Recipe: Spiced Maple Glazed Pork With Roasted Sweet Potatoes And Pears

This is a perfect fall recipe! The autumnal flavors of sweet potatoes, pears, and maple combine with spices to make sweet and spicy magic in this hearty roast - perfect for a cool fall evening, or dinner party with guests.

Spiced Maple Glazed Pork Roast With Roasted Sweet Potatoes And Pears
(Serves 8-10.)

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pork shoulder roast (about 6 to 7 lbs)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup water
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 large firm pears, peeled, cored, and quartered

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix together the salt, pepper, and cinnamon, then gently rub this mixture over the pork roast; then put in a large roasting pan, fat side up, and roast for about 2 hours or until the fat is golden brown.
• To make glaze:  Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then add the maple syrup, brown sugar, cloves, nutmeg, and water, stir and bring to a boil, then immediately remove from the burner.
• Put the sweet potatoes and pears in a large bowl, pour half the maple syrup mixture over them and toss until coated well.
• When pork roast is done, remove the roast from the oven and arrange the sweet potatoes and pears around the pork roast. 
• Carefully drizzle the remaining maple syrup mixture on the pork, coating the top and sides of the pork roast - use a brush if that works better.
• Return the roast to the oven and cook an additional 1 hour.
• After the 1 hour, increase the oven temperature to 425 and continue to cook until the pork reaches 165 degrees with a meat thermometer and the vegetables are fork tender, about 30 to 40 minutes, a bit more or less.
• Remove the roasting pan from the oven and transfer the pork to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil and let rest 8 to 10 minutes before slicing to serve. Spoon sweet potatoes and pears on each plate with pork, and spoon sauce from roasting pan over all.

Recipe: Beer-Braised Beef Roast Dinner

This tasty one-pot recipe has lots of healthy veggies and hearty, rich flavors! This is a great one for preparing the ingredients ahead of time to save time when cooking. Just dice the meat and chop all the veggies and store in the refrigerator until ready to cook. It will make this delicious one-pot meal a snap to prepare - and it's also easy to adapt to the crockpot.

Beer-Braised Beef Roast Dinner In A Pot
(Serves 6-8.)

Ingredients:

Beef roast w/veggies. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3 lb organic or grass-fed beef roast (chuck, blade, shoulder)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp cooking oil, divided
2 medium size onions, cut into thin wedges
2 medium red or yellow potatoes, cut into thin wedges
2 medium carrots, cut into long chunks
2 cups fresh green beans, stems removed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 cup beer
1 cup tomato juice
1 tsp dried crushed thyme

Directions:

• Season beef all over with salt and pepper.
• Get out a big heavy pot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil in, put pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put the beef roast in and let brown completely on first side, then flip and let the second side brown completely. Don't flip it over and over again. Remove beef roast from pot to a plate and set aside.
• Put the other 1 tablespoon of oil in the pot and let it heat, then add in the onion, potatoes, carrots, and beans; cook, stirring, until veggies start to soften, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Sprinkle the flour in the pot and stir until the flour turns light yellow in color.
• Add the beer, tomato juice, and thyme, stir to combine and let come to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
• Set roast back into pot on top of veggies, cover, and simmer slowly on low heat for 2 to 3 hours or until beef roast falls apart when pierced with a fork. (You could also do this step in a crock pot - just put all ingredients in crockpot and cook on Low for about 6 hours.)
• Serve beef with all the veggies alongside. 

More Tasty & Easy One-Pot Recipes:
   

Recipe: Nutty Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This simple recipe makes a perfect holiday side dish. The nutty, earthy flavors of Brussels sprouts and pecans are kicked up a notch with the addition of garlic and olive oil, and roasting brings out the rich sweetness in the sprouts. It's a snap to make, and adds a nice bit of healthy green to your holiday plate!

Nutty Roasted Brussels Sprouts
(Serves 4-6.)

Roasted brussels sprouts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

2 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 cup pecans, rough chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to combine and coat well with the oil.
3. Arrange evenly on a large baking sheet.
4. Put in preheated oven and bake until Brussels sprouts are fork tender and slightly browned, about 20 to 30 minutes, turning the Brussels sprouts with a spatula at least once during the baking time. 
5. Remove and serve hot.

Recipe - Roast Duck With Orange & Lemon Sauce

This low-carb recipe is fancy enough for a holiday feast - spice up your Thanksgiving meal this year with duck instead of turkey - or just a special dinner at home with your significant other! The richness of the duck is tempered with tangy citrus flavors, while the coriander and soy sauce add a touch of an Asian flair, without being overpowering.

This recipe is fairly advanced and requires a lot of steps, but will yield an absolutely perfect roasted duck.

Roasted Duck With Orange-Lemon Sauce
(Serves: 4-6)

Roasted Duck (Photo credit: Robert Banh)

Ingredients:

1 (5 to 6 lb) duck (reserve neck and any gizzards)
salt and black pepper
1 navel orange, one half cut into wedges, one half juiced
1 lemon, one half cut into wedges, one half juiced
2 cups water
2 Tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1 Tbsp almond flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Remove neck and gizzards from cavity of duck, set aside, and wash and pat duck totally dry.
3. With a sharp knife, prick the duck skin all over, but don't go into the meat.
4. Season the duck inside with salt and pepper, then put the orange wedges and lemon wedges inside.
5. In a sturdy roasting pan with a rack, pour in the water and coriander seeds, add the neck and gizzards, then put duck on the rack, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover duck with foil, and set on stovetop burner on high until water in roasting pan comes to a boil.
6. Take roasting pan off burner and set it immediately into the preheated oven at 325 degrees and roast for 1 hour.
7. Remove from oven, uncover, and take duck out of roasting pan and set aside.
8. Turn oven up to 350 degrees.
9. Pour the juices from the roasting pan through a strainer and into a bowl; set aside.
10. Put the duck back on the rack in the roasting pan and again, prick it with a sharp knife through the skin all over. (Do Not cover with foil). Roast at 350 degrees for 1 hour. 
11. After the hour, remove the roasting pan with duck from the oven and turn the oven up to 400 degrees.
12. Transfer the duck to a large baking sheet with short sides to catch any cooking juices and put the duck in the 400 degree oven and continue roasting for 45 to 50 minutes or until the skin is crispy and the meat is tender.
13. While the duck is browning, put the roasting pan (without rack now) on stovetop with burner on medium-high heat. Add the orange juice and lemon juice and bring pan drippings to a boil, stirring, for 1 minute.
14. Take the bowl of strained juices, skim off the fat, and pour this liquid into the roasting pan, add soy sauce and continue boiling and stirring for 1 minute more.
15. Transfer this liquid into a saucepan and put over medium-low heat and bring to a simmer; this will form your sauce.
16. To thicken the sauce, mash together the butter and flour in a small heat-resistant bowl, then add about 1/4 cup of the sauce liquid from the pan to the butter-flour paste, and stir until dissolved. Add this mixture into the saucepan, whisking as you add, and continue simmering over low heat, whisking frequently until the sauce is thickened to your liking, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Let cool slightly, taste, and season with salt and pepper if desired.
17. Put duck on cutting board or platter and let rest for 10 minutes.
18. Slice and serve with the citrus sauce drizzled over the top of each slice.
19. This size duck will serve about 4 to 6 people.  Roast 2 separate ducks to serve more and double the sauce recipe.

The Top 5 Things You Need In Your Kitchen

Welcome back, and Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the holidays, and got to do some fun cooking, without too much stress. And hopefully, if you're a relatively new cook, you got some of these kitchen essentials as gifts this season. :-)

If you are just starting to cook, or are moving in on your own, chances are, you don't have much in terms of cooking equipment. Here is what we recommend you use as a foundation to your kitchen, as you are starting out. As time goes by, you will, of course, get more kitchen gadgets. But here are five that we recommend starting out with:

- A chopping board. This is a basic need for your kitchen. It is very versatile, as you can chop pretty much anything on it - onions, potatoes, tomatoes, meat, herbs, etc.

Some people prefer to get separate chopping boards for meat, dairy items, vegetables, etc. Others get differently sized chopping boards, and use them depending on the volume of things they need to chop. Start out with one, and see what else you need.

Image via Wikipedia- A couple of good knives. Again, this is very basic, but you won't get very far in your cooking endeavors without a knife. A good, sharp knife goes a long way to help you prepare food. You can go to some stores, and hold the knives in your hand, so that you know which one you are comfortable with, or you can purchase them online - look for good customer reviews, or visit www.newholisticliving.com/cookingfromscratch.html for some recommendations.

You will want a large multi-purpose chopping knife like a Santoku, a small paring knife that is easy to maneuver, and a good sharp one with a serrated blade for slicing and boning meat - these should serve most of your needs to start with.

- A big pot. You need a pot for pretty much anything - from boiling pastas to Image via Wikipediamaking soups to stewing to pretty much anything else. Some pots come with colander inserts, which makes it easier to cook pasta and steam vegetables. Or, you may get a colander separately, and use that.

- A saute pan. We love saute pans, and use them all the time. Again, they are very versatile, and we recommend getting ones without wooden handles, so that you can put them in the oven as well, and they will last longer.

Use the saute pan for preparing stir fries, sauteing meat and fish, cooking vegetables, eggs and much, much more.

- Roasting pan. You will need one of these if you plan to roast anything in the oven. From roast to roasted chicken to roasted vegetables, a roasting pan can help you cook your favorite dishes in the oven.

This is just a start, and I know it can seem a little overwhelming to visit the kitchen of an experienced cook, with loads of equipment and all the latest gadgets. But don't be scared - cooking is fun. Start getting a few of the basic things that we recommended, and add to your collection of kitchen equipment as time goes by.

Visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/cookingfromscratch.html for some suggestions for simple, quality, essential cookware.