Try out some new recipes.

I had the privilege of eating at Emeril’s Gulfport, Mississippi restaurant last Monday, and it was wonderful! So, that motivated me to try out one of his recipes. You can find it here.

It is very good, and everyone that ate it liked it.

I adapted the recipes linked from this entry.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
1.5 teaspoons minced garlic
2 carrots sliced thin
2 celery stalks sliced thin
1 cup potato, cubed in .5 inch pieces
1 tablespoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
2 bay leaves
28 oz. diced tomatoes plus juice
6 cups chicken stock
4 oz. macaroni
1 oz parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon parsley
.5 teaspoon rosemary
1 can cannellini beans (drained)
2 handfuls of frozen green beans

1. Heat olive oil on low for 1 min.
2. Add onions, and cook until soft. (around 5 minutes)
3. Add garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add celery, carrots, potato, oregano, basil, and bay leaves and cook for 5 minutes on medium.
5. Add tomatoes and stock.
6. Bring to a low boil.
7. Add rest of ingredients except for the cheese, and simmer for at least 30 minutes.
8. Before serving add cheese.

Link to recipe.

I tried this out last night for dinner and it turned out well. Some comments on what I adapted, though. I didn’t have the frozen squash, so I peeled and cubed a fresh one and boiled it until soft. I used Barilla Plus elbows (it’s not whole wheat, but it’s healthier than regular pasta and gives you added protein). I used 2% milk instead of the cream. I also used white raw goat’s milk cheddar instead of the sharp cheddar. It turned out really well. Something else I would pay attention to is the yeild on this recipe. I don’t know how much Rachael and her family eat for a serving, but I got the same yield in a half recipe as she did for her whole recipe. So, if you’re just cooking this for a meal or two for yourself, cut this recipe down to a quarter.

I got curious about how my modified version is health wise, so I ran an analysis on SparkPeople. It says my serving (which is half of Ray’s serving) is:
Amount Per Serving
Calories 346.8
Total Fat 13.8 g
Saturated Fat 7.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 4.0 g
Cholesterol 30.5 mg
Sodium 781.2 mg
Potassium 249.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 37.7 g
Dietary Fiber 3.4 g
Sugars 1.4 g
Protein 18.6 g
Vitamin A 46.0 %
Vitamin B-12 5.2 %
Vitamin B-6 4.0 %
Vitamin C 7.5 %
Vitamin D 2.4 %
Vitamin E 1.4 %
Calcium 19.9 %
Copper 10.4 %
Folate 27.6 %
Iron 13.4 %
Magnesium 5.6 %
Manganese 9.9 %
Niacin 21.1 %
Pantothenic Acid 2.8 %
Phosphorus 19.1 %
Riboflavin 26.9 %
Selenium 6.9 %
Thiamin 32.7 %
Zinc 3.8 %

I’m hosting a party for my coworkers Monday, so I need to figure out which minestrone soup I’m going to make. I normally don’t try new recipes out for guests, but I am having an Italian themed meal. So, this was my first choice for the soup course.

So, I’m letting my 43T friends help me with this decision. Deadline Saturday, 4 p.m., 43T timestamp time.

Here are your choices:
Recipe 1Recipe 2

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb. pork loin, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth
1 bottle (14 oz.) Kraft Sweet ‘N Sour Sauce (or your own favorite brand)
1 can (14 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 cups Minute White Rice, uncooked (can substitute brown or other variety)

Directions:
Place pork in slow cooker; top with onion, broth and sweet ‘n sour sauce.

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (or on high for 5 hours).

Add pineapple, green pepper and rice; mix well. Cover and cook an additional 20 minutes.

Serves 6

Note: If substituting a slow-cook rice, then adjust the time you add the rice according to the rice instructions.

I am using three types of peppers instead of just green, and I also put everything in at once except the rice. I also used Kikkoman’s sweet and sour sauce.

1 can diced tomatoes in sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
2/3 cup chopped onion
8-10 oz. dry radiatore pasta, cooked in kosher salted water
sea salt
black pepper

1. Heat skillet.
2. Add oil and let heat up.
3. Add garlic and onion to pan and saute until onions are cooked.
4. Add canned tomatoes undrained.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add basil.
6. Serve combined with cooked pasta and top if desired with pamegiano reggiano (I don’t know if I spelled that correctly) cheese.

Makes about 3 to 4 main dish servings.

I adapted this recipe of Rachael Ray’s. It was good. I had it for lunch today.

If anyone wants to post something they think I might want to try as a comment on this entry, feel free to.

But, to help you out I think I’m going to keep a running list of things I definitely do not like here, so people will know my likes and dislikes.

• Beets
• Capers
• Artichoke hearts that have been marinated
• Gorgonzola cheese
• Bleu cheese

Had it not been for calypte, I would not have been brave enough to add this goal. I’ve gotten a few recipes lately that I am having fun with, so I want more. This morning I’ve been playing a little on the food tv network website and I’m adding some recipes that I want to try eventually to my recipe box on that site. I’ll link you to the recipes I really like periodically. And, hopefully, this goal will inspire me to create more recipes, too.