Sizzling ginger pork

I love this dish, in fact it is whats for dinner tonight!

1 teaspoon sesame oil

8 ounces lean pork tenderloin, diced

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup House of Tsang stir fry sauce or

2 tablespoons dark molasses

1 tablespoon Szechuan seasoning (see note)

1 cup cooked rice, I prefer brown rice

2 cups steamed broccoli

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook quickly until lightly browned but not fully cooked. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.

Add half the broth to the skillet and then the onion, shallots and ginger. Simmer for a few minutes, until softened. Add the remaining broth, the soy sauce and the Szechuan seasoning. Bring the mixture to a simmer and return the meat to the skillet. Simmer for a couple of minutes longer, until the meat is just cooked through. Serve over hot rice with the broccoli. Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro.

Note: Szechuan seasoning usually contains a combination of chile peppers, garlic, ginger and Chinese spices, thats why I like the stir fry sauce. But you can make your own blend with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes, 1 teaspoon ground dry mustard and 1 teaspoon ground coriander. If you like it spicier, like I do, add more fresh ginger or some dried chilies. If you like it milder, cut down on the chile flakes and ginger. Adjust as your palate dictates! ENJOY!!!

Makes 2 servings

Per serving: 360 calories, 34 g protein, 40 g carbohydrates (11 g sugars with molasses), 8 g fat (2 g saturated), 75 mg cholesterol, 7 g fiber ( with brown rice), 610 mg sodium

I usually make extra rice and make a fried rice the next day. Why not get as much use out of the time we spend in the kitchen as we can. I will post my Spicy Fried Rice recipe soon.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

I love this soup. I made it again last night and felt compelled to post it! It is really good with some crust rustic bread. Let me know what you think.

2 Tablespoons butter                                                            1 cup milk

2 cups chopped onions                                                         3 Tablespoons a p flour

11/2 pounds sliced mushrooms                                           salt to taste

2 teaspoons dried dill weed                                                  ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon tamari soy sauce                                               2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 cups stock or broth                                                             1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon Hungarian paprika                                        1/2 cup sour cream

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in butter 5 minutes or till tender. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes more. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to low , cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, I use a small empty jar, whisk the milk and flour together, or shake to mix in a jar. Pour this into the soup and stir well to blend, Cover and simmer for 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Finally, stir in the lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat, about 3 to 5 minutes. DO NOT BOIL. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 ( if you eat like I do)

Gazpacho

A recipe for gazpacho was my first request since starting this blog so it had to come pretty early on. Besides its summer, our gardens and farmers markets are just bursting with the freshest ingredients for this summer favorite. Make a big bowl of this cold soup, it keeps well for a couple days but the veggies start to get soft after that and I like mine with a bit of crispness still in it.

Gazpacho

1 hothouse cucumber halved, (seeding or peeling is optional depending on your preference)

2 red peppers cored and seeded

4 plum tomatoes

3 stalks celery (leaves add flavor)

1 red onion

3 cloves garlic minced

3 cups V8 or tomato juice (low sodium)

1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup good olive oil

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Rough chop the vegetables into 1 inch chunks. Put each vegetable separately in food processor and on pulse until coarsely chopped or finely mince by hand. Do not over process!

After each vegetable is processed combine them in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients.Mix well and chill. The longer this soup chills the better the flavors develop, so make it early. And serve it for lunch or dinner, Want to add a little protein? Toss in a couple cooked shrimp when you serve. Yum!!!

Coconut Panna Cotta

I need to start this blog off with a bang, so the best recipe that I have made lately is a banging dessert. It's fast and easy to put together with an "all day in the kitchen" reward!

 Coconut Panna Cotta with Pineapple.

1 Tablespoon Gelatin

15 oz Coconut Cream, (Coco loco or similar product)

13.5 oz Coconut Milk

2 Cups Chilled Whipping Cream

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

Chunks fresh pineapple or really any fruit of your choice.

Sprinkle the gelatin onto 1/4 cup water to soften. Heat the coconut cream and coconut milk until the sides start to bubble, lower the heat and whisk in the softened gelatin stirring until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Fill a large bowl with ice cold water. Strain the coconut mixture into a bowl that sits firmly in the bowl of ice cold water. Continue stirring the mixture to cool but not to set it. If mixture starts to set, remove it immediately. Remove the bowl of coconut mixture and empty out the cold water and wipe the bowl dry. While the bowl is still chilled stir the whipping cream and powdered sugar until sugar is dissolved. Stir into coconut mixture and mix well. Divide mixture into 6 custard cups or 6 oz ramekins. Chill until firm, at least 6 hours. Serve with the fresh fruit or as is, it really is good enough to be served plain.

I know I said I would supply the nutrition facts with my posts but its dessert. The facts on dessert would deter some people from making them, this is not a dessert you don't want to try. If you really want the facts, email me and I will send them to you. But make this dessert, impress someone you love with a great panna cotta, even if that someone is yourself!

Food bites back

     I consider myself a foodie. I love food, I love to eat food, I even love to cook. Correction, I really love to cook, but I hate doing the dishes. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for sure, but it just might be my favorite day altogether. There is lots of cooking, lots of food and family and friends abound. These days I am a self proclaimed foodie trying to get healthy, and trying to lose weight.
     My goal here is to share with you some of my favorite recipes that I don't want to die with me. But I also want to share some of your favorite recipes that I have served to you, that you don't want buried with me either. So if you want to make something that I have served you, just ask. Mostly, I want to be a resource to you, to answer your questions, if I can but to fulfill your requests as well. But I also want to share with you some of my favorite places to eat, why I go there and what I order. I also like to try to re-create a dish and I will tell you about those successes and failures as well. Together we can make the world a tastier place.
     I eat almost everything, I am not real fond of lima beans but I won't throw them out of a soup , I just don't go out of my way to eat them either. I love a variety of foods and try to cook the same way. My tried and true "old" stand-byes are typically not healthy ( a child of the fifties) but they belong here too. But since I am changing the way I eat there fore the way I cook, I am watching the caloric content, the nutritional information and so forth and so far Al has lost 25 pounds and I have lost 20 pounds. I intend to include the nutritional information with my recipes whenever possible. I will also include the information a recipe might have; like vegetarian options.
It is my hope that you enjoy this food blog. I love the stories that a meal can invoke, a memory, a laugh, a total disaster. And I want to include some of those too! But I also want to know what you want to cook and what stories you want to share, especially those after you try a recipe you saw here. So lets cook, lets
talk. And remember, we bite food and sometimes food bites back!