Island Pork Tenderloin Salad

16 ounces lean pork tenderloin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/2 tablespoon Tabasco hot sauce
3/4 orange, peeled and cut into slices or cubed
1 1/2 cup fresh spinach
3/4 red pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 1/2 cup Napa cabbage, shredded
3 tablespoons Cumin Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir the salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, and cinnamon together and rub all over the pork loin. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet and brown the meat on all sides. Mix the brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and cover the meat. Put the pork in a roasting pan and cook for 20 minutes. (I cover it the first 15 minutes and add a little water in the bottom of the baking pan, this keeps it very moist. Then I uncover for the last 10 minutes or so) Mix the spinach, cabbage, bell pepper slices, and raisins in a bowl, then spread over a large plate. Place sliced pork and orange slices over the greens and drizzle the dressing on top. Enjoy!

Cumin Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Whisk all the ingredients together until blended.

Squash Corn Muffins (Stevia sweetened)

We have yellow squash growing like crazy in our garden. These muffins were super and no sugar added. They had a lot of flavor (although you could not taste or see the purred squash) and the muffin stayed together wonderfully (not a crumbly cornbread). What a creative way to use squash (and stevia). I will be canning or freezing pured squash so we can enjoy these all fall/winter long.

Complements: Baking with Stevia by Rita DePuydt

1/2 cup safflower or olive oil
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon stevia extract (white powder form)
1 cup organic buttermilk (or unsweetened soymilk)
1/2 cup organic cows milk (or unsweetened soymilk)
1 cup pured squash (packed) (yellow, butternut or delicata squash all work well)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
2 cups corn flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Oil muffin pans. Yields 18 muffins. Whip together the oil, eggs, and stevia. Add the milk and beat. Fold in the pured squash, just lightly mixing. Sift together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet without over-mixing. Spoon into muffin pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cauliflower and Kale Salad

Complements: adapted from Steamy Kitchen

6 large kale leaves (I mixed part kale and part spinach)
1/2 head cauliflower
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion (I used a few tablespoons)
1 teaspoon snipped chives
1/2 cup diced cucumber
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Tear the soft leaf of the kale away from the center stalk that runs throughout the length of the kale. Discard the tough stalk. Finely chop the kale leaves. Add to a large bowl, along with the cherry tomatoes, chives, onions and cucumber. Grate the cauliflower using the large holes of a box grater. Add to the bowl and mix. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and the olive oil. Pour dressing into the bowl and toss gently.

Zucchini Pie

1 pie crust (my recipe it below)
4 cups sliced zucchini (I also used part yellow squash from our garden too)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence (I used savory, basil and thyme)
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 organic eggs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Saute zucchini and garlic in a skillet until soft (about 7 minutes). Stir in green onions, herbs, salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and allow to cool a few minutes. Whisk together eggs and cheese in a large bowl. Add the zucchini mixture, stirring to make sure everything is well combined. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until set. Enjoy!

My standard pie crust recipe (double it for a two crust pie):

1/3 cup butter
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-5 tablespoons cold water

Mix flour and salt together. Cut in the butter. Gently add the cold water. Just enough water to form the dough into a ball. Place dough on lightly floured surface and roll out.

Toasted Barley, Green Bean, and Shiitake Salad with Tofu

This was a little time consuming, but it was well worth the effort. Try not to eat the marinated baked tofu before it makes it to the salad!

The following day I ate chilled leftovers for lunch and it was even better then the night before. It had a chance to soak up all the scrumptious sauce. It felt like I was eating an expensive salad from Whole Foods deli ;).

Complements: Cooking Light September 2010

Tofu:
1 (12 oz) package extra-firm organic tofu, drained and cut into 5 (1-inch-thick) slices (I just cut 3 slices (the long way of the tofu block)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 garlic clove, grated

Salad:
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil, divided
1 cup uncooked pearl barley
5 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (I used what we harvested from our garden yesterday which included: peas, zucchini and only about 1/2 pound green beans)
10 ounce large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced green onions (I just used one "bunch" of green onions)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced

To prepare tofu, place tofu slices on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Top with a cutting board; place a heavy skillet on top of cutting board. Let stand 45 minutes, pressing down occasionally. (This helps remove extra liquid) Cut each tofu slice into cubes (between 8-10 cubes per slice); arrange in a single layer in a shallow dish. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl. Pour sugar mixture over tofu in dish, and turn to coat. Let stand for 25 minutes. Arrange tofu in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. Cool completely.

To prepare salad, heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add barley to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Add 5 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until barley is tender. Drain; cool completely. Place barley in a large bowl. Cook green beans in boiling water for about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and plunge green beans into ice water. Drain well; pat dry. Add beans to barley. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush tops of mushrooms with 2 teaspoons oil. Add mushrooms to pan, oiled side down. Cook 5 minutes or until browned. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cool slightly; slice mushrooms thinly. Add tofu, mushrooms and green onions to barley mixture. (I sauteed zucchini and added it with fresh peas to the barley too) Combine remaining 1 tablespoon oil, rice wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons tamari, honey, grated ginger and minced garlic in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over barley mixture in bowl; stir well to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad

You can eat this salad on a sandwich or use it as a dip for celery, carrots and cucumbers! A Perfect meal for the hot days of summer.

2 breast of organic chicken, cooked and diced or processed in a food processor
1/3 cup real mayonnaise
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup apple, finely chopped
1/4 cup roasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 slices cheddar cheese, cut up into tiny cubes (optional)
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl. Enjoy!

Options:
-Add diced avocado pieces!
-Use to fill celery sticks!

Vanilla Cake with olive oil and maple syrup

These are wonderful topped with my favorite vanilla-cream frosting (recipe follows).

1 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup pure maple syrup
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil (or melted butter)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat the oven toe 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 inch cake pan and dust with flour or the recipe makes 12 cupcakes. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the maple syrup, water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk well. Place batter into prepared cupcake holders or cake pan. Bake for 15 minutes if you are baking cupcakes or 25-30 minutes if baking in a 9 inch cake pan. I used a simple butter cream frosting for the top. Enjoy!

Vanilla Cream Frosting:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk (any kind. very good with half-n-half)
1 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Beat all ingredients together until well blended. Add to sugar cookies, cakes or any were it calls for frosting. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie

Another great cookie recipe! If you follow my blog you know that my family does not have food allergies, but we love using all sorts of whole grains in our diet. I try to steer away from a lot of recipes that use ingredients you may not already have in your pantry or ingredients that don't always make a successful and tasty product. Although, if you are gluten intolerant and refer to my blog for ideas then I suspect you also have some items in your pantry such as; sweet sorghum flour, tapioca flour or xanthan gum. If you are a family that wants to incorporate as many different whole grains in your baking/cooking as possible then search your local health food store (or natural food section of your local grocery store) for a few of these "not so common" ingredients. Store them in air tight containers and put them to use on occasion. If you see some uncommon ingredients being used in any recipe I post then you can bake with full confidence that the recipe will be fantastic!

This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies

1 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/4 cup millet
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 organic eggs
3 cups rolled oats (gluten free rolled oats if you can not tolerate gluten)
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add all other ingredients and mix until well combined. Spoon balls of dough onto baking sheets and press down a bit to make a cookie shape. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. Enjoy!

Garbanzo Bean Sandwich Spread

This garbanzo bean spread can be addicting as an open face sandwich on hearty toasted bread. I added avocado, bacon and tomatoes too!

15 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 whole celery stalks
2 tablespoons relish (or a dill pickle)
1/2 teaspoon onion flakes
2 teaspoon nutritional yeast (You can find this in the "natural food" section of a grocery store (often it is with the bulk items and you can buy just as much or as little as you would like) also any health food store will carry it (again check the bulk section before buying a big bag))
1 tablespoon tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
2 tablespoons real mayonnaise (or a vegan one)
1/2 teaspoon kelp (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, mash chickpeas with a fork until coarse and no whole beans are left. Alternatively, pulse beans in a food processor a few times, careful not to puree, and transfer to a mixing bowl. Shred celery with cheese grater or pulse a few times in a food processor. Transfer to the mixing bowl. One small dill pickle may be shredded or minced and used in place of the relish. Transfer to the mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Enjoy!