Pork Chops in a Fire Roasted Tomato sauce

I have mentioned before I like Rachael Ray's recipes. Many of the recipes found here on my blog have come from Rachael's 365 book. I recently picked up her Big Orange Book. At first, I did not think there would be many recipes there I would like to try but at a second look, I picked out a few to try.

This was really good, but I think next time I would make it with chicken. The tomato sauce was great, tangy and a bit sweet. I served it with sticky rice because I did not have any polenta in the pantry. Along the side was roasted brussel sprouts with fennel.

Pork Chops in a Tangy Fire-roasted Tomato Sauce

Tex -Mex Turkey Burgers! YUM!

My friend was telling me about a recipe for
Tex-Mex turkey burgers in this month's Everyday Food. She sent me the recipe but it wasn't what I was thinking when I thought Tex-Mex. I was thinking of something a little spicier than chili powder and pepper jack.

I had some ground turkey in the freezer so I was determined to come up with a recipe for a tex-mex burger. I finally settled on adding chipotles in adobo, garlic, onion, cilantro, and lime with my turkey. It turned out wonderful. Hubby and my mom both loved them and so did I. We had them on lightly toasted ciabatta rolls with avocado and fresh sliced tomatoes. This will be a new staple on our table.



Ingredients:

2 pounds ground turkey
2-4 chipotles in adobo, depending on how much heat you like
3 garlic cloves
1 med onion
1 bunch cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice

Mix everything but the turkey in the food processor so it is chopped finely. Mix in the turkey and patty out burgers. I got 10 out of mine.

Grill until done. They are juicy and delicious.

We had them with grilled yellow squash and a sweet potato mash. The sweetness of the sweet potato mash was a great counter to the spicy of the burger.

On the grill with the squash:

Salami Pasta Salad, perfect for a hot night

You know when you see a recipe and you just know it's something you need to make? This is one of those recipes. It was in the July/August 2008 Simple and Delicious magazine. I first saw it on one of our 100+ degree days. I knew it would be a great summer time dinner. It's something you can make without even turning on your stove or grill.

This is also a recipe that can be easily adapted. Just think of what you love on your favorite sub sandwich and toss it in there. You could change out the meats for a different taste. I think next time we'll do it as a club with turkey, ham, and bacon to replace the salami and pepperoni. Maybe even add in some avocado.

I picked up my salami, pepperoni and provolone at the deli counter. Get them to slice it thick (I asked for number 8 on the meat and 5 on the cheese) This gets the meat and cheese thick enough so you can cube it.

Ingredients:

* 2 cups uncooked small pasta shells
* 3/4 cup chopped green pepper
* 3/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
* 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
* 1/2 cup cubed hard salami
* 1/2 cup whole ripe olives, quartered
* 2 ounces provolone cheese, cubed
* 1/3 cup chopped onion
* DRESSING:
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add the green pepper, tomatoes, pepperoni, salami, olives, cheese and onion.
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients; shake well. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 9 servings.

I used a pound of pasta, a half pound each of salami and pepperoni. I doubled the dressing also. I left out the peppers because I didn't have any on hand but added diced cucumber (I love cucumbers on my sandwiches from Subway) Next time I think I'm going to add some banana peppers because it's just like a sub sandwich changing the bread for pasta.

If you need a quick cool dinner for a hot and humid night, this is perfect. Add some rolls and fruit and you have a perfect summer meal.

Chicken Kabobs - Grilling for Summer

It's hot. It's time to crank the grill and leave the oven off. We look for meals where almost everything can be cooked on the grill. One of our favorites is chicken kabobs. You get your meat and veggies all in one. It takes a little prep, but you can make it the night before and let it marinate so the night you throw it on the grill, it's a quick dinner.

You can use any vegetables you like, but our favorites are onion, peppers, mushrooms, squash, and grape tomatoes. Cut everything in relatively the same size. Cut chicken breasts into one inch cubes.



Remember to soak your wooden skewers in water so they don't burn. Stack your skewers in any way you want, if someone doesn't like squash or loves tomatoes, you can make the skewers to match each person or you can do them all the same. I tend to be random when I'm making the skewers. I try to make sure I have all the colors on the skewers.



For the marinade, I usually use a zesty Italian dressing. I use full fat for the oil to keep the kabobs from sticking. You could use low fat but you would have to be sure to oil your grill grates. Sometimes I will use the a Greek style marinade (olive oil, oregano, lemon juice and garlic)

These are delicious. You'll have to take my word for how good they look when they come off of the grill. They looked and smelled so good, folks were diving in before I could get my camera out. Give them a try and see how quick they will fly off of your plate.

Red Snapper Veracruz

When I was searching for recipes for all our red snappers in the freezer, snapper Veracruz kept coming up. I wasn't sure about cooking fish with that sauce but it is such a classic I knew it had to be one of the things we tried. After checking out the Veracruz sauce recipe I knew we would like it because it so similar to a puttanesca sauce which we both love.

It was very good. It was served with jasmine rice and baby sugar snap peas.




The recipe I used came from Martha Stewart's website. Everyone knows I love Martha and want to be just like her.

Ok, maybe not just like her unless the rumors of her bitchiness are greatly exaggerated.

Red Snapper Veracruz Recipe

Serves 4 to 5

• 1 three- to three-and-a-half-pound red snapper, scaled and cleaned
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• Olive oil, for pan
• Veracruz-Style Sauce
• 2 to 3 dried bay leaves
• 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 small white onion, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse fish under cold running water, inside and out, being sure to remove all traces of gills and blood. Blot dry with paper towels, inside and out. Lightly season, inside and out, with salt and pepper.
2. Lightly oil the bottom of a large roasting pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with half of the sauce. Place fish over sauce. Tuck bay leaves, thyme, and onion into the cavity of the fish. Pour remaining sauce over fish.
3. Bake just until the flesh flakes when tested with the tip of a knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Use two large spatulas to transfer fish to a platter spooning sauce and cooking juices over it. Or remove fish from bone and serve on individual plates, with sauce spooned over it.

Veracruz Sauce

Makes 6 to 7 cups

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 10 garlic cloves, 6 left whole, 4 very finely chopped
• 2 medium white onions, finely chopped
• 8 to 10 large ripe tomatoes, (about 4 pounds), finely chopped, or two 28-ounce cans Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano), coarsely chopped, with their juice
• 24 pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced if large
• 4 to 6 pickled jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, and cut lengthwise into thin strips
• 2 teaspoons small capers
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
• 4 sprigs fresh marjoram, or 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried marjoram
• 4 sprigs fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried Mexican oregano
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground canela
• 1 cup dry white wine

1. In a medium stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add whole garlic cloves, and cook, stirring, until golden on all sides. Remove garlic and discard. Add minced garlic and the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.
2. Add olives, chiles, capers, bay leaves, parsley, thyme, marjoram, oregano, salt, canela, and wine. Cook until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning. If using fresh whole herbs, remove and discard before serving.