Who's With Me?

Bill and Haley have issued an invitation for a 21 day sugar detox. I'm in! Who's with me?

Tyler and I are having a bit of an extended weekend and will be off work tomorrow. I have a lovely meal plan this week that includes cioppino. I've never made it before, but snapper = good. shrimp = good. mussels and clams? not so much. But, I think I can adjust.

Monday

This ended up really good. I had a couple of pork steaks that are like country style ribs that I use to make pulled pork. For some reason, I really felt like slow cooking the pork in canned tomatoes. So, here's what I came up with.

Tomato and pulled pork stew

1 lb pork steaks or country style pork ribs
1 cardboard container of diced tomatoes (like their canned counterpart, but in a cardboard container--apparently, they taste better and don't absorb the nastiness that lines cans)
2 large carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 small sweet onion, diced
italian seasoning
salt/pepper

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Brown both sides in 2 T of butter in a dutch oven. set aside. Add the veg and saute until soft. Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a soft simmer. Add the pork and any accumulated juices. Turn the heat to low, cover, simmer for 3-4 hours.

Using tongs, take the pork out and shred--remove the fat and bone. Skim any accumulated fat that rose to the top of the cooking liquid. Add the pork back in. Keep heat on low until ready to serve.

Tuesday

Modified Seafood Cioppino (modified from Cooking Light)

2c vertically sliced onion
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 c dry white wine
1 c chicken or veg stock (reduced sodium!)
2 T fresh or 1T dried basil
2 T fresh or 1T dried oregano
1/2 t crushed red peppers
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 bay leaf
1 35 oz can whole tomatoes with basil, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped
1 10 oz snapper cut into 1 inch cubes
12 clams--if you want, or 2 small lobster tails cut into pieces, which is what I will use
12 medium peeled, deveined shrimp
2 T chopped flat leaf parsley
1 T fresh lemon juice

Heat 1T olive oil in a dutch oven. Add onion, saute for 1 minute. Add garlic and reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add wine through tomatoes, cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes uncovered. Season with salt and pepper.

In a separate skillet, heat 1 T olive oil over high heat. Add snapper, that has been seasoned with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides--about 90 seconds on each side. Add seafood to broth mixture. Cover and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Stir in parsley, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Wednesday

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (modified from Cooking Light)

2 pre-cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 chopped bell pepper
4 t minced fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can bamboo shoots, drained
1 3-inch stalk lemongrass, halved lengthwise
2 t sambal oelek or other chili paste
3 c low sodium chicken stock
1 1/4 c coconut milk
4 t fish sauce
1 T honey

Add 1 T butter to dutch oven. Add ingredients mushrooms through lemongrass. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chile paste and stir. Add chicken stock, coconut milk, fish sauce and honey. Bring to a simmer then reduce to low heat. After simmering for 10 minutes, add chicken. You can top with crushed cashews, cilantro, limes, etc.

Thursday

Taco Casserole

I love casseroles, oh so very much. But, the absence of any kind of bread, tortillas, etc adds a challenge. But, I think there is a chance for some taco goodness. Again, it could be horrible, it could be great.

1 container, organic, gluten free cream of chicken or mushroom soup (it exists! I found it at Met Market)
1/4 c sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
3/4 c salsa
2 t chili powder
1 lb cooked ground beef or turkey (or shredded chicken)
1/2 c shredded goat cheddar
1 package of sliced mushrooms--cook these guys beforee mixing into the casserole or it could end up runny
can of chilis, drained
can of olives, drained
1 chopped tomato
chopped lettuce--or a lettuce wrap?

Mix everything except the tomatoe and lettuce together. Spread into a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes or until bubbly. Eat alone or in lettuce wraps. I think I'll sprinkle mine with tomatoes and eat as a salad?

Grocery List

1 lb pork steaks or country style pork ribs
1 cardboard container of diced tomatoes 2 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks
2 small sweet onions
3 carrots
1 garlic bulb
dry white wine
chicken or veg stock (reduced sodium!)
1 35 oz can whole tomatoes with basil
1 10 oz snapper filet
12 clams--if you want, or 2 small lobster tails
12 medium shrimp
flat leaf parsley
1 lemon
2 pre-cooked chicken breasts
2 containers sliced mushrooms
1 bell pepper
1 knuckle fresh ginger
1 can bamboo shoots
1 3-inch stalk lemongrass
sambal oelek or other chili paste
1 can coconut milk
fish sauce
1 container, organic, gluten free cream of chicken or mushroom soup (it exists! I found it at Met Market)
sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
salsa
1 lb ground beef or turkey
goat cheddar
1 can of chilis
1 can of olives
1 tomato
1 head lettuce

BONUS

Friday night, I roasted two chicken breasts with parsnips and carrots that I dut into 1 inch chunks. I rubbed some cajun seasoning mixed with melted butter that my aunt made (I know, she made it!, the seasoning, not the butter) and painted it onto the chicken and veg. In the oven for an hour at 400, perfect, easy dinner. But, I had a lot of veg left over and just didn't have the heart to throw it away. Enter, breakfast. I made a hash: two breakfast sausage links, casings removed, and crumbled, brown in a hot pan. Add left over root veg that is diced small. Add 2 T maple syrup and cook until the veg is slightly browned. Set aside. Make a sunnyside up fried egg and place on top.

Here's the sunnyside up egg tutorial: melt 1 T butter in a pan over medium-low heat. I used my hash pan and just turned down the heat. Crack an egg into the pan, season with salt and pepper. Use a lid that is smaller than the pan cooking the egg so that you can cover just the egg. Leave it be for about 5 minutes then peek at it. You want the white that circles the yolk itself to cook white. If it's not quite white, put the lid back on. The heat needs to be low enough to slowly cook the white without cooking the yolk. Before eating the hash, break the yolk over the hash to make a truly decadent sauce. heaven.