PREPARE: Pork Stroganoff

READY IN: 1hr 30mins

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS Nutrition

- 1 1⁄2 Kgs pork tenderloin, sliced into 1/4 inch strips

- 1 l Kg white button mushrooms, sliced

- 1 medium white onion, sliced thin

- 1 medium red onion, sliced thin

- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

- 1 cup dry white wine

- 1⁄2 cup heavy cream

- 1⁄2 cup creme fraiche

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 2 tablespoons oil

- salt and black pepper, to taste

OPTIONAL MARINADE

- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)

- 1 tablespoon lime juice (optional)

- 1 tablespoon honey (optional)

- 2 teaspoons dry mustard (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Optional Marinade:

- In a shallow non metal dish, mix together lemon juice, lime juice, honey, and dry mustard. Add pork strips and mix to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1-8 hours.

- Remove pork and discard remaining marinade.

- Melt the butter and oil in heavy frying pan.

- Add onions and cook to soften for 3 - 4 minutes.

- Remove the onions with a slotted spoon to a small bowl.

- Increase pan heat to medium high, when hot add pork, stirring continuously until browned.

- If the pork seems too crowded in your frying pan,you can fry the pork in 2 batches and just add it back to the pan when done browning.

- Add mushrooms, onions, mustard, and wine. Bring to a vigorous simmer.

- Add the creme fraiche and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.

- Bring to vigorous simmer and cook until reduced to a creamy consistancy.

- Remove from heat and stir in heavy cream.

- Serve over a bed of rice, noodles, chapatti, matooke (plantains) or ugali.



Tourism Observer

PREPARE: Creamy Skillet Chicken

Ingredients

- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

- Four 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

- One 8-ounce container sliced mushrooms

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks

- 1 cup half-and-half

- One 10-ounce package of baby spinach (about 8 cups)

- arm egg noodles, for serving

Directions

- Whisk together the flour, 1 tablespoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a pie plate or shallow dish. Coat both sides of the chicken breasts in the flour. Shake off any excess and set aside.

- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.

- Add the chicken to the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until deeply golden, about 3 minutes.

- Turn the chicken and cook, undisturbed, until the other side is deeply golden brown, about 3 minutes.

- Remove the chicken to a plate.

- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet.

- Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and release their liquid, about 5 minutes.

- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

- Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Then pour in the half-and-half.

- Use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

- Season with salt and pepper.

- Add the chicken back to the skillet, cover and cook, turning about halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes.

- Transfer the chicken to a serving platter filled with warm egg noodles.

- Add the spinach to the skillet, cover and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.

- Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.

- Pour the creamy spinach sauce over the chicken and noodles.



Tourism Observer

Lose Weight & Reduce Belly Fat

Certain foods can be your real allies for maintaining and shaping the figure, especially when it comes to reducing belly fat around the waist and abdomen. This is a list of 12 groceries which can help you.

- Almonds and other nuts – feed your muscles, reducing the desire to eat
- Dairy products (low fat milk, yogurt and cheese) – strengthen bones, help with weight loss
- Eggs – feed muscles, burn fat
- Turkey meat – feed the muscles and strengthens the immune system
- Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries – reduce the desire to eat
- Peanut Butter – feeds the muscles, burns fat
- Fatty fish (salmon, tuna) – stimulates the fat burning and quickly reduces the feeling of hunger.
- Grapefruit – reduces the insulin, regulates blood sugar levels and metabolism (eat together with internal part of the rind)
- Green tea – improves fat burning and metabolism
- Chili peppers – fantastic for metabolism
- Spinach and other green vegetables – destroys free radicals, helps in the development of strong muscles
- Mushrooms – feed the muscle, burn fat, improve digestion.

AUSTRALIA: Dreams of Bikes, Coffee And Mushrooms

Mushroom men: Julian Mitchell, left, and Ryan Creed.

Footy mates Ryan Creed and Julian Mitchell have a dream — and it involves bikes, coffee grounds and mushrooms.

But they have just seven days to raise another $6560 to realise it.

The 27-year-old health science professionals want to create Australia’s first urban mushroom farm using coffee grounds from Fremantle’s cafes to grow organic oyster mushrooms to sell to shops, restaurants, markets and online.

The pair need an unused commercial space and to raise $30,000 through crowd-funding. Yesterday, they had $23,440, including $15,000 from the City of Fremantle.

“If we can get up and running, we will literally ride around Fremantle and collect coffee grounds from about 70 cafes and coffee shops,” Mr Creed said.

The mushrooms take about eight weeks to grow and then the grindings will be used to improve local gardens.

Mr Mitchell said about 300 tonnes of coffee waste was sent to landfill from Fremantle every year. “Our solution is as valid to the prominent coffee culture of Fremantle as it is to any other city,” he said.

“Current practice sees coffee ground being mixed with other rubbish and taken to landfill.

“This waste of a valuable resource is needlessly adding to the waste disposal problems of our city and of our culture.”

The pair met playing football in Bunbury. They are fly-in, fly-out workers at Paraburdoo and still play for Cottesloe Roosters.

The Queen Victoria Street cafe Gesha has already signed on to take mushrooms for its breakfast menu.

Thai Stir Fried Chicken Mushroom And Fresh Basil

The fabulous flavours and cuisine of China, Vietnam, Thailand and Southeast Asia have long been a favourite of mine going back to my early childhood in US during the 60s.

I suggest that you pick up these handy measuring kits that can be bought in supermarkets.
While you are at liberty to make your own chicken stock, I find it more practical to buy the Knorr chicken cubes.

Ingredients
Serves 4-6
2 tbsp vegetable oil or more 250 g sliced mushrooms
1 kg boneless & skinless
Chicken breasts thinly sliced 2-3 finely chopped spring onions
2 tbsp fresh ginger 1 tbsp Scotch Bonnet chilies
2 large minced garlic cloves 2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp Thai Fish Sauce 2 tsp brown sugar (optional)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil 2 finely chopped onions
1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro Salt & freshly ground pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste

METHOD

1. Lightly brown the chicken breast in a non-stick frying pan and when done set aside.
2. If need be add a bit more vegetable oil then sauté the onions and garlic until they become translucent at which point add the ginger, mushrooms and chilies and continue cooking over low heat, stirring to make certain that they don’t burn.
3. After about five minutes add the chicken stock, fish sauce and the sugar (that is if you are using it) and bring to a gentle simmer.
4. At this point add the chicken, freshly ground pepper along with the fresh basil and cilantro and cook simmering for about five minutes.
5. Taste and correct seasoning and if need be add salt but ALWAYS bear in mind that chicken stock cubes are salted as well as the Thai fish sauce. You may also wish to add a bit of crushed red pepper flakes. Serve with rice.