Quick and Easy Dinner, July 2012

Our theme was "Quick and Easy" – Dishes with 5 or fewer ingredients and/or max. 30 minutes preparation time.

I (Katharina) made pork tenderloin with mushrooms in a creamy thyme sauce.

1 pork tenderloin, approx. 1lb
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp oil
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 sprigs of thyme
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp sour cream (low-fat OK)

1. Trim any silver skin of the tenderloin and cut crosswise into medaillons, about 10 to 12 pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork medaillons and cook on the first side, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, pluck the leaves of the thyme sprigs and chop finely. You should have about 1/2 tsp of thyme.

3. Turn the pork medaillons over and begin to cook on the other side for 2 minutes.

4. Add mushrooms and thyme to the skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat and mushrooms are cooked, about 6 minutes.

5. Add water and sour cream, stir until combined and heated through, 1-2 minutes.



I (Rebecca) made an easy bean salad from the Mad Hungry blog.  It has a few more than 5 ingredients, but it's so easy that I think it's worth it.  To save time, a purchased or previously made vinaigrette can be used in place of the recommended recipe.  The herbs in this salad can be changed to complement whatever main dish is being served and a protein could be added to make it into a good lunch dish.  I used dill as my optional herb as I felt it would go well with Katharina's pork dish.  Even though this salad can be served right away, the flavor improves with a couple of hours of sitting in the refrigerator.
















White Bean Salad

• 3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped or torn fresh dill, mint, or basil (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 recipe Rose's Vinaigrette

1. Combine the beans in a large bowl with the red onion, parsley, optional herb of choice, salt, and pepper.
2. Slowly stir in the dressing to taste. Garnish with the scallions. Serve immediately or refrigerate. The salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I (Lauren) made a creamy cucumber salad from Cook's Country #45 Jun/Jul 2012. I substituted nonfat Greek yogurt for the sour cream.  This also had more than 5 ingredients, but took less than 30 minutes.

Creamy Cucumber Salad with Carrot, Cilantro, and Cumin

3 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
Salt and pepper
2 carrots, peeled and grated on large holes box grater

1. Spread cucumber slices in single layer on paper towel-lined baking sheet; refrigerate for 20 minutes. Combine onions and vinegar in bowl and let sit for 20 minutes.

2. Whisk sour cream, cilantro, cumin, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in large bowl. Add cucumbers, carrots, and onion-vinegar mixture, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Serves 4 to 6

Kim made focaccia with a tomato topping.

I made garlic focaccia from one of my favorite bread books: The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger.  Using a bread machine really makes bread a quick & easy proposition

Garlic Focaccia

INGREDIENTS
1 1/8 cups water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons SAF yeast or 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
cornmeal or coarse semolina for sprinkling
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
6 large cloves garlic, minced

METHOD:
Place dough ingredients (water through yeast) in the pan according to the order of the manufacturers instructions.  Program for Dough cycle; press start (NOTE: for those without a bread machine, you could mix all the ingredients together in a mixer or by hand, knead with a dough hook or by hand & allow to rise until doubled in bulk)

Brush a 17-by-11-inch baking sheet with olive oil and sprinkle heavily with cornmeal or semolina.  When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine.  Immediately remove the bread pan and turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Divide the dough into 2 portions.  Use the heel of your hand to press & flatten a piece of dough until it is 1/4-inch thick. Lift it onto the pan.  Repeat with the other portion of dough.  The two portions should fit on the baking sheet with a few inches in between.  Brush the tops with olive oil.  Cover gently with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until puffy, about 25 minutes.

Twenty minutes before baking, place a baking stone on the lowest rack of a cold oven and preheat it to 450°F.

Brush the dough again with olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic.  If there is any olive oil left over, pour it over the top.  Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F.  Place the pan on the hot stone and bake for 15 minutes or until the focaccias are nicely browned.  Slide onto a rack to cool or serve warm from the oven.

Since my garden was overflowing with cherry tomatoes, I found this Rachel Ray roasted tomato recipe to go with the garlic focaccia.

Roasted Tomato Bruschetta
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2008

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins

INGREDIENTS:
2 pints grape tomatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat the tomatoes in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 20 minutes to concentrate the flavor and burst the tomatoes.

In a bowl, lightly mash the roasted tomatoes and combine with scallions and basil.


I (Dani) made Rhubarb Meringue Mess from the Donna Hay Instant Entertaining book. My  modifications to  the recipe were: 1) to use pre-cut, frozen Rubarb, 2) added extra vanilla because I love the flavor. 5 stalks of Rhubarb equals approximately 2-3 cups frozen Rhubarb. I also doubled the recipe to serve 6-8.

Rhubarb Meringue Mess (serves 4)

5 stalks of Rhubarb, chopped
3/4 cup of orange juice
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 package store bought meringue cookies

Place the rhubarb, orange juice, 1 tsp vanilla and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat and cook covered for 10-15 minutes (slightly longer if frozen), or until the rhubarb is soft. Stir through sugar and refrigerate until ready to use. Whip cream with 1tsp vanilla and powdered sugar until thick. To serve, place meringue cookies in bottom of glass, top with rhubarb mixture and whipped cream.