Chicken with Mushrooms and Garlic over Buttered Asparagus

To start I used a package of 10 boneless skinless chicken thighs. You could use bone in and skin on but I was trying to save calories. I seasoned them with my favorite garlic and wine seasoning I get from the melting pot but you could use garlic herb seasoning. And salt and pepper!

Then seared at medium low heat each side in a Dutch oven with a little olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter till golden but not cooked through. I had to do them in batches so I added 1 tablespoon of butter for the second batch.

Then I put them on a plate and set that aside.

Next I chopped up half an onion, 1 package of mushrooms sliced, and a tablespoon of fresh thyme.

I added the onions first to the drippings and stirred for 2 minutes.

Then added the mushrooms.

Saute for a few more minutes then add 20 whole cloves of garlic peeled. Yum!!

Sauté them at medium low heat for 5-8 minutes till the garlic is golden but not brown or burned.

I took the garlic, mushrooms, and onions out and put in a bowl and set aside. Then added 1 cup of chicken broth to the Dutch oven and scraped the browned bits up from the bottom.

Once the browned bits are up I added 1/2 a cup of half and half. After cooking this I would adjust it and add 1 cup of half and half for more creaminess.

Then I added everything back into the pot plus the chopped thyme. Then covered and simmered at medium low for 45 minutes. Then served with some buttered asparagus.

So good!!

Seafood Cioppino with Fresh Crab, Cod, and Mussels

Ok so my husband isn't a huge fan of seafood but I love it and especially mussels! I'm so excited to try the rest of my mussels tomorrow with white wine and garlic! Yum!

This is a sort of fishermans stew that I've been wanting to make for a while, I'm on my health kick and this is very healthy, except for the giant piece of crusty bread sticking out of it. We will just pretend that whole thing didn't go into my belly!

To start the sauce I cut up 2 stalks of celery, 1 large carrot, half a large onion and 4 cloves of garlic.

I chopped up 2 tablespoons of Basil and parsley and the leaves of 2 sprigs of thyme.

I sautéed the onions, carrots, and celery in a little olive oil for a few minutes till softened then added the garlic, herbs and 2 bay leaves. Stirred that and made sure I didn't burn the garlic.

Then I added 1 8oz can of tomato sauce.

1 large 24oz can of San Marzano tomatoes. Crush them with a potato masher.

2 8oz bottles of clam juice

A splash of Worcestershire sauce. 

1 tbls of brown sugar.

A pinch of red pepper flake. Then brought that to a boil then back down to a simmer for an hour.

After the sauce is cooked I put in another Dutch oven a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter, and 1 clove of garlic minced. Let that simmer for a minute.

Then added 2 handfuls of cleaned mussels.

Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 a cup of white wine. Put a lid on it and let cook for 3 minutes till all the mussels opened.

When they are open I lifted the lid off and made sure the sauce was close by.

I ladled a couple ladles of sauce on top of the mussels.

Then cut up a lbs of cod into chunks and half a cup of fresh jumbo lump crab meat.

Put that on top of the mussels. Then poured the rest of the sauce on top of that and put the lid on for 5 minutes at high heat till the fish is cooked through. Stir carefully not to break up the fish and crab.

Then served with some crusty bread and wine! So yummy!!

Pork Fried Rice.

This is a good go to when you have leftovers. I went to dinner the other night and had this amazing pork chop! It is slow roasted and caramalized with amazing flavor and is huge! I usually make a hash with the leftovers but instead chopped up that meat for fried rice! So good!!The key to stir fry or fried rice is to get all of your ingredients ready to go! I chopped up 2 carrots, 8 mushrooms, half a large onion, 2 green onions, a cup of napa cabbage, and minced 2 cloves of garlic and an inch of fresh ginger.

I chopped up 2 cups of my leftover pork chop and scrambled 4 eggs. You normally want only 2-3 eggs but that's my husbands favorite part so I add more.

Earlier today I cooked 4 cups of white rice and put it in the fridge to cool. Cold rice fries the best!

I started with 1/3 a cup of veggie oil at a medium high heat. Added the onions and carrots, sautéed for a few minutes.

Then added the sliced mushrooms and sautéed for 5 minutes.

When they are caramalized I added the ginger, garlic, and bottom half of the green onions. 

Then added a couple spoonfulls of bean sprouts and sautéed for 2 minutes.

Then I added the cold rice.

Mixed it lightly and let sit for 3 minutes without stiring it so it can fry. Mixed lightly again and let sit for 3 more minutes frying.

While it's frying for the last 3 minutes top with the pork and cabbage. Then mix them in.

Make a hole and add the scrambled egg, a pinch of salt, and some pepper.

Once the eggs are cooked I added 1/4 a cup of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of Rice Wine Vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of Sambal chili paste

Mix and turn off heat letting it all warm through. Top with the tops of the green onions. So good!!

Vietnamese Caramel Pork. This whole plate is less than 400 calories and was so so yummy!

Yum! This was so good especially for being low calorie! I'm cooking healthy this week so keep your fingers crossed it's all yummy :) Before I decided I was doing healthy I had found a recipe for caramel pork belly. So when I went healthy this came out perfect!First I weighed out 1 lbs of pork tenderloin and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.

I prepped and chopped up 3 large peeled carrots, half a large onion, sliced 5 cloves of garlic and grated half an inch of ginger.

In a large wok I heated it to high and put in 1 tablespoon of dark sesame oil.

Once that got hot I put in the pork cubes and seared them till they were browned on each side, it takes a little patience.

After it is browned I put it on a plate to the side.

For the sauce I put 1 cup of chicken broth in a bowl.

Then I added 3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar.

1 tablespoon of fish sauce.

1 tablespoon of soy sauce.

2 tsp of cornstarch.

2 tsp of rice vinegar. And a pinch of red pepper flakes.

When the meat is on the plate I added the onions, carrots, and ginger into the hot pan with the oil residue leftover. Sautéed that for 3 minutes then added the sliced garlic and sautéed that for a couple more minutes.

Once the veggies were softened I poured in the sauce bringing it to a boil.

Once it boils for a few minutes and thickens up I added the pork back into the wok. Mixed and heated through.

I cooked white rice and put half a cup of white rice on a plate, topped with 3/4 a cup of the pork mixture, then put 1/3 a cup of shredded napa cabbage, and sprinkled with 1 tbls of peanuts and 1 tsp of chopped parsley. Cilantro would be better but my family hates it. Also serve with some lime slices.