Sunday, September 27, 2015

Spiced Pork Loin

As the pages of the summer months have come to a close, the new chapter of fall begins...except in Singapore where the tropical season is the same all year round. I hope you enjoy the flavors in this meal. They will dance on your palate reminding you of those endless summer nights - while escorting you into fall with the warm flavors of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. The spinach, earthy veggies, spiced pork, and salty crisp cheese will warm you up!



Ingredients
Spices:
1 Tbls each of:
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Mustard powder
Adobo seasoning
Paprika
Cinnamon
Sea salt

1/2 Tbls each of:
Allspice
Nutmeg
Cloves

Other Ingredients
Olive oil
Small butternut squash
Small head of broccoli
Fresh spinach
Kefalotyri Greek Cheese


Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium bowl add all spices.
Stir spices. Give a quick taste to see if flavors blend to your liking.
(to be honest the amount of spices is a ball park guess. I usually eyeball the amount. That's how I roll!)
Line a small baking dish with foil (make sure the foil is cut bigger than the dish).
Dredge the pork loin in the spice mixture to completely coat.
Press all the spices into the meat.
Place coated pork loin in foil lined pan.
Drizzle foil with 1-2 Tbls olive oil.
Bring ends of foil together and seal edges.
Bake for 20 min.
Check after 20 min to see if it is cooking through. Reseal. Cook a bit longer till no longer pink.
When pork is cooked through, take out of oven and set aside to rest keeping foil sealed.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Broccoli
While pork loin is baking
Line a cookie sheet with baking paper.
Cut skin off butternut squash.
Cut in half, scoop out seeds, and then cut squash into cubes.
Cut broccoli florets into size of choice.
In a medium bowl toss squash and broccoli with 2 Tbls olive oil and a pinch of sea salt.
Spread veggies over the lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 min.
Check veggies and give them a stir. Cook for another 10 min or until the butternut squash is tender.

Fried Kefalotyri Greek Cheese
Slice cheese 1/2 to 1 inch thick.
Heat fry pan with 4 Tbls olive oil.
Carefully add cheese to oil and fry until sides of cheese start to turn golden about 3 min or so.
Carefully flip cheese and cook other side.
Remove cheese from pan and place on plate.
Cut into strips or bit size pieces.

Serve
Place fresh spinach on center of plate.
Add sliced pork loin and roasted veggies.
Top with fried cheese and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Cheers to fall!

Paleo and Gluten Free friendly meal

(Omit cheese or use cheese substitute if dairy intolerant)




Thursday, September 24, 2015

Ginger, lemon, honey - good for the body

I find whole foods so satisfying. It may take longer to prepare your meals but the end product is so much better for you.

Here is a simple tea to drink hot, warm, or cold.

















In a tea pot add... 
3-4 slices of lemon.
2 - 1/2 inch slices of fresh ginger. Add more for extra zing!
1 spoonful of honey

Pour hot water over the lemon, honey, and ginger.
Stir and set aside to steep. Drink and enjoy!

Health benefits from Food Matters
Lemon
Ginger
Honey








Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Casual Cooking

Hey friends!

Oh my. I know I have not posted on my blog for awhile but it doesn't mean I have not been cooking. I have tons of photos of experiments in the kitchen downloaded on my computer. I just have not been able to take the time to write the blog posts. The most I have been able to do is write a quick post on Facebook. I'll get some new foodie blog posts up soon.

What's been inspiring me lately is an idea that's been on my mind for awhile; to invite friends to gather in my kitchen to share helpful cooking tips and teach them how to prepare meals. We now have our "Casual Cooking" class meeting once a month. Here are some photos from our first session making Butter Chicken.



All prepped and ready!


Gorgeous ladies ready to rock it in the kitchen!



Focus





A little yogurt and spice bath for the chicken with two smiling faces!


Joy



Mastering cauli-rice


And now... we eat!


Learning the basics and having fun!
Stay tuned for our next session.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Every day is Valentines Day! - Chicken filled with Love and covered with beauty

What is it about Italian food and Love?
My husband and I had a beautiful dinner out on the town for Valentine's and enjoyed a dreamy bottle of Petit Verdot from Tuscany. While sipping the nectar from this amazing grape, we reminisced and walked down memory lane of our time in Florence, Italy. Ahhhhhhh...Italy. Beautiful evening full of laughter, food, wine, and Love.

The next day we got ready for our week. I perused through some foodie inspiration on Pinterest and stumbled on this recipe for Baked Mozzarella Chicken Rolls. Ummm I was smitten. Had to give this a whirl. I followed the recipe but did make some modifications to make it Paleo/Gluten Free. It does have cheese on top so if you are dairy intolerant, use your substitute. Click on the link above for the recipe in it's entirety. See my changes below with the photos.

Enjoy with a side of rocket (Arugula) and cherry tomatoes drenched in juice of one lemon, 2 Tbls olive oil, fresh ground pepper, and sea salt. Toss and serve snuggled up to the chicken dish. Reserve some of the dressing and drizzle next to the chicken. Ka-Pow! The flavors are mouth watering.


Give the chicken a pound or two as stated in the recipe.


Instead of Ricotta cheese I used Macadamia Nut "Ricotta" from Serious Eats and Nom Nom Paleo.


Instead of bread crumbs I used Almond meal.


Scoop out 1-2 Tbls of mixture.


Roll up chicken, take it for a swim in the egg white, and dredge in the almond meal/parma. Rest in a layer of olive oil in a baking pan.


I used aged sharp cheese of choice. Give it extra pow!


Bake as directed


I used homemade red sauce (thanks Schermer) for the next step. 
-One small can tomato paste
-One Tbls Herbes De Provence
-1 tsp Onion powder
-1 tsp Garlic powder
-1 tsp Sea salt
-1 to 2 Tbls honey
-1/4 cup red wine
-1 Tbls olive oil
Bring ingredients to a slow boil while stirring continually. Remove from heat.

Add a dollop to crusted cooked chicken goodness.


Add sharp cheese and some shredded parma. Put back in the oven to melt the cheese.


Dress it up with some fresh chopped basil.


Enjoy!



Paleo and Gluten Free friendly meal
(Omit Cheese or use cheese substitute if dairy intolerant)

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Zoodles of fun!

What are Zoodles?

Makes you wonder if this is a new hair brained idea on this "eating healthy" thing.
Well actually, don't knock it till you try it!

It will fill your belly and tickle your taste buds with amazing earthy flavor. Here is a little ditty on their wonderful nutritious value and aid to your body.  Zucchini

So you may ask, "How do you make these interesting pasta free noodles?"

I am happy to say they are easy and fun to make. Reminds me of playing with "Play-Doh Fuzzy pump and grow" set as a kid. LOL!

http://www.toplessrobot.com/fuzzypumper.jpg

Ok, So here's the low down. You need this handy tool - Zoodle Maker  


To make this


Add your freshly spiraled Zoodles to boiling water. Let them hang out in the hot bath and cook them to your desired doneness. Drain the Zoodles and squish them a bit to remove the excess water that they like to hold on to.

Add any pasta topping that is your favorite like you would with regular pasta noodles. 


Ingredients for this lovely dish

Cooked Zoodles (2 zucchini)
1/4 cup Pesto
1/4 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese (add more if you want)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl so everything is well blended. Serve. Add a bit of protein. I made a poached egg and it was so YUMMY! Top with freshly ground pepper and red pepper flakes. Sop up the wonderful juices with some gluten free sunflower bread (or bread of choice) with a light blanket of olive oil. Have fun making many more creations with Zoodles! Enjoy!

Gluten Free meal. 





Friday, November 14, 2014

Butter Chicken

My husband and I lived in Kathmandu, Nepal for 2 years. As I opened each of the spice jars while gathering the ingredients for this Butter Chicken recipe by My Heart Beets the aroma filled my kitchen with fond memories of our time in Nepal. Here are some photos for a little walk down memory lane...

















These photos make me smile and bring joy to my heart. Time in Nepal had it's rough moments, but those moments are blown away by our fond memories like a gust of wind clears the leaves from a path. The bonds of friendship formed in this deep soulful rich place will forever be special gems stitched in the fabric of our journey overseas. Very much like the beautiful tapestries as the one displayed below. 


The goodness rises to the top and outweighs the difficulty. It helps us remember we are all in life together. To embrace, love, cherish, and take care of one another. Find the positive in the now and to not take life for granted. Nepal is truly a place like no other.

So back to the meal. Usually when trying a new recipe sometimes I don't have all the ingredients or I modify it to be a Paleo/Gluten Free friendly meal. This one...I followed to the "T" and it was absolutely delicious! If I were to do anything different I would add a bit more kick next time.

Click on Paleo Butter Chicken for the recipe and click on Paleo Nann Bread for a quick, simple, addition to this fabulous meal. 


Here are my photos during the prep and completion of this dreamy dish. 
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
















Making the Naan bread. Yes, I am messy in the kitchen.






It's whats for din din!


Paleo and Gluten Free friendly meal. Enjoy!