Grilled pork salad with beets and goat cheese dressing / Recipe number 2 !

 Grilled pork salad with beets and goat cheese dressing – This salad can be made partially using your grill. It has grilled pork strips, roasted beets, fingerling potatoes, grilled onions, and avocado slices on a bed of lettuce and drizzled with a bell pepper, paprika and goat cheese dressing.





There is nothing better than a well made and filling salad that can equally satisfy your taste buds and your desire to eat something healthy and fresh. This salad combines beets, fingerling potatoes, grilled pork chop strips, grilled white onions and avocado on a bed of lettuce and is drizzled with a flavorful dressing made with bell pepper, paprika, goat cheese and garlic. I found this amazing salad earlier this year on one of my favorite food blogs: El Almuerzo de Leticia and Don Lucho- by the way this is a great site, the food is always appetizing, healthy and the preparation instructions are easy to follow.


This salad is not only a pleasure to eat but it is also beautiful to look at it, I felt like I was creating edible art when I was making it, I made a few substitutions to the salad, you can used grilled pork chop strips, while Don Lucho’s orginal salad had turkey – probably a little bit healthier than pork ;) but essentially you use any meat/poultry/seafood you like –which is great for using up leftovers.I had some fingerling potatoes so I used those but any potatoes can be used.An important part of this salad is the dressing, Don Lucho made a beautiful dressing using a paprika pepper, of course I couldn’t find one so I used a red bell pepper and some smoked paprika powder, I also used goat cheese instead of cream cheese (I just can’t resist combining peppers and goat cheese together), and added some garlic(again goat cheese and garlic are such a great match).

 

Recipe adapted and translated from Don Lucho’s salad.

 

Ingredients:

 

3 large beets, washed

1 lb fingerling potatoes, washed

1 lb boneless pork chops, cut into strips

2 white onions, washed and sliced thickly

2 tbs olive oil

1 medium size lettuce head, washed

1 ripe but firm avocado, peeled and sliced

Salt and pepper

Bell pepper & paprika dressing

1 red bell pepper, if you can find a fresh red paprika pepper even better

1 tsp smoked paprika powder

2 garlic cloves

½ to ¾ cup milk

4 tbs goat cheese

2 tbs olive oil

Salt to taste

 

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
2. Wash the beets and remove the leaves, wrap the beets in aluminum foil and bake for about 45-50 minutes, time will vary based on the size of the beets.
3. When the beets are fully cooked remove them from the oven and place them in bowl of ice to stop the cooking process and cool down.
4. Peel and cut the beets.
5. Bring water to boil a large saucepan and boil the potatoes for about 8-10 minutes or until tender, remove from heat and let cool down, use them either whole or quartered.
6. Meanwhile combine the bell pepper, smoked paprika, garlic, milk, goat cheese, olive oil, and salt in the blender and blend until you get a smooth sauce, strain it and refrigerate until ready to use.
7. Season the pork and onions with the olive oil, salt and pepper
8. Grill or sauté the pork and onions, let them cool down before using.
9. Arrange the lettuce, beets, potatoes, onions, pork and avocados in a salad bowl, platter or individual plates, drizzle with the salad dressing and serve immediately.

Stay tune for  yummy recipe # 3 ! LOVES ! XOX

Heat wave: 10 ways to keep kids cool !!

It’s hot outside. Don’t lose your cool.

 

As the recent heat wave intensifies, it’s important to remember that rising temperatures can be more than just uncomfortable. This record-breaking weather can be dangerous--even deadly. Staying cool is a priority, so here are ten ways to combat the sizzling heat.

 

 

 

1. Chill your wrists: Chris Baskind of the Mother Nature Network suggests running cold water over wrists for a minute every hour:

“When you were sick as a child, your mom may have brought you a cold facecloth. This idea works the same way.”

2. Stay hydrated: Kids may not feel thirsty, but it’s essential to stay hydrated, so make sure young ones are getting lots of H20. If you’re planning to leave the house, freeze some water bottles and take them with you.

3. A little help from some fans: They may be little, but those battery-operated personal fans can make a big difference.

4. Frozen washcloth: Freeze a washcloth and then plop it on the back of their necks—instant refresher.

5. Turn off electronics: If they’re not being used, unplug electronics to keep them from generating unnecessary heat.

6. Stay downstairs: Downstairs areastend to be cooler. Herd kids into an air-conditioned basement, if available. If not, stay on the first floor.

7. Don’t cook: Feed kids fresh foods like salads and fruit. Not only will this cool the core, it’ll also keep cooking-related heat from filling up the house.

8. Plan ahead: If you’re leaving the house, make sure you won’t be spending too much time in areas without shade. Bring plenty of water and dress in lightweight, light-colored clothing.

9. Precool: Lifehacker recommends “precooling” to counter overheating:

“Before you start exercising, you can use a couple precooling techniques to keep your temperature down. This includes drinking a slushie, or even just draping a cold rag around your neck. These precooling techniques can improve endurance in hot weather exercise by nearly 4 percent.”

10. Postpone laundry: Plan to do heat-generating activities after the sun goes down. Do laundry at night, for example.