Dry Rubbed, Grilled Pork Chops

If you're in a time crunch this time of year, this recipe can really cut down on preparation work and still delight whoever is dining with you. The best part about these dry-rubbed pork chops is the simplicity and the fact that you can throw it together ahead of time during a busy day. 

You want to get thick, bone-in pork chops that will be able to withstand cooking on the grill. Mix the following ingredients together and then rub them onto each of the chops, covering all of the exposed meat thoroughly; 4 tsps Himalayan salt, 4 tsps chili powder, 2 scoops ground dry coffee, a touch of ground peppercorns, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp of coriander (cilantro can be used as a substitute), 1/2 tsp garlic powder (I used some jarred minced garlic in place and it worked well), 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp onion powder and 1 tbsp brown sugar. Place the rubbed chops into the fridge and store for up to two hours before grilling.

You want to grill the chops for about nine minutes per side over a medium heat on the outdoor grill. Times may vary depending on thickness, so be sure to check that the meat is white and juices run clear. You could make this in the broiler, but beware, it will lose something in translation.

Served with broccoli and some oven roasted sweet potatoes.

- Melissa

Spicy London Broil Marinade...mmmmmm

So this is a real simple recipe that can not only feed a handful of people but will really taste like you cared enough to DO something new and not just dump in the old McCormick packet of seasoning we all know so well. Plus, in case the word spicy up top didn't tip you off, this is not for the faint of heart or those afraid of smoky spice.

For starters, I used a cut of beef that is often referred to as a London Broil - but you can also use a thick cut of flank steak or a top round cut. After rinsing the meat and patting it dry, slice shallow cuts into the top and bottom so that the marinade can seep in, and then set it aside with a healthy sprinkle of sea salt and ground peppercorns.

Now for the marinade, you want to mix 2 tbsp of olive oil, at least 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, at least 2 tbsp of worcestershire sauce, 3 tbsp Sriracha hot chili sauce, 2 minced cloves of garlic, at least 2 tbsp of a spicy brown mustard (I used kosciusko brand - not Gulden's, people!) and a few pinches of dried thyme. Whisk all of the ingredients together and then set your meat into the liquid and spoon it over the exposed portion of the roast. Finally, sprinkle the top of the meat with some chili powder (I use ancho).

Place the covered dish into the refrigerator for at least four hours (more is always better!) and try to flip the meat at least once halfway through the marinating process.

To cook, we did 9 minutes per side of the meat at high heat on the grill, and it was the perfect degree of medium-rare. However, if you'd like a little less pink, add a few minutes on the grill.

Served with roasted fingerling potatoes and sautéed arugula, topped with grated semi-hard, Italian cow's milk cheese.

- Melissa

Simmered Cannellini Beans with Rice, Vegetables

We all know side dishes get monotonous so sometimes you have to think outside the box - or at least, read this blog and let me do it for you. A few months ago I had a side at a restaurant that stuck in my head because it was not only tasty, but different. It involved cannelloni beans (a.k.a. great northern beans) and some carrots, but beyond that I can't tell you what specifically was in it. Nevertheless, I decided to create something similar here at home and this is what I wound up with!

 First things first, you need to get the rice started. I recommend short grain brown rice. Put two cups of chicken broth in a large saucepan and bring it to boil, then add in a cup of rice and and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes while continuing to check on it. When the liquid gets low, add a little water and then stir, stir, stir for another 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, flat stainless steel pan, heat olive oil and then toss in two cloves of minced garlic. Dice 1/2 cup of carrots, 1/2 cup of celery and 1/4 cup onion. Add these to the pan once the garlic has started to brown and then cook over medium heat for another 5-10 minutes before adding in a can of drained cannelloni/great northern beans. Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes but reduce the heat and add a pinch of salt, a little freshly ground {white} peppercorns and some chopped parsley.

Finally, you want to take the softened rice and stir it into the skillet with everything else. Continue to simmer for about five more minutes over low heat, stirring to ensure that the flavors blend.

Served as a refreshingly crisp yet tame side with spicy dry-rubbed buffalo chicken breasts.

- Melissa

Macadamia encrusted Mahi-Mahi and Rosemary White Truffle Potatoes

While I always love to cook, sometimes I am just in the mood to really 'bring it' in the kitchen arena and remind my husband just how good he has it, haha. So last weekend I made macadamia encrusted mahi-mahi, rosemary and white truffle roasted potatoes and a salad that was mind-blowing on its own. Here's how you can replicate this evening...

For starters, you'll need to get the potatoes started as they take the longest. I chose small/medium red potatoes and I cut them into four pieces per potato, so fairly sizable chunks - skin on, of course. I tossed them in a large metal bowl with a mixture of olive oil, pink himalayan sea salt, white ground peppercorns, some sprigs of freshly cut rosemary and white truffle oil. You can find white truffle oil at any high-end grocery/gourmet store...it is pricey, but I recommend buying a small bottle and rationing it out - so worthwhile for the richness alone. Anyway, once the potatoes are coated with the mixture, move them to a baking sheet and bake them at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Now take the fish steaks (ours were frozen and purchased at Trader Joe's - I recommend fresh obviously, but do what you can!) and after rinsing them, lightly salt and pepper both sides. In order to coat the fish, you need to first dip it in coconut milk. However, if you don't have coconut milk, you can make a substitution with regular milk whisked with powdered ginger - its a close second, taste-wise. Once they are coated with milk, roll the fish through the breading mixture (1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter, 2 tbsp wheat flour and 1-1 1/4 cups of freshly ground macadamia nuts, coarsely ground) and then place them on a baking sheet that is lined with foil. Bake at 425 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is browned and crunchy.

As for the potatoes (which were cooking at a lower temp), you can leave them in while the fish cooks, but keep an eye on them to ensure they don't get TOO crispy, aka burnt. If they're getting done, just pull them out.

Served with a mixed green salad topped with crispy prosciutto and a homemade white balsamic vinaigrette and paired with a cucumber sake-tini. On a night like this, life was just GOOD.

- Melissa

Citrus-soy glazed Drumsticks

I am not a drumstick fan...unless it comes attached to a large turkey, that is - but sometimes they just seem like a bargain when I'm grocery shopping and so some of them come home with me even if I have no idea what will become of them. So this time, I tried a citrus soy glaze that really gave the skin and meat some real flavor and, as a result, I'm recommending it to you all.

For starters, combine 1/2 cup dry, plain sake (if need be, substitute rice wine vinegar), 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/4 cup orange juice, some freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/2-1 lemon), a pinch of brown (I use Splenda) sugar and 2 tsps freshly ground or grated ginger in a large bowl and whisk together. Place the drumsticks into the marinade and toss them a few times until coated. Save the remaining marinade and place the drumsticks in a stainless steel pan over medium heat. Let them cook on each side for a few minutes until the skin starts to brown, about six minutes total. PS - Add salt and pepper to taste while they are browning.

Next, add the remaining marinade from the bowl, reduce the heat slightly and let the chicken simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Continue to cook and rotate the drumsticks until the liquid has evaporated by 50 percent, then drain the liquid and sear the chicken for an additional few minutes until the skin is even darker. Be sure to cut a drumstick open to check the temp on the meat before serving - drumsticks can be tricky!

Served with mixed asian vegetables (frozen, oh, the horror!) and sliced sweet potatoes that were baked (for 45 minutes at 375 degrees) with cinnamon, chili powder and all spice in the oven.

- Melissa

Spicy Cashew Chicken (Pinterest Recipe)

It has been quite some time since I have posted here so I would like to formally apologize to my co-blogger(s) and to our followers.  Four months ago we added a little angel to our family and creativity, in the kitchen, has been put on the back burner for a while. 

That being said, quick and easy meals have become the newest installment in our culinary handbook.  My wife has recently become engrossed with Pinterest and has been selecting meals from other "Pinners" that look easy and sound tasty.  I slightly modified this recipe tonight and man was it delicious!  Here is what you will need:

2 Chicken Breasts Cubed
1 Tbsp. Cooking Sherry
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce (We use low sodium)
3 Tbsp. Oil
1 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
3 Green Onions, Sliced Diagonally
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1/2 C. Unsalted Cashews

For the Finishing Sauce:
4 Tbsp. Soy Sauce (We use low sodium)
1 1/2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
4 Tsp. Sugar
2 Tsp. White Vinegar

Marinade:
Combine 1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce and 1 Tbsp. of cooking sherry in a bowl with the cubed chicken and allow to marinade.

In a small bowl, whisk together 4 Tbsp. of low sodium soy sauce, 1 1/2 Tbsp. of cornstarch, 4 Tsp. of sugar, and 2 Tsp. of white vinegar.  (MY advice is to add the cornstarch last or you will have a hardened clump to deal with.)

Drain the marinaded chicken and heat 3 Tbsp. of oil in a wok on high heat.  Add the red pepper flakes to infuse the oil (This will add to the heat but in a good way!).  When you start to see bubbles on the red pepper flakes, add all of the chicken.  Allow the chicken to sit for a minute before turning to get a golden brown color to it.  Turn the chicken, and add the garlic.  Cook the chicken until done and add the cashews.  Remove the wok from the heat and immediately add the finishing sauce, continually stirring.  The sauce will thicken almost immediately but keep stirring until the chicken is well coated.  It will have a "candied" look when it is complete.  Sprinkle with green onion and serve with some jasmine rice, enjoy!

- Chris

You can find the original recipe by following this link:
http://mommachelleblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/cashew-chicken-with-kick.html

Greek Shrimp Tapas Dish

So I was watching Bobby Flay (if you've seen my husband, you might understand my 'type' and why I am drawn to Flay...ha!) and he was doing a version of this dish and I couldn't grab a pen and paper quick enough to jot some notes. So while I made a few changes, I stayed pretty close and thus, credit to the Irish guy from NY for sure.

First things first, take some grape or cherry tomatoes and place them on skewers to go on the grill. (Remember to soak the skewers in water if they're wooden for at least 30 minutes before loading them with anything and putting them on the grill!) So put the tomatoes on the grill for about 2 minutes each side or until the outside is charred and the insides are warm and bubbly.

Next, take a large saucepan and get it HOT. Once it is is ready, reduce the heat to medium and add olive oil, one diced shallot, a little white wine and one diced head of garlic. After that softens a little,  remove the tomatoes from the skewers and place them in. Using a wooden spoon, you want to sort of smush the tomatoes down so that they break up a little and start to really cook.

Meanwhile, you want to take the clean and deveined shrimp (I used medium sized, frozen ones because I live in a fish-less state) and load them onto some skewers. I removed the tails as well at this point since I think its easier than doing so when they are hot off the grate. You want to cook the shrimp skewers for a few minutes each side until they start to pink. Don't cook them all the way on the grill.

Now, as the tomatoes stew away, you want to add in some key ingredients - none of which I measured admittedly, so I urge you to use good judgement and follow my eyeballing advice! Start with some paprika (a few shakes), some crushed red pepper (be wary, the spice is not meant to take over), some ground cinnamon (be generous), oregano (generous again) and some mint (if it is fresh, use less - if it is jarred, more).

When your shrimp are done, pull them from the skewers and toss them in too and reduce the heat to low. Then you want to take a lemon and zest the entire outside and then squeeze all the juice into your mixture. Keep stirring this for a few minutes and feel free to taste and add any spices you feel might not be represented. Ideally, you want to taste almost everything that went into this - which sounds crazy, but its deliciously true.

Lastly, you top the entire dish with a healthy dose of feta. To serve with the tapas, I took some whole wheat flatbread and sliced it into triangles, drizzled it with olive oil and then sprinkled it with pink Himalayan sea salt and toasted it on a cookie sheet at 325 degrees in the oven for about 7 minutes.

The meal was completed by a light mixed green salad and a lovely bottle of red wine (Meditrina by Sokol Blosser). Opa!

- Melissa