Monday, February 28, 2011

Creamed spinach



Several months ago I came across this recipe and it sounded (and looked) amazing and thought "I must try this!"
Fast forward to several months later and fat free is not in my vocabulary with the whole primal lifestyle I am leading, so I tweaked it a little to make it more primal-friendly.  This definitely isn't something you want to eat every day, but it was sooo delicious and was a great addition to meals throughout the week.  Would definitely make it again, but perhaps try the shallots (I only had red onion on hand so that's what I used).  My recipe is below.

Also, this does not make 6.5 cups as the original recipe states, and it doesn't serve 8 like the original recipe states.  I think my calculations ended up being 5 cups or so.

"Fattened up" creamed spinach:
  •  1T butter
  • 1/2 cup red onion, diced
  • 1t minced garlic
  • 1T flour
  • 1.5C heavy cream
  • 2T parmesan cheese
  • 1/4t ground nutmeg
  • 1/4t black pepper
  • Salt, to taste
  • 4 oz. Boursin herbed cheese (I used the garlic & herb flavor)
  • 16 oz frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
In a large saute pan, melt butter. Add onionsand garlic and cook on medium about 5 minutes. Add flour to onions, mix well and cook one more minute. Reduce heat to low and slowly add cream, whisking well. Add parmesan cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper and mix well. Add Boursin and mix with until smooth. Add spinach and combine well with sauce, cook one minute, until heated through. Adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pork chop sandwich

I know, I know.  I have an absence to explain, photos to upload, recipes to post.  I've been lazy!  But, when something comes along that warrants posting, you will find it here.

Today's creation?  The pork chop sandwich.



Preheat your oven (or if you have it, your toaster oven) to 350 degrees.

Take 2 thin (1/4"-1/2" or so) boneless pork chops and season them on each side with a little salt, extra virgin olive oil, and whatever seasonings you'd like (I used a Greek seasoning).  Then, take some spinach (sauteed in some EVOO so it's wilted a bit), a few marinated artichoke hearts (chopped/sliced) and a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese and place on one of the chops.  Put the other chop on top and then gently put in a pan (preheated to medium with a drizzle of EVOO in it) and brown for a couple of minutes on each side.  (I used a large spatula and some tongs to turn it, for fear that it would fall apart when I flipped, which thankfully it did not).

After it's browned, place in a small baking dish, drizzle the top with a little more olive oil (loosely tent with foil) and put it in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes uncovered (or until the chop is cooked thoroughly).

This one came out great.  Not overcooked at all (which is a common mishap of mine when doing pork chops), and while I would have LOVED to put goat cheese in here, well the Laughing Cow was all I had on hand.  The artichoke hearts I used were jarred, and marinated, so got a little extra flavor there too.