It’s that time of year again. When I finally dismiss all of the wonderful sugary things and put aside the heavy foods and proclaim that I will get back on the bandwagon, be healthy, and get in shape for the impending warmer weather. I have to think warmer, it’s freezing and we are up to our necks in snow here in Maine! Lots of people use January as their time to start anew, but I can’t with all of those wonderful leftovers, game day snacks from the Superbowl and then Valentines Day comes around! But, between Valentines day and my daughters birthday in the beginning of April I have about 5-6 weeks where I can be good. Those weeks break the cycle and get me back in the game and I lose that winter slump.

The first few are difficult. I don’t want bland food. I don’t want to live on greens alone either. That is fine for the summer, but it’s not in season and I just came off of a sugar high. No thanks! I was excited to see this recipe in the recent Cooking Light magazine. I had everything already at home and oddly enough, I’ve never tried hoisin sauce with fish. So, I immediately gave it a try. OK, maybe I waited till dinner time, but I’ve never made a recipe that fast. Usually it sits in a giant binder I have for ages.

This dish combined all the things I love in a meal. It was quick, it was healthy, it was flavorful, and it was easy. What else do you need? If you don’t have flounder you can use any other white fish. Feel free to substitute the vegetables for something you like more, although I do encourage trying something new. I always use meals like these to try something new that I’ve always been afraid of.

*Tip – Have trouble grating or mincing ginger? Freeze it in an airtight bag and whenever you need it remove it and grate. You wont get that sloppy mess and it will be easier to measure. Plus, the ginger lasts longer!

Hoisin Flounder

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2 oz.) bag boil-in-bag brown rice
• 2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp dark sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 Tbsp canola oil, divided
• 4 (6 oz.) flounder fillets
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup diagonally sliced snow peas
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps

Prepare rice according to package.

In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, water, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and black pepper. Reserve 4 teaspoons.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium0high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil and swirl around the pan. Sprinkle the fillets with salt. Add two fillets to the pan and cook for 4 minutes. Flip the fillets and brush each with 1 teaspoon hoisin mixture. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove the fish from the pan and repeat with the other two fillets.

Heat another skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and swirl around the pan. Add snow peas and green onions and saute for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and saute for an additional 2 minutes.

Pace 1/2 cup rice onto each of the 4 plates and top with 1 fillet and 1/ cup vegetables. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of hoisin mixture over top.

Nutritional Information

Calories 360, Fat 17.9, Saturated fat 2g, Protein 24.7g, Carbohydrate 25g, Fiber 2g, Cholesterol 77mg, Iron 1.2mg, Sodium 462mg, Calcium 52mg.

Source: Cooking Light March 2013

I am always looking for ways to play around with Brussels sprouts. My husband and daughter really don’t care for them and while I have found a few good ways to make them, they aren’t something I would ever order out at a restaurant. As I continue to try to new ways to prepare them, I am beginning to really enjoy them for more than the occasional dinner vegetable change up.

Knowing I had everything in my pantry except a few Brussels sprouts, and knowing Ina usually doesn’t steer me wrong, I decided to give this a try. Maybe that carefree attitude of thinking it wouldn’t be much off my back if they didn’t taste good, or maybe the fact that everything tastes good with pancetta or bacon, allowed me to be more open to these. Whatever it was, I couldn’t stop eating these. I kept waiting for my husband and daughter to try them and finally just scooped up all but two pieces for myself. The roasted pancetta and balsamic vinegar were tormenting my senses with a delcious aroma and I couldn’t take it. The Brussels sprouts were nicely roasted, with a little crispness to them that made them easy to pop into your mouth.

Everyone should really try these. I know that is a huge statement to make, but if you don’t like them you haven’t had them like this, if you are so-so on Brussels sprouts this will make you a believer, and if you love them you will love them prepared this way as well! Seriously, anything with pancetta and then browned? Yum!

*If you don’t want to spend a fortune on aged balsamic vinegar that is syrupy, you can boil good balsamic vinegar until it is reduced to half its volume and it will become syrupy!http://www.thewaytohisheartblog.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half through the core
• 4 oz pancetta, sliced 1/4″ thick
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp syrupy balsamic vinegar

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Place the Brussels sprouts on a sheet pan or stainless steel skillet, including some of the loose leaves, which get crispy when roasted. Cut the pancetta 1/2″ thick dice and add to the pan. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Spread out the mixture in a single later.

Roast the Brussels sprouts for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender and nicely browned and the pancetta is cooked. Toss once during roasting. Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the Brussels sprouts, and toss again. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof

We all get stuck in our ruts sometimes, sticking with the same flavor combination over and over again. The poor pork roast is probably the biggest victim of this. Often seasoned with only salt and pepper, or dressed up with some herbs, or tossed in the slower cooker with some barbecue sauce. I know I’m guilty of it and I can guess that most of you are as well. This winter, the season of roasts, I decided I wasn’t going to let that happen. I was going to try new recipes, using only ones that didn’t involve the typical ingredients, and do some experimenting.

My family really enjoys chipotles and cumin lately so I knew I had a winner, but the addition of cinnamon and honey really had me intrigued. They provided a richness and depth to the roast that set it apart from others. This made the house smell amazing and was perfect on a cold winters night. Also, for those that worry about heat from the chipotle and are considering reducing the number, the flavor is present but not the heat. I’m not a fan of making my mouth burn.

**Don’t forget! Today is the last day to enter the ActiFry giveaway! I’ll anounce the winner later today on that post and on Facebook!**

Chipotle Pork

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 9 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce
• 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 (1 1/4-pound) boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt, trimmed)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower sodium chicken broth

Combine the first six ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Peel and section the lime over a bowl, making sure to catch all of the juices. Discard peel and squeeze all of the lime juice into the food processor. Throw in the squeezed lime sections as well. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the food processor and process until smooth. Scrape the chipotle mixture into a resealable plastic bag. Add the pork and marinate in the refrigerator for one hour.

Pre-heat oven to 325 F.

Heat a small Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pan. Remove the pork, but reserve the marinade. Sprinkle salt over the pork and add the pork to the Dutch oven. Saute for approximately 8 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove the pork and set aside. Add broth and reserved marinade to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits. Return the pork to the Dutch oven and cover, bake for 2.5 hours or until the pork is fork tender.

Slice or shred the pork and toss with sauce.

Serves 4, 3oz servings.

Nutritional Information

Calories 344, Fat 22,1g, Saturated Fat 6.6g, Monounsaturated fat 11.7g, Polyunsaturated fat 2.5g, Protein 22.3g, Carbohydrate 14.1g, Fiber 2.3g, Cholesterol 83mg, Iron 2.1 mg, Sodium 591 mg, Calcium 45 mg.

Source: Cooking Light April 2012

This past Valentines Day I did something a little different for my husband. I couldn’t share it on here beforehand since he would obviously see it. While my husband has a sweet tooth, especially for candy, I know one of the ways to his heart is bacon. So, for his Valentines sweets, I made him bacon a few different ways. Here is the first. This was definitely something different then we had ever tried. The flavor hit a lot of notes with the sweet brown sugar, the pecans, and even just that little bit of cayenne pepper gave it a kick. This is wonderful as a snack or as hors d’oeuvres as intended. Supposedly, they go great with cocktails. Or, if you’re like us, they went great when walking by the container in the kitchen!

You can make these up earlier in the day and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for one day.

Caramelized Bacon

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup chopped or whole pecans
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/2 lb thick-sliced applewood-smoked bacon

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire baking rack on top.

Add the brown sugar and pecans in a food processor and pulse until the pecans are finely ground. Add the salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper and pulse to combine. Add the maple syrup and pulse to moisten the crumbs.

Cut each bacon slice in half crosswise and line the pieces up on the baking rack making sure the slices don’t touch. With a small spoon, evenly spread the pecan mixture on top of each piece of bacon, using up all of the mixture.

Bake for 25 to 30 minute, until the topping is very browned, but not burnt. If it is under baked, the bacon won’t crisp as it cools.

While hot, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside to cool. Serve at room temperature.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof