Grilled Pork Chops and Peaches #30MinuteMondays

You're less than 30 minutes away from this healthy paleo meal of spice-rubbed pork chops 

and grilled peaches served with bitter greens and avocado.

How was your weekend? Whether or not it was a long one, I hope it included lots of time spent doing your favorite things. Mine did: I spent time cooking, baking, swimming, sleeping in, and eating burgers. I couldn't have asked for much more!

It's been about two weeks since Ben and I moved to Chattanooga, and I'm so happy to be here. I've only had three full days of work so far, so it's all felt a bit like a giant vacation. We're staying with my future sister-in-law and her husband and my three future nieces, and they are all so much fun. The girls are eight, six, and three years old, and make me want to have my own children YESTERDAY. They love to help me cook, which is a welcome change since so often I'm alone in the kitchen.

On Friday we made chocolate pudding. I'd made the recipe before (I just substitute tapioca flour for the cornstarch to make it grain-free) and knew it only made 6 servings, but figured we could stretch it to feed 7, 3 of whom are not full grown. Right when the girls and I had finished the pudding and were looking for cute little cups to put it in, Ben announced that his parents and brother would also be joining us for dinner. That raised the total count to 10.

Faced with the fear of not enough dessert, the girls suggested another batch of these brownies (similar recipe here--omit the cinnamon and cayenne and add a handful of chocolate chips for a kid-friendly, double chocolate version). I agreed. After baking the brownies, we spread our meager stash of chocolate pudding on top like frosting, added a layer of whipped cream, and sprinkled some more chocolate chips on top for good measure. The result was something so decadent that the eight year-old, who prides herself on usually being able to eat several servings of dessert, was satisfied after just one. When it follows the fear of not enough dessert, too much dessert is a wonderful thing indeed! The pudding brownies lasted for days in the fridge and made excellent snacks throughout the weekend.

Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce with Sweet Potato Spaghetti

This is Whole30 comfort food at its best. Making Bolognese sauce every Friday is a new tradition of mine, and even though I've only been doing it for a few weeks, it's already made my weekends much heartier and more delicious. I have Fridays off this semester so I can stay home while this fragrant sauce simmers away, but if you have to work you could start the sauce in the morning before you leave and finish it in the slow cooker, or make it your Saturday or Sunday tradition instead.

You want to let this sauce cook for a nice long time because the flavors will continue to meld and develop over the course of several hours. The long cooking time is the reason bolognese sauce is so synergistic. I also think the sauce tastes even better when I reheat it a day or two later, but I can never resist eating at least some of it the day I make it. The aroma is so enticing! 

Because everyone's schedule is different, I'm providing a slow cooker version and a version that cooks completely on the stovetop. Other than the cooking time, which is much longer for the slow cooker version, the only difference is the amount of liquid you add. The stovetop version needs extra liquid since much of the water in the sauce will evaporate, but the slow cooker keeps all that moisture locked in.

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork with Peach Barbecue Sauce + A Giveaway

I'm not sure where to start: there are so many exciting things going on here! We've got a tangy, sweet, paleo peach barbecue sauce, spice-rubbed, slow-cooked pork that's perfect on its own or drenched in the aforementioned sauce, and a pair of hard-core, handy-dandy meat claws.

Was that too many adjectives? Is it possible for a tool to be both hard core and handy dandy? I apologize--there's just something about pulled pork that makes me a bit verbose. It's so tender, so easy, so versatile, and so GOOD.

For this recipe, a pork shoulder is coated in a simple spicy-sweet mix and popped in the slow cooker with an onion and a bit of olive oil. While the pork is cooking, you can put your feet up and enjoy the wonderful aroma permeating your house.

Or, you can make some peach barbecue sauce to go with it.

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Meatball "Vermicelli" Bowls

My favorite thing to order at our local Vietnamese restaurant is bún chả, a bowl of vermicelli topped with pickled vegetables, peanuts, and grilled sliced pork or pork meatballs, served with a generous bowl of nước chấm (sweet fish sauce) on the side. This paleo version hits all the right notes without refined sugar, legumes, or actual vermicelli--the noodles are spaghetti squash instead! I'm not always a fan of swapping spaghetti squash for regular noodles, but it really works in this dish. There are so many flavors and textures intermingling that the squash flies almost completely under the radar.

The star of this bowl is the caramelized pork meatballs, which are by far the best meatballs I've ever made. Last time I attempted Vietnamese pork it was delicious, but nowhere near as good as what I've had in restaurants. I wasn't sure how to get that unique flavor--the one that's at once almost too sweet and almost too savory, but actually just perfect. Then, while doing a little online research, I came across this recipe from Saveur, which involved a very surprising step.

I never would have tried the technique advised in the recipe if it hadn't come from such a trusted source, because it sounds totally ridiculous. Luckily enough for me and you, though, I did try it, and it was just the ticket. Buckle your seat belts, folks, because we are going to MAKE CARAMEL and put it in the meatballs.

Yup.

THAT is what I mean by "caramelized".

Slow-Cooker Carnitas Lettuce Wraps with Pineapple & Avocado Salsa

Ben is out of town this week, so I have been left to my own devices.  Last night I got home and decided to read the first chapter or two of the kids' novel Because of Winn-Dixie, which I needed to preview before using it in a lesson.  Turns out the book is really good, and also a bit sad.  A girl named India Opal, whose mother left when she was little, moves to Naomi, Florida with her dad and ends up adopting a stray dog who helps her make all kinds of interesting friends.  Each friend has their own poignant story.  I may have ended up crying several times (just enough to need a tissue, not straight-up bawling), and finishing the whole book in less than two hours.  Now, that's what I call a fun evening!  Tonight I might watch the film version.

Bacon & Sweet Potato Chili

Do you have a really big skillet?  If not, you are going to want to go buy one so you can make this chili right away.

If you are not convinced that you need a 14-inch skillet, I understand.  However, I intend to convince you to make this chili.  It's the best chili I've ever had, and it's a complete and colorful one-pot meal.  If you didn't just go by a huge skillet and/or don't need to feed a bunch of people, you can halve the recipe and make it in a normal-sized pan.

Why is this the best chili ever?  Well, because bacon.  And sweet potatoes.  And all the fresh things on top that make this the perfect comfort food to carry you from winter into spring.

Cooking with Coconut Oil Review + Pork Chops & Apple Compote (Whole30 Day 5)

When I was offered a review copy of Cooking with Coconut Oil by Elizabeth Nyland of Guilty Kitchen, my answer was a resounding YES!  I am a huge cookbook junkie, and especially like to read books penned by fellow food bloggers.  Also, since I started eating paleo in August, I've loved using coconut oil in the kitchen, and was eager to learn more things I could do with it.  Today I'm sharing my experience cooking & photographing three amazing recipes from the book, and the recipe for Pork Chops with Apple Compote is at the end of this post!

Cooking with Coconut Oil arrived the day before I left to spend the holidays in Tennessee with Ben's family, so I did not get to cook with it right away.  I had plenty of time to page through it, though, bookmarking recipes I wanted to try and craving almost everything pictured in the gorgeous photographs.  This cookbook features a large, full-color photo of every single recipe, which I love.  (Cookbooks that only show pictures of some of their recipes are a huge pet peeve of mine--I never want to make any of the un-pictured recipes!)  The book also has informational sections that cover the health benefits of coconut oil, details about many of the ingredients used in the book, and ten tips for living a paleo lifestyle.  Did you know that the medium-chain-triglycerides in coconut oil improve brain function and can have therapeutic effects on Alzheimer's patients?  Yeah, neither did I!

Creole Hash & Eggs (Whole30 Day 2)

It's Day 2 of my Whole30, and I'm feeling great so far!  Yesterday I had quite a headache, which I think was because I tried to replace my morning coffee with tea.  It was too soon for that--I need to take my changes one at a time!  Since I don't like black coffee very much, I did a little research and found this recipe for bulletproof coffee.  It's basically hot coffee mixed with some ghee and coconut oil.  I made some using my immersion blender, and it was pretty good!  Not quite as delicious as my regular cup of joe (with copious amounts of grassfed milk, a splash of maple syrup, and a few drops of vanilla extract--none of which are allowed on the Whole30), but much more palatable than plain coffee.

Stuffed Zucchini with Goat Cheese & Herbs

Cheese is back!  After finishing up my version of a Whole 30, I've been adding some dairy back into my diet.  I've made some interesting discoveries.  I used to think that too much coffee upset my stomach, but since switching to almond milk, I realized it was all the milk in my coffee that was causing me problems (I like a LOT of milk in my coffee).  So I'm trying not to go too crazy with the dairy, but I'm fine with a little cheese.  

Goat cheese is one of my favorite cheeses, and it's one that people who are lactose intolerant can often still enjoy.  Apparently this is because the fat molecules in goat's milk are shorter than those in cow's milk, and thus easier to digest.  Whatever the reason, I'm glad I can enjoy goat cheese.  It really takes these stuffed zucchini over the top.

One more note on ingredients: this was my first time cooking with ground pork.  It was so good!  Why is everyone still buying ground beef all the time?  I mean, I'm sure this recipe would be good with beef, or even ground chicken or turkey, but the pork just has so much great flavor.  Perhaps this is due to a higher fat content?  What I really want to know is this: why don't people make hamburgers out of ground pork?  Any thoughts?  After all, they are called HAMburgers...

On to the recipe!  I'm eager to try this with other vegetables as well: maybe mushrooms instead of peppers, or shallots instead of onions.  Let me know if you try this or any variations!

Figs & Pancetta

This simple appetizer is an amazing way to showcase some delicious figs.  I'd been wanting to wrap figs in prosciutto for a while now, but accidentally got slices of pancetta instead.  I think in my mind I'd filed them as being the same thing.  I did a little research and it seems like pancetta is thicker and less pliable, and cured with more spices than prosciutto.  You can use either one here--prosciutto would probably be easier to wrap around the figs, and you might not even need the toothpicks.

Carnitas con huevo

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  I like to start with a hearty, hot, and delicious breakfast--no bowls of cereal, please.  Since I've started my whole30, I've made lots of great egg dishes, but now I'm having a problem.  I'm tired of eggs.

Vietnamese Pork & Vermicelli Bowl

There are lots of Vietnamese stores and restaurants in my neighborhood.  On lazy days I do all my shopping at Truong Thinh, the Vietnamese market around the corner, and pick up a banh mi for lunch. One of my favorite places to eat is Pho Hoa, where I love to order the House Special Vermicelli Plate (number 90 in case you're going--Pho Hoa is a chain and there might be one near you!).  It comes with a bunch of delicious things, and rice paper wraps so you can make your own spring rolls.  The first time I ordered it, the waiter brought the rice paper wraps first and Ben and I tried to take a bite of them.  No dice.  They are dry like paper until you soak them in hot water.  Oops.

Anyway, the house special plate comes with those wraps (and a big bowl of hot water to soften them) and vermicelli, herbs and vegetables topped with grilled pork, meatballs, a spring roll, and shrimp & sugarcane.  It also comes with fish sauce on the side.  It's SO good, and the grilled pork is my favorite.  I don't know what they do to it.

This dish is my attempt to recreate that dinner at home.  I have to tell you, it's really good, but it's not QUITE the same flavor I get at the restaurant.  You should still make it, though.  It's super yummy and healthy and beautiful (and lots of fun to photograph, if you're into that).  It has a lot of components, but almost all of them can easily be made in advance.  When it's time to eat, just cook the pork and put together your bowl!

Ingredients (serves 4; adapted from The Culinary Chronicles):

For the pork:

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

2 scallions, sliced

4 inch piece of lemongrass, finely minced

3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3/4 to 1 pound pork tenderloin, sliced thinly

For the quick-pickled carrots and cucumbers:

1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 small cucumber, cut into matchsticks

4 tablespoons rice vinegar (no sugar or salt added)

2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

For the nuoc cham sauce:

Juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons warm water

1/2 teaspoon chili paste

For the scallion oil:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sliced scallions (3-4 scallions)

For serving:

8 ounces vermicelli, cooked according to package directions

1 head of Boston lettuce, leaves separated

Bunch of cilantro

Fresh bean sprouts (I bought them and forgot to get them out!)

Crushed roasted peanuts

To prepare the pork, mix all the ingredients for the marinade together and toss with the pork.  Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before cooking.

To make the quick-pickled vegetables, pour the vinegar, sugar, and salt over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Let sit at room temperature for at least an hour before serving.  If you make them more than a couple of hours in advance, store them in the fridge.

For the nuoc cham sauce, mix all ingredients together.  Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

For the scallion oil, heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat.  When it's hot, add the scallions and cook until wilted but still bright green, about three minutes.  Pour off the scallions and most of the oil and set aside.

Take the pork out of the fridge about ten minutes before you want to cook it.  Prepare the grill, or heat up the same skillet you used for the scallion oil over medium high heat.  Cook the pork, with a little marinade spooned on top, on both sides until browned and cooked through.  Brush cooked pork with the scallion oil before serving.

To serve, line a plate or bowl with lettuce leaves and vermicelli.  Top with pickled vegetables, bean sprouts, pork, and roasted peanuts.  Serve with nuoc cham sauce on the side.