Instant Pot Pork Chops and Celery Rice

Instant Pot Pork Chops and Celery Rice
Serves 4

Ingredients

Olive oil
4 or 5 boneless pork chops (thin cut)
1 cup long grain white rice, dry uncooked
4 to 6 stalks celery, sliced
1-3/4 cups beef or chicken bone broth (or stock in a box)
Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Place Instant Pot on Saute. Season both sided of pork chops with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Add a little olive oil to pot, brown pork chops on one side only. Remove pork chops and turn off heat. Add rice and broth, stir well scrapping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Arrange celery on top of rice, then pork chops. Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. Turn off and let rest 5 minutes before performing a quick release.

Recipe from Soup Spice Everything Nice

January 1, 2019

Turkish Eggplant Casserole with Tomatoes (Imam Bayildi)

I tried this recipe I found on Pinterest....Yummmm Keeper!!

Original recipe is  from Feed Me Phoebe

Turkish Eggplant Casserole with Tomatoes (Imam Bayildi)

This Turkish eggplant recipe "Imam Bayildi" is a perfect vegetarian weeknight dinner. It's great for making ahead of time, as the flavors only get better. Inspired by The Greek Vegetarian.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplant (or 4 small Italian eggplant), about 1 3/4 pound, thinly sliced 1/4 inch thick lengthwise
• Sea salt
• Olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• Dash of cinnamon
• One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly salt the eggplant slices and allow to stand for 20 minutes. Pat the slices dry and set aside.
3. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large oven proof (preferably cast iron) skillet. Pan fry the eggplant in batches over medium-high heat until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add more oil as necessary between batches so the eggplant doesn't burn, but try not to have too heavy a hand - the pan just needs to be greased. Remove the eggplant to a plate.
4. Add the onion to the skillet and saute over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili flakes, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and cinnamon. Cook for one minute more, until fragrant. Carefully pour in the tomatoes and simmer until thickened slightly, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half the parsley.
5. If using an ovenproof skillet, remove 3/4 of the sauce to a bowl, leaving a thin layer behind. Otherwise, add 1/4 cup of sauce to the bottom of a 8x8 or comparable casserole dish. Arrange one layer of eggplant evenly in the bottom of the skillet or dish. Slather with a layer of sauce, and repeat with the remaining eggplant and sauce - like you would a lasagna.
6. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft and the sauce has reduced. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting into it. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Trying to change my eating to Clean Eating!

So I've decided to try Clean Eating. It been fun so far learning new things everyday.
I tried this
Salmon Salad Power Veggie bowl from Colter Crunch

I used Strawberries because I had them. I'm not a fan of fruit in my food but this was surprisingly good!!

PALEO SALMON SALAD POWER BOWLS

• 4-oz ounce grilled or baked salmon
• 3-4 cup seasonal greens
• 1/2 cup slices zucchini and squash
• 1/2 cup raspberries
• 1 tbsp balsamic glaze
• 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
• dash of sea salt
• dash of pepper
• 2 thyme sprigs
• parmesan crumbles (optional, not paleo though)
• lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

1. first, slice your zucchini and squash, sautee in skillet with 1/2 tbsp oil and a little bit of pepper/salt. Also make sure your salmon is already cooked. I cook mine in 1 tbsp oil, lemon, pepper and salt for 10 minutes at 400F or so.
2. Once the the zucchini and salmon and cooked, go ahead and build your bowl. Greens first, then veggies, and salmon. Drizzle in your balsamic glaze, thyme sprigs leaves, and the rest of your oil. Toss all together and place in bowl.
3. add your raspberries last with a touch of lemon juice on top.
4. Sprinkle with parmesan if desired

Ham and Potato Soup

I had a few potatoes to use up and it's been so very cold here.
I didn't use the whipping cream, just a tad of half and half.
It's a keeper!!
Found the recipe here>> Ham and Potato soup

Ham and Potato Soup
From Simply Recipes

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped parsnips or carrots
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 meaty ham bone from a ham, or a meaty ham shank
• 6 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups cubed ham (if using a ham bone), 3/4-inch dice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• Salt to taste

METHOD

1 Heat olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot or Dutch oven on medium high heat. Add the onions, parsnips or carrots, celery, and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.

2 Add the ham bone or ham shank to the pot. Add 6 cups of stock. Add bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

3 Add the potatoes and simmer for 15 more minutes, until they are cooked through. Remove the ham bone or ham shank from the soup. Purée half of the soup so that some of the potatoes get puréed to give the soup body, and there are still whole chunks of potatoes for texture.

4 If using a ham shank, cut away the meat and chop into 3/4-inch cubes. Add the chopped ham and black pepper to the soup.

5 Stir in the cream. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed.

So I tried making Rugelach. More practice is needed!!!
Found the recipe here >>>.  Rugelach Recipe

Even though they didn't turn out like the recipe called to make them they were delicious!! I used apricot jam and crushed walnuts.

How To Make Rugelach

Makes 64 cookies

What You Need

Ingredients 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
8 ounces cold cream cheese, cubed
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
1 batch filling (see ideas below)
Powdered sugar

Equipment
Food processor
Rolling pin
Pizza cutter or sharp knife
2 baking sheets
Parchment or silicone baking mats

Instructions

1. Combine the flour and salt. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse several times to mix.
2. Mix in the cream cheese and butter. Scatter the cubes of cream cheese and butter over the flour. Pulse until coarse crumbs form, 10 to 12 pulses.
3. Mix in the yolk and vanilla. Whisk the vanilla and yolk together in a small bowl. Drizzle over the butter-flour mixture. Process until the dough starts to clump together and form large, curd-like pieces.
4. Refrigerate the dough. Transfer the dough out onto the counter and gather the pieces into a ball. Divide into 4 portions and flatten each into 1-inch-thick disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months (thaw in the refrigerator before using).
5. When ready to bake the rugelach, preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375°F.Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Meanwhile, prepare the fillings.
6. Roll out the dough. Sprinkle your work surface generously with powdered sugar. Take 1 disk of dough from the refrigerator and let it warm on the counter for 1 to 2 minutes. Unwrap and then sprinkle the surface of the dough and the rolling pin with more powdered sugar. Roll the dough from the center out into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Don't worry if a few cracks form near the edges. Use more powdered sugar as needed to prevent sticking.
7. Spread with filling. Spread the filling in a thin layer evenly over the surface of the dough. Make sure it goes right up to the edge of the dough.
8. Cut and roll the cookies. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into 16 wedges, like a pizza. Beginning at the wide outer edge and moving inward, roll up each wedge. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure the tip is tucked underneath.
9. Chill the cookies. Refrigerate cookies on the baking sheet, 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare remaining batches.
10. Bake the cookies. Bake the first tray of cookies until golden-brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on the sheet, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack. Bake the remaining cookies, using the same parchment paper but making sure the baking sheet is cooled between batches.

Ideas for Rugelach Fillings

• Nut filling: In a food processor, pulse 1 cup walnuts and 1 cup pecans until they break into tiny crumbs, 30 to 40 pulses. (Be careful of over-processing and making nut butter.) Combine the ground nuts in a bowl with 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) melted butter, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Fruit and jam filling: Warm 1/4 cup marmalade, apricot jam, or raspberry jam in the microwave until it liquefies. Stir in 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside to cool until no longer steaming, still liquidy. Pulse 2 cups (roughly 10 ounces) dried fruit, such as apricots, cranberries, cherries, or currants, in a food processor until it breaks down into tiny pieces. To assemble, spread the jam onto the rugelach dough and then sprinkle the dried fruit on top.
• Peanut butter and chocolate filling: Warm 1/2 cup peanut butter in a microwave until it liquefies but isn't boiling. Spread over the rugelach dough; sprinkle with 1 cup miniature chocolate chips.

Recipe Notes

• Freezing rugelach: The disks of dough can be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using. The shaped cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Arrange cookies on a baking sheet, making sure they do not touch, and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer container for long-term storage. Cookies can be baked straight from the freezer and may need an extra few minutes to bake.
• Making rugelach by hand: If you don't have a food processor, just cut the cream cheese and the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips or a pastry cutter, just as you would for pie crust. Sprinkle the yolk mixture over the top and fluff the dough with your fingers until it feels heavy and can hold together when pressed into a ball. Proceed with the rest of the recipe as instructed.
• Halving this recipe: Nix the egg yolk and cut the rest of the ingredients in half.
• Storage: Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.

Happy New Year!! 2018