Margarita Pork Chops with Crispy Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

3 pork chops, flattened to about 1 inch thick

1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes' worth)
Juice of 1 orange
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. your favorite spice rub (mine was leftover from this recipe)
2 chipotles in adobo (adjust to your tastes), minced
1 T. honey

Instructions:

Mix together marinade spices in a large bowl or ziploc bag.  Add pork chops, coat, and allow to sit for 8 hours or more, shaking up the marinade/chops a couple of times to evenly distribute again.

Heat a grill over high heat.  Add pork chops and sear (for those perfect grill marks!) for 6 minutes.  Turn down the heat to medium and continue cooking for another 6-15 minutes (depending on how thick your chops are, mine took FOREVER) until almost done throughout.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes, tented with foil.

Serve hot with your choice of sauce (I used salsa verde and Sriracha!) and enjoy!

The recipe for the quinoa salad can be found here.  I follow it exactly, no changes except perhaps adding a few more veggies!  Very versatile and refreshing.

Bomb Collins

Sometimes you have a really bad day.

Or, for me, a really bad morning.  Not enough sleep (for a few days), hormonal, bitchy.  Just one of those no-good, no-fun, not-feeling-life-at-all, please-just-let-me-stay-in-bed-all-day mornings.  You blow up at everyone and everything, you cry, you're not feeling like *yourself*, and (in true angst-fashion) no one *gets you*.

Therefore, dammit, in my world, you need and deserve a drink.

But not just any drink!

A nice drink.  A fancy drink.  A drink recipe you saved last week because it just looked THAT GOOD.

So, this afternoon, I splurged and went and got everything for it (Angostura Bitters, what is THIS?) while Charles was out and have been preparing the simply syrup and everything for it.  

It's an appropriate farewell to the summer peaches that I hardly got to savor, as well (insert massive sad face here-- D: ).  (HOW IS IT ALMOST FALL ALREADY?!?!?!)

Now, the blog I found this on is gorgeous and I followed the recipe to a T, so I feel like I'm plagiarizing if I retype it here.  So, here you go, the Bomb Collins!

The flavors of the drink.

By the way, you can proceed to eat the peach out of the bottom of your glass when you're done...so that makes it healthy, right? ;)

Beautiful peaches.

Steeping the simple syrup.

The Bomb Collins.

Mango-Strawberry Crumble

I had a ton of way-over-ripe (about to go bad) mangos in my fridge and was searching for something to make with them.  I sort of made this up as I went along--take measurements with a grain of salt!  It came out really great, and vanilla ice cream is a perfect addition to it.

Ingredients:

Filling
2 very ripe mangos, cubed (should be about 2-3 cups of mango flesh, my mangos were massive)
15-20 strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 1.5 cups)
2 tablespoons of sugar (adjust depending on your tastes, I don't find that mangos and strawberries need a lot of extra sugar)
Juice of 2 limes, or 1 lemon
1 T. cornstarch or other starch
1 t. cinnamon

Topping
1 recipe gluten-free pie crust (I had one premade)
1/2 cup coarsely ground almonds
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions:

Butter a square 8x8 baking pan.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Toss together the filling ingredients in a bowl and pour into the pan.

Combine the topping ingredients in another bowl and crumble them together with your fingers until they're in small chunks.  Sprinkle evenly over the filling.

Bake in your preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until the filling is cooked and the topping is well-browned.




....we ate it before I could take pictures.  It was delicious.

Greek-Inspired Chicken Burgers with Homemade Tzatziki

...and chickpeas braised with radish greens and spinach!

We had another sausage-making adventure this weekend (Charles had a few friends over to watch a videogame tournament final) and they were fantastic!  We used this recipe, but next time I will up some of the flavorings.  While it was delicious, I wish the sun-dried tomato flavor had been far more pronounced.  And the cheese kept melting out of the sausages on the grill!

I also made this very refreshing quinoa salad to go with it, which was a big hit, even among the men!  Quinoa is not one of my favorite things, as I often find it very bland.  But this came out very flavorful with a great crunch!  Definitely going in my mental book of things I will make over and over again.

A fun weekend was had by all, and I hope that you all had a great Labor Day!  I managed to run/walk a mile yesterday and today with no worsening foot pains, so hopefully *knockonwood* I'm on the road to total recovery!

Now, after a weekend of semi-indulgent eating and drinking (mostly the drinking part--GF beer, you will be my downfall!), I'm looking to make something lighter.  Yesterday morning, it was an omelette that was essentially a ton of vegetables with a little bit of egg mixed it (and, of course, Sriracha dumped on top).  Didn't eat lunch (one of those odd days where you're just not hungry at all), had the tiny bit of that quinoa salad left for a snack, and then leftovers for dinner.  Today, chicken burgers!

Chicken Burger

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground chicken or turkey (I home-ground 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
1 T. dried oregano
1 T. fresh basil, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed (I, for once, used my garlic press to get a paste-like consistency)
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 t. lemon juice, plus a little zest
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. Kalamata olives, finely minced (I did not have these, but they're in the original recipe)
1 t. brine from olives
Black pepper to taste

Buns and toppings

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients for the patties together in a bowl.  Cover and let marinate in the fridge for an hour.

Divide into four equal patties.

Preheat your grill, broiler, or stovetop grill-pan to medium-high heat and cook for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until juices run clear.

Top with tzatziki and your other toppings and enjoy!

Tzatziki

Ingredients:

1 head of garlic (yes, one HEAD of garlic...you can reduce that if you're not a garlic-nut like me!)
1 500-g container of Greek yogurt (thickest you can find)
1 English cucumber, seeded and peeled (if you so desire, I didn't)
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. lemon juice (start there, add more if you wish)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Many recipes include a bunch of parsley and mint, but I didn't have either on-hand.

Instructions:

Process the garlic and cucumber in a food processor until finely minced (use liquids from the recipe to aid in the processing).  Also, add herbs, if you are using them.

In some cheesecloth or a fine strainer, squeeze out all the water possible from the cucumber.

Mix everything together in a small-to-medium bowl and cover, refrigerating for at least an hour.  Taste after letting it sit, and correct any flavors to your taste.

Eat it on burgers, sandwiches, use it as dip, etc!

Braised Chickpeas with Radish Greens and Spinach

So, I bought some radishes over the weekend, and they came with a large bunch of greens attached.  I thought, "I can't just throw this out!  This has to be edible!" Lo and behold, it is!  Others compare to flavor to that of other bitter greens, like Swiss chard or kale, so use accordingly.

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bunch radish greens (or other greens!), washed and dried
1 cup baby spinach, washed and dried
2 shallots (or 1 large), finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Instructions:

Heat 1 T. oil in a deep saute pan over medium heat.  Cook shallots until translucent, then add lemon zest.

Add in chickpeas and saute for a minute or two.

Add in your liquids and bring to a simmer.  Allow liquid to cook down for about 10 minutes, and then add the greens. (I did the opposite and my greens ended up way overcooked).  Salt & pepper to your tastes.

Dinner is served!  Really, really delicious and healthy!

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!

Cornmeal-Crusted Basa (Catfish) with Homemade Tartar Sauce and Kalyn's Ratatouille Wanna-Be

A few weeks ago, I discovered basa fish, which was super-duper on sale at IGA and had the "sustainable fish" stamp of approval on it (I try to be aware of which fish are on the do-not-eat list, typically).  Upon coming home and researching, I have discovered that basa is indeed a Vietnamese catfish, and is being shipped worldwide due to its large numbers and nutritional value.  So, take that as you will.  I will buy it again when I see it.  The fillets are HUGE, and it's relatively low-calorie.

Sometimes, I feel like having some good ol' Southern-style food.  Fried catfish is one of those things.

First!  Homemade tartar sauce, because you want this to sit for at least an hour before you eat it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
3 T. minced dill pickle (or sweet relish, but I prefer the sour aspect)
1 T. dill
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.  Taste and correct any ingredients (you may want more dill, more pickle, whatever).  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before eating.  That was easy!

Fish time!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely ground corn meal
1/2 t. half-sharp paprika
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. thyme
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground black pepper

2 basa fillets (I have no idea how big mine were, really...)

Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions:

Fill a large, heavy-bottomed skillet with enough oil to fill it about 1/2 inch from the bottom.  Heat over medium-high heat.

Mix corneal and spices/herbs on a plate or shallow bowl.

Dredge both sides of the fish in the cornmeal mix, pressing to make sure the fish is well-coated.

Your oil is ready when, if you dip your fingertips in some water and flick water droplets at the surface of the oil, it sizzles and pops and generally goes crazy.

Fry your fish for about 6 minutes on each side (or according to the packaging), until golden brown and crispy.  Place on a plate with paper towel to remove any excess oil.

Serve immediately with your tartar sauce and a side of your choice!  The ratatouille wanna-be recipe can be found here.

 I also enjoyed a mojito :D.

Bircher Muesli

Yes.  I know.  It's been a while.

I have been busy with people/lazy with updating.

My mother came to visit, my sister came to visit, Charles got home, and there was much rejoicing *cue Monty Python clip*.

We've had a wonderful insurgence of fresh local produce at markets, so I've been going eggplant crazy and zucchini crazy and managed to get some strawberry jam made (now I need to do raspberry).  It looks like we'll be another year without blackberry jam...I don't know why, but no one seems to grow them here.  Sad face.

On with the recipe!

This is a very simple breakfast recipe with many, many variations and options.  It's very filling and nutritious, loaded with protein, and it can be made at the beginning of the week and had for breakfast all week long.  I discovered it at the (AMAZING) breakfast buffet we had at the Novotel in Sydney, Australia, and have been wanting to make it since.  My sister brought me some gluten-free oats (something else that seems impossible to find here), and I now can do just that!

Mine is super-simplified because I choose to add the toppings daily, rather than mixing them in.

Bircher Muesli

Ingredients:

3 cups prepared oatmeal*
1 cup unsweetened applesauce OR a combination of grated/chopped tart apples and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of honey

Garnishes/Mix-In:

Chopped walnuts
Sliced almonds
Other nuts!
Sultana raisins
Dried cranberries
Other dried fruit!
Fresh fruit!
More yogurt!
Flax seeds

The possibilities are endless!

*NOTE:  Recipes I have read call for rolled oats soaked in apple juice overnight (not cooked), but I cannot find ANY gluten-free rolled oats here, so I used steel-cut, which you really, really need to cook, haha.  Left them a little under-done so that they would soak up more liquid and have a bit of texture to them.  If you want to make the "real thing", a good recipe is here: http://editor.nourishedmagazine.com.au/articles/bircher-muesli.

The original recipe from the early 1900s is here!: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muesli#Original_Bircher-Benner_muesli_recipe

Instructions:

Take your prepared oats, mix them in a large bowl (with a lid) with the yogurt, honey, and apples/sauce, and refrigerate.

Huzzah!  You are done.  Mix in or top with whatever you desire!

So far, the batch I made is a little soupy, so next time I will try soaking the oats in everything overnight to see how they do.  Also, it's been enough for about 6 or 7 Amy-breakfasts.  YMMV.

Snack-sized (maybe 1/4 cup) with walnuts and concord grapes (nope, not blueberries).

Breakfast!  Sliced almonds, banana, concord grapes, dried cranberries, and wild blueberries.