Category: Entrees

Entrees, pork

Asian Ginger Orange Pork w/Vegetables

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

Living in the beautiful state of Oregon, we consumed really good Asian food, all the time. I guess we got a bit spoiled on all the fabulous choices that now, I struggle to find those americanized dishes. One of my favorite is General Taos and spicy sesame beef. Spicy, tangy, goodness on delicious rice. Here is a version that filled the tastebuds with all the flavors I missed. You will need to get the right ingredients, but so worth the final dish. Can be made with chicken breast, steak, or as I did a lean small port tenderloin.

The secret to a good stir fry is a very hot skillet or wok, have all your ingredients ready to cook and pre-prepped. When you leave a stir fry for a seasoning, you will get over cooked mushy results. have it all organized and ready.

  • Protein one of following- small pork tenderloin , two large organic skinless chicken breasts, trimmed 1/2 inch steak (cleaned and bite sized cubed)
  • small zucchini seeded and cubed
  • small yellow onion halved and sliced
  • 1 cubed red pepper
  • 1 cubed green peper
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 inch ginger root peeled and zested
  • 1 small orange zest= 2 teaspoons
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • 1/2 cup orange juice ( or fresh squeezed )
  • 2 Table spoons Soy sauce
  • 2 table spoons Hoisin sauce
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp seseme seed oil
  • 2 Table spoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 Tbs Corn Starch
  • 2 cups cooked white rice of choice.
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Pre prep: Trim off fat and skin and cube meat to bite sized pieces. Keeping uniformed. chop all veggies as well as zest orange, peel and zest ginger root.

mix 1 TBS soy sauce, 1/2 cup orange juice, flour, cornstarch in a med sized bowl. Add cubed meat and allow to marinade for 15 minutes – set aside.

small bowl sauce- mix 1 Tbs soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin sauce, garlic, garlic powder, orange and ginger zest, sesame oil, juice of 1 orange , salt and pepper – set aside

large skillet med high heat, add oil and bring to a hot shimmer, add meat piece by piece and discard extra marinade. flash cook until browned and cooked thoroughly. Do not burn. place in a bowl and set aside. discard excess oil leaving just a coating for vegetable – its hot be careful and return pan to burner. Quick cook vegetables until fragrant. Add a tablespoon of water if dry in pan. Once to your tenderness( I like my veggies more crisp). add meat back to the pan and cover with sauce. Heat until bubbly hot and thickens a bit.

Serve with pepper flakes to taste, sesame seeds over hot fresh rice. In addition to this wonderful dish I made a pan of Trader Joes Chicken Gyoza. The BEST! and so easy to prepare.

Entrees, Garden, High Protein, Traditions

Mediterranean Lamb Bowls

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste
Summer delight in a lamb bowl

Summer fresh herbs and veggies from the garden add an extra fresh element to this easy and tasty bowl. I discovered a ground lamb package in the freezer and wanted lighter than a Shepards pie. Fresh picked cherry tomato, mint, parsley, cucumber, all bring flavors of Greek cuisine. You could make this with ground pork or chicken – seasoning heavy will be key straying from the earthiness of lamb.

  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 1 cup chopped sweet onlion
  • Med chopped cucumber seeded
  • Two cloves garlic minced
  • Fresh parsley broadleaf
  • Fresh mint
  • hummus (store bought original)
  • 1/2 c craisins or golden raisins
  • Turmeric rice
  • Olive oil
  • Feta cheese crumbled
  • Greek olives
  • Paprika 2 tsp
  • Pepper flakes optional
  • Garlic powder 2 tsp
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp all spice
  • Warm pita bread
  • Tziziki sauce optional ( I make sour cream chopped garlic, minced cucumber, lemon salt and pepper)

Prep veggies. Chop onion and cucumber. Wash cherry tomatoes and quarter. clean parsley rough chop as well as mint.

Fresh is best from the patio garden

Easy rice. 1 cup jasmine in the rice cooker with two cups water and dash of salt. Once cooked add olive oil and two tsp ground turmeric and tablespoon butter. Easy. Rice is done.

Rice cooker easy turmeric rice

Brown your lamb with 1/2 c onion, garlic and dried seasonings and bay leaf. Drain well in fine strainer on paper towel. Lamb has a-lot of fat. Bring back to pan and add your craisins, fresh chopped mint and parsley. Keep warm for bowls. (Salt and pepper to taste) always taste your cooking as you go.

Prep veggies ready for bowls

Assembly time! I add a big dollop of hummus center on a bed or rice and then assemble your ingredients. Warm your pitas (simple toaster) and drizzle with oil paprika and fresh chopped herbs. Delish!

The cute hubby is pleased.
Delish.
Entrees, Garden, Gluten Free, Dairy free, Traditions, Vegetarian

Traditions and Love found in a Good Sauce…a friends tale.

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste
The amazing flavors come thru from love stirred into the pot.

Here in Bend Oregon We have a foodie site online for local chefs, home cooks and true foodies to share recipes, restaurants and ideas. I came across a beautiful italian sauce recipe that was so intriguing and beautiful- you could just taste it from the pictures, how amazing it it must be. I had to know the secrets! To my surprised it was a friend of mine. Somebody who stole the heart of another dear friend and they recently married. What a tale of traditions, memories, and love- saved in a recipe. Her fathers family secrets of love in a sauce.

Meet Amber. When I reached out to her ( thinking she will never share the true secrets) she was excited to share her love for her father and Sicilian roots from the old country. “

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“My father was born and raised in Palermo, Sicily.   He taught me how to make all of our traditional meals when I was a child by putting me up on the counter when I was really tiny to watch him and then he let me help chop and stir as I got older. “

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I can only imagine the love shared during those parent / child moments. It makes your heart long for a moment in time in that kitchen with child giggles and aromas filling the heart. A large wooden spoon to taste as you go along.

The sauce is made in a dutch over/crock part stove top and part in the oven. How simple. 

Fresh ingredients and roasted. Its a no sugar recipe with the secret to the beautiful golden red color- carrots! The roasted carrots add the sweetness and cut the acid. Devine! From Amber herself… enjoy with love.

Ingredients:

3 lbs of ripe tomatoes

 whole large head of garlic (remove skin and leave bulbs whole)

2 medium carrots (medium dice)

2 stalks of celery (with leaves if you have it!) (medium dice)

1 large Shallot (medium dice)

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme (3-4 inches long – stems removed)

4-5 springs of fresh oregano (stems removed and finely chopped)

Large handful of fresh basil (stems removed and finely chopped)

2-3 Bay Leaves

1 tablespoon of sea salt

1 tablespoon of pepper

1/2 cup of freshly grated romano/parmesan

1/2 cup of high-quality EVOO

1/2 cup of dry red wine

1/2 cup of low sodium chicken stock

  • Cooking Directions:
  • Preheat Oven to 425 degrees
  • Place dutch oven on medium on the stove and add the 1/2 cup of EVOO. 
  • Add all of the fresh tomatoes and toss to coat in the EVOO. 
  • Add the salt to the tomatoes after they are coated and let the tomatoes simmer for about 4-5 minutes 
  • After the tomatoes have started to soften, add the carrots, celery, garlic, and shallots and toss to coat evenly.  As the tomatoes soften it will add liquids to the bottom of the pan (that’s normal). 
  • Let everything simmer for 2-3 minutes until the shallots become translucent.  Do not let the garlic burn on the bottom. 
  • Slowly add the red wine and chicken broth to the mixture.   It will “deglaze” the pan a bit so be sure to get the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.   
  • Add all of the herbs to the mixture.
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  • Let this mixture simmer on medium-low for 15-20 minutes and to reduce the liquid.   By the end of the time, the liquid should be just below the top of the tomato and vegetable mixture.  Top off with additional chicken broth if needed.
  • Place the dutch oven in the 425-degree oven uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until the tomatoes have burst and the carrots have roasted brown/caramelized edges.
  • Remove the dutch oven from the oven and return to the stove on low.   
  • Remove the bay leaves.
  • Use an immersion blender and blend the mixture until it is smooth.  (you can leave slightly chunky if you prefer.).  
  • Remove any tomato skins that have not broken down or strain the mixture.
  • Add the freshly grated cheese or if you have a block of parmesan you can submerge the whole block with the skin (yum!).
  • Let the mixture simmer for 10-20 minutes on low.
  • Serve as is, add proteins of your choice, or let the mixture cool for freezing/canning.
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Amber shared this makes amazing pizza sauce too.

Thank you Amber Carpenter for sharing❤️

Entrees, Garden, High Protein, Poultry, Vegetable

Zucchini boats w Italian Chicken Sausage

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

What a simple lowfat option for those large zucchini’s coming from the garden this time of year. Trying to keep my eating more lowfat and clean Im forced to avoid my favorite fried zucs.this was so easy and delicious! Its also lowfat!

  • Large zucchini
  • Italian chicken sausage 98 percent ff
  • Chopped 1/4 cup each onion, red bell, green bell, cored center of zuc, two. Garlic cloved
  • Tsp garlic powder
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup italian seasoned breadcrumbs
  • Two springs fresh basil stemmed and chopped
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Jared marinara sauce
  • Parm and or mozzarella shreaded

Cut ends and then lenghtwise zucchini

Pending size half to fit baking dish

Carefully core out soft centers fine chopping half for meatloaf mixture.

Mis meat, chopped veggies, seasonings , egg breadcrumbs together and form into loafs on sectioned squash. The sausage already is heavy seasoned and simply delicious!

Arrange over 1 cup sauce in cooking dish.

Sprinkle w parmasean optional

Bake 400 degrees 40 minutes

Cover with mozzarella and bake 5 more minutes to melt.

Served over whole wheat basil pasta

Angel hair wholewheat pasta is so delicious and a bit lighter than the white flour version . I cook according to the box and then toss w olive oil, crushed chopped fresh basil and salt and pepper

Simple delicious!!