Tag: easy

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.

Traditions

Cheesy no yeast Easy Bread

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste
Warm cheddar and Monterey jack cheese mixed thru this soft garlic bread

What a quick and easy bread that is simple mix and no rise or kneeding needed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees / grease a loaf pan

In large bowl mix

    2 C flour
    4 tsp baking powder
    1 C cheddar cheese shredded
    1/2 C Monterey jack cheese shredded
    1 Tbs sugar
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 tsp garlic powder
    1 Tbs dry parsley

Separate bowl mix wet

  • 1.5 C milk
  • 1 lg egg beaten
  • 1 Tbs butter melted

Mix wet into dry ingredients to just incorporate. Will be heavy batter. Pour into greased loaf pan or stone.

Bake 45-55 min until golden brown.

If you love the cheesy biscuits at red lobster- make this recipe into a drop biscuit and bake 12 min. Yum

Traditions

Chili- fast, easy and family favorite – one pot

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

A family favorite that I learned from my husband early in our marriage. He called it Wisconsin Chili and I called it so good! Ive added some time twists making it in the pressure cooker for a hearty easy one pot meal. Our go too for snowy nights by the fire pit.

Recipe. I used my electric pressure cooker. This can be done easily on stovetop as well just a bit more time. Simmer chili for a good hour before adding pasta. You might need to add more water if it reduces in simmering process.

1 lb ground lean beef or chicken

1 sm can-each kidney, chili and pork and beans (sweet is good)

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup chopped sweet onion

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

Tbl olive oil

1 sm can green chili

1 lg can diced tomato

1 smcan tomato paste

Two Tbl chili powder

1 Tbl garlic powder

1 Tbl cumin

tsp salt

tsp pepper

Small box reg spaghetti noodles

1 can water for every can of beans used. 3

Brown meat and veggies in oil. Drain excess fat if any. Add all remaining ingredients reserving pasta for second cook time. Mix well and pressure cook 25 min.

Quick release steam.

Add 1/2 box pasta broken in half. Stir into hot chili well so noodles dont stick. Pressure 4 minutes.

Quick release steam and quickly stir the noodles to insure separation and enjoy!!! Yum

Serve with favorite topping shredded cheese and sour cream. A fork is a must and a spoon.

Entrees, Gluten Free, Dairy free, High Protein, Poultry, Soups and Appitizers, Traditions

Chili (shh…its healthy!)

Gritcooking- A Southern Girls Taste

img_5454

I love chili-  but chili doesn’t always love me.  the heat from spices as well as the fat from the red meat didn’t always sit well with my tum tum.  I ventured out to make a healthy hearty chili- with out all the fat but high in protein.  This recipe was a real home run with the family as well as hitting home with 98% fat free, low calorie, high fiber and high protein.  Punching almost 18 grams of protein per 1 heaping cup serving.

Recipe:

  • 1 Lb ground lean turkey browned
  • 1 cup each follow veggies
    • Yellow Onion
    • Mixed bell peppers
    • roasted sweet potato chopped
    • zucchini
    • cauliflower
  •  5 12 oz cans each of organic beans red kidney, black, pinto, great northern
  • Large can 28  oz crushed tomatoes
  • sm can 12 oz chopped roasted tomato
  • small can roasted green chilis
  • 2 tsp chopped jar garlic or 2 cloves cleaned and chopped
  • 2.5 TBS Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Cayenne  pepper (more to taste)
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tsp garlic powder

Veggies hiding in this pot!  so yummy.

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yes veggies! As you can see I added cauliflower, chopped zucchini, mixed bell peppers (frozen from my freezer shortcut) and not pictured sweet potato to add a bit of sweet spice.  1 cup of each.

98% fat free lean ground turkey
browned meat then add veggies to cook.
add tomatoes and spiced

 

Brown the ground turkey (98% Fat free lean) in a tablespoon of olive oil. drain any fat and add veggies, fresh garlic, pepper and garlic powder – cook until soften and to flavor the meat.  Add seasonings.

Let us talk Chili Power. they are not all alike. They all have salt and major color differences.  there is Organic, low sodium and smoker flavored.  so go to your spice store and explore. Taste- and see what you prefer. I like a darker color but the lighter has more flavor- so I do a three pic chili powder. img_5431

Then Cayenne to taste.  I go light to avoid the hot…

Beans! Beans! Beans!

Dried beans work great if you do the pre-soak the night before. This is a great option for the pressure cooker.  Doing dried beans in the pressure cooker can rush the process if canned is not available.  I use organic canned that has no added seasonings.  Black, red kidney, great northern and pinto. all fat free, high fiber and protein and full of flavor. Canned be sure you rinse the metallic slime water off before adding to your pot.

img_5427 Add your large crushed organic tomatoes, and a small can roasted red tomatoes as well as a can of roasted green chilis.  I also incorporated a half cup of TVP (Bobs Red Mill).  (Total vegetarian protein) It hides like the turkey meat and absorbs all the great flavor and added protein. really amazing product.

add tomatoes and spiced

 

Slow simmer for 2 hours.  If you don’t want to babysit the pot- stirring to insure it not scorch- trader to your large crock pot on 4 hour low.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onions.  All optional.  This freezes fantastic.