An All-Out Cookathon

Being a state employee, I have today off from work, and decided it was time to take a break from the home improvement projects and concentrate on something that I truly love--cooking. Lately we've discovered that most nights during the week, it's hard to find the energy to cook a good, wholesome meal. Work has just been a bit too busy lately--I haven't even found time to knit! So, I have been on the hunt for healthy, flavorful recipes that can easily be frozen, defrosted the night before, and baked for dinner. Last night's dinner of sub-par chinese take-out renewed in me the desire to fill our freezer with tasty alternatives, and this morning, I got to it.

First up, a recipe I have been wanting to make for a long time--the Pioneer Woman's Best Lasagna Ever. Now, this isn't really a healthful alternative, per se...but I mean, it's lasagna for pete's sake, it's just supposed to be delicious! I did use ground sirloin (a leaner cut of beef), and I drained out most of the fat from the meat mixture. I also did not use the cardboard grated parmesan cheese. I couldn't bring myself to do it--so I used fresh shredded parm instead. Here it was before I wrapped it up super-tight for its sojourn in the freezer:

I won't know for a while whether or not this is, in fact, the best lasagna recipe ever, but I'll share my opinion when we do have it. I'm afraid I am a bit of a lasagna snob, and am somewhat scrutinizing, so we'll see how it fares.

Second up, another recipe I've been wanting to try for a while--Blueberry Banana Muffins. There are a few things I seem to always have in my kitchen, no matter what: bananas that are too ripe to eat on their own (mushy--ewww), and frozen wild blueberries. I am lucky to come from a tradition of mountain blueberry pickers (rattlesnakes, be damned!) and I never take it for granted when I can incorporate them into a delicious recipe such as this one. My Dad shared this recipe with me out of a cookbook he purchased when he and Mom vacationed in Montana. Here are the results:

Moist, delicious, and bursting with fruity flavor. I will be making these again....and again...and again...;-) I think they would make a great hostess gift, as well.

Next up was the delicious Three Cheese Macaroni out of one of my very favorite cookbooks--Food to Live By. This is probably the fifth time I've made this recipe, and I do it a bit differently every time. This go round I pushed the envelope with even more low-fat subs than normal. We'll see if I went too far later this week, when we enjoy it with some hotdogs off the grill.

On to Pork Burrito Casserole--this is my Dad's recipe, and another one that I play around with each time I make it. I don't cook with pork very often, but this is a super-easy way to incorporate "the other white meat" into your diet.  I made this for the week of our move, and it's a really great dish because it's so easy to divide up and freeze. Reduced fat sour cream tops this dish off perfectly, with some finely chopped scallions, and of course, a beer. Here's how it's done: You'll need:

• 1 large onion, or two small
• 1 jalapeno pepper (or serano, whatever)
• about 2 lbs of pork sirloin chops, or cheaper cut
• 2 cans of salsa verde, or one jar, whatever
• 1 can black beans
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 Tbs cumin (I prefer a bit more)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 10 wheat or multigrain flour tortillas
• a little less than 1 lb grated monterey jack cheese
• 1 big jar of taco sauce, or a couple cans of enchilada sauce
• 1 can Rotel, or about 1.5 cups regular salsa

Okay, take your onions and jalapenos, and dice them up, then cube your pork into about 1 inch cubes.

 

Saute the onions and jalapeno first in the oil for a few minutes, then add the pork.

 

Saute all of these items in the oil until no pink shows in the meat and the onions are opaque. Here are your remaining cast of characters--go ahead and get them out. Just as an aside, it's always a little bit of an adventure when the Boy goes to the store and does the shopping by himself. This week's special surprise? A 35 oz. bottle of salsa verde. Makes me smile.

Now, add the cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and the salsa verde. (in this case, about half of the giant bottle).

 

Now, here's the easiest part--simmer, partially covered, for about 1-2 hours. I normally do about an hour and a half. It's necessary to tenderize the pork, which is pretty much super-tough otherwise. And it's absolutely necessary that you be around to stir this occassionally. I'll never forget that evening when we were in college and Salmaan and I left for two hours to come back to a very, very burnt pot of food. Ew. Now, after you've let it simmer nicely for a long while, add your can of black beans, that you have since expertly mashed into a nice thick paste.

 

Once that has been incorporated, add the bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped. God, I love cilantro...

 

And there you have your burrito filling!

 

Now, normally I would make this in a 13x9 corningware dish, but since the only one I have is entertaining the lasagna, I used two 2 quart dishes--5 burritos to each one. Spray each with Pam, and start filling and rolling!

 

Stuff them in there--they'll fit!

 

Now combine the Rotel and taco sauce, or enchilada sauce, whatever, in a bowl. This delicious sauce is going to be spread over top of the burritos, making a moist, gooey casserole.

 

And last, but most certainly not least, my favorite part: add the cheese.

 

And there you have it! If you want to eat it now, bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbly. If not, wrap it tightly (I like one lay of plastic wrap, and another of foil to keep out freezer burn) and place it in the freezer for that night when you need a mexican feast. Enjoy.

 

I was going to cook a nice big pot of potato soup, too, but I just don't have it in me after doing all those dishes. Time for a shower, glass of wine, and maybe I'll actually be able to sit down and get some knitting done!  Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Comments

[mick]

This post made me so hungry. Yummm, lasagna. Thanks for the pork recipe! I'm definitely going to try that. Freezing meals is a great idea; I never feel like cooking after my night classes.

I have a suggestion for a lasagna dish you might like! It's Emeril's turkey and spinach lasagna (linked here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-live/turkey-and-spinach-lasagna-recipe/index.html).

I find Emeril annoying, but the lasagna is quite good (if a little time intensive). I healthied it up by using extra lean turkey, low fat ricotta, and whole wheat noodles and it was still a crowd pleaser. I highly recommend it.