Cajun spiced pork chops

I really didn't know what I wanted for dinner tonight so I looked through recipes I have made before and found this one. It's been a while since I made it so that was another reason why I chose it. The sides I made were oven-roasted garlic green beans that I make all the time now (you can find that recipe also on my blog) and applesauce. The original recipe can be found on the All Recipes website here.

Review: The recipe for the pork chops is quite spicy. If you don't like spicy foods you will not like this recipe. It's quick to make though and you more than likely will have the majority of spices and herbs already in stock so it won't be too expensive of a meal to make either. I just had to go buy the green beans, pork chops and cayenne pepper. The recipe also calls for cooking the meat in the skillet but I just seared them on the skillet then cooked them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes while the green beans also were cooking in the oven. I like the pork chops a little better that way because it keeps them moist. I will say, though, that the applesauce helped with the kick of the pork chops. I would take a couple bites of pork then take a bite of applesauce and it almost made the spice non-existent. I think it was just because it was a cold taste on top of the spicy so it helped cool it. I would definitely recommend the applesauce with it when you make the meal if nothing else than for the reason of helping to knock down the kick. I also doubled the ingredient amounts because I used 6 pork chops instead of 4 like the recipe calls for that way we would have two chops each if we wanted them.

Recipe:

• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed dried sage leaves (I used ground sage but it doesn't make a difference either way)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (I used garlic powder)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 center cut pork chops (again, I used 6 and I used boneless center cut chops)

Mix the paprika, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, sage and garlic salt on a plate. Liberally coat each pork chop with the spice mixture. Heat the olive oil and several pumps of non-stick, butter-flavored spray in a large skillet over high heat (I didn't use the spray). Place pork chops in the skillet, reducing the heat to medium. Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

If you put it in the oven, sear both sides of the pork chops for 1-2 minutes in the skillet then transfer them to a baking pan. Stick them in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes then serve.

Obama says he will preserve, strengthen Medicare

President Barack Obama, on Saturday, addressed Medicare during his weekly address. Since Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate for president, chose Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his running mate Medicare has been front and center in the presidential debate. Republicans say Obama stole $716 billion from Medicare to fund the Affordable Care Act, or what they call Obamacare.

Numerous reports have proven that line of attack as being false and President Obama used his weekly address to also defend his policies while also attacking the Republicans' plan for Medicare. President Obama said he has not taken a single penny from beneficiaries, as the Republicans have claimed. He said the savings from his Medicare policy will actually save seniors money. By comparison, he said, the Republicans' plan and the budget plan that Ryan wrote and Republicans voted in favor of, would essentially turn the program into a voucher system. Under that system seniors would receive a check for a certain amount and if their medical bills were not covered under that amount they would have to shop around for insurance or pay for it out of pocket.

Obama says Congress needs to pass plan to put teachers back to work

Kids throughout the country are going back to school, some of whom will not see the teachers they had the year before walking around the halls anymore. The reason being is, in part, because budget cuts at the state and local level have caused roughly 300,000 teachers to be laid off since 2009.

In this week's address, President Barack Obama addressed that fact and urged Congress to pass his jobs bill that would provide funding to help states hire more teachers. He first called on Congress to address this portion of his jobs bill in September 2011, but a year later Congress has failed to act on it. In fact, when Republicans in the House of Representatives passed their budget they cut funding for education. President Obama said it was important that this country have good teachers and good education because it will help keep the United States as a global leader in the 21st century.

Shrimp lettuce wraps with dill and mustard

The following recipe is another one that was in a fresh herbs package I bought for another recipe. I actually made this with the intent on having it for dinner but something came up so I had it for lunch instead.

Review: The shrimp actually tasted better then I thought they would. I'm not a big fan of mustard or of green onions but I certainly did not taste the mustard and the onions were not overpowering for me. It was quite runny so make sure you have a napkin. You actually could probably use half the amount of ingredients the recipe calls for besides the shrimp. I used two bags of medium sized shrimp that had 51-60 shrimp in each bag (so the packaging said) but any size shrimp and any amount is OK.  The recipe says to serve the shrimp cold but with the already cold lettuce, I personally thought it was a little chewy. I think had I warmed the shrimp it would have been better because it would have had the hot-cold contrast between the lettuce and the shrimp. Next time I make this I probably will serve the shrimp warm. I also might either reduce the amount of green onions or leave them out all together. Like I said they weren't overpowering but when I bit into one I didn't really like it (if you like green onions though you won't have a problem with it). I also did not include the capers or the grated lemon peel in the recipe. I had capers once in another recipe I made and didn't like them at all so I just left them out of this one; however, if you haven't had capers then like I said in the other recipe, try them. All-in-all, this was a good, healthy meal that actually might make a better lunch then a dinner.

Recipe:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined (any size and amount of shrimp is fine)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup drained capers (optional)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle thawed shrimp with salt and pepper then add to the skillet and saute until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate (I left the shrimp in the skillet to pour into the bowl instead of dirtying another plate). Whisk the next 5 ingredients in a large bowl (I chopped all the ingredients before I started the shrimp). Whisk in 8 tablespoons of oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the shrimp and accumulated juices, capers (if you use them) and green onions. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day (although if it refrigerates longer it won't hurt anything). Arrange the butter lettuce leaves on plates and top with shrimp. Drizzle with more marinade if desired (you won't have to though if it's like mine because the liquid is still prevalent).

Steak with a zesty oregano sauce

A couple days ago I bought some fresh herbs for another recipe I made. When I opened the packages I saw they had a recipe in them that used that specific herb so I made the decision to try a couple of those recipes. Tonight's meal is one of those.

Review: Tonight's meal was quick to make. I think it took about 15 minutes to do. Really the only thing to comment on is the sauce seeing how the cottage cheese is a side and the steak is steak. I couldn't find skirt steak, though, so I used two sirloin steaks and just cut them into thirds so mom, dad and I could have two pieces each. While the sauce might not look too pleasing because it's green and runny it didn't taste too bad. For me it had a slight tangy taste from the olive oil but all and all it was an OK dip. Next time I might use a little less olive oil and actually because I cut the steaks into thirds and just used a teaspoon of sauce on each plate, the ingredients for the sauce could be cut in half. We had plenty of sauce left over but no more steak. This sauce might not be for everyone. I know dad didn't like it (but I'm not surprised there), mom said it was really good and I just thought it was OK. I would probably make it again but it's not something I'd make a lot. Still, it could be a nice dressing for salad or even as a dip for vegetables. The olive oil taste wasn't overpowering it was just a little surprising. We cut the steak into pieces and dipped it like the sauce was ketchup so if you do that it's fine, but I recommend going ahead and making it and trying it and if you don't like it then obviously don't make it again.

Recipe:

1 (1/2 pound) skirt steak, cut cross wise into 4 pieces
1 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2/3 cup olive oil

Heat a pan over medium-high heat until hot then lightly oil. Pat the steaks dry and sprinkle all over with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I just sprinkled each side with salt and pepper and didn't worry about measuring). Grill the steaks, turning them over occasionally, 2 to 8 minutes total for medium-rare depending on thickness of meat and longer if you want your steak cooked a little more. Transfer to a platter and let stand 5 minutes. While steaks are grilling, puree the remaining ingredients with 3/4 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth (I got all the ingredients in the blender ready before I started cooking the steak because I know chopping the oregano, parsley and garlic cloves would take longer than cooking the steak). Serve steaks with the sauce.

Grilled citrus chicken breasts

Beyond looking for healthier foods I've been trying to look for foods that bring in some color. Most of the dishes I've made lately have been dull looking, plain and brown. So now I'm trying to find foods that incorporate bits of color. Tonight's meal was found on the bon appetit website here.

Review: Tonight's meal didn't take much time to make with the longest part just being the chicken cooking on the grill. It is one that you need to marinade overnight so make sure you have the ingredients ahead of time. The chicken itself did have a citrus flavor to it but nothing that is overpowering. In fact, I liked the flavor more than I thought I would. Next time I make it I might leave out the oranges and lemons. They are mostly for looks and they charred more than caramelized like the directions said so they really were a waste of money. Not a lot of money, but still a waste. You also are supposed to squeeze the juice from the lemons and oranges over the meal but I didn't do that because the chicken had a sweet-sour taste as it was. Still, if you want to do that or you want the color on the plate as well then by all means, grill the lemons and oranges. Finally, I doubled the amount of ingredients for the marinade because the recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts and I used 6. Well, turns out doubling it is not necessary. If you are making 8-10 breasts then maybe you should double them but anything less than that and it's fine as written. The recipe also says the marinade should turn into a glaze but it didn't do that for me. Now, maybe it was because I doubled the amounts but be prepared for it to stay a smooth liquid. Oh, and to make it healthier I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of bone-in, skin-on breasts.

Recipe:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for brushing
• 1 cup fresh orange juice (1 pint is equivalent to 2 cups as a reference for how much juice to buy)
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more for seasoning
• 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (get whatever kind of chicken you want though)
• 2 oranges, cut into quarters
• 2 lemons, cut into quarters
• fresh parsley leaves

Whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil and the next 4 ingredients (orange juice, lemon juice, garlic and rosemary) in a large bowl. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt. Add chicken breasts, turn chicken to coat, cover and chill overnight (I put the chicken and the marinade in a Ziploc bag to help mix and save room in the fridge).

Build a medium-low fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to medium. Remove chicken breasts from marinade then set the marinade aside. Place the chicken breasts on the grill, skin side up. Cover and grill, moving the chicken to different spots on the rack for even cooking but without turning, until slightly charred and almost cooked through, about 20 minutes (you shouldn't need to move it around if you use a gas grill). Turn the chicken. Brush the orange and lemon quarters with oil and arrange around chicken breasts on the grill. Continue grilling until chicken breasts are golden brown and cooked through and the orange and lemon quarters are caramelized, 10-15 minutes longer (I think if you cook the fruit for about 5 minutes on each side that will be good enough for those).

Meanwhile, bring the marinade to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until reduced to glaze consistency (about 1/3 cup). Season with salt. Transfer the chicken to a platter and surround with grilled oranges and lemons for squeezing over. Spoon glaze over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Obama congratulations Olympians in weekly address

President Barack Obama spent this week's address not talking about politics but congratulating the Olympians, both in the regular games and in the Paralympics, for their hardwork, dedication and success. He said he and the American people could not be prouder of their accomplishments. He also said that what they have been able to achieve should remind every American that we are one people, and by working together we can achieve great things. At the end of day 8 on Saturday, Aug. 4, the United States leads the medal count with 54. China is second with 53 medals and host nation, Great Britain, is third with 29 medals.

Grilled swordfish with pineapple-peach salsa

Another night where I found a recipe I liked and decided to cook it. I've never had swordfish before so that was another thing that intrigued me about the recipe. I'm also not sure if I'll make this one too often but for a different kind of meal it'll stay on my "menu." The original recipe can be found at the RecipeGirl website here.

Review: As I said above I don't know how often I'll make this recipe but it was all-in-all a good one. Because I've never had swordfish before I had to look up what it tasted like. Most comments I found said it was more meaty than fishy but to both my mom and myself, we thought it was actually fishy. I don't know if I cooked it a little too long or maybe even not long enough but after about halfway through it got almost too fishy for our liking. Next time I might just buy one swordfish steak and cut it in half for both of us. This recipe also would be good with any type of fish and mom and I really like salmon so next time I might try it with salmon. Mahi-Mahi might be a good fish with the meal too. The other thing I might change about the recipe is the amount of cilantro in the salsa mix. It seemed like a little much so I might cut that amount in half. Same with the red onions. The red onions and cilantro, to me, kind of overpowered the pineapple and the peach. Finally, instead of juice from fresh limes I used lime juice that you can find in your grocery store's juice aisle. Still, with the few tweaks I mentioned it would be an excellent meal and as is, it's all-in-all another good, healthy one to eat. Oh, and one quick, fun, interesting note I did learn from the smell and taste of it is that cumin is used in taco seasoning.

Recipe:

• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds swordfish, cut into 4 serving pieces (our grocery store already had them in pieces and this amount serves 4 people)

MARINADE:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• juice of 2 large limes (I used 2 tablespoons of lime juice as a substitute)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• one handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper

PINEAPPLE-PEACH SALSA:

• 1 cup finely chopped pineapple (about 1/3 of a fresh pineapple, but you can use however much you want)
• 1 cup chopped, peeled peaches (about 2 medium, but again you can use however much you want)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
• juice from 1/2 large lime (again, I used 1/2 tablespoon of lime juice as a substitute)

Rinse and pat dry the swordfish and place it in a 9x13 inch glass dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Pour the marinade over the swordfish and turn to coat (you might have to use your hands to scoop some of the marinade from the bottom of the dish to the top side of the fish after you turn it). Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let marinate for NO MORE than one hour (see TIP below).

While the swordfish is marinating, combine the salsa ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Grease the rack of your grill (or use a grilling tray) and grill the swordfish 5 to 6 minutes on the first side (covered), then 3 to 4 minutes on the other side or until the fish flakes apart easily. You definitely don't want to overcook swordfish or it will be tough and dry. Serve immediately with each swordfish steak topped with a generous dollop of pineapple-peach salsa.

***TIP*** Don't let the swordfish marinate for more than one hour. The citrus from the lime juice will begin to break down the fish and you want it to stay nice and firm.

Whole wheat penne pasta with salmon, tomatoes and herb dressing

I haven't had salmon in a while and tonight's meal was a good way to have it. It was filling because of the pasta but also healthy. Mom and I started a new diet a couple months ago so I've been trying to find recipes (or come up with my own) that follow our diet plan. There's not as much out there so it's been a little difficult to find stuff but when I saw this one I knew I had to try it. The original recipe can be found at the Cookin' Canuck website here.

Review: This recipe was quick and simple to make. The longest part of it was waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook. I will start out with saying the recipe called for cheese but cheese is not on our diet so I did not include that ingredient. I personally also did not eat the tomatoes but mom likes them so I put tomatoes in her bowl. For this meal the salmon was not that prevalent tasting compared to the pasta. The pasta and the herb dressing kind of overwhelmed the salmon. I added a little more olive oil than it called for because I didn't think it was smooth enough. I thought it was a thick dressing and I wanted it to be a little more runny. Next time I make it I also will use about half as much herbs (especially with the parsley). The amount of herbs I used also probably was why it was a thicker dressing. It was partly my bad because I used dried flakes instead of fresh herbs and you are supposed to use less dried flakes than fresh herbs but I didn't, I used equal amounts. I also would recommend drizzling a bit of olive oil on the top of your bowl or plate once it's all mixed together to give it a little more moisture. As it was, the pasta was a little dry and the olive oil on the top would give it a touch more flavor. Still, the meal was quite good and another keeper.

Recipe:

The Dressing:

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil

The Rest:

• 13 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
• 12 oz. skinless salmon, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• 8 oz. grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half (optional)
• 3 oz. myzithra (or feta) cheese (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

The Dressing:
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine garlic, lemon juice, parsley, oregano, dried chili flakes, salt and pepper. Pulse until parsley is finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour in olive oil and blend until the dressing is mostly smooth (I poured some in then blended, poured some in then blended and added a little more olive oil to make it smoother and be more runny).

The Rest:
Cook penne according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Immediately toss with 3/4 of the dressing. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the salmon to the skillet and saute until the salmon is just cooked through, roughly 3-5 minutes. To the pasta, add the salmon, tomatoes, myzithra (or feta) cheese and the rest of the dressing. Stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Stuffing stuffed chicken

Tonight's meal was another one I created on my own. The concept isn't new, stuffed chicken, but the fact that I didn't have to "look it up" or get the recipe from someone or somewhere else makes it "mine" in my opinion. In a way it's a mini Thanksgiving meal. I will definitely make it again and also figure out more sides to go along with it to give it more of that Turkey day feeling.

Review: If you like Thanksgiving dinner you will like this. The easiest part of it is the deviled eggs but the stuffing and chicken aren't that difficult either. The recipe I'll put below for the stuffing is how we make stuffing in my family but of course it can be done anyway you know how. The ingredient amounts also are what I used for three people, but really the amounts can vary based on how many people you might be serving. It's hard to describe the meal's taste because the stuffing tastes like stuffing and the chicken tastes like chicken. They make a flavorful combination though and because I added chicken broth into the pan while I baked it, it was still quite moist. Like I said there isn't too much more I would do to change the overall concept. I might double the ingredients for the stuffing so there's not only enough to put in the chicken but also enough to have on its own, but other than that any thing else I do to this meal will just be figuring out traditional sides but making them healthy. This meal is really healthy by the way with low fat, low sugar and low sodium ingredients.

Recipe:

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (get however many you want to cook)
• 6 eggs (use however many you want to hard boil)
• 6 slices of bread (I used 100% whole wheat because it's healthier but any type of bread is fine)
• 1 small onion (I used dried onion but fresh is OK too)
• 2 tablespoons sage
• 1 tablespoon celery flakes
• 1/2 cup basil, divided
• 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
• 1/2 cup mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground pepper, for taste
• paprika, for color

Start with boiling the water for the eggs. Boil the eggs for roughly 20 minutes then drain the water. Peel the shell, slice the eggs in half and put the yolk in a bowl. Mix the yolk and mustard in a bowl then fill the sliced eggs with the yolk-mustard mixture. Sprinkle paprika on top and refrigerate.

While the eggs are cooling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut your chicken breasts length-wise being sure not to cut all the way through but enough to where it can flap open and lay pretty flat (this is called a butterfly cut and in some stores you can find chicken already sliced this way or you could ask the butcher to slice it for you if you don't want to). In a bowl crumble the bread slices and mix in the onion, sage, celery flakes, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. Once it's all mixed, take a small, nearly baseball-sized handful of the stuffing mixture and spread it on one side of each sliced chicken breast. Fold the other side over so it looks like a sub sandwich. Place the chicken breasts in a pan so they are lying on their side and pour the other 1/2 of the chicken broth over the chicken and around the pan. Sprinkle half the amount of the basil on the top of each chicken breast. Place in the oven and let bake for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken so it lays on their other side and sprinkle the remainder of the basil on the other side of the chicken. Stick back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes or until the chicken browns then serve immediately with the deviled eggs.