Pork Roast with Spice Rub

This spice rub is amazing!  It's so good I want to use it on everything.  I made it the first time with a pork roast, but you could use it on chicken, pork chops, anything.  I cooked some carrots and potatoes with the pork roast and I even took some of the rub and put it on the vegetables.  Just a little.  Now I think I might use more next time. I love the flavor.  

Ingredients:
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
1/2 tsp cardamon or 8 whole pods 
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted 
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp peppercorns
1 tbsp Spanish paprika 
5 cloves garlic
2 tbsp brown sugar 
1 tbsp coarse salt 
1/4 cup olive oil 

1 3 pound pork roast 

In a spice grinder, or coffee grinder, process the bay leaves, star anise, cardamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, and pepper until finely ground.  Place in a small bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well making a paste. 

This recipe will make more of the spice paste than you need for this recipe.  You can keep it in the refrigerator to use later for another meal.

Rub the spice rub all over the roast.  Make sure you cover all sides and use enough that it really gets into the meat.  Cover and chill for a least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

Remove some of the rub from the roast. Take off any excess but make sure that you leave a little on if you want the great flavor.  

Heat the over to 450 degrees.  Place the roast on a large roasting pan. Roast at 450 for 30 minutes.   Cover the pan with foil, turn the oven down to 300 degrees. Put a little water on the bottom of the pan to keep the roast from drying out.  Check after 3 hours. The roast should be fork tender.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. 

Lentil Soup with Sweet Potato and Kale

After the holidays my husband and I went on a cleanse.  While juicing was one of the main foods we consumed, we also wanted to make sure we were eating clean nutritious food. This was one of the recipes I made to ensure that we were getting whole organic food, low in fat, high in protein and fiber and loaded with vitamins and minerals. 

This soup can be made with water or vegetable stock.  It has plenty of flavor with the water, but I've also made it with vegetable stock and it boosts the flavor. 

Ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil  
1 onion, finely chopped 
5 to 6 carrots, small chop
2 celery ribs, small chop 
3 garlic cloves, minced  
2 cups red lentils, rinsed  
2 tsp ground cumin 
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chipotle chili 
1/2 tsp turmeric 
8 to 10 cups of water 
1 sweet potato
1 bunch black kale
salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot heat the coconut oil, then saute the onions, celery and carrots until slightly soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the spices and stir constantly to slightly toast and they release their fragrance. This will only take a minute. 

Add 6 cups of water, salt and pepper, bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the sweet potato and kale, and an additional amount of water to get it to the consistency you want.  Cook another 10 to 15 minutes.

Adjust seasoning and serve.