As I mentioned during Econofest, Everyday Food magazine has started featuring recipes utilizing pantry staples and budget food items. This recipe came from one of those articles, with a few adjustments to accommodate the items I had on hand. Quick and easy, this is a great meal for a weeknight dinner.

Spaghetti w/ Sausage & Cabbage
from Everyday Food

Salt and pepper
8 oz spaghetti
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 head Savory or green cabbage, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tbsp white-wine vinegar

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot. Set aside.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a plate and set aside.

Using pan dripping, add onion and as much cabbage with fit. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until tender, tossing occasionally and adding more cabbage as space becomes available, 6 to 10 minutes.

Add sausage and cabbage mixture to pan with pasta. Toss with enough pasta water to create a sauce. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in vinegar. Serve immediately.

Everyday Food magazine, one of my favorite publications, recently ran an article on 5 ingredient dishes designed to reduce stress and grocery bills. The recipe was fairly simple, so rather than follow the exact recipe I improvised with some of the ingredients.

The main idea here is to use what you have on hand (mushrooms and pears, for example). The recipe called for fresh thyme, but rosemary is what I had. Improvisation!

Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms and Pears
adapted from Everyday Food

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb
2 Bartlett pears, ripe but still firm
16 oz whole mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, minced 
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil over the prepared sheet.

In a large skillet, heat about 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onions and garlic with a pinch of salt, saute until onions are tender and translucent. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Rub tenderloin generously with sea salt and sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper. Drizzle additional oil into the skillet and sear the tenderloin 3-4 minutes on each side.

Placed seared tenderloin on the prepared sheet and arrange mushrooms around the tenderloin. Layer onion mixture over the pork and mushrooms. Place rosemary sprigs on top of tenderloin.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until mushrooms are near done and tenderloin is almost cooked through.

Meanwhile, halve the pears and use a spoon or melon baller to remove the core and stem. Cut pears into slices and sprinkle slightly with black pepper.

Remove tenderloin and arrange pear slices around the pan. Return pan to oven and cook an additional 7-10 minutes until pears are warmed and pork is cooked through.

Once pork is done cooking, place on a plate and allow to set 5-10 minutes. Slice tenderloin, then add mushrooms and pears around the pork slices. Pour onions and any juices over top of the plate and serve.

After the tenderloin is sliced, I like to take some of the leaves off the rosemary sprigs and crumble in my fingers, then sprinkle over the pork slices. The sprigs could also be used as garnish.
 

Here is a quick, simple recipe from Everyday Food magazine using just 5 ingredients! This is perfect when you need an easy way to spice up some plain chicken. The tangy flavor is great for fall, with just a kick of heat from red pepper flakes.

Spicy Apricot-Glazed Chicken
from Everyday Food

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat broiler. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken on broiler pan.

Combine apricot preserves and red pepper flakes. Brush half of the mixture over the chicken.

Broil chicken 5-7 minutes. Flip chicken and brush with remaining apricot mixture. Broil an additional 5-7 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

Another new recipe from the new kitchen! For my second meal, I adapted a recipe from Cooking Light magazine originally called “Orange-Ginger Skillet Chicken.” The recipe was designed to make ahead and take camping or to a cookout, but works just as well made immediately. To balance the citrus flavors, I added earthy mushrooms.

Macaroni is only a suggestion, you could also use egg noodles, rotini, or even brown rice. Though this is mostly an all-in-one meal, I would suggest a side salad or steamed vegetables to complete the meal.

Above: Okay, I cheated and used canned mandarin oranges. So sue me.

Orange-Ginger Chicken with Macaroni
adapted from Cooking Light

1/2 cup orange juice
3-4 chopped green onions
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1 1/2 lb chicken breast tenders
8 0z sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped orange sections
3 cups uncooked macaroni or similar shaped pasta
Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Place chicken tenders in the mixture and chill for 15-20 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions, about 6-8 minutes, until just al dente (still slightly firm). Drain and keep warm.

Over medium heat in a large skillet, saute mushrooms in a small amount of oil. When near tender, add chicken mixture to pan and increase to medium-high heat. Cook 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through until no longer pink.

Add pasta to skillet and toss well to coat. Sprinkle orange segments on top. Remove from heat and cover, allow to set 2-3 minutes before serving (this will allow the orange segments to warm without breaking).

Above: James wasn’t feeling well, so I came home and made some “comfort food.”

Well, it’s finally here! The first meal at the new apartment, complete with dinner guests. This recipe is from Real Simple magazine. It combines some of my favorite things: sweet potatoes, stir-fry, garlic, and hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce is the Asian version of ketchup (it goes on everything!). Prepare the sauce first, then the stir fry.

For wine, I served Gewurtztraminer, which is as hard to pronounce as it is to spell (ga-VERZ-tra-mee-ner). This wine is fruity and lush, with a semi-sweet to almost medium-sweet taste. It is well known as one of the few wines that compliment Asian cuisine, particularly spicy dishes. Fetzer from California produces a great variety with a reasonable price: about $7-$9 a bottle.

To complete the dish, I prepared Vigo’s Saffron Yellow Rice to serve with the stir-fry. While normally I reserve this for Mexican dishes, but the flavor also goes well with Asian cuisine.

Garlicky Hoisin Sauce
from Real Simple

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 green onions, white parts only, chopped (reserve green parts for stir-fry)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp sugar

Heat a skillet or small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add the scallions, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 1/2 minutes. Set aside and keep warm.

Garlicky Hoisin Beef
from Real Simple

2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb flank or boneless sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/3 cup water
1/3 to 1/2 lb snow or sugar snap peas
3 scallions (green parts only, reserved from sauce), cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
1 recipe Garlicky Hoisin Sauce
cooked rice or noodles, for serving

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 2 tbsp oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add the steak, working in batches if needed, and stir-fry until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to medium-high, add remaining oil, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits, and add the bell pepper and cook, stirring constantly for 10-15 seconds.

Add the sweet potato and water, cover partially and cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are near tender. Add the peas and scallions, cook for 1 minute. Add the Garlicky Hoisin Sauce and increase the heat to high. When it starts to bubble, add steak back to the pan. Toss ingredients and heat until warmed through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately over rice or noodles.