Month: September 2012

pulled turkey tacos

Published on by jan grecoLeave a comment

Sometimes I grocery shop with a clear menu in mind and sometimes I buy whatever strikes my fancy and figure out how to use it later. That’s exactly what happened the other day when I came home from the store with two packages of turkey cutlets. I knew I could grill them or bake them just like I would chicken, but I felt like taking a more untraditional approach. Francese? Stir fry? Parmigiana? No… Tacos!

We’ve all had those uninspired and dull as dishwater tacos made with a lump of ground beef and a packet of “taco seasoning.” Yeah, no thanks. I had far greater aspirations for my turkey tacos. First of all I planned to slow cook the turkey with sweet onion, garlic and traditional Mexican spices so that it was crazy flavorful and falling apart tender. Then I would shred it and serve it in warm soft taco shells with some aged cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro leaves, pickled red onion and jalapeños piled on top.

Oh baby— These were some of the tastiest tacos the Greco family has ever eaten (and frankly we’re eaten more than out fair share.) So long boring hand-held meal and hello delicious Wednesday night dinner!

Pulled Turkey Tacos
This shredded turkey is fabulous in tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas or as a pulled sandwich. The recipe is just as fantastic if you decide to swap a boneless pork lion for the turkey. 

pickled onions

2 1/4 cups homemade (or jarred) marinara sauce
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2.5 lbs. turkey breast cutlets (or boneless pork loin)
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. cold water
1 tbsp. butter*
soft taco shells, optional
shredded cheddar cheese, optional
shredded lettuce or cilantro, optional
Greek yogurt (or sour cream), optional
pickled red onion, optional
diced jalapeño pepper, optional

  1. Stir together the first 8 ingredients and pour into the crock pot. Add the turkey cutlets and mix to coat well. Cover and cook on medium for 6 hours.
  2. When the turkey is done remove it from the pot and shred it using two forks.
  3. Mix together the corn starch and water and add it to the sauce. Stir in the butter until it melts, then add back the shredded turkey and mix so that the turkey is well coated with the sauce.
  4. Serve in warmed tortillas with fresh cilantro, cheddar cheese, and pickled red onions and an ice cold beer.

*Because the turkey breast is so lean I added a bit of butter to the sauce to add some richness and depth of flavor. However if you use pork loin instead of turkey I can’t imagine you would need to add it and therefore wouldn’t bother.

devil dog treats

Published on by jan grecoLeave a comment

Last week I talked about the joys and sorrows (well, that might be overstating it a bit!) back to school brings along with it. For me the best part of the kids being in school is the 5 minutes of me time it offers. I get to go to yoga, grocery shop at a relaxed pace rather than as if I’m in the pits at Daytona and finally have a chance to tackle all those diy/craft projects I’ve found on Pinterst but never had the time to attempt. Yup, those were my grand plans for this school year so you know what I did next… adopted a 13 week old puppy! No I’m not kidding, she’s a little terrier mix we named Trixie.

To be honest, I was the least on board with the dog thing out of the entire family. The kids didn’t care what breed, they just wanted a dog. My husband said if it would make the kids happy then it was fine by him, but in reality he wanted one just as much as they did. I on the other hand was perfectly content with our low maintenance cat, the caterpillar we’re hoping will turn into a butterfly and the occasional carnival prize fish. I was however out numbered and therefore relented. But… I made it clear that if we got a dog I WOULD NOT be the sole caretaker for the pup, that the kids would have to take some responsibility and that we’d all have to make concessions. That’s right, I laid down the law— Yeah, one guess how well that’s working out. I will say that the kids have been doing their best to tire out the little pup in the backyard and my husband has been taking her out in the morning and putting her to bed each night, but Trixie girl caught on pretty quickly that I was the momma of this pack and now it appears that I have another child to worry over, watch out for and nurture. And what do I do for all my children? Well, cook for them of course!

When we first adopted our cat I tried to feed her only the finest food. She however refused to eat anything but cheap crappy cat food. Sigh… And so we buy her cheap crappy cat food, who am I to question a cat and her low-brow taste buds. Trixie on the other hand seems to enjoy the finer things in life. Expensive “all-natural” kibble; “Sure!” Toys in every imaginable shape and size; “Yes please!” And homemade dog biscuits; “Absolutely, I’ll take two!”

When the idea to whip up a batch of dog biscuits stuck me, the first place that I thought to search for a recipe was at crazy pet lover and style maven Martha Stewart. And sure enough, she had one. Actually she had several recipes as well as instructions for dog toys, dog beds, dog coats, dog dishes, dog feeding stations and the list goes on. And while Trixie doesn’t know who Martha is, she does know what tastes good. And these biscuits apparently taste good, so good in fact that she is almost willing to stop peeing on the rug. Almost…

Homemade Dog Biscuits
I bought a bone shaped cookie cutter for these, but you could just as easily use a pizza cutter and make them into squares instead.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup brewer’s yeast
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. canola oil
1/2 cup chicken stock, plus more for brushing

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, and salt; set aside.
  3. Pour oil into a large bowl. Add half the stock and half the flour mixture and stir. Add the remaining flour and stock and mix thoroughly until a dough forms.
  4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2-inch thick. Using a dog-bone-shaped cookie cutter (or pizza cutter) cut out the biscuits.
  5. Transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
  6. Bake the biscuits 10 minutes. Brush the tops with the stock; rotate the baking sheet and bake 10 minutes more. Turn off oven. Leaving door closed, let the dog biscuits stand in oven to dry completely, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

*adapted from martha stewart

Hooray for Back to School!

Published on by jan greco1 Comment

Ahhh, back to school. I love this time of year for all the obvious parent of a school-age child reasons and yet I dread it as well. I can totally do without the daily scramble to get out the door on time, the projects meant to teach my child something but really just showcase my craft abilities and the “just get your homework out if the way so you can relax after dinner” conversation my son and I have every afternoon. But what I dislike the most about back to school is packing lunches and snacks. Funny right, since I’m so food obsessed, but true nonetheless.

Thankfully most nights my husband takes over lunch duty, but I’m still in charge of snack. At my son’s school the kids bring in a snack and a drink everyday, but the snack must be a healthy one. They are not allowed to bring in any junk food, cookies, gummy whatnot or simply unhealthy treats. I agree with this policy, little brains can’t learn when fueled by junk, but it does pose a bit of a challenge as well. While I would sooner throw myself off a bridge than send my son to school with a Ring-Ding, there are only so many pieces of fruit I can give the kid before he revolts. Muffins and quick-breads are my solution. I can make them in all sorts of flavor combinations, with honest and healthy ingredients and add a little demerara sugar or a simple glaze topping to make them seem a little less boring and a little more kid-appealing.

So there’s one school related hurdle down, now to finish my (I mean his) model of the Parthenon that’s due on Monday…

Pineapple-Zucchini Muffins
I didn’t peel the zucchini and my children didn’t seem to mind the green flecks in their muffins. But if yours will then by all means peel away!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup crushed pineapple in juice, drained (reserve juice for glaze)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. reserved pineapple juice

  1. Preheat to 375° F. Put liners in muffin pan, spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. In a separate bowl combine the oil, vanilla, eggs, zucchini and pineapple and stir until combined.
  3. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix well. Scoop batter into muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan and place on a rack to cool completely before glazing.
  4. For the glaze: In small bowl mix together the powdered sugar and pineapple juice until well blended. Drizzle glaze over cooled muffins and let set 5 minutes before serving.

*adapted from stolen moments cooking

lean, mean + super green

Published on by jan grecoLeave a comment

I believe in eating real, delicious and satisfying food. If you’re going to eat chocolate; eat the best you can find. If you’re going to buy bread; buy something that will do more than keep your sandwich ingredients out of your lap. And if you’re going to try to lose a few pounds; do it with healthy for you food. Not frozen, processed, microwaved, artificial everything substitutes. Blech!

In the quickly approaching year since my last birthday I’ve noticed that my pants are not as loose as they once were, and that my energy levels are not exactly olympic. I honestly don’t care about growing older (gracefully, not kicking and screaming is my plan) but I do care about feeling older. Right about the same time as I was deciding how exactly to handle this tight pants predicament of mine, my college friend and fellow blogger Lynda Layng Tama (www.healthyhobokengirl.com) posted a recipe for a Banana Almond Smoothie. Smoothies— I had a light bulb moment— smoothies could be the answer!

Her recipe was both easy and delicious. But, you know how I love to tinker with perfectly good recipes… I googled, researched and talked about smoothies with my health conscience friends. I tried multiple recipes, swapping and tweaking ingredients as I went until I found a combination that had enough protein in it to keep me from feeling hungry and enough good fruits and veggies to keep me feeling healthy. During my recipe research I discovered something called Spirulina powder. Spirulina is a simple blue-green algae that is apparently the ultimate superfood! It is reported to be: “a complete protein source; to contain 26 times more calcium than milk, to increase your immunity and metabolism; it is a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, is loaded with vitamins and minerals; rich in essential fatty acids and claims to aid in the healing of allergies, ADD, hypoglycemia, diabetes, high cholesterol, fatigue, anemia and digestive disorders.” Even the ancient Aztecs used Spirulina and called it the ‘sacred power plant’. They believed it contained the energy of the sun and had amazing rejuvenating and vitalizing properties. Wow, that’s quite a resume! And who am I after all to question the Aztecs!?! So even if only half of it’s reported benefits are true, it seemed like a worthwhile addition to my smoothie.

Since I can’t start my day without some serious coffee, I decided to have my smoothie in place of lunch. (Lunch for me is usually a hurried affair anyhow so why not drink my smoothie while continuing to get stuff done?!?) Yes the spinach and Spirulina make this a frightening shade of green, even a green lover like me will admit that, but it’s really pretty tasty. Don’t get me wrong, my children have agreed to taste it but will never request a glass of their own, my husband calls it toxic waste and can barely stand to watch me drink it and it will never take the place of a lovely Niçoise salad, but it’s not so terrible either.

It’s still too soon for me to claim I’m down a pants size or that I’m able to run marathons because of my “Super Green Smoothie”. However I do feel both mentally and physically better prepared to handle whatever gets thrown my way, and for that I’m delighted.

Super Green Smoothie
You could use any type of berry in this or even some fresh mango, whatever fruit you like most. What I wouldn’t do is omit the banana (even if you’re not a banana lover) because it really helps to give it a little “non-green” flavor.

smoothieALT

1/2 cup plain almond-coconut milk
1/4 cup plain whole grain rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced strawberries (about 4 large)
1/2 ripe banana, frozen
1/2 cup non fat Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. Spirulina powder*
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 ice cubes
1 tbsp. almond butter
2-3 tsp. honey
1 handful fresh kale, spinach or dandelion greens

  1. Throw all the ingredients in the blender and give it a whirl.
  2. Sip, enjoy and feel like an Aztec warrior!

*You can purchase Spirulina powder at any health food store but before you do, I encourage you to do a little research of your own and discover what a superfood it claims to be.

Death Row Chicken

Published on by jan grecoLeave a comment

I love good food. And by that I don’t necessarily mean fancy or even artfully presented, but good. Food that someone has clearly put time and thought into. When I think about some of my favorite things to eat and favorite places to eat them, a few restaurants immediately spring to mind. There’s a little cafe in Manchester, Vermont that makes a killer Niçoise salad, a Portuguese restaurant in Newark, New Jersey with a flank steak in red wine sauce to die for and a coffee shop on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that serves an Eggs Benedict with spinach that literally makes my eyes roll. But, if you were to ask about my most favorite home-cooked dinner, my death row meal, it would without hesitation be roasted chicken. Yup, good ol’ soul satisfying roasted chicken.

I have apparently instilled my love of roasted chicken in my children because they actually cheer when I tell them that’s what’s for dinner (I’m a lucky mom!) and so I make it pretty regularly. Ordinarily when I roast a chicken it’s a fairly simple affair; salt and pepper, perhaps some lemon and onion in the cavity and a nice schmear of butter on the breast. If that’s all it takes to garner hoots and hollers from my family then why mess with it, right? But, (I know, there’s always a but) I just recently read a review of the Jane Hornby cookbook Fresh & Easy and in it they mentioned her roasted chicken with tarragon sauce. Hmmmm, we all love my no muss, no fuss chicken but maybe a little cream sauce now and then would turn the everyday and expected into something special. And it did.

Roasted Chicken with Tarragon Cream Sauce
This chicken is equally fantastic without the cream sauce, but the sauce really makes it something special.

1 5 lb. organic whole chicken
1 lemon
1 small onion
1 handful fresh tarragon
2 tbsp. butter, softened
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 lbs. small red potatoes, quartered
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. green beans
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup brandy
1 cup light cream
1 1/4 cups chicken broth

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse the chicken and liberally salt and pepper it inside and out. Cut the onion and lemon in half, squeeze the juice of half a lemon all over chicken and place the lemon, onion and a handful of the tarragon into the cavity of the chicken.
  2. Tie together the legs with kitchen twine and rub the softened butter all over the breast and thighs. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom and roast for 40 minutes.
  3. Toss the quartered potatoes with olive oil. After the chicken has roasted for 40 minutes add the potatoes (cut side down) to the pan. Return to the oven and continue roasting for another 30-40 minutes or until the internal temp. reaches 165°F.
  4. When the chicken is golden and cooked and the potatoes are tender, transfer everything to a large oven proof platter, turn the oven off and place the platter in the oven to keep warm.
  5. Pour off any excess fat from the drippings in the pan. Place the pan on your stove top over low heat, then add the wine and let bubble (scraping up any cooked on bits) for 2 minutes. Add the cream, broth and green beans and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  6. Add the frozen peas and mushrooms. Roughly chop the remaining tarragon, stir it into the sauce and return to a simmer. Continue to cook until the veggies are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
  7. Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables and drizzled with cream sauce.

*adapted from Jane Hornby: Fresh & Easy