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)