Clean

Perfect Fall Dinner

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I read a lot of blogs, it’s kind of an addiction, but I figure
that there are worse things I could be addicted to right? I get a lot of food,
cooking and photography inspiration from blogs, I mean who wouldn’t with all
these talented people sharing themselves all the time?

I don’t always share the recipes that I “copy-cat” form my
favorite blogs, mostly because I feel like I’m taking some of their thunder and
that’s kind of lame. However every once in a while I come across a recipe that
simply just knocks my socks off and that I have to absolutely share. This is defiantly
one of them.

I usually love everything on Jenny’s blog anyway, but when I
recreated her Sunday dinner, with my own twists of course, I knew I struck
gold.

I almost always have cooked my pork loin the same way, the way
my mom does, and Momma Chuck, and probably everyone else I know with rosemary as the main ingredient, and then
roasted for a good long while, until it is cooked through and usually dry (that’s
why there’s almost always gravy with it). I don’t know why we all do this (coincidentally),
but we do, we like it, I mean who doesn’t like rosemary? But once in a while it’s
nice to step out of the box and this recipe yielded a wonderfully tender, juicy
and succulent pork loin that I will definitely be repeating in the future.

Though I stuck right to the recipe for the pork loin I had
to alter the recipes for the braised cabbage and applesauce. The braised
cabbage was basically the same, except I do not have time to let it sit in the
oven for 2 hours, nor the desire to eat up that much energy, plus I like my
vegetables firmer. I also omitted the goat cheese, though it might be a nice
touch, it simply isn’t needed. The result was delicious! I’m also glad I came
across this recipe because aside from coleslaw I’m always stuck on how to use
up leftover cabbage. Just as an FYI the original Recipe can be found here.

Braised Cabbage

1
head of red cabbage, shredded

2 tbsp
of butter

½ cup
of white wine vinegar

¼ cup
of water

2 tbsp
of brown sugar

Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees. In a large oven proof pan melt butter and sauté
cabbage with vinegar, water, and brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until it begins
to wilt. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stirring at least once. Serve

warm.

As for the Apple Sauce I just made my own recipe of apple
sauce, clean and delicious. I usually do it in big batches to have throughout
the fall season, so I make it in the crock pot for ease.

Clean Crock Pot Apple Sauce

10 medium apples, peeled & copped

½ cup water

2 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg (optional)

Toss all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on high for 4
hours, stirring occasionally. Serves warm or cold.

That other delicious thing I added to this meal, that’s a
German Style Potato Salad that I made simply because I was craving it. It totally
deserves its own post, so you will have to wait another day or two for that
one.

Late Summer Vegetable Beef Stew

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

There
is a chill in the air, but my garden is still producing quite the bounty, which
means I can’t deem this one a completely fall dish. It has the perfect blend of
warm fall comfort, and fresh delicious vegetables. So it must be a late summer
dish.

The
only things I actually needed to buy for this were the cabbage, and the beef,
everything else came from mine, or Miss Amy’s garden. What is it that is so
satisfying about being able to say that this simple, wonderful dish came
from the earth and was nurtured by my own hands? It really is a gratifying
feeling.

I
kept it made simply with very few extras, and every vegetable I had in stock.
This meant that it was easy, clean, and full of flavor. I mean really every
spoonful had a different complex of flavors. I wouldn’t be shy about straying
from the recipe with different vegetables; I think you will be hard pressed to
find something that wouldn’t be good in here.

Late
Summer Vegetable Beef Stew

1
tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil

1
lb lean steak, cut into 1-2inch pieces

1
medium onion, peeled & chopped

1
large bell pepper, chopped

2
large tomatoes, chopped

1
cup shredded or chopped cabbage

½
cup fresh corn

½
cup fresh or frozen peas

½
cup chopped green beans (fresh or frozen)

4
cups beef broth

1
sprig fresh oregano (1 tsp dried)

Salt
and pepper to taste

In
a thick bottomed sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat. Add steak and cook
for 4-5 minutes or until browned, stirring regularly. Remove from pan and set
aside. Add onion to the pan and cook until it begins to turn translucent, 2-3
minutes. Next stir in the rest of the vegetables, broth, oregano and bring to a
simmer. Cook at a simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-20 minutes or until the
vegetables have begun to soften. Serve immediately. (Serves 6)

Clean & Easy: Pesto Crusted Chicken

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Pesto Crusted Chicken

Yet another clean, and easy chicken breast recipe.

Are you excited?

I am. I love pesto, as I am sure you know by now, and I love
it even more when I come up with a clean recipe that includes it.

The chicken comes out moist and delicious, using the
drippings to make extra sauce elevates the flavor, and if you have enough goes
great over pasta as well. Or you can do like I did and mix the sauce with a
classic tomato sauce and pasta. It’s a pretty fabulous combination if I do say
so myself.

Pesto
Crusted Chicken

3
tbsp prepared pesto

1
tbsp parmesan cheese

4
boneless skinless chicken breasts

1
tsp lemon zest

Juice
from one lemon

½
cup low sodium chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Combine pesto and parmesan cheese. Coat chicken with pesto mixture and place on
a greased baking pan. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Transfer
chicken to a serving dish, and transfer drippings to a small sauce pan. Whisk
in zest, juice, and broth, then bring to a boil and allow it to simmer until
reduced by half. Spoon over the chicken and serve immediately.

3 Amazing Chicken Sandwiches

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Hello Random Late Summer Heat wave!!

I don’t know about you but when I get into my car after work and it tells me that it’s
104 outside you can bet the idea of cooking in my tiny, super hot kitchen is
nowhere near appealing to me at all. This summer I have become a big fan of
sandwiches, burgers and grilled veggies. Anything that means I don’t need to
turn on the stove. I’ve been posting for you some of my favorite burgers from
this summer, here, here, and here. Now here is a couple of my favorite chicken
sandwich recipes.

Caprese Chicken Sandwich

¼ cup balsamic

2 tbsp extravirgin olive oil

1 tsp garlic podwer

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tomato, sliced thin

10-12 large basil leaves

1 tbsp preferred Spread

4 whole wheat rolls, or buns

Combine balsamic, oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper in a
shallow pan. Cut chicken in half length wise and place into the pan tossing to
coat. Cover the chicken and allow it to marinade for at least a half hour or
overnight. On a preheated grill cook chicken for 5-6 minutes a side or until
cooked through. 2 or 3 minutes before the chicken has finished top with
shredded cheese and allow it to melt. Place chicken on a toasted bun and top
with tomatoes, basil, and preferred spread.

Personally I really like this sandwich with Lemon Aioli,
but it is also good with pesto, regular mayo, Italian dressing, or you could
even take the left over marinade and reduce it a little on the stove top.

Sundried Tomato and Artichoke Chicken Pannini

2 boneless, skinless chicken Breasts

1 can artichoke hearts, packed in water

1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, packed in oil

1 clove of garlic

Splash of olive oil

¼ cup pine nuts

4 whole wheat, rolls or buns

1 cup of baby spinach

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cut the chicken breasts in half length wise, and season well
with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill and cook for 5 or 6 minutes a
side, or until juices run clear. Meanwhile in a blender combine artichoke hearts,
sundried tomatoes, garlic, pine nuts and oil, pulsing until well blended, and
maybe a little chunky. Spread roughly a tablespoon on each side of the buns. Place
cooked chicken on one side and top with spinach, and cheddar cheese, and the
top bun. Place the entire sandwich on the grill for 2-3 minutes a side. While
it is cooking take the flat part of the spatula or a oven proof pan and push down
on the sandwich to flatten it some. Or if you are lucky enough just put it on a
Panini press.

Note: I just use my Foreman grill, it works just fine.

A classic Monte Cristo Sandwich typically uses turkey and is
dipped in an egg wash before it is pan fried, but as I said I was trying to
avoid the stove, and chicken is cheaper, so this is my spin on the Monte
Cristo.

Quick Chicken Monte

2 boneless, skinless chicken Breasts

8 thick slices of bread of choice

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/3 lb thick sliced smoked ham

¼ lb sliced Swiss cheese

¼ cup pure maple syrup

Cut the chicken breasts in half length wise, and season well
with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated grill and cook for 5 or 6 minutes a
side, or until juices run clear. Meanwhile Spread the mustard on one side of
each slice of bread, then on half of them layer smoked ham, cheese, the fully
cooked chicken and finally another slice of bread. Place the sandwich back on
the grill to toast for a minute or two, and to allow the cheese to melt a
little. Serve warm with a side of maple syrup to dip in.

Corn Chowder with Crab & Red Pepper Crostini

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Corn Chowder with Crab & Red Pepper Crostini

Corn chowder is probably one of the easiest things to make, but it’s so delicious, and a perfect ode to the end of summer, with fresh corn from the local stand, some fresh red pepper to brighten it up, and a cool glass white wine, and it’s pretty much heaven. Then as I was sitting at my desk at work daydreaming about this combination I thought that some crostini might just
make it that much better, I thought about things like caprese, French onion, cucumber and dill, and even ham and cheese, which all sounded delectable, then as always my mind turned to seafood. You probably know by now I have an undying love of seafood. Remembering I had a can of crab meat waiting to be used inspired a whole other idea.

It sounds do decadent, and looks like restaurant quality, but it only took 20 minutes to whip up and only costs $2.64 a serving, so $5.28 for the entire dinner for the two of us. The recipe actually serves 3-4, since I took the leftovers for lunch the next day, at a total cost then of $7.88.

Sometimes I love how things work out.

Here’s to the end of august, and fresh farm stand corn!

Clean Corn Chowder with Crab & Red Pepper Crostini

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 spring of fresh thyme (1 tbsp dried)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 lb Fozen or Fresh Corn
1 1/5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 tbsp low fat milk
½ a medium red pepper chopped
1-2 fresh chives, chopped

Instructions

In a thick bottom sauce pan heat oil, over medium high heat and sauté onion for 3-4 minutes, or until it begins to turn translucent.
Stir in thyme, paprika, pepper and corn. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring
continuously.
Add broth and allow the combination to simmer for 6-8 minutes.
Using a ladle spoon out about ¾ of the mixture into a blender and blend until
smooth before returning it to the pan.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in milk.
Serve in bowls topped with red pepper and chives.

Crab & Red Pepper Crostini

½ a loaf of crusty whole wheat bread

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 can crab meat, drained

½ a red pepper, chopped

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp lemon juice

2-3 fresh chives, chopped

Sprinkle of shredded Monterey jack cheese

Slice the bread, and place on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Place in a preheated oven at 475 degress, for 5-10 minutes, or until toasted, meanwhile combine all other ingredients, except cheese in a small bowl. Once the bread is toasted place a clump of the crab mixture on each piece of toasted bread, and sprinkle with cheese. Then place back in the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

A small side note: the crab mixture is also good in the soup, so don’t feel shy about skipping the spoon using the crostini as a utensil instead. In fact I strongly suggest that this is how it should be eaten.

Clean

Footer