medium heat and add oil. Add cauliflower and salt and cook until browned and caramelized. Enjoy!

Turkey Cutlets with Provancal Sauce

I am loving the Cooking Light website lately. In an effort to eat healthier, I have been bookmarking recipes on this site left and right. So many recipes make it hard to choose. I bookmarked this recipe last week and I planned to use it with the chicken I bought but forgot all about it until I had already prepared our dinner that night. Tonight I needed a recipe for a couple of thick turkey breast cutlets I had. I remembered this recipe and decided to use it. It was simple and oh, so flavorful. One of those lick the pan sauces, my favorite! The only modification I made to the recipe was to add shallots to the sauce, other than that I followed it to the letter.

TURKEY with Provencal Sauce

(Cooking Light)

Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves ( I used 2 turkey cutlet sliced in half to make thinner)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbes de Provence

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.
Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broth and herbes de Provence; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until broth mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat; add butter and lemon juice, stirring until butter melts. Serve sauce over chicken. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and about 2 tablespoons sauce)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 248(30% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 1.8g,mono 4.5g,poly 1g); IRON 1.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 101mg; CALCIUM 32mg; CARBOHYDRATE 1g; SODIUM 376mg; PROTEIN 40.2g; FIBER 0.3g

Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison ,
write PublicationAppearance,Cooking Light, JANUARY 2005

Broccoli and Cheese Polenta

I'm all about the side dishes lately. I get so sick of eating the same ones over and over, so I've been trying to come up with some unique, but healthy new one.

Tonight I needed a side to go with the Turkey with Provencal sauce above. I didn't want it to be to busy since the sauce going on the turky was pretty intense in flavor.

I decided to do a simple polenta. But I wanted to add some kind of vegetable, so I used the box of frozen chopped broccoli I had in the freezer.

This was simple, tasted wonderful, and was quick to prepare and best of all after putting the ingredients into the Sparkpeople Recipe Calculator, it looks as though (makes 6 servings) there is about 137 calories, and only 3.4 g of fat per serving.

Broccoli Cheese Polenta

1 cup corn meal

3 cups chicken broth (fat free, low sodium)

1 box frozen broccoli thawed (I thawed in the microwave)

1 tsp butter

2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 cup 2 % shredded mozzarella

2 Tbs. grated parmesan

salt and pepper

Heat a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add chicken broth and let it come to a boil. In a steady stream, add the polenta whisking the entire time. Keep whisking until smooth. Let cook about 15 minutes and add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Cook about 5-8 minutes longer and serve.

Curried Rice Salad

I made this side dish to bring to a going away tiki party. A couple of my friends (coworkers) will be moving to brazil for a teaching opportunity. I am so VERY jealous of these girls, but I am also so happy for them. I can only imagine all that they are going to experience, and hopefully I will be able to visit one day. I'm going to miss them!

I was unsure what to bring to the party, because I knew it was going to be outside, and I was sure all the normal potato salads, etc. were covered. I sort of threw this recipe together and was quite happy with it. The spiciness of the curry, with the cool yogurt and sweet raisins made this a great (and healthy, yay!) dish to bring to an outdoor party.

This recipe could probably make 15-20 servings (maybe even more) so feel free to scale it to your preference.

Curried Rice Salad

2 Cups Basmati rice

2 Tbs. canola oil

4 1/4 cups chicken stock (I used homemade)

1 1/2 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

1 1/2 cup diced carrots

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup sliced unsalted toasted almonds

1 cup rasins (any type will do, I think golden would be nice but I used regular)

1 1/2 cup fat free yogurt

2 Tbs. curry powder (or to your taste)

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garam marsala

salt and pepper

Heat a large sauce pan over med. heat and add canola oil. Add onions and saute until they are transluscent. Add rice and toast about 2-4 minutes. Add stock bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and cook for 20-25 minutes. When rice is almost fully cooked add peas and stir. Let peas cook through (a couple minutes) and take pot off burner. Transfer rice to a fine mesh colander and rinse under cold water until rice is slightly cold. Shake out excess water and transfer to a large bowl.

In a seperate bowl, add yogurt and spices. Mix together well and add to rice. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and chill up to an hour.

Northern Bean Soup with Turkey Smoked Sausage

Tonight I was in the mood for something simple yet hearty and healthy. For some reason I have been on a bean kick. I have had some sort of beans the past 4 days. No big deal since beans are healthy, I just find it funny that every meal has to incorperate some sort of legume.

I came up with this soup, which was really quick and easy to make. I even entered all the ingredients into Sparkpeople and it turns out it is pretty darn healthy, and under 500 calories! I know it is summer, and this soup is more fall or winter-ish, but I'm a soup freak. I could eat it every day. Unless it is a cold soup, like gazpacho. We had a discussion about cold soups on my message board (The Nest) and most of the ladies agree that soup should be served hot. I have nothing against those who enjoy a cold soup, but I can't get over the, well, coldness of it.

Northern Bean Soup with Turkey Smoked Sausage

7 oz. Louis Rich smoked sausage chopped ( one link)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

3 garlic cloves minced

2 cans northern beans rinsed and drained

1 1/4 cup pearl barley

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. pepper

2 bay leaves

2 Tsp. canola oil

7 cups chicken stock

Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Add canola oil and saute pepper, onion and celery until onion gets soft. Add garlic, sausage, bayleaf, oregano, salt and pepper. Saute about 4-6 minutes. Add barley and toast about 1-2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring contents of the pot to a boil. Add beans, lower to a simmer and cook 20-30 minutes or until barley is cooked. Using an immersion blender, blend soup about 15 seconds to thicken. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving

Calories 408.2
Total Fat 7.2 g
Saturated Fat 1.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.0 g
Cholesterol 19.5 mg
Sodium 775.7 mg
Potassium 864.0 mg

Total Carbohydrate 65.5 g

Dietary Fiber 14.2 g
Sugars 5.0 g
Protein 21.9 g

Beef Tamales

Keeping with the theme of eating healthy (and mexican, lol) I made beef tamales. I have never made tamales before and they were on my "to make" list, so when I saw a Cooking Light recipe for them I decided to give them a try. I have to admit, they were a bit time consuming (because of the cook time for the beef, and then the steaming) but I didn't care. I was making these. I couldn't believe the nutritional info, so little fat and calories, in a serving size of two tamales that meant I could have 3, lol! Unfortunately, 2 were plenty. They are pretty filling. I made slight variations to the original recipe only because I didn't read it well. Oh well, I doubt they would effect the nutritional value little, if any. I made a super easy red chili sauce to accompany the tamales. The sauce lent a wonderful flavor to them I'm so happy I decided to make it.

Chad had never had tamales before and wasn't sure how to eat them. After a little Tamale 101, he understood. : )

I am really happy that these turned out so well. Next time I'm sure to use left over beef or pork instead of braising, and then steaming in the same day. That took about 2 1/2 hours. Definitely not a weeknight meal unless some of the work is done ahead of time.

Beef Tamales

(Cooking Light)

Filling:

Cooking spray

1 1/2 cups chopped onion 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 pound beef stew meat

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground dried red New Mexico chile

16 large dried cornhusks

Dough:

3 cups masa harina

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

1 cup water

Remaining ingredients: 16 long thin strips dried cornhusk ,1 cup Red Chile Sauce (optional)

My Red Chili Sauce:

1 8oz. can tomato sauce

1 1/2 Tbs. Chili powder

1 Tbs. cumin

1 tsp. sugar

dash of salt and pepper

Mix all together in sauce pan and simmer 5 minutes.


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare filling, heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Add beef; sauté 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Stir in 1 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring mixture to a boil. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender.
Transfer beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Pour drippings into a glass measure. Add enough water to drippings to equal 1 cup. Wipe pan with paper towels.



Shred beef into bite-sized pieces. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Return beef to pan; sprinkle with flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in ground chile; stir in drippings mixture. Reduce heat, and cook 7 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring often. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.
Place whole cornhusks in a large bowl; cover with water. Weight husks down with a can; soak 30 minutes. Drain husks.



To prepare dough, combine masa and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add butter and oil; stir well. Add broth and 1 cup water; stir until a soft dough forms.

Working with one husk at a time, place about 1/4 cup masa dough in the center of the husk; press dough into a 4 x 3-inch rectangle. Spoon about 2 tablespoons beef mixture down one side of the dough. Using the corn husk as your guide, roll tamale up, jelly-roll style; fold bottom ends of the husk under. Tie 1 corn husk strip around tamale to secure; stand upright in a vegetable steamer. Repeat procedure with the remaining whole corn husks, masa dough, beef mixture, and corn husk strips.

Steam tamales, covered, 50 minutes, or until the dough is firm. Remove tamales from vegetable steamer; let stand 5 minutes. Serve with Red Chile Sauce, if desired.

(Take a look at my make shift steamer!)


8 servings (serving size: 2 tamales)


Nutritional Information
CALORIES 145(27% from fat); FAT 4.3g (sat 1.4g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.9g); IRON 1.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 49mg; CARBOHYDRATE 19.9g; SODIUM 268mg; PROTEIN 7.9g; FIBER 2.2g

Fiesta Black Beans

If you are looking for a fast easy side dish to accompany a mexican or southwestern meal you have found it. This literally took like 12 minutes to prepare including the prep. I made these beans to go with the tamales above, and they complimented the entire meal. We had a bit left over, which is fine because we'll get to eat them tomorrow. Which means they will have more time for the flavors to mingle.

Fiesta Black Beans

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1/3 cup onions chopped

1/3 cup poblano pepper chopped

1/3 cup grape tomatoes chopped

2 garlic cloves minced

1 Tbs. chopped cilantro

1 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbs. canola oil

1/4 cup water

Heat a med. sized skillet over medium heat. Add canola oil and heat until shimmering. Add onions, poblanos and tomatoes. Cook until onions start to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Ad the remaining ingredients and simmer until liquid has been absorbed about 5-8 minutes.