Day 5 - Oatmeal and "veggie" burgers

I have to admit it: I thought today was going to be a write off!  The Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game was on at 7:30 p.m. and we were planning to hit a pub to watch.

Assuming that meant we wouldn't have time to cook dinner I decided to make something different for breakfast.  So I pulled out some large flake oats and decided to make oatmeal.

1/2 cup oats
1 cup water
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
No. 2 amber maple syrup to taste

Ok - I know that doesn't really constitute as a recipe but I was happy I actually took the time to make something for breakfast!  I think I made too much though.  1/4 cup oats to 1/2 cup water might have been better.

At work I once again forgot lunch and didn't eat anything but a boiled egg I had made in the morning and a few almonds so I was starving when it was time to go home.  I already had dreams of pub grub in my head but figured I had time to throw together a salad or something before we left.  Instead, when I got home R reminded me that we were going to make cheeseburgers.  I was shocked he didn't take the opportunity to push for a burger out but happy that he was keeping me on track.

We pulled out the meat and some cheese and R said if I got the charcoal going in the BBQ he would make the burgers.  It took me a while to get the BBQ going but when I returned I found out R had some other ideas for the burgers.  I didn't have any onions or breadcrumbs so he had to be creative.  He decided we would add one egg, mushrooms, shredded cheese and ...  snow peas!!  I can't say I've ever had a burger with snow peas but I'm not one to say know to throwing extra veggies into something.

R did all the work getting the patties ready and eventually had to help me get the coals going.  I think we were both doubtful the burgers would cook through in time but we wanted to give them the smoky flavour only the BBQ could provide.  In the end the coals got quite hot and we could keep them out on the Weber. The reward was a delicious, smoky, juicy burger!  I melted some Balderson cheddar on mine and we used English Muffins for buns.  The only thing that stood out was the snow peas.  It's not every day you bite into a burger and crunch down on a crunchy sweet veggie treat.

I don't know why so many people eat frozen burger patties!  It was so easy to make the burgers and you can add as much or as little as you want.  Plus we didn't have to buy dinner at the pub.  We bought nachos instead!  Hey - sometimes you need a snack during the game!!

What are your favourite burger recipes?

Day 4 - Ginger Beef Stir Fry

Day four and we're cooking with leftovers!!

It's actually a good thing.  Right now there are a few plastic containers in my fridge with leftovers destined for the green bin.  Not the case for our roast beef from last night.  We decided to turn it into a stir fry.  

I really wasn't in the mood to cook as I left work around 6:30 p.m.  I knew I had to hit the grocery store before going home because I didn't have what I would need for the stir fry and I was starving!  I think next week my goal should be to work a bit more on my planning skills.  

Determined not to fail during week one I drove to the grocery store.  I asked R what he wanted for dinner tomorrow so I could pick up anything else we might need then promptly forgot to get the supplies requested!!  I suppose that's why people write lists!

What I did pick up was this:

Red cabbage

Sugar Peas

1 Yellow pepper

Mushrooms

Broccoli

Ginger

Garlic

1 Bottle of VH General Tao Sauce

Generally I associate General Tao with chicken.  The bottle even had a recipe for General Tao chicken on the back but it also said it was a sauce with garlic, ginger, and sesame and that was the taste I was going for so I decided to throw caution to the wind!  Looking at the ingredient list I thought it would be much better if I knew how to make the sauce from scratch but that's for another day.  Or year.

I also wanted to buy some bean sprouts but the store was sold out.  The grocery store was out of a lot of things.  It must be all the people stocking up after being away on holidays.

When I came home I started off with the rice.  Normally I forget the rice until everything else is going and end up having to wait for it.  

Next I cut up the veggies and sliced yesterday's roast thinly.  I wondered what the mustard crust would do to the taste of the stir fry but I wasn't too worried.

The meat really only had to be warmed up so I started off cooking the mushrooms, broccoli and ginger with a bit of rice bran oil.   After a few minutes I added the yellow pepper and then the cabbage and snap peas.  As you can see in the photos I overwhelmed the pan so I was having a bit of trouble stirring it all up.  I turned up the heat and added a splash of water to get the steam going and covered the whole thing up for a minute or two.  

I threw the meat in a different pan with some of the sauce and cooked it just until it was warm.  I stirred a bit more sauce in with the veggies and then it was all done. 

To serve I put a layer of rice on the plate then one of veggies and topped it all with meat.  

It only took about half an hour from start to finish and it was delicious!

I don't know what the nutritional value is for this meal but it felt healthy.

At this point I feel like this experiment is like working out: I never really want to do it but when I'm done I feel really good about it.  Plus we now have leftovers of the leftover meal for lunch tomorrow.

Oh - did I mention that I also made breakfast this morning?  I just made another breakfast sandwich though so it doesn't count as a separate recipe.  I am not sure how good they are on the waistline but it kept me full for a long time today.

I didn't bring anything for lunch so I made a chocolate meal replacement shake and ate an orange.   Baby steps.

Day 3 - Top Sirloin Roast

It's only day three and we almost

 didn't make it.  

After a breakfast of instant organic oatmeal we left the house to run errands.  At 2:30 we were hungry but didn't stop to eat.  By 5:00 we were starving and R was listing off places we could stop for food.  I almost gave in but I stayed strong only because I knew I had to write about the day.  This is why I decided to blog about the experience.  Without anything to hold me accountable we would have had Subway or sushi for dinner tonight.  Instead I made a roast.

The idea came from the pages of the fall edition of Inspired magazine - a giveaway that came with the Food and Drink magazine from the LCBO.  "Mustard-crusted beef tenderloin with red wine glaze" is what caught my eye but I have to admit I don't always follow recipes to the T.  Before I get ahead of myself I should note that the real recipe is found at the end of this entry.  I bought a top sirloin roast because it was on sale for $5 and it was smaller than the beef tenderloin roasts.  For the crust the recipe called for whole grain dijon mustard, brown sugar, cumin and fresh rosemary but we just received a package of Raye's Old Fashioned Gourmet Mustard from Maine when we were on the east coast and I couldn't resist putting it to use.  We had a wide selection of mustards but I decided to go with the Dundicott Hott described as a hot, bold and smooth brown mustard.  I only added a little brown sugar and coated the roast with the mixture.  After a sprinkling of cracked black pepper I put the roast in the oven uncovered for 40 minutes with two sweet potatoes tucked on either side.

We were starving so we also bought some bread and roasted vegetable bruschetta mix.  I toasted slices of the baguette and topped those with a slice of Balderson cheddar and a spoonful of the mix.  

When the roast was ready I pulled it out to sit for an extra ten minutes and quickly cooked some asparagus in a frying pan with a little oil.  

Finally it was time to eat and I realized I made a mistake I make far too often: the meat wasn't cooked enough.  One year I got not one but two meat thermometers for Christmas but I have no idea where either of them are.  I think I should go buy another one.  If you try the recipe use a meat thermometer!  The roast was very rare in the middle so I put it back into the oven for another 15 minutes.  When it was finally ready it was quite delicious.  The meat was tender and juicy and the crust was a little spicy without overpowering the palate.  

So we made it through day three.  I am happy we made the meal instead of eating out.  Not only do I have extras for tomorrow but R hung a bunch of art around the house while I cooked!  

We bought a bunch of groceries while we were out so we should be able to make a few good meals this week.  At this point there's not real plan.  That's something I have to work on.

MUSTARD-CRUSTED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH RED WINE GLAZE

Serves: 8 

Prep Time:  5 min.

Total Time: 45 min.

A high-quality cut, beef tenderloin costs about as much as a turkey but takes a fraction of the prep and cook time.

2 1/2 to 3 lb

(1 to 1.5 kg) beef tenderloin roast, trimmed

2 tsp

canola oil

10 mL

1/2 tsp

salt

2 mL

2 tbsp

Sensations by Compliments Whole Grain Dijon Prepared Mustard

30 mL

2 tsp

brown sugar

10 mL

1/4 tsp

Compliments Ground Cumin

1 mL

2 tsp

fresh Compliments Rosemary, finely chopped

10 mL

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup

red wine

250 mL

1/4 cup

sugar

60 mL

Energy:

360  Calories

Protein:

39 g

Fat:

16 g

Carbohydrates:

11 g

Sodium:

290 mg

Cholesterol:

95 g

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Bring meat up to room temperature before rubbing on all sides with canola oil and seasoning with salt. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
2. In a small bowl, mix the mustard, brown sugar, cumin and rosemary. Using the back of a spoon, spread the mustard mixture on sides and top of the meat. Season with freshly ground pepper.
3. Roast for 40 min. or until a meat thermometer reaches 160°F (71°C) for medium. Allow to rest 10 min. before slicing. Serve with red wine glaze.

Red Wine Glaze

1. In a small saucepain, combine the red wine and sugar and mix well. Bring to a simmer and allow to reduce, stirring once in a while, until thickened, 20 to 30 min. Reduction will thicken further when it cools. It can be made several days ahead of time and stored in the refigerator. Bring up to room temperature before serving as a drizzle for the beef or risotto.

PS - I really need to figure out this site better.  I really don't like how this layout works with the photos!

Days 1 & 2 - A New Year

I am staring 2011 with a simple resolution: to cook more.

Knowing this was my goal and that I was going to start a blog about it I knew I had to cook something on January 1st.  I think my first dish illustrates why this resolution is necessary:  I made macaroni and cheese.  To do this the way I want to I should have started the dish with a roux and made a homemade sauce.  Instead we decided to mix macaroni noodles from the cupboard with a box of Kraft Dinner.  When it came time to make the sauce we followed the directions on the box with a little extra milk and butter then shredded half a block of real cheddar cheese into the pot.  There may have been a cheese slice or two thrown in for good measure.

The problem is I live my life between two cities and don't always have things on hand to make a meal.  Usually when it comes time to eat we're so hungry we often decide to go out or order in.  We're not as bad in the summer when we have the garden going but the winter is particularly bad.  The situation is not good for the wallet or the waistline and now we have a summer wedding to plan for!  

Here's what I'm going to try and do:  365 recipes in 365 days.  That doesn't mean I'll cook every single meal I eat but the goal is that the vast majority of them will be made from scratch or be made up of leftover homemade meals.

I'm sure I'm not the only one with a shelf full of recipe books gathering dust on the kitchen shelf.  Or a rack full of magazines kept because of a tasty looking recipe inside.  It's time to dust them off and pull them out.  I will share the recipes with you as I go along!  I'll tell you how challenging (or not) they are and share pictures of the finished product.  

I have posted a photo of day one's dinner.   At the very least we should get points for the beer selection.  On the left a Simeon Jones amber ale by Picaroons, a craft brewer out of Fredericton, New Brunswick.  On the right a pale ale from Saranac a brewing company in Utica, New York.

Here's a link to a recipe for real homemade mac and cheese:  http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/homemade-mac-and-cheese/Detail.aspx

As for day two ...  I started the day by making breakfast sandwiches at home.  Fried eggs, toasted english muffins and a slice of cheese.  Not the most incredible start but we didn't get them from a drive thru window so it's something.

I'll aim for something better on day three.

Wish me luck!  And feel free to send any of your favourite recipes and tips my way!