I’m not a big fan of eating pork, but this pork tenderloin has just about changed my mind. Favorite cuts of pork now include bacon and tenderloin.
Take a pork tenderloin and butterfly it. Spread it out, cover it with plastic wrap, and use a mallet to pound it out to about 1/2″ thick.
Spread the basil pesto over the tenderloin.
Cover in 1/3 c. plain greek yogurt.
I diced up 1/4 each red and yellow bell peppers to stuff it with, plus mushrooms. Feel free to experiment with other vegetables. Lay them out along the middle of the flattened tenderloin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roll it up (this might mean just folding it in half, depending on how big it is and how stuffed it is), and set it seam-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Cover in another 1/3 c. plain greek yogurt.
Bake on 375*F for 20 - 30 minutes until a meat thermometer reaches 140* in the thickest part of the meat.
Slice and serve!
I adore a spicy curry any time the temperature is less than fifty degrees. Butternut curry is one of my favorites to make at home. Your whole place will smell like an Indiana restaurant.
In an 8 quart or larger pot sautee the onions and mushrooms in the fat. When the onions become glassy add the garlic, ginger and curry paste and cook for another minute or so until fragrant.
Pour in the chicken stock and coconut milk. Add the turnips, butternut squash, tomatoes and seasalt. If needed add a little water to make sure all the vegetables are covered. Bring to a simmer, cover and let cook for 45 minutes. Stir every so often to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. The butternut squash should start to fall apart.
Meanwhile if you would like rice with your curry start making the basmati. In a sauce pan add the rice, water and salt. Cover and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook for 20 minutes and then remove from heat. Cover and set a side to serve with curry.
Mix in the bell pepper, fish sauce, and pork to curry and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
Stir in the greens, seaweed and nutritional yeast. Cook for 5 minutes or until the greens have wilted. Adjust the salt; if needed add more.
Serve alone or with rice.
These will be the most tender and flavorful ribs that you have ever tasted. I always use homemade sauerkraut for this delicous recipe. The apple reduces the strong pungent taste of sauerkraut. I also add caraway seeds for an extra splash of flavor. This is one of my favorite meals growing up.
Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on high for 12 hours.
Low carb, Paleo-style Swedish meatballs with gravy and mashed cauliflower (the cauliflower recipe is on my blog). This recipe makes a large batch that can either be frozen or feed a large group.
In a large bowl combine meats, almond flour, almond milk, egg, spices, and onion. Mix with hands until ingredients are combined throughout. Take a glass of cold water dip your hand in the water (so meatballs won’t stick), and roll into small golf ball sized balls.
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs leave a small space between the meatballs so they don’t stick together, and gently brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Place them on a heated baking pan in a low oven to keep warm.
For the gravy, add 1 cup of broth to a medium skillet with, let it simmer for 5 minutes while scraping the bottom of the skillet with a spatula. Strain the gravy into a clean saucepan and add the remaining 1 cup of stock. In a small bowl, mix the flour with 1/8 cup of cold water until smooth. Whisk flour mixture into warm gravy, and let simmer, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, until thickened slightly, about 3-5 minutes. Add the coconut and almond milk and season with salt and pepper.
To serve, arrange the meatballs on a serving platter, pour hot gravy over them, and garnish with parsley.
Easy, homemade bacon without the long curing time or hard to pronounce chemicals. A simple overnight marinade is all that it takes!
Your pork belly may come as one whole piece, or for convenience, you can ask your butcher to slice it for you. Slip the whole piece of belly into a large zip-lock bag, or a shallow glass container.
In a small bowl, combine all the the ingredients together. It will have a paste-like consistency.
Smear the paste all over the pork belly or slices with your hands, or if using the bag, dump the paste into the bag, and use the bag to help smear the paste all over the meat.
Place the pork belly into the fridge and let sit overnight. By morning, your bacon will be ready to enjoy for breakfast. If your pork belly was not pre-sliced for you, use a sharp knife to slice pieces off as thick as you like.
Fry bacon slices slowly in a cast iron pan over low-medium heat. Be careful not to use high heat because the sugar in the bacon may burn.
A savory and appealing late Fall or Winter main course.
The day before, combine the rice, salt and warm filtered water in a small sauce pan. Allow to soak for at least 12 hours.
Then, bring it to a boil, cover, and over low heat, simmer until the rice is tender (about 45 minutes.) Check to see if it needs more water from time to time. It would be better to have more than enough and have to drain it, than to have the rice burn in the pan.
Carefully cut the “lid” from the pumpkin and scoop out all of the seeds. (Save these for roasting!)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a heavy skillet, brown the sausage, chopping it up. While it is cooking, dice the green onion and mince the garlic and add that to the skillet. Stir frequently.
Take the tough ribs out of the kale, chop and add to the skillet. Stir and cook until the kale is well wilted, then stir in the mozzarella. Remove from heat. Add the butter and the cooked hot rice and combine well.
Spoon the mixture into the pumpkin. Replace the “lid” and put the pumpkin in an oven-proof bowl or dish.
Bake until when you insert a sharp knife into the pumpkin flesh, it pierces all the way through easily. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve slices of pumpkin along with some of the filling. This will reheat nicely the next day.
The marinade is what makes these pork chops so moist and tender. Use a thin cut pork chop for best results. Bone-in or boneless doesn’t matter. Flavor is great and they cook up quickly.
Arrange pork chops in a single layer in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish with a fitted lid. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and tarragon. Pour liquid over the pork chops. Put on the lid and marinate for 4-9 hours, turning over the chops at least once.
About an hour before dinner, take the chops out of the fridge to allow to come to room temperature.
Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Once pan is hot, place your chops in the pan being careful not to crowd. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side depending on thickness of the chop.
Keep finished chops in a warm over while others cook.
To make a sauce:
To make an optional sauce, reduce heat of pan to medium-low and dissolve 1/2 tablespoon of arrowroot powder in 1 tablespoon of cold water. Set aside.
De-glaze the pan with about 1/3 cup of white wine, scraping up the brown bits. Pour in remaining marinade and bring to a boil. Once boiling, whisk in the arrowroot. Sauce should thicken some. If it does not thicken to desired consistency, reduce heat and allow to reduce some.
Serve over chops.
UMMM! A warm and comforting dish. These pork chops cooked and then smothered in a mushroom onion gravy. Feel free to replace the pork with the chicken.
In a large skillet add 2 T olive oil.
Salt and Pepper meat to taste.
Saute meat until browned (2-4 minutes), flip and saute on other side until brown.
Remove to a plate and let them rest.
Add 2 T olive and 2 T butter.
Add mushrooms and saute until browned add onions and garlic.
Cook until tender.
Add flour to make a roux.
Add wine and vegetable broth and cook until thickened.
Put the chops back into the gravy and cook for another 10 minutes.
Perfect time of the year to fix this meal. You can use any root vegetables you have. Apples and apple cider provide a pleasant sweetness in this dish.
Heat a skillet with 2 T olive oil. Add meat and brown, remove from pan and place in slow cooker. Chop all vegetables.
Add another 2 T olive oil to skillet and add vegetables. Cook until vegetables are tender, 7-8 minutes. Place vegetables into slow cooker.
Pour apple cider, wine, and clavados in skillet. Deglaze skillet, scraping all the brown bits off the pan. Add sage, thyme, and allspice.
Pour cider mixture over vegetables and pork.
Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
A delicious main dish that can incorporate zucchini, yellow summer squash or many other fresh vegetables.
Chop the onions and saute them in the ghee (or butter) in a cast iron skillet for 2 minutes.
Add the sausage and diced jalapenos, chop it up and cook the sausage well, stirring with a spatula.
Add the sliced zucchini and, stirring often, saute at low temperature until the zucchini is tender.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Can be served over brown rice for a filling and nourishing main dish.
A nutritious and simple dish, pastured pork shoulder is slow roasted in the crock pot (slow cooker) with simple spices.
Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder on all sides. Place in slow cooker. Add warm broth (or water) and cook on high for 1 hr. Turn heat to low and cook approx 6-8 hours (depending upon size of shoulder and your slow cooker) until meat falls apart easily. Remove from juices and shred. Reserve juices for another use (or boil down for a reduction sauce. Removing some of the fat from the juices might be helpful in this case)
If your family loves bacon like mine does, this is a simple way to cook a whole batch without getting spattered with grease!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line up bacon slices on a stainless steel cookie sheet.
Bake for 15-25 minutes, depending on desired crispiness.
Serve it while it’s hot!