Left Chop

I was at my local grocery store that happens to carry whole-and-natural foods, and found the most beautiful turkey chops (which actually taste just like pork chops if cooked correctly) so I bought them.  When I got home, I saw I had leftovers that would make this meal something GRAND.  Check this out:  I had leftover roasted potatoes from dinner the night before, leftover unused red cabbage from salad that week , leftover onion and cilantro from a meal train meal, leftover chipotle in adobo sauce from fish tacos, and leftover cream sauce I made for the fish tacos as well.  Woo!  That's a-lotta-leftovers!!  But it was such a beautiful meal no one ever would have known......except I'm sharing the secret with you!

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SEARED TURKEY CHOPS WITH ADOBO CREAM SAUCE

one package turkey chops

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

sea salt 

pepper

1/2 cup home-made cream sauce from fish tacos (or ranch dressing or sour cream with some seasoning)

2 chipotle in adobo peppers, chopped, with sauce

1 tbs butter

Sprinkle a pan (I use my cast-iron skillet, of course!) with enough evoo to cover the bottom and heat on medium heat for one minute.  Meanwhile, sprinkle the chops with sea salt and pepper on both sides.  Cook in pan for five minutes on both sides.  Remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

While chops are resting, in the same pan the chops were cooked in and on medium heat,  add chopped adobo peppers and adobo sauce and cook about two minutes.  Add cream sauce and cook another two minutes until creamy and cooked through.  Add butter to smooth.  Turn off heat and let butter melt.  POUR OVER CHOPS AND BE PREPARED FOR HEAVEN IN YER MOUTH!!

NOTES: For less heat, use one pepper or just the sauce.  I just cannot STAND leftovers and couldn't let those two peppers go to waste!  It was perfect heat for us, but could be too much for others.  If so, add a little cream or more cream sauce.  Serve on top of the leftover roasted potatoes to make it magical.

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MEXICAN CABBAGE

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

red cabbage, sliced chunky

leftover onion, chopped (about one onion)

leftover cilantro, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

sea salt

pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

In a heavy pan, sprinkle enough evoo to cover the bottom of the pan and heat on medium heat for one minute  Add remaining ingredients and cook for about five-to-ten minutes, or to desired consistency.  

NOTES: Serve alongside chipotle chops and leftover roasted potatoes for an amazing experience.  TRUST ME.

FISH BOWL

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Well.  What do you do when your chiropractor and The Hubster go fishing and catch some real beauts and you've made (the most awesome ever) fish tacos and still have some left??  ASIAN FISH SOUP.  And let me just tell you - it was OUT - STAND - ING.

ASIAN FISH SOUP

3 tbs peanut oil

4 radishes, sliced thin

1 red bell pepper, sliced thin

1 small bunch bok choy, chopped

6 button mushrooms, sliced thin

4 cups vegetable stock (or broth)

2 cups leftover fish taco meat, flaked (or fresh-cooked of your choice)

3 tbs hot oil

1 cup soy sauce

pepper, to taste

3 tbs sesame oil

1/2 cup cilantro

Watch how easy this is: In a large soup pot, heat the peanut oil on medium heat for one minute.  Add radish,  bell pepper, bok choy, and button mushrooms and cook for two minutes, until cooked to al dente.  Add the fish, and cook another minute before adding the broth.  Bring to a slow boil, add hot oil, soy sauce, and pepper and cook another five minutes on low heat.  Remove from heat and add sesame oil and cilantro.  Then EAT IT UP!

NOTES: I use all organic ingredients whenever I can, including the soy sauce.  This is for clean-eating purposes only, and in this particular recipe does not make a difference in the flavor - the star is the fish!  Be careful not to salt this soup, as the soy sauce acts as the salt.  Look for your hot oil on the International aisle in your local grocery store.  In order to get organic I had to order mine online.  Omit if you don't want the heat, but it is definitely not overwhelming and rests on the back of your palette in a mild way.  This was perfect in a time pinch  

Creamy Dreamy (Leftovers?)

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I had leftover pasta from sausage ragu night.  I had leftover roasted chicken from Sunday Supper.  I had leftover salad I had used as a side.  I loathe waste so I can't throw it all away!  What's a girl to do?  Simple!  Throw it all into a bowl and smother it in a creamy, dreamy sauce and give it a name everyone is familiar with, like Pasta Chicken Salad, and voila!    No more leftovers!

CREAMY PASTA CHICKEN SALAD

leftover pasta (or just make some!)

leftover roasted chicken, de-boned and shredded (or some store-bought rotisserie)

leftover salad, consisting of spinach, lettuce, carrots, celery, green onion and cucumber (or cut up these veggies or any veggies you like!)

Toss this all together in a bowl.  Await dressing.

CREAMY DREAMY DRESSING

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

1 tbs prepared horse radish

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

slight squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Put all ingredients into a jar with lid and shake or place in a bowl and whip with a whisk.  Pour over pasta chicken salad and eat.  Close your eyes, let out a slight moan of deliciousness.  Repeat.

NOTES: Carb-free or low-carb?  Prepare the chicken and salad with dressing first and set some aside.   Add pasta for everyone else and mix!

Chunky Monkey & Stroganoff

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The Hubster and I had a very rare 'spare' night; meaning we had a weekend night all to ourselves.  So we got a dollar-rent-a-movie, and I, without wanting to go grocery shopping (that would take up our free night!), I made an easy dinner with whatever I had in the house.  So with a box of organic pasta, some sour cream and a package of ground turkey I made some stroganoff in the crockpot while we went all-out leisurely.  Since there was absolutely no lettuce in the house (HIGHLY unusual) I made a salad with what veggies I did have.  Turned out to be a chunky salad(ish) with my own monkey dressing (I called it that because I use a little coconut water to make it, which makes me think of a monkey in a tree......plus it rhymes with chunky!)  Needless to say, everything (including the rare-spare evening) was delicious!  Life.  is good.

CHUNKY MONKEY SALAD

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks

2 celery stalks, cut into bite-sized chunks

10 grape tomatoes, sliced in half

 8 radish, quartered or halved

1/2 onion, chopped coarsely

Load all ingredients into a bowl and cover with monkey dressing!  That's IT!

NOTES: I used some yellow heirloom grape tomatoes that were aching to be-used-or-go-bad.  They were a perfect complement to the crunchier veggies.

CHUNKY MONKEY DRESSING

1 cup mayo

1/4 cup coconut milk (more if you want it thinner)

1 sprig thyme

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Put all ingredients in a jar or a container with a lid.  Shake, shake shake!  Pour over your salad!

NOTES: FANTASTIC for summer!

CROCKPOT STROGANOFF

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1 pkg ground turkey

extra virgin olive oil

1 can (or organic box) cream of mushroom soup

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 tbs Italian seasoning

sea salt 

pepper

Sprinkle enough evoo to cover bottom of crockpot.  Put all ingredients in crockpot and stir.  Put on high heat, about four hours.  If you are home, stir from time-to-time, if not, be sure to break it all up and stir prior to serving.  Serve over pasta.  Garnish with parsley, if desired.

NOTES:  I don't use the cream of mushroom soup in a can because I really do think it affects the flavor.  I use organic boxed cream of mushroom soup, which you can find in the natural section of your regular grocery store.  You can replace the ground turkey with beef, if you want, but omit evoo if you do.  I used a box of organic rotini, but since I'm low-carb and the kids are no longer living at home, I only used a little for Adrian.  So be on the lookout for the leftovers to resurface!

Chop, Chop!

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Pork chops around my house are a rare treat!  But we were standing in our local grocery store chain that carries whole foods (ahem) and saw these beauties.  I couldn't resist and The Hubster ended up with what we now call the I-Am-So-Happy-I-Get-Bacon-Or-Pork-Of-Any-Kind face, flashed me that handsome grin, and then hugged me tight right there in front of the other patrons.  You should see the kiss I got to go along with it after I cooked them up!

BAKED PORK CHOPS

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6 pork chops

sea salt

pepper

paprika

summer savory

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

Lightly sprinkle each chop with sea salt, pepper, paprika, and summer savory on both sides.  In a heavy pan (I use the old-but-faithful cast iron!) sprinkle enough evoo to cover the bottom and heat on medium high for about a minute-and-a-half.  Gently place the chops in the heated oil and brown for about four minutes on each side.  Add the vegetable or chicken broth and cover.  Turn heat to low and let simmer for about twenty minutes.  Remove chops and let rest (while you make pan gravy!!).

NOTES:  I not only made pan gravy out of the juices from these chops, I served them with sauteed mushrooms and onions, and a side of summer slaw!  Dizzy-causing goodness!

Chicken Dance

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I feel almost BAD about telling you how delicious and how extremely EASY this dinner was!   It tastes like you slow cooked these babies, but truthfully, it is so easy you will have time to do a happy dance!  You would think that's why I named this post what I did, but it was actually in reference to the salsa on the chicken.  Eh.  Either way - you'll be happy you made this for dinner!

SALSA CHICKEN

1 pkg chicken thighs

sea salt

pepper

1 small jar salsa of your choice

shredded cheddar cheese

Season chicken thighs with sea salt and pepper on both sides.  Divvy up the salsa among the chicken, plopping it on top of each one.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Yep.  That's it.

NOTES: I served mine with roasted broccoli because I'm the low-carb girl, but you could always cook up some Spanish rice to go with it.  I also use organic chunky salsa from the natural foods section of my local grocery store.  

'Choke On It!

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One of my most favorite things in the universe is artichoke.  This particular night we paired it with the crab we caught on our beach-camping trip and a kitchen-sink salad.  (Crab recipe will come at a later post.  Friend of ours gave us the most AMAHZ recipe I will share!)  Artichokes are super-duper-good for you: they are from the thistle family and are a good source of niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber (not to mention low-carb!), vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and manganese.  (YAWN.)  THEY ARE JUST PLAIN DELICIOUS!!  This is my go-to way of making them just about every time, and you won't be sorry if you try it.

CITRUS BAKED ARTICHOKE

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1 whole artichoke

sea salt

pepper

juice of 1 citrus fruit (orange, lemon, lime)

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

Snip sharp edges from artichoke, peel stem with vegetable peeler until all nubs and points are removed, and quarter.  Cut top off smooth.  With a paring knife, carefully cut the prickly thistle out of the middle so there is a slight divot, as shown above.  Lay on baking sheet and one at a time, pick up by stem and squeeze citrus juice in between leaves and then onto stem.  Do the same with the evoo, sea salt, and pepper - in that order.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tender.  Then rip the 'meat' off of each leaf with your teeth until you hit the gold nugget that is the tender artichoke heart.  Sweet love of all that is good......you're welcome.

NOTES: Great as a side, or on its own as a snack!

Love Stack!

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I love food.   And there are some foods that bring back sweet memories for me.  A beautiful antipasto is one of them.  (Yes, I just described an antipasto as 'beautiful')  The array of Italian meats and cheeses, the colorful tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini, the tangy marinated artichoke hearts and pop of garbanzo beans that add texture to the tray?  Oh, yes, My Friends.  SWEET MEMORIES.  Well, I wanted to try something a little different; something easy with less fuss, and something that would taste like that beautiful memory, while creating a new one.  THIS??  This is GENIUS.  It has all the antipasto flavors, resembles a lasagna, and tastes like a slice of heaven.

ANTIPASTO SALAD STACK

1/4 pound sliced salami

2 carrots, ribboned

1/2 head Romaine lettuce, shredded into ribbon-like pieces

1/4 pound smoked provolone cheese

1/2 container grape tomatoes, quartered

1 large zucchini, ribboned

1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained, juice/oil reserved for dressing

home-made balsamic (or your favorite store brand)

1/4 pound sandwich-sized pepperoni

1 jar garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

1/4 pound sliced mozzarella cheese

FOR DRESSING:

1 cup mayonnaise

juice/oil reserved from jar of artichoke hearts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

parsley, chopped, for garnish

In a square baking pan, layer salami, carrot ribbons, and Romaine ribbons,  On top of that, layer the provolone cheese grape tomatoes, zucchini ribbons, and artichoke hearts.  With a light hand, barely drizzle the balsamic dressing over this layer.  It is now time to layer the pepperoni, garbanzo beans, and red onion (see notes).  For the final layer, place your mozzarella cheese on the top, and then gently-but-firmly press down on the entire salad stack.  Cover with foil or non-stick cling wrap and place in the fridge.  At this point, you will need something heavy to place on top - I used my gallon of milk, which fit perfectly into the square pan.  Let this sit for at LEAST an hour.  Meanwhile, mix your dressing ingredients and refrigerate as well.  When ready, slice CAREFULLY into squares - oh-so-carefully so as not to disturb the meat layers and have them slide around.  Take your spatula and plate one of those beauties.  Pour your dressing on top and garnish with the parsley.  A knife and a fork helped me put each bite into my mouth while keeping the layers in tact.  And oh!  The MEMORIES!

NOTES:  You can substitute any deli meat and cheese you like, as well as the veggies.  TOTALLY replaceable with whatever you like!  It's also low-carb for those of you that care about that part.  They key here is the stacking and pressing.  Also, my Aunt Frannie said if you are one of those people that don't like the bite in the red onion and want to take it out, soak it in cold water for ten minutes after slicing.  

Want to see how easy this was in real-time?  Click HERE to see!