Broccoli Bacon Salad

Ok, with the new baby I haven't been cooking much. I've tried to keep everything I make both very healthy and very easy so as to keep life simple. During Christmas I tried out this salad and it was delicious. Tons of flavor and totally easy to make. You could experiment a little bit by adding tomatoes and cheese but it's great as is.

1 head broccoli

6-8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup almonds, toasted

Dressing:

1 cup Mayonnaise

1/4 cup white sugar

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

Place bacon in a skillet and cook over medium high heat. Once browned, drain grease on a paper towel and crumble. Rinse the broccoli and cut it into small, bite sized florets. Toast almonds in olive oil in a pan on the stove and sprinkle with salt until golden. Toss bacon, broccoli, raisins, almonds and onion together in a large bowl.

Whisk dressing in a bowl until smooth. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Schnitzel!

from my neighbor, Angela

Addie had a playdate with a girl from her class, and her mom had us over for lunch for schnitzel. Schnitzel is basically a pork cutlet that has been breaded and fried. It is THE food of choice for Tirol and served at pretty much every restaurant in town. The trouble is, sometimes it's a bit greasy and heavy so you have to be careful. But when done right is a really nice authentically Austrian dinner.

Makes 4 pieces of schnitzel

4 pork cutlets
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp milk
1/2 cup finely ground bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup oil (for frying)
1 lemon (garnish) cut into wedges
cranberry jam (garnish)


Like most things fried, this is best served right off of the griddle - once they get cold they lose a bit of luster. So do all of your other prep work beforehand and cook the steaks last - right before you eat.

Take the pork steaks and pound them flat, so they are quite thin (about 1/2 inch). Arrange your table so you have three shallow bowls laid out: one with flour, one with the eggs mixed with nutmeg and milk, and one with the breadcrumbs mixed with salt and pepper. One at a time take the steaks, dip them in the flour to cover them completely. Then dip them in the egg/nutmeg mixture and finally into the bread crumbs. Try to coat each piece of meat evenly each time, and in the end you should get a pork steak coated nicely with breadcrumbs. Set aside the breaded pork on a plate.

Heat several tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan on the stove. Some people go really crazy with the oil - you can use as much as you want, but I prefer a less greasy schnitzel so I use as little as I can get away with. Once the oil is hot, drop the meat one at a time on the pan, and saute it for about 3 minutes each side. Once finished, set aside and keep warm until serving.

Here it's common to eat this with freshly squeezed lemon and cranberry jam, but the kids I was with had ketchup, so whatever you prefer!

Welcome to Austria!

Tangy Slow Roasted Pork

Adapted from Allrecipes

Slow cooker recipes are so great. They are so EASY that they are almost impossible to screw up, and the taste is amazing. I tried this new recipe because I was wanting some savory meat to put on crepes, but didn't necessarily want a barbecue flavor. I had all of these ingredients already on hand and the pork turned out tangy and delicious.

Serves 6-8

1 large onion
3-4 cloves garlic
2 1/2 lbs boneless pork loin (about 1 kilogram)
1 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar (balsamic is also acceptable)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 beef bullion cube
salt to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
1 tsp cornstarch

Chop the onions and mince the garlic and put them in a large pot and place the roast on top. Then, in a bowl, mix the water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, black pepper and beef bullion and pour mixture over the roast. Then keep adding water until the meat is just covered.

Put the lid on the pot and and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. About 3/4 of the way through, open the pot and shred the meat with two forks, adding salt and red pepper to taste. Cook the remaining time, with the lid off if there is a substantial amount of liquid left so it can evaporate (keep the lid on if the liquid is nearly gone) and mix cornstarch with 1 Tbsp cold water and mix it in so the sauce can thicken up a bit.

This meat would be great on sandwiches, crepes, or tacos. Pretty much anything really. Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Sour Cream Sauce

adapted from food.com

We just got a grill. Hooray! It's just a little one and nothing fancy but it's so nice to cook and eat outside. Last night I wanted to try something a little different with grilled pork chops and this sauce was just the ticket. It had nice flavor, was simple to put together and tasted great with rice.

4 pork loin chops

1 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp salt

2 medium onions

1.5 cup beef stock

1 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp flour

1/8 tsp black pepper

parsley (fresh if you can get it!)

Combine sage, salt and pepper and rub the chops on both sides with the mixture. Grill until meat is cooked through.

In a saucepan grill onions until soft, then add beef stock and stir in the sour cream until smooth. Simmer for several minutes, add flour to thicken and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with rice or wide egg noodles.

Happy Meal

Ben right now is in this cooking group at work, and he always comes home with these really interesting recipes from all over the world. This is one is from a colleague of his whose mom would make it back home and they called it "the happy meal" because it was so good. I was impressed with it because of the strange combination of savory and sweet, I would have never thought to mix bananas and bacon but it turned out quite delicious.

Serves 4

1 onion

14 oz turkey, cut into chunks (400 g)

3.5 ounces bacon (100 g)

1 cup of cream (250 ml)

1 Tbsp curry

1 beef bullion cube

1 banana

1 cup mandarin oranges

1 1/2 cup pineapple

rice

Chop bacon and onion into small pieces and saute with strips of turkey in a large frying pan. Once they are cooked, add cream, beef bullion cube, curry and salt if needed. Last, drop in banana, pineapple and Mandarin oranges. Let them all simmer together for several minutes, and serve immediately with rice. Don't let the fruit simmer for too long, or the fruity flavors will overpower the meal (known from experience!).

Creamed Cabbage Soup

from Allrecipes

It's been cold! I know spring is just around the corner, but it still feels very far away. And the best way to warm up on a cold night is a nice bowl of soup. This recipe employs the hardy cabbage (a very underrated vegetable in my opinion) and a dash of creaminess to make it feel decadent.

Serves 6

2 cups chicken broth

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 medium head of cabbage, shredded

3 carrots, diced

1/4 cup butter

3 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 cup whole milk

2 cups fully cooked ham, diced

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp parsley

salt and pepper to taste

In a large kettle, combine broth and vegetables, bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and let simmer until the vegetables are just starting to soften, about 15 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, get a saucepan on medium heat and melt the butter. Then mix in the flour, until completely blended and gradually add milk creating a light roux. Cook and stir until thickened, and stir into soup. Add spices and ham and heat through. Garnish with parsley (fresh if you have it!) and serve warm.

Prosciutto Tart

Last week I bought a puff pastry to make an apple strudel, but then Ben ate all of the apples and I was left wondering what to do with the dough. So for dinner I made this savory tart with what I had in the fridge and it was delicious. A gone-within-the-hour kind of delicious. (And it was so easy to make, it's hard to resist!)

enough puff pastry sheets to line the bottom of a baking sheet

2 Tbsp pesto

prosciutto

1 zucchini, cut into thin slices

2 tomatoes, cut into thin slices

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Roll out the puff pastry onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Spread pesto in a thin layer on the pastry. Then add a layer of prosciutto, a layer of zucchini and a layer of tomato. Then top with cheese, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes (or as directed for the puff pastry) or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm.

Spinach Prosciutto

adapted from Prociutto Recipes

Well, the holiday season is almost over. And while I love eating all of the traditional dishes and special foods, I'm always ready to get back to my lighter regular fare. This is a great side dish with lots of flavor and fairly healthy too.

2 Tbsp olive oil

10 ounces spinach (one big bunch)

4 ounces prosciutto (about 125 grams) *You could substitute cooked bacon

1/2 cup roasted red peppers

1 cup artichoke hearts, roughly sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into rings

parmesan cheese as a garnish

Heat oil in a skillet. Add garlic and onions and saute until softened. Then add artichoke hearts, spinach, red peppers and prosciutto. Cook 10 minutes or so, until heated through. Serve warm topped with parmesan cheese.

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

adapted from Dianasaur Dishes

This dish is anything but healthy. But it is oh so good. Creamy, rich flavors that are hearty and so pleasing. It's easy to make and a real crowd pleaser. So ignore your waistline, invite people over as an excuse to make it, and give it a try.

Serves 4-6

4-6 servings Penne pasta

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup bacon, crumbled

1 small red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup mushrooms, diced

1 cup sliced artichoke hearts

3/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup cream

1 cup spinach

salt and pepper to taste

parmesan

Boil your pasta according to the directions on the package. In a large skillet, saute garlic and onion in butter until softened, then add bacon, mushrooms and artichokes. After about two minutes add the wine. Cover and let simmer 5 minutes until it has reduced. Then add cream and seasonings and mix well. When you drain the pasta, add spinach while pasta is still very hot so it will wilt in the steam. Finally, pour sauce over noodles and garnish with parmesan. Serve warm.

Black Bean and Garlic Meatballs

adapted from Vanilla Kitchen

These meatballs turned out to be a great dinner with a light asian twist.

Meatballs
3/4 lb ground pork
1/2 cup grated white onion
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 tsp dried ginger (2 tsp fresh grated ginger)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup oatmeal or breadcrumbs

Garlic-Honey Black Bean Sauce
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp black bean garlic sauce
4-5 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine meatball ingredients in a bowl, mix well and form balls about the size of a walnut. In a large frying pan, brown the meatballs and transfer them to a casserole dish and bake them for about 15 minutes. (Or until cooked through)
Now take the frying pan (without cleaning it) and start preparing the gravy. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix them together. Then transfer them to the frying pan and stir frequently until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Once the meatballs are done baking, pour the sauce on top and garnish with green onion.
Serve with rice and vegetables.

Brazilian Black Mango Soup

from Allrecipes

When I first saw this recipe I was pretty skeptical because of all the random ingredients. Mango in a stew? Are you crazy? But I really love mango. And black beans. And sweet potatoes. So I thought I would give it a try. So glad I did. And while I loved the ham, it would be great with out it as well.

1 Tbsp oil

1/4 lb chorizo sausage

1/3 lb cooked ham, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large bell pepper, chopped

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

1 hot chili pepper, finely minced (optional, add for heat)

1 1/2 cups stock

2 (16 oz) cans black beans

1 mango

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

salt to taste

First, heat oil in a big pot. Saute onion and garlic and once softened, toss in the chorizo and ham. Then add in the sweet potatoes, bell pepper, the cans of tomatoes with juice, minced chili pepper, and stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in beans and simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Lastly, mix in mango and cilantro, season with salt and serve.

Ants Climbing on Branches

Adapted from First Look, Then Cook

After bingeing during Christmas I was feeling very lethargic and unhealthy and I wanted to try a few recipes that tasted good but were still fairly light. This is the carb friendly version to the Chinese food "Ants climbing on Trees" which is ground pork with thin noodles. Here the noodles are replaced with green beans, making it much lower in calories while still being delicious.

1 lb green beans

1/2 lb lean ground pork

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced

1 medium onion

1-2 chilies

1/3 cup chicken broth

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped cashews

Heat oil and saute garlic, onion, spices together for a few minutes until fragrant. Then add pork and brown, then add beans and red pepper and cook for a couple of minutes until the beans are beginning to soften. Meanwhile in a small bowl combine broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and whisk together until smooth. Stir broth mix into pork and cook until thickened. Top with cashews and serve with rice.

Karelian Stew

from Mandi

Karelian stew (Karjalanpaisti) is a traditional meat stew from Karelia, the eastern part of Finland where Ben's mother is originally from. It is hearty and uses tasty root vegetables found in Scandinavia. I would love to try this in a dutch oven sometime, it seems like perfect camp food.

Serves 4

1-2 lbs of beef, pork or lamb chunks

1 Tbsp butter

1 rutabaga, chopped

3-5 carrots, chopped

4 small onions, chopped roughly

4-5 cups water or beef broth (enough to cover food in the pot)

15 peppercorns

4 bay leaves

salt to taste

6-8 potatoes

Heat the oven to 275 F. Wash and chop all vegetables except potatoes (set them aside). Brown the meat in the butter in a sauce pan and layer meat cubes, onions, and vegetables in a lidded casserole dish. Pour water or beef broth over the meat and cover.

Bake in the oven, stirring occasionally until meat is tender (about 5 hours). While the stew is in the oven, boil the potatoes. Once 5 hours is up, take out the stew, remove bay leaves and peppercorns and serve over boiled potatoes.

Ground Pork Curry

Adapted from Chow Times

I am always nervous about curries. I don't have much of a background in Indian food, and I often question if I am doing things correctly. This was perfect for a beginner like myself, and Ben liked it so much that he ate the whole pot. It was spicy and so easy to make. I would be interested in trying it with chicken, and varying the heat levels, but it was great as is.

1 lb lean ground pork

2 onions, finely chopped

4 medium potatoes, cubed

3 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp minced ginger

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp dried chili flakes

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 1/4 cup vegetable stock

1 large bunch spinach

salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions, garlic, pork, and spices together in a pot. Cook until onions are soft and meat is browned. Then add potatoes and tomatoes, once warm add stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once 20 minutes have passed, add spinach and allow to heat through for a couple of minutes, just enough to wilt it.

Serve immediately with rice.

BLT Salad with Tomato Dressing

adapted from Kayotic Kitchen

I love BLT sandwiches, they are so simple and delicious. Unfortunately right now I am trying to go carb free so when I saw this variation online I had to try it out. The dressing is packed with flavor and goes perfectly with the rest of the ingredients.

Lettuce, shredded

2-3 tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, diced

1 small purple onion, diced

1/2 lb bacon, crumbled

Dressing:

3 roma tomatoes

1 clove garlic

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

4 Tbsp oil

salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain bacon and combine with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and onion chunks.

For the dressing, begin by cutting an "X" at the bottom of each tomato. Then plunge them in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then take them out and quickly immerse them in cold water. This makes the skin separate so it slides right off. Once the skin is peeled, squeeze out most of the seeds, chop roughly and transfer them to a blender along with the garlic clove, red wine vinegar, and oil. Pulse blender until everything is smooth. Serve alongside salad and enjoy!

Spicy Asian Shredded Pork

adapted from Savour Fare

I made this as a side to a vegetable stir fry, and it was amazing. Slow cooking meat really allows you to capture intense flavor, and it is so easy a child could do it!

2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into smaller pieces

2 bell peppers, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

sesame seeds to garnish

Sauce:

2 cups teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Place pork, peppers, garlic, onion into a large pot (or crockpot). Mix together sauce and turn the heat on low for 8-12 hours. Be sure that liquid is always covering the meat so it doesn't get dried out. Once done, pull the pork apart with forks and serve.

Corn Chowder

from Mom

This soup is hearty and perfect for a rainy, cold day. The ingredients are all very inexpensive so it is a perfect way to feed a lot of people on a budget.

Serves 6

2 lbs potatoes, diced

1 onion, roughly chopped

4-5 pieces of bacon (about 1 small package)

1/2 cup butter (about 112 grams)

6 heaping Tbsp flour

4 cups milk

3-4 cups corn

1 Tbsp dried parsley

1/2 Tbsp lemon pepper

salt to taste

Dice potatoes into bite sized chunks and chop up onions. Put the potatoes and onions in enough water just to cover them and boil until slightly soft and set aside.

In a large frying pan create a white sauce by melting butter and adding the 6 Tbsp flour, stirring constantly. Add in milk, one cup at a time and stir until thickened and smooth, then pour into the soup pot and mix well. In a frying pan, cook the bacon until crispy and drain grease. Allow bacon to cool and then crumble and add to the soup mix along with the corn. Add lemon pepper, parsley and salt and bring pot to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Pork and Apple Pies

Adapted from Robbing Peter

I love meat pies! These savory and sweet little babies were great and had a very interesting mingle of flavors. They are great for freezing and reheating later for lunch or light dinner.

Makes about 12 small pies (serves 3-4)

Pastry Dough

3 cups flour

1 egg

1/2 cup butter (112 grams)

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

Pork and Apple Filling

1/2 lb pork

1 apple, grated

1 onion, roughly chopped

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (we used Edam)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

Sweet Onion Gravy

1-2 Tbsp butter

1/2 onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp thyme

1 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups stock

1/2 cup applesauce (or 1 grated apple)

salt and pepper to taste

Start by making the dough. Mix flour and salt, cut in butter. Add the yolk of the egg (set the white aside) along with milk a little at a time until mixed well. Knead until soft on a floured surface and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 (190 C). While the dough is resting, cook pork with spices in a frying pan until brown; drain grease and set aside. In the same pan, saute onion until soft and golden, then add grated apple and cook for 3-4 minutes. Combine pork with the onion/apple mixture and mix well. Add in the cheese, mix again and set aside.

Roll out the dough very thin (1/8 of an inch) and cut out circles using a small bowl. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the pork mixture onto one side of the dough circle, trying to avoid the edges. Gently wet the edge of the pie circle with a few drops of water and fold the pies into half moon shapes, keeping the filling inside. Press the edges together to seal and crimp with a fork.

Bake on a baking sheet for 40 minutes at 375 (190 C). While the pies are baking, prepare the gravy. Saute the garlic and onion in the butter. After a few minutes, add in the spices and flour, stirring constantly. Slowly add in the stock and heat until boiling before adding the apples. Let the sauce simmer on low for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

Serve pies warm with gravy

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

I LOVE slow cooker recipes. They are impossible to screw up and people think you are just amazing in the kitchen. If they only knew how easy it was, they wouldn't be so impressed! For the Fourth of July, we wanted to make something uniquely American and this was just the ticket. The sandwiches were so good, juicy and delicious.

I made my own sauce because it is hard to find good BBQ sauce in Finland. But feel free to experiment with different flavors of the bottled kind.

Pork

3-4 lbs pork (could easily switch to beef or chicken)

3-4 cups (about 25-30 ounces) BBQ sauce (homemade or bottled, it doesn't matter. You just need enough to mostly cover the pork)

1 medium onion, minced

3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced

salt and pepper to taste

Homemade BBQ Sauce

1 cups ketchup

1 cup water

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

5 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp chili powder

3 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cayenne powder

Also needed:

Buns, pickles, coleslaw and some people like mustard...

Combine all sauce ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes in a pan until sauce is thickened. If using a bottled sauce, skip this step.

Put the Barbeque sauce in a deep pot (or crockpot) and add the minced onion and garlic, salt and pepper. Put in the pork and be sure that it is mostly covered with sauce or those bits will be dry. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours (overnight) or 4-5 hours on high. Scoop off excess fat, and shred the beef. Add a little water or extra sauce if it looks dry. Put the lid back on and cook on low for an additional 1-2 hours. Stir occasionally. Serve warm on split buns and let the compliments roll on in.

Yakitori Burgers

adapted from A Good Appetite

This is a delicious Japanese twist on hamburgers, and turned out beautifully.

Burger Patties:

225 grams ground pork (or turkey or other ground meat)

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1/2 onion

1/2 tsp honey

1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 egg

1/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Glaze:

1/4 cup Mirin, or pineapple juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 T brown sugar

2 tsp ginger

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp cold water

hamburger buns

pineapple rings (reserve juices)

1 medium onion, cut into rings

1/4 cup mayonnaise

lettuce

chili sauce

In a small saucepan, bring the Mirin, soy sauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, ginger, and lemon juice to a boil. Mix the cornstarch and cold water together to dissolve the cornstarch. Stir into the boiling mixture. Let boil for about 15 minutes until thickened. Set aside to cool.

Mix all burger ingredients together with your hands and form into patties. Grill over medium-high heat for 3 minutes per side. Brush with glaze and flip. Grill for 2 more minutes each side, adding glaze to both sides.

When the burgers have about 5 minutes left, fry the onions on the grill and brush them with glaze. Cook until soft.

Mix mayonnaise with 2 Tbsp glaze. Put together burgers on a bun with mayonnaise mix, lettuce, onions, a pineapple ring, and chili sauce.