Teriyaki Pork and Cauliflower

Hey friends! Happy Sunday! I have a few recipes to share with you this weekend… Here is dinner from last night…

I used a couple of short cuts- NO SHAME IN THE SHORTCUT GAME!

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Love this sauce! Found at Publix.
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Rice is rice. Why not make it easier to cook? 

So I added the sauce to a pork tenderloin and a head of cauliflower. I cooked it in my braising dish. You could also do this in a sheet pan with a lip or a large cast iron pan. But this pan is my favorite right now and I am cooking everything in it 😉img_4920 I cooked it in the oven at 375 uncovered until the pork was 145 internally and the cauliflower was tender, about 40 minutes. I let it rest for 10 minutes before I sliced in to it. While I let the meat rest, I cooked the rice…

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Tahini Bulgur Bowls with Charred Broccoli and Crispy Tofu

Another vegan dish from Purple Carrot. I read the recipe 5 times, and I changed the directions around in a different order. My prerogative as the chef 😉 Says it can feed 2, but I am getting 4 meals out of this…

What is bulgur?

Bulgur

Bulgur

Bulgur (from Turkishbulgur;[1] also burghul, from Arabicبرغل[2] bourghoul, “groats”) is a cereal food made from the cracked par boiled groats of several different wheat species, most often from durum wheat. It originates in Middle Eastern cuisine.

It cooks like Couscous, because it is parboiled and tastes like a cross between couscous and rice. You can substitute any grain you want to in this bowl, but I think you should give bulgur a shot. It is light, but very filling!

Ingredients

6 oz. broccoli florets (1 small package or 1 small bunch)
1 lemon, zest and juiced
1 package extra firm tofu, drained and dried with a paper towel
1 oz. fresh ginger. peeled and minced
3/4 cup bulgur wheat
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp tamari (vegan, gluten free soy sauce)
1 tsp. agave (like honey, but vegan)
3 tbsp sesame oil (my favorite ingredient, but don’t let the smell intoxicate you. Use sparingly!)
2 oz. of red cabbage (garnish only…pretty for pop of color)
1/2 cup edamame (I may have eaten more than I put in the actual dish! Addictive with salt!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 475. Roast the broccoli in a couple tablespoons of olive oil with some salt and pepper. Roast for about 10 minutes. Toss with the lemon zest at the end and put aside.

2. Add 2/3 cup of water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Ad the bulgur, mix, cover, and remove from heat. Let it rest covered for a bit until the end. The steam will cook it through.

3. Cook the tofu in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Toss occasionally, until browned on each side, about 5-6 minutes.

4. While the tofu cooks, make the dressing. In a medium bowl, add the garlic, juice from half the lemon, ginger, tahini, tamari, agave, and 2 tbsp of sesame oil. Whisk the dressing to combine. This dressing is a FLAVOR BOMB! LOVE IT!

5. Now they give directions on adding everything together. I think I just used smaller bowls than them? You are split everything in 2 bowls and top with the edamame and cabbage. I just did one bowl, ate it, then made 3 more bowls to eat and share this week.

It is a super yummy dish! I even think I could make this with more veggies, tempeh, seafood, chicken, or steak. Deconstructed Tahini Bulgar Bowls that everyone could add what they want!

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Beer Battered Tilapia

Tonight, I made beer battered fish Tilapia, Mac and cheese, and broccoli. The family always goes crazy for it! I got this recipe for beer battered fish from Alton Brown.

Ingredients-
1 1/2 pounds of firm-fleshed white fish like cod or Tilapia

Beer Batter-
Whisk the following in a medium mixing bowl:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 dash Old Bay seasoning
Whisk together slowly with 1 cup of brown beer. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Heat some vegetable oil in a pan. While it is heating up, dredge your fish in some cornstarch and tap off any excess cornstarch. Dip in to the batter and put in oil. Don’t crowd the pan. When the batter is set on one side, turn the fish over and cook until golden brown, about 4 -5 minutes on each side depending on thickness.

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Turkey Sandwiches are my life now..

January has been a rough month. Lots of crazy work stuff and family life etc. etc. etc. Still sticking to the basics when all of Fam is home. Pastas, chicken, crock pot meals… When the hubby is out of town for work, rouge cooking takes place; eggs, cereal, Indian take out, tofu with rice… but mostly turkey sandwiches. This is my lunch (deli sliced turkey, provolone,mayo, and mustard) but for dinner, I would add a tomato and half an avocado.
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Sweet Chili Hoisin Chicken and Veggies

Evening guys! I made this yummy combo tonight for dinner. I added a side of yellow rice that I found hanging out in the pantry, but you could use white rice, brown rice, or even toss them with some noodles. You could make this vegetarian buy subbing tofu or tempeh instead of chicken.
Sweet Chili Hoisin Chicken and Veggies
Ingredients
2 large chicken breasts cut in bite sized pieces
2 large sweet peppers (red, yellow, orange, green or a combo)
1 medium onion chopped in chunks or slices
small mushrooms or large ones sliced

Sweet Chili Hoisin Sauce
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 clove garlic minced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
zest and juice of 1 small orange or mandarin orange
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Make the sauce. Take your cut chicken and veggies and marinate them in the sauce for at least 30 minutes (in a bowl or zip top bag). Then Stir fry them all together until chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft.
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