Tag Archives: Main Dish

So Far, Sooooooooo Good.

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Recent recipes stolen have been graciously from Grain-Free Gourmet and Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet by Jodi Bager and Jenni Lass.

  

We’ve made:

Blueberry Pie


 The Take:  Well, we did not have enough blueberries, so it is really Blueberry, Blackberry, Strawberry and Cherry Pie…. or Bumbleberry Pie!    Regardless… Yes yes and yes!  In fact, so pleasing, I am making it tonight with peaches to see how that goes, looks promising!

Sweet Stuffed Peppers

 The Take:  Jordan thought he didn’t like stuffed peppers, however, Lauren didn’t know when she planned the meal.  Thankfully it knocked of his socks and he no longer has cold feet about them… that doesn’t even make sense… WE LOVED THE FLAVA FLAV!

Apple Ice Cream

 The Take:  Lauren’s favorite ice cream, which happened to be seasonally around her birthday, was Braum’s Pumpkin.  Her heart inexplicably melted from this frozen treat.  What a beautiful flavor!  This ice cream tastes like fall and is SO easy to make!

The Books

  

So far, soooooooo good.  We say, buy ’em!

Marinated and Grilled Pork Chops with Mixed Herb Chimichurri

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This recipe stolen graciously from Emeril.



IMAG1002

The Goods
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. minced shallots
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 jalapeno – deseeded
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
4 (12-ounce) double-cut pork chops

The Gettin’
1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, basil, garlic, shallots, cilantro, oregano, parsley, jalapeno and crushed red pepper.
2. Pulse until well blended but do not puree.
3. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper.
4. Remove 1 cup of the chimichurri sauce from the processor and transfer to a non-reactive bowl, cover with plastic wrapand reserve at room temperature for up to 2 hours.

*If cooking pork another day, refrigerate sauce and return to room temperature before serving.*

 5. Season the pork chops on both sides with the remaining 2 teaspoons of the salt and the remaining teaspoon of the black pepper and place in a large, resealable plastic food storage bag.
6. Add the remaining chimichurri sauce from the processor into bag covering the chops.
7. Seal bag and refrigerate the pork chops for at least 2 and up to 4 hours.
8. Preheat a grill to medium.
9. Once the chops have finished marinating, remove them from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature for 45 minutes.
10. Set the chops over the hot grill and cook for 7 to 8 minutes on each side.
11. Once cooked through, serve the chops and pour 1/4 cup of the reserved chimichurri sauce over each chop before serving.

The Take
“I didn’t know pork chops could taste this good,” Jordan. (Lauren passed out on floor.)

Total Time:  3 hours 15 minutes
Prep –  15 minutes
Inactive – 2 hours 45 minutes
Cook–  15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Level: Easy

Death by Carnitas

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This recipe GRACIOUSLY stolen from David Lebovitz.

The Goods
7-8 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5-inch chunks, trimmed of excess fat
salt
3 Tbsp. neutral vegetable oil
2 cinnamon sticks
2 1/2 tsp SCD chile powder
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly-sliced

The Gettin’
1. Rub the pieces of pork shoulder all over with salt. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
2. Heat the oil in a roasting pan set on the stovetop. Cook the pieces of pork shoulder in a single layer until very well-browned, turning them as little as possible so they get nice and dark before flipping them around. (If your cooking vessel is too small to cook them in a single-layer, cook them in two or more batches.)
3. Once all the pork is browned, remove them from the pot and blot away any excess fat with a paper towel, then pour in about a cup of water, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged utensil to release all the tasty brown bits.
4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Add the pork back to the pan and add enough water so the pork pieces are 2/3 submerged in liquid. Add the cinnamon stick and stir in the chile powders, bay leaves, cumin and garlic.
6. Braise in the oven uncovered for 3½ hours, turning the pork a few times during cooking, until much of the liquid is evaporated and the pork is falling apart. Remove the pan from the oven and lift the pork pieces out of the liquid and set them on a platter.
7. Once the pork pieces are cool enough to handle, shred them into bite-sized pieces, about 2-inches (7 cm), discarding any obvious big chunks of fat if you wish.
8. Return the pork pieces back to the roasting pan and cook in the oven, turning occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the pork is crispy and caramelized. It will depend on how much liquid the pork gave off, and how crackly you want them.
9. Immediately upon tasting, you may die. Please take precautions for such a response.

The Take
So even when you accidentally smoke up the house, spill grease on the floor, and suffer through mind-blowing smells you wish you could tweet (it is a bad thing in the torture sense) it is all worth it. 

Total Time:  5 hours 30 minutes
Prep –  1 hour
Cook–  4 hours 30 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

Level: Intermediate

Honey, Mustard Sauce is lovin’ on that Tilapia.

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This recipe graciously inspired by the back of a package whose brand I have forgotten, oh yeah.

[Insert delicious picture here!]
[Please forgive us recipe thieves
for indulging in the dish before
taking any photos… ok seriously,
we were dying you guys! Trust
us, you have got to try it!!!!!!!]

The Goods
4 tilapia filets
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. Mustard
2 tsp. finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

*optional- 1/4 chopped pecans, lemon wedges and parsley for garnish*

The Gettin’
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place tilapia in a lightly greased baking pan.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. In small skillet or microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and honey together.
5. Stir in mustard to butter and honey mix and brush on fish.
6. Sprinkle parsley (and if desired pecans) evenly over fish.
7.Bake 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

The Take
Simple and satisfaction characterize this meal.  You know when you get home and you really wish you didn’t have to make anything AND you’re so hungry that the thought of waiting a second seems earth shattering?  Sometimes the best recipes come on the package itself, and well, credit is due to a package from Tom Thumb. When you don’t want to labor, but you want a sweet meal- Honey Mustard Tilapia.

Total Time:  23-25 minutes
Prep –  15 minutes
Cook–  8-10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Level: Easy

Hamburger Help Me Stoup

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This recipe inspired and derived from Lauren’s Pop’s Hash, the concept of Hamburger Helper, and the new genre categorization by Rachael Ray.


*What’s thicker than a soup and thinner than a stew… STOUP!  Thanks Rachael Ray for our new genre!*

The Goods
1.5 lbs. ground beef (80/20)
4 large portabella mushrooms, cut into 2 inch chunks
handful of baby carrots
15 sprigs of fresh chives, chopped
3 springs oregano, leaves only
16 fluid ounces tomato juice (we used three small cans of Campbell’s)
salt and pepper to taste

The Gettin’
1. Begin cooking ground beef with salt and pepper in large skillet.
2. Once meat is browned add in tomato juice, chives, oregano, mushrooms, and carrots into skillet and let simmer with lid for 20 minutes.

The Take
Lauren liked this more than I did.  If I would change anything, I would use half and half tomato juice and SCD ketchup to give it an extra twang from the vinegar.  Or maybe I would just add vinegar…  or Tabasco sauce… hmm…

Total Time: 40 minutes
Prep – 10 minutes
Cook–  30 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Level: Easy