Provencal Swordfish dinner

Ryan and I had been craving fish lately, but the selection at our Publix is not exactly appetizing, so we've been eating mostly chicken.  Luckily my mom was nice enough to pick us up a gorgeous swordfish steak from the farmers' market in Sarasota.  We prepared the fish simply, but it produced a complex and delicious result.  

Ingredients:

1 swordfish piece (about 12 oz for two people)
2 lemons, juice squeezed and then the remaining lemon sliced thinly
Fresh thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Swordfish before baking

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Make a thin layer of the lemon slices and thyme in the bottom of a baking dish.  Lay the fish on top of it.  Squeeze the lemon juice and olive oil on top of the fish, along with salt and pepper.  Bake for about 15 minutes, but careful not to cook it, you want the fish to be just opaque.  When you take it out of the oven, put a pat of butter on top.  Serve with rice or quinoa and don't forget to spoon on some of the drippings from the baking dish for a wonderful sauce. 

Mommy's helpers

After cooking

Ready to eat, swordfish on a bed of quinoa

Easy Roast Chicken For Two

Several times, Ryan and I will get a craving for a roast chicken (so good) in the middle of the week, but just don't have the hours required to cook an entire chicken.  We've made this version of roast chicken, and while not quite as good as a three-hour roasted bird, it is quite good!

Ingredients for Roast Chicken for Two:

2 chicken breast with skin and bone-in
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus extra springs
2 lemons
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Chicken, before going into the oven

Pre-heat an oven to 375 degrees.  In a baking dish, line the bottom with lemon slices (save some to squeeze over the top of the chicken) and thyme sprigs.  Place the chicken breast on top of the lemon and thyme and drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.  Cook in oven for 45-60 minutes depending on the size and serve with anything you like- rice, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, spinach, sweet potato, etc. and don't forget to spoon on some of the juices from the pan, it'll make the yummiest, easiest gravy ever! It really is a breeze, and gives you the all-day cooking flavor, without all the time and work.

Pork Tenderloin with Quinoa

Quinoa is one of those things that we've heard for years how nutritious it is and how it is filled with protein, fiber, etc, but we were hesitant to try it.  When we finally did, we were pleasantly surprised at how tasty and how versatile it is.  It is delicious cooked in chicken stock and served like rice or served cold mixed with herbs, veggies, and cheese.  This is one "health" food that we actually enjoy eating. 
Not that there is anything wrong with chicken, but even I get sick of it; so we branched out and made pork tenderloin.  It turned out really well and it was quite simple to make.

Ingredients for Quinoa:

1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup water
A few sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)

In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and bring to a rapid bowl.  Put the lid on and reduce to low and cook for 15 minutes (try not to lift the lid).  Fluff with a fork before serving.

Quinoa, before cooked

Ingredients for Pork Tenderloin:

1 Pork Tenderloin (about 2 pounds)
1 large onion, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup apple juice or cider
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive Oil for cooking

Spice rub:
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or fresh) leaves

Spice rub

Pork tenderloin, before searing

Searing the pork

Browning the pork medallions

In a large frying pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.  On a sheet of aluminum foil, add the spices for the rub.  Roll the tenderloin in the spices so it gets covered on all sides.  (You can do it on a plate, but I found this much easier, and made for one less plate to wash!)  Once oil is hot, add the whole tenderloin and cook on each side for about 5 minutes each, or until browned all over.  Remove the tenderloin from the pan and set on cutting board (pork will not be cooked through at this point).  Leave the pan on.  Slice the tenderloin in 1/2 inch slices and add back into the pan so the medallions can get browned and cooked through.  Once browned on both sides, remove from pan.










Turn the heat to medium and add the sliced onion and more salt and pepper.  Cook the onions for about 15 minutes, or until caramelized.  Add the pork medallions back in the pan, along with the chopped thyme, chicken stock, and apple juice/cider.  Bring liquid to a boil, and then turn heat down and simmer until ready to serve. 

Caramelizing the onions

Serve pork medallions on top of the quinoa and some sauteed spinach and spoon on some of the cooking liquid and enjoy!

The final product!

Make Ahead- Black Beans & Rice

Continuing with our make ahead theme, we made a big batch of black beans last week.  By now our freezer has a good assortment of stuff to re-heat.  This recipe is one of our go-to favorites.  Instead of serving it on top of white rice, we used brown rice and really didn't miss the white rice.

Ingredients:

2 large cans of black beans (preferably low sodium), don't rinse
1 package of Polish kielbasa
2 large Spanish, yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves of chopped garlic
1/2 cup of water
2 bay leaves
Salt & red pepper flakes to taste
Olive Oil

Browning the kielbasa

Start by browning the kielbasa in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Once they are browned, remove from pot, leaving behind any oil.  Add the chopped onions and garlic.  Cook for up to 45 minutes, or until completely caramelized.

Onions and garlic caramlized

Blending everything

Once pureed

Next, add one can of the black beans to the vegetable mixture and stir.  Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend until it's a puree.  Then, add the other can, bay leaves, seasoning, and sausage back into the pot.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer.  The longer it cooks, the better it will be.  Delicious as leftovers.  Just the other day, I took it out of the freezer and had the most delicious lunch.  It's good as is, and even better over some rice.