Vegetable Medley

Ok, I know I've already done a recipe with chick peas this week. But come ON! Who eats something different every night of the week? that lives on a reasonable budget? that hates to throw out good food?

I'm calling this recipe "vegetable medley", because it's better than "leftover vegetables from the frig that need to be cooked before they go bad."

There wasn't really enough of it to make into a dinner for two, but it made a robust lunch for one.

HERE'S WHAT I DID FOR LUNCH

• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, quartered
• 1/3 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 4 large white mushrooms, slices
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach, thawed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup chickpeas, cooked
• Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook onion, garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms, pinch of salt & pepper, in oil over medium heat until softened. Lay spinach on top, sprinkle with a pinch of salt & pepper, add oregano and parsley. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and cook until warmed through. Remove from heat.

Top with Parmesan cheese and CHOW DOWN!

Pineapple and Pork Stir Fry

This dinner is so quick to cook up, I can't believe I don't make it more often.

Naturally, my kids go for the pork, pineapple and rice and completely steer clear of the onions, mushrooms and red bell pepper. Oh well, it's all good to the grown ups and everyone is happy to have something different for dinner.

Waaaay back in 1983ish, I asked for a wok so I could learn to cook Chinese food. Back then, EVERY BODY ate 'Chinese' food.

I vividly remember the frantic pace of bringing that first meal together. It was sweet and sour pork. I didn't have a clue that I was suppose to prep and chop ALL the ingredients FIRST, before putting one piece in that hot wok. I just thought each item would need 5 to 10 minutes to cook and I could just chop between ingredients....what a fool I was.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 cup parboiled rice, cooked as directed on the package and kept warm on the side

• 1 pound of boneless pork chops, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup flour (1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat, good but optional)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup oil for frying, enough to cover the bottom of a large fry pan

• 1 pound can of chunk pineapple
• 1 medium onion, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
• 8 to 10 white mushrooms, quartered
• salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• fresh ground red pepper flakes (great for the grown ups, but optional)

chopping all the ingredients the same size and having them ready to cook is KEY to this meal.

Open canned pineapple, drain pineapple into colander, catching and reserving all the pineapple juice.

Chop all the vegetables and set aside.

Heat oil in fry pan on medium-high heat. Mix flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper onto a paper plate or a one gallon storage bag. Dredge or coat pork pieces in dry mix, shake off the excess flour before cooking in oil. Cook pork 4 to 6 minutes, turning meat every 1 to 2 minutes for even cooking. Remove and drain on a paper plate covered with a paper towel.

Try not to crowd the meat in the pan. You will most likely have two batches of pork pieces to cook for a medium size fry pan.

With all the meat cooked and set aside, discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil. Sifting the oil through a fine mesh strainer helps remove the cooked flour bits. Carefully, swipe the pan with a paper towel to prepare it for the vegetable stir fry. Add back the 2 tablespoons of oil and return to a medium heat.

Stir fry veggies with a pinch of salt and pepper, for 5 minutes or so, until onion starts to soften but not so long that it's translucent. Toss in the drained pineapple to heat it up.

Microwave the pineapple juice for 40 seconds or so, to get it really warm. Stir in 2 teaspoon of cornstarch, until it's smooth. This makes the glaze for the whole dish. Pour cornstarch mixture over vegetables and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it thickens. Add back cooked pork and toss together. Remove from heat.

Serve over a bed of cooked rice. Sprinkle fresh ground red pepper flakes for an extra spicy dinner, not recommended for the kiddos.

Chick Peas and Vegetables

You want healthy? THIS vegetable plate is HEALTHY!

My husband and I are not vegetarians but we love our vegetables. We have our moments when we're completely burned out on eating meat and just want fruits and vegetables to eat.

Do you get that way, too?

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES TO GET THIS DINNER GOING

RICE PILAF

• 1 cup uncooked parboiled rice
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 2 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 5 to 7 button mushrooms, quartered
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

Lightly brown rice in oil over medium heat. Add broth, mushrooms and bell pepper, and bring broth to a boil. REDUCE HEAT to medium-low, cover with lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand covered for 5 minutes or until water is absorbed. Fluff with fork right before serving.

NOW FOR THE OTHER VEGETABLES & LEGUMES

• 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
• 1 bunch of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 to 2 crowns of fresh broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces

For the chick peas or garbanzo beans, I happen to have had some frozen from cooking a batch last week. See the recipe, Home Cooked Garbanzo Beans or Chick Peas for cooking directions. Using canned garbanzo beans will work fine, too. Whatever you have on hand. Just heat them up and set aside.

Let's blanch our veggies.

Fill a 5 quart cooking pot 2/3 way up with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
TIME SAVER: You should start this water while you're cooking the rice pilaf.

Thoroughly rinse spinach and broccoli before blanching. Toss in 1 tablespoon of salt in the boiling water, then start with the spinach. Submerge spinach in boiling water and cook up to 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out spinach and set aside in a warm bowl.

Next, carefully add broccoli to the same cooking water, cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Broccoli doesn't take long at all! Scoop out with slotted spoon into the same bowl with the spinach.

Season the spinach and broccoli with salt and pepper to taste. For an extra kick, add a little ground red pepper flakes.

Pile the vegetables and chick peas on top of a bed rice pilaf, drizzle very lightly with garlic seasoned olive oil if you have any on hand. Simple extra virgin olive oil is nice, too.

YOU'RE READY TO EAT!

HEALTHY FOOD EVENTS IN THE FOOD BLOGOSPHERE
I just realized this meal qualifies for two great food events going on right now! So, I'm entering both with one meal. I hope they don't mind.

Fat Chefs or Skinny Gourmets?
Hosted by Ben from What's Cooking? and Ivy from Kopiaste to Greek Hospitality

Tried, Tested and True Two
Hosted by Giz and Psychgrad from Equal Opportunity Kitchen