Herbed Pomegranate Barley Salad

This post is once again in thanks to Bon Appetit. I was going through their spread on alternatives to Thanksgiving sides and found their twist on the classic cranberry sauce pretty intriguing. They suggested using pomegranates instead of cranberries, which is the perfect alternative since Ty hates cranberries. I couldn't wait for Thanksgiving to try their pomegranate-mint relish recipe so I incorporated it into a seasonal herbed barley salad. By the way, this was my first time deseeding a pomegranate. In fact, I had never seen a pomegranate until I had to buy one for this recipe. The best recommendation I have for anyone dealing with pomegranates is make sure you're wearing clothes that can get dirty because pomegranate stains. You will get messy! It's so worth it though. Here's an image tutorial on how to deseed a pomegranate.

Pomegranate Fruit

Step 1: Slice crown end and discard

Step 2: Score the rind around the pomegranate, but do not cut too deep. You don't want to "pop" any seeds.

Step 3: Remove the seeds from the rind in a large bowl of water. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Separate and drain.

Step 5: Now you have seeds!

And finally, on to the salad!

What you'll need:

1 cup barley (couscous, orzo, etc. are all great options)
3 cups of water (you can use stock)
Pomegranate seeds (1 pomegranate is enough)
1 chopped orange pepper
1 chopped shallot
Handful of mint
Handful of cilantro
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp olive or avocado oil

A dash of salt and pepper

 Directions:
1. Cook the barley. Per 1 cup of barley, use 3 cups of water or stock. Simmer for 30-40 minutes on low heat. Set aside and let cool down.

 2. Deseed your pomegranate and prepare your herbs and vegetables.
 3. Mix chopped orange pepper, pomegranate seeds, herbs, lemon juice, and oil in big bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.

 4. Once barley is cooled down, mix together and refrigerate. Serve once cooled down. 

Grilled Pork Chops with Date and Cilantro Relish

I was happily surprised the other day when I checked my mailbox and found Bon Appetit magazine waiting for me. Who knows how they found me, but I'm so glad they did. I ripped out a bunch of recipes and put them on our fridge. The first recipe I made was the grilled pork chops with date and cilantro relish. It was delicious and more importantly, super easy. All I have to say is Bon Appetit, you've won me.

What you need:

2 pork chops or 1 pork tenderloin (go to Bon Appetit's website for the pork tenderloin recipe) 

* You can use any other meat that floats your boat. It would do beautifully with poultry or lamb.

Relish

3 tbsp. olive oil or avocado oil

2/3 cup Medjool dates, deseeded and chopped into small pieces

2 tbsp. fresh orange juice

3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Dash of salt and pepper

Marinade

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup chopped cilantro 

3 tbsp. salt

Directions:

1. Get your pork chops marinating to get the meat infused with flavor. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and place your pork in the mix. Refrigerate until you're ready to cook. 1 to 3 hours is the perfect amount of time.

2. Prepare your date-cilantro relish. Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate.  

3. Remove pork chops from marinade. Dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Mist the grill pan with a little oil and grill away. Getting the grill really hot will make sure your pork chops get a beautiful sear

 

4. Serve with date-cilantro relish on top! 

Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits

This post is a short one, but a delicious one! I surprised Ty with Red Lobster's very own cheddar bay biscuits with butter-herb drizzle (thank you Walmart!) the other day. Ty used to make them from scratch all the time when we first started dating, so I thought they would be the perfect surprise for a lazy Sunday football day. They definitely don't compare with Ty's homemade cheddar bay biscuits (I'll do my best to convince Ty to share his recipe), but they sure made for fun snacking. In fact, they were gone in minutes.

Boxed Goodness: Maple-glazed pumpkin donuts

Ok, so I went where no food blogger should go. I used a pre-made mix. I saw the maple-glazed pumpkin donut mix sitting on the check-out counter and thought it'd be fun to try making donuts for the first time and even more fun to eat. It delivered! Those donuts with a hot cup of coffee made the perfect breakfast. You can buy the Stonewall Kitchen Pumpking Doughnuts mix here!

Potato and Leek Au Gratin

It boggles my mind that it's already fall, the leaves are changing, and we're already seeing Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas decorations in the stores! I guess it's time to say goodbye to those summer skirts and say hello to those sweaters and stockings packed away. To celebrate the first day of October (and the furlough, thanks Congress!), Ty and I made a wickedly awesome potato and leek au gratin. Ty's been going to the local farmer's market every Saturday (yay for local!) and got a really great deal on some leeks this past weekend.

I scrubbed the internet for a bunch of leek recipes, but decided to make something with whatever Ty and I already had. Luckily, potatoes and leeks are one of those classic combinations so we went with the au gratin. Who can say no to a scrumptious, cheesy au gratin? So that's what we did and finished it off with some delicious chocolate blackberry cream pie from Whole Food's. A perfect way to start the fall and the first day of furlough!

Here's how we made it!

4 yellow potatoes
5 stocks of leeks
3 stocks of thyme
1 cup of parmesan cheese or any cheese you have in the house
1 egg
1/2 cup of 1% milk* or cream
salt/pepper
avocado oil*, olive oil, or butter

* = Healthier options and always the better choice

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Peel potatoes and slice into thin circular slices about 1/8 inch wide. Use a mandolin if you have one. Once sliced, place potatoes in a bowl of really cold water to keep it from turning brown.

2. As that's sitting, put a tsp of avocado oil (my new obsession) in a frying pan and sautee your leeks over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. Coat a deep baking dish with the avocado oil (avocado oil has a very high smoking point meaning it won't burn and it's healthier for you)
4. Start placing your layers and repeat until you are rimmed to the top! I wouldn't add anymore salt since cheese has so much sodium, but if that floats your boat, by all means.

• Layer 1: Potatoes
• Layer 2: Leeks and Thyme leaves
• Layer 3: Cheese (top layer should always be cheese to get the crispy golden brown!)

5. Mix the milk or cream with the egg and pour all over. This gives it the rich decadent feel.
6. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
7. Serve with lots of extra grated cheese for people to add as topping. So good!!

And here's a pic of the awesome chocolate cream pie we had for dessert. Thank you Whole Foods!

Hashtag Wedding Diet

With Ty and I's wedding fast approaching in May, we're both realizing that those fast food runs to Wendy's and lazy pick-up orders from the nearby Thai restaurant might not be the best idea (me being the most guilty of eating out and choosing not such healthy eats). We both want our figures at its best and I personally want my skin glowing and radiant, and pimple free. Yes, I'm convinced that what you eat does show on your skin (at least it does on mine). That's why we've started this "non-diet" diet! It's not based off of any existing diet that I know of. Really it just prioritizes healthy balanced meals that offer all the different elements of the food pyramid. If you focus on eating a balanced meal and remember to stay away from some not so good for you things, you're well on your way to a healthier you. And that's what matters most. Weight loss comes second. Though here's a fun fact, I started this diet on Monday, and my pants are already starting to feel looser, really!

What I've been staying away from:

• Alcohol 
• Soda
• Refined sugars
• Fried/Greasy foods
• Processed foods (pretty much things that come in a box and have a never-ending shelf life)

 
What I've been eating so far:
Breakfast:

• Plain oatmeal with fruit (blueberries, strawberries, bananas, etc.) and a little low-fat milk
• Kashi high fiber cereal and a little low-fat milk
• Plain cottage cheese with fruit
• Boiled egg

 Lunch: 

• Spinach salad with  chickpeas, kidney beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, carrots, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, and a little balsamic vinegar

Snacks (throughout the day):

• A handful of trail mix (the no m&m kind)
• Dried apricots
• Dried prunes
• Fresh fruit
• Baked vegetable chips
• Low-fat string cheese

 Dinner:

• Chicken cacciatore with any vegetable on the side (broccoli, asparagus, etc.)
• Turkey burger (without the bun) and with a salad on the side
• Fried rice with peas and corns and ground turkey
• Grilled lamb kabob with basmati rice and vegetables on the side  

Dessert:

•  I allow myself one guilty treat a day. For me, that's one milano cookie, or one small brownie, or a bite of Ty's favorite coffee ice cream, after dinner.

What I've been drinking so far:

• Lots of water
• Lots of green tea
• Trying to stay away from coffee since it dehydrates and I prefer coffee with sugar

Hope you guys find this helpful!

Taiwan: Part 7

We ended our trip with a hike through one of Taiwan's most beautiful mountains and an early morning Tai Chi session with grandma and her friends. Even my grandma's dog, Gui-Gui (which means obedient in Chinese) joined us! It was the perfect way to end our trip to Taiwan.

 

A trip to Taiwan is not complete without a trip to Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung is famous for their soup dumplings (小笼包 pronounced xiao long bao), which is a steamed dumpling with a savory broth on the inside. You eat it carefully with slices of ginger and dipped in a vinegar, soy sauce. Din Tai Fung also serves classic Taiwanese dishes that are just amazing. You must go if you go to Taiwan.

Soup Dumplings

How you eat soup dumplings! Make sure you eat it whole. You don't want the broth to leak out. Be very gentle when you take the dumpling out of the steamer and place it on the spoon.

Soft tofu with black fungus and lima beans

(Super) drunk chicken

Chive dumplings in hot chili oil

Red bean sticky rice with sweetened dried fruit. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea.

Hope you enjoyed Taiwan, even if just through pictures!