Belarus - Strawberry Kisiel

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh strawberries (or other seasonal berries)
4 cups water
4 Tbsp cornstarch
sugar to taste (between 1/2 and 1 cup is about right)

Method:

1. Puree strawberries with sugar in a blender or food processor. Pour into a pot and heat over medium.

2. Meanwhile, add a little water to the cornstarch and combine, making a slurry.

3. Pour cornstarch slurry into the strawberry mixture and heat up, stirring frequently. When the mixture thickens into a pudding-like consistency, begin to pour in the water, a little at a time. Do not add more water until the previous addition is mixed in evenly or you’ll get lumps. Continue until all of the water is added. Check for sweetness one more time. Add extra sugar if desired.

4. Heat the mixture until a few bubbles pop to the surface. Leave on the heat for a minute longer and then remove.

NOTE: If you did get lumps, you can get these out with an immersion blender.

5. Ladle into serving bowls and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it up against the Kisiel (this prevents a skin from forming). Chill for at least an hour. Serve as is, or pour over vanilla ice cream.

Source: http://globaltableadventure.com/2010/05/23/recipe-strawberry-kisiel-thick-strawberry-puree/

Irish pork stew

INGREDIENTS:

1 (2 1/2 pound) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes salt and ground black pepper to taste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 bay leaf 3/4 teaspoon caraway seed 1 (12 fluid ounce) bottle dark beer (such

as Guinness®) 2 cups chicken broth 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 12 Brussels sprouts, halved 3 cups mashed potatoes, or as needed 1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, or to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Season pork cubes with salt and black pepper.
2.	Heat vegetable oil in a pot over high heat. Working in batches, cook and stir pork in hot oil until browned on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork to a bowl and reduce heat to medium.
3.	Melt butter in the pot. Cook and stir onion with a pinch of salt in hot butter until onion is softened and translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add garlic; saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4.	Stir flour into onion mixture; cook and stir until flour is completely incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add bay leaf and caraway seed; cook for 2 minutes more. Pour beer into onion mixture. Cook and stir until thickened, 1 to 3 minutes.
5.	Stir pork, chicken broth, carrots, and celery into beer mixture; bring to simmer. Stir 1/4 cup parsley and balsamic vinegar into stew, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until pork is fork-tender, about 2 hours.
6.	Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook uncovered until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
7.	Stir Brussels sprouts into stew and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide mashed potatoes between 6 bowls.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chef-johns-irish-pork-stew/

Korean Beef Stir-Fry

We absolutely loved this stir-fry! The sprouts gave it an awesome crunchy flavor :-)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons mirin, (see Note)
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 8 ounces flank steak, trimmed of fat and very thinly sliced against the grain (see Tip)
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeno pepper, or to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
• 4 cups mung bean sprouts
• 1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, (see Tip), optional

Preparation

1. Combine mirin, soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spread steak out in the pan and cook until seared on one side, about 1 minute. Add garlic, jalapeno and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bean sprouts and spinach (the pan will be very full). Pour the mirin mixture into the pan and stir gently until the sauce thickens and the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro and sesame oil. Serve topped with sesame seeds (if using).

Tips & Notes

• Note: Mirin is a low-alcohol rice wine essential to Japanese cooking. Look for it in the Asian or gourmet-ingredients section of your supermarket. An equal portion of sherry or white wine with a pinch of sugar may be substituted for mirin.
• Tips: If you have a little extra time before dinner, put the steak in the freezer for about 20 minutes to help make it easier to slice thinly.
• To toast sesame seeds, heat a small dry skillet over low heat. Add sesame seeds and stir constantly until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

Source: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/korean_beef_stir_fry.html

Greek Yogurt Coleslaw

Ingredients

• ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
• 3½ tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 16 ounces (about 6¼ cups) bagged coleslaw blend or shredded cabbage

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, combine Greek yogurt, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper and whisk until smooth and thoroughly combined.
2. Place slaw blend/cabbage in a large bowl and pour Greek yogurt dressing mixture over top. Stir to coat cabbage thoroughly.
3. Cover and refrigerate until using (preferably at least 30 minutes).

Notes

Make-Ahead: This coleslaw keeps well, covered in the refrigerator, and can easily be made several hours in advance. In fact, we prefer to let it sit for at least half an hour before serving, so that the cabbage softens a bit and the whole salad melds together. We find that it’s at its best, though, if eaten within a day or two.

Source: http://www.twohealthykitchens.com/2014/06/19/greek-yogurt-coleslaw/

Pulled Pork in a Crock Pot

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt (if desired, you can cut back on the salt by only using 1 tablespoon)
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if desired, you can cut back on the pepper by only using ½ teaspoon of cayenne)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
• 3 to 3 ½ pounds pork shoulder, cut in half

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the first six ingredients (all of the spices) with a fork.
2. Pour in the honey, vinegar, and olive oil and stir to form a paste.
3. Place the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top it with the 2 pieces of pork and then pour the honey paste over all sides of the pork pieces. It’s okay if some of it (or a lot of it) just drips down to the bottom.
4. Turn the slow cooker on to low and cook for 7 to 8 hours or until the meat is tender enough to be easily shredded with a fork.
5. Serve warm with fixings like homemade cole slaw and cornbread. My husband also likes his dipped in a little hot sauce. Refrigerate or freeze the leftovers.

Source: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/12/03/recipe-best-pulled-pork-crock-pot/

Balsamic Cream Chicken with Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1½ cups sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1½ cups sliced white mushrooms
• 4 large cloves of garlic, smashed then minced
• 2 large shallots, chopped finely
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Wash chicken and pat dry. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes on each side. Set chicken aside on a plate.
3. Add butter to the same skillet over medium. Add mushrooms and sauté them until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and shallots. Cook until the shallots are translucent. Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms an continue to cook for one more minute. Turn up the heat to medium high and stir in the stock and let it come to a bubble. Add thyme and give it a stir. Add balsamic vinegar and the half and half. Cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Slice the chicken and place into the mushroom mixture. Cook another minute or two. Season to taste with salt and pepper and top with parsley. Serve over pasta or rice.

Source: http://www.thehopelesshousewife.com/?hhw_recipes=chicken-with-wild-mushrooms-and-balsamic-cream-sauce

Alaskan Cod, Mediterranean Style

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless wild caught Alaskan cod
• 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
• 2 – 14 oz. cans  artichoke hearts, rinsed and squeezed dry
• 12 oz. jar pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 jar capers, rinsed and drained (about 2 oz. dry weight)
• 1/2 large white onion, sliced
• 2 t. dried oregano
• 1 lemon, sliced into wheels, sans seeds
• 1 c. dry white wine
• 1/3 c. fruity olive oil
• salt and pepper

Source: http://www.tastewiththeeyes.com/2014/06/alaskan-cod-mediterranean-style/