Greek-Inspired Feast

Well, hi, friends!  It's been too long!

I'm back for a surprise appearance!

So, at my parents' house, we have a garden.  It's been very warm and rainy here in MD, and therefore the garden has just exploded with growth!  That, coupled with working at an organic market and two Costco memberships in the house, means we sometimes have an over-abundance of produce that needs to be cooked.

I cannot emphasize enough, though, the growth in the garden.  Oregano, basil, thyme, mint, cilantro, parsley, dill, kale, chard, squash, peppers, tomatoes, green beans...it's ridiculous.  Oh, and there's a cucumber plant in there somewhere, but I'm afraid the squash is gonna choke it out.

I had to cut out at least half of our thyme and oregano that were taking over the garden.

Who needs coat hooks?  Those are for herb drying!

Some of the massive amounts of Swiss chard that are springing forth.

So, the following is what I'm preparing right now in order to get rid of some of what we have laying around!

Keftedes-Inspired Burgers
1 pound 20/80 ground beef
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
3 T. finely chopped mint
3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 egg
Zest of 1/2 a lemon
Salt & pepper

Preheat your grill to medium-high or high heat.

Mix together ingredients in a small bowl.  Allow to sit for at least one hour in the fridge.

Form into four equal-sized patties and grill over high heat for about 5 minutes on each side  (for a well-done burger).

Marinated Portabella Mushroom Caps
3 large portabella caps, washed and dried
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 T. olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
2 T. finely chopped fresh oregano

Toss ingredients into a ziploc bag and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.  Shake it around every now and then to redistribute.

Grill over high heat for about 4 minutes on each side, or until charred and tender.

Mediterranean Sauteed Greens and Beans

2 T. olive oil
1-2 bunches of Swiss chard, chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1 15-oz can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
A handful of cherry tomatoes
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Toss in chopped chard stems and cherry tomatoes.  Allow to cook until the tomatoes are tender and squishy.

Toss in your chopped chard.  It will look like a lot, but trust me, it cooks down.

Once the greens have cooked down, add the white wine, beans, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic cloves.  Allow to simmer, cooking off the liquid.

Before serving, season with salt and pepper and allow to cook a bit more.  Taste and serve!

Greek-Style Zucchini
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 pounds zucchini/summer squash, sliced into 1/2 inch think pieces (if large, quarter them, if medium, half them)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, sliced
Zest of 1/2 a lemon, juice of a whole lemon
Salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh oregano

Heat your olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add in your sliced onion and cook until tender.

Add in the garlic and zucchini.  Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, until the zucchini begins to soften.

Now add in 2/3 of your oregano and the lemon zest and juice.  Stir to combine.

If you are impatient like me for the zucchini to cook through, you can place a lid over the top so the squash cooks faster.  Make sure it's not too liquidy by leaving a gap.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve, sprinkling with the remaining oregano.

Serve everything with a healthy sprinkling of feta cheese!

Who ever said low carb and gluten free had to be boring?

"Satay" Pork Stir-Fry

I'm calling this a satay stir-fry because that was the flavor it most reminded me of.  I made this up (minus the marinade recipe, which I found here), and just kind of threw together what I had in the fridge.  You can add and subtract veggies as you have them.  I think the following would also be good in the stir-fry:  tofu, snap peas, greens, green beans, eggplant, zucchini, chicken, beef, green pepper, bamboo shoots, etc.

Play with it and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1-2 lb. pork tenderloin

Marinade:
2 T. hoisin sauce**
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. honey
2 T. green onions, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Stir-Fry:
The pork tenderloin, marinated, sliced into small, thin strips
3 T. oil, such as canola or peanut
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-inch knob of ginger, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 head of broccoli florets, cut in equal-sized pieces

Sauce:
1/4 cup hoisin sauce**
1 T. peanut butter
1-2 T. honey
1-2 T. soy sauce
1 t. sesame oil
1/2 cup water

1 T. starch mixed with 1 T. water

Instructions:

Mix together your marinade and pour it over your pork tenderloin.  Marinate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Stir together the sauce ingredients and set aside.  You may want to heat it to get the peanut butter to combine well with the other liquids.  Taste and adjust to your liking.

Get out a wok and heat your oil in it over high heat, until the oil is shimmering and nearly smoking.

Add in the garlic and ginger.  Stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add in the pork and stir-fry until browned, about 2 minutes.

Add the vegetables.  Stir-fry for up to 5 minutes, until they are vibrant and slightly tender.

Add the sauce mixture.  Allow to come to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes more, or until everything is cooked through.

Add the starch mixture and allow to simmer until the sauce reaches a thickness you like.

Serve alone, or over rice!

I apologize for my lack of real pictures.  I didn't know it was going to be good until it was done :P.

You could easily make this vegetarian/vegan by substituting tofu for the pork.  Also, I think this would work with beef and chicken!

** If you need a good source for a GF hoisin sauce recipe, I used this one.

Szechuan Eggplant

From everything I've ever seen, Szechuan means hot.  You are warned.

I had Szechuan eggplant hotpot at a Chinese/Thai/Japanese fusion restaurant in Maryland last spring.  It was delicious, saucy, and spicy (but not spicy enough, no matter how much I tell them to make it HOT).  I HAD to find a recipe for making it at home (especially since going gluten-free), and I did.

This is the basic recipe.  When I have it on my plate, I end up adding more heat with Szechuan peppercorns and more Sriracha.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of ground pork
2 T. soy sauce
Ground black pepper

Sauce:
2 T. sesame oil
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
3 T. chili-garlic paste (usually, I use Sambal Oelek, but I ran out the other day, so I used Sriracha)
1 T. rice wine (I did not have this, and used white wine.  I have also heard gin delivers a very similar flavor.)

1-2 large eggplants, sliced into fat sticks
1-2 bell peppers (red and green), optional
1-inch knob of ginger, sliced into matchsticks
1 T. cornstarch dissolved in 1 T. water
Half a head of garlic, minced

Instructions:

Look how cheap ground pork is!!!!

Place ground pork, 2 T. soy sauce, and black pepper in a small bowl to marinate.  Allow to sit in fridge for at least 1 hour.

Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Heat a wok over medium-high heat.  Add pork mixture, ginger, and garlic.  Stir-fry until browned.

Add in bell peppers and eggplant.  Stir-fry for a few minutes to brown the eggplant.

Throw in the sauce mixture and bring to a simmer.  Turn heat down to medium and allow stir-fry mixture to cook until the eggplant is cooked through, 5-10 minutes.  Stir frequently.

I put a lid over it so the eggplant would cook more evenly.

Add in the cornstarch and water mixture, bring to a boil, and allow the mixture to thicken.

Serve immediately over rice/quinoa, or all alone if you like!  I was so hungry, I didn't take a great picture...but it was delicious!

If you like heat...I suggest investing in some Szechuan peppercorns.  I prefer it with about a teaspoon of them added to the recipe, but a lot of people don't like how hot it gets, so I just add them after.

Grilled Chicken Marinated in Cumin, Lemon, and Mint

Can I just say how great it feels to be running again after months of not doing it?  It's wonderful!  But now I'm out of shape, so...working on that.

Here is a really simple, light, and tasty chicken recipe for your summer/fall transition.

Ingredients:

Juice and zest of 1 lemon.

1 pound bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup mint leaves, finely minced

1 t. paprika (preferably hot)

1 t. cumin

2 T. olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Whisk together lemon juice, zest, half of the garlic, half of the mint, and all the spices in a bowl.  Pour into a container or Ziploc bag for marinating.  Marinate at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or longer in the fridge.

Preheat your grill on high heat.  Place chicken on the grill (discard marinade) and cook about 5-6 minutes on each side (or until done through).

Place on a platter and allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining garlic and mint.  

Margarita Pork Chops with Crispy Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

3 pork chops, flattened to about 1 inch thick

1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes' worth)
Juice of 1 orange
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. your favorite spice rub (mine was leftover from this recipe)
2 chipotles in adobo (adjust to your tastes), minced
1 T. honey

Instructions:

Mix together marinade spices in a large bowl or ziploc bag.  Add pork chops, coat, and allow to sit for 8 hours or more, shaking up the marinade/chops a couple of times to evenly distribute again.

Heat a grill over high heat.  Add pork chops and sear (for those perfect grill marks!) for 6 minutes.  Turn down the heat to medium and continue cooking for another 6-15 minutes (depending on how thick your chops are, mine took FOREVER) until almost done throughout.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes, tented with foil.

Serve hot with your choice of sauce (I used salsa verde and Sriracha!) and enjoy!

The recipe for the quinoa salad can be found here.  I follow it exactly, no changes except perhaps adding a few more veggies!  Very versatile and refreshing.