Before summer is officially over, I thought I’d slip in another “summer recipe”, although, truth be told, we eat this all year around! These Jerk Pork Lettuce Wraps are very easy to make and can be made ahead of time in the crockpot. Also, they are gluten-free, Paleo, lowfat and sugar-free. The ingredients for these are simple and easy, I often have everything I need on hand and just need to buy the pork at the market when I’m there. Add this to one of your favorite, easy crockpot recipe files.  For this recipe I’m going to highlight a few little tips I have for cutting down on waste. Very little should be thrown away in my opinion and once you grow accustomed to this you never go back Ingredients: 1 pastured pork tenderloin ( I like to use the tenderloin since it doesn’t have that excess pork fat and also cooks fairly quickly) Jerk seasoning (You can make your own or buy this at Penzeys) Salt and pepper Ghee, coconut oil or rendered pork fat (since I buy clean pork, I save my bacon fat for sautéing. Again, waste nothing.) A bottle of beer, some white wine, chicken, beef or veggie stock (enough to deglaze the pan.) 1 large onion of any kind 8 large lettuce leaves (romaine, red leaf, or butter lettuce.) 1 TBS. Brown mustard (or any kind you might have.) 3 drops Sesame oil 1 TBS. Raw honey or coconut amino acids (the acids are a great exchange if you are eating Paleo or sugar-free) […]

For me, Chicken Masala is perfect for this time of year, especially on Halloween night. I love being home then, making something so yummy with all these amazing smells wafting through the house. You can make it as spicy as you would like but it is not difficult to make and has a ton of flavor. Many recipes for Masala include heavy cream but since I don’t include much dairy in my diet, I added coconut milk and coconut cream instead. The coconut cream is absolutely divine. It still gives it that creamy texture that you would otherwise get from heavy cream but adds much more flavor. If you are not familiar with curries than this will be a great place to start! When choosing a curry powder you may want to start with a mild one unless you love some heat! Although it is not difficult to make a curry and Garam masala spice mixture from scratch, you can find excellent blends at Penzey’s spices. Here is the recipe for Garam masala for those who prefer to make their own. Garam Masala Ingredients: 3 tsp. ground cardamom 1 tsp. coriander 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. ground cloves 1 1/2 tsp. ground pepper 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg There will plenty of spice mixture for this recipe and some leftover for another day. Store it in an airtight container.   Chicken Masala Ingredients: 1 1/2 Tbs. coconut oil 1 large red onion, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 1 Tbs. finely grated ginger (you can […]

This Carnitas recipe has been on repeat over here all summer long, the flavor I get out of the meat from Riven Rock farms can’t be beat. I have also noticed that when I order meat from a healthy animal you actually need less in order to feel full because it is so nutrient dense. You can order from this farm and others through Fall Line Farms, they have multiple farms and co-ops on their site and lots of pickup locations in the Richmond area. I generally use their pastured pork shoulder/pork butt for this recipe but sometimes I might use a pork loin which is leaner. This is one of those recipes that is so easy to modify and the serving options are endless! You can have it with any of my salsas. These kinds of Mexican or Southwest flavors all go so well together especially in the summer when things like tomatoes, limes, corn and peppers are all in season! Sometimes I just have this on a plate with tons of grilled veggies and some guacamole and salsa drizzled on top. Delicious! Adobo Seasoning You can buy this mix at Penzeys but here is my homemade mix: 2 tbsp. sea salt 1 tbsp. smoked paprika 1 tsp. ground black pepper 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tbsp. mexican oregano 2 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tbs. chili powder For the Carnitas Ingredients: 4 lb. pork shoulder (boneless) or 5 lb. pork shoulder (bone in) Generous amount of […]

  My friend Wanda made this delicious meal for me a couple of months ago and I have been reduplicating it ever since. Of course, as with all other recipes I have slowly made it my own. This recipe is done in 4 different steps. Now don’t let this deter you from trying this recipe because the last three steps can be done while you are accomplishing the first. I find that just cooking up the individual ingredients can result in several different meals during the week so don’t hesitate to double this recipe. Almost everything on here can be frozen including the dressing so you can have everything on hand to have this another week.   Ingredients: Serves 4 2 large sweet potatoes 1 carton chicken stock (4 C) Fresh ginger Turmeric Ghee 1 bunch of parsley Garlic bulb Arugula 1 lemon Raw honey Olive Oil Quinoa 4 eggs Sea Salt Peppercorns Shelled Pistachios Feta Cheese   Step 1: Turmeric Ginger Sweet Potatoes 2 large sweet potatoes 2 C chicken stock 1 tsp Turmeric ½ tsp chopped fresh ginger Salt & Pepper   Directions: 1. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. 2. In a small saucepan, combine sweet potatoes, turmeric and fresh ginger. Cover with chicken stock. 3. Simmer on the stovetop until sweet potatoes are soft and can be pierced easily with a fork. 4. Remove sweet potatoes from stock with a slotted spoon. Mash with a fork adding in as much broth as needed for […]

This wrap is now such a favorite.  It is a lot lighter than the foods that I have been eating all winter long.  I think it is the perfect spring recipe since all the herbs will start popping up in the garden in the next month.  I have included a great marinade recipe but as a shortcut, you can always use a bottled Greek dressing. (I recommend Primal Kitchen since their dressing is very clean).  Also when it comes to the yogurt sauce you can always use a prepared plain Greek yogurt. I have to say though; the homemade tastes best! Recipe HERE for that.     Ingredients: Yogurt sauce 3 8-ounce containers of yogurt, strained, or 12 ounces Greek yogurt 2 T chopped fresh dill 2 T chopped fresh oregano 3 T chopped fresh chives 1 tsp lemon zest 1 T lemon juice Salt and pepper   Greek Dressing Marinade: ⅓ C olive oil 3 T apple cider vinegar ¼ C fresh parsley 2 T lemon Juice ¼ tsp coriander ¼. tsp cardamom 1 T fresh oregano 1 T lemon zest 1 T raw honey (or to taste) salt and pepper (to taste)   Wrap Ingredients: 4 chicken breasts 2 C mixed greens 1 C cherry tomatoes halved ½  C sliced red onion ½ C feta cheese, crumbled 8 Siete almond flour wraps     Directions: 1. Do ahead: Combine all ingredients for marinade except olive oil in a food processor or small blender. Once the blender is going drizzle in […]

I have definitely made many turkey meatloaves over the years but I have finally settled on this recipe as my favorite.  This is a super easy recipe… all you need is one bowl and your hands! Adding the extra oil to this meatloaf guarantees a really moist end result. The other great thing about this recipe is that you can just as easily form some burgers from the mixture and throw them on the grill.  Just as delicious! The show stopper is the bacon. It allows the smoky flavor to penetrate the meatloaf and makes for a delicious crunch in each bite. This recipe is designed to make two meatloaves so you can have leftovers or freeze half.   (Makes two meatloaves, each one serves 6)     Ingredients: 2 lbs. ground turkey (I use organic, free range) ½ C sundried tomatoes in olive oil ¼ C of the olive oil from sun-dried tomatoes ½ large yellow onion chopped 4 cloves of garlic, minced 2 roasted bell peppers chopped (I use the jarred version from Trader Joes) 20 Kalamata olives, halved 1 C chopped parsley 3 T fresh oregano or basil chopped ¼ C gluten-free bread crumbs ½ C crumbled sheep’s milk feta cheese (don’t use the pre-crumbled feta because it is coated in flour) 2 eggs 1 T salt 1 tsp. black pepper 6 slices uncured smoked bacon (optional)   Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350. 2. Spray 2 medium-sized loaf pans with olive oil spray. 3. In a large bowl, […]