Bacon Makes Everything Better!

Y'all know how much I love [read quite sarcastically] whole grain pastas. So it's ironic that I found this recipe on the back of a whole grain pasta box (Ronzoni brand)...as I was about to toss it into the recycling bin. The word BACON caught my eye and I figured I'd give whole grain pasta one more try. 'Cause everyone knows a little bacon will make anything taste better!

I mean, let's face it, folks...bacon really does make everything better. Period. Have a headache? Slap some bacon on your noggin! Flower garden not up to par this year? Fertilize it with bacon! Jam your big toe walking around the bed in the middle of the night? Wrap it up with a piece of bacon! (If it doesn't feel better soon, you'll probably end up eating it right off, anyways...)

My favorite thing about cooking with bacon is that you don't even need to oil or grease the pan; just put that bacon in a hot pan and it makes its own grease! (Amazing, I know.) But what excites me even more than that is thinking about the next ingredient I'm going to put in that pan that will soak up all that delicious bacon grease...wowsers.

But let's get back to tonight's dish, shall we?

The recipe is for whole grain linguine tossed with a bacon, onion, and sage sauce and baby spinach. And spinach--to me--is only good prepared a certain way: cooked in a buttery garlic sauce. (Mmmmm, yummy.) So this dish already had two strikes--non-buttery-garlic-sauce spinach and whole grain linguine.

But wait...here comes bacon!

I can honestly say I enjoyed this dish...and solely because of the bacon. Yes, maybe most of my spinach did end up on Mark's plate, but I was able to deal with the whole graininess of the linguine. (Besides, he likes veggies more than me, so it's definitely a win-win.)

Ah, bacon. I hear it crackling in its own grease over a hot stove, and as its aroma fills the air, reaching my nostrils, I think, This is what Heaven must smell like!

[Linguine with Bacon, Baby Spinach and Sage can be found at ronzonihealthyharvest.com]

More Veggies, Please!

I realized I had been skimming on the veggies over the last few meals, and I know how much Mark loves veggies, so I decided to make up for it tonight with a very "vegetable-y" stir-fry. It was quick and easy to make (as any stir-fry is), and is less than 500 calories (I calculated 436 calories per serving). Of course, depending on what meat you use--I used beef, but you could definitely use chicken, pork, or scallops/shrimp...or use no meat and have simply a veggie stir-fry--you can certainly end up with much less calories.

That's kind of the beauty of a stir-fry...the ingredients are your own. So what are you in the mood for?

Clearly, I was in the mood for la vaca (the cow), but that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. And although I was not in the mood for veggies, Mark was, so I sliced up several for him. (And, yes, I included extra mushrooms just for me.)

To boost the flavor, I added some chopped garlic and grated fresh ginger into the meat and veggies...mmmmmmm. I served it with brown rice and sprinkled toasted sesame seeds over everything. If it's not your thing, you can skip the sesame seeds; no need to walk around all night with one or two stuck in your teeth, right?

Overall, stir-fry recipes are easy. Since I usually like to use, well, whatever I like, you can do the same thing, too. Feel free to substitute anything, from protein to veggies to oil or butter...you have complete stir-fry freedom. Below is my recipe for this particular veggie-packed stir-fry, but have fun creating your own!

• 8-10 oz top sirloin (lean)
• 4 white button mushrooms (sliced)
• 1 red bell pepper (sliced)
• 1 carrot ("matchstick" sliced)
• 1 cup broccoli 
• 1 cup cauliflower
• soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp peanut oil
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• fresh ginger root
• toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add top sirloin, and garlic. Grate in fresh ginger, about 2-3 teaspoons. Stir frequently for about 3 minutes (may cook a minute or two longer depending on the protein you're using). Remove from pan. Cover with tin foil and sit aside.

Stir in mushrooms, red bell pepper, carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower to skillet. Generously douse veggies with soy sauce (about 3 tablespoons), stir. Increase heat a notch or two. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Return sirloin (or any protein) to pan, stir, cover and cook 45-60 seconds. Remove from heat.

Add a little more soy sauce (if you really love that flavor) and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over stir-fry. (If you have regular sesame seeds--not toasted--add them to skillet when you add your veggies; this will cook them up a bit for that nuttier, toasted flavor.)

This recipe serves two.

Dinner for Two...In a Hurry!

A pan-seared sirloin with red wine sauce over a bed of rice for two, coming right up! This meal will take roughly twenty-five minutes to prepare and cook; basically, it will take as long as it takes the rice to cook. So start there, then prepare everything else while the rice cooks. Minus the usual suspects--salt and pepper and olive oil--this meal features only FIVE ingredients; not only is it quick, but pretty easy, as well.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 lb top sirloin (trim the fat!)
• 1/2 c rice (white, brown, or any long-grain medley)
• 1 & 1/2 c beef broth
• 1/2 c red wine
• about 2 tsp chopped rosemary

Let's start with the rice; add one-half cup rice and 1 cup beef broth into a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover and let sit for 20-25 minutes or until broth has been absorbed. (Remember: Rice will cook faster if you keep it tightly covered; the more you remove the lid, the longer it will take. Just be patient, young Jedi...fight the urge to lift the lid and stir, you must.)

Liberally coat a pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Now take your sirloin and divide evenly into two separate steaks; season both sides with salt and pepper and add to pan when hot. Add rosemary to pan, on and around each steak. Cook on each side about 3-4 minutes for medium rare. (I did cook mine a little longer for a medium temperature.) Remove from pan and cover with tin foil to keep warm. Turn up heat a few notches and add wine to deglaze the pan. (Use a wooden spoon/spatula to scrape up those bits of beef stuck to the bottom of the pan.) Add the remaining 1/2 cup of beef broth. Let boil and reduce to about half. Remove from heat and let sit.

Take rested steaks and slice against grain. Serve over the rice. Generously spoon pan sauce over the steaks. Now you're ready to serve!

This meal can be prepared for less than 500 calories, although mine was about 550...I decided to help myself to some extra rice. (wink)

Fun With Fennel

This is only my second time cooking with fennel, but after seeing it as a recurring theme in several cooking shows this week, I thought it must be a sign...I should cook more with fennel. So after brainstorming a bit, I came up with a fairly quick and easy recipe for pan-seared chicken with fennel and roasted tomatoes.

I wasn't sure how much Mark would enjoy fennel, so I made sure I had something he'd really love (roasted tomatoes) on stand-by, just in case. He'd only had fennel once before, and it was raw in a salad. I don't recall him complaining about it, so I figured he would be okay if I sauteed some up to serve with the chicken. (He usually doesn't complain much anyways...)

Fennel smells very licoricey (if that's even a word) but tastes slightly less licoricey when cooked. The fennel tops (which look like fronds of a tropical plant), to me, still retain a strong licorice taste regardless of being cooked or not.

So here's the ingredients and recipe if you decide to do this one in your kitchen:

• 1 lb boneless chicken breasts (or breast tenderloins)
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced (chop and keep tops for later use)
• 12 grape tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken broth
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• crushed black pepper

Chicken & Fennel
Pour generous amount of olive oil into two skillets, enough to coat bottom, and put on medium-high heat. When pans are hot, add chicken to one (salt and pepper top side) and sliced fennel to the other. Cook chicken for 4 minutes on each side (or 1-2 minutes longer if using large boneless breasts). Stir fennel occasionally until golden brown then add chicken broth; cook for about 2 more minutes. Add fennel with chicken broth into the skillet with chicken; let cook for about 2 more minutes. Add a few of the fennel tops to the skillet during these last 2 minutes.

Tomatoes
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice 12 grape tomatoes into halves (top and bottom). Place on a greased baking sheet. Douse with olive oil and add salt and pepper. Cook in oven for about 5 minutes.

Before going into the oven

As you plate your meal, scoop out the chicken with some of the fennel (there will probably be some broth that hasn't cooked out, as well) then add several tomatoes around and on top of the chicken and fennel. You can even take some of the left over fennel tops and garnish the plate; place a few tomato halves on the garnish for a nice, finished look.

As an additional side, I also cooked some whole-grain pasta and sprinkled it with shredded mozzarella cheese (mmmmm...my favorite!). Feel free to add any side you like, but you can just leave it as is and serve the chicken, fennel, and tomatoes as one main dish.

The recipe above can serve four people, but we did bump up our servings a bit, and still had some left over...so we managed about three servings altogether. My final product, as I served it (with the pasta), was 505 calories.

By the way, Mark did enjoy the fennel; he said it had a different, but very good flavor. So get your fennel fix on today...and I'm sure I'll be cooking with it again!

Beef Tips w/Red Wine Sauce

This was one of my own creations tonight; I decided to toss the recipes out the door and see what I could do. Honestly, after tasting it, I realized there are definitely things I need to tweak, but that's the beauty of cooking. Rarely do I ever get a dish perfect (or, let's be honest, even close) on my first try. I'll make them again and again, knowing what to add or what not to add, and how much of any ingredient I should use. But it was a pretty tasty dinner, regardless, and for only 423 calories (served with rice), it tasted even better!

Here are tonight's ingredients, with my recipe following:

• 8 oz top sirloin (lean, cut into small pieces)
• 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• beef broth (about 1/2 cup)
• red wine (about 1/2 cup, I used a Shiraz)
• fresh parsley, dried
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Season beef tips with salt and pepper. Coat a large skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add garlic and beef tips. Cook for a total of 6 minutes, turning the beef tips after 3 minutes, or stirring occasionally; remove from skillet with slotted spoon. Turn heat to high and add about a half-cup of red wine to deglaze the pan, then add about a half-cup of beef broth. Reduce by half. Add beef tips back into skillet and stir for about 1 minute, then add 1/2 tbsp of butter and stir until melted. Serve beef tips with a side of your choice (I chose long-grain brown and red rice cooked in beef broth) and spoon red wine sauce over beef (and side item(s), if you prefer). Serves two.

Chop fresh parsley and sprinkle over beef tips, and use it also as a plate garnish. I used dried parsley and broke it up into smaller pieces, but chopped parsley would look a little neater.

And remember, when cooking with wine, be sure to pour a couple of glasses to enjoy with your dinner!

Low-Cal Chicken Stir-Fry

I have made a chicken stir-fry before (courtesy of campbellskitchen.com), but tonight I deviated from their recipe and added my own touch for a low-calorie, yet high-flavor, Asian dinner.

I love "Americanized" Japanese food--hibachi steak, fish, chicken, veggies...pretty much anything cooked on that flat-top grill can't be beat. Add to that all the sauces and spices: honey and ginger and soy; sweet, sour, nutty, zippy, and tangy...your tastebuds explode (in a good way) amid all the flavors.

Although I prefer beef, I chose the calorie friendly chicken for this recipe, which will make four servings. (I'm starting to discover that tonight's dinner makes a great tomorrow's lunch!) You'll need the following ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless chicken breasts (cut into small cubes)
• 1 tsp crushed ginger
• 1 tsp garlic powder (or use 1 medium clove of minced garlic)
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (for a touch of heat)
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 cups broccoli
• 8 oz thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• 2 tbsp toasted almond slivers (optional)

Begin cooking pasta for about 9-11 minutes (usually depends on brand; don't over cook). And instead of boiling broccoli separately, add it to the pasta about 3-4 minutes before it's done. Spray a large skillet with cooking oil (I like to use an olive oil spray) and cook chicken over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes. Stir in soy sauce then add ginger, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Stir over medium-high heat for another minute or so, then toss in sesame seeds a few seconds before removing from heat. Drain pasta (and broccoli). Serve chicken over pasta and broccoli, and top with toasted almonds, if you prefer.

Another option--and I usually do this, but did not tonight--is to add 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce to the pasta noodles once you have drained them. Stir soy sauce into noodles well, then serve with chicken. Very flavorful, but will add a few more calories (although it's quite minimal).

A quick, tasty, Asian stir-fry dinner...all for 350 calories per serving!