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Chicken Liver and Bacon

Written by Viella

Are you in need of an energy boost?  Well try this chicken liver and bacon recipe, it certainly put a pep in my step.

Chicken liver is a great source of iron, but unfortunately very high in cholesterol, so I only eat it when I’m feeling low. When I find myself falling asleep on the sofa during the middle of the day after very little exertion, with no energy to get into something interesting.

I was recently diagnosed as anemic, so my primary care doctor recommended that I take iron supplements. She suggested I take ferrous gluconate. Now I’m delicate flower, my constitution and equilibrium can be sent off kilter very easily, and boy did ferrous gluconate do a number on me. I will not share the symptoms, I will just say this – Yikes!

Once the ferrous gluconate had left my system I went in search of an alternative. I ran straight to my local Whole Foods for advice. I needed something gentler on the stomach and with less side effects. The kind sales assistant suggested a liquid supplement, apparently they are kinder to the body, I gambled on PlantForce Liquid Iron by Gaia, and it was a safe bet. This baby works a treat, and to my astonishment tastes kinda nice. So if like me, you suffer with a lack of iron, and have a delicate constitution, give PlantForce Liquid Iron a try.

There are still times though, when I need a further injection of iron to pull me off the sofa, hence today’s post. We all know that liver is a great source of iron, one piece of liver provides just under 6 mg of iron. Women between the ages of 19-50 should consume 18 mg of iron daily, and women over 50 require less as years pass, between 18 mg-8 mg daily, dependent upon health. Men only need to consume 8 mg daily regardless of age, so long as they are healthy. So you can’t beat chicken liver, or any kind of liver, if you’re in need of iron and help getting off that sofa!

This chicken liver and bacon recipe is an appetizer. The liver is wrapped in bacon and served with a lip-smacking tomato dipping sauce. So its a great way to make sure your family and friends are getting their iron too. 

Liver and Bacon

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Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Written by Viella

I adapted this beet and goat cheese salad from a dish that used to be on the menu at Lido. A very popular restaurant in Harlem, NY that serves great Italian food, good wines and really tasty cocktails. The chef changes the menu seasonally, so when I find something I really like on the menu, I make a point to go back regularly just in case it is removed from the menu in a few months! I ordered their beet and goat cheese salad expecting the usual mesclun salad with beets topped with goat cheese, and it was that, but instead of the cheese crumbled over the salad, it was nicely parceled in some filo pastry, a really nice touch and a much more interesting salad. Here’s my version.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

I used Belgian endive in my salad, a very powerful salad greens – a source of vitamins and minerals, high in complex fibers and promotes digestive health. Endive is no slouch. It has been reported that one cup of endive per week can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 75%. So I speak to the ladies specifically here – let’s eat more endive! 

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Appetizer, Salads and Vegetables, , , , , ,

Roasted Potatoes and Shallots

Written by Viella

Roasted potatoes and shallots are easy to create and will simplify your Sunday dinners. Just season them with salt and herbs, drizzle with olive oil and pop them in the oven, and let the heat do the work.  These roasted potatoes and shallots will take some of the stress out of creating a celebration dinner and allow you to concentrate on a sexy meat, fish or vegetable dish that will wow your guests.

roasted potatoes with shallots

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Potatoes, Salads and Vegetables, Side Dishes, , , , ,

Mango Ginger Lemonade

Written by Viella
1 Comment

Warm days and warm nights call for my mango ginger lemonade. A rich and subtly sweet lemonade with a ginger kick.

Mango Ginger Lemonade

I made some on Memorial Day for my family and friends, some requested a little spike and others preferred to have it plain as is. For some spike, I’d suggest adding either vodka or a white rum. Vodka will just add the kick you need, but as white rum is mostly sugar cane based it will add another dimension to the lemonade, really round out the flavor.

I used champagne mangoes which are also called Atualfo mangoes in Mexico, or honey or baby mangoes. They are small kidney shaped with golden yellow skins and velvety flesh and have an intensely sweet taste when ripe. The pit in the middle of the fruit is flat, so it’s easier to cut and extract the flesh. If you need help on how to slice or dice a mango click here.

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Avocado Toast with Poached Egg

Written by Viella

I remember as a child praying that my mother wouldn’t insist that I eat that green slimy thing she called avocado pear. Many folks in the Caribbean refer to the avocado as pear due to the shape of the fruit. When I was a kid, I thought it to be a bland heave-worthy tasting veggie that should be avoided at all cost.  I had no idea that it was a fruit or how wonderful it truly tasted and the benefits it brought to my aging body. Now avocado is featured in so many of my foods, I revel in its luxurious taste and happy to let its nutrients do its work on my body. So today I made some avocado toast with poached egg.

Avocado toast

A sensational first meal for the day. I sat to eat it on my terrace with a mimosa (or two) and my Kindle. I’m reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey. I’ve just started reading it – so no opinion as yet. There is no better way to spend a Sunday morning, eating a nutritious meal and reflecting on life’s possibilities. 

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Breakfast, Brunch, Eggs, , , , ,

Parmesan Crisps

Written by Viella

Are you always stumped as to what to serve on those holiday weekends, when you have a house full of guests celebrating national holidays?  Something simple to complement your grilled food, something that will satiate your guests’ appetite but leaves plenty room for what’s to come? Well for this Memorial Day you should try your hand at some parmesan crisps?

Parmesan Crisps

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Appetizer, Cheese, Snacks, , , , ,

Chicken Taco Cupcakes

Written by Viella

It’s Taco Tuesday, and today’s feature is Chicken Taco Cupcakes. These are utterly delightful.  It’s a miracle I have any pictures to share as I couldn’t stop eating them as soon as they came out of the oven. Oh my they will make you happy.

 Chicken Taco Cupcakes

These chicken taco cupcakes are the perfect appetizer, one is a three bite snack which only needs one hand, so you have a hand free for a cocktail – perfect!Read More

Appetizer, Tacos, , ,

Chilean Sea Bass

Written by Viella
2 Comments

Chilean sea bass is a marvelous fish, its a treat yourself to something nice fish, a celebration of a meal fish, and maybe even an impress your date, boss or mother fish. If you plan on making this a celebratory meal I think you should pair it with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc or a French Chardonnay, you’ll need a robust character of a wine to complement this meal.

I’ve been experimenting with dried ingredients recently, so I purchased a tub of dried porcini and added them to this dish.  They pack a real nutty punch, and they do a good job on complementing the Chilean sea bass. No need to go crazy and add too many flavors, salt, scallions, rice wine vinegar and a little garlic is all that is required.  You can serve with some wilted spinach or if carbs are desired, some steamed rice or sautéed potatoes.

As you can see I included a generous amount of sauce, your fish will be swimming in nuttiness and look how pretty it looks…

Chilean Sea Bass

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Shrimp Rice Noodles

Written by Viella

This is an ode to Wayne – someone I did wrong!

I’m sure you’re wondering what my ode to Wayne has to do with shrimp rice noodles – well it’s a convoluted issue. I’ll explain.

As I have mentioned in my about me page, I have been cooking for very many years for my family and friends, so there are dishes that I create that have become fan favorites, and there are specific members of my family who just love everything I create.  Well Wayne is the latter, he gets excited about everything that comes out of my kitchen – bless him.

So Wayne is vexed, he assumed when I started my blog he would be #1 taster, go-to-guy with a fork.  Alas, that has not been the case.  Creating my blog has been a labor of love, developing recipes to share, thinking of something pithy to write for each post and of course a smashing pic, and I’ve found that the best process is to do this alone and to take my time, lots of time, with an old movie playing in the background.  So Wayne hasn’t had the opportunity to become Diverse Dinners’ trusted taster, which has resulted in his vexed state and often grumpy demeanor. I thought his testiness was due to him being tired, he works really hard.

Cut to today’s shrimp rice noodles.  

Shrimp Rice Noodles

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Pork Belly and Pico de Gallo

Written by Viella

How about pork belly and pico de gallo for Cinco de Mayo? 

Since my visit to Chef Roble’s restaurant, Streets in Williamsburg, Brooklyn last month, where I had the most amazing adobo chicharrones, I’ve wanted to do something with pork belly. So I’m really excited to share this recipe with you. This is a spicy recipe, the adobo peppers with chipotle sauce in the marinade for the pork really packs a punch, so if this is too much heat for you, you can temper the spiciness by adding a tablespoon of agave to the marinade. If you are a real heat lover then you should add a sliced jalapeno to the pico de gallo.

A good accompaniment to this pork belly and pico de gallo would be rice, or you can slice the pork belly and stuff it and the pico de gallo into tortillas – a fantastic taco and will be a real crowd pleaser for pork lovers.

Cinco de Mayo is hardly the time to watch calorie intake so indulge and recreate my pork belly recipe.

Pork Belly and Pico de Gallo

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