Crock Pot Pork Roast with Apples and Onions

Another Crock Pot meal!  I just wish that the apples hadn't fallen apart so much.  Maybe I'll try bigger pieces next time. I think some golden raisins would also be nice.

4 lb Pork tenderloin, trimmed

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp sage (I used dried)

2 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced

2 onions, sliced

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup chicken stock

Combine garlic, salt, black pepper, ground mustard, and sage in a small bowl.  Place sliced apples and onions in the bottom of a crockpot.  Place pork on top of apples and onions and rub pork with the spice mixture.  Pour vinegar and chicken stock around the pork.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

I served mine with roasted Brussels sprouts and mashed cauliflower.

Lemon Thyme Roasted Drumsticks

I just discovered drumsticks when my local store had the organic ones on sale--I don't know why I haven't cooked them before--they're delicious!

Lemon Thyme Drumsticks

About 8 drumsticks, preferably organic
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
1 TBS dijon mustard
The leaves from a couple of stems of fresh thyme (maybe 2 TBS?)
2 cloves crushed garlic
S&P to taste
1/2 cup chicken stock

Combine lemon juice and zest, olive oil, dijon mustard, thyme, garlic, and salt and pepper.  Rinse and dry drumsticks and marinate in the lemon mixture for about an hour (longer if you can).  Place in a shallow roasting pan and bake for 45 min in a 375 degree oven.  Add 1/2 cup chicken stock to pan and roast for 30 more minutes or until baked through.  I served mine with mashed cauliflower and roasted broccoli.

Baked Salmon over Wilted Garlic Spinach with Blueberry Thyme Sauce

I wanted something a little bit different than our usual baked salmon routine.  This is what I came up with.  I'm not usually a fan of sweet/savory combos, but this was good!

Baked Salmon
1 Salmon Fillet, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350.  Place salmon in a dish and season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Blueberry Thyme Sauce
1 shallot, diced
1 tsp EVOO
1/4 cup Orange juice
1/2 TBS cornstarch (not technically paleo, but I didn't know what to substitute for it)
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (I had some left over from another dish I'll be sharing this week, so I threw it in)
1/2 cup chicken stock (could have probably gotten away with less)
S&P to taste

Saute shallot in olive oil until translucent.  Meanwhile stir cornstarch into orange juice.  Once shallots are ready, add rest of ingredients and turn heat down to low.  Simmer 20 minutes.

Wilted Garlic Spinach
6 oz baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp EVOO
S&P to taste

Heat a wok over medium heat.  Add olive oil and garlic and saute until garlic is tender.  Add spinach and salt and pepper and cook until just wilted, tossing often.

To serve, place spinach on the plate and top with a portion of the salmon.  Top with the blueberry sauce (mine was a little juicy, so I used a slotted spoon).  Enjoy!

Mashed Cauliflower

One of our favorite sides.

Mashed Cauliflower
1 head raw cauliflower
1 tsp coconut oil
S&P

Steam Cauliflower until very tender (I use a steam basket in a large pot--probably takes 10-15 minutes?  I haven't timed it).  Place steamed cauliflower in large bowl and add coconut oil and S&P.  Puree with a hand blender.

Chocolate Pork Mole

****I got this recipe from rubiesandradishes.com, but changed the chicken to pork*****.  It was delicious!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1-2 spicy peppers, chopped
2 cups chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 cups chicken broth (I used beef broth cause that's all I had & it turned out fine)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 chicken breasts

For serving:
Fresh cilantro
Lime wedges
Tomatoes, sliced
Cabbage, shredded
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced

Directions:

1. Place a pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion and garlic, stirring to soften for 5 minutes. Add the spicy peppers and tomatoes, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
2. Carefully pour the mixture into a blender. Add the almond butter, broth, chili powder, and cinnamon. Puree the mixture until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Return the mixture to the pot over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chocolate and stir until melted.
4. Place the chicken breasts in a crock pot and add mixture.
5. Cook on low for 8 hours. 5 hours into cooking, remove lid and use 2 forks to shred chicken the best you can. Do this again 1 hour before cooking time is over.
6. Transfer the mole to a serving dish and serve with cilantro, lime, avocado, tomatoes and cabbage.

Veggie Packed Meatloaf with Parsley Pesto "Spaghetti"

Okay, so it's been waaaaaaay too long since I posted on here, but we're starting the New Year off right.  A few days in and I have a new recipe.  Tonight's dinner is this:

Veggie Packed Meatloaf


1 zucchini
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 baked sweet potato
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 egg
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1lb lean ground beef, preferably organic
1/4 c coconut flour

Preheat oven to 375.  In a food processor, mince zucchini, onion, garlic, sweet potato, parsley, egg, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into a large bowl and add ground beef and mix well.  Add coconut flour (for binding).  Stir well and pat into a loaf baking pan.  Bake at 375 for about 1hr15min, or until browned on top and done.

Parsley Pesto


1 cup fresh parsley
1 cup walnuts
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Blend until smooth in a food processor.

"Spaghetti"


Poke a couple of holes in a spaghetti squash with a knife, put it on a pan and bake it at 375 for one hour.  When it's done, cut off the stem part and then cut it in half, lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and then separate the "spaghetti" with a fork.