Grilled Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork Kabobs

If you read my blog you have probably been wondering where I have been, or at least what have I been cooking? Beside my normal Monday through Friday work routine I have spent my summer laying by the pool, going to the beach and cooking the simplest dinners possible!

This kabob recipe comes from Coastal Living magazine. Not the first place one would think of to find great recipes but in every issue there is a full menu for a beach inspired meal. These kabobs are a great way to use some of the fresh peppers and onions I have been getting from my CSA and grill a simple yet fulfilling meal.

Recipe courtesy of Coastal Living Magazine

Serves 6

Kabobs
18 wooden skewers (soaked in water for at least 30 minutes)
1 large can pineapple chunks in juice, drained
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp Sake (rice wine)
1.5 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
2 lbs. pork loin, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1.5 inch pieces (I used Poblanos for some spice)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into 1.5 inch pieces

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple puree
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch

Place 1 cup of the pineapple chunks in a blender with 1 tablespoon water and puree. Combine 3 tablespoons pineapple puree with soy sauce and next four kabob ingredients in a large bowl. (Save remaining puree for Sweet and Sour Sauce.) Add pork and marinade for 1 hour.

Prepare Sweet and Sour Sauce by stirring together first five ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Combine cornstarch and 1 tablespoon warm water; whisk into ketchup mixture. Bring to a boil; boil 1 minute.

Remove meat from marinade, discarding marinade. Thread pork onto skewers, alternating with peppers, onion and remaining pineapple.

Grill kabobs on greased grill rack over medium heat for 5 minutes. Brush kabobs with Sweet and Sour Sauce, and grill 5 minutes or until done. Plate over brown rice and serve remaining sauce on side.

Roasted Beet & Arugula Salad With Goat Cheese & Avocado

This year I decided to become a member of a local CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture in which members support a local farm by purchasing a share of the season's crop. Each week you go pick up your box that is loaded with freshly harvested fruits and vegetables. One of the reasons I decided to try it out is that I spend half my grocery budget on fresh fruits and vegetables so why not give that money to a local farmer in these tough economic times? Living in the "Garden State" I know that once summer hit I would be stopping at the farm stand at least once a week anyway.

The first month of our CSA has been spent experimenting with a lot of new vegetables that I have never ate, much less prepared before. Beets showed up right away and I was stumped. My only experience with beets is as a child eating pickled beets at Easter or at a salad bar. As an adult even the smell of them turned me off. I knew there had to be a more appealing way to prepare them. I came across this recipe from Giada and was so excited to try it. Not only could I use the beets from my CSA but also the fresh arugula and other lettuces I received. I made a few adjustments and this salad turned out amazing. Beets are no longer the enemy!

Adapted from Giada's Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 2 meal size salads

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp finely chopped shallots
1 tbsp honey
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 medium beets, peeled and each cut into 6 wedges
4 cups arugula and other lettuces, torn
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed
4 oz, goat cheese, coarsely crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk vinegar, shallots and honey to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. In another medium bowl, toss the beets with enough dressing to coat. Place them in a foil packet, seal tightly and place on a baking sheet. Roast beets 30 minutes. Uncover and continue roasting until slightly caramelized, shaking them up occasionally, another 25 minutes. Set aside and cool completely.

In a large bowl, toss arugula and other lettuces, hazelnuts and cranberries with the remaining vinaigrette to coat. Mound the salad on plates, arrange beets around the salad. Sprinkle the avocado and goat cheese on top and serve.

Frozen Strawberry Fluffy Stuff

June is when fresh locally grown strawberries are available in New Jersey. This Spring has been exceptionally warm for us and this frozen dessert is the perfect way to cool down. I made this for Mother's Day and everyone really enjoyed it.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen's Chocolate Celebration magazine

Makes 1 (10-inch) cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tbsp butter, melted
1 (10 oz.) package frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp Frangelico liqueur
Fresh strawberries for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine flour, hazelnuts, brown sugar and cocoa. Add butter, stir to combine. Spoon mixture into ungreased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool.

In a large bowl combine strawberries, cream, and sugar. Beat a medium-high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir in liqueur.

Sprinkle 2/3 of flour mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 10-inch spring form pan. Spoon strawberry mixture over flour mixture. Sprinkle evenly with remaining flour mixture. Cover and freeze over night. Slice and garnish with fresh strawberries to serve.

Pineapple Jerk Chicken and Rice

Besides the turquoise waters, white sand beaches and friendly locals one of the best things about Jamaica is their famous jerk seasoning. Jerk seasoning is a combination that includes super spicy scotch bonnet peppers, allspice, cinnamon and garlic as well as other herbs and spices. We were married in Negril, Jamaica in 2008 and look forward to returning every year and sampling the best local foods including jerk pork and chicken dishes. When I saw this recipe I could not wait to make it for us.

Fresh pineapple was not in season when I made this recipe so I used chunks canned in juice instead which worked perfectly. You can also adjust how spicy you like it by leaving the seeds in the jalapeno. I opted for extra spicy!

Adapted from Everyday With Rachel Ray magazine April 2010 issue

Serves 4

2 cups brown rice
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and pepper
1 large can Dole pineapple chunks in juice, drained
1/2 cup Lawry's island jerk marinade
1 15oz can black beans rinsed
1/2 cup chopped, fresh cilantro

In a large pot brown rice over medium-high heat in a small amount of oil. Add 2 cups low sodium chicken broth, stir and return to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 45 minutes. Do not lift the lid!

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeno and cook until onion is browned, transfer to a bowl.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the same skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add to the pan and cook until browned, 5-7 minutes. Add the pineapple and jerk marinade and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the onion mixture, black beans and cilantro; cook until the beans are heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and serve over rice.

Wild Rice Soup

This winter my Mom went on a trip to Minnesota where she spent a little over a week visiting with friends, playing in the snow and cooking. One of the recipes she brought back was this great recipe for Wild Rice Soup. Most wild rice you will find in your local store comes from Minnesota and is a filling and healthy ingredient.

My Mom and her friends made some adjustments to the original recipe, using fresh mushrooms instead of canned and swapping a red bell pepper for green. Once I got a hold of the recipe I followed their changes as well as using low sodium mushroom soup and low sodium chicken broth. While not low in calories it is surprisingly not a heavy, thick soup. Next time I make this I plan on adding some fresh herbs to it, perhaps some Rosemary.

Makes 10 cups

1/2 cup wild rice
1 pound bacon
1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup red pepper, chopped
1 large (32 oz) carton low sodium chicken broth
2 10 oz cans cream of mushroom soup (I used the Campbells version that is low sodium for casseroles)
10 oz fresh sliced mushrooms
1 pint half and half

Wash wild rice well and boil in water for 15 minutes, drain, rinse and set aside.

Cut bacon into 2 inch pieces and fry until crisp in a large pot. Remove bacon from pot, reserving 3 tablespoons of drippings. Saute onion, celery and pepper in bacon drippings until onion is transparent. Add rice, broth, soup, mushrooms and cooked bacon. Cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour.

Before serving, add half and half and heat through.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

My husband and I don't eat very much seafood, neither of us cares for fish besides sushi and he has some shellfish allergies. Shrimp is one form of fish we can both enjoy. A couple times a year we head to Vincent's Clam Bar in Queens, NY to enjoy their very, very spicy version of Shrimp Fra Diavolo. This Valentines Day I decided to make this dish myself using fresh shrimp from our local seafood store.

This recipe was very easy and I wanted to serve it over linguine so I added additional crushed tomatoes to the sauce. Feel free to adjust the spice to your own tastes.

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 4

1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp olive oil +
1 medium onion sliced thin
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
3 garlic cloves chopped fine
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 pound whole wheat linguine

Cook linguine per package directions. In a bowl, toss shrimp with salt and the red pepper flakes. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 or 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate and set aside.

Add the onion to the same skillet with 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil if needed, and saute until translucent. Add the diced and crushed tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic and Italian seasoning. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly about 10 minutes.

Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture, toss to coat and cook for about 1 minute. Add the cooked linguine and toss the the entire mixture to distribute evenly. Plate and serve.

Risotto with Butternut Squash

Two words come to my mind when I think of risotto; delicious and stirring! I love risotto no matter what is in it. As a matter of fact the single best meal I ever ate in a restaurant was a wild mushroom risotto with truffles. I like my risotto a little cream but not soupy. To be honest though this is only the second time I made risotto myself, I dread the stirring! I have many recipes that take longer to prep and cook but the thought of 20-30 minutes just standing there and stirring discourages me. This month I picked up Everyday With Rachel Ray magazine and this recipe was the first thing I turned to. I decided to go for it. Half an hour of stirring later we had an incredibly satisfying meal. I still won't be making risotto on a weekly basis but will try some new recipes for it in the future.

Adapted from Everyday With Rachel Ray magazine March 2010

Serves 4

2.5 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 Tbsp butter
1.5 cups grated butternut squash
1 onion, finely chopped
1.5 cups arborio rice
1/2 dry white wine
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh ground pepper

In a sauce pan bring chicken broth and 2.5 cups of water to a boil; cover and simmer.

In a large saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the grated squash and cook, stirring frequently, until soft about 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the onion to the saucepan and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the onion is softened about 8 minutes. Add the rice and stir until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until evaporated.

Stir in 1/2 cup of the hot broth mixture, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and adjusting the the heat as needed to maintain a low simmer, until the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Keep repeating, adding 1/2 cup of the broth at a time and allowing the liquid to be absorbed, until the rice is tender about 20-30 minutes.

Add the cooked squash and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and season with pepper. Sprinkle each individual dish with extra Parmesan before serving.