Tonight's Dinner: March 4, 2014

Tonight I prepared for a two parter.  I wanted to do a quick roast and also prepare a Crockpot meal.  Although Nick says that Crockpot meals always turn out acidic, I don’t have the time to cook every night if we want to eat before 9pm.  Personally, I don’t mind eating that late after a workout, but I know that he prefers to eat at a normal dinner hour.  So I do aim for 7:30-8pm, which is still rather late but better than right before bed.  (9pm is right before my bedtime.)  With trying to juggle gym time and normal eating hours, Crockpotting is our best option.  I used to do a Crockpot meal pretty much every night when I was going to work and then school in NY.  It makes it easier when I can prepare the crock pot the night before and then put it on low before I leave for work.

I blended two onions, two heads of garlic, and a full bunch of cilantro with stems attached in my Vitamix.  I don’t know what I used to do before I stole my Mom’s Vitamix.  I finally returned hers once I she got me one as a wedding gift.  It was at the very top of my wish list.  We have a food processor now too, but I still usually reach for my Vitamix.  It is a kitchen appliance that I don’t think I would like to be without. Ever.  Now that I know the beauty of the Vitamix, there is no going back.  Our Magic Bullet has turned into a coffee grinder and sometimes the occasional egg beater.  The blend of onions, garlic, and cilantro served as a base for my two meals.  For tonight’s dinner I used it as a sauce mixed with spices.  For the next meal, I used the mixture in a soup like fashion, mixed with three cups of organic vegetable stock.  Once I remove the chicken and vegetables that are being cooked in the liquid, I’m going to throw in some brown rice to cook.

To onion mixture #1 I added some turmeric, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes and EVOO.  I later added a little bit of half and half to cut through the astringent flavor of the onion.  That creaminess did wonders.  I poured the mixture over two turkey thighs and some zucchini.  The turkey thighs cost me $3.91 and the zucchini around $1.60.   With the cheap-as-dirt Idaho potatoes I baked, I’d estimate that this meal was about $8 for the two of us.  Not too shabby!  I also opted for a baked potato instead of rice or pasta.  Though it is still full of carbs, at least it was whole and not processed. I think I’m going to start buying potatoes to bake instead of making so much pasta.  At this point, rice substitution is just not an option. We’re Chinese.

Consistency was pretty thick.

Creamy Onion Sauce

1 onion, chopped for blender

1 head garlic

½ bunch cilantro, stems on

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp EVOO

2 tbsp black pepper

1 tsp Kosher salt

2 tbsp half and half

1/2c organic vegetable stock

Directions:

In a blender, blend onion, garlic, and cilantro.  Once blended, added turmeric, pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, EVOO, black pepper, salt, half and half, vegetable stock.  Mix.  Pour over protein or use as marinade.