by jphilo | Dec 30, 2015 | Recipes
Today’s recipe adds a slight twist to a tasty pork chop recipe that first appeared on the Gravel Road in October of 2014. A year ago, the pork chops used were bone-in, as you can see in the picture above. This time I wanted to clear out a few boneless pork loin chops from the freezer, but was worried that quick frying would make them to dry and tough.
So I placed the frozen chops in a brine of 2 cups water and 1/4 cup of pickling salt and let them sit all day–on the kitchen counter until they were thawed and then in the fridge until a 1/2 hour before supper. Then I poured off the brine, rinsed the chops several times, patted them dry, and followed the recipe below from then on.
The chops were as tender and moist as I’d hoped and as delicious as ever. This recipe is way too fast and easy for the taste punch it delivers. It’ll show up on our table several more times until grilling season arrives again!
Cilantro Pesto Pork Chops
2 cubes of frozen cilantro pesto, thawed 1/4 cup fresh pesto
4 pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick each
1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix the brown sugar and chili powder together. Sprinkle on pork chops and rub mixture in with fingers. Flip chops over and do the same on the other side.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork. Cook for 5–7 minutes on each side, turning once, until they are no longer pink. Serve chops with cilantro mixture.
by jphilo | Dec 23, 2015 | Recipes
Scalloped potatoes and ham is winter comfort food and a favorite at our house. After discovering my dairy allergy, I assumed it wouldn’t grace our table ever again. I am happy to say my assumption was very, very wrong. With a few simple substitutions, the dairy free version of this dish is very tasty, especially served with broccoli. The Man of Steel sprinkled his servings with some Parmesan cheese since he can. Here’s the recipe.
Creamy Ham and Scalloped Potatoes
2 pounds potatoes (about six medium)
3 tablespoons Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks
3 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups milk substitute (almond, soy, coconut, rice, cashew, etc.)
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 1/2 – 2 cups cubed ham
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash potatoes, pare thinly and remove eyes. Cut potatoes into thin slices. Set aside.
Melt Earth Balance in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour and salt until smooth and bubbly. Add pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in milk substitute. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.
Layer half of the potatoes in a greased 2 quart casserole (or 9 x 13 pan). Sprinkle with 1/2 the ham, half the onion, and half the white sauce mixture. Repeat with remaining potatoes, ham, onion, and white sauce.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 60 minutes until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 – 10 minutes before serving.
by jphilo | Dec 16, 2015 | Recipes
Over the weekend, I made cinnamon-applesauce ornaments with my three-year-old grandson. I had every intention of taking pictures of the completed ornaments and blogging about the revised recipe we created.
However, the excitement and energy of the sweetest three-year-old in the universe drove away every thought of picture-taking and writing down our recipe. Which meant moving on to Plan B: linking to the original recipe for cinnamon-applesauce ornaments (which we doubled) and sharing a few tips to make your ornament creation extravaganza a success.
- Absolutely do roll the dough out between layers of plastic wrap. Otherwise, the dough will stick to the rolling pin. Don’t ask how I know this.
- If you use a straw to poke holes in the ornaments, clean the straw off every few holes. Otherwise, the straw gets sticky and doesn’t make a clean cut. You could also snip off the end of the straw or use a new straw every so often.
- Position the straw to poke holes at least an inch below the top of the ornament. If you don’t, the dough will crack and the ornament will be ruined.
by jphilo | Dec 9, 2015 | Recipes
The minute I saw this recipe for Chai spice oatmeal cookies, I knew I would someday concoct a dairy-free version of them. Getting to someday took longer than expected, but the results were worth the wait. They are perfect dunking into coffee or tea or a Chai latte.
The original recipe appeared at The Mountain Rose Blog, and called for all organic, all free-range ingredients. You can find it here if you want to go completely natural, but it won’t be dairy-free like the one below is.
Dairy-Free Chai Spice Oatmeal Cookies
1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks (I like to replace part of the buttery sticks with lard)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 (scant) salt
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon clove
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Heat oven to 350°. Put baking stones in oven to heat.
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices together in a bowl. Cream egg, shortening, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Add dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Add oatmeal and stir well.
Roll dough into balls the size of large walnuts. Place on heated baking stones and press down slightly. Bake for 10–12 minutes. Remove from oven. Place them on waxed paper lined newspaper to cool. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
by jphilo | Dec 2, 2015 | Recipes
What to do when you’re invited to a potluck where dairy will likely be an ingredient in many of the dishes…and you can’t eat dairy? That was my conundrum recently, and the perfect answer was…drum roll please….deviled eggs!
In my case, this simple, protein-filled, gluten-free, and dairy-free offering has an added bonus. I love them. The Man of Steel hates them. So taking them to a potluck means I get to chow down on something tasty without making Mr. Steel feel bad.
Here’s the recipe I use for deviled eggs with some zip in their doodah.
Zippy Deviled Eggs
8 eggs
1/4–1/2 cup mayonaise
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon horseradish
salt and pepper to taste
Put 8 eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Place on burner and bring to a boil. Turn off burner, put lid on saucepan, and let sit for 20 minutes. Place saucepan under faucet and turn on cold water until the water in the pan is cool.
Peel eggs while still warm. Slice in half lengthwise. Put yolks in a small bowl. Place white halves in a shallow pan.
Mash the yolks with a fork until lumps are gone. Stir in mustard and horseradish. Stir in mayonnaise, a couple tablespoons at a time, until desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Scoop yolk mixture into egg white halves. Cover and refrigerate until time to serve them.
by jphilo | Nov 25, 2015 | Recipes
Our extended family is celebrating both Thanksgiving and Christmas this weekend. That means I’m making Grandma Josie’s tapioca fruit salad. We only make this versatile dish–it works as a side dish, dessert, or breakfast food–for Christmas and eat it as greedily as hobbits eat mushrooms. Here’s the recipe.
Holiday Tapioca Fruit Salad
1 box (8 ounces) large pearl tapioca
4 cups water, divided into two equal parts
1/2 cup sugar
1 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1-2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1 cups chopped walnuts
2 apples, cored and diced
2 bananas, sliced
2 oranges, diced
The night before the meal, put tapioca in a medium bowl. Add 2 cups of water to the tapioca, cover, and let soak overnight.
Several hours before serving, place soaked tapioca in heavy saucepan. Add 2 cups water and the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until most of the tapioca is translucent and the mixture is very thick. Pour into a large bowl and immediately add pineapple (juice and all) into the thick tapioca. Stir thoroughly. Put in the refrigerator or on the porch to cool.
An hour before serving whip the cream. Add sugar and vanilla. In a large bowl mix the tapioca, fruit, (except the bananas), and whipped cream together. Immediately before the meal, slice the bananas and stir them in, along with the nuts.
