Roasted Tomato Salsa, aka, "What the heck are we going to do with all these tomatoes? Salsa"

Have you looked at your calendar for the week? If you haven't, let me let you in on something: On Wednesday, September arrives.

Holy cow, it is nearly fall.

Of course, our local weather has not looked at its calendar, for it is supposed to be in the mid-90s this week. Thank goodness for the pool still being open and air conditioning.

But yes, fall is just around the corner, which means the start of my favorite sports season of the year: college football. Thursday a lot of Buckeye fans will be sweating their behinds off (projected weather: High 94, sunny) in the Horseshoe while cheering the Buckeyes on to victory over ("We Are!") Marshall. Me? I'll be watching the game in the comfort of our home, nibbling on my current fave, this salsa.

Like many of you, we have lots of tomatoes and peppers in our kitchen, courtesy of the summer bounty. I already whipped up and froze a huge batch of Sweet Pea Pizza Sauce, so I moved on to salsa this weekend. This salsa is super simple if you use your food processor. Special kid friendly bonus: it is not chunky, ie, you kids may actually eat it without picking out pieces of onion or tomato. It also works like a charm in Taco Roll-Ups.

Roasted Tomato Salsa

2-3 large tomatoes, washed and patted dry
1 medium onion, sliced
1-2 banana or jalapeno peppers (depends on how spicy you like your salsa)
2-3 teaspoons lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (you can use stems too)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

In a dry (read: no oil) pan over medium high heat, place the tomatoes, onion and peppers. Let the vegetables sit for several minutes until they start to blacken. Turn, repeat and turn again. Make sure all your vegetables have a good char on them without being burnt:


Core the tomato near the stem, removing just the very center of the tomato (it should slide out quite easily).

Place the vegetables and the remaining ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until it looks like this:


Makes about 2 cups.

With fresh tomatoes from your garden or a local farmers market, this will be the best salsa you have ever made!

SPC

Easy Homemade Falafel with Yogurt Tahini Sauce

I remember the first time I heard about falafel. It was my high school friend Amanda, and we were on a trip to Washington, DC. She mentioned that she wanted it for lunch, and I sort of responded with a "you want to eat fa-la-what?!"

Falafel. Basically, finely minced chickpeas, mixed with some really tasty spices and aromatics, transformed into a wonderfully tasty patty and pan fried. If you haven't made homemade falafel, you must give it a try. It is surprisingly super-easy to make, and a lot of kids (mine at the top of the list) gobble it up.

Side note: For those of you who are short on time, or want something you can prepare ahead of time (even in the morning before going to school or work), this recipe fits the bill. Also, while it is vegetarian, it will satisfy even carnivores.

Falafel with Yogurt Tahini Sauce

Falafel:
2 - 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
4-6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
vegetable oil

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except the flour. Pulse until the mixture is chopped (you may have to scrape the sides of the food processor a few times to help) into small pieces.

Add a few tablespoons of flour and pulse again. You want the mixture to resemble very coarse sand or small pebbles and to be able to be formed into small patties. If necessary, add a couple more tablespoons of flour.

Shape into 10-12 individual 2 inch wide disks (think slider burger size). If cooking immediately, set in the fridge for a few minutes or you can store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use. They can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Heat a large skillet to high. Pour in enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan about 1/4 inch high. Add the falafel patties and cook for 4-5 minutes. Flip, repeat.

Serve in a pita with yogurt tahini sauce (see recipe below) or hummus, tzatziki or just lettuce and sliced tomatoes.



Mmmm...delish!

Serves 4, if you are lucky. R has a special penchant for falafel and can eat more than SPH and I combined when I serve it.

Yogurt Tahini Sauce:
1 cup fat free plain greek yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini*
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

*Tahini is sesame seed paste, similar to peanut butter but with a much more sublime taste. It can be pricey in certain stores, but you can store it in your refrigerator and it will last a long, long time. Except in our house as we use it to make our weekly hummus batch and now, this sauce, which, by the way, is insanely good for as simple as it is to make.

Enjoy All!
SPC

And the winners are...

Before I announce the winners, I read every one of your comments, and it was comforting to know that I am not the only one who: is busier than all get out, sometimes lacks motivation, has picky eaters and at times, an impossible daily schedule.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me, as I hope to use them to inspire new recipes to come!

But without further adieu, the winners are...

30 Minutes on the Boys' Turf

and

Barbara #47 (comment read in part: "biggest challenge?
5pm often finds me out of energy and uninspired.")


CONGRATULATIONS!!

Email me at sweetpeaeats@gmail.com with your address and I will pack up the Microplanes and get them on your way...

SPC

Microplane Giveaway

I've said it before, I'll say it again:

My Microplane zester/grater is one of my favorite kitchen tools. It is perfect for grated cheeses, citrus fruit, fresh nutmeg, and more. It transforms a simple block of hard cheese, such as parmesan, into what the boys call "cheese snow!"

I love my Microplane tools and I want you to love them too. I am giving away 2 Microplane zester/graters to two Sweet Peas and Pumpkins readers:


To enter, leave a comment with your biggest weekday dinner challenge. I will choose two winners on Tuesday, August 24th at 9pm EST.

In the meantime, I am off to get ready for R's big back to school and 1st grade experience!

SPC

Stuffed Chicken Nuggets

Ok, so here's a theory: you could stuff almost anything within a "chicken nugget" and kids will eat it.

At least that's my theory after our recent family reunion dinner that featured this amazing breaded stuffed chicken breast that both the boys inhaled. Mind you that the chicken was stuffed with copious amounts of spinach. Just look:


Want the recipe? Click here for my post today at familyeducation.com, the other site for which I blog.

Oh, and stay tuned, because later this week I have a giveaway for one my all time favorite kitchen tools!

Life is sweet (as I savor the 6-days-and-counting until R begins 1st grade),
SPC

Good Day Columbus Tips and Recipes

Good Morning Columbus!

Here are the tips for healthy school lunch success I shared this morning on Good Day Columbus:

*Get your child involved with the process:

*have your child help you develop a list of a handful of sure-fire main dish options he or she will be excited to see in their lunch box

*let them get creative and think outside the “lunchbox,” ie, leftovers, non-sandwich options such as hummus and vegetables/pita to dip, pasta salad, hard boiled eggs, or homemade cracker and cheese stacks

*communicate with them periodically to check if your child has new ideas, feedback, etc

*Make sure you child can open all the lunch containers you use

*For young children and first-time lunch packers, doing a trial run may help, especially if your school has a fairly limited amount of time to eat lunch

*Remember food safety: pack hot items in appropriate containers and cold items with cold packs

*Packing the lunch the night before school can cut down on morning stress

*Planning lunches for the week can also help reduce last minute stress (ie, nighttime run to the grocery)

*Go Green! Check out all the bento, reusable containers and thermos type options for school lunches

Recipe for Taco Roll-ups (Serves 1, can easily by doubled or tripled)
2 ounces Neufchatel Cheese (aka, reduced fat cream cheese)
1 tablespoon mild salsa
1 whole wheat or flour tortilla
1 tablespoon sliced olives
1 tablespoon corn
1 tablespoon diced red pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons black beans, or alternatively, you can use your favorite toppings, such as chicken or other vegetables
1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese

Place the Neufchatel cheese in a microwave safe dish and microwave for 15 seconds to soften. Add the salsa and mix well.

Spread the salsa mixture fully on top of the tortilla. Sprinkle the olives, corn, red pepper, black beans and cheese on top of the tortilla, reserving a two inch space at one end, so when you roll up the tortilla the salsa mixture “seals” the tortilla.

Roll the tortilla up in a pinwheel fashion, and press to close firm. With a serrated knife, gently slice the tortilla crosswise into ¾” slices.

Serves 1.
Homemade Hummus Recipe


Pasta Salad Recipes:


BLT Pasta Recipe

Tomato, Basil and Corn Tortellini

Greek Orzo Salad


Thanks for another Great Morning, GDC!
SPC

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

(Special note for my Columbus peeps: I'm scheduled to be on Good Day Columbus again, this coming Monday morning around 8:30 to demonstrate some healthy school lunch box ideas.)

A couple weeks ago, I had a giveaway and asked you to leave a comment with a recipe request to enter to win. I feel like it was I who won, since the suggestions I received were brilliant (Amy C, I am still working on your request, I have a few ideas mulling, but I haven't forgotten about you!).

Rookie Cookie suggested that I come up with a bulk pancake mix, since I loved her Whole Grain Waffle Mix so much. This was especially brilliant since R would eat pancakes every morning if I let him and I always whimper a little bit inside each time he persistently requests them since they were time consuming to make. Note the emphasis on "were" since with this new pancake mix, they have become a relative breeze!

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

3 cups quick oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
6 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/3 cup baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup white sugar

Mix and store in an airtight container. Makes 12 "batches" of pancakes.

When you are ready to make the pancakes:

Whole Grain Pancakes

1 cup Whole Grain Pancake Mix
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon vegetable oil.

In a small bowl, mix the milk, egg, vanilla and oil. Blend well and then combine with the pancaked mix.

Cook as you would any ole' pancake.

Makes about 12 individual 4 inch pancakes.



I just made a new batch of this mix and it is sitting in our cupboard, all ready for those busy school mornings!

Easy Pancakes? Sweet!
SPC

Dessert Mystery Revealed!

Late Sunday I posted the picture below and asked you to guess the mystery ingredient:


Any minute last guesses?

Well, let's see...this recipe includes:

eggs
vanilla
sugar
flour
butter
salt

AND...

yellow squash (Congrats Michele and Nicole for guessing correctly!)

I searched the internet for ideas to help my friends Nicole and Camille use their surplus garden vegetables. The first idea I developed was my No Cook Italian Vegetable Salad, but I wanted to try a novel approach too.

I found several different renditions of yellow squash desserts or even breads (think zucchini bread), but came up with this recipe as a Sweet Pea original and couldn't have been happier. Imagine my inside glee, as my two boys, who are a tough sell on regular yellow squash, gobbled up this dessert and asked for seconds. Each of their pieces of dessert contained half of a medium squash!

Vanilla Squash Custard

1/3 cup water
4 medium squash, peeled and diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup flour

Heat a medium saute pan to medium high heat and add the water and squash. Cook for 15 minutes or until the squash is mushy and the water has evaporated. Do not allow the squash to "brown."

(Alternatively, you can steam the squash or cook it in the microwave. The important thing here is that the squash is no longer firm)

While still hot, add the salt and butter, so the butter melts. Allow the squash to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a food processor or blender, add the squash, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Process until smooth.

Add the flour and stir until just blended.

Pour into a greased deep dish pie pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the middle is no longer jiggly.

Can be served warm, room temperature or cool.

Serves 8.

Prepare to get a little giddy when you see your kids eat their squash ravenously!
SPC

...and we ate

We’re back from our last vacation of the summer, an extended weekend camping in the woods with my mom’s siblings and their families. The weather could not have been more perfect, and it was a weekend full of family, fun and lots and lots of food. LOTS of food. So the meals for this week are a bit of a detox after we feasting, grazed and nibbled our way through the weekend.

This year the star of the show was baby I. He’s 10 months old and just has got to be one of the sweetest, cutest children I have ever seen. See?:

When we weren’t all oogling over sweet I (side note: there are 8 grandchildren on this side of the family, 7 of which are boys!), we roasted some marshmallows:

Enjoyed the bouncing house that my aunt and uncle purchased a few years ago, much to the boys’ delight:

And ate. And ate. And ate:

Did I mention we ate?

And in response, our meals for the week:

Chicken Salad over Greens or in a Pita
Asian Pasta Salad
BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
Grilled Salmon, New Potatoes, Vegetable (whatever shows up in this week's CSA)
Greek Night--usually hummus, tzatziki, falafel, etc.

I leave you today with a picture of the recipe I’ll post tomorrow and ask you a question—

can you guess the very unconventional, but natural and healthful base of this recipe?

Any guesses? You'll get a big ole' gold star if you guess correctly!

SPC

Lemon Glazed Green Beans

Vegetables are so fresh this time of year, the slightest touch can be used to make them super delicious. These lemon glazed green beans are a new Sweet Pea family favorite. A mere teaspoon of honey, a touch of lemon and olive oil transforms plain green beans into a yummy side dish.

Click here for the recipe on familyeducation.com.





Life is sweet, and so are these green beans-
SPC

Happy August

I'm still coming to terms with the fact that it is already August. With all we've done this summer, June, July and August are flying by us at warp speed. Not that I am complaining, it is with a very thankful heart that I say this has been a great summer overall.

Chautauqua ended on a great note, with SPH meeting up with us on Friday after a long west coast work trip. Saturday morning I ran in the Old First Night Run at Chautauqua, an easy run that was fun and had the benefit on R, G, and SPH cheering me on loudly at the finish line. After a quick shower we were off to return home, after a stop at Lodi Station for a train ride and some shopping.

One thing that floors me every year about Chautauqua: there is no television there, and the boys never *once* asked me to watch television or play on the computer. R said to me, "I didn't even think about the TV!" The lake, bike riding, creek hiking and Childrens' School/Boys' Club kept them so wonderfully occupied, it was nice to have a vacation from modern technology too.



As we slip back into a routine, here are our meals for the week:

Grilled Teriyaki Fish, Corn on the Cob, Lemon Glazed Green Beans, Fresh Cherries
Layered Taco Salad
Tofu Stir-fry
Caramelized Onion and Feta Tart

Some great new recipes to try, hopefully some worth sharing!

Have a sweet week-
SPC

Free Water! Lemonade? That's going to cost you.

R's been asking to do a lemonade stand for months and months. Problem was, before our recent move we lived on a very busy urban street that, despite having tons of cars, was not a safe place for a stand. Problem is, now we live on a cul de sac, off of another cul de sac, with no cars at all.

So it dawned on us yesterday...here we are at Chautauqua with few cars (safe!) and at my aunt's place that is right on the main plaza area (customers!) and it was hot, hot, hot (people will be thirsty!), why not do a lemonade stand here?

R and G got busy right away by moving some tables and chairs to the front:


Setting up shop:

Mixing some lemonade:

And began to wait for customers:

While R did his own signs and decided to charge 25 cents a glass, G said he wanted to give his lemonade away for free, just to be nice. R didn't like this threat to his capital enterprise, so I stepped in with the compromise that G could offer free water to customers. G and R agreed to this solution, and at the end of a really fun afternoon, they learned a thing of two about business.

G learned that if you drink out of a customer's water glass right before you are about to give it to them, they'll probably decline it, even if it is free (something he did three times).

R learned that folks, especially nostalgic older folks, LOVE a lemonade stand and will give you dollar bills and ask for no change, just to give you a smile on your face.

I learned that there are a lot of great stories behind lemonade stands, and many of them involve parents, whose own children are grown, reminiscing about how it seems like "just yesterday" they were doing their own stands. I love a good story, and I like to think we created a few yesterday too.

Life is sweet (and so is R's lemonade!)-
SPC

Rainbow Quinoa

Just to come clean, I'll be forthright and tell you that my boys are a little weary of quinoa. They try it and eat a bit, but they aren't huge quinoa fans.

Yet, I know many a parent who have kids that gobble this wonderfully healthful (lots of protein and fiber, one of only two "complete protein" in the vegetable realm) grain, so here's hoping your little ones fall into the latter category. Perhaps playing up the "rainbow" qualities of this beautifully vibrant salad will help convince them that they want, no need, to try this quinoa stuff. Either way, I had a recent request for more quinoa recipes, so here is my new favorite, based on an Eating Well recipe.

The recipe below is wonderfully balanced between earthy and sweet. The quinoa and black beans give earthy tones, while the mango, sweet bell pepper and orange juice dressing combine to finish the dish with a suitable sweetness.

Usually I make this with regular quinoa, but at Trader Joe's two weeks ago they were demonstarting red quinoa. I should have put a sign on my forehead that read "easy target" as I had a feeling I would probably pick up some, and once I tasted it, I was scoping some up before you could say "red quinoa."

If you follow nutrition suggestions, many folks who are way more knowledgeable than I suggest eating a "rainbow" of fruits and vegetables. This salad has red, orange, yellow, green...and purple. G helped me make it this time, and he suggested we add some blueberries to make our rainbow complete. Maybe next time?

Rainbow Quinoa

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup fresh orange juice (about 2 large navel oranges worth)
1/2 cup rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups black beans
1 small or medium red pepper, seeded and diced
1 small or medium yellow pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup mango, diced (I use frozen mango, thaw it partially, dice it up and it works perfectly)
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup cilantro, minced

Bring the water to a boil. Rinse the quinoa well and drain, and add to the boiling water. Reduce water to a simmer, cover and let cook 10-15 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, mix the orange juice, vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Add the quinoa and mix well.

Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. Like most composed, marinated dishes, this tastes better if it is made an hour or so ahead of time, or even the day prior.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish, 4 for a lunch or light dinner.


Have a sweet weekend-
SPC

PS--Yes, it is Saturday night and I am posting a quinoa recipe. We leave tomorrow from my parent's house (Cleveland) for our annual week at Chautauqua (New York). I can't wait, and as I finish up some laundry and other pre-trip tasks, I am blogging too...it's going to be a wild night!

No Cook Italian Summer Vegetables

(Yesterday I spent a few hours at Nationwide Children's Hospital so G could get stitches on his forehead, just like big brother. Okay boys, seriously, I've had enough of the hospital. SPH and I tried to count last night, and we think we've been to the ER at least 6 times, been admitted once, had one minor "procedure" and 3 surgeries. I think we may be ready to christen our own wing. But enough about our trips to the hospital...)

It was great to read your suggestions for new recipe ideas last week. I think this recipe may kill two birds, er, recipes with one stone. Jenny, for you, this is a no-cook recipe that can serve as a side or a light main dish. Camille and Nicole, this recipe uses yellow squash, zucchini or cucumber, in whatever combination you prefer.

Easy Italian Summer Vegetables

4-5 cups diced vegetables (I used about 2 ears of corn, straight off the cob--no need to boil, 2 yellow squash, and a zucchini, but you can use cucumber, sweet peas or even thawed frozen green beans)
1/4 cup sliced red onion (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or apple cider or rice wine)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Combine vegetables, onion, basil and mozzarella in a medium or large bowl.

Add the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir well.

Let sit for at least one hour before serving. The vinegar in the dressing "cooks" the vegetables a bit and they are soft to eat.

Serves 4-6.



I've made this twice already in the last week, and it is an instant hit. So easy, so fresh, and even the boys eat it. Don't let the simple ingredients fool you, the fresh vegetables, combined with the slight acidity of the vinegar, and creaminess of the cheese create a heavenly combination!

Oh and Nicole and Camille, I am working on a recipe that uses a *lot* of yellow squash, I am just not ready to post as it is still "in development." :) Stay tuned.

Make it a sweet day-
SPC

Settling In

We've been in our new house for one month now and it is slowly becoming more "home" to me each day. I feel so thankful for so many things, but one of the simplest pleasures of our new home is our kitchen island:


The island is where I prepare most of our meals and it also serves as an interim kitchen table until we choose our "real" table. In our old house there was no where for anyone to sit while I cooked, so to have a place for the boys to color, chat or help with the cooking is priceless. Already I can imagine the boys doing homework as I hastily prepare snacks and meals for their bottomless-pit tween and teenage stomachs.

Speaking of hungry stomachs, I've managed to actually come up with a meal plan for the week that I can share with you. It's been weeks since I did this, but with a slightly more settled home comes a little more time to share our meals for the week:

Grilled Fish, Sauteed Okra (new recipe), Italian No-Cook Vegetable Salad (hope to be ready to share this recipe soon--Camille and Nicole, it's chuck full of yellow squash and cucumbers!)
Smoked Turkey, Cheese, Red Cabbage and Potato Salad
Vegetarian Enchiladas, Green Chili Rice and Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Mango Dal, Indian Side Dishes from Trader Joe's, Naan
Main Dish Spinach Salad
Tuna Pan Baguette with Fresh Fruit

So, there you go!
SPC

Raspberry Granita. Or Sorbet. Or...

This easy summer dessert has been mulling it the back of my head for years. I first tasted a granita at a friend's house years ago and ever since the name of this frozen dessert pops up from time to time in random places, always giving me pause to think, "I should try this."

Enter another recipe I recently read for a homemade sorbet that you made in the freezer (ie, without needing an ice cream maker) and it was time to give this idea a try.

Not sure if this is technically a granita or sorbet, but regardless, it is simple and simply delicious. R was my taste-tester for this recipe, and he declared after eating a bit, "it's perfect!"

Raspberry Granita/Sorbet

2 pints raspberries
1 cup natural applesauce

Puree the raspberries in a food processor or blender. If you aren't a seed person, take a fine sieve and pour the puree through the sieve to remove the seeds. (We didn't remove the seeds, as we're just kooky like that)

Add the applesauce to the raspberry puree and mix well.

Pour into a 9x9 glass dish or the like, and put into the freezer for 30-45 minutes.

With a spoon, scrape the frozen parts into little piles.

Freeze for another 20 minutes or so and scrape again. Repeat until you have frozen granita like this:

(R, showing off his bowl of "it's perfect" granita)

Serves about 4, perfect for after a hot summer weekday supper.

Have a sweet weekend-
SPC

KIDStrong Winner

Congratulations to...

FunforMommy!

You are the winner of the 2 cases of KIDStrong.

Email me at sweetpeaeats@gmail.com with your address and I'll get it on its way to you!

SPC

PS--Thanks to all of you for your great recipe request ideas. I'll be working on them in the coming days and be sure to report back!

Broccoli and Bowties

This recipe isn't fancy, but it is real food, real quick. It seems to me that even the pickiest kids seem to eat broccoli and pasta, so I combined them into one healthful recipe that is easy and fast.

Click on over to familyeducation.com for the recipe.


Simple, short and sweet-
SPC

KIDStrong Giveaway!

It's another morning to myself, which is the perfect time to post a new giveaway! But first, a little background:

It has been hot. Darn hot. So hot you start sweating the second you walk outside and merely sit down. Despite the fact that as I type it is rainy and cooler, later this week, it will be HOT again. Did I mention it's been hot?

With all this heat, R has begun requesting sports' drinks whenever he plays T-ball or soccer, which is what "all the cool athletes drink." I think he looks pretty cool himself--


While I certainly want to keep R hydrated while he plays, I just didn't love the fact that downing a sports' drink also means downing artificial coloring and other gunk that just don't do his body well.

Enter:
I was so excited to learn about KIDStrong, a natural hydration drink and even more excited when R tried it and loved it even more than traditional drinks. It tastes great, appeals to kids and unlike other mainstream drinks, is 100% natural...how cool is that?

I love it so much I want to share the love with you. I am giving away 2 cases of KIDStrong to one lucky winner...a case each of orange and grape flavor.

To enter, leave me a comment with what sort of recipe you want to see in the near future on Sweet Peas and Pumpkins. You have until Thursday, July 15th at 8 PM EST to enter. I'll pick a random winner and post their name on Thursday evening.

In the meantime, stay cool-
SPC

Pastrami Style Pork Tenderloin

It's 8am on Saturday morning, the whole family is still sleeping and I have a moment to myself. Mornings like this are beautiful, a real gift.

My parents are visiting this weekend to help us continue with the setting up of our new home. Things are going well, slow, since I refuse to sacrifice all the summer fun to the tyranny of opening box after box. The boxes aren't going anywhere, and since I am not interested in impressing anyone with my speed and dexterity of making our home look finished, the slow pace suits me just fine.

But with my parents here this weekend we have two extra sets of hands on deck to help, so last night I treated them to a great meal to help say "thanks" in advance for their sure-to-be awesome help. They both love pork, and while the Sweet Pea Family continues to eat very little meat, if I had to pick one meat that we favor, it would be pork. Why pork? Let's just say reasons why begin with bacon and end with barbecue.

I started mulling options for a pork tenderloin main dish and somehow fell upon the idea of doing a pastrami rub for the pork. SPH loves pastrami and I knew it would suit my parents well too. This rub I developed is lower in sodium than a traditional pastrami yet still tastes delicious.

Everyone in our family gobbled this up...

Pastrami Style Pork Tenderloin

1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 - 1 pound pork tenderloins

With a mortar and pestle, spice grinder or in a heavy duty plastic bag with a mallet, smash the coriander seeds and peppercorns until they are just slightly broken. If some are still whole, that is fine.

In a shallow dish (to use for marinating), mix the coriander and peppercorns, salt, brown sugar, paprika and garlic powder. Mix well. Add the mustard and olive oil to make a thick paste or "wet rub" for the pork.

Add the pork and coat well with the spice mixture. Refrigerate for an hour of up to 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven or grill to 450 degrees. Cook the tenderloins for 25-35 minutes or until the pork reaches and internal temperature of 155 degrees.

Let the pork "rest" for about 10 minutes before thinly slicing.

Serve with baguette and mustard.

Serves 6.



SPC