Apple-Sage Pork Chops

I have never cooked or eaten pork chops until last week. I know, I know, I may have been culinarily sheltered as a child! (I'm just kidding Mom ;)!!) I made some very plain last week to sort of taste test, and I have so many ideas for flavor profiles. This is one I did last night and it was so so so yummy!!! I was amazed that both of my children absolutely loved them. Colton ate an entire pork chop by himself, and Loralei ate about 3/4 of one, I kid you not!!!

Apple-Sage Pork Chops

6 Pork Chops

1/2 tsp Salt

2 Tbsp Onion Powder

1 Tbsp Sage

1/2 Medium Onion

1 Apple (I used a slightly tart Pink Lady variety)

2 C Stock

Avocado Oil

Mix salt, onion powder and sage in a small bowl.

 Sprinkle both sides of the chops liberally. 

 You could let the chops sit in the refrigerator for a while to let the flavors meld, if you have the time. Heat avocado oil in a large pan and begin cooking chops.

 I had to do this in 2 batches so I didn't overcrowd the pan and lower the heat. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side to get a golden brown color. 

You are not cooking them through, just browning. Remove browned chops and place them into a large casserole dish. 

Slice apple and onion very thin.  

Add more oil to the pan and begin caramelizing apple and onion slices.  Allow them to really cook down and get a good color.  

Once you have reached a nice caramel color, add in stock to de-glaze the pan.

 Use a spatula to really scrape those great bits of flavoring off the bottom of the pan.  Allow mixture to continue to cook until it is reduced by about 1/2. 

 Once reduced, pour sauce over pork chops and place into a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until chops are cooked through.

 The time will depend on how thick the chops are. Remove from oven and serve, being sure to spoon a little extra of the sauce over the chops. Enjoy!

Turkey Taco Soup

This soup turned out so good. Slow cooking this all day made the flavors meld beautifully. It was a perfect meal to throw together at the beginning of a busy day, and come home to it after trick-or-treating with the kids. Colton could not get enough! The strips of cabbage cook down and are almost reminiscent of the tortilla strips in a traditional taco soup. I will be making this again, for sure! I'm actually having a bowl for breakfast this morning!

Turkey Taco Soup
20 oz Ground Turkey
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Dried Chopped Onion
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Cumin
Avocado Oil (enough to cook ground turkey)
2 C Diced Tomatoes
4 C Chicken Stock (homemade or canned)
1/2 Cabbage

In a large pan (or if your slow cooker has a brown setting), brown ground turkey and seasonings in avocado oil. While turkey is browning,slice cabbage into strips. (I put 1/2 a cabbage in the ingredients, but the cabbage I got was huge, so I only used 1/3 of it.)

 Once turkey is cooked through, turn on slow cooker to low and add turkey, cabbage, tomatoes and stock.

 Allow to cook on low for 6 hours, or you could do it on high for 3-4 hours. Enjoy with fresh cubed avocado.

Greek Influenced Chicken and Slaw

Greek Influenced Chicken and Slaw
Chicken:
6 Drumsticks
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tsp Dill
3 Tbsp Parsley
Couple Tbsp Of Lemon Juice

Slaw:
1/3 C Coconut Milk
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 C Avocado Oil
2 Tbsp Parsley
2 Tsp Garlic Powder
2 Tsp Dill Weed
1/2-1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper
1/2 Shredded English Cucumber
1 lb Slaw Mix or shredded Cabbage and Carrots

Mix together all seasonings for the chicken.

Wash and dry chicken well and sprinkle with a couple tbsp of lemon juice.

Sprinkle prepared seasoning on chicken and allow to marinade for several hours in the refrigerator.

To prepare slaw, mix all ingredients except slaw mix in a large bowl.

Once well combined, add in slaw mix and fold into sauce.  Allow to sit in the refrigerator several hours before serving.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350, and heat a couple tbsp of coconut oil in a heavy bottom pan.

Once hot, add chicken (be very careful, it will splatter) and allow to brown on one side for 4-5 minutes.

Turn chicken and brown on this side for another 4-5 minutes. Turn one last time and brown again. (At this point you could cover and finish cooking on the stove top.) Turn off heat and place chicken in a casserole dish and put into preheated oven for 15-20 minutes till cooked through.

Serve with a fresh lemon wedge. Enjoy!

Maple-Pecan Muffins

These muffins were a big hit with the kids all week. They have a great flavor profile, and the zucchini adds a great amount of moisture. I would keep them in the refrigerator to keep the zucchini from going bad too fast. Hope you enjoy!

 Maple-Pecan Muffins
Batter:
4 eggs
3 Tbsp Melted Butter
2 C Shredded Zucchini
1/4 C Maple Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 C Almond Flour
1/3 C Coconut Flour
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

Topping:
2 Tbsp Melted Butter
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/4 C Chopped Pecans

 Preheat oven to 350. Grease well, or line with cupcake papers, 12 muffin tins.

 In separate bowls, mix wet and dry batter ingredients till well incorporated.

 Stir wet into dry.

Scoop by ice cream scoop into prepared muffin tins. In the same bowl, combine topping ingredients. With a spoon, evenly distribute topping over each muffin.

 Place muffins in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

My friend, Nicole, gave me the base for this recipe after making it for a brunch we had together. I loved hers, but wanted to up the spices a bit more to see if I could cut out even more of the sweetener.  I think I was successful, and boy was this a wonderful treat for our weekend!! Thanks, Nicole!!

Pumpkin Pie Pudding

2 cups Winter Squash (I have done it with both Pumpkin and Butternut)
2T butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/8-1/4C Maple Syrup (to taste, I used 1/8 and 1tsp and it was good for us
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp all spice
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2T vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350.
Cook squash (or you can used canned).

Puree all ingredients & pour in a coconut oil greased 8x9 or similarly sized casserole dish.

Bake for 60-70 minutes or until pudding is set. It will be firm when you take it from the oven. It takes quite a while, so don't rush it. If you use a smaller dish, it may take longer, too.

Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and serve.

Veggie-Beef Balls

This is one of those things that I love to have on hand in the fridge to just grab when I need something. I pack them full of veggies so that I can get a good amount of nutrition in  a compact package quickly. Enjoy!!

Veggie-Beef Balls
2 lb ground beef
5 C Shredded yellow and green Zucchini
4 Tbsp Onion Powder
3 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
2 Tbsp Dried Sweet Basil
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs

Preheat oven to 350. Grease tray with a little bacon grease and place in preheating oven to get grease hot.

My Bacon Grease Bear

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Scoop out balls into desired size using an ice cream scoop. 

 Remove pan from oven and place balls onto greased tray.

The bacon grease will begin to fry them slightly, which will give some good flavor and keep them from sticking. Place full pan into oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip, removing any extra fat you may need to at that point.

 Return to oven for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cooked through. Eat as is, or topped with a tomato sauce.

I also made a quick pesto last night to have over them and spaghetti squash, yumm!!

Basic Beef Stew

This is the basic method I use for my Paleo Stews. I say method, because it is not an exact recipe. As much as I try to measure everything now, and I have improved a lot, there are some things I just can't do it on. This is one of those 'what veggies are about to go bad' type of recipes. The last few carrots in the bag, the leafy stalks of celery from the center of the bunch, etc. So use it as a method, and see what you create!

Basic Beef Stew
1 lb Beef (I used 2 Sirloin Steaks I had in the freezer)
Oil to sear beef (coconut, avocado, or butter would all work)
4 Carrots
3 Celery Stalks
Onion Powder
Salt
4 C Stock (I used chicken stock I had in the freezer)
4 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder
3 Tbsp COLD water

Cut beef into bite size pieces. Heat oil in pan. Toss beef liberally in onion powder and a little salt and sear in hot oil till beef is browned on all sides. Add stock to hot pan in order to de-glaze and scape all those bits of flavor up. Pour contents of pan into crock pot and turn to low. Peal and dice vegetables into bite size pieces and add to crock pot. Allow contents to cook for about 6 hours on low.

When you are ready to serve, whisk together arrowroot powder and cold water. Stir arrowroot mixture into hot stew. It will begin to thicken immediately. If you want a thicker consistency, you can add more arrowroot/water slurry until you achieve the desired thickness.

Serve!