Pan Fried Cod with Mustard-Caper Sauce

As I mentioned, last week I got my test results back and I need to be eating a lot more fish and a lot less chicken and pork. I had just discovered Harlem Shamble’s breakfast sausage so this made me sad. I sulked a bit but then got to researching fish recipes. The biggest problem for me is that I only like bland fish…cod, haddock, etc. so I need to somehow ramp up the flavor. This recipe appealed to me because of the strong flavors of lemon, capers and mustard.

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/pan-fried-cod-00100000070969/

It’s very easy – although I have no idea how to get that crispy browned exterior on pan fried fish. I mixed in a bit of Dijon for some extra kick. It’s a great sauce…that would be really awesome on chicken or pork. Sigh.

Pork Tenderloin with Maple Glaze

Have I really not shared one of my favorite recipes of all time??!! I suppose it’s because I use this blog to remind myself of new recipes I like since I have the memory of Dory on Finding Nemo. She's the fish that can't remember anything two minutes after it happens. Anyways, this is one of the best recipes in the world.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pork-Tenderloin-with-Maple-Glaze-104089

I often skip the sage or use fresh sage. And I have used all kinds of vinegar. You can’t mess this recipe up!

In other news, I just received my latest round of test results and apparently I need to be eating a lot less pork and a lot more fish. I’m a Massachusetts girl so fish to me means breadcrumbs and butter - both of which are off limits. So bring on the trial and error….

Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic-Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is practically obligatory on the Thanksgiving table. However, even those who love it rarely take more than a heaping spoonful so you are bound to end up with a ton of leftovers. When I see something in my fridge that looks like it might not get eaten, I panic. Yesterday I realized that the cranberry sauce was the only part of Thanksgiving that was still sitting a bit forlornly in the back of the fridge. Luckily it also lasts a long time. So if you still have some sitting around, make this.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pork-Tenderloin-with-Balsamic-Cranberry-Sauce-100314

You can play around with the balance of the cranberry sauce, vinegar and salt to get the right level of tanginess for your taste. It’s a really great, easy recipe….that I assume I will make once a year. When else do you have leftover cranberry sauce?!

Watermelon Radishes

Thanksgiving can be very beige. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cheese and crackers don't exactly stand out against the backdrop of a grey November sky. If you see watermelon radishes at your farmers market or grocery store, grab them for tomorrow. Slice them up with some lime juice, salt and olive oil and put them next to the cheese and crackers. It will brighten up the room and make you forget for a moment that it's cold and grey out there. Happy Thanksgiving!

Fesenjan (Chicken with Pomegranates and Walnuts)

We are not traveling for Thanksgiving. My parents are coming to us! I will not have to endure five hours stuck in a car with two kids. I will not have to pass cheddar bunnies over my head to the backseat, being careful not to turn around and get carsick. I will not have to listen to Daniel Tiger on the iPad or worse…Annecy screaming.  And I will not have to pay outrageous amounts of money to rent a car in Manhattan or feel guilty that Ryan is riding his bike over the George Washington Bridge in 20 degree weather to get a cheaper car. In sum, I was feeling very thankful.

And then my mom told me they had ordered the entire Thanksgiving dinner from Whole Foods. I was on the verge of making a scene and whining about how I wanted to make mushroom and sausage stuffing like this and green bean casserole with crispy onions like this. But then I started picturing a relaxing day sipping martinis, eating cheese and cracker and warming up the dinner instead of peeling potatoes, chopping onions and pretending I felt like cooking nine separate dishes. Sold!

To make a long story short, knowing that I don’t have to cook Thanksgiving dinner has given me a burst of cooking energy this week. I have wanted to try Fesenjan for years. It’s a classic Persian dish of chicken, pomegranates and walnuts. I read a bunch of recipes but settled on this one because it was the easiest and I figured if it was good, why make it more complicated?

http://minimalistbaker.com/fesenjan-pomegranate-chicken/

I would leave out the honey if your pomegranate molasses has added sugar and I used cilantro instead of parsley. It’s delicious and festive to look at. It reminds me a bit of the Mexican dish chiles en nogada. Maybe I’ll try that tomorrow. There is still time!

Carrot Soup with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas

This is a phenomenal soup. The sweetness of the carrots is perfectly balanced by the lemon, tahini and salty beans. And crisped chickpeas are great to have around as snacks so make extra.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/01/carrot-soup-with-tahini-and-crisped-chickpeas/

This weekend I made it just to have around in case we got caught between meals. This happens a lot in NYC. People invite you to brunch at 2 pm but if you have kids, chances are you have been up since 7 a.m. Soup to the rescue. I also knew we were going to the Museum of Natural History this weekend which is code for eating at Shake Shack. So we actually had it for breakfast on Sunday. Guilt averted. Well….look at those burgers…maybe it’s more like guilt mitigated?

Cremini and King Trumpet Mushroom Stew

I don’t eat enough mushrooms. I love mushrooms – although only when cooked –but somehow they rarely make into my recipe rotation. I suspect it’s because I’m usually cooking some sort of meat with a vegetable and mushrooms don’t seem to count as a vegetable in my mind. They aren’t green enough.

This week I decided to try out a recipe that makes mushrooms the centerpiece of your meal.

http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1015198/fresh-and-wild-mushroom-stew.html

I used cremini and king trumpet mushrooms. It was my first time buying trumpet mushrooms and I initially balked at the price. But then I realized I would pay just as much for chicken so it was just a matter of changing my mindset. It was worth the splurge.  King Trumpet mushrooms are awesome. When you google king trumpet mushrooms recipes, the first thing that comes up is vegan ‘bacon’ from king trumpet mushrooms. If these mushrooms are the closest vegans can get to bacon, you know they are good.