Braised Pork and Red Cabbage

This is a great, one-pot dish that takes very little effort to prepare and comes out tasting delicious!

Ingredients:

2-lb. pork tenderloin
7-8 cloves of garlic, peeled
Salt & pepper to taste

6 strips of bacon, chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tart apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup chopped celery
1-2 lb. head of red cabbage, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T. sugar or Splenda
1 t. marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cut 7-8 slits, about an inch apart, into the pork tenderloin.  Place the garlic cloves in these slits.  Salt and pepper the pork and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until the fat begins to render out and the bacon is browning.

Move aside the bacon and brown the tenderloin.  Brown on all sides and remove from the pan.

You can take this opportunity to chop up your other ingredients.

Add in the onion and cook until they begin to caramelize.

Once done, throw in the other ingredients and stir around.  Cook until the cabbage starts to wilt.  Place the pork on top of the cabbage mixture and put the lid on the Dutch oven.

I took the opportunity to deglaze the pan with the vinegar.

Put this in the preheated oven and bake for an hour, or until the cabbage is tender and the pork is cooked through.

You may have a bit too much liquid still in the pan.  If so, place it on a burner over high heat until it boils off.

Remember to taste your cabbage and adjust any flavors to your taste.

Slice up your pork and serve!

Sweet Pork "Barbacoa"

Ingredients:

2.5-3 lb. pork shoulder, bone-in

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 T. chili powder
1 t. paprika (I did half normal and half "half-sharp")
1/2 t. ancho chili powder
1 t. course salt

1 T. tomato paste
1.5 cups chicken broth

6-7 cloves garlic, peeled
1 onion, thickly sliced

Instructions:

Place the pork shoulder in a Dutch oven OR slow-cooker.  If you're using a Dutch oven, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix your brown sugar and spices together in a bowl until well-mixed.  Add in the tomato paste and chicken broth.  Pour over the pork shoulder.

Toss in the garlic and sliced onion.

Cook in preheated oven for 4-5 hours, OR on low heat in the slow-cooker for 8 hours.

Once the meat is falling off the bone and much of the cooking liquid is gone, pull out the bone.  Shred. Place back in the oven, uncovered, to reduce any remaining liquid.

The original recipe said that this was to be served in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc, but I find it far less of a Mexican-esque flavor and more of a barbecue one.  It's quite sweet.

Also, look at my new pretty knife :D!  It's a Shun Ken-Onion chef knife.  This this is scary sharp.  One must respect it.  My Christmas present from my amazing husband!

Vegan Mondays: Ramen

Last weekend, my husband, Charles, came to me and asked if we could start having less meat-centered meals during our weeks.  Sparked by an article he read about human evolution and diet, he concluded that perhaps we should be consuming less animal products.  Combine that with the environmental aspect and cruelty of the meat industry, and we now have our reasons for Vegan Mondays.  (By the way, I was always for this, but you know how dudes can be about their meat.)  This may expand to a few more days of the week later on, but right now, we're trying it out once a week.

If this ramen is any sign of what's to come, we're going to be having many, many more meatless meals.

Forget the ramen you had in high school and college that was ten cents a package and came with a little packet of MSG seasoning.

This is the real stuff. It's man-approved.  I was even asked to make this for the in-laws about five minutes into eating.  And we couldn't believe that it's animal-byproduct-free!

This is a bit of work for a meal, but I think it's so worth it.  It'd also be a GREAT idea to double the broth recipe and have a ramen party where people bring their own little topping.

The original recipe also used smoked shiitake mushrooms and features guidelines for David Chang's Momofuku ramen broth, so if you're interested in that, you'll find it here.

Ingredients:

Shiitake Mushroom Broth

3 quarts (12 cups, or almost 3 liters) of water
3 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms, enough to result in 1 cup of ground mushrooms (these come in tiny bags at my supermarket that are very expensive--I used 3 .5-oz bags and it was enough, so YMMV)
1 sheet Kombu seaweed, rinsed (I could not find this at the supermarket, so I used 3-4 sheets of toasted seaweed sushi wrappers...I have no idea if that was really different)
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
8 whole peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1/4 cup mirin
1/3 cup soy sauce (or more, to taste)
2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, and 1 medium onion, tossed in olive oil and roasted at 425 degrees F until lightly browned (if you have the time)

Toppings
Tofu, cube
Chopped green onion
Bamboo shoots
Roasted cauliflower
Roasted butternut squash
Lightly steamed bok choy (or other sturdy greens)
Bean sprouts
Enoki mushrooms
Roasted/smoked/sauteed shiitake mushrooms
Soy sauce (to top)

Noodles (udon, if you're not eating GF, but for GF people, I suggest soba or shirataki noodles)

Instructions:

Powder up your dried mushrooms in a food processor.

Shiitake!

The dried portobella mushrooms powdered up easier.  (They didn't have enough shiitake bags at the store.)

 Place all broth ingredient in a large stockpot.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove seaweed pieces, then simmer 30 minutes more until reduced by half.

Strain the mixture with cheesecloth, return to the pot, and keep warm.  Once it's time to eat, bring the broth back to a full boil.

Prepare your toppings and noodles.  We tried these low-carb, low-calorie shirataki noodles for the first time.  If you can ignore the smell when they first come out of the bag, they're fantastic!

Serve by placing noodles in a bowl, and toppings in their own bowls around the table so people can add them as they wish.  Pour the broth over everything, once assembled.  (You may need to reheat your bowl if your toppings are cold when you add the broth.)

The set-up!   Note the ubiquitous Sriracha.

Bowl of deliciousness, and a Japanese cucumber salad on the side.

This is an incredible meal, and it gets a 10 on the healthiness scale.  Dig in!

Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon

Americans -- I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was good!  I'm sure you all gorged yourselves in glorious gluttony :).

This is a nice, light recipe for salmon that can help you lighten up your diet a bit for a few days!

I think you could even use some leftover cranberry sauce in place of the pomegranate molasses, hehe.

Ingredients:

4 6-ounce filets of salmon, skin-on (or adjust to however many people you are serving)

Rub:
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T. packed light brown sugar
2 t. corn or potato starch
1 t. lemon-garlic seasoning
1 t. coarse salt
1/2 t. black pepper

1/4 cup pomegranate molasses (recipe here)

Instructions:

Prepare the salmon rub in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over your salmon and rub into the flesh.

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.

Heat a non-stick grill pan (or sautee-pan, make sure it's oven-safe) over medium-high heat.  Spray liberally with olive oil.  Sear salmon, skin-side-up first, for 2 minutes, until the rub has created a crisp, browned layer.  Carefully flip over and sear on the skin-side for 1 minute more.  Brush with pomegranate molasses and move into the preheated oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the salmon is done through.  Brush with pomegranate molasses a few times while baking.

Served with lemony leeks and green beens!

Citrus-Roasted Turkey

I went all Thanksgiving last night, since we had a turkey in the freezer and I spent a few days letting it thaw.  I kind of threw together this recipe using ingredients I had around, and I thought it came out great!  It would also translate well to roasted chicken.

Also, sorry, I have no pictures.  Next time!

Ingredients:

10-pound turkey, thawed or fresh, patted dry
1 lemon, zested, one half juiced, the other half reserved
1 orange, zested, one half juiced, the other half reserved
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
10 whole cloves
2 T. butter, melted
1 t. salt
1 t. thyme
1 T. rosemary
1 T. maple syrup
1/2 cup apple cider

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 325 F.  Place turkey in a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, mix together orange and lemon zests, butter, salt, thyme, rosemary, and maple syrup.  Rub all over the turkey, making sure to spread it evenly.

Place remaining halves of orange and lemon into the cavity of the turkey, along with the garlic cloves.  Truss (if you do that thing, I never do).

Place cloves underneath the skin of the turkey breasts.

Pour juices and apple cider around the turkey in the pan.  This will be your basting liquid as it cooks.

Cook for 3 hours (or more or less, depending on the size of your turkey), basting every 30 minutes.  If it begins to brown too much, tent it with aluminum foil and continue roasting.  Remove from the oven 30 minutes before carving, and allow to rest, tented.

Gravy:

1/4 cup GF flour/starch
Drippings from the pan (mine totaled about 1/2 cup in the end)
1/2 cup-1 cup chicken broth (depending on how thick you want your gravy)
Salt & pepper to taste
Extra rosemary & thyme, if desired

Take 1/4 cup of the drippings and heat them in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Once hot, add the flour and create your roux.  Once the roux foams, whisk in the rest of the drippings and the broth.  Whisk until the mixture thickens, taste, and correct seasoning.

Carve the turkey and serve together!

Pork Chops with Poblano Goat Cheese Sauce

This is a really simple and versatile recipe with a Southwestern flair to it.  It comes together really quickly and feel free to play around with it!  Credit where credit is due, here is where I got it: http://www.bitchincamero.com/2009/05/pork-chops-with-goat-cheese-roasted-poblano-sauce/

Ingredients:

6 pork chops (original recipe said on-the-bone, but I had center cuts)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. lemon-garlic seasoning
(play around with the seasonings, I did it to taste)

2 poblano peppers, stemmed and seeded
1/2 cup-1 cup chicken stock (depending on how thin you want your sauce)
6 oz. soft goat cheese

Instructions:

Preheat your broiler to high and brush poblanos with oil.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet, cut-side down, and boil 4-6 inches from the broiler for 10-15 minutes, or until the skin is charred.  Remove from the broiler and place in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, for 20 minutes.  After this, you should be able to peel away the charred skin.  I couldn't, seeing as my poblanos were very thin-fleshed, so I just threw everything in, charred and all.

Sprinkle your pork chops with seasoning and prepare them as you like.  Grilled, broiled, baked, seared, however.

Heat chicken broth and goat cheese in a small saucepan, until the goat cheese has melted down.  Place in a food processor with the poblano peppers and process until smooth.

Pour over pork chops and serve!  I ended up browning my chops and then baking them with the sauce on them, which made them look less than appealing, but they really tasted great!  It's a very versatile recipe, and I think it'd be easy to add in your own spin on the recipe for whatever tastes you're accommodating.

Served with pumpkin soup and steamed broccoli.

Pumpkin Puree

Just an alert, ladies.  Apparently when you drop below 20% body fat, your hormones can get all out of whack and cause lady problems.

Thank goodness it's fall, and I'll be gaining winter weight anyway.

Speaking of fall, I love October.  Why do I love October?

Pumpkins.

Now, people.  Pumpkins are not just for carving.  Or, what people seem to do here, just setting out on your porch as decorations.

Pumpkins are for eating.

I get sad watching the untouched pumpkins just sit and rot at all the houses in the area.  I want to steal them and put them to use in delicious desserts and soups and meals.  Make tasty snacks of their pepitas.  Feast on their delicious flesh.

Don't buy canned pumpkin puree.   Just make your own.  I got about 16 cups (that's almost 4 liters, Europeans/anyone NOT in 'Murica) out of a single pumpkin.

It was a huge pumpkin, yes.  But ONE.  That I bought for $2, because apparently pumpkins are sold dirt cheap here since no one uses them as food.

Excuse my pale and sickly appearance.  I was tired and not feeling 100%.

So how do you do this?

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F, and prepare 1-2 baking sheets with oil/cooking spray (depends on how big your pumpkin is).

Take your pumpkin.  Cut out the top, like you would prepping it to carve.

Cut it in half.

Scoop out the guts/seeds (save the seeds to make tasty snacks!).

Some people proceed to cut it into smaller pieces, but I don't.  I find it easier to roast two halves.

Spray/brush cut sides of the pumpkin halves with olive oil.  Place cut-side down on prepared baking sheets.

Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes (mine took about an hour), or until a fork easily pierces the skin.  Allow to cool.

Scoop flesh out of the skin and place in batches in a blender/food processor.  Puree.

This is half the pumpkin's puree.

I then pour mine into little freezer bags, in 2 cup portions, and freeze most of it for later use.

The possibilities are endless!

Adventures in Sausage & the Search for the Perfect Poutine Sauce Recipe

While my (also Celiac) sister was visiting, we got the bright idea (or, rather, Charles did) to make our own sausages while taking a lovely stroll through Parc National d'Oka.  We gathered recipes and our supplies and went to work!

I don't have the exact recipes saved, but we made two types: chicken-sage-apple and pork-chipotle-beer.  Both were GF (I actually found a halfway-decent Quebec-made GF beer) and delicious!

If you want recipes and information about making your own sausages, Charles found them here, on TheSpicySausage.com.

Getting it started after the casing had to be cut.

Yeah, sausage!

The completed raw pork sausages, in natural casing.

Now, for poutine.

If you don't know what this is, fret not, you just haven't been to Montreal or Canada and had the heart-attack-in-a-bowl that is (at its very basic state) fries (fried in lard, typically), cheese curds, and "poutine sauce".

The recipe for poutine sauce has eluded me for ages.  No one's online recipes seem to get it right.  Something is always MISSING.  It is NOT just chicken gravy, like many people would have you believe.  But this time around, I HAVE DISCOVERED THE MISSING INGREDIENT.

It is soy sauce.

Not much.  Not more than a few dashes.  But just a tad to deliver its heavy umami flavor.

I didn't write down my recipe (good job, Amy), but, basically, it is:

1 1/2 cups each chicken and beef broth.
A few dashes of soy sauce.
Salt & pepper.
2 T. each cornstarch & water to thicken.

Heat broths in a saucepan until boiling.  Add in soy and S&P.  Add in cornstarch and allow to cook down to a gravy consistency (or thicker).

The taste was DEAD-ON this time, but it was a little thin.  I was too excited.

Also, cheese curds are a necessity.  No substitutions work quite as well.  They are fresh from the cheese factory here and they squeak when you bite into them.

Gluten-free poutine!

We baked our sausages on a bed of peppers and onions.

Complete meal!

Spiced, Baked Catfish with Simple Zucchini

Sometimes during the summer, when it's hot outside and my air conditioner is acting up and I just don't feel like eating a whole lot, I just want a really simple, light dish that doesn't take too much fuss to throw together and clean up.  Today's is one of those meals.

Ingredients:

2 catfish fillets (mine were "basa" fillets and they are HUGE)
Spices, to your taste:  paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, lemon, garlic, and parsley.  I used about 1/2 teaspoon of each.
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T. olive oil

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. lemon-garlic seasoning (I used Penzey's)
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350F.  Use the oil to prepare 2 pans, one for the zucchini, and one for the fish.

Sprinkle both sides of the fish with the spices and herbs and place in the pan.  Squeeze lemon juice over them.

Stir together zucchini, onion, and spices.  Place in prepared pan.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily and the zucchini is cooked through (mine was a little undercooked, but I like it like that).

Serve hot, with tartar sauce if you desire.

Chicken Broccoli Curry Casserole

This is a recipe direct from Kalyn's Kitchen, and I don't believe I made many changes at all, so here is the direct link to the recipe!

This was really flavorful and tasty, though if you're feeding a larger family, you may want to double it (or serve it with a side dish).  For my husband and I, we nearly ate the whole thing!  I'd say it makes 3 adult-sized meals.  Then again, I also only used 3 chicken breasts.  But, still, it's really good.

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 t. poultry seasoning
Salt & pepper to taste
1 head of broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1.5 cups homemade chicken stock (or 2 cups of canned stock reduced to 1.5 cups)
1.5 cups mayonnaise (not fat free)
1-2 T. lemon juice
2-4 tsp. sweet curry powder
2-4 tsp. garam masala
2-4 tsp. hot curry powder (I used Vindaloo, because that's what I have)
(I used more than these amounts because I like really spicy flavors.  Start small and add to your tastes!)
2 tsp. ground fenugreek (if you have it, mine is from Penzey's)
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (optional, but good!)

Instructions:



Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet, add about 2 inches of water (enough to cover the breasts when they're added), along with a sliced lemon, and bring this to a boil.  Add the chicken breasts and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit for 15 more minutes, or until the breasts are cooked through (this is poaching).  Remove chicken.

Cube up the chicken and place it in the bottom of an oiled 9x9 casserole dish.  Sprinkle salt & pepper (and poultry seasoning, if you have it) over the chicken.

Steam or blanche your broccoli until the broccoli is JUST cooked and bright green (you don't want it fully cooked yet).  Drain and place over the chicken in the dish.

In a medium saucepan, place chicken stock and spices and whisk until combined.  Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat (once it's boiling).  Remove from heat and add in the mayonnaise & lemon juice.  Taste the sauce and adjust your spices.

Pour over chicken and broccoli.  You don't need to mix it in.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and top with the cheese, and cook it for another 10-15 minutes.  Tasty tasty!

You could easily do this with turkey as well, and switch up the broccoli (or mix it in) for some cauliflower.  I think adding other veggies would be feasible as well without damaging the flavors.

Cinco de Mayo Megapost

Cinco de Mayo came and went a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean I can't post the food my mom and I made to celebrate!  We love Mexican food, and we make some GOOD recipes.

On the menu was carnitas, a shredded (or cubed, depending on who you talk to) pork taco/etc. filling, frijoles charros, something I've had in many restaurants, but never like this (think pork & beans, but less sweet and more spice), a lovely relish for the carnitas, and black bean soup, which I'll admit isn't Mexican in the slightest.  More like American Southwest, but it was requested, so I will post it.

Carnitas are fairly simple to make, and you could definitely make it in a slow cooker as well as a dutch oven (I would probably leave out some of the liquid, though).

Carnitas


Ingredients:


4 pounds fatty pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
3 cups water
2 oranges, quartered
2 onions, quartered
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled (adjust to your garlic tastes)
3 bay leaves
1 T. epazote (also known as Mexican oregano--if you can't find it, use regular oregano)
1 T. sea salt
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. whole black peppercorns

Instructions:

Put all ingredients into a 6 or 7-quart dutch oven (I used my Le Creuset) and bring to a boil, skimming the surface as necessary.

Lower the heat, allowing the water to simmer vigorously, and stir occasionally until the pork is fork-tender and the liquid has completely evaporated (the fat will be left in the pan).

 If, after 2 hours over low heat, the liquid has not mostly evaporated, scoop out the meat/onions/oranges with a slotted spoon and evaporate the liquid over high heat.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.  Place pork back in pot/remove oranges and toss in the fat to coat. Place your pot in the oven and cook the pork mixture, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes until the meat is browned.  I had to stir mine once or twice to get everything properly brown, but you shouldn't have to.

Top with some lovely sauteed peppers and onion, if you like.

Carnitas Relish


Ingredients:
1 red onion, thinly sliced
8-10 pickled jalapeno slices, finely minced
1 small bunch of cilantro, stems removed and leaves chopped
3 T. of orange juice

Instructions:


Combine ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

Frijoles Charros


Ingredients:


2 cans pinto or black beans (these are traditionally made with pinto beans, but my local IGA does not carry canned OR dried pinto beans), drained and rinsed.
6 oz. bacon (6-7 slices), diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup Mexican beer
2/3 cup of pickled jalapeno slices
2 tomatoes, chopped
2-3 T. brown sugar


Instructions:


Place bacon in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until the fat renders out and the bacon begins to crisp up.

Place onion and garlic in the pan and cook through until translucent and browned.

Place beans, beer, jalapeno slices, and tomatoes in the pan and bring to a simmer.  Cook until most of the liquid has cooked off.

Stir in sugar right before serving.  Top with some fresh cilantro.

Black Bean Soup


Ingredients:
2 cups of black beans (1 15 oz. can OR dried beans, soaked overnight) cooked as stated below
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 large carrot OR 1 sweet potato, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. cumin
2 T. medium heat chili powder
1/2 t. chipotle chili powder
1 12 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups cooking liquid and beans (from beans recipe below)  (If you don't have enough cooking liquid, chicken stock can be substituted)
1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lime

Cilantro and sour cream to garnish

Instructions:

Take your can of black beans OR your soaked, dried beans and put them in a pot with 4 cups of water, 3 slices of bacon, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 of an onion, and 1 garlic clove, and simmer on the stove for 30 minutes.  Strain, reserving liquid, and removing onion, bay leaves, and garlic clove.

Put olive oil in a large soup pot and heat over medium heat.  Place onion, celery, and sweet potato or carrot in the pot and cook until tender.

Add garlic and spices and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Add tomatos, beans, liquid, and pepper, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes (or more), until pepper is cooked through.

Place half of the soup in a blender and puree (REMEMBER: YOUR SOUP IS HOT).  Pour back into pan and simmer a little longer, adding salt and lime juice.

Serve hot, with sour cream, cilantro, and perhaps cheese to garnish.


This is the next day's leftovers.  This meal is ACTUALLY pretty diet friendly if you skip the tortilla or have low carb ones (and if you reduce the sugar in the charro beans, but I find the amount negligible anyway).  It is high calorie, though, so watch your portions.  We also served salsa & guacamole (homemade:  Put half a red onion, 2 cloves of garlic, a jalapeno, and a bunch of cilantro in a food processor and pulse until chopped.  Scoop the flesh out of 2 avocados and add, pulsing until combined. Add the juice of 1 lime, salt to taste, and a dash of chili powder and cumin.).

Enjoy my Mexican food, everyone!

NOTE:  This is totally gluten free if the beer used for the beans is GF beer.  Sorry, I missed that!