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Creamy Polenta with Bacon and Mushrooms {and A Healthy Hunger is born! Almost…}

November 16, 2013 by Gail Watson

Creamy Polenta w Mushrooms~ A Stack of DishesIt’s been a super hectic week as I’ve been furiously working on fleshing out the new website- A Healthy Hunger. As my loyal fans know, the new business is a menu subscription service for folks who want to improve their health with better eating. I offer a Clean Eating menu plan and a Diabetic Friendly menu plan.

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about this. First off it’s just such a blast creating healthy menus. There is SO MUCH good food to be had that is also healthy for you. Of course my food style as experienced here will translate into AHH. No boring plain-o plain-o. Nothing horribly esoteric either, just beautiful, delicious and healthy eating. Sounds heavenly right??

With luck the final touches on the techy aspect of things will be complete by Tuesday and we can launch full bore. In the meantime you can swing on over there and take a poke around and see what you think. BTW- feel free to drop me a line with thoughts or insights. Good or bad, I would appreciate it. I really want this to be a successful resource for people, so any advice to help me stay on the mark would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Meanwhile, MY eating has been sporadic to say the least. Quick, simple comfort food, such as this creamy polenta, is what’s fueling me right now. In another week I’ll have reached cruising altitude, so I’ll enjoy these indulgences for now.

Creamy Polenta with Bacon and Sauteed Mushrooms
2013-11-16 14:37:24
The smokey salty bacon and the vinegar just love the earthiness of the mushrooms. I ate mine with a luscious zinfandel. I highly recommend it.
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196 calories
34 g
7 g
3 g
9 g
1 g
298 g
794 g
8 g
0 g
2 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
298g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 196
Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3g
5%
Saturated Fat 1g
5%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 7mg
2%
Sodium 794mg
33%
Total Carbohydrates 34g
11%
Dietary Fiber 3g
14%
Sugars 8g
Protein 9g
Vitamin A
9%
Vitamin C
2%
Calcium
20%
Iron
11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Does this look wrong?
Ingredients
  1. 2 cups skim milk
  2. 2 cups water
  3. 1 cup polenta
  4. 1 teaspoon salt
  5. several healthy grinds of black pepper
  6. 1 basked of cremini mushrooms (you can mix in other varieties, but this was the offering at my market this week)
  7. 2 slices bacon, diced
  8. 2 cloves garlic sliced
  9. 1/4 cup picked sage leaves
  10. 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  11. salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan add the milk and stir in the polenta until smooth. Then turn on the heat to medium and add the water and salt. I find this method is best as preventing lumps and takes the flurry of activity over a hot flame out of the equation.
  2. Simmer the polenta until thickened and cooked, about 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile: in a saute pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy and most of the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon and pour off excess grease, leaving about a tablespoon of fat in the pan.
  4. Return the pan to a medium heat flame. Add the mushrooms top side down and cook for 3 minutes. Then turn over the mushrooms and add the sliced garlic. Cover and let cook for 3-5 more minutes, then remove the cover and add the sage and vinegar. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and a grind of pepper.
  5. Serve a portion of polenta onto one of four plates then place the mushrooms on top. Return the pan to the flame and reduce the vinegar sauce until thickened, about 2 minutes.
  6. Sprinkle the mushrooms with bacon and drizzle with vinegar sage sauce.
  7. Serve immediately.
Notes
  1. A little shaved parmesan would be fantastic here- sadly my larder was bare. Add a hearty green salad and you've got an easy and complete meal.
By A Stack of Dishes~Gail Watson
beta
calories
196
fat
3g
protein
9g
carbs
34g
more
A Stack of Dishes http://astackofdishes.com/
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Filed Under: appetizer, GF, gluten free, main, main course, sides, Small Tagged With: bacon, balsamic vinegar, polenta

Spiced Pork Chops with Mango Salad

November 13, 2013 by Gail Watson

Spiced portWith the threat of the holidays upon us, I like to begin preparing for the season with some light eating.Here I made lean pork chops that I sprinkled with warm spices and then easily pan seared. The mango salad replaces the classic apple sauce. Fruits and pork just seem to go together, and this version offers with it some brightness and hot spice too.

spices

I find myself turning to pork more often as I am surely going to sprout feathers from all the chicken I tend to reach for. Pork is quite lean and most of what we get in the market has a neutral flavor profile, making it complimentary to spices and flavorings. Pork has been bred during the recent generations to accommodate the American palate, which is to say that we like neutral flavors as opposed to too gamey. As a result we don’t see a variety of breeds offered at the butchers. Pork farming has become relatively homogenous. 

Savvy chefs and food lovers have been seeking out small family farmers who have begun to cultivate lesser known breeds with more expansive flavor profiles. There is little romance on the factory farm- as you may have heard- so when given the chance, PLEASE seek out and support your local farmers. Aside from the joys of an expanded taste profile to choose from, we should be doing all we can to preserve and cultivate an array of breeds. Nature creates diversity, we should be protecting and nurturing it.

Spiced Pork with Mango Salad ~ A Stack of DishesIf you’re so inclined, make a larger batch of the spice mix to keep on hand. The combo is great to rub onto chicken- if you happen to be one of those who has succumbed to the  sprouted feathers.

Spiced Pork Chops with Mango Salad
2013-11-13 06:44:25
A mixture of warm spices is rubbed into the pork chops, then pan roasted. Mango salad replaces the traditional applesauce, and the chili adds some zing.
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361 calories
28 g
88 g
15 g
30 g
3 g
313 g
541 g
23 g
0 g
8 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
313g
Servings
4
Amount Per Serving
Calories 361
Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 15g
23%
Saturated Fat 3g
16%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 6g
Cholesterol 88mg
29%
Sodium 541mg
23%
Total Carbohydrates 28g
9%
Dietary Fiber 4g
15%
Sugars 23g
Protein 30g
Vitamin A
49%
Vitamin C
107%
Calcium
11%
Iron
16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Does this look wrong?
Ingredients
  1. 1 lb of lean boneless pork chop, thinly sliced
  2. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  3. 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  4. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  5. 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  6. 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
  7. cooking spray
  8. 2 ripe mangos, chopped, about 2 cups
  9. 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
  10. 1 Tablespoon canola oil
  11. 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
  12. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  13. 1 scallion sliced
  14. 1/2 cup mint leaves
Instructions
  1. Rinse the pork and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. In a small bowl combine the spices, then sprinkle evenly on both sides of the pork chops. Set aside to rest while making the mango salad.
  3. In a medium bowl combine the lime juice, canola oil, chili and salt and stir thoroughly. Add the mango and toss. Set aside.
  4. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray then add the chops, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side until done. No need to cook the chops to within an inch of their lives. A little pink is both healthy and delicious.
  5. Divide the pork and mango salad between four plates, then sprinkle salad with scallions and mint, then serve.
Notes
  1. Serve with some jasmine rice for a complete meal.
By Gail Watson~ A Stack of Dishes.com
beta
calories
361
fat
15g
protein
30g
carbs
28g
more
A Stack of Dishes http://astackofdishes.com/
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Filed Under: GF, gluten free, Healthy Recipes, main, main course, Uncategorized Tagged With: A Stack of Dishes, mango, mango salad, pork, pork chops

Baked Pumpkin Risotto: No Stir Magic

November 1, 2013 by Gail Watson

Baked Pumpkin Risotto~ A Stack of DishesYes, I know it’s after Halloween, but tell me you’re not sick of pumpkin yet. Just hang in there for at least one more recipe…

I will confess that I have never been successful at mastering the technique of making creamy risotto stove top. I’ve given it a few tries over the years, and for all that standing and stirring, I don’t know… it just has been less than impressive. Yes, it’s very true that I should get back at it and give it another go (after all I am that much older and wiser now), but when I came across this recipe for baked risotto- my eyes lit right up!

Baked Pumpkin Risotto~ A Stack of Dishes

First off I love using my Le Creuset Dutch Oven as often as I can. It just brings out the Julia Child in me, what can I say? There is something about heaving out the heavy artillery that makes cooking seem so REAL. It might be silly to be so attached to cooking implements, but I am sure I am not alone in this. If you’ve got one languishing somewhere, now is the time to pull it out.

The delightful thing about this recipe is that the time it takes to make this dish is considerably less- closer to 30 minutes from start to finish, most of which is hands off. I’ve even made this dish earlier in the evening, and just added a tad more stock and rewarmed it. Not culinary perfection, but  when it comes to crowd pleasing, it worked like a charm.

The pumpkin is plain ol’ canned. Which also great when you need something special last minute. Feel free to substitute pureed butternut or any other winter squash. Pureed sweet potatoes would be divine too.

triosquashrisotto

I also wanted to share some other news with y’all too. As many of you know I’ve been working on a new business called A Healthy Hunger. It’s an menu subscription service for Clean Eating or Diabetics. The site is primarily built and now I’m just fleshing it out and working out the technical kinks.

Creating healthy menus has turned out to be such a delight- more than I could have possible imagined. So many people talk to me about not knowing what to cook for their families, and when you have a diabetic to consider, even more so. I think we’ve all been there at one point or another.

Pulling these menus together, including shopping lists and nutritional information, just feels SO GOOD! So stay tuned for the big launch. Hopefully very very soon.

Baked Pumpkin Risotto
2013-11-01 10:21:58
Super easy to make risotto that requires none of the endless stirring.
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399 calories
48 g
24 g
16 g
10 g
7 g
332 g
211 g
3 g
0 g
9 g
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size
332g
Servings
8
Amount Per Serving
Calories 399
Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 16g
25%
Saturated Fat 7g
33%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 24mg
8%
Sodium 211mg
9%
Total Carbohydrates 48g
16%
Dietary Fiber 2g
7%
Sugars 3g
Protein 10g
Vitamin A
150%
Vitamin C
22%
Calcium
14%
Iron
11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Does this look wrong?
Ingredients
  1. 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
  2. 1.5 cups water
  3. 2 bay leaves
  4. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  5. 1 medium onion, minced
  6. 2 cups Arborio rice
  7. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  8. 1 cup dry white wine- chardonnay is wonderful here
  9. 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  10. 1 12 oz can pumpkin puree
  11. 1 cup fresh parsley
  12. 4 tablespoons olive oil
  13. salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400˚
  2. In a saucepan, warm the broth, water and bay leaves to a simmer and hold.
  3. Warm the Dutch oven over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onions and sautee until translucent. Then add the rice and stir until the edges become slightly translucent- about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Then add the wine and cook, while stirring until all the liquid is absorbed.
  4. Remove the bay leaves and pour the broth over the rice. Place a piece of aluminum foil over the rice to within an inch off the surface of the rice. Place the lid on top of the dish and place into the center of the oven.
  5. Bake for 15-20, or until the rice is tender and creamy and the liquid is absorbed.
While the rice is baking make the parsley oil
  1. Place the parsley and oil in a blender and puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Remove from the oven and stir in the pumpkin and parmesan cheese.
  3. Divide between 8 bowls and serve with a drizzle of parsley oil.
By Gail Watson
Adapted from Cook's Country
beta
calories
399
fat
16g
protein
10g
carbs
48g
more
Adapted from Cook's Country
A Stack of Dishes http://astackofdishes.com/
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by Recipe Card
squashrisotto1

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Filed Under: GF, gluten free, main course, sides Tagged With: baked risotto, pumpkin, risotto, side dishes

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