28 Saturday Feb 2015
Posted in Gluten Free, Latin Food, Main Course, Slow Cooker
Tags
Chicken, chicken broth, gluten free, herbs, Lime, Rice, smoked paprika, Spices, Tomatoes
Arroz con Pollo is part of The Latin Lover’s childhood. He likes this version, because it has tons of flavor, with just a bit of smoky heat. This is a fix-it-and-forget-it meal, thanks to the slow cooker; dinner will be ready when you come home and the aroma…baby, life is good! Continue reading
27 Friday Feb 2015
Acid can and does spark the flavors of foods, as much as, and at times even more than herbs and spices. Citrus is the perfect way to make flavors sparkle…you know The Goddess loves her orange, lemon and lime. But, acid is more than just citrus; vinegar is a wonder and balsamic, with its sweetness, adds untold complexity to foods. It’s all about how our taste buds work…. Continue reading
25 Wednesday Feb 2015
Posted in Gluten Free, Slow Cooker, Soup
To further our flavor adventure, this week we’re going to focus on spices. Life should be spicy and full-flavored, don’t you think? Spices can, well spice things up. They can take us to other worlds, on a flavor adventure, so to speak. These are a few of my favorite things…! Continue reading
23 Monday Feb 2015
The Unbound Reader, who married The Middle Son last year, wondered if I would talk about flavorings, flavor combinations that work together and what flavors work with which foods…confused? Yeah, I have a tendency to do that sometimes, but let’s sort this out a bit.
Clearly, in order to experience the best flavors of anything, you need to start with a great cut of meat or perfectly ripe fruits or vegetables. No amount of herbs or spices will fix any food past its prime. But, on very good days, when the planets are all in alignment and you find the perfect, oh, let’s just say, the perfect winter squash, you will want that squash to sing when it hits the table, right? What do you choose to enhance the sweetness, the texture, the flavor of our perfect squash? All foods can be enhanced, their flavor boosted, by teasing out the very best parts of their flavors with salt and pepper, herbs and spices. The key is understanding what works, how much and when to just use salt and pepper and nothing else.
22 Sunday Feb 2015
Posted in Appetizers, Gluten Free, Salads, Vegetarian
Pink Peppercorns (Schinus terebinthifolius), a.k.a. Brazilian Pepper, Rose Pepper and Christmasberry aren’t true peppercorns. That’s right, they’re all dressed up, pretty as can be in that deep, sexy pink; they look like peppercorns and they have a nice peppery taste, so what’s the deal? Well, they’re imposters, I tell you. Continue reading
20 Friday Feb 2015
Posted in Appetizers, Eggs, Gluten Free, Main Course, Vegetarian
Spanish tortilla is a lovely egg, potato and onion concoction that is so flexible it can either be supper or an hors d’oeuvre; it can be served hot, warm, room temperature or cold. It can be made ahead, is actually best made a couple of hours ahead, and can be reheated. Best of all, it’s absolutely delicious! Continue reading
17 Tuesday Feb 2015
Posted in Appetizers, Asian
Tags
Carrots, ginger, hoisin sauce, lettuce, oyster sauce, pork, soy sauce
San Choy Bow is what we’re really talking about here…Lettuce Wraps with Asian Flavors or the simpler and more to the point, Chinese “Tacos”. These can be prepared quickly, are incredibly delicious with a mix of salty-sweet flavors (they have hoisin sauce in them) and kids love them…at least ours did and do. This is fun food, with the benefit of being delicious. Continue reading
16 Monday Feb 2015
Posted in Gluten Free, Main Course, Make Ahead, Slow Cooker
With the Chinese New Year (February 19th) nearly upon us, this is the perfect dish to help celebrate the Year of the Goat. In China, this is truly the holiday for families. So, pull out the red lanterns, put on your red underwear, text a friend “Three Goats bring harmony” and let the festivities begin! This is the perfect make-ahead dish, Continue reading
15 Sunday Feb 2015
Posted in Gluten Free, Spices
Tags
Szechuan, Sichuan, Szechwan Pepper and any other iteration(s) there might be, are more-or-less the same thing. We’re going with Szechuan Pepper, because The Goddess likes the look of the “z” (or “zed” for our friends from other English-speaking countries), in the word….humor (humour) me, okay? It’s currently snowing and blowing like crazy, YET AGAIN, making this a rather appropriate spice to be discussing. Continue reading
13 Friday Feb 2015
Posted in Asian, Gluten Free
Tags
bell peppers, Carrots, chicken thighs, Clementines, Garlic, ginger, Onions, soy sauce
As you may have heard, The Goddess loves citrus. Orange slice candies, you know those chewy, gelatinized candies in the shape of oranges sections; I tell ya’ they should be a food group…along with bacon. Not together, that would just be disgusting. But back to the subject at hand—Clementine or Orange Chicken. This is a relatively quick dish to prepare. I prefer to use fresh tangerine, Clementine or orange peel, instead of the usual dried tangerine peel. The chicken has a lovely carmelized quality and then the punch of orange and the Szechwan pepper. This will wake up your New Year’s celebration. Continue reading
Goddess Cooks 