Pork Tenderloin Paprikash

It’s absolutely no secret that I love pork tenderloin. The texture and flavor of it couldn’t be more perfect. It’s so tender, it cooks so quickly and it’s really not finnicky. You could easily use chicken breast or chicken thighs to make this if pork isn’t your thing. Actually, chicken is traditional but I had pork tenderloin I needed to use. So paprikash is a traditional Hungarian stew made using a paprika roux base. Don’t think stew stew though, this recipe does not take long to make at all – less than 30 minutes in total, and its ingredients are really quite simple. I prefer my paprikash chunky, I like the texture, some prefer to puree the sauce before adding the meat component, so I’ll let you decide which direction you want to take it. Either way you go – it’s a meal that I’m confident you’ll consistently go to during the week, the kids will love it. I want to know what you think of this one!

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Easy Butter Chicken

I feel like I could eat Butter Chicken every day of my life for the rest of my life. It honestly wouldn’t bother me because it’s so flavorful and delicious. There’s a picture of Butter Chicken beside the word ‘satisfaction’ in my personal dictionary. I won’t turn it down, even if it’s being used unconventionally. For example, the Schnitzel House in Abbotsford has a Butter Chicken Schnitzel and it’s yummy! I just went standard procedure with this, but I’m totally not disappointed and I trust that you won’t be either. Being a dish that’s really straight forward to make, it’s perfect for any day of the week and fast enough to be a good solution for an after work meal. Pair it with a simple basmati rice and dinner is served! Be forewarned though that even though this is a healthified version, it’s still pretty packed with fat. I take comfort in knowing what the ingredients are contributing to the fat content though and 12 WW points isn’t that outrageous for something that would really satisfy any of my cravings and make me continue to feel like I can do this weight loss thing. There are no surprise ingredients in this – just pure deliciousness!

Greek Lemon Potatoes

If I had these potatoes and then never ate potatoes again, I’d probably die happy. These are the potatoes I dream about and if I’m going out for Greek food, it’s only because of these. Not that I don’t like everything else! But dreams need to be fulfilled ya know? Creamy and lemony and savory, this recipe is the closest I’ve ever had outside of a restaurant. And they couldn’t be easier to make! A little bit of marinating, an hour in the oven and you’re done. This recipe gives a new twist on side dishes, great for having people over, or if you just want something different from roasted or mashed potatoes.

Chicken Phở

I crave phở like I crave sushi. Not often but every once in a while I just need some strong flavourful broth. I’ve had bad phở and I’ve had awesome phở and for me, it’s usually about the broth. Sometimes it’s too sweet, sometimes too fish-saucey and others give me the perfect balance of flavor depth. I don’t get very brave with tripe and what-not and stick to what I know with thin-sliced raw beef or chicken. The last restaurant bought phở I had was not very impressive. The beef slices were all stuck together in one big clump, hard to pull apart and mushy. Blech! It’s a good thing it’s cheap or I’d have a hard time spending money on it. Phở is one of those dishes that people don’t typically make at home because it’s ‘a labor of love’ and thus I had never even considered attempting it. So, naturally, I was a bit floored when I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen. It’s actually quite simple, doesn’t have a million, complicated and inaccessible ingredients. The ingredients that you do need are super inexpensive and aside from the chicken I think I spent a total of $4 on this meal. It is time consuming though. All in all, it takes probably 3.5 hours to make but there certainly isn’t a lot of effort involved. Just a lot of simmering. I would consider this a perfect recipe for new and practicing cooks and the results are more than worth the time! I actually got so darn excited making it that I forgot to add basil and lime!

Indian Spiced Lemon Chicken

Allow me to introduce you to Indian spice. If you’re not familiar with cooking Indian spices but are curious, this is the perfect recipe. It couldn’t be simpler to make and the hardest part is making sure you have all of the spices. Luckily though, they should be easily sourced from any large grocery store, but definitely from an Indian grocer! I buy mine in bulk so I can buy small amounts and they’re as fresh as possible when I use them. That being said, if you like Indian food in general, you will not regret having any of these spices on hand! A good investment for sure. This recipe is similar in flavor to an African Bobotie, but without the bread and eggs. It’s much easier to make and is lower in calories and fat. Anyways, if you want to take a tiny step outside of your culinary box, or just want a super stripped back, basic recipe for dinner, try this. And then tell me that you love it.

Japanese Pickled Cucumber Salad

I’ve been MIA for a while. I find myself incredibly lazy, uninspired and unmotivated to cook in the summer months. I don’t like the heat and I especially don’t like humidity. It has been one of the hottest summers on record in Vancouver. 3 straight months of 25-35 degrees with very little rain. 25 degrees isn’t bad in the Okanagan, where I’m from, but factor in the temperate rainforest and the 95% humidity kills me. I also live in a basement suite with no air conditioning so the stove and oven get turned on as little as possible. Now that I’m finished making excuses, I’d like to present you with a dish I came across today. I have no idea where I found it but the link to the original website is below. Super simple and healthy but with so many complex flavors. You also don’t need to turn on a burner. I whipped this salad up and while it was marinating I made up a quinoa fry with sweet red peppers, caramelized onions and Japanese turnips. Delicious and super light dinner for a stupidly hot day.

Coconut Curry Squash

Ahhh curry. Love of my life. Long lost friend. I feel like curry and I have a lot of making up to do. I grew up in a small town with one restaurant that was only open on and off, depending on current ownership. The closest city was an hour away and even then it didn’t distinguish itself as a happenin’ place in the culinary world. It’s a city very committed to its chain restaurants and independents never seemed to last long. That being said, there wasn’t a lot of ethnic food either. Not that any of that matters because my mother doesn’t like spicy food and my parents’ palate for foreign food never extended beyond the buffet line at the westernized Chinese food place. Naturally I grew up thinking I didn’t like so many things that now, I can’t live without. Sushi, pho, real Chinese and curries to name a couple. Imagine my delight when I discovered the deep complex flavors of my first good curry. It was so involved that I can actually remember exactly where I was! I like this recipe because it only has a few easy ingredients. It cooks up quickly and has enough spice to clear your sinuses (use less if that’s what you prefer) but it’s also super healthy and while I suggest serving it over rice for a complete meal, I really prefer just eating it as is.

Thai Coconut Lentils

I love hearty, flavorful dishes. You could give me mud in a bowl if it filled me up and tasted awesome. I also love savory foods, even desserts. So, while I was ‘working’ today, I stumbled over this recipe and thought to myself; “Hmm I can stop and get some cabbage, this should be easy. I like easy” So after work I grabbed a small cabbage and came home. There’s a few steps to this but none of them are complicated and it doesn’t take that long to cook. Dinner in (almost) no time! I’ll make this again, no doubt about it. I’ll probably tweak it a bit every time I make it – maybe add some green curry next time. And if I can find the ingredient required in the original recipe (Tom Kha) then I’ll try it like that! I like that about a recipe.

Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter

Do you have a favourite food? Maybe not even favourite, but a food, dish or meal that you love to make? Because you make it when you crave it, and you crave it pretty often, then when you take that first bite, it’s SO good that the next time the word “willpower” crosses your mind, you’re bloated, full as hell but funnily still wanting more. This soup is kind of like that. Curry powder, onions, lentils – hearty, thick and packed with flavor. Aside from the amount of time lentils take to cook, this recipe is super easy. Simple even. It’ll make your house smell amazing too! We paired it with some delicious gluten free toast from Udi’s. Please sir, I want some more…

Indian Spiced Cauliflower & Potatoes

Spicy food is my ideal comfort food. Not SOOO spicy that I can’t taste the food, but a nice, heated zing, with some form of starch is so perfect. Like Spanish Rice for example. It’s spicy, very flavorful but my absolute favourite fall back meal when I need a pick me up. I also love Indian food. My heart melts for the complex flavors, spices and textures. Creamy sauces, curries, turmeric, vegetables and chicken. Yum. The problem though is, I find Indian food so comforting, I can’t stop eating it. I’d be more than happy to sit down and eat an entree for two of Butter Chicken. This recipe of easy ingredients, simple method and a delicious and satisfying result is a great recipe for those on a budget, but also those of us trying to include more veggies in our diet – but still feel satisfied. Ya know what I mean Steve?