Pork-tastrophe

In a word. No. I do not know how to cook pork. Four tries. Four failures. It started after a multi-day search looking for a simple recipe to cook super-lean pork chops (2 on bone, 2 without) from my favorite (and only) Butcher... (stay tuned for road trip to my Bronx Butcher).

So i picked out a recipe, got all the ingredients, had the prep time and began. Half-way though, the recipe said to use a "rack" of some sorts for the oven. A "rack"??? why would I need a rack? Well, because I had googled the wrong recipe. This was for a pork tenderloin, not chop. Awesome. So, I tried to recover and quickly look for a recipe to cook on stove top. The key i kept seeing was the temperature... apparently 165 degrees??? Well, the one good note was that it gave me time to test out a new tool -- my handy thermometer that I got from my cooking school (a blog for another time) after I dropped out after one day. 

I cooked, I "seared"... well, maybe not. I watched videos to see if i was cooking it right... uh! And after cooking it longer than it should have been on the stove, the thermometer only reached 145 degrees! However, in my "professional" opinion, it was clearly overcooked. Dilemma... to eat and risk getting sick or waste the food and money. Well, the dodo ate it. I'm still hear to tell the tale! But wow, pork will not be on the menu (or the blog for some time). I do not accept defeat! ... (just a temporary surrender)

And... goodnight

Simple works. A nurse suggested I try this recipe at home to soothe my stomach and help me sleep. I make it a few times a week: Heat one glass of almond or coconut milk on the stove top. I try to be patient and leave it on low and just let it gently warm. It may take a good 15 minutes or more. Then grab your favorite mug, add about tsp of turmeric. Some nights, adding a splash of cinnamon hits the spot.

Warm in the Belly

I love this mishmash "recipe": 

Store bought organic red pepper and tomato (low sodium) soup as the base. I let it simmer in a Dutch Oven on stove top for about 20 minutes on medium, as I assemble the rest:

Cook Prep: For one person, I make 1/2 cup of yellow couscous and steam cauliflower. Then chop up leftover chicken breast and sauce for about 10 minutes on low in extra virgin olive oil, adding diced clove of garlic, salt and pepper; then add small spinach leaves for about a minute to soften and warm.

Once the soup is warmed, I add the ingredients to the Dutch Oven soup base: All the cooked prep, plus half-inch pieces of scallions (personal choice of size), a few sprigs of parsley, about 7-8 yellow raisins, and tablespoon of coconut flakes. 

Stirring gently, I cover the pot, and turn the heat to low. I let it warm for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to let all the flavors soak in. Soooooo good!

Snowstorm Mashup

I was supposed to be in florida during the Nor'easter last week. Instead my flight was canceled at 5am and I was at home with no supplies. So I opened my fridge, looked in the cabinets and decided to clear house! I am determined this year to eat everything I buy and not let it sit and wait for the perfect time to cook or eat something. I am buying new things a lot lately and I tend to let them sit -- looking for a perfect recipe or time to cook... and then it expires or spoils. New Rule: I buy it. I eat it! 

Last week's Nor'easter was the perfect time to try it all and just see what happens. First course: A not-so-successful smoothie (oy): remaining frozen kale, last of my dandelion greens, few chunks of frozen pineapple, small amount of almond milk, coconut... i'm just going to stop there and let you know that didn't work. The key I learned for my smoothies-- less is more!

Second course. That was a winner: Defrosted a whole wheat tortilla, put it in a small frying pan with a touch of extra virgin olive oil, dash salt and pepper and let it warm. Then I took out the last of the avocado and mashed it up, spreading it on top of the tortilla lightly letting it warm. Then added a nice dash of cayenne pepper and a splash of lemon juice. I took it out when the side of the tortilla started to turn golden brown. Then added some small amount of cilantro and dill. Rolled it up like a burrito, sat by the window and watched the snow fall :) 

Last course! I made it early as the trees were starting to bend alarming close to the outside wires and I was sure I would lose power. Simple mashup: defrosted some roasted chicken (just the white meat pieces, my favorite). Chopped it into very small pieces. Put it in a medium sauce pan with again olive oil, dash of salt and pepper. In another pan slowly sautéed a nice chuck of white onion and a clove and a half of garlic (still on an onion and garlic craving since my surgeries - so wouldn't recommend that amount for everyone) with butter. I set a small pot of water to boil for pasta. I added fresh thyme (yum) to the chicken, slow warming it in the olive oil. Then looked in my fridge and saw remaining celery and wanted some kind of green I so pulled that out too. I cut the celery up into small pieces (it may be that I'm just over five feet that I like everything small!) and noticed I had a small amount of tomato paste left over. I decided I could use it up and figure out a tomato sauce of sorts. I added it to the onions and garlic then decided to add a 1/4 glass of water to make it more of a sauce. Once it was evening out, I added the the small pan ingredients to the chicken, covered it, kept it on llow and let it soak in some flavor. 

Meanwhile, I had made some yummy red lentil pasta that cooked up easily and when it was done... voila! Snowstorm mashup.

Perfectly Purple

Yum. I've not been that hungry for dinner lately -- I've been doing a sizable lunch instead. So this was a perfect dinner smoothie for me: Tbsp peanut butter, 1/4 cup blueberries, tsp chia seeds, half cup almond milk, full glass water, small piece of ginger. Perfect.

Calming

I forgot to take a pic of the banana smoothie described below -- I drank it too quickly! But I do have a pic of this petite and delicious lotus flower cookie that I reviewed for a magazine. In any case... 

I've been making this banana smoothie for a few weeks now: Banana, ice, full glass water, half glass almond milk, chia and flax seeds about tsp each, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (more on tumeric soon!), coconut flakes and for the best part -- a healthy coating of cinnamon. Sometimes i'll add a few blueberries for the antioxidants or strawberries and ginger. This one is so satisfying and fills me up if i'm hungry but not hungry enough for a full meal. The color is so soothing too -- it's a go to as of late to satisfy a craving. Very nurturing drink :) 

The Pink Delight

This beauty is a result of my smoothie / juicing marathon. It started after my second surgery. My neighbor and I began to research and find recipes that worked to rebuild, strengthen, energize our systems and just brighten the day :)

This one was a perfect concoction that created the most wonderful color: about 5-8 strawberries, tsp fresh ginger, tsp of coconut flakes, 1/4 cup almond milk and full glass of water. The final touch was mint leaf on top. The color was so good -- it felt worthy of a wine glass. 

Fun with Leeks!

My venture with leeks. I have been wanting to cook these guys for a while and finally I bought them at Whole Foods. They were calling me every week to go for it and just try out a new ingredient. 

Strangely, the idea of cooking leeks started decades ago. I was watching a movie and the character said, "Leeks! That's what you need. Leeks!" He was so adamant and dynamic about his enthusiasm that this pretty green vegetable took on a lore for me. 

Finally it was time. I looked up dozens of recipes and created a hybrid. Chopping off the roots of the leeks I left the rest intact and dunked them in boiling water for about 15 minutes, until soft. While I was waiting, I created the most scrumptious marinade (see below). And wow... just divine. Everything i could have hoped for -- the leeks were packed with taste and the marinade was delicioso! 

RECIPE: I began here: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/leeks-in-vinaigrette

However, I didn't have a lot of the ingredients so here's my hybrid: Splash Kosher Salt, 1/4 cup chopped white onion, 1/2 garlic clove chopped, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp yellow mustard, 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 tsp brown sugar, bit of black paper.

A Breakthrough Dish

This Tunisian soup had more ingredients and steps than any recipe I’ve ever tackled (pathetic, but true!) I waited until I had a solid couple of hours, to take my time, be patient going from the recipe to the stove, carefully measuring and hunting for spices hidden in racks that had not been open in years, to test and taste the ingredients and adjust the recipe (which i love to do).

And when it was done… every bite was warm and refreshing – an awesome contrast of fresh parsley and cilantro with vibrant spices (cumin and Harissa) plus a kind of sour and mouthwatering note of capers and green olives… an acidic splash of lemon – toasted croutons to absorb and balance the flavor and a hard boiled egg cut in half to brighten the soup with a beautiful colored yellow and soft white.

I loved making this dish!  Not just pretty to look at, but simply delicious. I was unabashedly proud of making it :)

Recipe Source: www.177milkstreet.com