With the summer months upon us, I have been desperately trying to eat well, and in moderation.  Tonight I got home and realized, it was a getting a bit late for dinner, and everyone around me was eating fried take out! That is NO way to help my cause but it led me to crave some fried rice.  Who knew you could have that same tasty and fulfilling rice Macro style?

Well my loves, YOU CAN!

Here’s what you need:

1 cup onions, diced

1 cup cabbage, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/2 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks

1-2 tablespoons water

4 cups pressure-cooked brown rice

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Dark sesame oil

Tamari

What to Do:

Heat a small amount of dark sesame oil in a skillet.  Sautee onions over high flame for 3-4 minutes.

Reduce flame to medium-low and layer cabbage, carrots, and rice on top.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of water.

Cover skillet, reduce flame to low. and cook until all vegetables are tender and rice is warm and soft.  Just before vegetables are done, season with a little tamari and add a chopped parsley.

Mix rice with vegetables and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Now enjoy, as I did.

Better than the real thing I say, you don’t feel guilty and don’t have any trace of post party gut-rot.

~ The Food Diva

photo by hanabi

By Dyfed Lloyd Evans

The loin of pork ranks amongst the tenderest and tastiest cuts on the animal. By far the best way to prepare it is to roast it. But, there are two classic ways to roast a loin of pork. The first of these is the British way, where you roast at high temperatures for a relatively short amount of time. This gives you perfect crackling. The second is the French method where you roast the meat slowly in wine for a long time. This does not crisp the pork skin and you get no crackling, but you do get a very moist and juicy joint of meat.

I present both these roasting techniques below.

Herbed Roast Pork with Crackling

Ingredients:

1 loin of pork, (about 2kg), with the skin scored

small sprigs rosemary

small sprigs thyme

3 or 4 garlic coves, slivered

1 tbsp coarse sea salt

1/2 small onion, chopped

freshly-ground black pepper

Method:

Always make certain that the skin of your pork loin is as dry as possible (otherwise you will never get good crackling). If the skin looks damp, dry it as best you can with kitchen paper and sprinkle with cornflour. Leave for ten minutes then dust-off the cornflour (cornstarch).

Place the meat on a chopping block and score the fat. Insert sprigs of thyme and rosemary along with the garlic into the score marks now rub as much of the salt as you can into the skin. Grind black pepper to season well. Spread the onion on the base of a roasting tin then place the meat either on top of this (or on a metal rack in the roasting tin. Place in the centre of an oven pre-heated to 240°C and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 190°C and cook for a further 110 minutes.

You can, of course make a gravy from the pan juices to serve with your meat.

Roast Loin of Pork with Garlic

This is the classic French method of roasting a joint of pork. Compared with the traditional British method you end-up with juicier and more succulent meat but you do not get a crispy crackling.

Ingredients:

1 loin of pork (about 1.5kg) boned and with rind removed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tsp freshly chopped sage

generous pinch of ground allspice

1 garlic clove, slivered

150ml dry white wine or water

Method:

Place the meat in a large bowl or dish and liberally rub the salt, pepper, sage and allspice into the joint. Leave in a cool place for several hours or overnight if possible for the flavours to infuse. When ready lay the joint flat and place garlic slivers at regular intervals along the inside of the joint. When done roll the joint up and tie securely with butchers’ string.

Transfer to a roasting pan and add the wine or water. Cover with a lid or foil and place in an oven pre-heated to 150°C. Roast for about 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender and the juices are no longer pink when pierced with a skewer. Check the pan every now and then and if the joint becomes to dry add a little more water.

Take the joint out and place on a warm plate. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Remove the string at this point and carve into slices. Arrange these on a warm serving platter.

Again you can make a gravy out of the pan juices to serve with the meat if you so wish.

You now have two truly classic and time-honoured methods for roasting pork. Which you chose to base your own recipes upon will depend on personal preference. Though you’re more than welcome to give both recipes a try.

Dyfed Lloyd Evans is the creator of the Celtnet Recipes website, where you can find thousands of recipes. If you would like more pork loin recipes (or just more pork recipes) then take a look at his Pork-based recipes page. Dyfed also runs the Celtnet Recipes Forum where you can find more recipes, share your own recipes or discuss any matters that are recipe-related.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dyfed_Lloyd_Evans

Tags: baking, British, crackling, dishes, French, garlic, intervals, meat, meats, pork loin, recipe, Recipes, roasting, tradition

Over the past “Lenten” season I decided to give up meat, and cheese completely for forty days.  I remember heading into the market one day and seeing a delicious vat of pesto sauce at the deli counter.  I asked the girl if there was cheese in pesto.  She said no, but to my dismay there was!  Had I tried this recipe THEN my craving for Pesto would have been subsided in ample time.

I decided this evening to whip up a quick “dairy-free” pesto pasta dish. It literally takes less than 15 minutes to make!

What you need:

3 garlic cloves, chopped coarsely

1 cup of Fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup of Roasted Pine Nuts(pignoli)

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

1/4-1/3 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tablespoons of White Miso

*optional ingredients-

Trader Joe’s Chicken-Less Strips

Pasta of your choice.

What to do:

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until a smooth paste is formed.  Store in an air-tight container

Cook your pasta until tender. drain.

Sautee the chicken-less strips over a bit of oil.  Put pasta, and chicken in a mixing bowl.  Add Pesto to your desired taste.

It’s fast, easy, delicious and completely Dairy Free!

As always, If you have tried this recipe we would LOVE to hear your feedback.

Happy Eating!

Tags: air tight container, ample time, basil, blender, chopped parsley, dismay, extra virgin olive oil, food processor, forty days, garlic cloves, lenten season, meat and cheese, miso, optional ingredients, pasta dish, pesto pasta, pine nuts, smooth paste, trader joe, virgin olive oil

By Sarah B

I apologize off the bat for the trite sentiment, but I recently felt sorry for an old recipe I haven’t made in years.

And, well, maybe I just wanted cookies.

Anyway, “mocha crinkles” used to be one of my go-to recipes. They’re relatively easy, pretty, and yummy. They’re crowd pleasers. I used to make them for most special occasions. But somewhere along the line, I lost track of them; like they fell out of my own personal fashion. I moved onto other cookies, and branched out into breads and cakes. But lately, I’ve been fondly remembering the joy that they brought me… and lamenting my abandonment of them. I hope they don’t mind. Anyway, they’ve managed to taste just as fabulous as I remember, because I made them on Sunday. And, to make it up to them, I’m sharing them with all of you.

Mocha Crinkles, baked by me 5.31.09

Mocha Crinkles

(from “America’s Favorite Brand Name Light Cooking” published by Publications International, 1998)

What You’ll Need:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee granules
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar

What To Do:

1. Mix flour, cocoa, espresso, baking soda, salt and pepper in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Beat brown sugar and oil in another medium bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Beat in sour cream, egg and vanilla.
3. Beat in flour mixture until soft dough forms. Form dough into disc; cover. Refrigerate dough until firm, 3 to 4 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place powdered sugar in shallow bowl. Cut dough into 1-inch pieces; roll into balls. Coat with powdered sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until tops of cookies are firm to the touch. Do not over-bake. Cool cookies completely on wire racks.
Makes 6 dozen cookies
Nutritional information per serving (1 cookie): 44 calories, 1 gram of fat, 3 mg cholesterol; 28 mg sodium

After you ajve tried this recipe come back and let me know what you think!

Tags: baking, bread, cake, eggs, feelings, flour, mixture, recipe, Recipes, teaspoon

When lightly cooked, watercress, a normally spicy green, takes on a buttery, almost nutty flavor. It is full of nutrients and a delicious part of this super-easy macrobiotic dish. Carrots add sweetness, and the umeboshi-sesame dressing adds a hint of saltiness and tartness to balance everything out. Delicious.

Quickly Boiled Watercress and Carrots

What you need:

1 carrot, thinly sliced on a diagonal

2 bunches of watercress

water

What you need to do:

Place 1 inch of water in a pot and bring to a boil.

Cook carrots for 50-60 seconds.

Use a slotted spoon to remove carrots, leaving the water in the pot.

Drain Carrots in a colander.

Simmer watercress for 50 seconds, stirring or mixing quickly to cook evenly.

Remove watercress, drain, and place on cutting board.

Slice into 2-inch pieces.

Mix carrots and watercress in a serving bowl.

Serve with Umeboshi-Sesame Dressing.

Umeboshi-Sesame Dressing

1/2 cup roasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup umeboshi vinegar

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup chopped scallions

What you need to do:

Place roasted sesame seeds in suribachi (you can also use a bowl and spoon or even better a coffee grinder – but use for just a moment, you don’t want to turn the seeds to powder!) and grind until half crushed.

Add vinegar, water, and scallions.  Grind for 1-2 minutes.

Adapted from The Macrobiotic Way by Michio Kushi, Avery Publishing Group.

Try this recipe and then come back and let us know what you think!

Tags: boil, bunches, carrot, coffee grinder, colander, cook carrots, cup water, cutting board, inch pieces, Macrobiotic, mix carrots, pot, sesame seeds, spoon, suribachi, vinegar water, watercress