Saturday finds me bacheloretting it this weekend and what better way to celebrate than to have a couple girlfriends over for dinner? My husband and I laugh because here illustrates one of the difference between men and women – he has his buddies over to watch football, eat junk food and drink beer. I have my girlfriends over to eat a cleanse menu and enjoy cocktails from a low alcohol drink menu. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions here.
Notes from today:
• To see original recipes from Bon Appétit, click on the link for the recipe in the titles below. Any changes I’ve made are reflected in the recipes below.
• This is the first day I’ve fallen off the wagon on the cleanse. I had a wine class this afternoon and with it came a wide arrange of delicious cheeses, so not only have I exceeded my alcohol consumption for the week now, but I also added in the extra decadence of the impossible to resist dairy.
• While dinner wasn’t particularly photogenic, it was tasty! It would have been nice if there was a vegetable though.
BREAKFAST
- ½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup mango, chopped
- [url:2]1 Tbsp Spiced Pepita and Cashew Crunch
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- Top yogurt with mango and Spiced Pepita and Cashew Crunch.
LUNCH
- 1 Tbsp hazelnuts, pistachios, or almonds
- 3-4 cups salad greens, torn into bite-size pieces
- ½ cup Mustard-Roasted Potatoes
- ½ apple, cored, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp Whole Grain Mustard Dressing
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly darkened in color, 6–8 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop.
- Toss salad greens, potatoes, and apple with mustard dressing; top with toasted hazelnuts.
DINNER
- 1 pork tenderloin (about 1¼ lb.)
- Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 medium apple, cored, cut into ¾” wedges
- 8 oz crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, trimmed, quartered
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves
- Remove tenderloin from refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 350°F. Season tenderloin generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat in a large ovenproof skillet. Add pork and apple wedges to skillet and cook, turning pork occasionally, until pork and apples are browned, 12–15 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of pork registers 140°, 10–12 minutes. Transfer pork and apples to a plate along with any juices. Return skillet to stove-top.
- Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, sage, and ½ cup water. Cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet, until liquid is almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add apples and any accumulated juices to skillet and toss to combine. Reserve 2–3 oz. pork and ¼ cup mushrooms for Pork, Mushroom, and Arugula Salad.
- 3 Tbsp walnuts
- 1 cup red quinoa
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, sliced
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast walnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and slightly darkened in color, 6–8 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop.
- Meanwhile, thoroughly rinse quinoa; drain.
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and ½ tsp. salt; stir to coat.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots have softened, about 5 minutes. Add quinoa and stir to coat. Pour in 1½ cups water, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until quinoa is tender and the germ has unfurled, 15–18 minutes. Season with salt. Just before serving, toss in toasted walnuts. Reserve ½ cup quinoa for Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Salad.