An American Meal

We had the BEST dinner the other night.  Everything worked so well together, I just had to share it with you as a whole plate.  It's a perfectly American meal for the week of the 4th of July!

The meat of the meal (pun intended) was what I lovingly refer to as "Pork Chop ala Monkey Scientist".  I'm not totally sure of every step he makes to prepare it, but I know it involves maple syrup (my favorite), cayenne pepper, and a quick pan sear on a grill pan coated with olive oil from the Misto.  It's juicy and delicious - one of his specialties these days!



Next, what would pork chops be without apple sauce?  The Monkey Scientist told me about an amazing peach apple sauce that his mom buys, so I did my best to replicate it.  He told me I was very successful! Apple sauce is one of the easiest things to make from scratch, it just takes a little time and patience.  I was glad he suggested adding peaches because they added a perfect bit of summer flair to my go-to recipe.  My recipe is below and it's a yelleBELLYboo original, based on the applesauce knowledge passed down by my Nanny Paula (although it isn't nearly as good as hers) and my own preferences (maple. it's always maple) .



A week before we made this meal, we'd gone to the grocery store when we were both starving.  As we stumbled down the baking aisle, somehow a box of Jiffy cornbread mix ended up in our basket.  We decided it would go great with this meal, but I had to spice it up a bit.  I added a tablespoon or two of lavender, but otherwise followed the box instructions.  I think it added a nice flowery touch that elevated the cornbread nicely.

Finally, sticking with our southern theme, we made some beautiful swiss chard.  I don't usually cook swiss chard, but I couldn't resist its rainbow stems!  I used techniques I often use for kale or spinach and I think it came out wonderfully.  It added just a little bit of Asian flavor to our otherwise very-Americana meal.  I loved how it rounded out our plate.  The recipe below is another yelleBELLYboo original - I was feeling quite inventive this night!

If you're looking for a nice dinner to throw together, this one was so easy and yummy.  It was our favorite meal we've had in a long time!



Peach Applesauce


Ingredients
2 lbs Macintosh apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup raw or white sugar (more or less depending how sweet you like it)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup water

Instructions
1. Add all of the ingredients to a large pan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low or low and continue to simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the apples and peaches are easily crushed with the back of a spoon.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Crush the apples and peaches with the back of a spoon until you have a chunky applesauce.  If you like your applesauce smoother, you can blend with an immersion blender or in the food processor.  Serve cold or at room temperature.


Swiss Chard with Goat Cheese and Almonds


Ingredients
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili oil (can omit)
1 bunch Swiss chard
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup slivered almond (I used honey roasted)
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

Instructions
1. Heat the sesame and chili oils in a medium to large skillet with high sides over medium heat.
2. Wash and dry the Swiss chard and roughly chop.  Add to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook down until wilted and soft.
3. Remove from heat and place in a serving dish.  Add the almonds and goat cheese and toss to mix.  Serve immediately.

Cinnamon Maple Applesauce

One of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions is to make homemade applesauce.  Usually my Nanny Paula makes the applesauce and man-oh-man is it good!  She uses these special plums she can only get 2 weeks of the year and leaves on the skin so that it has a distinct pink color and unique flavor.  This year, we're hosting my dad's side of the family which means we won't get to have Nanny Paula's. I attempted to make an apple sauce that could even compare to NP's - so of course I consulted the blog-o-sphere and the adjusted to make it my own.

We decided to use Macintosh apples partially because they were on sale at Whole Foods ($1.99 per 3-lb bag) and partially because they mush perfectly into apple sauce.  You can use any kind you like.  I actually recommend buying whatever is local to the region you live in - these Macintosh were from around here in Canton, MA, but if I was still in Michigan (GO BLUE! BEAT OSU!) I'd probably use Honeycrisp.  Mmmm there is nothing like a Michigan-grown Honeycrisp. (Sorry, I digressed a little there, Thanksgiving is also a BIG football weekend this year!!)




This recipe is incredibly easy to make.  Just like my rhubarb applesauce, it's a one-pot, throw-it-in-and-let-it-do-its-thing kind of recipe.  Love those.  Especially for big holiday meals. It was nice to be able to make this a couple days ahead of time and get it out of the way before Thanksgiving Thursday.  Mom and Dad helped me peel and cut all the apples, which was a huge help and a fun family activity.  We were certainly missing my baby bro and his extra set of hands.



The flavor was pretty amazing.  For the amount of apples, there wasn't too much maple syrup or sugar so it wasn't too sweet.  I can't stand store-bought sweetened applesauce with HFCS and I promise this is nothing like that.  Granted, it was no where near Nanny Paula's applesauce, but I think I did pretty well for myself.  My bestest friend said it was amazing, and she would know, she eats with the best chefs in Chicago every day.  Now it's sitting in the fridge waiting for a fun Thanksgiving tomorrow!  I can't wait to eat some more.  Have a wonderful Turkey Day, everyone!



Cinnamon Maple Applesauce
loosely adapted from How Sweet
makes about half a gallon, maybe more

Ingredients
9 lbs apples (I used Macintosh)
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg
3 cinnamon sticks
dash salt
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Instructions
1. Peel 2/3 of the apples.  Cut all of the apples into slices (using an apple corer or just a knife).  Discard the cores.
2. Add 1/2 cup water to a large dutch oven or heavy pot.  Add apples and remaining ingredients and toss well.
3. Cook over medium to medium low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until apples have completely turned to mush and applesauce is beginning to boil.
4.  Smash any apple slices that remain whole with the back of a wooden spoon.  Remove cinnamon sticks and, if desired, remaining apple skins.
5. Serve hot or refrigerate until very cold, then serve. Can also be frozen and defrosted in the refrigerator.

Low Fat Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

For the 2nd year in a row, we had a big international potluck at work.  Last year, we did it for our colleagues who were training with us from our Chennai office in India.  This year, it was simply because last year was so tasty.

Now last year I went back to my roots - I made my mom's Kugel - but this year...well I was feeling a little lazy, so I made this low fat zucchini bread. It may have turned out great, but making it was a disaster.  I hesitated to even share the recipe with you - but I figured it was probably me. It may have been the size of my loaf pan...I'm not sure.

I thought it'd be a great idea instead of using regular butter (only 2 tbsp) so use Land O' Lakes Cinnamon Sugar butter spread.  I'm going to go ahead and blame this on my demise, although I'm sure I mis-measured something else too.  The bread just never really baked all the way.  And I baked it a good 15 minutes longer than it said.

Well, that was after I took it out of the oven, flipped it over, and the whole middle fell out.  It was totally raw so I put it back on top and baked it more - is that gross? I was so mad.  Baking can be so hit or miss for me - it's either super relaxing or something goes wrong and it's makes me so frustrated.

Anyways, despite the mistakes, it still came out tasting pretty good.  I adjusted the seasoning below to make it ...better... but I didn't change anything else given my disastrous results, but I gave you notes of what I changed. If you try it, please let me know how it comes out - I"m interested to hear if it's me or the recipe! (probably the former) And if you can figure out where I went wrong - PLEASE let me know!

Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
slightly adjusted from Gina's Skinny

Ingredients
1 c all purpose flour (Gina used unbleached, I used regular)
1 c whole wheat flour (Gina used white, I used regular)
1/2 c brown sugar (not packed, which I thought was odd)
1 1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c chocolate chips (note this isn't a whole bag)
1 large egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp melted butter (I used Land O'Lakes cinnamon sugar butter spread)
1 c apple sauce (I used unsweetened)
1 1/2 c shredded zucchini (not packed - I didn't squeeze to drain)

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.  Mix well.
3. Add chocolate chips and gently mix to combine.
4. In a medium bowl, mix egg, vanilla, melted butter, apple sauce, and zucchini.  Add to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.
5. Pour the batter into a large 9x5 inch loaf pan (OK I used a normal loaf pan here, how big is that?).
6. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  MAKE SURE IT'S DONE! Cool for about 10 minutes.  Remove loaf from pan and let it cool before slicing.

Rhubarb Applesauce

On my birthday, the Monkey Scientist took me to the farmer's market in the morning. He knew it was exactly how I like to spend Saturday mornings, and it was the perfect start to the day.  It's located right in between where we live and is pretty much the first place we ever went together.  It had been closed for the early spring, so this was the first time I'd been able to go since March - which was a very special birthday treat.

While we were there, I discovered huge stalks of beautiful rhubarb.  Did you know rhubarb has the same flavor when it is red or green?  My farmer's market taught me that.  It also taught me that rhubarb leaves are poison (they're usually removed when sold), so if you grow your own make sure to remove them! I'm a big fan of education while I shop for my fresh fruits and veggies.

Anyways, I wanted to make a unique and interesting dish with the rhubarb - pie or crisp just seemed too obvious (besides being too heavy on the waistline).  I found this recipe for applesauce and thought it'd be an interesting dessert/side dish to bring to a BBQ that some friends were having.  It wasn't exactly typical BBQ fare, but I wanted to bring in fresh fruit without it being a fruit platter. It certainly was healthier than a pasta or potato salad with mayo!

This recipe could not have been easier to make.  I just cut everything up, threw it in my dutch oven, and let it cook on down, stirring occasionally.  It took hardly any time at all and almost no strenuous labor.  I have to admit, it isn't as good at my grandmother's applesauce (the only thing I ate at Thanksgiving for years) but for a quick and simple spring recipe, it hits the spot. It's tart, yet sweet, and everyone seemed to enjoy it!

Rhubarb Applesauce

From Two Peas and their Pod

Ingredients:

1/4 cup water

1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1/4 cup-1/2 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you want the applesauce (I used about 1/4 cup)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions:

Place water, rhubarb, apples, and sugar in a large saucepan. Cover and simmer until fruit is soft, about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cinnamon. The applesauce will be slightly chunky (mine really was pretty smooth though). If you prefer smooth applesauce, you can run it through a blender or food processor. Serve at room temperature or cold. Store rhubarb applesauce in refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. This applesauce also freezes well, store in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to one year.