It's getting a little paleo around here + Asian meatballs with "zoodles"

Zack and I thought we ate healthy before. But since we jumped on this low-carb, low-sugar bandwagon a couple weeks ago, my viewpoint has completely changed. We're getting down to pretty bare bones, meat and vegetables. You know you're eating paleo when you have shredded vegetables in place of pasta. You may find, however, that it's surprisingly delicious and satisfying.

Asian meatballs

As adapted from Nom Nom Paleo.

Makes 36 meatballs.

Ingredients for meatballs:

8-10 fresh shiitake mushrooms, minced

2 small (or 1 medium) shallot, minced

3/4 cup minced sweet potato

2 heaping tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

2 lbs. ground beef

1 1/2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, brush with melted coconut oil, and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Toss minced vegetables and herbs in a large bowl to combine. Add ground beef, soy sauce, tomato paste, and season with salt and pepper. Thoroughly combine ingredients, being sure to not overwork the meat. Roll out 3 dozen meatballs and place on foil-lined baking sheet. Each meatball should be about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Bake for about 20 minutes, until cooked through and browned, rotating baking sheet about halfway through. (If you want, you can reserve half of the raw meatballs, freeze on a baking sheet, toss them in a freezer bag, and save to pull out, thaw, and bake laker.) Serve with "zoodles" or on a bed of cabbage slaw, etc. and drizzle with sriracha.

For "zoodles:"

Wash zucchini, slicing off ends. Use a mandolin to julienne zucchini. Heat coconut oil or bacon fat (oh my) in a sauté pan over medium heat. Briefly sauté zucchini until crisp-tender, tossing frequently, about 4 minutes. Serve with meatballs.

Meatballs, minus the sriracha.

As I noted above, you can freeze half of the meatball batch, which is what I did, and Zack and I have gotten 4 meals (each) out of this recipe! Talk about good use of your time; it's so easy. Plus, these meatballs are pretty darn delicious. 

I love that they are packed with vegetables, but the meaty flavor is great. They hold well, and they have great texture. Plus, you can get a really good kick by drizzling with sriracha. This is a great recipe that I will definitely make again. They're wonderfully satisfying as a main, but they would be awesome appetizers as well. Well, I guess this is one not meatless Monday, but I'm so okay with it. Cheers!

Baked sweet potatoes with chili beans

Everybody likes a good ol' baked potato. Garnish it how you will; you love it. Warm, comforting, but let's face it - not the healthiest. Sprouted Kitchen just happens to have a spin-off version that just might be better than the original. You be the judge. I'm already hooked.

Baked sweet potatoes with chili beans

As adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

4-6 small sweet potatoes
1 15-oz. can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon chili powder
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 28-oz. can San Marzano tomatoes (whole or crushed)

Toppings/garnishes:

Plain greek yogurt
Fresh cilantro
Sprouts
Red onion, diced
Avocado, diced
Freshly shredded Tillamook cheddar cheese
A few slices of freshly cooked bacon, broken up into little bits

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce holes in sweet potatoes with a fork, wrap each one lightly in foil, place on middle rack in oven, and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until tender. Warm olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic until softened. Add spices and San Marzano tomatoes. If tomatoes are crushed, great, if whole, crush them to puree. Bring to a simmer and reduce for about 20 minutes. Add beans and cook another 5-10 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and spices, if needed. Split open baked sweet potatoes, creating a cavern down the middle. Fill the cavern with chili beans and garnish with toppings, as desired. You've had chili before, I'm sure; you know the drill.

These baked potatoes are so good. The chili, in itself, is delicious. Then top it with so many wonderful colors, textures, and flavors, and it's just great. And the potatoes and chili save and reheat well also. This seems like it would be a wonderful meal for a loved one who is feeling low, or for an easy make-ahead, warm lunch. Okay, they're probably just good any time. Try them. Cheers!

A potential paleo confession + the soup that heals

You may have seen it coming. I mean, I'm very passionate about healthy and wholesome cooking. It started with strange produce from our former fruit and vegetable delivery. Then it was whole-wheat this, quinoa that. Barley, lentils, beans. Now, I don't know what to think. All I know is that I can't get "paleo" and "wheat belly" off my mind.

Don't freak out - I'm not a convert yet. But Zack and I are headed in that direction; at least for now. You may be seeing a lot of low carb, low sugar recipes coming your way. And to my surprise, Zack is very on board...could this be because there will be more meat involved, I wonder? I'm no expert when it comes down to the nitty-gritty eat this, not that, but we'll see where this goes.

For now, I bring you "the soup that heals." Man. If you need a way to awaken your senses and cleanse your soul, this is the soup for you. The wholesomeness, the spice - it just feels good. It dinner doesn't get much healthier than a homemade broth overflowing with fresh veggies.

A magic healing soup

As adapted from The First Mess.

Serves 2.

Note: whatever vegetables you decide to use, be sure they are sliced or peeled rather finely. The cooking/tenderizing of the vegetables is dependent upon the hot broth alone, so you don't want your veggies to be too chunky. Also, the ingredient portions listed here will serve 2; I doubled the recipe when I made it, saving the broth and fresh-cut veggies in separate containers, re-heated the broth the next day and submerged the veggies in it.

Ingredients for broth:

1 whole lemon, halved

2 celery stalks, cut up into a few pieces

1 onion, quartered

5 shiitake mushroom stems (reserve caps for soup)

1 red chili pepper, halved

1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger

1 clove of garlic, smashed

5 twigs of fresh thyme

Handful of fresh cilantro stems (reserve cilantro leaves for soup)

Heaping 1/4 cup tamari soy sauce

5 cups water

To serve:

1.5 cups finely sliced vegetables per serving (I used carrots, snow peas, shiitake mushroom caps, and whole leaves of baby spinach)

Garnish:

Fresh cilantro leaves

Sliced green onions

Sprouts (I used micro-greens from Trader Joe's)

Sesame oil

Sriracha

Lime wedges

Make the broth: combine all broth ingredients in a medium-large saucepan over medium heat. Pour 5 cups of water over the top and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cooking for 30-45 minutes (longer if you want a more concentrated broth). Strain the broth and return to pot, keeping hot.

You can slice up vegetables and garnishes while broth is simmering. Arrange vegetables in serving bowls, then ladle/pour hot broth over top. Stir around a bit so vegetables are completely submerged to tenderize. Garnish as desired and serve.

This soup was very delicious. It is light on the appetite though, so we supplemented with a little beef and asparagus Japanese take-out. And it was spicy. We love heat over here, but be sure to not overdue it with the chili pepper if heat is not your thing (don't throw in all the seeds as I did, perhaps). Furthermore, may test taste at 30 minutes; I let it simmer for a good 45 minutes, so it was concentrated. Come to think of it, if you're not into heat, this may not be the soup for you. I think it might be too simple without it. This is a great recipe though.

Well, here's to all the healthy and belly-friendly dishes coming your way. Stay tuned!

Back from a little break + lentil and coconut curry stew

We've been staying busy lately! Despite that, I've still been cooking, so do not fret, dear readers. I have some recipes up my sleeve and will be posting a few here very soon, including this great curry soup.

I got a chance to go on a solo trip down to Oregon to visit my family a little over a week ago, which was great. Great quality time. Then it was back to work, fun with friends, ultimate frisbee, tried a couple new restaurants, some "Goodwill hunting" (as Zack calls it) for some neat dishes (which the blog will definitely benefit from), and some great exploring around the Mukilteo area. Spring is coming, and life is good. And curry is always good. Which leads me to this wonderful recipe...

Lentil and coconut curry stew

As adapted from The Little Red House, who adapted their recipe from Scaling Back.

Serves 4-6, depending on serving size.

Ingredients:

1-2 tablespoons coconut oil 

2 cups lentils (I used a mixture of brown and red)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 large carrots, sliced

1 fresh jalapeño, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 heaping tablespoon red curry paste

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup tomato paste

7 cups water

1 15-oz. can coconut milk

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Juice of two limes

Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving (optional)

Heat coconut oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, carrot, and jalapeño. Cook until veggies are almost tender. Add garlic, ginger, curry, spices, salt, and tomato paste; continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Add water, coconut milk, lentils, and chickpeas; bring to low boil and cook, uncovered, for about 25 minutes, until lentils are tender. Stir in lime juice, and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, and fresh, warm naan, if desired.

This soup was very delicious and comforting. I'm not sure if I got the curry paste and spice ratio completely right (the color of my soup was a little different from the pictures of The Little Red House's version). Furthermore, the recipe did not indicate how many ounces of coconut milk to use (they just said "one can," and we all know there are different sizes of cans out there), but I figured 15-oz. was probably standard? That being said, the curry stew was great, all the same. I'm betting that this would be lovely over some warm rice, although we skipped that and had some whole-wheat naan from Trader Joe's instead. 

This lentil and coconut curry has a little kick, a beautiful, complex flavor, and the lentils add such satisfying texture. It's a keeper, just may need to make some minor adjustments when it comes to ingredient amounts. If you're into curry, it's definitely worth a try. Enjoy.

Chipotle sweet potato, black bean, and guacamole tacos

If you've been reading here for long at all, you know that I love sweet potatoes. And Zack and I love fresh, homemade tacos.

As I've mentioned before, I've become a little interested in the meatless Monday movement. New studies are showing that going meatless one day per week has benefits for a healthier heart. This week, however, I decided to take the idea a step further and go meatless for the week. Mainly because we kind of overindulged last weekend (think burgers, gyros, pizza - not all at once though). Ha ha. And I'm not saying I'm about to become a vegetarian - I love meat. But this week needed to be healthy and wholesome; veggies and grains and spices were calling me. This taco recipe, that I found on a blog through Pinterest, was the perfect way to kick off the week.

Chipotle sweet potato, black bean, and guacamole tacos

As adapted from Naturally Ella.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for tacos:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 15-oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained

2 chipotles in adobo sauce, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons adobo sauce

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

1 heaping tablespoon honey

Juice from 1 lime

8-10 6-inch tortillas, preferably corn or whole-wheat, or combination

Ingredients for guacamole:

2 avocados

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 serrano pepper, diced

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Juice from 1 lime

2 small tomatoes, diced

Handful of fresh cilantro, plus additional for garnish

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add onions and cook until onions begin to soften, 3-4 minutes. Stir in sweet potatoes and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes. Combine the chipotles, adobo sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, honey, and lime juice in a small bowl. Pour into the skillet with the sweet potatoes and reduce heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally and cooking until sweet potatoes soften, 15-20 minutes. Stir in black beans towards the end of cooking to heat through. While sweet potatoes cook, pulse onions, garlic, serrano pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and lime juice in a food processor; pulse until combined but still a bit chunky. Scoop out insides of avocados, add to food processor, and blend until desired smoothness is reached. Fold in tomato and cilantro. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed. To serve, spread a spoonful of guacamole onto the middle of tortillas, sprinkle about 3 heaping tablespoons of sweet potato mixture onto guacamole, and top with fresh cilantro.

Zack and I have discovered that sweet potatoes are an amazing ingredient to use for tacos. They have incredible color and flavor, and you tend to forget they are replacing your meat of choice because they are so hearty and filling. The chipotles and adobo sauce add this amazing smokiness that I was not expecting. Plus, you can't go wrong with homemade guacamole. I added the crushed red pepper flakes and a bit more of the chile peppers than called for in both the taco mixture and guacamole because Zack and I like a bit of heat.

We saved the components of this recipe separately for better freshness for lunch the next day, and it did not disappoint. If you have not tried sweet potatoes in your tacos, you must. You will be surprised and delighted. They are perfection. And we all like it when the stars align to create a little perfection in our kitchens and cooking. Am I right, or am I right? Cheers.

Chili with turkey and beans

Everyone loves a good chili. Although Cooking Light's beef and beer chili is one of our go-to favorites, this Power Foods chicken chili is a contender. However, I make it with ground turkey instead of chicken pieces, just because I often have ground turkey on hand in the freezer. I also feel like the ground turkey adds some really great flavor.

Also. Be warned. This chili will make your kitchen smell like a fiesta. I take that back - it will make your whole house smell like a fiesta. Especially if you live in a small house or an apartment, for that matter. I mean, Zack walked in after work and was overcome by this simmering goodness coming from our stove. Furthermore, when I got to work the next morning, I realized that I smelled like chili because I had thrown on the same sweatshirt that I had worn while I was cooking the night before. That went in the wash pretty quick. It did smell good, but it kind of reeked of onion and the smells of cumin and chiles. You get the picture: delicious, but very fragrant.

Chili with turkey and beans

As adapted from Power Foods - 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

2 onions, finely chopped (about 3 cups)

5 garlic cloves, coarsely minced

1 green (or red, orange, yellow, etc.) bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped

1 3/4 pounds ground turkey

2 teaspoons chili powder

A heaping pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 dried bay leaf

1 can (28 ounces) chopped tomatoes

1 can (4 ounces) green chiles, drained and finely chopped

2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cans (15 ounces each) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt, for garnish (optional)

Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and cumin seeds over medium, stirring, until cumin is lightly toasted and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add onions, garlic, and bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft and lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Push onion mixture to edges of pot, add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, and increase heat to medium-high. Add ground turkey, chili powder, cayenne, and oregano; cook until turkey is browned and cooked through, breaking into chunks and stirring until spices are evenly spread throughout. Add bay leaf to pot, then add tomatoes and their juice and green chiles; stir to combine. Bring to simmer. Add stock, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and beans; season with pepper, and stir to combine. Bring to simmer again. Stir, reduce heat to medium-low, and gently simmer, uncovered, until bean mixture thickens, about 45-50 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with yogurt and/or cilantro leaves, as desired.

Evidently, this chili has a lot of ingredients, many of which could be played around with. You could switch out the turkey for chicken or ground beef, and you could also try different varieties of beans. I would normally use green bell pepper for this recipe, but they were out at the grocery store, so I threw in a combination of orange and yellow. The options are endless!

If you need a good, but healthful chili, this one is great. Here's to good and wholesome comfort food. Cheers.

Broiled salmon with Mexican salsa verde + corn salad

Salmon is such a great fish and it is so easy to cook (not too mention oh-so-good for you). The options are endless. Furthermore, it's also good just plain and broiled. This makes for an easy weeknight meal.

I went ahead and paired it with Mexican salsa verde and a corn salad as adapted from Mighty Spice. Normally, I might just buy some good green salsa from Trader Joe's, but I'm on a roll with making most things from scratch. I've also discovered the endless opportunities for using my Cuisinart food processor (thank you, Ron). It has a new, permanent place on my kitchen counter. And we all know how I love corn, so this corn and tomato salad appealed to me.

Mexican salsa verde

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove

1 green jalapeño chili

6 scallions

1 tomato (or a couple small tomatoes)

2 large handfuls cilantro leaves

1 large handful mint leaves

2 large handfuls parsley leaves

juice of 3 limes

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make salsa verde, put all ingredients into a food processor with a scant 1/3 cup of water and blend until smooth.

Corn salad

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup corn kernels

1 scant handful mint leaves, finely chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, toss together the cherry tomatoes, corn, mint, lime juice, and oil and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Mighty Spice actually calls for broiled red snapper for this meal, which I think would be good with the salsa and corn salad. However, Zack is not a big fan of snapper, so we opted for salmon but I think a whiter fish such as halibut could be good as well.

This was definitely better the next day, so really, the salsa and corn salad could be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator. All in all, a pretty simple but good meal.

Roasting my first whole chicken (amateur, I know) as I write, so I better run. More recipes to come soon! Cheers!  

Indian chicken and spinach curry + herb and spice quinoa

Do you ever see a recipe and you are oh-so-excited to make it, but then as you realize you are not even a quarter of the way through cooking, you realize this meal is going to be a bit of an ordeal? Let's just say, it's always good when such recipes turn out well. And delicious. Especially on a weeknight. Because if they don't, doing dishes afterwards is enough to undo you. That is, if eating the meal hasn't already.

I love when cookbooks include a "goes well with" note at the end of a recipe. It's like free, professional help with food pairing. It's nice. Just remember not to bite off more than you can chew on a weeknight. This is more of a reminder to myself than anything.

All that being said, this curry and quinoa creation was pretty tasty. Maybe try it on a weekend.

Indian chicken and spinach curry

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

Serves 4.

Ingredients for the curry:

10 oz. baby spinach

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 large tomatoes (or a few small ones), quartered

4 garlic cloves

1-inch piece ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 jalapeño, sliced lengthwise and seeded 

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 lb. 2 oz. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)

Bring large saucepan of water to boil and add spinach. Cook briefly, just until wilting, then strain, reserving cooking water. Put spinach and a scant 1/2 cup of the cooking water into a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer pureed spinach to a bowl and set aside to cool. Using the same food processor (don't worry about washing), blend garam masala, salt, onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and a little water until smooth. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and throw in cumin seeds. Wait a few seconds until they start crackling, then pour in tomato mixture. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Tip in spinach, chicken, and cream (if using), and stir well. Turn up heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, 12-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Herb and spice quinoa

As adapted from Mighty Spice Cookbook - Fast, Fresh, and Vibrant Dishes Using No More Than 5 Spices for Each Recipe

This side dish recipe actually calls for basmati rice, but I decided to try quinoa. The quinoa was great, but be warned - it definitely does not look as pretty as the pilaf rice.

Serves 4.

Ingredients for quinoa:

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup cashew nuts
2 cardamom pods
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken stock
1 large handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 large handfuls cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toast cashew nuts in a large skillet over medium heat. Shake pan constantly for 1-2 minutes. Add almonds and continue shaking pan 1-2 minutes longer until nuts are golden. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Split open cardamom pods on a cutting board with the flat side of a knife. This helps release their flavor. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat, add split cardamom pods and cumin seeds. Stir-fry 10-20 seconds until seeds start to crackle, then add onion, cooking 3-4 minutes until soft. Bring chicken stock to boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa, and onion and spice mixture. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until quinoa is tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Fluff quinoa with a fork and toss together with toasted nuts, parsley, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

First of all, cumin seeds. They are so fragrant, not to mention the way they crackle in the pan. They are the epitome of the word "crackle." Even more so than Rice Krispies. For real. If you haven't cooked with them, you should give it a try. They're fun. Secondly, cardamom pods - at first I thought I was just going to take the easy way out and use the ground cardamom I had on hand. But then I thought, "No, this is Explorations of an Amateur Cook; I should be willing to try anything!" So I did. The funny part is that I snatched two cardamom pods out of a loose leaf tea I also had on hand to use in this recipe. No judging. Ha ha.

It was also quite humorous that the chicken thighs I had purchased for the curry went missing. Not quite sure where they got left or ended up. But Zack, being the wonderful husband and sous chef that he is, picked up some more for me on his way home from work making this meal possible.

This curry and quinoa was a little ambitious for a weeknight, but it was very tasty. Lots of steps, but satisfying in the end. And I cooked with cardamom seeds for the first time, not to mention putting my own spin on the herb and spice pilaf rice (quinoa, in this case). Plus, mixing up my own garam masala spice mixture (follow the link to it as seen in my ingredient list). An Explorations success if I do say so myself.

The recipes are coming at full force, so don't be too long before you check back here again. Cheers.

Week Four: Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca, Pork Ramen, and Steaks

This week was very financially sound because all the meat used in these recipes came from my freezer. Oh yeah. Happened to have some chicken breast cutlets, a pork tenderloin that came in a pack of two (the first of which I used for my Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Sautéed Apples from Week Three), and we had a couple large steaks leftover from awhile ago. Freezing meat, soup, etc. is such a great way to save and plan ahead for future meals; you just have to remember to transfer them from freezer to refrigerator in a timely fashion so they are thawed when you are ready to cook. I set reminders on my phone for such occasions. Because I'm forgetful sometimes.

Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca

with Sautéed Broccoli

First of all. What on earth is saltimbocca? Apparently, saltimbocca is a dish (popular in southern Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Greece) made of veal topped with prosciutto and sage. But in this case, I made chicken saltimbocca; chicken wrapped in prosciutto and sage. And this is funny...saltimbocca (or saltinbocca) is Italian for "jumps in the mouth." And after eating this dish, I can confirm that it really does jump into your mouth. So good.

Find the recipe here: Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca. And this is, yet again, another dish from the November 2012 issue of Cooking Light. I'm telling you, they have some good stuff; fast, but really tasty weeknight meals.

Serve your chicken saltimbocca with sautéed broccoli, broccoli rabe, or green beans.

This was my first time cooking with prosciutto, and it is mighty delicious. Kind of salty, so maybe eat in moderation, but it adds such amazing flavor to your usual, plain chicken. Not to mention the hint of sage and fresh lemon. Mmmm.

Pork Ramen

As I write this, I realize that I forgot to add soy sauce to my ramen! Ahhh! I knew I had forgotten something. Never the less, this ramen was very delicious. Just don't forget to stir in the soy sauce towards the end of cooking. Lesson learned.

This was a Pinterest find. (Of course.) I'm addicted. And I don't even have an account. It's worse than having an account. I'm like a non-member, underground scavenger of Pinterest recipes and goodness.

Find the recipe here: Pork Ramen Soup. The neat thing about this dish, is you could re-work it a lot of different ways with various meats, vegetables, etc. I used my leftover pork tenderloin and the array of fresh veggies recommended for use in this recipe. I just love ramen noodles; always have. Using just the noodles and tossing out the seasoning packets gives you the opportunity to adjust the seasoning yourself. I added some crushed red pepper flakes also. This is one of those dishes that is even better the next day.

Steaks

and Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Shallots

Well, I wanted to use these steaks I had on hand, so Zack and I decided to just keep it simple and do steak with some vegetables. I wanted to do something a little lighter and healthier than potatoes, so I turned to Power Foods. If you've been reading here for awhile, you may remember some of my earlier recipes came from this amazing cookbook.

Find the recipe for the roasted brussels sprouts here: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pear and Shallots. I love brussels sprouts, and let's be honest, they just look like the epitome of health. I mean, really. They are a cluster of green leaves. It's like eating a bunch of baby cabbages. They're kind of weird, I guess. It did take me awhile to acquire the taste for them. But I love them now. And of course, pear and shallots are delightful. So this was a winner.

Cooking the steaks was very interesting in our apartment kitchen. Zack kind of headed up the cooking, while I ran frantically around the apartment, opening doors and windows, and fanning the smoke detector with a kitchen towel. We pan seared them on high heat first, then transferred to a hot oven for the rest of cooking. It was a sight to see, to say the least. Hope we didn't disturb the neighbors.

I haven't had steak in awhile, and well, it was tasty. And this brussels sprouts dish would be a perfect Thanksgiving side. Loved it.

Well, we're heading off to Portland tomorrow after work, so I'm posting this week's post a little early. Enjoy and cheers (this one's for you, Zack). :)