Flavor God Roasted Brussel Sprouts

In the #notfauxfood kitchen,  we like roasted brussel sprouts. Tonight, they went to 'love' status and we just added one new component, #flavorgod lemon and garlic.

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees, lightly spray baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray
* Cut stem ends off the approximately 1.5 pounds of sprouts, remove tough outer leaves, cut in half, place in bowl
* Mince three cloves garlic, place in bowl
* Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil over the sprouts/garlic
* Add generous amount of #flavorgod lemon and garlic seasoning, mix contents of the bowl
* Spread across baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle pinch of salt over the top.
* Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally to evenly roast all sides

If you do not have #flavorgod in your kitchen, then you are missing out. It made a huge difference on one of the most simple dishes, just imagine what it can do on something complex.

Chicken Mulligatawny Soup with Kohlrabi & Basmati Rice

Andrew Zimmern, host of 'Bizzare Foods' showed up at my house tonight with a mish-mosh of food.  I cannot remember the last time I used chicken thighs and I never would have brought some of these things (Kohlrabi and Ghee) in the house.


Here is what you will need on your cutting board (makes 2, 580 calorie servings ~ 27 Weight Watchers points per serving and will take you about 40-45 minutes to prepare);

• 10 Ounces Chopped, Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 3/4 Cup Basmati Rice
• 1/2 Pound Kohlrabi
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Red Onion
• 1 Lime 
• 1 Bunch Cilantro
• 13.5 Ounce Can of Light Coconut Milk
• 3 Tablespoons Golden Raisins
• 1 Tablespoon Ghee
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Flakes
• 2 Tablespoons of Spices (whole Fenugreek seeds, whole black mustard seeds, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground turmeric, madras curry powder, and cayenne pepper).

You can find the full recipe over at Blue Apron, you do not need to be a subscriber to access the link. A few things that might help your experience;

• Peel the Kohlrabi before slicing. Also, be sure to cut out the fibrous core at the top (you have to cut around it as it is way too tough to cut through with a chef's knife).
• Slice the Kohlrabi thin - it will cook down easier.
• I would suggest cooking the carrots and Kohlrabi at lower heat for a longer amount of time.
• If I were to make this again, I would suggest that you cook the soup for closer to 40 or so minutes. Do not boil it, the coconut milk will separate.

This was a good meal, the flavors were nice but, this was way more effort than I really wanted to engage in on a Wednesday night after a full day at the office. Maybe I would feel differently if I had done the prep work in advance and come home to just start throwing things in the pot but, this one can stay in the restaurant - where I will cheerfully order it off the menu.

Finding the One Point Lunch...

My culinary life revolves around points...

Regardless of which healthy eating program you pick, there is some metric that you have to measure against. I am one of those folks that picked Weight Watchers ~ therefore my food choices are 'points' based. Right now, I get 53 'points' per day (in addition to 49 weekly 'cheater' points). The theory is that, provided I do not exceed the point values provided to me (and exercise), I will loose weight. Given that I am down over 55 pounds since joining in January, I would say that it is working for me.

During this journey, I have gotten better about eating breakfast but, now that I am back in an office full time, lunch is a bit more problematic. I am apt to eat at my desk, between calls/meetings, and have found that my selections can leave me with a desire to snack later in the afternoon (I like to save my 'points' for those dinners that you typically see here). 

I had a flash of inspiration last night and figured out my Tuesday lunch as a result of things that were already sitting in the fridge.  Here is what you will need to make a 1 point, tasty, reasonably filling, healthy lunch;

• 1 Large, Peeled and Chopped Cucumber
• 1/4 Cup Chunk Light Tuna, drained (packed in water). I used a single serve pack for convenience but, you can use canned if you want.
• 1 Jalapeno pepper, minced
• 2 Bunches of Italian Parsley, Chopped
• Flavor God 'Everything' Seasoning ~ if you don't have this (which I do not understand), then you can use salt/pepper.
• 1 Cup Sliced Strawberries
• 8 Ounces Blueberries
• 2 Plastic containers

Place the cucumbers, jalapeno, and parsley in one of your containers - add the Flavor God seasoning. If storing overnight in your fridge, I like to add a folded paper towel to the top, before closing the lid. I then store it inverted overnight and have found that this helps to keep moisture under control. I just add the tuna the next day and toss the contents to mix. The fruit salad is even easier, slice the strawberries and place in the other container with the blueberries. Like with the first container, I use a folded paper towel and store in the fridge inverted overnight.

This was a perfect fit to pull out and munch on at my desk and a combination that doesn't have me feel like I need to munch more at 3:30 and bonus that it was only a point...

Pistachio-Crusted Catfish with Clementine Salad, Israeli Couscous & Roasted Fennel

Just over 14 years after first throwing itself off Chuck Nolan's raft in Castaway, 'Wilson' arrived in my home and we ate him.  True confession time ~ I have never cooked with fennel before. Prior to tonight my experience with this culinary enigma was limited to the shriveled up, horrid, seeds encased in a little glass bottle. Maybe, like me, you see this in the store and scramble to the plump comfort of vine-ripened tomatoes ~ if so, then you are making a mistake; one that I hope you will feel compelled to address soon.

Here is what you will need on your cutting board (makes 2, 600 calorie servings ~ 26 Weight Watchers points per serving and will take you about 30-35 minutes to prepare);

• Catfish Fillets (I used two 5 ounce portions)
• 3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Israeli Couscous
• 1 Cara Cara Orange
• 1 Clementine
• 1 Fennel Bulb with Fronds
• 1 Red Onion
• 1 Bunch Arugula
• 1 Bunch Mint
• 2 Tablespoons Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 Cup Pistachios

You can find the full recipe over at Blue Apron, you do not need to be a subscriber to access the link. A few things that might help your experience;

• To egg wash, or not to egg wash...I will confess that I was thrown off by how I was instructed to 'crust' the fish (and based on the message boards, I wasn't the only one). Throwing caution to the wind, we ignored this 'suggestion' and ran the catfish through an egg wash, crusted them up, and allow them to rest in a Ziploc bag beforehand.
• Zester - after the experience trying to 'mince' lemon zest last night, I bought one on the way tonight ~ best $15 I have ever spent.
• For reference, we found that the fennel had the most flavor at the top, in the fronds, and it mellowed as you went down into the bulb.

We really enjoyed cooking and eating this dish. Don't know if it was the fact that we cooked it together or if it was all the flavors but, we thought that 'Wilson' was pretty damn tasty.

Whole Wheat Linguine with Kale, Red Walnuts, & Pecorino Cheese

My name is Tim and I have a serious pasta addiction. That which was once a staple of my diet, has all but been banished from the kitchen.  So, if I am going to take on the points to have the pasta, I am not going to have egg noodles and ketchup.

Here is what you will need on your cutting board (makes 2, 700 calorie servings ~ 17 Weight Watchers points per serving ~ expect to take 35 minutes to make);

• 8 Ounces Whole Wheat Linguine Pasta
• 3 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Bunch Dinosaur Kale
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Yellow Onion
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Red Walnuts
• 1/4 Cup Grated Pecorino Cheese
• 1/4 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

You can find the full recipe over at Blue Apron, you do not need to be a subscriber to access the link. A few things that might help your experience;

• Prep as much as you can beforehand. I didn't and felt 'rushed' nearly the entire time I was cooking. The next time, I will give myself more of a breather after toasting the walnuts/breadcrumbs.
• When making your garlic paste, sprinkle the minced garlic with a couple pinches of kosher (not table) salt. This will act like a grinder and make the process easier.
• We wanted some more protein in the meal so I cooked up some  Alder Plank Salmon to go with this (not included in the prep time, calorie, or point information above). As a note for future consideration, this would also work with a grilled chicken or a garlic lemon shrimp. 
• I would up combining everything in the pot I cooked the pasta. I thought it gave more real estate than if I tried to combine it in the pan I made the sauce (if I used my wok, I might have felt differently). Once I portioned everything out, I added the breadcrumbs, remaining cheese, and toasted walnuts.

This was a lot lighter than I expected.  While I was thinking that I might use a bit less lemon zest, Rose really liked it. I also would use a bit more garlic but, I will confess that we really like the savory end of the scale - so tread carefully if you decide to add more than what is called for. The best part, I think this will become our once-a-month, 'home-pasta' offering.

Stuffed Pork Loin with Blue Cheese Broccoli and Red Pepper Lentils

Sometimes I am just stupid lucky and this dinner represents one of those times. Truth be told; I didn't even remember that I had the broccoli in the freezer, I bought the lentils not knowing when I would use them, and the pork was the deal of the day that had me feeling like I stole it from the butcher (promise we didn't). I award bonus status to myself for coming up with a dinner that was just 15 Weight Watchers points...

While shopping, I picked up some Italian parsley, green onions, and lentils.  The first two I figured I would use at some point during the week but, the lentils were more of an impulse purchase once I figured out that  1/4 cup is only 4 points in the Weight Watchers world. They were pretty easy to fix - just rinse (be sure to remove any non-food debris, cook, and serve.  Though I added some red pepper to the water while it was cooking, I think I will cook in vegetable stock and salt more the next time.  Start to finish I was in for around 25 minutes for the lentils.

For tonight's pork, I cut one pound section into two 8 ounce thick cut chops. Start by placing the chops on a flat work surface. Cut a horizontal slit roughly 3/4 of the way through the meat and open the chop up like a book. You can stuff with just about anything, tonight I opted to small chop the parsley and green onions and place in a bowl. Next I thinly sliced some fresh garlic and that got tossed into the bowl.  I added some of the Flavor God "Everything" seasoning (in fact, be sure to buy some for yourself, well worth the money and definitely something that should be a staple of your kitchen), salt, and pepper. Mix everything together completely and then spread across the open face of the chop (some folks add a bit of olive oil, I didn't). Close the 'book' on the chops and season both sides with some more salt, pepper, and Flavor God. Place into a pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and sear both sides for a couple of minutes, until browned. Move the chops to a baking dish and place in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Pull from the oven, cover with foil, and let them rest for 10 minutes prior to serving.

You ever forget that you had something in the freezer? Well that was the case with the blue cheese broccoli - which I happened to find while stowing the extra 3 pounds of pork that we weren't going to cook tonight.  On that note, let this be a good reminder to us all to rotate stock in there (freezer burned food is not good eats).

Not too bad for a punt...

Chicken & Wild Mushroom Casserole with Porcini Bechamel Sauce

One of my favorite Muppet characters growing up was the Swedish Chef. Like me, he is up for anything, always hungry, and one happy little utensil tossing dude.  I have discovered the secret to his happiness - he knew not to make Bechamel Sauce in a flipping pot. You might be wondering what in the heck a Bechamel Sauce is (I know I was since I have never done one before). It is one of the five French 'Mother Sauces that requires some attention, patience, and the correct cooking vessel.

Here is what you will need on your cutting board (makes 2, 600 calorie servings ~ 23 Weight Watchers points per serving ~ expect to take 45 minutes to make);

• 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 5 Ounces Curly Egg Noodles
• 7 Ounces White Button Mushrooms
• 1 Bunch Curly Kale
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Bunch Thyme
• 4 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Ounce Dried Porcini Mushrooms
• 1/2 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

You can find the full recipe over at Blue Apron, you do not need to be a subscriber to access the link. Couple of things that might help your experience;

• I read online that a couple of folks added butter to the sauce to make it creamy. I didn't do this tonight but, I can see where one might elect to do so.
• Remember that stainless steel wok I used the other night to make the "Paella", I should have used it again to cook the veggies, kale, and chicken (it would have been a lot less messy).
• I kept more than 1 cup of the porcini water and I am that much happier for it. Trust me, use at least 1.5 cups and you will join me in a blissful state.
• To make the Bechamel, the instructions tell you to use the same pot that you used to cook the pasta. This is the idea of a lunatic, who should be kicked in his nards, and should be ignored. I damn near burned the whole damn thing as you cannot get your whisk into the corners of the pot mix everything. I saved it thanks to pulling the affair from the heat and using a fork. Next time I need to make a sauce like this, I will either use my 8 inch skillet or, better yet, I will buy a Saucier. Then I will put it in a pot to combine everything prior to going into the baking dish.

If you had told us six months ago that we would fix a dinner with not one but, two types of mushrooms, I would have laughed in your face. Here we are though, the dinner dishes are done and we loved this.  The effort (and lessons learned along the way) were worth it and this is a meal that we will enjoy another night.

Paella Style Rice with Shrimp

When you insert the word 'Paella' into a meal that I get to eat, I tend to get excited.  I also tend to smell-o-vision of saffron/rosemary/lemon scents wafting from the pan. This was our second meal from Blue Apron and it left us with mixed reviews. Here is what you will need on your cutting board (makes 2, 545 calorie servings ~ 21 Weight Watchers points per serving ~ expect to take 45 minutes to make);

• 8 Ounces of Shrimp
• 3/4 cup Bombay rice
• 1-15 Ounce can of Diced Tomatoes
• 5 Ounces Brussels Sprouts
• 2 Carrots
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Parsnips
• 2 Scallions
• 1 Spanish Onion
• Spices (smoked paprika, ground turmeric, dried oregano, saffron powder, ground bay leaf, and dried orange peel).
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

You can find the full recipe over at Blue Apron, you do not need to be a subscriber to access the link. Couple of things that might help your experience;

• Though not specifically suggested, I used a stainless steel wok to cook this. You will be grateful for extra real estate that can be used to combine everything.
• I doubled the amount of garlic (4 cloves instead of 2) and thought that worked well.
• Prepping the sprout leaves felt overly complicated.  If I make this again, I am just going to them through the food processor.
• Salt and pepper aggressively when prompted to do so. This helps things taste better and this recipe has a lot of bulk ~ so you are going to need more than what you feel is natural.
• I saw a tip online about cutting up one of the seasoned shrimp and cooking with the aromatics for an additional layer of flavor (I will definitely give this a try the next time).

Individually, we like each of these ingredients well enough but, I think it was a mistake to have called this a Paella when it really came across as more of a Goulash. Though filling, we have mixed reviews...I didn't think that the flavors married very well and Rose loved it.  I suspect that I was expecting 'Paella' and this did not measure up to that experience in my head.  Likely, I will like it better the next time but, I am filing this under 'Goulash' just to be sure.

 

Southern Beef & Collard Green Stew with Cheddar Grits

It has been a cold day here in the Southwest and that calls for something that can warm the soul. Apparently, there is a southern tradition that, to assure prosperity and happiness in the new year, one needs to consume collard greens early and often.  Here is what you will need on your cutting board (makes 2, 605 calorie servings ~ 20 Weight Watchers points per serving ~ expect to take 35 minutes to make);

• 8 Ounces ground short rib
• 3/4 Cup grits
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Yellow onion
• 1 Bunch of fresh parsley
• 3 Tablespoons beef demi-glace
• 2 Ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Serrano Pepper
• Spices (smoked paprika, molasses powder, apple cider vinegar powder, ground mustard powder, and garlic powder) ~ enough to make roughly 2 Tablespoons total.
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

You can find the full recipe over at Blue Apron (this is from the box this week), you do not need to be a subscriber to access the link.  Couple of call outs that might make your experience easier...

• Do not forget that you are using a Serrano pepper in here. I am not saying that it has happened to me but, I Serrano pepper juice in one's eyes can be a less than optimal experience. I didn't use gloves but, it was the last thing I prepped and I immediately washed my knife, cutting sheet, and hands once I had finished dicing them.  If you want a suggestion on how to cut these to minimize the ribs/seeds, here is a great YouTube Video that you can watch. 

           

• I loathe matchstick cutting carrots but, in this instance, I did so.  Pre-shredded carrots are too finely cut for this meal but, I suspect that you can use them to get the taste (with a sacrifice to texture).
• Use a whisk to stir your grits. Blue Apron didn't mention it but, that will help them from being clumpy. An extra set of hands to whisk the grits was very much appreciated when I was working on the beef. If I had it to do again, I would have staggered them a bit more.
• Season every-time you are prompted to do so in the recipe. You are going to feel like you are over seasoning, trust me you are not. Trust me, it will all work in the end.

I suspect that Google has it in development but, it is a damn shame that you cannot smell this cooking right now. Coupled with some George Mraz playing in the background, our home feels warm and cozy...

This was the first thing we cooked from our Blue Apron box and I will say that I was impressed with the products provided, the instructions that I needed to follow, and the end result of the meal. The fact that we loved this so much we wanted to lick our bowls clean is surprising since this meal contained products I would not normally buy (grits/collard greens) and combined them in ways I wouldn't not have thought of...

First Glance || Flavor God Seasonings

Just ordered a Combo pack to do a product review on @flavorgod seasonings. Have had some friends rave about this stuff and I look forward to trying it out.

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