by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Appetizers, Vegetables
I was slacking off in the kitchen for a while, and I can tell my husband was really looking for something new in our culinary lives, so I whipped up his favorite type of greens (or rather yellow ;-). Endives! I personally think they are a little bitter, so I added some balsamic reduction, a little sweetness to balance it. In addition, the stinky gorgonzola “paired” really well with the sweet pears. And for a little crunch, I added in the chopped walnuts. This is a super easy and simple appetizer to make, as long as you’ve made the balsamic reduction ahead of time. (Click here for that recipe). Enjoy!
This only took a couple of minutes to throw together. Using the Endive as the serving utensil, you can scoop up the ingredients for a single bite, without the double-dipping.
Ingredients: (for 2 servings)
- 1 head of endives (10-12 leaves)
- 2 tbsp gorgonzola
- 1 tbsp goat cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 bosc pear (cubed)
- a drizzle of balsamic reduction
Mix all above ingredients in a bowl, except for the endives. Place the endive leaves on a plate, and add the mixture into the center, then drizzle with the balsamic reduction.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | CrockPot, Favorite Recipes, Meats, Paleo, Sauces
For approximately a year now, I’ve been volunteering for an amazing organization here in Boulder, called There With Care. There With Care’s mission is to provide a wide range of thoughtful and fundamental services to children and families during the critical phase of a medical crisis. They serve families referred by medical agencies, by building a network of services and people who ease the burden of life’s day-to-day obligations with compassion and care. I have been working on There With Care’s Team Chop, where we prep simple, healthy, and easy to cook CrockPot meals for each of the families. It has been an amazing organization to work for. We have an incredile team of people on our team, dedicating their time once a week to help eleviate some of the burden these families are facing.
So, after a year of working with Team Chop, I finally bought myself a slow-cooker (CrockPot). It has been fun experimenting with some new recipes. One of which was another creation by my foodie-17-year-old. Takes a total of 10 minutes to prep, and has very few ingredients. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
Ingredients:
- 3 lb pork shoulder
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp oil
- 8 tomatillos – quartered
- 2 jalapenos – (remove seeds for less spice – chop into large chunks)
- 1 onion – large chunks
- 4 garlic cloves – quartered
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the pork shoulder into 1 inch pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper. In an iron skillet on high heat, add 1 tbsp of butter and add half of the pork, making sure not to crowd the pan. Braise each piece so they are nice and brown, and crispy. Repeat with the second batch of meat. Set aside. Meanwhile, toss the tomatillos, jalapenos, onion, and garlic in the oil. Salt, then place onto a baking sheet and roast them, until they start to brown slightly, apprximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and place ingredients into a food processor or blender. Salt to taste. Place the meat into the crockpot and pour the pureed mixture ontop. Cook on low heat for 6 hours. Serve with rice, and black beans with sour cream.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Fish
I cherish every minute I get to spend with my 17-year-old son, especially in the kitchen. He is so brutally honest when it comes to critiquing my food that it has made me a better cook. (He actually could be an amazing professional food critic). I have to credit him with this creation, I was just the executor! Searing the tuna took about 6 minutes, but the prep for the sauces was a little more labor intensive. Be sure to let the fish sit out at room temperature for about an hour, as you will only be searing the outside of the fish, inside will remain rare, and you don’t want the inside of the fish to be cold.
Ingredients for Soy Reduction:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp of rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp chopped garlic
- 2 tsp chopped ginger
Ingredients for Wasabi Crème Fraîche:
- 1 cup Crème Fraîche
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3 tsp wasabi paste (use less if you do not want it too spicy)
- salt to taste
Ingredients for Tuna:
- 2 tbsp of toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp of chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp of pureed ginger
- 4 – 6 oz pieces of Tuna
- salt
Directions for Soy Reduction:
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, medium heat, cook down until sauce reduces it becomes thick and syrupy. Prior to pouring, strain through a sieve to remove the chunks of garlic and ginger. Pour over seared tuna.
Directions for Crème Fraîche:
Stir the Crème Fraîche together with the sour cream and salt. Add in the wasabi, one teaspoon at a time, until you’ve reached your desired potency. Spoon onto each plate. Place tuna on top of the wasabi cream.
Directions for Tuna:
Using an iron skillet, heat the oil, garlic, and ginger on medium heat. Saute until garlic is cooked, but not browned. Remove garlic and ginger with a slotted spoon, leaving any remaining oil in the pan. Increase the heat to high and add the tuna, searing each side. Once you all sides are browned, remove the fish and place onto the wasabi cream, then drizzle the soy reduction, and garnish with cooked garlic and ginger. Serves 4 people. Paired nicely with sushi rice.
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Fish
This is probably not the lightest dish! But the infamous “they” said that fish has a high water content and when you fry it in oil, the fish itself does not absorb the oil, so if you put that delicious crispy skin aside, you can actually still have a healthy meal. ;-). Trout is a great local fish that we find often at the markets in Colorado. The trout is brought in fresh, and you can sure taste the difference!
This was another inspiration from my favorite guide – “The Flavor Bible“, pairing the fresh trout with butter, sage, capers and lemon. It’s actually super fast and easy to cook!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic canola oil
- 3 whole trout
- 1/2 cup flour for dredging
- 6 tbsp butter
- 20 sprigs of fresh sage
- 3 tbsp of capers
- rock salt
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped Italian parsley
- lemon as needed
Directions:
Sprinkle rock salt on the inside and outside of the fish. In a large deep skillet, add the oil to medium-high heat. Pat the capers dry and add to the oil. Once the capers pop, you can remove them with a sieve and place onto a paper towel to drain some of the oil. Dredge the fish in the flour, then place the fish into the oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan add the butter to medium high heat. Once hot and bubbling, add in the sage leaves. Cook until sage becomes crispy and the butter turns brown. Make sure not to burn the butter. Remove the fish and place onto a platter. Pour the sage butter onto fish and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with lemon wedges. This served 5 hungry adults. Also served with the side dish of Haricot Vert (with Almonds and Parmesan).
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Favorite Recipes, Vegetables
Haricot Vert are a thinner and smaller version of the standard American green beans. I cooked these last night as a side dish to my fried trout with brown sage butter (I’ll post that recipe tomorrow). The flavor combinations came from the “affinities” listed in my go-to “Flavor Bible“, pretty much my inspiration for a majority of these recipes. For a Paleo version, just omit the Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of haricot vert
- salt for water
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
Directions:
Boil 5 cups of salted water in a medium sized saucepan. Add in haricot vert and blanch them for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet on medium-high heat, melt the butter, add in the garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Add in the haricot vert, stir frequently. After 5 minutes add in the almonds and saute until beans are tender. Remove from heat, and sprinkle the beans with parmesan cheese. Serves 4
by zan@zeliciousrecipes.com | Paleo, Soups, Vegan, Vegetables
It’s finally winter, and I really wanted to something that was hearty, healthy and warm. It’s been years since I’ve made this Ayurvedic dal (Dahl), but it has always been one of my favorite dishes. I learned this recipe over 18 years ago when my husband and I visited the Deepak Chopra Center in La Jolla, Ca. We stayed there for a week and attended spiritual classes, yoga classes, daily massage treatments, and Ayurvedic cooking classes, and even had a chance to meet Deepak in person! A truly “life-changing” experience! The recipe we made at the Center was a mung Dal, but I could only find Chana Dal at my local grocer. Channa Dal is a small relative of the chickpea and has a yellowish color. Its flavor is slightly sweet. If you can’t find channa dal use yellow mung dal, or yellow split peas. In preparing Dal, it is important to soften it well and cook it long enough so that it takes on a creamy consistency. ( I ended up soaking mine for 2 hours, then cooking for 2 more hours).
Ingredients:
- 2 cups dry Chana Dal
- 5 cups water
- 2 tbsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
- 1 1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
- 2 tbsp of minced garlic
- 2 tbsp pureed ginger
- 2 tsp of mustard seed
- 2 tsp of coriander
- 1 tsp of turmeric
- 1 tsp of cumin
- salt to taste
- a sprinkle of asafoetida (helps with digestion) – get online or Indian Market
- cilantro for garnish
Directions:
Wash Chana Dal; drain. Soak in water for 2 hours. Cook Chana dal in water in a medium-sized saucepan covered over medium heat until soft, about 1.5-2 hours, depending on the dal! In a small frying pan heat the ghee and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds pop, add in the onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, making sure not to brown the garlic. Add it all of the spices, and stir so the onions are covered. Then add the spice-onion mixture to the chana dal pot and stir. Add salt and asafoetida. Cook for additional 10 minutes. The texture of the dal should be creamy. Serve with a garnish of cilantro. If not concerned about paleo, you can serve with garlic Naan or basmati rice.
Here are some other great resources for Ayurvedic Meals:
“The Ayurvedic Cookbook” – by Amadea Morningstar
“Eat-Taste-Heal: An Ayurvedic Cookbook for Modern Living” – by Thomas Yarema, Daniel Rhoda and Johnny Brannigan
“The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook: A Seasonal Guide to Eating and Living Well” – by Kate O’Donnell and Cara Brostrom
