Sunday, April 27, 2014

TTW#2: Paleo Thai Chicken Laksa

Inspired by: Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals
Servings:  6

Ingredients: 
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 3 chicken breasts
- 4 tbs Chinese-five spice
- 32 oz of organic low sodium chicken broth 
- 1 Red chili 
- 1.5" piece of fresh Ginger
- Handful of cilantro (stems and all)
- 2 green onions
- 4 cloves of garlic crushed
- 2 tbs Bragg's liquid aminos
- 2 lime leaves
- 2 tsp sunflower butter
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbs fish sauce
- 1 tbs turmeric
- asparagus, about 15 spears cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbs honey 
- 1 tbs seasame seeds 
- juice of 1 lime juice

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Cut spaghetti squash in half, place face down on a parchment covered baking sheet. Add several teaspoons of water around the spaghetti squash. 

Cook spaghetti squash for 45 minutes, remove and set aside to cool. 

Next cut 3 chicken breasts into strips. 
Put strips in a large plastic zip top bag
Add seasoning:  Chinese 5 spice, salt pepper
Coat thoroughly
Then remove all excess air from the bag and flatten strips with a mallet
Sauté chicken in a hot pan (don't burn, but let both sides carmelize). 

For the soup:
Add 32 oz of organic low sodium chicken broth to a large pot.
Slowly bring to a boil. 
Cut the top of butternut squash and quarter it. Leave skin on. 
Using a food processor, grate the squash
Put grated squash in the boiling broth
Cook for 5 minutes

While squash is cooking, combine the following in a blender:
- 1 Red chili 
- 1.5" piece of fresh Ginger
- Handful of cilantro (stems and all)
- 2 green onions
- 4 cloves of garlic crushed
- 2 tbs Bragg's liquid aminos
- 2 lime leaves
- 2 tsp sunflower butter
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbs fish sauce
- 1 tbs turmeric

Blend until smooth and pour into the pot with the stock and squash. 

Scrap cooked spaghetti squash into the broth with butternut squash. 

Add a 1/4 cup coconut milk to the broth. 
Then add asparagus to the broth and squeeze in the juice of 1 lime.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

To finish the chicken:
When it is done cooking add :
- 1 tbs honey 
- 1 tbs seasame seeds 
- juice of 1 lime juice
Remove from heat. 

Serve soup in a bowl and top with chicken. 

Enjoy. 

Sunday, April 6, 2014

TASTE THE WORLD: TTW#1: Primal Chicken Parmesan Casserole

This is a subset of posts associated with TRAVEL with the Rountrees. 

Some of you know that almost two years ago I discovered that I am allergic to all grains. Ouch!  No more bread, no more pasta!  I thought I was going to die. 

Finding the paleo/primal approach has literally saved my life. So, bread and pasta was killing me, and not so softly. 

My husband and I enjoy traveling around the world and that is truly what this blog is about. You can travel the world through your senses too and that is how I decided to share tastes from around the world that I have converted to grain-free...

I hope you will join us on all trips whether they are actual or culinary. 

Bon Appetit!


TTW#1:  Primal Chicken Parmesean Casserole
by:  Kara Rountree

(recipe adapted from foodwishes.com and pooreamy.com)

2 Tbsp of grapeseed oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Hot red pepper flakes, to taste
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
2 cups of your favorite marinara sauce (clean - I used Mezzetta's Napa Valley Bistro line)
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Dry Italian Seasoning, to taste
8 oz shredded Kerrygold Dubliner cheese
4 oz shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Pour grapeseed oil into a baking dish large enough to nestle the chicken in one layer. 

Crush garlic into the dish. Spread on the bottom.

Sprinkle with hot pepper flakes.

Place cut up chicken in dish. I cut mine into 1 in. pieces.


Pour marinara sauce evenly over chicken and sprinkle with basil.

Top with the dubliner, then cover with crushed pork rinds. Then cover with grated parmesean. At this point I added a sprinkling of dry italian seasoning.  

Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes. 

Make sure chicken is done, so if the top starts to brown a too much, cover with foil.


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

ON THE WAY HOME

We fly home tomorrow, so this will be the last time you hear from us until we arrive home.  It has been a great trip.  At the same time we are looking forward to sleeping in our own bed and just being home. We will, of course, miss the maid service and the meals being prepared for us.  However, the price tag that comes with all of that will not be missed.

ODE TO NUTELLA

Your rich creamy chocolate,
With a hint of hazelnuts.
How I will miss thee.

You are a perfect compliment,
Smothered on my morning croissant.
How I will miss thee.

In large, medium or condiment sized packaging
You are the perfect addition to any croissant.
Oh, how I will miss thee.

Nutella sandwiches, Nutella desserts,
Nutella gelato, Nutella on a spoon.
Ah, glorious Nutella, how I will miss thee.

EXCITEMENT LEAVING VENICE

We woke up on time, ate with time to spare, walked to the vaporetto station in plenty of time, then Rex forgets his backpack on the bench at the station.  He remembered it only as the vaporetto was departing the station.  Fear struck us both knowing that the computer was in the backpack with all of the photos we had taken on the trip, and other necessities.
After arriving at the train station stop, Rex hoped on the next vaporetto going back to the prior station, praying the whole way that the backpack would still be there as I waited in the shade at the station with the rest of our luggage.
Once he arrived at the station, he asked the ticket booth about his bag.  They didn’t have it.  Then he asked the person at the station entrance and voila, he had the bag there for him.  Thank goodness!  When he arrived smiling with his pack on it was a huge relief to see that we hadn’t lost anything.
Of course, since I told Rex that our train left at 10:30 he was freaking out that we might be late, but until now he hadn’t really figured out that I had be baking in an extra 20 minutes on every train without telling him.  So, we had plenty of time to make the train without a rush.
Close call avoided, we were able to enjoy our final train ride to Milan.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

SINGING IN THE RAIN

It was surprising today, we received a break in the heat and cool rain fell from the sky.  This evening in Piazza San Marco, James Taylor was performing.  It was hilarious watching crowd with their umbrellas fighting the wind to enjoy the show.  We didn’t buy tickets, however we could hear him throughout the square.  Rex and I were enjoying a gelato when we arrived in the square.  We tried to stand there for a bit to enjoy the music, but the wind was pulling our umbrellas every which way and Rex didn’t want to lose his gelato for the second time.  We listened to a few songs and then headed back to the hotel.
Right now we are packing for our journey to Milan tomorrow.  It is so sad to be this close to the end of our journey.

IMPORTANT ITALIAN PHRASES

ENGLISH
ITALIAN
PRONOUNCIATION
Good Day
Buon Giorno
Bwohn-jor-noh
Good Evening
Buona Sera
Bwoh-nah say-rah
Hello / bye
Ciao / Ciao
Chow / chow
Goodbye
Arrividerci
Ah-ree-vay-dehr-chee
Check, please
Conto, per favore
Kohn-toh, pehr-fah-vor-ray
Bathroom
Toilette
Twah-leht-tay
Entry / Exit
Entrata / Uscita
Ehn-trah-tah / oo-shee-tah
Yes / No
Si / No
See / noh
Please
Per favore
Pehr-fah-vor-ray
Thank you
Grazie
Graht-seeay
Excuse me (attention)
Mi scusi
Mee skoo-zee
Do you speak English?
Parla Inglese?
Par-lah een-glay-zay