Lemon Garlic Pork Chops

4 thin boneless skinless pork chops

¼ cup coconut flour

Sea salt

2 Lemons, 1 zested and juiced and 1 very thinly sliced

1 Tbsp EVOO

2 Tbsp coconut oil

4 cloves minced garlic

¾ cup of bone broth

Place coconut flour in a shallow bowl and stir in your lemon zest. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and then coat them in the flour mixture. 

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Cook pork chops until browned and cooked through 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep them warm. 

Reduce skillet to medium heat. Add garlic and coconut oil and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add your bone broth and cook for about 4 minutes, uncovered. Add your pork chops back to the pan. Cook for about two minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice.  Serve hot.

Smothered Pork Chops

This recipe is adapted from South Your Mouth to make it gluten-free.  This gravy is so good I could drink it!

6 pork chops

Salt & pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons EVOO or coconut oil

1 large onion, halved then sliced 

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups chicken broth

Season both sides of pork chops with salt, pepper, garlic and oregano. Heat oil in a skillet on medium-high heat until hot. Sear pork chops in hot pan on each side for approximately 3 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. Remove pork chops from pan and add onions. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium then add cornstarch to the onions. Stir to coat onions with flour and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Slowly add chicken broth to onions and stir until smooth and mixture begins to thicken. Taste for seasoning then add salt and pepper if necessary. Reduce heat to low, add pork chops back to pan then cover and cook for 30 minutes to an hour.

Serve gravy over pork chops and rice.

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

I am not a pork chop fan, but Jason is.  He made these goodies on the George Foreman.  Although they were good this way, we may try baking them next time since I am afraid the leftovers may be dry.

1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp raw honey

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 garlic clove, finely minced

4 boneless pork chops 
salt and pepper

Mix ketchup, honey, soy sauce and garlic in a flat dish.  Season each chop with salt and pepper, then dip in sauce mixture before placing on preheated George Foreman Grill.  Cook each chop for 8 minutes.  Serve with Parmesan rice and steamed vegetables.

Paleo Meatloaf (Dairy and Gluten Free)

1 diced red onion

1 lbs of grass fed ground beef

1 lbs Italian sausage

1 cup almond meal

2 eggs

1 can tomato paste

1 tbsp crushed garlic

1/2 tbsp sea salt

2 tbsp dried basil

cracked black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients by hand in a large mixing bowl. Place meat mixture into a large glass baking pan and form into a loaf.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until meat is no longer pink in the middle.

Hungarian Red Potato Goulash

This recipe hit the spot on a cold, early Spring evening.

Olive oil
1 (14 ounce) smoked sausage, sliced into thin medallions
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions, quartered and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt
¾ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
10 medium-size red skin potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½” thick circles (about 2 ¾ lbs)
1 ½ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Place a large, deep, non-stick pan (or even medium non-stick pot) over medium-high heat, and add in about 1 tablespoon of oil; once the oil is hot, add in the smoked sausage medallions, and caramelize them for a few minutes until they become a deep brown color; remove the sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

-To the same pan or pot, add in the butter, and allow it to melt; add in the sliced onions, and caramelize those in the butter and sausage drippings until a rich, golden-brown, about 5-7 minutes; next, add in the garlic, plus a couple of pinches of salt, the freshly cracked black pepper and the paprika, and stir to combine with the onions; saute just until the garlic becomes aromatic.

Next, add in the sliced potatoes, and fold them into the caramelized onions/garlic to coat them well; add in the chicken stock and stir to combine, then push the sliced potatoes down into the stock/onion mixture as much as possible to allow them to cook evenly; cover the pan/pot with a lid that is askew to allow some steam to escape, and simmer on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring gently once or twice during this time; then, uncover the pan/pot and allow the potatoes to continue to simmer for another 10 minutes, or until they are tender and the sauce a bit thickened, stirring once or twice during that time. (It’s perfectly fine for some of the potatoes to break up in the sauce as it helps to thicken it, just take care not to break them too much.)

Finish the Goulash by adding the caramelized smoked sausage back into the pan/pot, as well as the parsley, and gently fold those in to incorporate; add a little drizzle of olive oil in, and add a couple more pinches of salt and pepper, if necessary; serve hot with bread, if desired.

Red Beans and Rice

This recipe comes from the Whole Foods Market Cookbook.  Since I work and have class on Thursday afternoons/evenings and Jason is off of work, he made this dinner for us to enjoy.

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 pd. cooked andouille sausage, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large green pepper, seeded and diced (omitted)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 bay leaf
8 c. chicken broth
2 c. tomato juice
1 c. small dried red beans
1/2 c. basmati rice
salt
freshly ground pepper
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the sausage, and saute for one minute.  Stir in the aromatics and saute until tender.  Reduce the heat to low and stir in the spices, stirring often for three minutes.

Add the stock, juice and beans.  Bring to a boil, lower to simmer and cook uncovered for 45 minutes or until beans are tender, but have not lost their shape.  Stir in the rice and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked.  Season with salt and pepper.

Carl's Gismos

I've been wanting to try another recipe from Brenda's Canadian Kitchen for some time and this month it finally made the recipe rotation.  Instead of using her marinara sauce which called for a long simmering time, I used a quick recipe found HERE.  Instead of adding the meat and sauce seperately, I mixed them together before putting on the toasted bun.  As you can see (below) the mixture overflowed all six hoagie buns I had on hand!

4 Italian or submarine rolls
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/3 cups marinara sauce
1 lb. fresh mozzarella, cut into 8 slices

Position an oven rack about 11" below the broiler, and preheat broiler. Slice rolls open lengthwise 3/4 of the way through, so that they open like a book. Arrange opened rolls side by side on a baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Broil buns until toasted - about one minute - then set aside.

Sauté ground beef and sausage together in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until brown and cooked through. Drain off and discard any fat in the pan, then spoon about 1 cup of ground meat into each roll, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon about 1/3 cup marinara sauce over meat in each roll and top each sandwich with 2 slices of mozzarella. Lightly season again with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese is golden.

Polish Sausage with Haluski (Cabbage and Noodles)

When I see that cabbage is on sale at one of our local stores, I immediately think of this wonderfully simple and frugal dish that I may use a bit too much pepper to season. :)

1Tbsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
½ package Polish sausage, sliced
½ head cabbage, sliced
½ package egg noodles, cooked according to directions
pinch of Hungarian paprika (I omitted)
salt and pepper to taste

Add butter to a large frying pan or skillet on medium heat. Saute the onion while preparing the sausage.  Season with paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Add sausage and continue cooking til sausage is browned. Stir in cabbage; add approximately ½ cup of pasta water, stir, cover and cook until the cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.
Stir in drained noodles and heat through. Season with paprika and salt and pepper to taste.  Taste and add additional seasonings as necessary.

Bacon, Bacon Mac and Cheese

This recipe is my attempt to copy cat the Bacon, Bacon Mac and Cheese served at Cheese-ology in St. Louis that my husband loves!

8 slices thick cut bacon, fine chopped
Sea salt
1 pound macaroni style noodles 
4 c. milk
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2 cups Gruyere, grated *
3 cups Mozzarella, grated
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 slices whole wheat bread, ground

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water according to the directions on the package. Drain well.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until desired doneness.  Drain bacon leaving drippings in the pan.  Add flour, salt and pepper to season.  Allow flour to cook, while stirring with a whisk, for two minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in the microwave, but don't boil it.  Slowly add milk, a cup at a time, to the flour mixture, stirring well to thicken.

Off the heat, add the cheeses. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Melt the butter and combine with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the top is browned.

* I also tried a Guyere/Cheddar blend this time and used more of it than Mozzarella.