Everyday Cooking: March 2013

Pork Dumplings

This recipe came from a friend, and it's a winner! So good! You would never think that dumplings are so easy to make, literally a 30 minute meal!

Ingredients:

Ground Pork

sesame oil

soy sauce

scallions

pot sticker wrappers

rice vinegar

sugar

Pork Filling: 1-2 lbs of Ground pork, scallions, drizzle of sesame oil and soy sauce. Mix in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add 1/2 spoonful of pork mixture to a dumpling or pot sticker wrapper, wet around edges and pinch edges together to seal tight.

Dipping sauce: soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar in that order and
decreasing in quantity, to taste. Add sliced scallions.

Cook dumplings in a pan with a lid. Fry one side in oil and don't overcrowd. When one side is browned, turn over and fry the other side. Next, addd 1/2 cup water and put lid on to steam for 2-3 min shaking them around often.
Remove lid and fry any remaining water off.

Serve with a favorite veggie and dipping sauce, enjoy :)

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 TB butter

Shallots; diced

Carrots; diced

Cilantro

2 cups Chicken Stock

1 1/2 cups water

1 can of black beans

Saute shallots and carrots in 2 TB butter

Add stock, water, beans, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste.

Use emulsifier to blend. Top with fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Modern Hawaiian Pizza

Jason loves Hawaiian pizza, so I decided to make my own! It came out pretty good....fresh pineapple are a bit juicy for the pizza, but the flavors were all there!

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough

1 red onion

fresh pineapple

fresh mozzarella cheese

prosciutto or speck

arugula

salt and pepper

Saute and brown onions in a pan

On the pizza dough, add fresh mozzarella cheese, carmelized onions, fresh pineapple slices, and salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until crust in golden on bottom and cooked through.

Add prosciutto or speck to pizza, bake for another 5 minutes.

Once out of oven, top with arugula.

Enjoy :)

Kale and Tortellini Soup

Kale may be my new favorite ingredient to incorporate into any meal these days. Besides all the great health benefits of kale, it adds a new flavor and crunch to any dish.

1 bunch of kale; chopped

onion; diced

hot italian turkey sausage; I just take out of packaging

cheese tortellini

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup of water

splash of white wine

salt and pepper

In a large pot, saute onions and 2 tablespoons of butter. Add sausage. Cook through. Add kale and salt and pepper to taste. Once cooked, add stock, water and wine. Bring to a simmer. Add tortellini.

I like to top it with Parmesan cheese :) Enjoy!

Apple and Blue Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops

I just love stuffed pork, the pork is perfectly cooked and juicy every time! Who doesn't like a little sweet and savory all together.

Ingredients:

Boneless Pork Chops 1 1/2 inches thick

1 large apple; diced

1/2 onion chopped

1/4 cup blue cheese; St. Peters is delish!

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Saute apples and onions in a pan until cooked and golden brown, but not mushy.

Let cool in a bowl for 5 minutes and add blue cheese; toss together.

Slice a pocket in to each pork chop then salt and pepper both sides well. Stuff chops with mixture, but leave a little bit to top chops in oven. I use a toothpick and "thread" the opening of the chops. In a cast iron skillet, brown each side of the chops for 1-2 minutes. Before baking the chops top with left over mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve with couscous. Enjoy :)

French Baguette Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Avocado

It was just another Saturday until I decided to bake a loaf of bread, then turn the baguette into a delicious grilled cheese sandwich with a twist! Who doesn't like cheese and bacon?! The perfect combo to any sandwich!

Here is where I found the recipe I used to make this delicious bread: Homemade French Baguettes

For the sandwich I baked the bacon in the oven for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

I added fresh slices of aged cheddar cheese to the bread and baked it until it was melted. To the sandwich I added fresh slices of avocado and 2 slices of bacon. So simple, yet so good! Enjoy :)