apple dijon kale salad

another great recipe from Budget Bytes. i usually steer clear from anything dijon but it is really subtle in the dressing and you could even decrease the amount you put in. it went great with the teriyaki salmon i made but is also a great easy lunch salad. i added some feta cheese i had because who doesn't like feta cheese?

apple dijon kale salad

$5.53 recipe / $1.38 serving

otal Recipe cost: $5.53 
Servings Per Recipe: 4 large salads (or 6 side salads) 
Cost per serving: $1.38 (for four) 
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 0 min. Total: 30 min. 

INGREDIENTS		COST
1/3 cup	olive oil	$0.96
1/4 cup	apple cider vinegar	$0.24
1 clove	garlic	$0.08
1.5 Tbsp	dijon mustard	$0.16
1/4 tsp	salt	$0.02
10-15 cranks	fresh cracked pepper	$0.03
1 bunch	kale	$0.99
1 medium	granny smith apple	$0.87
1/4 cup	raisins	$0.36
1/2 cup	walnut halves	$1.82
TOTAL		$5.53

STEP 1: Tear the kale leaves from the stems. Cut the leaves into thin slices and then rinse well under cool water (in a colander). Allow the kale to drain as you prepare the rest of the salad.

STEP 2: In a blender combine the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, clove of garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until the garlic is minced and the dressing is smooth.

STEP 3: Wash the apple and chop it into chunks. Roughly chop the walnut halves. Make sure the kale is as dry as possible and then combine it in a large bowl with the apples, walnuts, and raisins. Pour the dressing on top, starting with half, and toss to coat. Add more dressing as desired (I used the whole batch). 

Teriyaki Salmon w/ Siracha Mayo

OK OK I know the Jewkes are known for their distaste for all things seafood. In fact I noticed that the "seafood" label on the sidebar only has 1 post while "desserts" has 98. do you think that says anything about us jewkes girls?? but I made this salmon the other night and it was REALLY good- and that is coming from someone who has a general distaste for seafood but gets a craving every once in a while. It is really simple and doesn't have a "fishy" taste at all. It is from the website budget bytes which I have mentioned before- love it.

side note: whoever thought in their right mind that i would seriously post beaus special dinner is smoking dope. but when grandma becky was here to visit she mentioned that she thought it was serious and that i must be bored. well just to clear the air it was beau who begged to post something in my name and when i finally relented i found a post about macaroni and he begged me not to take it down. so just to clear the air i think we are all capable of making a box of mac n cheese, if you found it insulting to your intelligence i apologize :) the annoyances of your little brother live on!

teriyaki salmon w/
sriracha mayo

$13.94 recipe / $3.30 serving

Total Recipe cost: $13.94
Servings Per Recipe: 4 
Cost per serving: $3.30
Prep time: 10 min. Marinate time: 30 min. Cook time: 10 min. Total: 50 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 lb.	salmon filet	$11.49
1/4 cup	soy sauce	$0.24
2 Tbsp.	water	$0.00
1/2 Tbsp.	toasted sesame oil	$0.28
1 inch	fresh ginger	$0.13
1/2 tsp	minced garlic	$0.04
2 Tbsp.	brown sugar	$0.06
2 Tbsp.	rice wine	$0.27
1 tsp	corn starch	$0.02
1/4 cup	mayonnaise	$0.42
2 Tbsp.	sriracha hot sauce	$0.24
TOTAL		$13.94

TEP 1: Make the teriyaki marinade by whisking together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, brown sugar, rice wine, and corn starch (use a vegetable peeler to remove the ginger skin and then grate with a fine toothed cheese grater).

STEP 2: Cut the salmon filet into four equal sized portions and place in a large zip top bag. Pour the marinade over top, remove as much air as possible and close up the bag. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, mixing the bag occasionally to redistribute the marinade.

STEP 3: Heat a large, well oiled skillet over medium/high heat. It's a good idea to use a non-stick surface here too just to be safe (teflon or well seasoned cast iron). The teriyaki sauce gets thick and sticky when cooked. Once the skillet is hot, add the fish, face down. Cook on all four sides for 2-3 minutes each side or until the fish has reached your desired doneness.

STEP 4: In a small bowl, mix together the sriracha hot sauce and mayonnaise. Serve the fish with a dollop of sriracha mayo on top!

Golden Crusted Pork Loin

Well, I guess I've been a little MIA lately, which is a little funny since all I've been doing is a lot of sitting around waiting for this baby to decide to come into the world. Granted, that means I haven't been doing a huge amount of experimental cooking since my feet balloon up to gargantuan proportions when I'm on them too long these days. I've been mostly sticking with the quick and easy "sure-things" when we aren't doing take-out or delivery. My due date has come and gone and we're just waiting for the little guy to decide to make an appearance. I'm not sure if its been a "nesting" thing or what, but the last two days, I've been very energetic and productive. Maybe that's a good sign? Please be a good sign. I'm ready to have my body back!

Last night, I had some pork tenderloin thawed out and was looking for a quick and tasty way to prepare it. I often butterfly my tenderloins and stuff them, but I just couldn't get up the gumption for that. My husband was dreaming of a pork tenderloin sandwich, but I was also wanting to forego any pounding and frying. I thought a nice crunchy crust might be found another way. Perusing through the pantry, I found what I was looking for... Panko (the perfect breading standby) and French fried onions (you know, the ones you put on top of green bean casserole). At that point I was on my way to a fabulously flavorful and easy dinner.

The breading goes on easy and stays on well through the cooking process. It comes out golden and crispy and very flavorful. I highly recommend it!

Golden Crusted Pork Loin
Yield: serves 4-6

1 package pork tenderloin (usually contains two loins)
2-4 TBS all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup French fried onions
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 TBS dried parsley
1/4 tsp salt
spray cooking oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. If the loin looks excessively marbled, consider using a roasting rack to keep the loins from sitting in the excess fat as it cooks. Remove the loins from their packaging, rinse and pat dry. Prepare the egg wash by cracking the two eggs into a large, shallow container and beat gently. Then prepare the crunchy coating. In a food processor, pulse the French fried onions until they are similar in texture to the Panko. Mix the fried onions, Panko, Parmesan, parsley, and salt together on a shallow dish or tray.

Sprinkle the loins with the flour until all surfaces are lightly covered. Gently tap off any excess. Then dip each loin into the egg wash and roll around in the crunchy coating until they are evenly coated. Place on the baking sheet. Spray lightly with cooking oil spray. Place in the top third of the preheated oven and roast until a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the loin reads 150F. Remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes before slicing and serving.

Meatball Glaze

adapted from: atasteofhome.com/recipes/suprise-meatball-skewers

We had meatballs the other night and looked up a glaze. This was delicious and super easy. We grilled the meatballs on skewers on the grill and just brushed this glaze on top. Served over rice. Pretty Tasty!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons apple juice
• Dash cayenne pepper  

Directions

• In a saucepan, combine the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-7 minutes or until onion is tender and sauce is slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.

Green Enchilada Sauce

Seth made this tonight, gourmet,  I know! It was delicious. It makes a ton so we froze the left overs for future use. 

Green Enchilada Sauce (Kate’s Knockoff Cafe Rio Recipe)
Recipe by Our Best Bites

2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and membranes removed if desired (and I desire. Always.)
1 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered or halved
1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
4 c. chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp. sugar (optional and to taste; the sauce Cafe Rio uses seems to be slightly sweet, so if I’m using this sauce for enchilada-style burritos, I generally add a little sugar, but for everything else, I leave it out.)

In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until tender and fragrant.

While onions are sauteeing, combine tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro in your blender. Process until smooth; you may have to do it in batches and/or add some chicken broth to make things blendable.

Pour the tomatillo mixture over the onions and garlic and add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer 15 minutes-1 hour, depending on the consistency you want. I usually turn the heat to high and boil it uncovered until I reach the consistency I want; it makes things go a lotfaster. The sauce can also be simmered in a slow cooker all day.

Serve over tacos, as an enchilada sauce, inside burritos, or as a dip for chips.

Mom's Beef Stew

Yummmm....just what you need on a cold winter's day!

Mom's Beef Stew

adapted from favfamilyrecipes.com

2 lbs. steak, cubed (or buy stew meat)

Tabasco sauce

Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 cups beef broth

2 large potatoes, cleaned and cut into large cubes

3-4 carrots, peeled and cut

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 small can tomato sauce (or to taste)

cornstarch (optional)

Braise beef in oil until just brown on all sides (turning only once if possible).  Add Tabasco, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper to taste.  Add onions and saute until onions become clear.  Transfer to a *large pot and add beef broth, potatoes, and carrots.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for **about an hour (or until potatoes are cooked through).  If you want the beef to be really tender, simmer for even longer.  About 20 minutes before serving, add corn, peas, and tomato sauce and simmer until ready to serve.  If you like your stew nice and thick, add about 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch to some beef broth, stir until smooth, then stir into the stew.  Add beef broth to thin out and cornstarch to thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.  

*you can also throw everything in a crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours

**The potatoes cooked much faster than I expected, so I would suggest adding them later so they only cook for about 45 minutes.  Otherwise they will get mushy.

Classic Bran Muffins

photo courtesy of allrecipes

So, living in the "country" definitely has it's benefits, but also it's drawbacks.  Last night we ran out of propane, and no propane = no heat or hot water.  This morning our house was 53 degrees.  Brrr!  Outside it is 19 degrees and it is supposed to snow today.  I was craving something warm for breakfast, so I was happy to find this bran muffin recipe.  I made it vegan by substituting rice milk for the buttermilk, and it turned out delicious!

Classic Bran Muffins
adapted from Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups wheat bran (I used bran flakes)
1 cup buttermilk (substitute rice milk or any other milk)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line muffin cups or spray with cooking spray.  Mix together wheat bran and milk.  Let stand for 10 minutes.

Beat together oil, egg, sugar, and vanilla and add to milk/bran mixture.  Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Stir flour mixture into bran mixture, just until blended.  Fold in raisins and spoon into muffin cups.

Bake 15-20 minutes.  Enjoy!