So, if you haven’t read already, I am trying to GET ON a healthy kick. I have planned ahead and managed to cook healthy dinners 2 nights in a row now. The first night was a HUGE SUCCESS, but I am quite disappointed in night 2. I was really in hope of liking my new creations – new to me.
Last night the menu was:
Lean boneless pork chops
Butternut squash baked fries
Mock Mashed potatoes – made from cauliflower
Chris and I had neither tried these 2 vegetables, but we are very open minded and going to try new things and re-train our brains from the junk we have both been raised on.
I found a recipe for butternut squash fries and they looked and sounded easy to make. I cut up the squash as directed into thin strips. I then put them on foil sprayed with canola oil, sprinkled some season salt, paprika and chili powder on them and popped those babies in the oven. I turned them mid bake as directed but they never seemed to crisp up. I cooked them well over the time in the recipe, because I was hoping they would crisp up. NOPE.. so we tried them… Chris ate his serving, but I really couldn’t get past the mushy texture. I wasn’t a big fan of the taste of the squash either. Jaxon loved them – he’s my bull mastiff. I thought I would try a sweeter version of these so I tried again. I cut them very thin like a potato chip thin. I think sprinkled brown sugar and cinnamon on them and hoped for the best. They still didn’t really crisp up and the taste of the squash still didn’t thrill me. I was disappointed. I so wanted to like them. I threw the rest of the squash away. My sister suggested I try and broil them… if I decide to try again, I might try that.
The mock potatoes — I boiled the cauliflower for about 10 mins and was amazed at how soft it was after that, soft enough to mush with a fork. I added a little cheese and milk. (I didn’t have a recipe for this so I was improvising) I think I should of left the milk out cause the consistency was a little runny. Not as thick as I would prefer. I took a nervous bite… and what would you know, it really tasted like mashed potatoes. I was really shocked. It wasn’t the best consistancy due to the milk… so I will have to try this again sometime. I haven’t given up on cauliflower yet 🙂
The boneless pork chops that we had marinated all night in the Lowery’s steakhouse and chop marinade were placed out on the grill for a few minutes and they turned out perfect. Juicy, flavorful and a huge success !!!
Although everything didn’t turn out perfect, it was fun working with Chris in the kitchen, and I feel good about us trying new things. I know we are not going to love everything, but I am glad we are at least trying !!
McQty - In a Nutshell 