Spiced Pork Tenderloin and Lemony Pear & Cranberry Relish

Spiced Pork Tenderloin

Pork
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. safflower oil (or other oil, I used olive)
1 lb. pork tenderloin

Relish
1 firm pear, halfed, cored and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tbs. chopped dried cranberries
2 tsp. grated ginger
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 packs of stevia (I used a little sugar)

Preheat oven to 425F. Prepare relish and let the flavors meld.
Prepare pork. In a small bowl combine the spices and rub all over the pork. Heat a skillet to med/high and brown pork on each side for about 3 mins. Place the pork on a baking sheet (I used my handy cast iron skillet) and bake for 20 mins (I left it in the oven for about 25. I don't like pink meat.) Place pork on cutting board and let stand for 5 mins before slicing. Serve with the relish.

Taiwanese Corn and Beef Kefta

Sorry...these items are not cooked...they disappeared way to quickly after they were finished cooking. :)

Taiwanese Corn

4 ears corn
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 medium shallot
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Crush the garlic clove, mince the shallot. Mix the soy sauce and the sugar then add it to the shallot and garlic mixture along with the chile powder. Add the vegetable oil until it is emulsified.

Spread sauce mixture onto corn with a brush and grill. Grill about 2-3 minutes per side until grilled all around.


Beef Kefta

Mix one pound of ground beef, 2 minced shallots, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of chopped parsley, 2 teaspoons each of cumin, coriander, paprika and dried mint, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Form into balls; skewer and grill.

No Knead Bread and chicken Soup

This bread recipe goes against every bread making rule that I have ever learned. It's so easy to make a that even a monkey could do it.

No-Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (not a typo, strange I know)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt (that's a lot of salt, I reduced this amount a lot and the bread tasted fine)
1 and 1/2 cups of water
A big heavy lidded pot (cast iron or dutch oven).
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed (I used cornmeal).

1. Mix all of the ingredients (except for the cornmeal) together. That's it! It makes a really gloppy, sticky mess and you will think there's no way you've done this step right. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit there for 12-20 hours. (Note: do this step before going to bed if you want bread for supper.)

2. With floured hands shape the dough into a ball shape and let it rest for 2 hours on a floured dish cloth (not a terry cloth, the dough will stick). My dough wasn't overly sticky so I used a bit of cornmeal instead and it didn't stick to the dish cloth.





3. Preheat your oven to 450 F. Put the dutch oven in the hot oven to preheat.

4. When the dutch oven is hot, dust the bottom with some cornmeal or wheat bran and plop the dough on top of it. I also scored my bread because I can't help myself, but you don't have to do this. Put the lid back on and bake for 30 minutes on 450F. Then remove the lid and continue to bake for another 15- 20 mins (it was less than 15 mins for me.)



5. The end result. The bread is crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.


Chicken Soup



1 whole chicken
celery
carrots
bay leaves
garlic
onions
tumeric
pot herbs
salt and pepper
rice
frozen or fresh peas

Put a whole chicken in a pot with some celery stocks, carrots, garlic, onions and salt and pepper. Cover with water and boil the chicken until it is cooked and remove it from the pot. Place the stock in the fridge over night and in the morning remove the layer or partially remove the layer of fat that has risen to the top. Fat does add flavor but if you are watching your fat intake, you may want remove this layer. Put the pot of the stove to boil and add some chopped carrots, celery and rice. Add in some salt and pepper to taste. My little secret is that I add in some tumeric to give the soup color. I don't like using bullion but I don't want my soup to look like ditch water either. The tumeric adds the color you like to see but without the artificial coloring and flavoring found in the bullion. Tumeric has numerous health benefits as well. Simmer with bay leaves and pot herbs of your choice. Add in some cooked chicken and frozen peas at the end. Dip the yummy bread in the homemade soup and try not to make love making sounds like my husband does while eating it.

Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding Recipe

4 slices day old bread or enough to fill the pan you are using, cubed or torn
apple pie spices
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup of raisins or dates
1 egg
3/4 cup of brown sugar (this is a lot of sugar, you can reduce this amount)
1 tsp. vanilla
salt
pecans, maple syrup and brown sugar (optional)

Place bread in a buttered pan and sprinkle generously with apple pie spices. Add the raisins or dates on top. Mix together the milk, egg, brown sugar, vanilla and salt and pour over the bread. Bake in an oven at 350 for 30 minutes or until done. You can double the recipe but I wouldn't double the sugar. If you want to add a topping for a bit more interest and yumminesss, you can mix together some pecans, maple syrup and brown sugar and put it on top of the pudding prior to baking. It tastes wonderful served with caramel sauce and topped with whipped cream.

Beer Can Chicken

Beer can chicken is so simple to make and is really tasty. All you need to do is rub a chicken with your favorite spice blend (we usually use Jamaican jerk seasoning). Then you pop open a can of beer and drink half of it. Then just shove the half empty can of beer up the chicken and pop the chicken on the BBQ. It's done in about an hour or so. I personally never test a meat for doneness by using a thermometer but chef Micheal Smith is more detailed in his description if you'd like to follow this link. I didn't notice that I took of photo of the back of the chicken until I looked at this post but hopefully you will get the drift.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Pulled Pork Sandwich Recipe

Dry Rub:

3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
pork- I used tenderloin

Mix the above ingredients together. I used a pork tenderloin because it is a lean cut of meat, even leaner than chicken. I removed all of the visible fat first then I rubbed the spices all over it. I placed the seasoned meat in my slow cooker and cooked it on high until it was finished. I think I put it in at lunch time and we ate around 5:30ish. When it's fully cooked shred the pork with two forks and make the sauce...

3/4 cup of cider vinegar (don't confuse this with apple cider vinegar. You may want to reduce this amount even further than I did. The original recipe called for 1 and 1/2 cups.)
1/4 cup of yellow or brown mustard (you may also want to further reduce this amount as well.)
1/2 cup of ketchup
1/3 cup of brown sugar
2-3 cloves of pressed or finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon of salt (I omitted)
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (you may find this too much if you don't enjoy spicy food. You can omit it if you like.)

Mix all of the ingredients together and allow the sauce to simmer until is has thickened and the sugar is no longer grainy. Spoon the pulled pork and sauce over some crusty bread. I served it with some parsnips, carrots and brussel sprouts that I roasted in the oven with olive oil, garlic, onions, and a little bit of salt n' pepper. It makes delicious leftovers, if you have any. I had to beat my husband away from the slow cooker.

Salmon Cakes with Yogurt Dill Sauce

My husband will literally eat anything, except Salmon. Especially after he was hospitalized and it was on the menu. I can't imagine trying to swallow poorly cooked, stinky fish when I'm not feeling well. It makes me queasy just thinking of it. He will happily devour these though...

Salmon Cakes

Salmon- I used fresh and cooked it. You can use canned if you like.
Potatoes, cooked, drained and mashed
onions and garlic, chopped and sauteed (this ensures that you don't chomp down on a raw onion, while everything else is nice and mushy.)
dill- I had dried on hand, you can you fresh if you like
tiny bit of lemon zest
black pepper and salt to taste.

Mix all the in ingredients together and form into a patty with your clean hands. Fry them in a little oil or non- stick cooking spray until they are crusty, brown and delicious

Yogurt Dill Sauce

plain yogurt
dill- fresh or dried
lemon zest
tiny bit of mustard

mix everything together and let the flavors marry one another. It's going to be a white wedding. Spoon the sauce over the fish cakes.