Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin
6-8 large mushrooms
8-10 baby potatoes
1/3 bottle red wine
1/2 - 1 cup beef stock (or water and oxo)
Montreal Steak Spice
6-10 cloves of garlic
garlic salt if desired
1-2 T olive oil

I made this tonight and it was pretty good so I want to write it down quickly before I forget.

Cut a pork tenderloin into about 5-6 chunks. Sprinkle with Montreal Steak Spice, garlic salt, and thyme. Heat a little olive oil in a large pan and brown meat on all sides.

Toss in about 6-8 large mushrooms, halved or quartered.

Pour some red wine in and let it simmer for awhile, scraping the bottom. Add 5-6 cloves of garlic.

Add more wine and/or a little beef broth as needed.

While it simmers, partly cook (boil) some new red potatoes. Drain well. Toss into pan. Add more thyme to taste.

Cover and cook in oven at 350 for about 20 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 20 mins or so till the liquid boils down a bit and thickens.

Next time, I would like to take the potatoes out near the end, toss them with a bit of olive oil and thyme, and cook them a little longer to brown them a bit more, make them a bit crispy.

Anyway, this recipe could be tweaked a lot, but it was pretty darn good for a first attempt on a busy school night.

This recipe served 3 of us for dinner.

Chicken Chili in the Crockpot

4 chicken breasts, cut in pieces
1 19 oz large can of black beans
1 14 oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can of tomato sauce
2 cups of salsa
1 package of taco seasoning
Other seasoning to taste (I added cumin)

Mix ingredients in crockpot. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for ?? hours.

Shred chicken in your bowl when you serve it if you want.

Tastes good with a dollop of low fat plain yogurt (or sour cream).

Can add all sorts of other stuff. Different beans, different kinds of canned or fresh tomatoes, additional seasonings, onions, mushrooms, celery, corn.....

Goat Cheese Terrine

This is a recipe from the Whitewater Cooks at Home cookbook. Fabulous cookbook, I strongly recommend you buy it.

Beat until fluffy and smooth (mixer or spoon):

8 oz (250 g) soft goat cheese (I bought mild, unripened)

Spread half the cheese on serving plate, cover with:

¼ cup chopped oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained

½ cup pesto, store bought or homemade

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp freshly ground pepper (I didn't use this)

Spread the rest of the cheese on top.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and press down gently to compress the layers a bit. Refrigerate until just before serving.

When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle with:

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

2 tbsp balsamic crema or balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

I made mine right on the serving dish but you can also use a 6" tart pan with a removable bottom. When ready to service, just invert onto a plate and remove the pan bottom/sides.

Rosemary Nut Crackers

Got this recipe from Whitewater Cooks at Home (first via my friend, Nancy). They are almost exactly like the expensive Rainforest Crackers and oh so yummy with the Goat Cheese Terrine recipe I will also post.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together in a large bowl:

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Add and stir until just combined:

2 cups buttermilk

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup honey

Add and stir just until well blended:

1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

½ cup pecans (or other nuts), toasted and chopped

½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds

¼ cup sesame seeds

¼ ground flaxseed (wheat germ also works)

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (I used 2 tsp dried, crumbled)

Pour into two 8x4 inch greased loaf pans and bake at 350˚ for about 35 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch.

Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. The cooler the loaf, the easier it is to slice thinly. (Can be cooled overnight in the fridge.)

Slice the loaves as thin as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I put mine on parchment paper.) Each loaf makes 30-35 slices.

Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes, then flip them over and bake 3-6 more minutes until crisp and deeply golden.

Remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in a cookie tin or freeze in sealed containers.

What not to do...

Someone asked me if I could post some pictures of the recipes I have on the blog, so today when I was making the Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup again, I decided to do just that.

Here are the peppers, ready to cut up.



And here they are again, seeded, cut in half, rubber with olive oil, and spread out on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. There is half a head of garlic inside the piece of tin foil.



Here are the peppers after 45 minutes in a 400 degree oven.



Here are the cooked, peeled peppers, tomatoes, and roasted garlic in a large pot. Just add 1 litre of chicken stock and simmer on low for about 30 minutes.



Here is the pot, sitting in the sink, after I forgot to turn down the stove to low, and left to go work on my report cards for awhile.



So sad.... I managed to salvage most of the red peppers but they smell so gross and smoky, I guess I'll have to throw them out. I am afraid my pot is ruined as well...

On a brighter not, the smoke alarm works well.... ;)

Creamy Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

* Measurements are approximate. You can always tweak it to suit your own taste.

6 large red peppers – cut in half, seeded (thick flesh is best)
Olive oil rubbed over peppers
Salt and pepper
5-6 garlic cloves
Parchment paper on a cookie sheet makes cleanup easier

½ large onion, diced
1-2 Tbsp butter
1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
1 large can diced tomatoes (798 ml – 26 oz?)

1 tsp thyme
1 tsp Herbs de Provence or any herbs you want
Several good shakes of cayenne

3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 – 2 1/2 cups milk

Set oven to 400 degrees. Put peppers skin side up on cookie sheet. S&P.

Sprinkle garlic with a little oil and wrap in piece of tin foil. Put in oven with peppers.

Cook 45-60 minutes, or until skins are black and peppers are soft. Let cool and then peel off the outer skin. Squeeze the cooked garlic from its skin as well.

Saute onions in butter until soft. Add some of the chicken stock and cook a few minutes to soften further.

Add red peppers, tomatoes, and rest of chicken stock to the sauteed onions. Add thyme, S&P, cayenne, any other herbs/spices to taste and cook for a little while.

Puree with hand blender right in the pot. (At this point, it tastes pretty good and could be eaten as it is if you didn't want to add the calories/fat of the white sauce.)

Make white sauce – melt butter, add flour, whisk in milk and stir until thickened. Stir into pepper/tomato mixture. Heat thru. Check seasonings. Makes about 7 cups or so?

I put it in 1 cup containers and freeze it for work. Yum.

Runner Bob's Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups milk

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle 350 degrees or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.