Pork Satay with Almond Butter Sauce

This recipe from dinnerwithjulie.com pretty much fits my dietary restrictions with the substitution of tamari sauce for the soy sauce. I'm preparing this for Christmas Eve dinner with my Dad and brother. I know Mom would approve!

1 pound center cut thin boneless pork chops

Marinade:
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. orange or lime juice
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. curry powder
pinch hot chile flakes

Almond Butter Satay Sauce:
1/2 cup almond butter (peanut butter works too)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice
2 Tbsp. hot water
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce (chile garlic sauce)

Cut the pork tenderloin in half crosswise and then lengthwise into strips. Put in a bowl with all the marinade ingredients, and toss it around with your hands. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.

Mix together all the satay sauce ingredients, and thin with additional water if necessary. Set aside.
Preheat a grill or broiler. Thread the pork onto skewers that have been soaked in water for at least 10 minutes. Grill or broil on both sides until just cooked through. Serve skewers on top of coconut rice with satay sauce on the side.

Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Muffins

Since moving to the Southwest, some of my favorite Christmas treats are the fresh-off-the-tree oranges we get every December. I've experimented with several different orange recipes over the years, so this year I wanted to try Cranberry Orange Muffins. Since I'm loving the buckwheat flour right now, I've modified my previous muffin recipes and merged it with a recipe from joyfulhealthyeats.com. Here it is:

1 1/4 cups Tom Sawyer Gluten Free flour

3/4 cup buckwheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 ounces Trader Joe's dried cranberries (fortified with cranberry seed oil) 

2 eggs

3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup rice milk
1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon table sugar

 

Preheat oven to 400º. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, beat eggs, orange juice, rice milk, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and grated orange zest. (When adding the refrigerated ingredients, the coconut oil will solidify, so either warm everything to room temperature or microwave the wet ingredients in 15 second increments and stir. Don't overcook it or you will have to start over!) Add wet mixture to dry ingredients, stir to combine until it is just moistened. Stir in cranberries. Line muffin tin with muffin foil or papers and spoon mixture into tin until 3/4 full. Sprinkle table sugar over muffins. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.

Gluten Free Tom Kha (Thai Coconut Soup)

My son found this recipe at http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/05/10/thai-coconut-soup-tom-kha/

We tried the recipe without the fish sauce and decided it was still outrageously delicious.

Ingredients for Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha):

• 14 ounces (420 ml) can full-fat coconut milk
• 2 cups (475 ml) chicken stock
• 1 pound (500 grams) shrimp or chicken breast
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sriracha (or to make homemade, check this out)
• Chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions for Thai Coconut Soup (Tom Kha):

1. Prepare the shrimp by peeling and deveining if not already done prior to purchase. If using chicken, clean the chicken of any connective tissue and cut into small chunks.
2. In a pot over medium heat, combine the coconut milk, chicken stock and ginger. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Add the shrimp or chicken, mushrooms, lime juice, fish sauce and sriracha. Simmer until the shrimp (less than 5 min) or the chicken (5-10 minutes) is cooked through.
4. Top with fresh chopped cilantro for garnish.

Gluten Free Taco Seasoning

For the past five years, I have made tacos sans seasoning. My family didn't complain, they just poured on the taco sauce, but I really missed the seasoning. I found and modified a recipe from the Family Fresh Meals blog.

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic-infused olive oil
  
Mix together all ingredients except oil. Brown 1 1/2 - 2 pounds ground beef or turkey and drain off fat. Sprinkle seasoning evenly over meat and drizzle olive oil over top. Mix well and serve.