Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts + Bacon + Chicken

I had never cooked Brussels sprouts before this blog entry. One of my good friends told me how she loved to cook Brussels sprouts with bacon. I thought it was an odd combo but I decided to try it out. It turned out amazing! The bitterness of the Brussels sprouts was cut by the savory bacon and the hint of cinnamon I put in this dish added a surprising sweetness to the dish. Hope you enjoy this one.

Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts + Bacon + Chicken
Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 tsp onion salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 lb brussel sprouts, halved
• 2 chicken breast, diced (503g/1 lb 1.7 oz)
• 1/2 lb bacon (preferably maple)
• 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Procedure

1. In a large non-stick pan, start cooking the bacon to desired crispness. Flipping each strip after 3-5 minutes. After each strip is done cooking, place the strip on a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up excess bacon grease. When the strips have cooled enough to handle, cut up the bacon into 1-inch pieces.
2. While the bacon cooks, in a large wok /pot/pan add a little bit of the bacon grease to the pan. Cook the garlic for about 2 minutes, add the Brussels sprouts, onion, pepper, balsamic vinegar and cinnamon. Stir frequently.
3. Add the chicken to the large pan containing the Brussels sprouts. Cook the chicken until the meat is no longer pink.
4. Finally, add the bacon to the large pan containing the Brussels sprouts and chicken. Mix well and let the flavors intermingle for about 5-8 minutes. Stir frequently.
5. Enjoy with your choice of starch, i.e. a baked potato or rice.

 

Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts + Bacon + Chicken Estimated Nutrition Facts per Recipe
Total calories	1952
Total fat  (g)	101
Saturated fat  (g)	32
Unsaturated fat (g)
Trans fat  (g)	0
Cholesterol  (mg)	543
Sodium (g)	8
Potassium (mg)
Total carbohydrates  (g)	58
Dietary fiber (g)	17
Sugar (g)	20
Protein (g)	207

 

 

Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts + Bacon + Chicken Estimated Nutrition Facts per serving (4 servings per recipe)
Total calories	488
Total fat  (g)	25
Saturated fat  (g)	8
Unsaturated fat (g)
Trans fat  (g)	0
Cholesterol  (mg)	136
Sodium (g)	2
Potassium (mg)
Total carbohydrates  (g)	14.5
Dietary fiber (g)	4.25
Sugar (g)	5
Protein (g)	51.75

 

Crock pot Kielbasa Dinner

I have been very busy and lazy lately, which is why I haven't been posting as much. Guess what that means? A crockpot recipe. It's easy, not necessarily quick, but painless, for the most part. I didn't want to do another stew so this time I tried something with kielbasa. 

Crock pot Kielbasa Dinner

Ingredients

• 2 med red potatoes, diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 2 kielbasa links sliced into 1 inch thick pieces
• 8 oz frozen peas
• 1 lb sauerkraut
• 2 bay leaves

Procedure

1. Combine all ingredients into the crock pot and cook for 4 hours on high.

Spinach and Mushroom with Yogurt Alfredo

Last week I went to the store and bought a giant tub of Greek yogurt. I figured it's a healthy breakfast item and I am trying to eat more healthy. However, the tub advertised that it's "great for cooking" so I decided to try and make an Alfredo sauce with it. Note to self: next time make sure you buy plain Greek yogurt instead of vanilla flavored. It turned out sweeter than expected, but definitely edible. This is the result.

The smell of mushrooms, onions, and spinach cooking together  made me really hungry.

Looks like regular alfredo to me

Finished product in the pan.

Ingredients

• 1/8 medium onion thinly sliced
• 4 oz baby bella/cremini mushroom thinly sliced
• fresh spinach (as much or as little as you like)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp shredded parmesean cheese
• 3 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Cook the onion in a large non stick pan with the olive oil.
2. Add the mushrooms to the pan when the onion has begin to turn clear/see through. Cook until mushrooms have started to shrink and loose some water. Stir occasionally.
3. Wilt the spinach in the pan. Add the garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to the pan. Mix /stir occasionally.
4. Add the cheese and yogurt when the spinach has completely wilted. Mix well
5. Serve mixed with pasta or over pasta.

Beef Stroganoff

Today I wanted to cook a recipe from scratch. I looked back at my recent postings and have found that I have been lazy lately. I've just been finding recipes on the internet to cook. So I picked something simple but delicious to cook--a Laureen Recipe. My goal this year is to simplify my recipes. I don't have enough time to cook for 2 hours a day. It also wouldn't hurt to spend less money on expensive ingredients or spices that I only use a little of.  Beef stroganoff is quick, simple, and delicious.  Notice how short the ingredient list is compared to some of the other recipes I have posted. Also, mushrooms are delicious. Most recipes call of ridiculous amounts of sour cream and beef broth, but I wanted to go healthier. On a side note, beef broth has way too much sodium in it and I don't think I'll ever buy it when I could just as easily use chicken broth.

Mushrooms and onions! Yeah!

I effing' love mushrooms!

Sexy and saucy.

Noms.

Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients

• 1/2 lb sirloin petite steak, cut into small pieces
• egg noodles
• 8 oz. baby bella/cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 1/4 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper

Procedure

1. Cook onions with the butter in a non-stick pan on medium heat. Stir occasionally.
2. In a pot, boil water and cook the egg noodles according to the package instructions.
3. Add in mushrooms, salt and pepper to the pan. Cook down the mushrooms until the pan is full of the mushroom juices.
4. Push mushrooms aside until they take up half of the pan. Add the beef to the pan (see picture above). Stir occasionally. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. 
5. Mix in the sour cream. Stir until evenly mixed.
6. Stir in the corn starch to thicken the sauce. Cook until sauce has thickened.
7. Serve beef stroganoff over the egg noodles.

Portobello, pasta and parfait

This is what I had for dinner. It was so much fun to make and there's tons left over.

I love the colors! Hurray for Buittoni mixed cheese tortellini.

The smell of the chicken, wine, and butter just made my mouth water. I guess it didn't help that I was also really hungry when I was cooking this.

And to end the meal, we have a mixed berry parfait. There's layers of vanilla fro yo, mixed berries blended with whipped cream and fresh slices of strawberries. Oh, and the whipped cream was from scratch. Whipped cream from scratch is the best! Note to self: whip the whipping cream before blending with the mixed berries.