Weekend Cooking 12/9

Each weekend, Beth Fish Reads hosts Weekend Cooking.  This is perfect for me since I love food and cooking almost as much as I love books!

I had a few bad days this week (due to chronic illness), so I didn't cook as much as I have been.  We relied a bit on left-overs and Chinese take-out.  But I did manage to cook a few meals, using mostly recipes from Cooking Light, as usual!

On Monday, we had a very simple, easy family favorite: Chipotle Bean Burritos.  I absolutely love anything with chipotle flavor in it.  Even though we've made this recipe many times, I still haven't been able to find the chipotle chili powder called for, so I always just substitute Tobasco's Chipotle Sauce (which is fabulous!).  We use whole-grain tortillas to boost the nutrition.

Friday night I was feeling better but we were still busy, so we had another quick and easy meal - Blackstrap Pork Chops, with a whole grain rice mix and steamed cauliflower on the side.  Oh, shoot, the recipe isn't available on the Cooking Light website.  Well, it is very simple.  You just pan-fry the chops (salted and peppered) in a skillet with cooking spray, then add a sauce of 1/3 cup molasses, 3 Tablespoons A-1 sauce, 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon Allspice, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.  Cook for another 2 minutes, until sauce is reduced.  That's it.  It sounds like an odd combination of flavors, but it's very good.

And last night, I made Chicken, Leeks, and Plum Tomatoes with Linguini.  I added a couple of small zucchini (sliced) with the leeks to make it a complete meal.  It was good, but the recipe makes a lot - leftovers for lunch today!

And tonight, I am attempting Split Pea Soup for the first time.  College son loves pea soup - but only the Healthy Choice brand - so I am starting with a recipe from a magazine and making some tweaks to try to duplicate his favorite.  Wish me luck!

Hope you have enjoyed some cooking and good food this week, too!