by Joe Doyle on January 20, 2008
Well, it was bound to happen. Not every recipe out there is good it seems. We made a slow-cooked pork and black bean dish that was less than stellar. And last week I tried chicken parm for the first time – not so much.
But this recipe made it through - quite enjoyable. So we’re calling it the recipe for weeks three and four. Another winner from Real Simple. Seems like the magazine recipes are a good call so far.
Impressions:
You can’t go wrong with the classic beef loin, especially with the quality of meat from Central Market. The lemon and parsley was just subtle enough not to enhance the flavors of the beef.
What I added:
Nothing. Served with green beans sprinkled with lemon and parm.
Nutrition:
Not too sure. The beef was very lean, the potatoes offer sugar and carbs.
Status:
Binder material.
by Joe Doyle on January 10, 2008
Week two brings us a winner that I wouldn’t mind having every week until I fall over dead from looking so good.
Lamb Meatballs from Real Simple magazine was chef’d by none other than the wifey, I think she’s getting into this experiment.
Impressions:
Pretty quick and an amazing taste. Not like Greektown great, but it brought me back to true Greek food which we’ve yet to find in Austin (but really haven’t looked too hard). A decently healthy treat with a Greek salad - tomatoes, olives, feta, cukes and onions. Surprised to find that ground lamb isn’t that costly. The taste of cinnamon, mint and scallions worked well together.
What I added:
- Instead of yogurt we used tzaziki (which is just Greek yogurt)
- Lamb wasn’t quite done enough, according to temp and suggested length, so it cooked longer
Nutrition:
Pretty light. No specs given, knock out the flat bread and you’re almost all protein and veggies.
Status:
A+ Keeper. Going into the binder.
by Joe Doyle on January 3, 2008
The goal: one new, healthy, fast recipe a week.
The benefit: you learn from my mistakes, I learn better cooking techniques.
Could get old: do we really want to know what week it is? Before we know it, we’ll be back at 52.
So here it is. Week one recipe - Chicken Tortellini Soup from Parenting magazine (the rag you swear you’ll never read but eventually ends up too close to the crapper).
Impressions:
Fast. Easy. Great taste. Enjoyed by Joe Sr., Karen and Stacey even commented on taking it to work the following day. Perfect for cold days. Tomato paste is an old trick from Katie’s namesake. Next time add another can of broth – the pasta soaks it all up.
What I added:
- A little extra carrot (3/4 cup)
- Extra chicken, including dark meat for taste (4 cups)
- Used low sodium, Italian seasoned roaster chicken
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- Porcini Mushroom Tortellini - use whatever you find, but I think it made the soup
- Parsley at the end
Nutrition:
See recipe above. Pretty light.
Status:
Keeper. Going into the binder.
