Bacon Wrapped Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

So, you've got a thing for pesto but you're not into the whole pasta thing... use pesto with meat. It's great with chicken, but tonight, we had a pork tenderloin that we decided to use instead.

Bacon Wrapped Pesto Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 small/medium pork tenderloin
6 slices of bacon ( nitrate free is best if you can find it )
pesto ( see the recipe here )

Set oven @ 400.
Butterfly the tenderloin. ( Basically, slice it almost in half, but leaving enough so that you can lay it open )
Pound the tenderloin until about 1/2" thin.
Lay the bacon strips out and set the butterflied tenderloin on top.
Spread a generous amount of pesto over the tenderloin and then roll everything together.
* The bacon should keep it all together, but you can also use cooking twine or skewers if you need to

Bake at 400 for 30/35 minutes.

This goes great with roast asparagus.

Basil Pesto

So far, my favorite thing about our garden is all of the basil. Our basil plants are both out of control and harvesting the basil only makes it come back fuller. Sooo.... One of the easiest things you can do with basil is make pesto. This is sort of a non-recipe but will give you some super tasty pesto.

Basil Pesto


About 2 Cups of basil leaves plucked from the stem
about 3/4 Cup of shredded Parmesan Cheese
about 1/4 Cup of raw pine nuts
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
salt & pepper to taste
Olive Oil

Add all but the olive oil into a food processor and pulse until blended. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you have the consistency you want. About 3/4 to 1 Cup should do it.

Cilantro-Lime Chicken & Potatoes

I love chicken & Cancy loves potatoes. We both like a little heat in our food.

This recipe from “My Baking Heart” turned out to be a hit in our house. The salsa is super easy to make. We’ve made the salsa several times since just to have on hand. J

Cilantro-Lime Chicken & Potatoes


 1-1/2 lbs Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed


3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted


4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, rinsed and pat dry


1 tbsp fresh lime juice


1-1/2 c reduced fat or regular Mexican blend cheese, shredded


1/2 c salsa (recipe below)


1/4 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Add potatoes and spoon 1 tablespoon of the butter over all and toss gently to coat potatoes. Arrange in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and spoon the potatoes to one side of the baking pan. Arrange the chicken pieces on the other side of the potatoes in the pan. Combine the remaining butter with the limejuice and spoon evenly over the chicken.

Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

In a small bowl, combine the cheese, salsa, and cilantro. Spoon evenly over the chicken and potatoes.

Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. If desired, serve with additional lime wedges.

C’s Salsa

2 cans diced tomatoes, with liquid


1-1/2 md onions, chopped


3 to 4 Serrano peppers, sliced


1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped


2 to 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped


Cumin, to taste


Pepper, to taste


Kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached. We like a thin salsa, but you can leave it chunky, as well.

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

A little while before the holidays, Cancy and I were both feeling a little under the weather. When you feel under the weather, nothing tastes better than chicken soup. We wanted something a little different though. I found this lemon chicken rice soup on JoElen’s page and knew it was the one.

This came together super fast and we were able to use what we had on hand. Give this a shot next time you’re not feeling that great and it will make you feel much better.

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large onion, diced

1/2 celery, finely diced

1/2 cup carrot, finely diced

4 bone-in chicken thighs, cut in half

1 cup long grain rice

6 cups chicken stock or broth

1/4 cup lemon juice

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup frozen peas

In a dutch oven, add the oil and warm up over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, onion, celery, and carrot. Cook until softened.

Add the chicken and brown slightly and then add rice. Stir to toast the rice for a minute or two.

Add the chicken stock and lemon juice to the pot. Bring to a boil and stir. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer until the rice cooks completely. When the rice is cooked, allow it to continue cooking until the rice naturally thickens up the soup.

Add the cream, and frozen peas. Continue cooking until the peas have warmed up and serve.

Grilled Steak, Mushroom, and Green Bean Salad

One of my favorite things about summer is the abundance of fresh vegetables and the weekend Farmer’s Markets. You can find almost everything in this recipe at your local Farmer’s Market. With the addition of the steak, Cancy actually really enjoyed this. He’s not normally a big salad person but he ate every bit of this. Get yourself to the Farmer’s Market before the season ends and enjoy this delicious salad.


Grilled Steak, Mushroom, and Green Bean Salad

1/2 pound large white mushrooms, halved
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
1 red onion, cut into 1⁄2-inch-thick rounds
3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound skirt steak, cut crosswise into 4 pieces
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 bunch watercress, thick stems removed (about 4 cups)

Heat grill to medium-high. In a large bowl, toss the mushrooms, green beans, onion, 1 tablespoon of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Season the steak with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Grill the vegetables (place the beans on the grill perpendicular to the grates to prevent them from falling through), turning occasionally, and removing them as they become tender, 8 to 12 minutes. At the same time, grill the steak, brushing occasionally with 2 tablespoons of the vinegar, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Divide the watercress, grilled vegetables, and steak among bowls. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.

Enjoy!

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Well, It’s been about 5 months since I’ve managed to get any updates on this little blog of mine. Time to play a bit of catch up.

You can still find asparagus in the grocery stores, but you do get some of the best color when you pick those stalks fresh at the beginning of Spring. Here in Texas, we sort of skip over the cool spring and seem to get right into Summer. I had a really tasty Asparagus Soup @ California Kitchen but was sure that it was full of cream & calories. I found found this recipe from Whole Foods. They use a potato to gain some of the bulk you would get from heavy cream. Way better for you.

This is a really great tasting soup and can be the main focus of the meal. Play around with the toppings. Chives and croutons are perfect on here.


Creamy Asparagus Soup

1 tablespoon butter

1 large leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces 

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

1 medium Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 

1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), woody stems snapped off and discarded, spears cut into 1-inch pieces 

1/3 cup low-fat sour cream

Sea salt and ground pepper 

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Melt butter in a medium pot over medium low heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, add asparagus and simmer gently until potatoes and asparagus are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat ad set aside to let cool slightly. 



Carefully transfer soup to blender in batches and purée until smooth. Return soup to pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, whisk in sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with chives and serve.

Beef Fried Rice

I saw this recipe from Lynn and thought it looked like a great way to use the beef in the freezer as well as the vegetables in the fridge. You could really make this your own and add whatever you need to use up.

I cut the rice in 1/2 when I made this, but left the vegetables and meat the same as the recipe. It came together pretty quickly and was an easy weeknight meal. We’ll definitely be making this again.

Beef Fried Rice
1 pound ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 small can of diced water chestnuts, drained (This was not in the original recipe)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (or use a little fresh if you have some)
Salt and pepper to taste
5 cups cooked long grain rice
2 eggs, scrambled
1/3 -1/2 cup soy sauce

In a large skillet, brown beef. Drain all but 2-3 tablespoons fat and add garlic, carrots, celery and onion cook until onions are slightly tender. Then add mushrooms and cook until all vegetables are tender. Add ginger, salt, pepper, rice and eggs; stir until well mixed and eggs are cooked. Add soy sauce and heat through.

Grilled Glazed Steak & Asparagus

We love Steak & We love Asparagus. This recipe from Epicurious was perfect for us. The glaze tastes great on both the meat & the vegetables. We ended up broiling the steaks and roasting the asparagus in the oven so we missed a little of the grill flavor, but the recipe works well done inside the oven as well.

Grilled Glazed Steak & Asparagus

1/4 cup oyster sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
1/2 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
1 pound medium asparagus, trimmed
1 1/2 pounds flank steak

Prepare a charcoal grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas).

Stir together oyster sauce, vinegar, mustard, and red-pepper flakes in a large bowl.
Thread about half of asparagus crosswise onto 2 parallel skewers, leaving space between. Repeat with remaining asparagus and skewers. Brush asparagus with some of glaze, then brush steak all over with remaining glaze and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Oil grill rack, then grill steak and asparagus, covered only if using a gas grill, turning steak once and asparagus occasionally, until asparagus is tender and well browned in spots, 6 to 8 minutes, and steak is medium-rare, about 10 minutes.

Let steak stand on a cutting board 15 minutes; put asparagus on a platter and cover. Thinly slice steak across the grain.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Around here, we love Alton Brown. We also had a ton of spinach that needed to be used. Food Network to the rescue. We saw this Alton Brown recipe and had everything on hand. It was a really great salad. Even Cancy, who’s not generally big on vegetables, seemed to like this. I hope you like it too!!!

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
8 ounces young spinach
2 large eggs
8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced

Remove the stems from the spinach and wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. Place into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the eggs into an electric kettle and cover with cold water by at least 1-inch. Turn the kettle on. Once the water comes to a boil, the kettle will turn itself off. Leave the eggs in the water for 15 minutes. Remove and peel off the shell. Slice each egg into 8 pieces and set aside.

While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Wedge Salad

This is definitely not much of a recipe, but it’s my current favorite salad. You can adjust the toppings to your taste. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Wedge Salad

1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut into quarters
Your favorite blue cheese dressing
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 onion, diced small
1/2 Cup blue cheese crumbles
1/2 Cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
Balsamic vinegar

Place a quarter of iceberg lettuce on a dish. Pour blue cheese dressing over top. Top with tomatoes, onion, blue cheese, & bacon. Drizzle Balsamic vinegar over top. Delish!

Sausage & Roast Vegetable Gnocchi

We were fans of Melissa D’Arabian when she was on the Next Food Network Star contest. Her recipes are always easy to follow, inexpensive, and pretty tasty too. I’ve been roasting vegetables a lot lately for side dishes. This takes that idea and turns into the focus. She used Penne’ pasta in her recipe, I had some spinach gnocchi on hand so I used that instead of pasta.

Sausage & Roast Vegetable Gnocchi

1 sweet onion, cut into wedges
1 medium zucchini, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
1 red bell pepper, cheeks removed
1/2 pound button mushrooms, stemmed
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, washed and dried
2 sweet or hot Italian sausages, thinly sliced or casings removed
1/4 cup white wine
12 ounces shelf stable gnocchi, cooked according to package instructions
1/2 cup pasta water, reserved
Freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a bowl, toss all the vegetables, except the tomatoes, with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast, until caramelized, about 30 minutes, turning vegetables halfway through the cooking time. In a small bowl, add the tomatoes and the remaining olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add to the baking sheet, at the halfway point of cooking, to caramelize.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add the sausage and saute until cooked through. Turn up the heat and deglaze with white wine. Once the vegetables are cooked, cool slightly, then coarsely chop. Add the vegetables and any pan juices to the sausage in the skillet. Toss in the cooked gnocchi, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to moisten. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve in bowls topped with Parmesan.

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

We found some jalapeno bacon the other day and wanted to try it out. We are still lucky enough to have fresh green beans available at the local grocery store so we took advantage of that as well. This is a super easy way to get a picky eater to eat more veggies.

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans, ends snapped off
about 5 thick slices of bacon, cut in 1/2
toothpicks
Ziploc Steamer bags

Give your fresh green beans a head start by steaming them for just about 3 minutes. Taking about 4 or 5 green beans, make a little bundle and roll 1/2 a slice of bacon around it, using a toothpick to keep everything in place.

Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes (or until bacon is done) take out the toothpicks and serve. Delish!

Garlic Sautéed Green Beans

In the never ending quest to get my husband to eat more vegetables, I thought I would try something a little different with green beans. The grocery stores around here lately have had fresh green beans. If you don't have access to fresh you can still do the recipe, just skip the steaming process.

Garlic Sautéed Green Beans

1 lb fresh green beans, ends snapped off
5 or 6 cloves of garlic, minced (you can do more or less depending on your tastes. We like garlic so we did closer to 8 cloves)
Olive Oil
Ziploc Steamer Bag

Rinse the green beans after snapping off the ends. Place in the steamer bag and microwave for about 3 minutes.

While they are in the microwave, heat about 1-2 Tbsp of Olive Oil to medium high heat.

Toss green beans in hot pan and add a sprinkle of salt as well as all of the garlic. Toss over medium high heat just until the garlic starts to brown.

Delish!

Guacamole Tacos with Tomatillo and Steak Sauce

I’ve had this recipe from Deborah starred in my Google Reader since June. What a perfect combination for Cancy & I. I love avocados & he (like most men) loves meat. This was super easy to put together and tasted wonderful. Please don’t cheat by buying a green sauce from the store. The tomatillo/chile mixture smells great while cooking and is totally worth it. We both really liked this recipe and for sure will be making it again.

Guacamole Tacos with Tomatillo and Steak Sauce



4 Anaheim chiles, seeded

4 dried chiles de arbol

1 pound tomatillos (about 10), husked and rinsed

4 cups water, divided

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 teaspoon aniseed

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound skirt steak, cut into 1/3-inch cubes

3 large avocados, halved, pitted

1/2 cups (packed) finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

12 small flour tortillas, softened



Place all chiles in medium saucepan, then add tomatillos and 3 cups water. Cover and boil until chiles and tomatillos are soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool and drain.



Combine tomatillo mixture, garlic, aniseed, and oregano in processor; blend until smooth. Strain, discarding solids.

Wipe same saucepan clean. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil; heat over medium-high heat. Add strained sauce, simmer 5 minutes, then add 1 cup water. Bring to boil. Add chopped steak; reduce heat to medium-low and cook until sauce lightly coats back of spoon, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if sauce is too thick (consistency is similar to thin Bolognese); about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt.



Using spoon, scoop out avocado flesh and place in medium bowl. Add cilantro, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt; coarsely mash with fork.

 Place 2 tablespoons guacamole in center of each tortilla; roll up. Place on plate, seam side down. Pour warm meat sauce over tacos to cover and serve.

Roasted Balsamic Veggies

This really isn't a recipe, but more of a great way to get you vegetable servings covered. You can mix this up using whatever vegetables you prefer. This nigh was sort of a "clean out the vegetable drawer in the fridge" night. Cancy even liked vegetables this way. I've found so far that any vegetable tastes better when roasted. Eat & Enjoy!


Roasted Balsamic Veggies

about 1/2 lb Fresh Green Beans, ends snapped off
1 Medium Yellow Onion, cut into rings
1 Red Pepper, sliced into strips
1 pkg of Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
small handful of Blue of Feta Cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place vegetables in a Ziploc bag, add salt & pepper and about a Tbps of Olive Oil. Toss.

Lay veggies out on a sheet pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes until roasted & tender.

Serve into individual dishes and splash a bit of Balsamic over top and sprinkle cheese as well.

Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken & asparagus

There really isn't much of a recipe to post for this one other than some basic prep before grilling. We made this to go along with Baked Lemon Pasta and they were great together. I think grilling & roasting are going to be the only way I can get my husband to eat enough vegetables. You gotta do, what you gotta do. Get out to that grill and cook up a healthy, yummy dinner.


Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken

1/4 Cup olive oil
1/4 Cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp Lemon Pepper seasoning
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Combine first three ingredients in a Ziploc bag and shake to mix.
Add the chicken breasts & marinate for at least 1 hour.
Grill chicken until done.


Grilled Asparagus

In a separate Ziploc bag, combine the same ingredients as above, but toss fresh asparagus in the marinade and let sit for 15 minutes before grilling.

Pioneer Woman’s Baked Lemon Pasta

I adore Ree of ThePioneerWoman.com. I also happen to love anything of hers that I’ve made. This lemon pasta was no exception. Now, Cancy thinks all meals need to be served with meat so I made lemon pepper pasta. I would have been perfectly content with just the pasta. I hope you try this. While you’re at it, you should check out the rest of Ree’s site. :)

Pioneer Woman’s Baked Lemon Pasta

1 pound thin spaghetti

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

2 cups sour cream

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste if desired

Plenty of grated Parmesan cheese

Flat leaf parsley, chopped

Extra lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente.


In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over LOW HEAT. When butter is melted, add minced garlic.
Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat.


Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest and salt. Taste, then add more salt if necessary.

Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into an oven safe dish.


Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. (Don’t bake too long or the pasta will dry out.)


When you remove it from the oven, squeeze a little more lemon juice over the top.
Top generously with Parmesan cheese, then chopped parsley.
Give it a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end.

Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe

I love, love, love broccoli cheese soup. We’ve had a chilly week so this was a perfect fit. I had to add a bit more 1/2 & 1/2 and chicken stock but other than that, I stayed true to the original recipe. This was delicious, creamy, & warm. Great for a chilly, rainy night.

Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 medium chopped onion

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups Fat Free 1/2 & 1/2 (I changed this to 3 Cups)

2 cups chicken stock (I changed this to 3 Cups)

1/2 lb fresh broccoli

1 cup carrot, julienned

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.

Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.

Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.

Add salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender if you have one, now is a good time to puree some of the soup. I made sure to leave some of the broccoli pieces whole.

Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg.

Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi Dumplings

I found this recipe in the November ’09 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. The sauce turned out just a little thick but for the most part this was a easy & tasty weeknight meal. I think next time we try this I’ll probably make it into a thick soup by just adding just a bit more 1/2 & 1/2, chicken broth, some baby carrots, & frozen peas.

Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi Dumplings

One 1-pound package of potato gnocchi

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup half-and-half ( I used fat free 1/2 & 1/2)

1 cup chicken broth

2 scallions, chopped



Cook the gnocchi according to package directions; drain.



Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.



In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until toasted, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the half-and-half and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened. Whisk into the chicken mixture, then stir in the gnocchi. Bring to a simmer, then season with salt and pepper and top with the scallions.

Rustic Chicken

For Joelen’s October Tasty Tool event, she’s highlighting crockpots/slow cookers. I try to use my crockpot once or twice a month so I already have a few recipes in this blog with the Crockpot tag. However, for Joelen’s event I wanted to try something new.

I knew I wanted to make something with chicken and I wanted to use artichokes. I found this recipe on RazzleDazzleRecipes.com. It takes all of 2 minutes to throw everything in the crockpot and then you just sit back and wait, enjoying the smell of a home cooked meal that you don’t have to work hard for. Enjoy!!

Rustic Chicken


1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders, or boneless chicken breasts cut in 1 inch strips

1 tablespoon real bacon bits (I omitted these)

1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 15 ounce can artichoke hearts, quartered

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 packet dry chicken gravy mix

1/4 cup red wine

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
** I added about 6 large stuffed Green Olives as well.



Combine all ingredients in a crockpot; stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over pasta or rice.