Roasted pork with romesco sauce, sauted baby brocolli, and quinoa salad=yummy dinner!

Marinate the pork shoulder in olive oil, chopped garlic, lemon zest, coriander, kosher salt, black pepper, and rosemary.

Sear in a hot pan, all sides.

Reseason and put in a 400 degree oven, 10 minutes per pound...turn it over half way through.

Roast bell peppers and let them cool. Remove the skins.

Toast paprika.

Toast your quinoa.

Using toasted almonds and bread...

Blend in a food processor or vita mix.

Add in your roasted bell pepper and a roasted tomato (I used sun dried.) Add salt, pepper, toasted paprika, and red wine vinegar. Slowly add olive oil in until you get a sauce. I added lemon juice right at the end.

Let the roast rest.

Saute baby broccoli in canola oil, with kosher salt, and hit with lemon juice before serving.

Add cooked quinoa to minced shallots that have been soaking in red wine vinegar.

Add in olive oil, kosher salt, and sliced apples.

Serve the sauce with the pork.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie and Labels

So, tonight I took my left over lemon rosemary chicken, peas, and carrots and made a pot pie. I was under the weather today, so instead of making a pie crust from scratch, I used crescent roll dough. The result was yummy!

I did not make a roux, which I would have preferred to do...instead, to add moisture and fat to the chicken mixture, I added sharp cheddar cheese and dabs of butter.

I topped it with the crescent rolls and baked it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

The result was a tasty comfort food with very little effort on my part. It was bubbly and the sharp cheddar was a lovely contrast to the sweetness the peas and carrots brought forth.

I also messed around with another attempt at making my own wine labels. Below are the two I currently have created for our Italian Merlot.

I don't like the white accents on the two bigger labels but I like the background. I am going to mess with that background a little more and see if I can develop a label I like.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken with a Crock Pot

So, I adopted a nice recipe from a chef I know to accommodate my lengthy commute. No need to stand over the stove cooking this down...I busted out my trusty crock pot (one of four.)

I cooked 6 chicken breasts with carrots, onions, rosemary, and thyme (plus salt and pepper) on low for 10 hours. I also added chicken broth (low sodium) and vegetable broth to cover, plus I squeezed two lemons and dropped them in as well to cook with the chicken.

I arrived at home to a great smelling kitchen and fall apart chicken. I pulled it out of the crock pot to let it rest while I fried up the potatoes.

I then combined the two with more chicken broth and broth from the crock pot with its lemon yumminess.

I served this with the carrots from the crock pot and some spring peas I cooked as well while frying my potatoes. I realized that the meal was best served altogether, like a pot pie without the pie.

So, I set the leftovers aside to make that pot pie (I will figure out a way to make it GF or at least Paleo friendly as well.)

More to follow soon!