Mexican Black Beans

1 can of black beans, undrained

1 small onion

1 tsp. minced garlic 

1/4 can of water

2 T apple cider vinegar

1 packet Sazon Goya sin achiote (in mexican food aisle)

Saute onion and garlic in oil. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.

Grandpa Frogleys Award Winning Pancakes

This is a recipe that I've been meaning to put up for a while for my own records. The ingredients are so simple and you almost certainly have them all on hand and they make fluffy delicious pancakes. 

Ingredients:

- 2 C of flour

- 1 egg

- 3 tbsp of oil

- 1 tsp of baking powder

- 1 tsp of baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- enough milk/buttermilk to bring it to a thicker batter consistency 

These won an award and had an article written about them in the Deseret News back in the day so they're definitely worth trying!

Breinholt Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our friends, the Breinholts introduced us to this recipe and it's been our favorite ever since!  They actually found the recipe on the back of the Market Pantry Old Fashioned Oats package.  I don't know if this is key, but they mix everything by hand (good old elbow grease).  The dough and the cookies are top-notch.

Breinholts Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

8 oz. (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350.  Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla on medium speed of electric mixer (or by hand) until creamy.  Beat in eggs until light and fluffy.  Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt on low until blended.  Stir in oats and chocolate chips.  Form dough into 2-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake 16-18 minutes until edges are golden brown, but still soft in the center. 

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri

I made this tonight and it was AMAZING!!! Seriously the flavors were so fresh  and interesting and it was easy peasy.  We had it with a couple of baguettes and some mashed potatoes. You could also easily pair it with mexican rice and beans or a big salad.

INGREDIENTS

For the Pork:

• 2.5 lb pork tenderloin (only 2.5 g fat for a 4 oz portion- I always get mine from Costco)
• 6 cloves garlic (or my favorite frozen dorot cubes)- I halved this
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp kosher salt

For the Light Cilantro Basil Chimichurri:

• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• Juice from half a lemon
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Trim fat off of pork tenderloins. I like to rinse mine, and pat dry.
2. Mix all of the other ingredients for the pork rub rub. It will make a thick marinade.
3. Using a spoon (or ziplock bags on your hands!) rub the marinade all over the two tenderloins. You can cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight— OR just leave on the counter like I did for 15-30 minutes before grilling.  Always best to let it come to room temp before grilling.
4. Heat grill to pretty high heat.
5. Spray grill carefully with cooking spray.
6. Sprinkle tenderloins with additional kosher salt and pepper (not listed) and place on grill. Sear for about 2-3 minutes per side over the high heat, and then turn down to medium, and cover. Cook for about 15-17 minutes TOTAL, including searing time, rotating every 5 minutes or so.  If you have a meat thermometer, internal temp should be about 140.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes, tented with foil before slicing in!
8. Pulse all chimichurri ingredients in a mini food processor or blender… it’s not as pretty without loads of olive oil, but the taste was still incredible with the pork!*

NUTRITION

• Serving Size: 100 g pork with 30 g chimi
• Calories: 207
• Fat: 6.2
• Saturated Fat: 1.6
• Carbohydrates: 8.7

Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made this last week and it was SO easy and SO delicious.  Its one of those awesome meals that looks and tastes very fancy, but you can seriously throw it together in 5 minutes.  

image found here

Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

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• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), pounded to 1/4-inch thick or cut in half to form two thinner cutlets (see note)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 to 8 slices deli ham (exact amount depends on brand/size of slices)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese (I used sliced Swiss)
• 15 Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed (about 3/4 cup)

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts side-by-side on one side of the prepared baking sheet (to help them fit, you can alternate thicker end to thinner end as you lay them down). Placing them close together (without overlapping) will help the cheese stay put as they bake.
2. Spread the mustard lightly over the top of each chicken piece. Top with 1 to 2 slices ham to cover and then add 1/4 cup or so of the shredded cheese evenly across the top.
3. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs evenly over the cheese, and press lightly so the crumbs aren’t loose. Bake for 20 minutes until the chicken registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.  I would recommend using very thin slices of chicken breast (or pounding thicker breasts w a mallet before using).

Italian Potato Sausage Soup

Love this recipe from their cook book. Its delicious and filling!

Ingredients

• 20 ounce lean Italian turkey or chicken sausage
• 1/2+ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 8 cups (2 boxes) chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 3 ounces light cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups kale or spinach, chopped

Instructions

Remove the sausage from casings and crumble it into a large soup pot. Begin cooking it over medium heat and add red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, onion, and garlic. Saute until the sausage is fully cooked and drain if necessary. Add the chicken broth and Italian seasoning, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add diced potatoes, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook potatoes until tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, place the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Heat the butter over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, then add the milk mixture and cook over medium heat until thick (like a very thick cream soup or a stirrable pudding). When the potatoes are cooked, add the thickened milk mixture and chopped spinach. Season with additional crushed red pepper flakes and kosher salt to taste and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 8-10.

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Mom's Moist Banana Bread

I've been using this recipe that a friend here in NYC gave me and it never disappoints. It makes a moist, big loaf and is super easy.  The trick is to mix as little as possible to keep the moisture and lightness of the loaf.

Mom's Moist Banana Bread

Becca Mattoni

1/3 c. shortening or ¼ c. oil ( I always use oil)

½ c. sugar

2 eggs

1 1/3 c. sifted flour 

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 c. mashed ripened bananas (about 3 bananas)

½ c. chocolate chips  

2 Tbs. white chocolate chips (optional) 

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease  9½” x 5”x3” loaf pan. (You can also use mini loaf pans or muffin tins; you’ll probably want to check for doneness a few minutes early for the mini loaves and after about 25 min for the muffins.) . Mash bananas well.  Mix all ingredients together in one large bowl and then add bananas and chocolate chips with rubber spatula.  Mix only until chips are evenly distributed and no more- don't worry about it being perfect!!

Pour into greased loaf pan and bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 45 minutes.