Spiced Cherry Glaze over Grilled Porkchops

My mom says, "What do you want to have for your early birthday dinner?" 
And the first thought that popped into my mind was "Cherries."   Why? Because they are tart and sweet and luscious and rich and scream "Celebration!" with every bite!!

So I made this sauce, and Mom grilled up some AMAZING porkchops - still not sure how she's so good making really good food, and we added steamed asparagus and a salad with romaine, baby spinach, and ripe gorgeous yellow/rose Bartlett pears (made fabulous with some fantastic sharp salty gorgonzola for those of you not in the Whole 30 right now)

I intended the sauce for the chops. 

I maybe poured it over everything on my plate. :ahem:

Spiced Cherry Glaze
Into a small saucepot on medium low heat, add:

1/2c water
1/2c dry red wine
3/4c dried tart cherries
1/4c Polaner all fruit seedless raspberry (they don't use any added sugar)
1/2tsp each: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice

Bring the mixture to a low simmer.  Stir every 5-10 minutes to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom.  Add a little water and wine (equal parts) if you need more volume, or let the sauce reduce down until it is thick enough to coat the spoon for a glaze. 

I followed the above recipe and simmered until the cherries were rehydrated- soft and plump.  I then took all the liquid and used it to marinate about 2lbs of porkchops for 30min before my momma grilled them to perfection.  I then added the all the same liquids and spices to the rehydrated cherries to make a second batch of sauce with them and it came out fantastic - so one could probably use as little as 1/4c of tart cherries for this and it would do beautifully. 

I think fresh fruit would also work well, but I would reduce the water by 1/2 and leave the wine at the same volume.  Cherries, blackberries, raspberries or peaches would be best I think, and you could try brandy instead of wine. I would strain the mix if using blackberries since they are so seedy.  Experiment and let me know how it turns out!

Spring Melon Salad

This is a light and refreshing salad I whipped up at my Mom's house - it tastes just like Spring!

Ingredients:

1 cantaloupe, cut into bite-size chunks

1/2 of one lemon

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 dash sea salt

1 tsp fresh lavender, rosemary, or mint (pick one) diced finely

Put the cantaloupe pieces in a porcelain serving bowl, juice the lemon half over the pieces (watch for seeds!) and discard the lemon hull. Toss pieces with the oil, salt and herb.

Ta-Da! Wonderful. Would be great with chicken or fish - something light. Enjoy!

Lemony Cod, Almond Veggies, & Fruit Salad

An amazing perfectly balanced meal, in 3 parts:

Lemony Cod:
Put broiler on hi. Place cod fillets into a casserole dish, drizzle with olive oil (1 tbsp), and sprinkle with parsley (3 tsp) and rosemary (1 tsp), and top with slices of 1 lemon.
Broil on hi, watching carefully and occasionally basting with the juices, for 15-20 minutes --or just until it flakes easily with a fork.

Almond Veggies:
Heat heavy skillet (I always use cast iron) on med-hi. Add a bag of frozen mixed veggies. (I cheat sometimes! Or you can cut up your own broccoli, cauliflower and carrots...)
Drizzle with a little olive oil (2 tsp) and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning and a handful of sliced almonds (1 oz.)
Stir every few minutes so things don't burn, and turn down to low once you get close to your preferred veggie done-ness.

Fruit Salad:
Peel 3 tangerines/clementines or 1 navel orange and separate the sections.
Peel 1 grapefruit and separate into sections, and cut sections in half.
Peel 1 banana and cut into thick slices.
Toss together with 2-3 tbsp dried unsweetened coconut flakes.



So delicious.

Steak with Apple-Avocado Salad

I splurged on one quality grass-fed ribeye steak from whole foods - and let me tell you it was So worth it! Amazing. It spoke for itself and our only accoutrement were sautéed peppers and onions, and slices of apples and avocado. 

I believe in buying quality - instead of buying large quantities of poor quality food, buy less of better food. One grass-fed ribeye steak with little sides, instead of 2 cheap conventional cuts, soda, processed sides such as french fries, and expensive sauces etc.
Let the food speak for itself!

Ingredients: feeds 2
- Ribeye steak, best quality you can afford. Allow 6-8oz per person raw.
- 1 sweet onion, 1 bell pepper, 1 avocado, 1 apple

Heat a heavy skillet to med-hi (7 out of 10)
Add a tablespoon of oil (vegetable or olive) and the steak right away so the oil is not allowed to smoke
Sprinkle steak with a little garlic salt

Flip every minute, for a total of about 10 minutes for a medium steak. 
Put the steak on a plate and let it rest. 
Do Not poke, prick, or cut the steak until it has rested for 5 minutes! The steak must be allowed to rest and redistribute its juices, or else you will end up with a dry and chewy steak.


Meanwhile, heat another skillet or pot to medium and add sliced onion and pepper with a little olive oil. Stir often until onion is translucent.

Slice the apple and avocado into similar shapes and gently toss together. No dressing is needed if the apple is juicy and the avocado is creamy as they should be!