Smothered Pork Chops

4-6 pork chops (3/4 to 1 inch thick)
1/2 cup almond flour
2 tbs. coconut flour
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. onion powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder or cayenne pepper
1/2 cup coconut or olive oil
1-2 large sweet onions- sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup coconut milk

Rinse pork chops and pat dry.

Mix flours, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, salt, paprika and chipotle well and spread the mixture on a plate.

Heat oil in large skillet.

Dredge chops in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Reserve remaining flour.

When oil is barely smoking, add pork chops and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Remove chops from pan and set aside.

Without cleaning the pan, add the onions in and stir to loosen up any browned bits (called deglazing). Cook until onions are well-browned and translucent.

Sprinkle in remaning flour mixture on to onions, add the chicken stock and whisk to combine. Let sauce thicken a bit (simmer for about 5 minutes).

Stir in coconut milk.

Add the pork chops back into pan, spooning the onion sauce over them. Allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes or until pork is cooked through.

Cabbage Rolls
(adapted from this recipe)

1 head green cabbage

2 lbs ground beef (could use other ground meats)
1 egg
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp dry oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 of a head of cauliflower

1 large jar of tomato sauce (3-4 cups)

Grab a large pot and a metal steamer basket (like this dealy). Add water to the pot to reach the bottom of the steamer and bring the water to a boil. Cut the core out of the bottom of the cabbage and set it bottom-down in the steamer. Put a lid on it for 15 minutes. Remove the cabbage and set aside to cool.

In a frying pan, add the garlic, onions and herbs, sauté on med for 2-3 mins, remove from heat. Break the cauliflower into smaller pieces and whiz in a food processor until chopped fine like rice.

In a mixing bowl combine the meat, egg, onion mixture and cauliflower.

If the cabbage isn’t cool enough to handle run some cool water over it. Carefully separate twelve of the cabbage leaves, trying not to tear them. I find that I often have to cut out of a bit of the thick centre of the cabbage leaves to get them to roll nicely.

Spray a 9×13 inch pan with a bit of oil and spread a few big spoonfuls of tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan to keep the rolls from burning.

One at a time, roll about a half a cup of the meat mixture in each of the cabbage leaves, tucking in the sides to form a cute little bundle. Arrange the bundles in the pan seam-side down.

When all your bundles are in the pan, pour the remaining tomato sauce over the whole works. Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour.

I think I remember my mom making brussels sprouts once, maybe twice, when I was a kid. I don’t remember eating them, which is probably why she only tried twice. I’m sure my argument against them was something like “I don’t wanna, they smell like farts.”

I’m absolutely beside myself then when I admit that these little cabbages were so good I went back for seconds. Seriously. I was so enraptured I convinced Rob to try one, but he didn’t like them AT ALL. If you don’t generally like vegetables I don’t think you’ll find your epiphany with these, but if you do like your greens you might have a very spiritual moment.

2-3 cups brussels sprouts (I actually used frozen sprouts, half a bag)
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Dressing:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp grainy dijon mustard
1 Tbsp maple syrup (the REAL stuff)
1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve the sprouts and toss in the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread out on a cookie sheet or large pan and roast for 30 minutes, flipping once.

While the sprouts are roasting mix all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Toss the cooked sprouts in the dressing and serve right away.

Makes 4 “normal-sized” servings or 2 “I freaking LOVE vegetables” servings.

I shared this recipe as part of the Fight Back Friday blog carnival at Food Renegade. You can find other recipes like this and thoughts about “real food” at the site, so be sure to visit.

This recipe is rewarding in many ways. First, it’s a really easy and healthy snack food. Secondly, it’s kid-approved and easy to leave out on the counter for youthful snack attacks. Third, I get to say things like “you’ll love the taste of my nuts”.

Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on a package of commercial roasted nuts? I had some last week and I would have needed a chemistry degree to know what half of the ingredients were. I know that cornstarch and sugar have no place in my idea diet at the very least, and certainly not the MSG that was also prominent on the label.

Give my salty nuts a taste, you won’t regret it. Technically you can experiment with any oil, and any kind of salt, but I love the combination of the sweet, subtle coconut oil and the rustic scent of the smoked salt. Look for a coconut oil that actually has a slight coconut smell, as many of them have been de-scented.

4 cups nuts, unroasted, unsalted
1-2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp smoked salt (Salish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If your coconut oil is hard melt it in a microwave or on the stove. Stir the nuts in the melted oil in a bowl, and then sprinkle on the salt and toss to coat. Spread out in a large cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

It was a rare Sunday morning. I didn’t have to be anywhere in particular, I was on top of my chores, and all of my pots and pans were clean. I decided to get fancy with breakfast.

Eggs Benedict has to be my all-time favorite breakfast dish, and just because I am currently shunning bread I don’t feel I have to miss out. Likewise, I’ve been wanting to attempt a latke/hashbrown alternative made without potatoes or flour. Some might call me crazy, I prefer the term “visionary”.

To say that everything turned out well would be an understatement. When I retire I won’t look forward to sleeping in. I’ll look forward to having an hour every morning to cook a breakfast as fabulous as this.

Eggs Benedict
1 English muffin, split and toasted (or a nice bed of spinach for the paleo/primal eaters)
2 oz ham or back bacon, cooked (or smoked salmon)
2 poached eggs
hollandaise sauce (recipe follows)

On each half of the English muffin arrange half of the ham and one poached egg. Drizzle with hollandaise sauce and serve hot.

Hollandaise Sauce
2/3c butter
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lemon juice

From the butter, take away 2 Tbsp and stick in the fridge to keep it cold. Melt the rest and set it aside. In a small metal bowl whisk the egg yolks with water and lemon juice. Bring a pot of water to boil over medium heat. The pot needs to be the right size so that it will hold your metal bowl over the water. When the pot of water is at a steady
boil set the bowl of eggs over the water and whisk briskly. In only a minute or two the egg yolks will get thick and sticky, remove them from the heat. Immediately plunk in the 2Tbsp of cold butter and whisk until it has melted in. Continue to whisk the mixture while you drizzle in the melted butter.

Parsnip Latkes
4 large parsnips, peeled
1/2 cup onion, finely minced
1 egg, beaten
oil for frying (I used coconut oil and it ROCKED)

Grate the parsnips into a large bowl of cold water. When all is grated, strain the grated parsnip and spread it out over a clean kitchen towel with the onion. Roll up the towel and wring it tightly to soak up moisture from the vegetables. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and mix with the egg.

Heat several tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. With a large spoon (I use a 3/4oz cookie scoop), transfer about 2 Tbsp of the mixture to the frypan and pat it down into a patty with the back of a fork. Place several of these around the pan and lower the heat to medium. Fry 3-5 minutes each side until golden brown. Wipe out the pan and repeat with the remaining mixture until gone. The latkes can be kept warm on a plate in the oven at 250 degrees.

Hello visitors from Food Renegade! This is my first submission to “Fight Back Friday” , but I expect it won’t be my last. If you are a regular visitor of my site, why don’t you check out Food Renegade for some delicious inspiration!

Coconut Curry Sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 can coconut milk
3 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic and ginger. Stir and fry for about one minute, until the onions and garlic are soft. Add the coconut milk and spices to the pot. Continue to stir over medium heat as the coconut milk dissolves and blends with the spices. Bring to a slow boil and remove from the heat a few minutes before serving.