Be careful what you wish for.

Ravings: You know the saying. It’s so true. My lovely husband has some serious obsessive compulsive tendencies. And it’s a double-edged sword. You know those men people who have grand ideas and never follow through, or start that remodel project and never really finish? There are whole shows on HGTV about them! My husband is the antithesis of that. He cannot stop! No matter what! You think I’m kidding? He has worked on the roof in the dark. He has worked in the basement through dinner and late into the night. On a work night! I have seen him ignore hockey (his one true love in life. I’m a realist. Hockey comes before marriage!) to finish some project that had to be done the minute it entered his mind.

Now, I know what you all are thinking. I wish…. But you don’t really. Trust me. Dinner plans? Doesn’t matter, the painting has to get done. Party invite? I’ll meet you there when I’m done rearranging the basement. I’m serious. He is physically unable to stop himself! Like I said, in some ways it’s awesome. There are no half-finished projects in our house. But it’s also difficult to go to a friend’s house and say that Jason will be there when/if he gets off the roof in time!

Cravings: I’m going to try actually writing out the recipes like a grown up. Let’s see how this goes. A few notes. I never measure anything, so I’m guesstimating after the fact. Sometimes I add stuff as I go and forget to write it down. I’m going to make an effort to report it as true to what we actually ate, but you have to season to your own tastes.

This week I’ve been inspired by Rocco DiSpirito’s book Now Eat This. Jason won it at work in a biggest loser contest and I found it the other day and looked through it for inspiration. This is a take on his modified falafel with a tahini dressing. I served it with pork loin medallions.

For the “falafel:”

2 bunches broccoli
½ can black beans (I was planning to use garbanzos here, but discovered I didn’t have any, so I used the
          leftover can of black beans)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2-3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
Panko bread crumbs

Rough chop the broccoli and put it a blender. (I don’t have a food processor because my kitchen is the size of a walk-in closet, but I really wished I had one here!) Add the beans and blend. I had to add a bit of water to get it blending, but I’m guessing this wouldn’t be the case in a food processor. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add the cumin, salt and pepper. Mix in flour until the mixture is thick enough to form a ball. The original recipe calls for dipping the flattened ball (like a disc) in egg and then the panko, but my dough was really wet so I skipped the egg and just coated it with panko and put the disc on a olive oil coated sheet pan. They cooked for about 20 minutes in the oven at 325. I did flip them once so that the got brown and crispy on both sides.

For the dressing:

½ cup Greek Yogurt
2 Tbsp tahini
1 lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
2+ Tbsp olive oil (next time I think I’ll try sesame oil)
Salt

I tried making this in a glass jar, but it’s really thick so I think next time I’ll make it in a bowl or maybe I’ll try the blender. Just add all the ingredients and mix. This would also make a great dip!

I served the “falafel” on a bed of arugula, with cherry tomatoes cut in half and chopped avocado. I then put a few dollops of the dressing on each disc. Jason loved the dressing, but only ate ½ of a falafel. CJ ate his and Jason’s. I just never know!

For the pork medallions:

1 pork loin, sliced medium
½ onion, chopped
1 apple chopped
2 Tbsp hot pepper mustard (my sister made this so I don’t have the recipe. I’ll see if I can get it from her.)
1 Tbsp fresh sage (you could use dried, but use less, at least ½)
1 Tbsp fresh thyme (you can also use dried of this, but use less)

This is super easy. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir so the pork and onion gets coated with the mustard and herbs. Heat up a large skillet, coat with a bit of olive oil and dump the ingredients in. Cook on medium-high heat until pork is cooked and onions and apples are soft. Jason did not leave leftovers of this and I used an entire pork loin!