Ukrainian Pork Borscht

Many of my Ukrainian friends have said that borscht can be made in many different ways. 

It really depends on where you are from.

 I didn't realize how many different varieties there are. All I ever had was a pureed cold version.

  Some recipes call for beef, spicy sausage, pork, and meatless.

Some soups were pureed but some chunky. I also noticed many reviews suggesting no tomatoes, 

but some highly recommend it. I was intrigued to make this soup with the pork, 

and I am so happy I did.    Chunky bites of pork and beets in a vinegar-based tomato broth.  

The pairing of these ingredients is just unique.

Ukrainian Pork Borscht

Ingredients:

8 country-style ribs, boneless

1 cup carrots, diced

2 cups red potatoes, cubed, 

1 cup leeks, sliced

2 cloves, garlic, minced

2 TBS tomato paste

5 cups cooked beets

1 cup tomatoes, diced

2 cups cabbage, chopped

2 cups beet juice, unsweetened or sweetened

2 cups beef broth

sour cream

fresh dill

Directions:

1. In a large dutch oven or stockpot heat 2-3 TBS olive oil on med/high heat. Saute ribs, browning on all sides, approx. 10 mins. Remove from pot and let sit for 10 mins. Cut into bite-size chunks.

2. To the pot, stir in carrots, potatoes, and leeks. Cook for 5 mins. Add garlic and paste and cook for 2 mins.

3. Stir in beets, tomatoes, cabbage, juice, and broth. Stir in cubed pork. Cover and simmer for 20 mins or until veggies are soft. Serve with sour cream and fresh dill.

serves 12

Caribbean Meatball Papaya Stew

Caribbean Meatball Papaya Stew

This recipe is fantastic.  It has all the flavors you would

expect in a Caribbean stew.  Both the meatballs and the stew have

that smokiness from the cumin and slight sweetness from the papaya.  If papaya

is hard to find in your area, you may substitute it with another fruit, such as

pineapple, mango, or honeydew.  You can also use ground meat, such as

beef, lamb, or turkey, in this recipe.  But at some point, these Caribbean-style 

meatballs are a sure definite to make.  

Ingredients:

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup onions, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp curry powder

4 TBS tomato paste

2 cups red skin potatoes, cubed

4 cups beef broth

meatballs:  See recipe

1 cup black beans

2 cups papaya, cubed

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1.  In a large dutch oven pot, heat 2 TBS cooking oil on med/high heat.  Stir in peppers and onions.  Cook for 5 mins.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in garlic and spices and cook for another 2 mins.  Stir in tomato paste and cook for another 2 mins.  

2.  Add potatoes and broth.  Reduce temperature to med/low.  Cook for 20 mins or until potatoes are

 done.   

3.  Add meatballs, beans, papaya, and cilantro.  Stir, carefully not to break meatballs.  Simmer for 8-10  mins.

Caribbean Meatballs:

1/2 cup breadcrumbs, seasoned

1 egg, beaten

1 TBS Tamari (soy sauce)

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp onion powder

3 TBS cilantro leaves, chopped fine

1 lb ground beef, lean

Directions for meatballs:

1.  In a medium-size bowl, add crumbs, egg, and soy sauce.  Stir to blend together.  Let sit for 10 mins.

2.  Add spices to bowl, stir together.  Fold beef into bread mixture.  Roll into 1-inch balls

3.  Heat a skillet with cooking oil.  Drop meatballs into the hot oil.  Brown on all sides, approx. 5-6 mins.

Plant Based Stroganoff

 While creating this dish for a challenge, I had to use Impossible burger meat.  I knew this would be easy for me since I love this Plant-Based product.  Many times I would prefer a vegan burger over a regular beef burger.  Now, the funny part is I love bacon on my vegan burger.  So you see, it's about the taste which I enjoy, not the fact that I choose to eat vegan food.  Now, for this challenge, I thought, "who most likely would be eating plant-based meat?"  Well, besides me, who likes the taste, it would be someone who also might be omitting other ingredients from their diets, such as dairy, egg, or gluten.  

Vegan Meaball Stroganoff 

Pasta Ingredients:

1 flaxseed egg: See recipe below

1 cup cassava flour

1/4 tsp xantham gum

1/4 tsp turmeric, for color

3 TBS olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

Meatball Ingredients:

1 TBS flaxseed egg

1 tsp onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp parsley, chopped fine

1/2 tsp basil, chopped fine

1 TBS nutritional yeast

2 TBS toasted pine nuts, ground (optional)

12 ozs impossible meat

Stroganoff Sauce Ingredients:

3 TBS meatball drippings

1 cup onion, chopped

4 ozs mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 ozs English peas

4 TBS nutritional yeast

1 TBS parsley, chopped fine

1 can coconut milk

1 cup vegetable broth

Directions for Pasta:

1.  In a mixer, add dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Add wet ingredients and mix until all ingredients are blended and form into a ball.  Remove the dough from the mixer.  Divide the dough in half.  Wrap unused dough in plastic wrap.  Make pasta according to directions on manufacturers' instructions.  Pasta may also be hand-rolled and hand-cut into long strips.  Use extra flour to keep the pasta from sticking together.  

Cooking pasta:  Boil water in a medium-size pot.  Cook pasta for only 1-2 mins.  Drain and immediately at to your sauce.  Note:  You can also use any store-bought pasta of your choice.  

Directions for meatballs:

1.  Mix all ingredients (except meat) in a medium-size bowl. Season with salt and pepper.  Fold meat to incorporate other ingredients.  Roll into mini size meatballs.  (Keeping hands moist with water will help with the rolling).

Fry the meatballs in a non-stick skillet with olive oil, until brown on all sides, approx. 5 mins.  Remove meatballs from the skillet—Reserve 3 TBS of the oil for sauce.  

Directions for sauce:

1.  In the skillet, add the reserved oil.  Stir in the onions and mushrooms.  Saute or 5 mins.  Stir in the garlic, peas, nutritional yeast, and parsley.  Saute for 3 mins.  Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for 5 mins.  Season with salt and pepper to your liking.  Stir.  Add the meatballs into the sauce.  Let it simmer for an additional 5 mins.  

Serve with pasta.  Top with fresh parsley and scallions.

How to make flaxseed eggs:  For this recipe, you will need two flaxseed eggs, divided.

Mix 2 TBS flaxseed flour with 5 TBS water.  Let sit for 10 mins.  Divided in half.  

Garnish: Parsley and Scallions

Rum Raisin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Baking with gluten-free flour can be a challenge at times.  Different flours react in different ways.  Some flours absorb more liquid, so you need to allow your batter to sit for a bit.  Using too much flour, your cake will become heavy and dense.  While some blends might or might not include a leavening agent, you need to play around with recipes to get it just right.  Adding an extra egg will help your cake rise, but too many eggs are not always the answer.  I call this profession being a "Scientist."  
Baking is not like cooking, where you get to throw in " a little bit of this and a little bit of that."  

I attempted to make a carrot cake the other day.  Even though the taste was there, it came out a little heavy. It wasn't raw like some cakes might be, but this cake was definitely cooked. I wanted more of a lighter texture, so I knew what I needed to do...head back into my laboratory, my kitchen, and get experimenting.   

Rum Raisin Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup rum, white or dark

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp vanilla

4 oz pineapple tidbits with juice ( I used Dole individual pack)

2 cups carrots, shredded

2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, divided

1 cup coconut oil, melted (important step)

2 - 2 1/4 cups gluten-free flour (with xanthan gum)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

1.  Soak the raisins in rum in a small bowl for 30 mins.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the sugars and mix well.  Stir in the vanilla, pineapple, carrots, and pecans. Measure the coconut oil in a microwavable safe bowl or cup.  Heat for a few seconds until melted but not too hot.  By heating the oil, it will not be clumpy and will mix more thoroughly into the flour.  (This is an important step). Stir the oil into the bowl.  Stir in the raisins (without the rum).

3.  In a separate bowl, add all the remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Mix well, scraping down the side of the bowl with a spatula.  Let the batter sit for at least 30 mins.  Mix again.  

4.  Grease two 8 or 9-inch baking pans.  Divide the batter into the two pans.

5.  Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for approx. 30-35 mins or until done.  

Note:  If you use pre-shredded store-bought carrots, make sure they are moist.  If they look dry, I suggest shredding the carrots yourself.  

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 - 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter, softened

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Directions: Add all the ingredients to a bowl.  With an electric beater, beat until well blended. 

Pulled Pork Ragu

 

Pulled Pork and Mushroom Ragu
Making a tomato pasta sauce can be a process and time-consuming.  To get a deep meat flavor, you must fry all your meat and simmer all the meat in your sauce for hours.  I like to add some of the fat from the meat to the sauce.  I call this "flavor."  The sauce simmers away, and as the fat rises to the top, it is skimmed off.  Here is a recipe you can make in 30 mins with prepared marinated pork.

 The other day I made a considerable size of pork butt roast marinated in my favorite mojo.  I shredded the meat and reserved it with some of the flavoring juices in the refrigerator until I was ready to use it.  This allows the meat to absorb additional flavor giving your pasta sauce a great gusto. 

Ingredients:
2 TBS olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic
8 ozs mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, sliced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups prepared shredded pork (with juices)
2 - 28 ozs cans crushed tomatoes
1 TBS basil, chopped
1 TBS parsley, chopped
1 lb favorite pasta, cooked

Directions:
Heat oil in a large stockpot or skillet on med/high heat.  Stir in onions and saute for 5 mins.  Stir in garlic and mushrooms and saute for additional 5 mins.  Stir in the roasted peppers, red pepper flakes, and pork, tomatoes, and spices.  Season with salt and pepper.  Slightly cover and reduce temperature to med/low.  Let it cook for 20 mins, stirring every 5-10 mins to prevent food from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Stir in the herbs.  Serve with your favorite pasta.  Top with grated parmesan cheese

 

Tigernut Tahini Ginger Cookies

 

Tigernut flour has become very popular and showing up on grocery store shelves lately.  What is Tigernut?  Your first guess might be "it's a nut," as the name implies.  Tigernut is a small starchy root vegetable that grows in Northern Africa, parts of the United States, Mexico, South America, and the Mediterranean.  This flour is nut-free, gluten-free and paleo.  It has an earthy, nutty taste and a bit sweeter than most flours.

Tigernut Flour is made by roasting the root and then processing it into a fine powder.  It is used in baked goods, drinks and as a thickener for soups or stew.  You can also mix this flour with other flours, such as coconut, arrowroot, and almond.  It can also be used as a binder for veggie or bean burgers, or other dishes.

I decided to create these cookies for a friend who needs to be on a special diet for health reasons.  I now had a reason to open the package of flour, which was sitting in my closet for a few weeks.  I wish I had tried it sooner, but so happy I have discovered a wonderful ingredient.  

Ingredients:
2 TBS flaxseed flour
6 TBS water
1/3 cup honey
1 cup tahini
1 cup tigernut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom 
1/8 tsp salt

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2.  In a medium-size bowl mix together the flaxseed flour and water.  Let sit for 5 mins.  To the bowl add honey and tahini.  Mix well.
3.  In a separate bowl stir together the tigernut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
4.  Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.  With a medium size (1 TBS) cookie scoop, fill with cookie batter and drop onto the baking sheet, approx. 2-3 inches apart.  Bake for 10 mins or until slightly golden brown.  Let cool and add to a cookie rack.  

Mac and Cheese Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin

Mac and Cheese Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin
A meal all in one
This is undoubtedly an all-time comfort dish.  It is beautifully presented in its own bowl.  The combination of the sweet caramelized roasted pumpkin with the creaminess of the smooth mac and cheese makes this a memorable and satisfying meal.  I like using an excellent melting American cheese from the deli, but you can use any good melting cheese you like.  You can also use a nice smoked cheese if you prefer.  Top it with store-bought pepitas for an additional crunch.  If you cannot find pepitas, you can use sunflower seeds.  

Ingredients for Mac and Cheese:
1 lb elbow or shell pasta (cooked al dente)
1 lb American Cheese ( I use a good melting brand)
4 TBS butter
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup grated cheese ( I use Pecorino Romano)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 TBS roasted Pepitas 
See roasted pumpkin recipe below:

Stuffed Pumpkin Directions:
1.  Cook pasta according to the package.
2.  In a medium saucepan add the cheeses, butter, half and half, and parsley.  Stir and simmer on low until cheeses are melted.  Make sure to stir the bottom of the pan to prevent cheese from sticking.  

 How to roast a pumpkin.

I start with a small sweet Sugar Pumpkin (also known as a Pie Pumpkin).

The pulp or flesh of a Sugar Pumpkin is meatier and less grainy or 

stringy than a large pumpkin.  I kick start the cooking process, by microwaving the pumpkins.  

This method will allow slicing the pumpkins, more easily. 

Simply place in microwave whole, lining with parchment paper or microwavable

safe dish.  Cook on high heat for approx. 10 mins.  

Slice pumpkins in half and place on a lined baking sheet inside facing up.  Scrap out the insides.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Flip pumpkin halves

upside down, allowing oil to coat the bottom of the baking sheet.

 Note:  If using pumpkin for sweet dishes such as pie, omit the pepper.

Bake for 45 mins to 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Pumpkin will be golden brown

and ready to eat.  Peel skin off, cube, and store in a well-sealed container.

Pumpkin can also be frozen, until ready to use.