Month: September 2014

Spicy Honey Almonds and Honey Sea Salt Almonds

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I am always looking for a quick, healthy snack these days. These almonds are a great blend of sweet and salty.  I made two versions- the spicy one for me and the plain for the rest of the family.  My kids love the honey and sea salt almonds and I have to admit, they are pretty tasty! They are great for an after school snack with a piece of fruit.  I have stored them now for about a week, and they do tend to stick in the jar.  I just use a spoon and break them up and it’s not really a problem.  And the almonds are still crunchy and taste great. I have made many different kinds of roasted almonds and I always roast them in the oven.  That’s not difficult, but I find this pan method even easier.  No oven required!  They are very easy to whip up in about 10 minutes!

Spicy Almonds

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw almonds

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

almonds 1

Toast the almonds in a dry skillet on the stove on medium heat.  Watch the almonds carefully and keep turning them until they are toasted and fragrant.  Be careful because they can burn quickly.  Mix the spices and honey in a microwave safe bowl.  Warm in the microwave for about 30 seconds until the honey is liquified.  Pour the mixture on the almonds in the skillet and stir on medium heat until the almonds are coated.  Pour the coated almonds on parchment paper or wax paper and let cool.  Once cooled, break the almonds apart.

almonds 2

Honey Sea Salt Almonds

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of  raw almonds

2 tablespoons of honey

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Toast the almonds in a dry skillet on medium heat until browned and fragrant. Microwave the honey for about 30 seconds until liquified.  Pour the honey and sea salt over the almonds and stir the almonds and honey over medium heat until coated.  Cool the almonds on wax paper or parchment paper.  When cooled completely, break almonds apart and enjoy!

almonds 4

Simple Potato Leek Soup

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Soup season is here!  I will probably make it every other day until Christmas…not really, but soup is a great way to pack in nutrients in one delicious dish.  The potatoes are harvested, leeks are in season and this soup could not be simpler.  I added the tasty addition of the bacon.  It just adds the right amount of flavor. If you don’t eat bacon (which is obviously crazy 🙂 ), omit and and use another fat.  You can add corn to this or ham and chucks of potatoes for a hearty soup.  It is great for leftovers.  I actually think it tastes better the next day when all of the flavors are incorporated.

If you have never cooked with leeks before, they are in the same family as onion and garlic.  They more closely resemble a white onion, but with a milder, sweeter flavor. They do not overpower the other flavors in a dish.  They are plentiful in the fall and early spring. When they are in season, I often use leeks in place of onions.  Use the white portions and the light green portion and cut into strips (julienne).

Ingredients:

2 slices of bacon

2 leeks, white and light green portions, julienned about 2 inches

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

4-5 potatoes, peeled and cubed

4-6 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable)

fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

In a deep sauteing pan or dutch oven, fry the two slices of bacon until browned.  Remove the bacon and use the drippings and bits to saute the leeks and garlic (season with sea salt) until softened. Add the chicken stock, potatoes, thyme, salt and pepper and crushed red pepper if you are using. Simmer until the potatoes are soft.  Use an immersion blender or blender to puree the soup in batches.  I prefer to puree the whole soup, but you can also keep it a little on the chunky side.  Serve with a piece of crusty bread and enjoy!

Roasted Pork Loin with Apples and Celeriac

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I was first introduced to celeriac, all known as celery root, in our CSA a few years ago.  I didn’t know what it was or how to use it.  It’s an odd looking root vegetable, but it has a wonderful mild celery flavor and can be used in a variety of ways- roasted, raw, mashed or in soups.  I decided to use it in this recipe instead of celery.  I also love the combination of apples with pork.  Sometimes I just roast pork with sliced apples or even put pork, apples and cinnamon in the crock pot.  In this case, the apples I used were too ripe and a very soft variety, so they did not hold up well during the cooking.  I used a local early season apple variety.  The taste was still there, but if you can, use a firmer apple that is suited for baking.  This recipe came from the Food Network website, and I added the celeriac. This a perfect late summer combination and everything is in season. I love the golden carrots and fresh garlic, not to mention the fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme.  *Note- to prepare the celeriac, cut off the outer knobby skin and use the white inside to cube. roast pork ingredientsIngredients

1-1.5 lbs of pork loin

1/2 onion, chopped

2 carrots, thickly sliced

1-2 cups of Celeriac, cubed

2 cloves of garlic

sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary

2 apples (suitable for baking), peeled, cored and cut in slices

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Season pork with salt and pepper and sear on all sides in a cast iron skillet, or an oven safe pan or dutch oven.  Remove the pork and set aside.  Add butter to the skillet and salute the onion, carrot, celeriac, garlic, herbs until tender and browned.  Stir in the apples slices and toss with the juices.  Push the mixture to the sides and add the pork back in the pan.  Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until the inside temp is 145 degrees on a meat thermometer or the juices run clear.  Slice the pork and top with the vegetables and enjoy!

roast pork final 2

Watermelon Juice with Lime and Mint

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It’s September, but summer is not over.  Nothing is more refreshing on a hot day than watermelon. This delicious juice tastes so fresh and is a nice switch from plain watermelon.  It can be made with or without the cucumber.  I love the fresh taste of cucumber, but the flavor can really take over so if you don’t really, really love the taste of cucumber, try it without.  This even kept in the fridge for a few days, so I made a bigger batch to have on hand for a refreshing pick me up!

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Ingredients

4 cups of cubed watermelon

juice of one lime

4-5 mint leaves

1/2 peeled, cubed cucumber (optional)

Crushed Ice

Blend all of the ingredients and enjoy!!

 

Massaged Kale Salad

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It’s Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer.  I LOVE summer for so many reasons, but for me it can be a time of indulgence.  Vacation and summer is synonymous with seasonal favorites and tasting the local cuisine when traveling.  From the ice cream at the beach to the fresh blueberry pie in Maine, I had my share of indulgence this summer. The summer “vacation” mentality along with the fact that I am training for a marathon and logging a lot of hours running per week (which makes me very hungry) has not helped with the overindulgence!  I don’t believe in total deprivation. I believe there is a season for enjoying these treats and giving yourself grace when you’ve had more than you intended 🙂 But there is also a season for being more strict and taking in real, healthy foods and saying no to the sugar and treats that can weigh you down.  Now that school is back and September is here, it’s time to get back to clean eating.  I feel so much better when I eat real food and little to no sugar and wheat. I feel more energized and focused.  With my marathon only 6 short weeks away, I need to be more strict about how I am fueling my body.  I made this salad to have for lunches this week and have planned out a couple of dinners and snacks for the week so I can stay on track.

I love this salad because it is so versatile and easy!  It will take you minutes to whip up.  Use the ingredients listed or use what you have on hand and make it your own.  Add some chickpeas, chicken or avocado to make it more substantial.   The key to making a kale salad delicious is to massage the kale with olive oil. Don’t skip this step, it makes it so much better!

Ingredients:

4 cups of kale, ribs removed and chopped and massaged with olive oil

olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 carrot, shredded

drizzle of honey

dried cranberries

raw pumpkin seeds, toasted

 

Toast the raw pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant and slightly browned (watch is carefully, they can burn very quickly).

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Rip the kale from ribs, chop and place in a bowl.  Drizzle the kale with olive oil and massage and “knead” the kale with the olive oil for a few minutes.  This gives a less chewy texture and less harsh and bitter taste to the kale.  Massaging the kale makes a huge difference!  Add the lemon juice, a drizzle of honey, the grated carrot, toasted pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries and mix to incorporate.  This is a great side salad or lunch and it keeps in the refrigerator for days.  Add more olive oil, honey and lemon juice as needed after refrigerated.