Blackberry Balsamic and Basil EVOO Green Curry in the Crock Pot

I don't know about you, but I love making dinner using my crock pot! It is so very nice to come home to a home smelling good and dinner is so much easier this way! I have a very busy life with three very busy girls, and if I can make it easier for myself I will. This is a wonderful meal and very easy to prepare. We served the curry over brown rice which I had prepared by drizzling basil EVOO and adding some fresh chopped basil and cilantro. I then squeezed some lemon juice over the rice and mixed to combine everything.

Blackberry Balsamic Green Curry

1-2 chicken breasts

lime juice ( 1 lime)

2 cloves garlic, minced

knob ginger, peeled and grated

1-2 Green Bell Pepper cut up to bite sized pieces

1-2 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

1 cup chopped spinach

3 ribs of celery, washed and chopped into chunks

2 chili peppers ( more or less depending on how spicy you like it)

14 oz light coconut milk

1/2-1 cup mushrooms sliced

1/4 cup Blackberry Balsamic

1/2 cup basil chopped

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon curry powder

Basil EVOO drizzle over mixture

1/2 cup cilantro chopped

Place everything in crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces once it is done cooking. Serve over rice. Enjoy! 

Lemon EVOO whole wheat berry muffins

Yes you have read this recipe correctly! The Lemon EVOO completes these muffins leaving them light and fluffy. My younger daughter came to me last night and remarked how good these muffins are. In fact her exact quote was, " Mommy these muffins are delicious, they are just like the grocery store muffins that we like and you won't buy for us." Since we have gone on a whole foods diet, meaning that everything we make is made from scratch and we eat all organic and non-processed food, we do not indulge on muffins at the grocery store. It made me quite happy knowing that my recipe seemed to replace the unhealthy option sold at the store. These muffins are so light and fluffy and really delicious. You can use whatever kind of fruit you would like, we used frozen organic blueberries.

Lemon EVOO Whole Wheat Berry Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 eggs

2 tablespoon Honey ( the lavender honey from Quail and Olive would be wonderful)

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1/4 cup Lemon EVOO

1 cup applesauce

1 cup berries (any kind) or nuts

Preheat stove to 400*. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add eggs, honey, vanilla, Lemon EVOO, and applesauce. Mix together until smooth. Add berries. Prepare the muffin pan, add liners. Fill 2/3 to 3/4 way full with the batter. Bake 15 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Sometimes it takes up to 20 minutes. Serve warm or you can store for future use! Enjoy

Lemon EVOO or Vegan Bacon EVOO Roasted Asparagus

We had dinner one evening at one of our close friends' home. She made a wonderful dish, roasted asparagus and had used Quail and Olive Vegan Bacon EVOO. It was delicious! I had to blog about it, so thank you once again Brandy for the recipe!

Lemon EVOO or Vegan Bacon EVOO Roasted Asparagus


Asparagus, washed and trimmed
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Lemon EVOO or Vegan BAcon EVOO
salt and pepper ( we omitted the salt and it was fantastic!)



Preheat oven to 400*.
In jelly pan, arrange asparagus. Pour Lemon or Bacon EVOO over asparagus along with garlic and salt and pepper. Mix until well incorporated. Place in oven. With tongs, flip asparagus about every 5 minutes. Usually only takes about 15 minutes to roast. Enjoy!

Blackberry Balsamic Apricot Chutney

This is a recipe I will always hold onto. The whole family loved it and I cannot imagine serving the Roasted Pork Should with any other side! This would also be wonderful for the holidays, you can also do this with cranberries instead of the apricots. It is delicious!




Blackberry Balsamic Apricot Chutney

1 Tablespoon Lemon EVOO
knob of ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dried apricots chopped
1/2 cup currants
3/4 cup water
1/4 to 1/2 cup Blackberry Balsamic
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

Saute on medium heat Lemon EVOO, ginger, and garlic for 3minutes. Add apricots, currants, water, blackberry balsamic, mustard seeds and salt. Boil for about 20-25 minutes partly covered until liquid absorbs. Serve.

Korenecki Quinoa

Korenecki Quinoa

This recipe goes great with the Roasted pork prepared with Quail and Olive's Fuzzy Navel Vinegar.

2 tablespoon Korenecki
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 mushrooms, washed and sliced ( I had to limit the quantity of mushrooms, my picky little eaters are not big fans of mushrooms. If you do not need to appease small children by all means use more mushrooms. Mix all different types, portabellos, crimini, etc.. .)
1 cup quinoa
1 carton (32 oz) chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmesan cheese


Pour Korenecki in saute pan, heat at medium. Add red onion, garlic and mushrooms. Saute until brown, about 5 minutes. Add quinoa, mix quinoa with mixture, make sure to coat it with the olive oil. Add wine and chicken stock to pot. Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally until liquid has absorbed. Add 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Enjoy!

Lemon EVOO and Fuzzy Navel Vinegar with Roasted Pork Shoulder

Well, I have succeeded in yet another fantastic dinner! I picked up a lovely pork shoulder from a farm down the street from us. I looked online for some inspiration and did not find much. I know for me a good night sleep helps me with recipes, so the next morning I was inspired by some kind of culinary twist. Here it is, and may I just say that yes ALL my children throughly enjoyed every last bite of this dish!

Lemon EVOO and Fuzzy Navel Vinegar Roasted Pork Shoulder 

3.5 lb Pork Shoulder

Rub:

3 garlic cloves, smashed

lemon zest ( from 1/2 lemon)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Lemon EVOO 

Fuzzy Navel Vinegar

 In small bowl, combine garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper,  and cilantro. Coat all sides of the Pork Roast ( we bought a 3.5 lb roast) with Lemon EVOO.

 Then coat all sides of roast with rub.

 Splash a little Fuzzy Navel Vinegar over all sides of meat. Then place in crock pot. Pour Fuzzy Navel Vinegar to covers bottom of crock pot ( about an inch)

 Cook on low 6-8 hours. You want the inside temperature to register 160*. Every 1-2 hours baste pork with juices in crock pot.

Enjoy! Serve with Blackberry Balsamic Apricot Chutney, Roasted Asparagus with Lemon or Bacon EVOO, and Korenecki Quinoa.

 Kalina loved this dish,

 Annamarie devoured her meal,

And Madeleine couldn't get enough. Very successful dinner!

Quail and Olive Oils

I have just received a package from Quail and Olive, and cannot wait to brainstorm some more exquisite recipes to feature on the Quail and Olive Blog site. I am thinking maybe a roasted pork shoulder with the Fuzzy Navel Vinegar,,,hmm sounds wonderful and maybe even some kind of apricot chutney to go with the roast. Looks like this mom is making a well worth grocery trip tomorrow! I will keep you blogger posted!

Habanero EVOO and Plum Basil Balsamic Beet Greens

So, I must admit I have run out of Quail and Olive EVOOs and vinegars! The only two I have left, and it is partly my fault since I covet them, are the Plum Basil Balsamic and the Habanero Olive Oil. With these two I have created a beautiful meal, not to "toot" my own horn, but I believe this is one of the best vegetarian dishes I have ever tasted! We have a little garden here, and have plenty of beets. I used two bunches for juicing and decided to saute the beet greens for dinner tonight. I have been craving beet greens for awhile. Beet greens and Habanero EVOO? Sounds a little fishy, however the taste is unreal!

Quail and Olive Habanero EVOO and Plum Basil Balsamic Beet Greens

2 tablespoons of Quail and Olive Habanero Olive Oil ( more or less depending on what you can handle spice wise)

Bundle of Beet greens, washed, trimmed, and chopped into one inch pieces

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tablespoon or to taste Quail and Olive Plum Basil Balsamic

salt and pepper to taste

unsalted roasted sesame seeds ( depending on how much you would like :) )

Heat Habanero EVOO in saucepan at medium heat. Add beet greens and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Saute green until done, about 10-15 mins. Add Plum Basil to pan. Add sesame seeds to pan and mix. Serve warm with a drizzle of Koreniki EVOO. Enjoy!