Pork Belly Sandwiches ...... It tastes like bacon ... really!

OK .... I will admit this one is a little out there even for me. When we were in Phili last weekend, we stopped at Whole Foods on the way home. When I saw pork belly at the butcher counter, I had a flashback to one of the last ACPOC meetings I attended. My cohorts went off skiing and I went off eating.
Cooking pork belly is not a quick process which is why I broke it up into a couple of days. First roasting and then frying another day.
The original recipe called for making Asian steamed buns. Warren and I have tried them in restaurants and are not a big fan so I picked up small Portuguese roll at the store.
This recipes was adapted from http://www.steamykitchen.com/22252-pork-belly-buns-recipe.html

Pork Belly Sandwiches with Chili Sauce and Kimchi
Servings: Makes 6 mini sandwiches 

1 lb. slab pork belly 

Cooking Spray
1 1/2 cloves garlic, finely minced
11/2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1/2 fresh chili pepper, minced
1/2 green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp Asian fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup water

Small Portuguese rolls

For the chili sauce
1/2 green onion, minced
1/2 fresh chili, sliced very thinly
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
King's Kimchi... available in the produce section

Wrap the pork belly in 2 layers layers of foil. Place on baking sheet and roast in a preheated 275F oven for 2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool before refrigerating. I completed this part 2 days ahead but one the belly is completely chilled you can proceed.... approximately 2 hours.
Prepare the saute sauce.
In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce and water.

Prepare the chili sauce for topping. Combine all ingredients and set aside.
 
Coat a large saute pan and place over high heat. When hot, add pork belly slices to the pan but do not overlap. Cook in batches if needed. Fry each side until browned. Remove to paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining pieces.
Turn the heat to medium-low. Add in the garlic, ginger, chiles  and green onion. Saute for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the saute sauce into the pan.Return the pork belly slices back into the pan and let simmer for 10 minutes or until heated through.

Serve pork belly on a bun top with the chili sauce and kimchi.

Ranched Marinated Chicken served on a bed of Wilted Red Cabbage with Balsamic Vinegar

I bought a head of red cabbage to add some crunch to my salads but I know I was not going to use all of it in salads. So I was searching for something else to do with it. Here is what I found.
RANCH MARINATED CHICKEN BREASTS
1 cups reduced fat sour cream
1/2 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Combine the sour cream, salad dressing mix. lemon juice, Worcestershire. celery salt, paprika, garlic salt and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Drain and discard marinade. Place on a cooking spray coated baking sheet with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear.

WILTED RED CABBAGE WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR  Gourmet - September 1998
10 red cabbage leaves
1 small onion
2 tablespoons water
2 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Thinly slice cabbage and onion separately. In a small bowl stir together water, vinegar, and sugar until sugar is dissolved. In a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet cook onion in oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add cabbage and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until
crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar mixture and pepper until combined well.

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

Fish does not rank up there on either Nick's or Warren's favorite foods ... unless of course we are talking about frozen fish sticks.... Ugh! If I put it in front of them Warren will eat it and Nick will try it. I have a 50% track record of actually getting him to finish his portion. Warren ate this one but it was not a hit with Nick. The topping does become very creamy hence the not s pretty pic.
Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Dash onion powder
Dash celery salt
1 lb tilapia fillets
Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat it with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flake easily with a fork.

Grilled Chicken with Kung Pao Dipping Sauce with Udon Noodle Stir Fry and Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls

It was make your own takeout night BUT with a lower fat twist! 

Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls adapted from For the love of cooking: Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls

1 tsp olive oil

2 cups broccoli slaw

1/2 cup of bean sprouts

1/2 can of water chestnuts, chopped

1 tbsp green onions, sliced

1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp corn starch

2 Tbsp water

7 egg roll wraps

Cooking Spray

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the broccoli slaw, sprouts, carrots, water chestnuts and ginger to the pan;cook, stirring frequently for 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender-crisp. Mix the corn starch with the water and mix thoroughly. Add the corn starch mixture, soy sauce and green onions. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and let cool.

Place two tablespoons of the cooled mixture on the center of the egg roll wrap. Fold the bottom up over the filling. Next, fold the two sides over, making it look like an envelope, then roll it up like a burrito.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the egg rolls on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spray the top of each egg roll with cooking spray. Bake for 8-10 minutes then turn them over. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Serve with your favorite Asian Dipping Sauce. We prefer Ling Ling Potsticker Sauce or just plain soy sauce.

Chicken with Kung Pao Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 green onions, finely sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons chili paste*

2 teaspoons sake

1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon chili oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Montreal Chicken Seasoning

Combine broth and cornstarch in small saucepan. Stir in all remaining sauce ingredients except for chicken and Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 3 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Reserve half of the sauce for serving.

Pre-heat the grill. Grill the chicken 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning once and brushing with sauce. Serve with reserved sauce.

Udon Noodle Stir Fry

2 oz udon noodles

Cooking spray

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

3 ounces green beans, cut french style

1 small carrots, julienne

1/2 bell pepper,julienne

1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

1 small yellow squash or zucchini, cut into thin matchsticks

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook udon noodles according to package directions. In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, heat the vegetable oil with the sesame oil. Add the beans, carrots, red pepper, onion, zucchini and scallions and season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry the vegetables over high heat until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Add noodles to the skillet and toss to coat well.

Make Ahead Pasta Dish

My go to recipe when I need a make ahead pasta dish comes straight from Pasta (1994) American Express Publishing Corp, NY.  I almost always go to this meal when I need to make a dinner for a family in need. Unfortunately the double batch unfortunately here means that it was for two families at the same time. It has been a rough start to 2013 for many people.

Baked Rigatoni with Meat Sauce and Mozzarella

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. butter
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot chopped fine
1 rib celery, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh flat parsley
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. ground fennel seed or 1½ tsp. whole seed
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup dry white wine
4 cups canned tomatoes with their juice, chopped
¾ lb. rigatoni
6 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
½ lb. grated mozzarella cheese (2 cups)
In a medium frying pan, heat the oil and butter over low heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley and basil and cook until very soft, about 20 minutes. Raise the heat to moderate, add the ground beef, fennel seed, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir in the parmesan. Cook the rigatoni in a large pot of boiling, salted water until almost done, about 12 minutes. Drain. Lightly oil a 3 qt. oval baking dish. Toss the past with the meat sauce and put half of it in the baking dish. Top with half the mozzarella. Cover with the remaining pasta and top with the remaining mozzarella. Bake at 350 until very hot, about 20 minutes.

Roasted Pork with Black-Eyed Pea Salad & Stir Fried Sugar Snap Peas with Grape Tomatoes

Here is a yummy Sunday night dinner (although a little heavy on the ctarchy vegetables.) that I adapted from recipes in the April 1997 issue of Bon Appétit Magazine and MarthaStewart.com. There was a lot of black eyed pea salad left over which we included in green salads for lunches over th next few days.

Roasted Pork with Black-Eyed Pea Salad & Stir Fried Sugar Snap Peas with Grape Tomatoes
PORK:
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pork tenderloins (10 to 12 ounces each)
1 tsp olive oil
BLACK-EYED PEA SALAD:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 can (15 ounces) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces) corn kernels
1/2 red bell pepper finely diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
SUGAR SNAP PEAS & GRAPE TOMATOES
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 ounces sugar snap peas, stems and strings removed
5 grape tomatoes (The recipe for more but since Warren is not crazy about tomatoes I decreased the amount)
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar                       
To make the pork:
Preheat oven to 450°.
In a small bowl, combine paprika, thyme, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; set spice mixture aside.
Place pork on a rimmed baking sheet; rub with oil. Sprinkle all over with spice mixture, patting in gently.
Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of meat registers 150°, 20 to 25 minutes;  cool.
To make black-eyed pea salad:
In a medium container, whisk mustard, vinegar, and oil. Add all vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper; toss to combine.
To make the sugar snap peas
Heat the oil in the skillet. Add peas, tomatoes and shallot. Stir-fry until peas are bright green and tomatoes are heated through, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with vinegar and toss to coat. Season with salt an pepper and serve.

Thinly slice pork; serve with black-eyed pea salad and sugar snap peas.

Mid Afternoon Snack - Tomato and Herb Bruschetta

How to cure the munchies !

Tomato and Herb Bruschetta

3/4 lb tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/6 c. basil, chopped

1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 tsp dried oregano or 1 1/2 tsp fresh

1 1/2 tsp white balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

6 slices crusty bread toasted

Combine all ingredients except bread in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Spoon tomato mixture atop bread and serve.