New Year's Crown Pork Roast with Cornbread Stuffing

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Welcome to 2012! We hosted a great diner party to ring in the new year and our menu was based on a few key components: easy, budget friendly, delicious, impressive.

Amazingly, this meal was all of those and more.  We had each couple bring a component to share: appetizer, salad, dessert and as the host we prepared the main entree.  This not only took a lot of pressure off us for all the little things that can add up in money and time, but it also allowed each guest to contribute something they love.  We chose crown roast pork for it's beautiful presentation and it is very budget friendly at $5/ lb.  Our sides are all produce- whole foods with simple prep and ingredients which we mostly had on hand.  Our grocery list was very small- veggies, herbs, the roast, fresh bread, fresh flowers, wine/ champagne and our cheeses.

Our menu looked like this:

Appetizers:

Assorted Cheeses with Fresh Baguette Slices

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Sliced Tenderloin of Venison

Panko Crusted Shrimp

Shrimp Cocktail

Salad:

Wedge Salad with bacon, avocado, blue cheese, tomato and red onion

Main Course:

Crown Roast of Pork

Sides:

Cornbread Stuffing

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Carrots with Garlic, Lemon and Parsley

Parsnips in a Parsley Herb Butter Sauce

Sauces:

Homemade Butter with Honey

Homemade Chimi Churi

Dessert:

Ice Box Cake, ( Chocolate Cookies layered with Vanilla Ice Cream)

Chocolate Dipped Fruit

We had a wonderful time serving our guests and enjoying the party, everything timed perfectly.  We made sure to prep all our sides the day before and some the morning of.  The parsnips, potatoes and carrots were all tossed in their goodness the day before and in sealed bowls in the fridge, we seasoned and sealed the roast the night before, the Cornbread was baked off in the morning and then all assembled and in the fridge, we made the sauces/ butter day of, and 5 hours before serving time we took out the roast to come to room temperature.  Each of the sides were oven and stove top ready and just needed to be cooked off.  Doing a roast is the perfect way to have an easy dinner party- it needs to cook for a while so you have time to prep ( or nap if the prepping is done!) and then when it rests you can finish off all the cooking in the oven with the sides- while we enjoyed the salad with our guests.  Read below for all our recipes on how we made this easy, budget friendly, delicious, impressive meal:

Cornbread Stuffed Crown Roast of Pork
adapted from Paula Dean
Pork Roast:
6 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 (10-pound) crown of pork, rib ends frenched
Stuffing:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 medium white onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cups crumbled cornbread ( my recipe used is next)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
For the pork roast: In a blender, puree the oil, garlic, and sage until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Rub the mixture over the pork roast, making sure to cover the areas between the chops. Transfer the pork to a roasting pan and cover it with foil. Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Turn the roast upside down (rib bones down) in the roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and roast until an instant-read thermometer reads 155 degrees F when inserted 2 inches into the center of the meat, about 1 1/2 hours more.

For the stuffing: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green pepper, onion, celery, and garlic and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the vegetable mixture with the crumbled cornbread. Add the eggs, broth, rosemary, cilantro, hot sauce, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Slowly stir in more broth, if needed, until the stuffing is moistened. Press the stuffing into a 2-quart casserole.

Thirty minutes before removing the roast, place the stuffing in the oven. Bake until golden, about 45 minutes.

When the roast is done, remove it from the oven, tent with foil, and let stand for at least 15 minutes. When the stuffing is done, mound half of it on a serving platter. Flip the roast upright on top of the stuffing. Fill the center of the roast with the remaining stuffing. Slice at the table


Gluten Free Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins
adapted from The Baking Beauties
Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup Pamela's Baking mix
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin pan and set aside.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter. Stir in sugar.
Add eggs and stir to combine, Stir in buttermilk.
Add dry ingredients, and stir until few lumps remain, scoop into prepared muffin tin.
Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack, crumble and use in the stuffing recipe above!

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Whole Carrots with Fresh Herbs and Garlic
adapted from Tyler Florence

Ingredients
3 lbs assorted fingerling potatoes
1 lb whole carrots, top leaves removed only
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 lemons, halved
6 cloves garlic, left unpeeled
2 cloves, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus for sheet pan
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F and place a baking sheet inside to heat.

Add potatoes, rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic to a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Remove sheet pan from oven, lightly coat with olive oil, and pour potatoes onto pan. Place potatoes in oven and reduce heat to 425 degrees F. Roast for 20 minutes, or until crispy on outside and tender on inside.

Herbed Butter Parsnips
adapted from Tyler Florence

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pounds parsnips, peeled and sliced into circles
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Herb Butter:
1 stick ( 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup mixed chopped parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Put the olive oil and butter into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and toss to coat them well with the fat; season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Herb Butter by combining the soft butter and herbs together; season with some salt and pepper.

Add the hot vegetables and Herb Butter.


Chimi Churi
adapted from Food.com

1 bunch flat leaf parsley
8 cloves garlic
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 lemon (juice of)
2 tablespoons diced red onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Pulse parsley in processor to chop. Add remaining ingredients and blend.

Homemade Butter

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey

In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip cream with salt and honey until it becomes solid and separates from the liquids, 6-8 minutes.  Drain excess liquid and scoop into serving dishes.

Tofu Garam Masala

http://www.jasonrobertscott.com/

The first time we ever tried Indian Masala was at a little restaurant in Sheboygan called the Grotto.  It was amazing.  The flavors are so complex yet familiar and delicious- creamy, mildly spicy, tomatoey- with the bright color ( and mild flavor) of turmeric, with ginger, garlic, onion, coriander, spicy red pepper flakes and finally the Garam Masala blend of spices itself.  Inspired to make this dish at home, much time was spent scouring recipes.  We wanted something simple, not heavy, but of course it should taste like Masala!  And wefound it- of course with our own adjustments to make it even better.  The challenge, and this was a few years ago now, was to find Garam Masala in the spice aisle.  Nowadays you shouldn't have a problem and you can easily find delicious Naan bread to scoop up your sauce with... The original recipe calls for chicken so I'm going to put both ways below, tofu is just as delicious but requires less simmering time and water and more pan searing to crisp it up.

Chicken Masala Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Canola oil

1 large onions, or 2 small ones, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large inch of fresh ginger, chopped

2 bell peppers, chopped

3/4 rounded teaspoon ground Tumeric

1/2 rounded teaspoon Red Pepper flakes, more to taste

3/4 rounded teaspoon Garam Masala

1/2 rounded teaspoon ground Coriander

3 tablespoons tomato paste

3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to be even thickness throughout each

1 cup water

2 green onions, chopped, for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup plain non fat yogurt, for garnish

2 cups cooked brown rice

Naan Bread

Cut the pounded chicken in to cubes, season with salt and pepper.  In a large dutch oven pan, heat oil over medium flame.  Once hot, sear the chicken on all sides ( about 4 minutes total) and then set aside, tent with foil.  To the same pan add a bit more oil then add onion, garlic and ginger- cooking over medium heat till they just turn golden- 8 minutes.  Add in the peppers, all the spices, tomato paste, and stir till all well coated/ combined.  Stir in the yogurt to combine then add the water and the chicken breasts in a single layer to the pan.  Simmer for 15 minutes till the chicken is cooked through.  Taste and adjust with salt/ pepper.  Then divide the rice between 4 shallow serving bowls, top with one forth of the chicken/ sauce/ veggies.  Add more yogurt and the green onions for garnish, serve with Naan bread. 

Tofu Masala Ingredients:


1 tablespoon Canola oil
1 large onion, or 2 small ones, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large inch of fresh ginger, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
3/4 rounded teaspoon ground Tumeric
1/2 rounded teaspoon Red Pepper flakes, more to taste
3/4 rounded teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 rounded teaspoon ground Coriander
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 package ( 16 ounces) Firm Tofu, drained, pat dry with paper towels and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 cup water
2 green onions, chopped, for garnish
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup plain non fat yogurt, for garnish
2 cups cooked brown rice
Naan Bread

Season your tofu with salt and pepper and a dash each of Tumeric, Coriander, Ground Ginger, Red Pepper Flakes, and Garam Masala, gently combine with your tofu so it doesn't break apart. In a large dutch oven pan, heat oil over medium flame. Once hot, sear the tofu on all sides ( about 10 minutes total) and then set aside, tent with foil. To the same pan add a bit more oil then add onion, garlic and ginger- cooking over medium heat till they just turn golden- 8 minutes. Add in the peppers, all the spices, tomato paste, and stir till all well coated/ combined. Stir in the yogurt to combine then add the water and the tofu to the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes so the tofu is infused with the sauce. Taste and adjust with salt/ pepper. Then divide the rice between 4 shallow serving bowls, top with a breast of chicken and a one forth of the tofu/ sauce/ veggies. Add more yogurt and the green onions for garnish, serve with Naan bread.

Spur of the Moment Orange Chicken with Veggie Quinoa

This may be pretty dorky, but- don't you just LOVE when you can throw a bunch of random stuff together... that you've got hanging around the kitchen.... and make it in to a really really good meal?  Well, we are dorks because we certainly do, enjoy it- literally! 

Obviously you won't make this recipe having the exact same happenstance of ingredients on hand... unless you made fish tacos Sunday, Quinoa Cakes Saturday, and are planning to make Wild Rice with Pistachio and Oranges ( coming soon!).    The inspiration, other then what we had to use, came from a craving for Chinese Orange Chicken- but no desire for the unhappy belly afterwards.

We had a good 2.5 cups of cooked quinoa ready to go ( rather then rice- perfect!), lots of oranges to spare ( mmm juicy orange and zest), cilantro/ red cabbage/ corn/ red onion and some thawed chicken breasts just ready to either waste away sadly or be magically transformed into this super high protein, ingredient efficient, tasty AND healthy spin on a Chinese meal.  We even had leftovers to take for lunch today- yep, we are cool!  Without further adue- here's how we made this:

Ingredients::

4- 4 ounce chicken breasts, trimmed and sliced into 1" strips

Sauce+ Marinade Chicken

Juice and Zest from 2 oranges

scant* 1/4 cup Teryaki Sauce

1 small dash Toasted Sesame Oil

1 large dash Fish Sauce

1 teaspoon red pepper chili sauce

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder 

Quinoa

1 teaspoon Olive Oil

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup shredded purple cabbage

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup reserved sauce/ marinade

1/2 orange, juiced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2.5 cups cooked quinoa

salt and pepper to taste

Method::

In a medium bowl, whisk together all marinade ingredients, reserve about 1/4 cup, set aside. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper and garlic powder, then place the chicken strips in to the bowl of marinade and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile:


In a 10-12" pan, heat oil over medium heat till hot.  Add onion, cook for 3-4 minutes till translucent and fragrant.  Add in the corn, cabbage, cilantro, tomatoes and stir to combine, 2 minutes.  Add in 1/2 cup wine and reduce by half.  Add in the quinoa, toss well, adding in marinade, orange juices and water to coat the mixture.  If it's too dry, add more water.  Heat through, about 3 minutes longer.  Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

To cook the chicken, heat another 8-10" pan over medium high heat with a small dash of oil.  When the pan is hot, add in all the marinade and chicken from your bowl.  Cook tossing often for about 7-8 minutes, till juices run clear and chicken is cooked through completely.  Serve on a bed of Quinoa and top with extra cilantro.

Quinoa with Pine Nuts and Parsley

Quinoa is an incredible grain ( well technically it's a seed), there's a theme this month!  Like our Amaranth grain from last week, quinoa is very high in protein- the complete kind ( meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids) and is especially high in the amino acid lysine ( essential for tissue growth and repair)  Along with it's protein power, quinoa is a very high in manganese an is a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, which can be very good for you if you suffer migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis. source

Grains keep really well so they make great pantry staples.  They can really add volume and nutrients to any meal in a pinch.  This weekend was SO busy that we didn't even grocery shop, so it was time to get creative with stuff we already had- Extra pine nuts from the Homemade Pesto, parsley from the Shrimp Succotash, and green onions ( that were almost out the door!) and chicken broth from our Asian Noodle Bowl.   With quinoa on hand it was a cinch to toss this side dish together.  We served it steaming hot with broiler buttermilk ( always left over from Muffins!) marinated chicken breasts and a quick fennel salad. 
 

Ingredients (Makes 4 servings)
adapted from Ellie Krieger So Easy
2 cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
1 cup quinoa
1/4 cup pine nuts, dry roasted
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2teaspoon pepper



Directions

Place broth and quinoa in a sauce pan, stir, bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer, cook covered for 15 minutes.

Heat a pan over medium high heat, add the pine nuts and roast till slightly golden brown, tossing often.  Set aside in a bowl.

Add oil to the same pan and warm up over medium heat, add scallions and cook for 1 minute, add garlic, stir and remove from heat.

Fluff cooked quinoa, then add scallion mixture, pine nuts, parsley and season with salt/ pepper to taste. 

Serve hot!

BBQ Pulled Chicken and Easy Slaw

This was really quick and simple to throw together, and a tasty healthy meal. Perfect for a summer Sunday like we just had! Using a rotisserie chicken is a great way to make cooking faster, clean up easier and you can find one for around $6- can't beat that! This sauce is sweet and savory, not thick and overpowering- we promise you won't miss the fatty pork at all, dig in!

BBQ Pulled Chicken

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

16 ounces low-sodium tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

5 tablespoons molasses

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 whole rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded into thin strips (about 4 to 4 1/2 cups)

6 whole-wheat hamburger rolls

6 large romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomato sauce, water, vinegar, molasses, pepper and liquid smoke and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chopped chicken, return to a simmer, and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Split rolls. Place a leaf of lettuce on each roll, then pile on 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture onto the roll.

Easy Classic Coleslaw

Ingredients:

1/2 cup nonfat Greek-style yogurt

1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste

1 (12-ounce) bag broccoli slaw mix

Directions:

In a large bowl whisk together the Greek or stained yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Add coleslaw mix and toss to coat.