Chicken Pillard with Balsamic Onions and Kale with Navy Bean Soup & Roasted Vegetable Medley and Yogurt Bark

Well this was actually more of a challenge than I thought. Let's just say I could never make it on any time limit cooking show. I am slower than slow at this whole cooking thing. Now, this is no surprise, I make certain meals all the time and I still take longer than your average Joe to get it done. I am a very aware person so on Saturday when I bought all of my ingredients, I decided to cut all of the vegetables as well. Yams, Carrots, Parsnips... all hard vegetables. I am pretty sure I am going to have to start working out if I want to continue to cut Yams!  I seriously spent 6pm-10pm on meal prep. Now, I will admit there is Netflix distractions, and trying to find the right tool issues, and well just checking in on what Aaron is doing and talking to the cats.... I guess I could just get serious but what fun would that be?

Recipe Links:
Chicken Pillard with Balsamic Onions and Kale
Roasted Vegetable Medley
Navy Bean Soup
Frozen Yogurt Bark


I might want to mention at this point that I have about 35 food allergies... this makes my meal a little different than my boyfriends. I follow the recipe the right way for him, sometimes excluding black pepper, and then modify for my own sad unflavorful meal.

The Chicken/Onion/Kale combo was perfect together so Aaron told me, I don't eat Balsamic, but alas these recipes aren't about me they are about the Christmas gift that I promised the newly fit food fanatic. He also mentioned that the flavor was good and actually I subbed the paprika for chipotle chili powder because I thought that I had paprika but I didn't.

We both agreed that we're not fans of roasted vegetables which is awesome because they took an hour to just cook and then think about how long it took the worlds slowest chef to cut and prepare them. besides being allergic to the basil I thought they were less than average, just kind of blah, fresh steamed would have been a lot more appealing to me.

If I knew anything about beans I would have known that when the recipe states "soak for 24 hours" that actually means "soak for a minimum of 36 hours". My beans were still hard and I figured they would soften up in the soup... nope, I had to cook it for a lot longer (almost 3 hours) than the recipe said so that the beans would soften up. BUT all complaining aside this was Aaron's very favorite part of my meal this week which tickled me pink. So good that he couldn't resist having it for breakfast the next morning!

I also tried a recipe for yogurt bark ... it wasn't as good as I had planned. I would probably skip the cranberries and I accidentally bought bitter dark chocolate. The chocolate mistake and the cranberries messed up the flavor of the yogurt bark, but the coconut really helped the flavor. I think if I was a fan of yogurt then I would have actually really enjoyed it and it's a really easy quick fix (minus freeze time) for dessert.

Michelle: Main Dish & Dessert (no seasoning) - 2 Star Rating 
I probably wouldn't make this for myself again, I couldn't have the seasoning on the chicken so it was unexciting. The side was below average and I am also allergic to basil so it was really difficult to get through.
Soup: Allergic - no attempt - No Rating
Aaron: Main Dish & Dessert - 3 Star Rating 
"The chicken was good and flavorful but the vegetables were just alright and the bitter chocolate ruined the dessert for me"
Soup: 4.5 Star Rating (now you see why they are 2 ratings) We will definitely make this again!

Comment with questions and suggestions♡
Any tips on how to pick up the pace on my cooking pace? 

Until next time xoxo,
M

Maple-Garlic Marinated Pork Tenderloin

With such a busy week of going into super relaxation mode before I start classes, I took the time on Saturday to make my meal for Week 2. I actually went to class from 8 am -12 pm took my 2 hour break to make a marinade for the pork and then headed back to class from 2 pm - 6 pm. Worst ever!

Any way enough about my woes  - Todays Menu

Week 2 - 01/09/16 

Maple-Garlic Marinated Pork Tenderloin,

Sesame Green Beans,

& Roasted Pears with Chocolate-Raspberry Sauce

 

 

I'm always looking for a reason and an available time to go to the West Side Market. Not only do they have an abundance of just about any item I want, but the fruit and veggie hub is magical and my paradise.

 

After scoping for the best deals I was able to find a quart of raspberries, fresh ginger, green beans, & a very good looking pork tenderloin with very little fat to trim off and a nice red color.

 

Recipe Links:

 

Maple-Garlic Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Sesame Green Beans

Roasted Pears with Chocolate-Raspberry Sauce

 

The marinade was so simple and took me all of 10 mins to prepare with trimming the pork. It smelled incredible and I will say I did a little chefing on the recipe with this and the sauce for my green beans. Just a little extra sesame oil for the marinade and I actually ended up almost doubling the recipe for the green beans, but looking back I probably didn't need to because there was a lot left in the bottom of the pan.

 

After my boyfriends enthusiasm against grilling the pork, I felt deep inside that this was the only way to stay true to the flavors. He was just concerned that I would need his assistance... pshhh I'm a grown woman, I can handle a charcoal grill. 10 minutes into this feministic attitude I soon realized that perhaps I don't completely understand the concept of charcoal & wind combined. I then remembered that a while ago when the best boyfriend in the world ever so kindly let me sway him to go to the park for a cook out - on a suddenly chilly and dreary day - we used a charcoal thingy to light the grill... after looking up online this is called a chimney. So, I decided I would use the chimney. Step 1 toss all the charcoal in the chimney. Step 2 place a paper towel on the top of it. Step 3 hold the paper towel covering the charcoal and turn chimney upside down on the bottom of the grill. Step 4 bundle up 2 pieces of paper and put in top of the chimney. Step 5 light paper and realize that you're a moron and obviously you don't need to flame on top of the charcoal to get it lit... Start over Step 1 - good, now instead of placing the paper above the chimney just bundle paper and place it under the chimney and light. These papers then cause the charcoal to catch and in apx 20 mins you have red hot and ashy coals ready to grill with.

 

So after the back and forth of running out to the drive way back upstairs to the kitchen I was ready to grill this pork! But then I remembered Aaron's advice from the last time I prepared a meal "cook the meat last" - I had  previously served kind of sort of cold meat to him because I took a little too long on veggie prep. Back upstairs to finalize veggies & then right back down to put the pork on.

Aaron asked me "about how much longer" I answered "oh just about another half hour" smooth as a cucumber, but inside I was terrified that I wasn't going to get everything plated and I hadn't even thought about my presentation.

 

I used a meat thermometer ,iGrill2, to keep the temperature and it is actually Bluetooth synced, so I can walk away and also keep track of the temp on my phone until it hits 145 degrees for medium cooked pork. I wanted there to be grill marks all the way around the meat so I made sure to rotate every 20 or so degrees and boy was she beautiful! I DID IT!!! I hope the neighbors didn't notice the giddiness in my step as I put the pork on a platter and ran back upstairs... seriously, I think I can count that as leg day.

 

 

 

The rest of my meal was already prepared so just had to plate the vegetables, cut the pork and place the apples for garnish (my version of "pork chops and applesauce"). I called Dinner's done (at 10pm... oops) and we feasted.

 

 

 

Oh and how could I forget the Pears.. oh right, they weren't that memorable. I failed at the raspberry sauce, as you can see it is just all over instead of drizzled decoratively. I also just didn't care for the flavors together and I really like each on their own.

 

 

 

I was especially impressed with the flavor on the pork - had I used a real maple syrup in the recipe, I think it would have been even more delicious.

 

Michelle -  4 Star Rating, I will probably eat all of the left overs and not get sick of them!

Aaron - 4 Star Rating, taking favor in the green beans. Also, mentioned how the leftovers heated up as though it had just been made. 

 

Comment with questions and suggestions♡

Until next time xoxo,
M

 

 

Herb Roasted Beef Tenderloin with a side of Broccoli & Kale Stir Fry

I really never thought that cooking would have many challenges, just follow the recipe - viola. When you've spent more time watching The Food Network than actually cooking you tend to think you can do anything. Your expectations also are at a new level, for goodness sakes if the lady with the talons on Worst Cooks in America can do this then I can master this skill.

When my ever so handsome boyfriend uttered the words "I know what I want for Christmas, a type of service gift."
Of course I took a step back and a million things ran through my head. Service like oil change? Service like.... well we won't even go there.
Next came the words "I'd like for you to make me a healthy meal once a week"
Sigh of relief - I can handle that
Handsome man - "Even if I wouldn't choose to eat something, I want to try things that are good for us. You don't even have to try it but I'd like to try those new foods."
Even bigger sigh of relief - I don't even need to try the meals! Now I have free reign to be creative! No matter how disgusting or uninviting these masterpieces look I can just fry up some noodles and feast.

I took this gift seriously and built an only healthy recipes recipe book to make it easier on us... me. The Cleveland Clinic has a bunch of healthy recipes on their website and AllRecipes.com has a great assortment too. I'm so glad that I prepped this book because selecting a recipe is limited to the book and not the entire internet every week. For me, looking for a recipe is the annoying and discouraging part of cooking let alone cooking specifically to eat healthy.  The way it works for us is that Aaron selects the main meal and I pair it with a side & dessert.

Week 1 - 12/31/15 

Herb Roasted Beef Tenderloin 

with a side of Broccoli & Kale Stir Fry

Recipe: Beef Tenderloin
Recipe: Stir Fry Kale & Broccoli


Fairly simple. The marinade is a paste that you pat on the beef tenderloin I added extra brandy into my paste because ya know, intuition... I'm a chef and I let my creative juices flow.  Then just let it sit over night in the refrigerator.

I prepped kale for the first time and I was surprised at how "beefy" it seemed. Someone recommended that cooking onions with kale makes the flavor better. I took this advice and switched the sun dried tomatoes for onion. I personally don't like cooked tomatoes and my boyfriend only likes them certain ways. To me, this decision was a sure win!

Presentation: 
I thought it should at least look tasty just in case it tasted terrible. So presentation will be my goal. As I've never been the artsy lady of my family I basically think a well organized plate is gorgeous. I precut the tenderloin & arranged the vegetables ever so elegantly. I added color with some clementine peel and that perfected it. Right before I had moved the last broccoli in place Aaron walked in and gave me the greatest compliment "that smells incredible, when will it be ready"

Dessert: 
Kona Joe Medium Roast Coffee & my own recipe of the very hard to master Strawberries with Shaved Dark Chocolate on top. I added some coconut rolls or as the package says "Shih Fang Hsih". I got these from China Town (in Cleveland). Honestly I have just been afraid to try these coconut rolls and my boyfriend was sick of seeing them in his house and put them right in front of me at every chance that he had. I'd hear things like "do you think you're going to eat these?" Then the next time "do you want me to throw these out?" Then the final move - placing all the things on the table that I was neglecting to eat so I'd see them daily.  Well it worked and made its way into my healthy meal recipe even though it's not healthy. Shhhhhhh!

Rating: 
Michelle - Please More! 1/10/16 correction ** 2.5 Stars, I didn't even really want any leftovers and the meat was pretty tough this particular time.
Aaron - Please More! 1/10/16 correction ** 3 Stars, I enjoyed this meal but I probably wouldn't eat it again. Without the vegetables, I'm not sure I would have liked it as much.

With a few changes this will definitely be a meal that I make again!

Comment with questions and suggestions♡

Until next time xoxo,
M