Wednesday, May 28, 2008

BBQ Dry Rub


We make tenderloin a bit too often. It's just so easy when you don't want to cook but you want something good an healthy to eat at home. I've got two recipes that I've been using lately and this is one of 'em (the other uses bread crumbs or Panko and I haven't taken a picture but I will next time I make it). I like to make a sweet potato* and roasted cauliflower with this tenderloin because you can pretty much prep everything and stick it all in the oven at the same time. And, it's delicious.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of white sugar
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:
Mix everything together, rub onto pork 10 minutes prior to grilling (or baking). That's it!

I preheat the oven to 350 degrees and let it bake for 20 - 25 minutes then check it for pinkness. I finally got a kitchen thermometer but it doesn't work well for me. Usually I just look at the color and make sure it's not too pink and the juices run clear.

*For the sweet potato I just clean it, poke it with holes using a fork, microwave it wrapped in a damp paper towel for 8 - 10 minutes and then just put in the oven around the same time as the pork. I put it straight on the rack and hope to remember to put a pan below it in case it leaks.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Pasta Fagioli Soup


I've never been been one to eat minestrone but I do like this recipe and with all the pasta, beans, and other stuff going on it's not too heavy on the tomato broth. Pasta e fagioli means "pasta and beans" and I believe most traditional fagioli recipes use cannelloni beans so I'm not sure Cooking Light got the name entirely right here. Regardless, it's pretty good and Allen now calls it his favorite of our soup recipes it that means anything to you. It's tasty, super easy to make and it does have a lot of fiber and it's a good way to get me to eat some zucchini (though I prefer zucchini bread).

12 ounces Santa Fe chicken sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced (such as Amy's) -- this is what the recipe says but I haven't found any Amy's in the store. I have bought sausage at CM that's worked and spicy Italian sausage too.
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked pasta shells (I use the baby shells)
2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini (about 2 small zucchini) -- I had some extra yellow squash one night and threw it in and it also works.
1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano object
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) shredded Asiago cheese

Instructions: Heat a large saucepan over high heat. Add sausage; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and pasta; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano, and beans; cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender. Sprinkle with cheese.

Yield
5 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups soup and about 1 tablespoon asiago cheese)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 319(26% from fat); FAT 9.2g (sat 3.3g,mono 3.8g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 21.9g; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 56mg; SODIUM 858mg; FIBER 9.6g; IRON 4.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.7g

Grilled Tuna Steak Burgers


I've got to thank Fayza for this dish. When she moved to San Francisco she let me raid her freezer and I got these Whole Foods frozen Yellowfin tuna steaks. I decided to try out tuna burgers. I use to order 'em at Hyde Park Bar and Grill when I was a pescatarian but I never tried to recreate them at home. Turns out that Hyde Park's were better but this is a good do-it-yourself version. Basically you just get sandwich fix'ns and...

Ingredients
Burgers:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
2 small bay leaves, broken
4 ounce ahi tuna steaks

Remoulade Sauce:
1/2 cup mayo
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp minced fresh Italian Parsley
1 tsp grated onion
1 tsp anchovy paste
2 hard-boiled large egg yolks
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp capers (drained)

1. Thaw out the frozen tuna as instructed on the packaging.
2. Combine oil, vinegar, and bay leaves in a plastic bag, shake to blend, add tuna and chil for 1-2 hours turning the bag occasionally.
2. Grill them on each side in a sprayed pan or on the grill until it's no longer too pink inside. A few minutes on each side.
You can heat the bun and throw it together like a burger with mayo and all the fixins. Or, mix up the remoulade sauce.

For sauce: Wisk first 6 ingredients in bowl to blend. Useing fine grater, grade egg in yolks. Whisk in oil, then capers. Season with Salt and pepper.

This is an epicurious.com recipe!