Tag Archives: pork

Pulled Pork Pizza

Posted in main dishes, pork by

So, you know how blogging around here was pretty slow around here towards the end of the year? I’m sure most people figured it was because of the baby but it was actually much more embarrassing – I filled up my hard drive. As in, I couldn’t put another thing on it without deleting something else. I quit taking pictures of things I was making because getting them onto the laptop was such a pain. (Well, I guess you could blame the baby – I’d filled it up with baby pictures…)

This was a pizza I made during that unintended blog break – and remade last week just so I could share it. I whipped it up to use up some leftovers and it turned out awesome – even my Mom, whom swears she hates spicy things, loved it.

And I finally bought a new computer so transferring pictures should be easy-peasy going forward.

PulledPorkPizza

Pulled Pork Pizza
(a Kate’s Recipe Box original)
Makes 1 12″ Pie

1 lb. pizza dough
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. chipotle Tabasco sauce
1 cup pulled pork
2 Tbsp. chopped red onion
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese

Roll out dough into a 12″ circle.

In a small bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce and chipotle tabasco sauce. Spread over the crust. Top with pulled pork, red onion and cheeses.

Bake at 425 until the crust is golden, about 20 minutes.

Almond Crusted Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce

Posted in gluten free, main dishes, pork by

It’s super cliché, but we’re totally on holiday detox around here. I love indulging in all the holiday goodies, but by December 26th I just wanted a big salad. Does that officially make me old?

Either way, I’ve been mixing in some healthier meals during this last week. This has been one of those meals. These pork chops were pretty much everything I want in a dinner lately – quick, easy and super flavorful. Mark walked in the door from work and I handed off the baby for a diaper change. By the time he’d ditched his work clothes, changed the baby and made it back downstairs, I was plating them. Win all around!

AlmondCrustedPork

Almond Crusted Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce
(from On My Way to Skinny)
Serves 2

2 pork chops, trimmed of fat and pounded to 1/4″ thickness
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup fat free half and half
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp. almond meal
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil to shimmering. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and dredge in almond meal. Fry for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

In the same skillet, whisk in the half and half, Dijon mustard, almond meal and oregano. Bring a boil, whisking constantly, and cook for 2 more minutes, until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve sauce over pork chops.

Balsamic and Herb Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables

Posted in main dishes, pork, Sunday dinner by

This is actually a dinner I made last month, but it’s something we’ll be repeating this month since it fits October Unprocessed well.

And by I made, I mean it was a group effort. Our friend, Chris, just took a job in Saudi Arabia (!) so we had him over for dinner as sort of a last hurrah. I started cooking and then Mark took over when I had to feed the baby. Chris pitched in by making the gravy as Mark got the pork cut and plated. You know you have good friends when they have no qualms about jumping in to help in the kitchen! We’re really going to miss having him around.

This is a nice dinner because it’s a one-dish meal. I’m always a fan of fewer dishes! The marinade made for a really flavorful pork tenderloin and we used the last of the green beans out of the garden. I served this with a nice, warm loaf of bread to round out the meal.

BalsamicHerbPork

Balsamic and Herb Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables
(from The Other Side of Fifty)
Serves 6

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp. fresh sage, chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin
2 lbs. medium red skinned potatoes, scrubbed, diced into 1/2″ cubes
3/4 lb. green beans, ends trimmed
1/4 cup canola oil
1 heaping TBSP whole wheat flour
1 cup chicken broth

In a large bowl or ziplock bag, combine the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Add the pork, turn to coat and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Heat the canola oil to shimmering in an oven-safe pan.

Remove pork and discard marinade. Sear on all sides then transfer to oven and cook until the pork reaches 140F degrees on a meat thermometer. Remove pork from pan and tent on a plate. While the meat cooks, microwave the potatoes on high for 8 minutes, stirring halfway.

Increase the oven temp to 450F degrees. Add potatoes and green beans to the pan and toss to coat in the oil. Roast for an additional 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the vegetables to a serving platter.

Whisk the flour into the juices remaining in the skillet and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Whisk in the chicken broth and continue whisking until smooth and reduced to the desired thickness.

Slice the meat and serve with vegetables and pan gravy.

Hawaiian Hula Pork Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

Posted in main dishes, pork by

When my friend, Lindsay, mentioned she was making this for dinner a couple of weeks ago, I immediately asked for the recipe. She raved about it the next day, so it went on the menu for the following week.

I’m so glad I didn’t wait to make these! They take a little time, but they’re so worth the effort! The pork was incredible, but the pineapple slaw really took this to a whole different level. The pork is really versatile too, which made for great leftovers. After enjoying them as tacos, we had the leftover pork as sandwiches (topped with the slaw) and then used the remaining pork in quesadillas (along with some fresh pineapple). So, so good!

HawaiianHulaPork

Hawaiian Hula Pork Tacos with Pineapple Slaw
(from Half Baked Harvest)
Serves 6-8

For the pork:
3 lbs. pork shoulder roast
2 1/2 cups pineapple juice
2 tsp. ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2-3 Tbsp. sriracha
Tortillas, for serving
Shredded cheddar, for serving

For the pineapple slaw:
3 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh pineapple juice
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. orange zest
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 cups shredded cabbage
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pineapple juice, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, sriracha and vinegar until well combined.

Place the pork in a dutch oven and add about half of the sauce. Place in the oven and roast for 3-4 hours, until the pork shreds easily. Remove the pork, shred and return to the dutch oven. Mix in additional sauce until you have the consistency you want. Heat on the stove top until heated through.

While the pork is cooking, make the pineapple slaw: In a medium bowl whisk together the Greek yogurt, rice vinegar, pineapple juice, brown sugar, orange zest, salt and pepper until well combined. Add in cabbage, green onions, cilantro, pineapple and jalapeno and toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve cooked pork in tortillas, topped with shredded cheddar and pineapple slaw.

Rum & Coke Glazed Ham

Posted in main dishes, pork, Sunday dinner by

We made up this gorgeous ham for Sunday dinner a few weeks ago when we had company. I sort of love making ham – it’s so hard to screw up and there’s so many fun recipes out there. I ran across this one last month when I was browsing for ideas for my What’s Baking submission and couldn’t get it out of my head.

The glaze isn’t an in-your-face rum and coke, but the flavors are there if you’re looking from them and it adds a really nice sweet and spiced-ness to the ham. It’s the perfect ham for a special summer dinner.

RumCokeGlazedHam

Rum and Coke Glazed Ham
(from Noble Pig)

1 large ham
60 oz. coke, divided
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
1/4 c. prepared yellow mustard
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
2 T. dark rum
1 T. dry mustard
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 325F degrees.

Pour 36 oz. of the Coke into the bottom of a roasting pan and add the ham on a rack. Bake, tented, for one hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Reduce the remaining 24 oz. of Coke over medium-low heat for about 40 minutes, until there is a 1/2 cup left. Mix in the remaining ingredients and simmer to dissolve.

After the ham has been cooking for an hour, uncover and glaze every 15 minutes during the last hour. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Pork Chops with Strawberry Balsamic Sauce

Posted in main dishes, pork, sized for 2 by

Last year, we planted a small strawberry patch – this year, it’s exploding. I love it. We’re in the height of the season now, it seems, and we’re picking a few handfuls of berries a day.

We’ve been eating them for breakfast and throughout the day, but they were starting to pile up just a little so I went searching for a way to incorporate them into dinner, too. These pork chops were perfect – so good, super easy after a long day of work and they used up that day’s strawberry bounty!

PorkChopsStrawberryBalsamic

 

Pork Chops with Strawberry Balsamic Sauce
(from Taste.com)
Serves 2

1 1/2 c. strawberries, chopped
2 T. good-quality balsamic vinegar
1 t. sugar
1 T. olive oil
2 pork chops
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 T. chicken stock

Toss the strawberries, balsamic vinegar and sugar together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and then add to pan. Cook through, about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock and then add strawberry mixture to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Top pork with strawberry balsamic sauce and serve.

What’s Baking: Spicy Black Bean Empanadas

Posted in main dishes, pork, snacks by

whatsbaking

This month’s What’s Baking theme is puff pastry. I think most people think of dessert when they think of puff pastry – I know I do – but for some reason, I always end up making savory dishes when I buy a box. This go around was no exception. After browsing a lot of sweet recipes, I ran across this one and immediately started drooling.

I love street food in general. Anything you can eat on the go, I’m a big fan of. Empanadas are something I’ve enjoyed many times while we’re out but I never tried making them before. These were perfect.

I sized the recipe down so I was only using one box of puff pastry – this recipe made more than enough for the two of us for dinner plus leftovers – but if you’re making these for a crowd you may want to double this recipe.

Check out The Boys Made Me Do It later this month for a recap of the puff pastry dishes other bloggers made!

BlackBeanEmpanadas

Spicy Black Bean Empanadas
(adapted from All Recipes)
Makes about 16 empanadas

1/4 lb. ground pork
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. tomato sauce
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/8 t. crushed red pepper
3/4 c. shredded cheddar
1/2 c. black beans
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 package puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1 T. water

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook the pork until well browned. Add in the red pepper, green onions and garlic. Cook until tender. Add in the tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and crushed red pepper. Stir to combine and reduce heat to low. Cook for 8 minutes and then stir in the cheese, black beans and cilantro. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.

Unroll the puff pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 16×12″ rectangle. Cut out rounds using a 2 1/2″ biscuit cutter. Top half of each circle with 2 heaping teaspoons of black bean mixture. Brush the edges of the pastry with water and fold over. Seal with a fork.

Place the empanadas on a lined baking sheet and back for 18 minutes or until golden.

Crispy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Posted in main dishes, pork by

I’ve made a lot of slow cooker meals and I don’t think any of them could have been described as “crispy”. When I ran across this recipe, that word alone got me. The trick here is to do a quick broil after the pork is cooked to crisp up the edges. It only takes a few minutes more than you’d spend just shredding the pork, and it really makes this feel different from other slow cooker dishes.

The meat is also really versatile. We made it into tacos, but it’d be great in any Tex-Mex dish.

PorkCarnitas

Crispy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
(from Gimme Some Oven)
Serves 6

1 T. vegetable oil
1 (4-5 lb.) lean boneless pork roast, excess fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch chunks
8 oz. beer
1 large white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 chipotle in adobo sauce
2 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. black pepper

In a large skillet over high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the pork to the pan and sear on each side until browned (about 2 minutes per side). Once seared, transfer the pork to the slow cooker.

Add remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the pork is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.

After the pork is cooked, preheat your broiler to high heat and prepare two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces and use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the prepared baking sheets, spreading it out evenly in a single layer. Reserve the remaining broth from the slow cooker.

Place one sheet under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the edges of the pork begin crisping up. Remove the sheet, and use a spatula or tongs to carefully toss the pork. Ladle about 1/4 cup of the remaining slow cooker broth over the pork. Broil for an additional 5 minutes to get the meat more crispy. Then remove and ladle an additional 1/4 cup of broth over the crispy pork.

Repeat with the other baking sheet of pork.

BBQ Pork Enchiladas

Posted in main dishes, pork by

While I usually size my recipes down to make a manageable amount for just the two of us, I always end up making a ton of pulled pork. It usually means that I have to reinvent the leftovers a bit. This is one of my favorite ways to use up extra pulled pork.

I’ve made this a few times with pork from a few recipes – they all work well. These are Mark’s favorite of all the enchiladas I make – and I make a lot, so that’s quite a title!

BBQPorkEnchiladas

BBQ Pork Enchiladas
(from Branny Boils Over)
Serves 4

2 c. pulled pork, prepared with your favorite barbecue sauce
1 c. frozen corn
1 onion, diced
1 t. oil
1 c. black beans
1 1/2 c. red enchilada sauce
1 c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
8 8″ whole wheat tortillas

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

In a medium frying pan, heat the oil over medium until shimmering. Add onion and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in corn, pulled pork and black beans. Cook until warmed through.

Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Divide pork filling between tortillas and roll up, placing seam side down in the baking dish.  Pour enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove cover, top with cheese and bake for 10 more minutes.

Spinach Prosciutto and Mozzarella Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Posted in main dishes, pork by

I love the idea of Sunday dinners. There’s something so comforting in the idea of sitting down as a family to a nice meal at the end of the weekend. A few years ago, I tried to make Sunday dinners a thing for us, but eventually we got busy/lazy and it fell by the wayside. For the last month, though, Sunday dinners have made a reappearance and I’m totally loving it.

I made this pork dish for one of our recent Sunday dinners. This is fancy enough for a special dinner, but it’s simple enough to easily tackle on a weeknight. It was so, so delicious. Mark and I couldn’t get enough – we kept slicing ourselves “just one more piece”. I’m sure this will be a repeat when the garden starts overflowing with spinach.

StuffedPorkTenderloin

Spinach Prosciutto and Mozzarella Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
(from Skinnytaste)
Serves 4

3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. olive oil
1/4 t. fresh ground black pepper
1 (1 lb.) pork tenderloin
2 oz. thin sliced prosciutto
2 oz. reduced fat mozzarella cheese
2 c. fresh baby spinach
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees.

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil and black pepper.

Butterfly the pork tenderloin and pound thin. Spread half of the mustard mixture over the pork Layer the prosciutto, mozzarella and spinach on top of the pork and roll it jelly roll style. Tie up the pork with cooking twine to keep it rolled.

Rub remaining mustard mixture over the pork. Place on a rack in a baking pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 160F degrees. Broil for 5 mins and then transfer to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.