http://fullbellies.posterous.com/

This is a Smithie's food blog and everything looks amazing-- to me :)

It has been my recent procrastination stop.

Enjoy!

Lamb Chops, Moroccan CousCous and Brussel Sprouts and Broccoli

Last nights dinner felt like a long deserved meal.  We don't cook much meat at home because we both feel like cooking meat means grilling outside, and unfortunately, no tengo un grill.  But when I do cook meat at home, I am reminded that it can still be just as delicious, just maybe not as fun as standing outside with a cold beer, a good conversation and a hot grill. 
This dish was a create-as-you-go meal, but here is the jist of what I did.
4 individually cut lamp chops (with a good piece of fat on them for flavor)
In a baking dish I added:
-chopped garlic
-extra virgin olive oil
-red wine vinegar
-balsamic vinegar
-sea salt
-pepper
-fresh rosemary, chopped
-fresh mint, chopped
I let the lamb chops marinate for about 30 min. before cooking, since I didnt have much time from buying til eating as I was hungry, but 30 min. still worked just fine!  I would ocassionally flip the chops to evenly distribute the marinate.
On my stove top grill pan, i had the heat on medium and I cooked the chops for about 5 1/2 min. on each side for a medium rare chop and basted with the extra marinade after I flipped them.

Isreali CousCous turned Moroccan
I LOVE Moroccan food and since the mint smelled so good, I thought I would turn the couscous into a Moroccan dish.
Using Isreali CousCous (Pearl CousCous):
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a pot and cook couscous until turning golden brown (about 3 min. tossing continously) then added 2 cups of water (to what was about 1 3/4 c of couscous).  After the water starts to boil, turn to low heat and let couscous cook.  I chopped up slivered almonds that I have on my counter for snacks, breakfast and salads and added it to the cooked couscous along with a hefty amount of chopped mint and currants (small raisins).  This could not be easier and tastes delicious.

Brussel Sprouts and Broccoli
While cooking freshly bought food, I also wanted to make sure I wasnt wasting any food I had in the fridge, so we decided to cook all of the brussel sprouts (quartered) and some broccoli (cut up), with some garlic.  Rather than doing what I usually do (roasting them) I wanted to cook them on the stove with a little extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and siracha sauce (for a spicy dish) and a little salt and pepper. Before the dish was finished I added some thin strips of the lemon rind to the dish and let the brussel sprouts and broccoli char on the ends for extra flavor. 

These three dishes combined on one plate was VERY easy to make and didnt take too much time.  HIGHLY recommend making it.  Enjoy!!

Roasted Brocolini

I made this DELICIOUS and extremely easy dish for dinner tonight after having a very late lunch, so I wasnt too hungry but knew I wanted to eat something to top off Memorial Day Weekend.  I bought a bunch of brocolini at the Farmers Market on Sunday so thought I would roast it in the oven with some good spices for an easy and delicious meal.
Heres what I did:
Pre-heat the oven at 420
Prewashed the brocolini and trimmed the stems just a little bit. 
Cut up some garlic into slices
Put the brocolini and garlic slices in a bowl and poured a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil over them.  I then added two new sea salts that Wheeler and I bought at the Ferry Building Farmers Market on Saturday. One flavor was a chili flavored salt and the other was a dried lemon salt.  I added a little bit of both and then a few chili pepper flakes (i wanted a little zing to my din), tossed and put it on a pan that had tin foil over it (easier for clean up) and put it in the oven at 420 degrees.  I kept an eye on the brocolini but I wanted the brocolini to char and be a litte cripsy.  I tossed the dish once while in the oven and probably took it out after 20 min. of being in the oven.  Once out I squeezed a very small lemon wedge on my dish and enjoyed a VERY easy and deliciously light meal. 
ENJOY!!

Polenta with Cherry Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Garlic and Parmesan Cheese

Every once-in-a-while I like to buy the pre-made polenta as sort of a "fridge/pantry stuffer" with no idea in site of what to do with it.  Last week while cleaning out the fridge I realized I still hadn't cooked my polenta I bought a week or two before, and while not wanting food to go to waste, I whipped up a delicious meal.  It was DELICIOUS!

Since I made this up from scratch, there aren't any measurements, but I definitely recommend making this for a easy, comfort food that doesn't take much skill.

1 Pre made Polenta "roll" sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
Cherry Tomatoes (as little or as many as you want! I used the whole container)
Garlic (thinly sliced)
Fresh basil (chopped)
Sliced mushrooms (as many or little as you want)
Parmesan cheese
Fresh mozzarella cheese 
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

*Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

•In a sauce pan combine, lightly heat up olive oil and add tomatoes (full). 
•Add sliced garlic and mix.  (Make sure the pan is not too hot to burn the garlic but let flavors and smell combine. )
•Add chopped basil and sliced mushrooms.
•Spoon in some of the fresh mozzarella cheese juice.
•Cover pan and let cook.

In another sauce pan:
•Heat olive oil
•Add sliced polenta, allowing it to lightly brown on the bottom before flipping over. (You may need to do two batches of these.)

Once all of the polenta has been cooked on both sides, take out a baking dish (Pyrex).
•Pour a little bit of olive oil on the bottom
•Place your first layer of polenta down. (Depending on size of baking dish you may be doing layers.) 
•Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over polenta. (Add pepper if you wish as well)
•Top with tomato/mushroom mixture. 
If you have more polenta, make a new layer and layer with paremesan cheese and the rest of the tomato/mushroom mixture. 
•Top with as little or as much shredded parmesan cheese and fresh mozzarella (cut into slices)
•Add any pepper to the dish
•Place in the oven. 
•Cook until cheese has melted. 
Serve onto plates and enjoy!

Southern goodness!

Last Monday was reason for a real celebration - a day off from work! Tim and I both wanted to make a decadent and delicious dinner, and I was craving a slice of the south. We put together the following combination and it was AMAZING! And...the leftovers lasted all through the week. I highly recommend and, note to self, three pounds of meat is way more than enough. Even with our appetites. Oh my amazing - thank you, Martha S.!


Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches



Prep: 10 minutes Total: 2 hours 40 minutes

Pork shoulder, a well-marbled cut available at most supermarkets, turns fork-tender after long, slow cooking. Ours is especially succulent with a spice rub and vinegar.



INGREDIENTS

Serves 8.

1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 4 equal pieces
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 soft sandwich rolls, split
Store-bought barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)
DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in lower and upper positions. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cayenne, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Place pork in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot; rub with spice mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 cup water; pour over pork. Cover pot, and place in oven on lower rack. Bake until pork is very tender and separates easily when pulled with a fork, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Transfer pork to a work surface, reserving pan juices. With two forks, shred meat. Transfer to a large bowl, and toss with pan juices to moisten (you may not need all the juices). Pile pork on rolls, and top with barbecue sauce, if desired.


Classic Creamy Coleslaw

The classic slaw. This tangle of cabbage and carrot is dressed with a balance of tangy mustard, mayonnaise, and sour cream.



INGREDIENTS

Serves 6 to 8.

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 small green cabbage, (about 1 3/4 pounds), finely shredded
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks or coarsely grated
1 small onion, coarsely grated (optional)
DIRECTIONS

Whisk together mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, mayonnaise, and sour cream in a small bowl. Refrigerate dressing, covered, until ready to use, or up to 2 days.
Put cabbage, carrots, and onion (if desired) in a large bowl. Pour in dressing, and toss thoroughly. Refrigerate, covered, until slaw begins to soften, 1 to 2 hours. If not using immediately, refrigerate, covered, up to 2 days. Just before serving, toss coleslaw again.






Cucumber and Sweet-Onion Salad

Prep: 10 min Total: 10 min



INGREDIENTS

Serves 8.

3 English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh dill, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, toss together cucumbers, onion, dill, oil, lemon juice, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.

Whole-Grain Spaghetti with Garlicky Kale and Tomatoes

Hans Gissinger

Serves 4
Hands-on Time: 15m
Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

• 6 ounces whole-grain spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)
• 2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup chopped roasted almonds
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino (1 ounce), plus more for serving

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the kale and cook, tossing frequently, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, tossing frequently, until the tomatoes begin to soften, 1 to 2 minutes more.

3. Add the kale mixture, almonds, pecorino, and reserved cooking water to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve with additional pecorino.

I made this dish (taken from the Real Simple magazine) and thought it was VERY easy and really delicious!  I was amazed with the amount of Kale you use, literally the whole bunch, but it obviously shrinks when it is cooked.  I topped mine with Tabasco (the green bottle) which was a perfect addition!

Tip:

Supercharge this heart-healthy dinner by adding chopped oil-packed sardines to the pan along with the tomatoes.

Nutritional Information

Calories 413; Fat 16g; Sat Fat 3g; Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 313mg; Protein 17g; Carbohydrate 56g; Sugar 6g; Fiber 8g; Iron 5mg; Calcium 335mg
credit: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/whole-grain-spaghetti-with-garlicky-kale-and-tomatoes-00000000051131/
 

Mexican Rice

At my Mexican Pot Luck, I served this Mexican Rice and got MANY compliments.  Really, thank Paula Dean.  =)
VERY easy and great to have for a few meals!
Prep Time: 10 min  
Cook Time: 20 min 
Level: Easy  
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar

Directions

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook until the rice is browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in the water, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15 to 17 minutes. Stir in the cheese and transfer to a serving bowl.

credit: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/mexican-rice-recipe/index.html
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen (PBDB Collector's Issue 2009, pg. 90) 

North African chicken

Braised Thighs, Olive, Potatoes, Chiles, Fingerlings in Tomato Broth

Recipe courtesy Michael Symon

Prep Time:

30 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

45 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 tablespoons blended oil
• 2 shallots, halved, peeled then sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 3 Fresno chiles, sliced into rings
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 12 fingerling potatoes, halved
• 2 to 3 cups Chicken Stock, recipe follows
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand and half the can of juice/sauce
• 2 cups pitted cerignola olives
• 1 cup pitted oil-cured olives
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
• Zest of 1 orange
• 
  
• Salad
• 1/2 shallot, minced
• Splash sherry vinegar
• Salt
• 1 orange, zested, supremed and juiced
• 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves
• 1 small bunch arugula
• Sea salt

• Chicken Stock
• 2 pounds chicken backs and necks
• 2 pounds chicken feet, or additional backs and necks
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Directions

Place a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place the chicken pieces onto a paper towel and pat dry to help create extra-crispy skin. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the blended oil to the pot and add the chicken thighs, skin-side down and allow to sear until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Flip and continue to brown moving the thighs to the side of the pan. To the other side of the pan, add the shallots, garlic, sliced Fresno chiles, salt, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and stir to combine. Add the fingerling potatoes and season with kosher salt. Add about 2 cups chicken stock or enough to come 2/3 of the way up the meat and add the whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand, along with half the juices/sauce. Stir in the cerignola olives, oil-cured olives, and kalamata olives. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Lower the heat to medium and cover with a lid. Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When ready to serve, add the orange zest and stir to combine.
For the salad:
Place the shallots, vinegar, and salt in a medium bowl. Zest the orange. Using a sharp knife, remove the peel and pith from the orange. Holding the orange over a bowl (to catch any juice), supreme or segment the orange. Set the supremes aside. Squeeze the remaining orange membrane into the bowl to collect all the orange juice. Whisk in about 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Taste and season with salt, if needed.
To another medium bowl, toss in 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves and a small bunch arugula leaves. Add a small amount of dressing and toss to combine.
For serving:
Plate the chicken pieces onto a serving platter. Top with the potatoes, olives, and tomatoes. Season the chicken mixture with sea salt and top with the dressed greens. Serve with remaining sauce alongside the table.

Rinse the chicken parts thoroughly. In a 10-quart stockpot, combine the onion, carrot, garlic, thyme, salt, bay leaf, peppercorns, and 1 gallon cold water. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, skimming and discarding any foam and impurities that rise to the surface. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 5 hours, skimming the surface as necessary. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the solids.
Makes 3 quarts

I saw a very tasty dish on the Food Channel and tried it out with Mom and Meagan as my guinea pigs... And, it was delicious!

Hmmm.... it won't let me copy and past the recipe OR copy and paste the link! This blogging thing may not be for me. We better stick to the experts: sunsetintherearview and esimmonsphoto!

But, if you're interested in this chicken goodness, go to: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/ and search recipes, Michael Symon, Braised Thighs, Olive, Potatoes, Chilies, Fingerling Potatoes in Tomato Broth :)

I basically followed the recipe all the way through except I added a little extra of each of the spices that were called for (you know me, I like to kick it up a notch) and I only used two out of the three recommended types of olives. I did that because I couldn't find the other at Whole Foods. I liked the new type of olive M.S used, but it's not really worth the trouble unless you can find them already seeded. Luckily, Meagan was my sous-chef and I gave her that annoying task-- she loved it!

Also, I tasted the dish while it was boiling away and it had quite the kick because of the chilies, so I added about a tablespoon (or a big squirt ;) of honey. Waala!

Definitely top it with the arugula salad, or serve it on the side like we did; it was the perfect balance and fresh crunch to this dish. One last tip, I used a little bit of orange juice in the dressing I made for the simple salad and the best Texas oranges made it super yummy. The zest too!

I hope you all try this, it was fun and good! GOOSEY: I recommend you NOT use the chilies. Otherwise, I think you'd like it.

Love,
A girl who likes to cook...and be the head chef. hahahhahahahaha (Am I funny? Because that made me laugh at myself).


I love you all, Queens of Foodies, Princesses of the kitchen!

xo, princess winnie 
credit:http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/cook/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,COOK_41503_495034_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html

Sesame Miso Salad Dressing

Sesame Miso Dressing and Quinoa and Veggies

Makes 1 cup

• 3 tablespoons white miso
• 3 tablespoons white or brown rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon light-brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons spicy toasted sesame oil
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup plain (not toasted) sesame oil or vegetable oil
• 1 scallion, minced

Directions

1. Whisk in orange juice. In a steady stream, slowly whisk in the sesame oil until smooth. Stir in scallion.

My comments: I did not have a spicy toasted sesame oil, so I skipped that part. As for the 1/4 cup of plan sesame oil or vegatable oil, I decided to do half and half. I also added some lemon juice and flax oil to the dressing and used my hand blender to mix everything together.

What I served this on? I did my best attempt (that worked out GREAT) to copy my favorite dish at one of my favorite restaurants in SF called Plant. The dish is the Quinoa Bowl that has LOTS of fresh veggies (steamed and raw) on a bowl of quinoa with a miso dressing. I prepared my quinoa and used the extra veggies I had in my fridge while also picking up a few more. The dish had broccoli, green pepper, mushrooms, sliced carrots, swiss chard and pea shoots (with ginger and garlic as well). I HIGHLY recommend doing this and left overs should be tasty!!!

Dressing Credit: http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/sesame-miso-salad-dressing

Miso Salmon

Sweet And Salty Recipe For Salmon

Japanese recipe for fish that'll transport your tongue.

A recent study linked Japanese men's high fish consumption with raised levels of omega-3 fatty acids and a lower incidence of heart disease. This sweet and salty recipe for this fish is an entrée of omega-3-rich salmon is like an Rx for your ticker.

Prep: 5 min Cook: 8-11 min
3 Tbsp white miso
1 Tbsp mirin
8 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp peanut or canola oil (I used sesame oil)
4 6 oz salmon fillets, about 1 1/4 inches thick
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced

(I did not have a scallion or the peanut oil, so I skipped on the scallion and used sesame seed oil instead of peanut oil)
1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2. Whisk miso, mirin, and soy sauce in a small bowl until well blended.

3. Add oil to a large nonstick, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add salmon, skin side up, and cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Flip fish over and place skillet in oven; roast salmon until it reaches the desired degree of doneness, 6 to 8 minutes.

5. Brush salmon with miso mixture; sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallion and serve.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 326 cal, 14 g fat (2.1 g sat), 528 mg sodium, 6 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 40 g protein
credit: Womens Health Magazine:
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/miso-salmon-recipe

*my thoughts: extremely easy to make, absolutely delicious and a light meal.