Herbed Pork Chops

As I cut into a piece of pork flecked with fresh herbs, almonds and salt, the outside cracked and split to reveal a perfectly cooked juicy piece of the other white meat.  Pork cutlets cook fast and have fantastic flavor/texture, and I always loved the recipes that have a crunchy breaded coating. This recipe satisfies my love for both textures, as well as using a bunch of fresh herbs for flavor. 

While this recipe is gluten free, it isn't paleo since I used rice flour, but I'm working on a paleo version that still gives you a crunchy outside coating while keeping your pork juicy inside.

Trim fat and pound pork chops to tenderize a bit.  Salt and pepper, then dip in rice flour, egg, and "breadcrumb" mixture (crushed almonds, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, fresh Italian parsley, garlic powder) coating both sides. Heat about 1/2 inch olive oil in a pan - get it hot but not smoking - and fry pork, about 4-5 minutes each side.

You can really use whatever fresh herbs you may have on hand, feel free to experiment.  If you're using dried herbs, be sure to use less than you would fresh as the flavor can be a little intense. 

Barramundi & Coconut Vegetable Chowder

I have a bunch of cookbooks and get a few food magazines (I cry a little every time I think about my beloved Gourmet), and I really enjoy the challenge of taking recipes that sound delicious, but don't necessarily fit in with our style of eating, and turning them into paleo-friendly dishes.  I channel my favorite chefs, put on one of my many aprons, crank the iPod and have my own little test kitchen session.  Sometimes it works...other times, it's pretty apparent my modifications were less than stellar and our dog Brody gets a nice meal, but in any case it's an adventure.  This recipe came out better than I could have imagined, and there were no leftovers to be had.

I adapted this recipe from the October Bon Appetit magazine, where they took it from Happy Restaurant in Boulder. 

For the chowder:

Heat 1 tbs oil in a large pot - add 1 cup diced onion, 3 kaffir lime leaves (if you can't find them, you can use the zest and juice frPublish Postom 1 lime), 3 large fresh basil leaves, 1 tbs minced fresh ginger, 1 chopped jalapeno with seeds, 2 smashed garlic cloves.  Stir occasionally for 4-5 minutes, then add 3 cups canned coconut milk, 2 cups vegetable broth, 2 tbs salt, 1-2 tsp chili oil, and 1 15oz bottle fresh carrot juice.  Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour.  Strain out the solids - pressing them to get all the liquid out - and return liquid to pot.

Peel and cube (removing the seeds) of 1 small acorn or delicata squash, then boil until soft.  Add the squash cubes, 1 carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks, 1 red bell pepper cubed, 1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts, 1 small head of grated cauliflower and 2 cups chopped sugar snap peas to the broth.  Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are just soft.

For the fish:

Rinse and pat dry 4 small fillets (I used Barramundi, but you can use any fish really).  Add salt and pepper, and 1 tbs flax seed meal to each fillet, pressing the flax seed meal into the flesh.  Heat up 4 tbs coconut oil in a saucepan, and place fish skin side up*/flax seed side down into the pan.  Cook approx 4 minutes each side.

Serve with avocado slices, lime wedges and fresh basil

*note on cooking fish, the skin side attracts the heat, so if you're broiling fish, skin goes down, if you're grilling/frying, skin goes up! 

Pork with Blueberry Wine Sauce

I have a TON of blueberries right now, and usually I just snack on them but I was reading about a blueberry reduction (usually you see these on beef or lamb) and saw some delicious pork chops so I thought I'd try it out. This dish is tangy and quick!

This is a one pan meal (aka, less dishes to wash), and relatively healthy. You can always broil the pork if you prefer, but the sauce will be a little less robust. I used a pretty bold cab, and if I made this again I'd probably use something sweeter. This could be a good way to use up those fruit bombs they call Merlot that your friends bring over for dinner parties....

What you'll need:

• olive oil
• 2 pork chops
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 cup blueberries

Instructions:

• Place a drizzle of olive oil in skillet and heat until almost smoking
• salt and pepper pork chops (both sides) and place in pan, you should hear a sizzle
• cook until done, the internal temperature should be about 145 degrees for medium
• remove chops and place on a plate
• in the same pan, add minced garlic and sautee for a minute
• add wine to deglaze pan, scraping up the bits
• let wine reduce to about half and add blueberries, let simmer for 3-4 minutes
• pour sauce over pork chops and serve!