Oh what a pain! Ribs are not something we eat very often (once or twice a year), so I have very litle experience cooking them. But Marc loves the things, and since they were on sale I thought it would be nice to surprise him with some barbecued ribs for dinner. What a mistake! Searching the internet provides me with a minimum of 4,592 different ways to do it. I decided that I should make a record of how I do it, so that if they turn out tasty I can refer back to this post next year when I go to cook them again. LOL

I'm going to go with searing these country-style pork ribs in a pan with olive oil, then baking them in a covered pan at 300*F for 1.5 hours, coating them in sauce, and returning them to the oven for another 30 minutes. And I'm not doing a rub or using homemade sauce, either! And he's going to think I'm spoiling him and thank me profusely. Imagine how he would feel if I went all out and actually used some of my cooking skills to impress him. *grin* Oh well, I'll spend the afternoon outside with the kids and he'll still think I'm great. That sounds like a great afternoon to me!

Dinner tonight is a new recipe for salmon patties from Ellie Krieger.

Salmon Cakes w/ Creamy Ginger-Sesame Sauce

The idea for this came from the Well Trained Mind forums. Thanks Wyndie!

baby bok choy
apple cider vinegar
tamari
garlic
olive oil

Cut the bok choy in half lengthwise. Mix together a marinade of apple cider vinegar, tamari, garlic and olive oil. Pour over bok choy and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Bake in a 350*F oven for 20-30 minutes.

Yikes! It's amazing how much we rely on dairy for our meals. My husband has discovered how much he is negatively affected by dairy, so we're trying to cut it out of his diet (and cut back on it in the rest of ours!) We do already eat quite a few recipes that are dairy-free. But I'm kind of thrown by the lack of our go-to easy meals like cheese and veggie quesadillas.

2 cups raw pine nuts, soaked in water for a minimum of 1 hour
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tsp sea salt
6 Tbsp water

Grind the first 4 ingredients in a food processor. Gradually add the water until the mixture becomes fluffy like ricotta.

I'm not impressed with any of the recipes I've tried out over the last few years, so I've gone and developed my own. Well, I'm developing my own; it may take some tweaking. Here it is as stands:

November 1, 2009 Version
Thyme For Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2 lbs of your favorite cut of beef for stew, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (you have my permission to use all-purpose if you prefer)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 to 2 bay leaves (depending on preference)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos (use low-sodium soy sauce if you must)
3-4 cups good quality beef broth
1/2 to 3/4 of a small bag of baby carrots (hey, it saves time!)
1 large onion, chopped
2 pounds of diced potatoes (I like 'em home grown.)


Directions:
In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the beef in the flour mixture.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the beef to the hot skillet and cook until all sides are nicely browned.

In a 4-quart slow-cooker, combine the browned beef and the rest of the ingredients. Cook over low heat for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.

If you added too much beef broth and it's more soupy than stewy (ok, I made that word up) you can use a cornstarch roux to thicken it up a bit.

Enjoy!

1 pound beans (any combination)
6-8 cups water
ham bone
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp liquid smoke (optional)

If using dry beans, prepare as directed. Combine prepared beans with other ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on high for 5 to 6 hours, or on low for 8 to 10 hours.