Weekends are meant for laziness. I don’t mean you should do nothing, but the fast pace of the week has come to an end, and now it’s time to take it easy. Watching movies with the kids, baking a huge batch of chocolate cookies “just in case”, meandering around stores in search of nothing in particular, a stroll through a wintery park, these are the things of Saturdays and Sundays.
But what about dinner? Yes, dinner often takes a somewhat concerted effort to pull off, especially for families with kids. So what to do on those lazy days that you want to stay home, but don’t feel like masterminding an entire meal? Meet the pulled pork sandwich, akin to a po’ boy, a manwich, a sloppy Joe, or other delicious, yet simple meaty fare. Literally, you only need to do 3 things and you will be eating a savory, filling and delicious sandwich your Poppa would be proud of.
The key to pleasing your family is using a sauce everyone loves. So pick your fav, let it mellow and be serving dinner with little to no effort on your part in mere minutes. Mom saves the day again!
Easy as 1-2-3! Seriously!
Easy Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Pork Butt Steak (1 per 2 people)
1/3-1/2 cup BBQ Sauce per steak
1/4 cup water per steak
buns or bread for making sandwich
1. Place all ingredients in crock pot or slow cooker (except for the buns of course).
2. Turn to high for 3 1/2 hours or on low for 5-6.
3. When done, flake meat using two forks (do this in the bottom of crock pot). Stir to combine with remaining sauce. Serve on buns or slices of bread!
Feeding a family and getting them to like everything that you like can be a challenge. As many mothers, wives, fathers, husbands and cooks know, that may be the understatement of the year. Pleasing everyone is impossible, yet getting them to eat what’s in front of them might not be. Often, as the family on a single income, we like to make cheaper meals a part of our weekly routine. I don’t compromise on flavour or nutrition though, ever. In this family, taste and health are number one. Sometimes we end up over budget on the weekly grocery shop, but most times we are under.
A great way to achieve your budgeting goals, is to make vegetarian meals a couple of times a week. Leaving out the expensive proteins and replacing them with cheaper (and just as or more nutritional) vegetarian alternatives will be good to your wallet. Often, you may already have the ingredients to make a vegetarian meal right there in your pantry, wallowing away in behind all the pasta noodles, rice bags and condiments.
I find a lot of people are at a loss to come up with something vegetarian that will appeal to all at the table. Burgers are a fantastic way to get everyone on board. Not only are they tasty and filling, but the act of making your own bun up and putting on the toppings you want, customizing to your own tastes, is what draws people in. These burgers are easy to prepare, good for you and fun for the whole family….they might not even notice the cilantro. If it is a problem though, just leave it out, up the other seasonings a bit and you’re good to go. Go save some money!
Black Bean Burgers
1 19oz can Black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (tender shoots and leaves)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce **
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
Salt & pepper
Romaine lettuce leaves
1/2 avocado, sliced
Tomatoes, sliced
Slices of cheese (Cheddar, Mozzarella, Edam, Gouda, Brie, Havarti, etc)
Buns, halved
1. In bowl of food processor, add half of drained beans, cilantro, minced garlic, diced onion and egg.
2. Pulse until beans and remaining ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
3. Pour mixture out into medium sized bowl and add remaining beans, bread crumbs and seasonings.
4. Form patties and place on greased, aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
5. Bake in a 375°F oven for 25 minutes. Turn once halfway through and lay cheese over patties if desired, returning to oven for remaining time.
6. Serve on buns with condiments of choice and vegetables to garnish.
Now, sink your teeth into all that “hard” work and think about all the money, calories and carbon you just saved. Doesn’t that feel good? I know I feel better already.
**Note: As Trish has pointed out, traditional Worcestershire sauce is made with anchovies (always good in Caesar Dressing!) so adding it may not be for everyone if they are strict vegetarians. Feel free to omit it, or add in a vegetarian variety.
So, I am trying to be good. I am trying to eat more seasonal this week, and in the process, I am being bad. When I wrote out my recipe ideas for this week, this particular recipe seemed perfectly healthy. Then I started making it. I think there must be 1/4 cup of butter in there or more. Doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you are watching yourself get bigger by the day (and I do mean by the day, sigh) you should at least try to not use so much fat. In hindsight, this meal was absolutely delicious. Filling, savory, buttery, smothered in it’s own sauce of creamy egg yolk, sweet and salty. The only thing it could have used, was maybe a bit more texture. I think, served with some bread, it might have just been the perfect meal, sadly, I can’t eat that much right now. It just won’t fit in there.
If you think of other ways to add to this lovely meal, or ways to make it even better, I’m open to suggestions. I absolutely love polenta, but don’t make it nearly enough. Send me your ideas!
Warning! Large portions of butter are about to be consumed!
Soft Polenta, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and a Poached Egg
For Polenta:
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups water or broth
1 tsp butter
3/4 cup corn meal
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 -3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1. Heat butter in bottom of large, heavy bottom saucepan until melted. Add garlic, sauté 30-45 seconds, add in water or broth.
2. Bring to boil and slowly (while whisking) drizzle in corn meal. Lower to a simmer and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.
3. When finished add in remaining butter and Parmesan cheese, stir to combine and keep warm until serving.
For Caramelized Onions:
1 small sweet onion, sliced
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1/3 cup dark ale
1. Add butter and onions to a small sauté pan and heat on medium high until onions begin to soften.
2. Add in sugar and allow to dissolve fully.
3. Add in beer, turn heat up to almost high and allow to simmer away until all liquid has been absorbed.
For Mushrooms:
1 lb brown crimini mushrooms, sliced
200 grams Oyster mushrooms, diced
2 Tbsp butter
1. Heat butter in sauté pan until melted, add mushrooms.
2. Sauté until softened and slightly browned.
For Poached Eggs:
1. Fill a medium sized saucepan 3/4 of the way with water. Add in 1-2 Tbsp of white vinegar.
2. Crack two eggs into small cups.
3. Bring water to a boil, then lower to a slow simmer.
4. Dip one edge of egg bowl into water and release egg, wait 15 seconds and repeat with other egg. Allow to cook for 3 minutes.
5. Make sure eggs aren’t sticking to bottom of pot, they will become overcooked. If they are, gently nudge them with a slotted spoon to release.
6. Remove from water and drain on towels. Serve immediately.
To assemble your awesome, rocking meal:
1. Place small mounds of polenta on plates, pushing down slightly in center to nestle egg.
2. Pour caramelized onions over one side and repeat with mushrooms.
3. Top the whole thing off with your perfectly poached egg.
4. Consume.
I would like to introduce you to one of my most favourite of kitchen tools, the ULU knife. A very versatile and handy knife, you can use the ULU for almost anything. Personally, I prefer to use it for skinning things, especially the flesh of animals. The curved blade allows for an easy rocking motion and is kept fantastically sharp in a small knife block all it’s own (which is also great for displaying your fancy cutting tool). The ULU dates back to about 2500 BCE and has been used for centuries by the native peoples of the northern half of North America. A great knife for hunting and fishing, yes, but don’t be fooled, this baby can chop herbs like nobody’s business!
Some ULU knives come with a handy cutting board that has a bowl cut into it, making chopping and mincing even easier. In any case, you should get one if you are a kitchen gadget collector, because it is a fine instrument to have around when the need to remove skin arises. Just so you know, I am not affiliated with and have not been paid by the makers of the ULU knife to discuss it’s many merits. I was given this knife by a dear friend who worked in Alaska for a few summer’s and thought she would share with me, a piece of their spectacular history. I have to say, I don’t use it often and I appreciate that. It’s limited (in my kitchen) use ensures a super sharp blade every time I reach for it. I have yet to attempt to sharpen my ULU, but when I do, you’ll be the first to hear about it.
Today’s recipe is a savory and filling soup similar to a homemade chicken noodle, sans noodles. We don’t eat much pasta in this house, so we prefer to use other filling and more wholesome grains. The addition of barley to this soup does make it more of a stew, as the barley sucks up a lot of moisture, so be sure to add plenty of liquid if you choose to add the barley.
Chicken & Barley Soup
8 Chicken thighs, bone in, skin on or off
1 tbsp veg oil
2 carrots, peeled
2 celery stalks
1 onion
2 small bay leaves
1 tsp each marjoram, basil, ground sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary
1500 ml low sodium chicken stock + 1-2 cups water
salt & pepper
2/3 cup barley (optional)
1. Slice and dice onions, celery and carrots into desired sized chunks.
2. Sauté veggies in large stock pot with vegetable oil on medium high heat until they begin to soften.
3. Remove skin from chicken thighs if using skin on and use for something else.
4. Add seasonings to vegetables and then place thighs into pot. Allow to cook and brown a bit, about 15-20 minutes.
5. Add stock and water (Add extra cup of water if using barley), bring to boil, lower and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. (Add barley in last 40-60 minutes if using.)
6. Remove thighs from soup, flake off meat with a fork and return to pot. Throw bones away.
7. Serve with crusty bread or on it’s own.
Here we go again with another completely out of season dish. I’m so sorry! Seriously, I can’t help myself right now. I go down the produce aisles of our local grocery store and I am completely mesmerized by the fresh produce. There it is, staring back at me, so fresh and brightly coloured. I’m like a serial single girl in the engagement ring section of the jewelery store, I just can’t take my eyes off them. Then, like the prices staring back at the single girl from the overly polished diamond rings, I see the country of origin stickers and the guilt sets in. I have to tell myself that it’s “for the baby”, the midwives said I need lots of protein and vegetables! I need to eat foods from ridiculously far corners of the world in order to feed this baby! It’s true, because I said so.
So if you happen to stumble upon this recipe, say, in mid-July, then I encourage you to make it. Make it twice this week! It’s just so good and satisfying. I had to lay my big fat pregnant self down onto the couch after this salad, I was just so full. This meal can be even more fun for little ones who aren’t so keen on all the green. By adding some baked (not fried!) tortilla chips around the edges, it’s now a somewhat forbidden “bad” food and may get their attention more easily. Or you could try your hand at making those fun tortilla bowls, although they are deep fried and may be hard to make in your own kitchen.
In any case, this is a damn fine salad and full of healthy, nutritious foods the whole family will love. So go on and make it tonight for your dinner, it’s always nice to have a change from the everyday. Just don’t hate me for adding a few carbon footprints to this winter’s growing pile.
Mexican Fiesta Salad
For the seasoned topping:
4 Brown crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 lb. extra lean ground beef or turkey
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup water or stock
For salad base:
Romaine lettuce, torn into small pieces
grape tomatoes or diced Roma tomatoes
1/2 -1 whole avocado, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, minced
Freshly grated Cheddar and Mozzarella
sour cream & salsa as dressing
1. In a sauté pan at medium high heat, melt a small amount of butter or veg oil.
2. Toss in the mushrooms, pepper and onion and sauté until softened.
3. Add in ground meat (beef or turkey) and allow to brown slightly.
4. Add in seasoning and water and continue to cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
5. On plates, arrange lettuce, tomatoes and avocado.
6. Top with meat, then cilantro, then cheeses and finally with sour cream and salsa.
7. Serve to delighted family.
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Hi! I'm Elizabeth. I like fitness, bad ass tattoos, food, bacon, chocolate, taking lots of silly pictures and my spawn. Check out my FAQ for all the usual Qs or send me an e-mail and tell me all about your cat and your Aunt Sally's amazing apple pie. |
