Archives for posts with tag: red onion

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October 3, 2014 //

I certainly wouldn’t be the first to profess my love of autumn on the Internet. It is hard for me to let go of summer, but the arrival of tart apples, pumpkin beer and foliage help. And as much as I hate to say goodbye to tomatoes and corn, the new season allows me to indulge in cooking and eating some other favorites, such as roast chicken and winter squash.

This week’s meal plan is a bit of a transition into a new season and menu. Like farmers markets this time of year where you can still get some pretty good peaches as well as gorgeous winter squash this meal plan isn’t ready to completely concede to cooler weather. Roast chicken is back, but I haven’t started roasting Brussels Sprouts yet (they are better after the first frost). And a trip to a Connecticut apple orchard last weekend inspired the pork chops with apples and cider.

Meal #1: Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Toast + Bacon
Meal #2: Hamersley’s Roast Chicken with Onions and Potatoes + Steamed Green Beans
Meal #3: Pork Chops with Apples + Sautéed Kale
Meal #4: Pasta Carbonara with Leeks and Lemon

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:
fresh (or dried) sage
dried thyme
dried rosemary
bunch of basil – 1
lemon – 2
leeks – 4
red onion – 3
bunch of kale – 1
green beans – 1 1/2 lb.
medium red potatoes – 6
tart apples – 2
apple cider – 3/4 cup
diced tomatoes – 1 28 ounce can
good bread – 1 or 2 slices per person
short pasts – 1 box
Dijon mustard (if you don’t already have it)
Parmesan cheese (if you don’t already have it)
eggs – 1 dozen
1/2 -inch-thick boneless pork loin chops – 4 (5 ounces each)
bacon
whole chicken – 4 lb.

Tags apples, bacon, cheese, chicken, cider, eggs, green beans, kale, leeks, lemon, onions, Pasta, pork chops, potatoes, poultry, red onion, toast, tomato

Categories Meal Plans

Pork Chops with Apples + Sautéed Kale

October 3, 2014 //

Pork Chops with Apples

Autumn is here, even though you wouldn’t know it here in the Northeast where this past weekend’s temperatures hit over 80 degrees! Despite the unseasonable weather we went apple and pumpkin picking in Connecticut with Patrick’s parents and came home with several pounds of delicious apples. Patrick and I probably both eat an apple a day, but we still have way too many. If I had the time I would make a pie or apple crisp, but for now I am working my way through our pile with savory dinner recipes, like this one from the Food Network, which I adapted for here.

4, 1/2-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops (5 ounces each)
1 ts. dried sage
Freshly ground pepper
1 TB. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 tart apples, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup apple cider

Rub both sides of the pork chops with the sage, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large skillet over high heat, then add 1 TB. olive oil and sear the chops until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Add the onion and apples to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cider. Return the chops to the skillet. Cover and cook, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pork chops, onions and apples from the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high so that the cider starts to boil. Let the cider boil for a minute or so until it thickens and then pour it over the pork.

Sautéed Kale

1 TB. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch of kale (any kind will do), stems removed and roughly chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and then add minced garlic. Stir garlic for 1 minute, or until it starts to smell good and then add kale. Cook the kale and garlic until the kale is wilted, season with salt and pepper.

Tags apples, cider, kale, pork chops, red onion

Categories Meals

In Good Company

September 26, 2014 //

Every Wednesday morning I eagerly await my subway ride so I can read The New York Times’ Dining Section. First I check the restaurant review, hoping for either a 4-star or 0-star review – the two ends of the spectrum yield the most entertaining writing – and then the latest recipes from Melissa Clark and David Tanis. Rarely am I disappointed and this week was no exception. In fact, I was thrilled to see that the entire section was devoted to homecooking. They pulled out all of the stops, with all of their writers devoting an article and recipe to either a simple cooking technique or style – from vinaigrette to scallops to tarts.

The goal of this blog, since its inception, has always been to provide my readers with unintimidating recipes, organized into meal plans with grocery lists so everyone could see that they can squeeze 30 minutes into their evenings to cook. It’s nice to see that my blog is in the good company of some of my favorite writers and cooks!

Fall’s here!

Meal #1: Mediterranean Chicken Thighs with Polenta
Meal #2: Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp + Green Salad
Meal #3:Pork Tenderloin with Plums and Red Onion + Corn on the Cob
Meal #4: Salmon with Potatoes in Tomato Sauce

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

lettuce – 1 large head
lemons – 2
orange – 1
plums – 4
red onion – 1
white onion – 1
corn – 1 per person
white potatoes – 3/4 lb.
parsley – 1 bunch
linguine – 1 box
polenta – 1 tube
reduced-sodium chicken broth – 1 1/4 cup
diced tomatoes – 2 cans (28 ounces each)
tomato paste – 1 small can
Kalamata olives – 1 cup
red wine vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
bone-in, chicken thighs – 8
pork tenderloin – 1 1/2 lb.
shrimp – 1 1/2 lb.
salmon – 4 (6 ounces each)

Tags chicken, corn, fish, kalamata olives, lemon, olives, orange, Pasta, plums, polenta, pork, potatoes, poultry, red onion, salad, salmon, seafood, shrimp, tomatoes

Categories Meal Plans

Back to School

September 5, 2014 //

By the looks of everyone’s Facebook posts most of your kids went back to school this week. Next week Eliza starts a two-day a week, morning preschool program and I gearing up for the excitement and nervousness that starting school will bring – more so for me than for her!

The beginning of the school year means that all of our lives get a lot busier. Along with the daily grind, many of you are probably juggling sports practices and games, music lessons and scout meetings. Finding time to meal plan, grocery shop and cook is even more difficult and ordering pizza is very tempting. I get it, I’m with you too. But, if you can swing it, it is nice to sit down a few nights a week to a home-cooked meal, and I promise you that this week’s meals are quick. I mean really quick. At least three of them can be thrown together in well under 30 minutes. Give it a try and if you’ve got bigger kids, enlist their help to put dinner together – they can use those burgeoning math skills to measure!

Big kids will love chopping (carefully!) all of the ingredients for this quick, delicious Greek Salad

Meal #1: Grilled Shrimp with Greek Salad + Corn on the Cob
Meal #2: Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri + Cucumber Salad
Meal #3: Caprese-Stuffed Peppers + Steamed Green Beans
Meal #4: Italian Sausage, Panzanella, Corn on the Cob

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

tomatoes – 6
cucumbers – 4
red onions – 2
corn – 2 ears per person
shallot – 1
red pepper – 3
green beans – 1 lb.
basil – 1 bunch
cilantro – 1 large bunch
parsley – 1 bunch
oregano – 1 bunch
jalapeño – 1 (or use hot red pepper flakes)
feta – 2 oz.
mozzarella – 1 large ball
Italian bread – 1 loaf
red wine vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
apple cider vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
kalamata olives – 1 jar (if you don’t already have them)
capers – 1 jar (if you don’t already have them)
Italian sausage – 1 or 2 per person, depending on the size
skirt steak – 1 1/2 lb.
shrimp – 1 1/2 lb.

Tags basil, beef, bread, capers, cilantro, corn, cucumber, cucumbers, feta, green beans, kalamata olives, mozzarella, parsley, peppers, red onion, Sausage, shrimp, steak, tomatoes, vegetarian

Categories Meal Plans

Grilled Shrimp with Greek Salad and Corn on the Cob

September 5, 2014 //

Grilled Shrimp with Greek Salad

On the hottest day of the year I wanted the stove on for as little time as possible. Shrimp are great because they cook in about 5 minutes and a greek salad is a perfect accompaniment.

Grilled Shrimp

1 ½ lb. medium or large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 TB. olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Add shrimp to a hot grill pan, saute pan, or grill. Cook shrimp on both sides for 2-3 minutes until pink. Remove from heat.

Greek Salad

1 large cucumber – peeled and chopped
1 large tomato – chopped
1/2 red onion – thinly sliced
1/2 pepper – chopped
12 kalamata olives – pitted and halved
2 oz. feta
2 TB. olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
pinch of dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste

Soak the red onion in 2 TB. of red wine vinegar while you prepare the other ingredients (5-10 minutes). Drain and rinse the red onion and toss with the rest of the ingredients. Let it sit while you prepare the rest of dinner so the flavors come together.

Corn on the cob

Boil water in a pot, put shucked corn in the water, turn off the heat and put a lid on your pot. Wait 10 minutes or so. Eat with lots of butter, salt and pepper.

Tags corn, cucumber, feta, kalamata olives, red onion, shrimp, tomatoes

Categories Meals

Italian Sausage, Panzanella and Corn on the Cob

September 2, 2014 //

Italian Sausage

You can use pork, chicken, turkey – whatever you prefer. If you have a grill, by all means use it! We don’t, so I broil the sausages for about 10 minutes, turning them over halfway through.

Panzanella (Tomato and Bread Salad)

3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
½ red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups of stale Italian bread, cubed
6-8 kalamata olives, halved
1 TB. capers
2 TB. red wine vinegar
4 TB. extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together and let sit for about 20 minutes. Add more vinegar, oil, salt or pepper to taste.

Corn on the Cob

Boil water in a pot, put shucked corn in the water, turn off the heat and put a lid on your pot. Wait 10 minutes or so. Eat with lots of butter, salt and pepper.

Tags bread, capers, corn, cucumber, kalamata olives, red onion, Sausage, tomatoes

Categories Meals

Chicken Cutlets with Tomato and Basil Salad and Green Beans

August 27, 2014 //

Chicken Cutlets with Tomato and Basil Salad

I can’t believe I’ve been writing this blog for this long without posting this chicken cutlet recipe! I make these all of the time – winter, spring, summer and fall. Breaded chicken cutlets are sort of like dumplings – every culture has their own version. In Italy – chicken milanese, in Austria – schnitzel, in Brooklyn – a breaded chicken cutlet. Call it whatever you want.

In the summer I love pairing them with a raw tomato salad. As a teenager, I used to get this dish almost every time I went to my favorite Italian restaurant on Long Island and I have been trying to recreate it ever since.

For the chicken cutlets:
1 1/2 lb. chicken cutlets, pounded thin
1/2 cup (ish) flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup (ish) bread crumbs (Progresso Italian Style or 4C Seasoned – seriously, go with old-school here)
1/4 cup (or more) vegetable oil (enough so that the skillet is covered)

Note: Only cook 2 or 3 cutlets at a time so that you don’t crowd the skillet. Leave a plate in the oven on a low temperature to keep your finished cutlets warm.

Place eggs, flour and bread crumbs in their own dish or on a plate and season each with salt and pepper. Season the chicken, on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Dip the chicken, on both sides, into the flour, shaking the excess off. Then dip the chicken into the egg on both sides, letting the excess drip off. And, finally dip the chicken into the bread crumbs. Place cutlets carefully into the skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until one side is nicely browned. Turn chicken over and cook for another 2 minutes, or so. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

For the tomato salad:
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 small-medium red onion, sliced thin
2 TB. (or more) balsamic vinegar
several basil leaves, torn
salt and pepper, to taste

Toss all of the above ingredients together and let sit while you are preparing the chicken so the flavors meld together.

Steamed Green Beans

1 lb. green beans, trimmed and halved if very long
1 Tb. butter
salt and pepper

Over medium-high heat, place beans in a steamer basket set in a pot with enough water to almost touch the beans, cover. It should take between 5-10 minutes for the water to come to a boil and steam the green beans until they are tender, but keep an eye on them so they don’t overcook and become limp. Remove from basket and toss with butter, salt and pepper.

Tags basil green beans, chicken, poultry, red onion, tomato

Categories Meals

It’s not over….

August 25, 2014 //

‘Til it’s over. Despite the beginning of the school year and the end of the vacation season, summer still has a few weeks left in her. Let’s make the most of it. Food-wise we are at peak season here in the Northeast. And just when summer produce starts to wane we get to enjoy winter squash, apples and brussels sprouts. See, it isn’t that bad!

Once again, I’ve put together a meal plan with four dinners that embrace the last weeks of summer. I hope you aren’t sick of tomatoes and corn yet!

I’m going to miss them when they’re gone.

Meal #1: Chicken Cutlets with Tomato and Basil Salad + Green Beans
Meal #2: Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta + Garlic Bread
Meal #3: Pork Tenderloin with Tomato and Peach Compote + Corn on the Cob
Meal #4: Summer Sauté with Corn

Your grocery list, excluding the usual pantry items:

tomato – 5 lbs. (you have to enjoy them while you can)
peach – 1
red onion – 1
onion – 1
shallot – 5
corn – 8
green beans – 1/2 lb.
basil – 1 bunch
mint – 1 bunch
thyme – 1 bunch (or you can use dried)
ginger – 1 small piece (you can freeze whatever you don’t use)
feta cheese – 4 ounces
eggs – 2
bread – 1 loaf
balsamic vinegar (if you don’t already have it)
flour (if you don’t already have it)
seasoned bread crumbs (if you don’t already have them)
curry powder (optional)
pork tenderloin – 2
Italian sausage – 1 lb.
chicken cutlets – 1 1/2 lb.
shrimp – 1 1/2 lb.

Tags bacon, basil green beans, bread, chicken, corn, feta, garlic, green beans, greens, peach, pork, poultry, red onion, Sausage, scallions, shrimp, tomato

Categories Meal Plans

Summer’s Best Sides

July 31, 2014 //

We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard on Friday for a week and I can’t wait! My girlfriends from college and I are taking turns vacationing at a rental over three weeks, but this weekend we will all be there together. Between our upcoming trip, a recent day-trip to Jacob Riis Park to enjoy NYC’s surf and sand, and multiple trips to the farmers market I definitely feel like I am in the midst of summer. And, I love it.

The view from the porch of our Vineyard rental

To celebrate all of the amazing produce that is available this time of year I thought I would do something a little different this week. Instead of the usual meal plan I thought I’d post a bunch of my favorite summer side dishes. I love veggies and fruit all year long, but there is nothing like August when it all seems to be at its peak at the exact same time. These side dishes are great with grilled chicken, steak or fish and can be made for as few as one person to as many as a whole party’s worth.

Enjoy!

Panzanella (Tomato and Bread Salad)
Watermelon, Tomato and Feta Salad
Cucumber Salad
Zucchini Fritters

Tags apple cider vinegar, bread, capers, cucumber, feta cheese, olives, red onion, salad, tomato, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini

Categories Meal Plans

Panzanella (Tomato and Bread Salad)

July 31, 2014 //

Panzanella (Tomato and Bread Salad)

I have wanted to try this salad for a long time and this summer I dove head first. I tried a few different recipes, but, as I usually do, I ended up tweaking them and turning them into my own. Here’s what I did:

Mix all of the ingredients together and let sit for about 20 minutes. Add more vinegar, oil, salt or pepper to taste.

Tags bread, capers, cucumber, olives, red onion, salad, tomatoes

Categories Meals

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