Perfect Pork Loin Rub

If you haven't already discovered this, Costco sells the BEST pork loins. They come in packs of 5 or 6 in the fresh meat section, so you can pack them up and freeze them, cooking only one at a time.

Tonight I made a perfect pork loin rub, adapted from an online recipe I found to accommodate my allergies. It's sweet, with a hint of heat that can be adjusted by the amount of crushed peppers you add! This recipe is enough for one pork loin.

I rubbed this mixture onto the pork loin only minutes before wrapping in tin foil and baking at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Ingredients: (I measured very loosely, so play a little with this recipe to develop your favourite blend!)

1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp thyme

Shake it up! Rub it on!

Product Review: Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro Gourmet Olives

I never used to be an olive person. I believe it's one of those acquired tastes, like blue cheese, or wine. It took me an incredibly long time to warm up to them, but if I had these olives before, circumstances might have been different.

Mezzetta Napa Valley Bistro Gourmet Olives are heavenly. They are marinated in wine...that's right...Napa Valley merlot or chardonnay, depending on the variety.

I have never had an olive that beats out these guys.
If you have no problem with garlic, I highly recommend the Garlic Stuffed Olives, because that's what got me hooked on this brand. My belly no longer likes garlic, but go grab yourself a jar, eat 1 (or five!), and then go give your love a big garlic-y kiss!

If you're not into the garlic (or the garlic-y kisses), I also discovered that they've got Jalapeno Stuffed Olives, which are marinated in the Napa Valley Chardonnay!

Also delicious! They're not that spicy, if you are sensitive to that kind of thing. The jalapeños add just enough kick to that already perfect base of spices.

Find them at your local Safeway, and serve them at your next dinner party.

Panne Rizo's Rewards Program

I've talked about Panne Rizo on this blog before, and I'm still a huge fan. It's so nice to have a bakery dedicated to gluten-free eating, but one that offers egg-free and dairy-free products as well. My favourite products are still their bread crumbs, Vegan Chia Loaf, and Bird's Nest Cookies, but I will continue to explore and update you on my findings!

Panne Rizo is also fantastic at providing it's customers with new products for the holidays. Last Christmas they had a delicious assortment of traditional Christmas cakes and cookies, of which I ate plenty!

I noticed that they've also got special offerings for this Thanksgiving! Drop by and pick yourself up a pumpkin pie (or try the recipe on my blog!) or some pumpkin loaf. Or save yourself a ton of time by ordering some gluten-free turkey stuffing! This is fantastic for those who will be serving someone with a gluten-free diet and is overwhelmed by the idea of making their own!

A new feature for Panne Rizo is their free Customer Rewards Program. Gain points by spending money (1 point for each dollar spent), and gain extra points by bringing in your own reusable bags!
Panne Rizo will also register you into the Celiac Registry where you can get your Celiac receipts at the end of the year for tax purposes.

If you are diagnosed Celiac- here is the link to the Canadian Revenue Agency's page on Gluten-Free write-offs:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns300-350/330/clc-eng.html

Here is the link to the page of Panne Rizo's new Customer Rewards Program:
http://www.pannerizo.com/rewards-celiac-registry/