Beet and Fennel Soup

"I loooooove amuse-bouche!" These are the first words I heard from my sister as I pulled out all my little porcelain spoons prepping for a party.  Amuse-bouche, which is simply just a quick one-bite palate teaser, (usually chef's selection and not officially 'ordered' off a menu), is a nice and sophisticated way to serve up your latest creation.  Because seriously, when you're trying to impress dinner guests, offering them an amuse-bouche is way classier than a mouth amuser! It's amazing what some cheap spoons can do for your plating abilities. 

You can really do anything, but I wanted to do a cold soup, so I decided to a beet and fennel soup with a tiny dollop of greek yogurt (the recipe is paleo without the yogurt garnish).  It's a fantastic color, a combo of earthy and anise flavors, and good for your belly too. 

Saute beets, fennel bulb, onion and fenugreek seeds with some chicken stock until soft.  Pulse in a food processor -adding chicken stock as needed - until you get the desired consistency.  It's delicious warm or cold.

Salt

A post about salt you ask?  How much can you actually say about one spice?  Well my friends, it can get prolific when you're talking about tiny grains that change your entire outlook on food. I used to never think much about salt, but once you've had really good finishing salt - I'm not talking what's in the shaker at Denny's - sprinkled lightly on fresh tomatoes, you'll feel like you've been sleeping until that very first bite.

My current go-to salt for a dish like this is Fleur de Sel, French sea salt.  There are so many salts with just as many flavors, some are smoky, some nutty, some briny, and all add a slightly different dimension to your food.  Start experimenting, and you'll find that the tiniest bit of quality salt can go along way in making a simple dish something divine.

Winter Salad

In the midst of a post-holiday detox (as much I'd like to tell you I didn't eat more than half of the mini gluten free ginger molasses cupcakes I baked recently, let's not kid ourselves), I'd like to offer some fresh winter flavors that won't make you feel like you're underwater when trying to do some moderate exercise.

Nature gives us something fantastic right as cold and flu season rolls around in the form of a super dose of vitamin C.  Time to put that citrus to good use, and I don't mean just for mimosas.  This salad blends peppery arugula, sweet cranberries, tangy tangerines and the crunch of pecans, all topped with a drizzle of homemade vinaigrette.  

Chopped arugula, dried cranberries, pecans, tangerines and the most delicious vinaigrette ever:  

1 tbs white wine or champagne vinegar

½ cup fresh lemon juice (approx 2 lemons, meyer work great!)

¼ cup grapeseed oil

⅓ cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp fine ground pepper

¼ tsp Coleman’s mustard

Herbed Pork Chops

As I cut into a piece of pork flecked with fresh herbs, almonds and salt, the outside cracked and split to reveal a perfectly cooked juicy piece of the other white meat.  Pork cutlets cook fast and have fantastic flavor/texture, and I always loved the recipes that have a crunchy breaded coating. This recipe satisfies my love for both textures, as well as using a bunch of fresh herbs for flavor. 

While this recipe is gluten free, it isn't paleo since I used rice flour, but I'm working on a paleo version that still gives you a crunchy outside coating while keeping your pork juicy inside.

Trim fat and pound pork chops to tenderize a bit.  Salt and pepper, then dip in rice flour, egg, and "breadcrumb" mixture (crushed almonds, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, fresh Italian parsley, garlic powder) coating both sides. Heat about 1/2 inch olive oil in a pan - get it hot but not smoking - and fry pork, about 4-5 minutes each side.

You can really use whatever fresh herbs you may have on hand, feel free to experiment.  If you're using dried herbs, be sure to use less than you would fresh as the flavor can be a little intense.