Flavorful Friday- Slow Cooked Pork Ribs

Flavorful Friday- Slow Cooked Pork Ribs

1 Corinthians 8:8-9

"8But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak."

This quote from scripture has been with me a lot lately.  In looking at "honoring our bodies as our temples", I realize this can mean many different things to different people.  Some people may choose to avoid certain foods out of preference, some out of doctors' orders.  Some people choose to not drink, smoke, or do drugs.  Some choose yoga or strength training.  Some choose avoiding toxic products.  Some look for ways that their hands and feet can be the body of Christ in this world.  All of these are valid and worthy, none right, none wrong, none more worthy of praise or deserving of criticism than any other.  

So how can we honor our own bodies while not creating stumbling blocks for others?

As someone who has avoided certain foods for health reasons, I can tell you that I always hesitate when being invited to someone else's house for dinner, or out to a restaurant.  "Will they truly understand my needs and check all the labels and ingredients?  Will they offer things I need to say no to to protect my own health?  Will I give in to temptation and eat things that I know will cause trouble for me later?"  One of the goals of my cookbook, and these blog posts, is to help people to gain awareness and confidence in catering to those around us with special dietary needs or preferences, so as to not create these stumbling blocks.  I hope today's recipe accomplishes that goal.

Ribs and bacon, you pretty much can't go wrong with either when it comes to pleasing carnivores.  Today's edition of Flavorful Friday brings you a rare gluten free, dairy free, sugar-free and sweetener-free recipe for slow cooked pork ribs!  These are a big favorite around our house, gobbled up quickly by me, my husband, and our young son.  I've tried this with Baby Back pork ribs, Spare ribs, and Country Style ribs and it's been a hit every time!  Enjoy and let me know how it goes in your kitchen!

Yours truly,

Country Mama Hippie Chic

AKA Brandi Schunk

PS- Those in the Plano area, be sure to check out McKinney Oktoberfest and Murphy Maize Days festivals this weekend! 

{Sorry, no picture today... We eat them too fast to pause for a photo!}

Slow Cooked Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs Pork Ribs (Baby Back, Spare, or Country Style)

1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

½ tsp Onion Powder
½ tsp Garlic Powder
¼ tsp Chili Powder
¼ tsp Cumin
¼ tsp Dry Ground Mustard

¼ tsp Ground Peppercorn Medley

Juice of 1 Lemon

Remove ribs from refrigerator and place on counter to warm while prepping.  Preheat broiler.  Mix all seasonings together in a bowl.  Place ribs, meat side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Pour seasoning mix over ribs and rub to cover entire surface of ribs.  Pour lemon juice over top of ribs.

Place ribs on baking sheet directly under broiler and cook for 5 minutes to sear meat and help hold in the juices during the long, slow cooking process.  Remove ribs from oven and turn off broiler.  Set oven temperature to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove ribs from baking sheet and transfer them to a deep baking dish or pan.  Add ½ C water to the bottom of the pan and place lid on pan.  Cook, covered, for 3-4 hours (2-3 hours for Country Style).

Serve with a large side of broccoli or collard greens and watermelon for dessert!

Optional:

Add Cayenne to seasoning mix for a spicier version.

Flavorful Friday- 2 Side Veggies- Broccoli and Collard Greens Recipes!

Flavorful Friday!  2 Side Veggies- Broccoli and Collard Greens

Happy Friday, everyone!  For today's Flavorful Friday edition, I thought I would bring you two side dishes that are well-loved in our home and kitchen, Sautéed Broccoli and Sautéed Collard Greens.  We all have busy lives and sometimes bringing a wholesome, nutritious dinner to the table can seem daunting at best.  Here are two recipes that are quick, easy, flavorful, and nutritious!  The recipes call for frozen veggies, which are a go-to in my kitchen on busy days, or days when my energy is low.  While fresh is generally best, frozen is the next best alternative as foods are preserved at the peak of their freshness and no salt, preservatives, or other chemicals are added.  Buy organic if you can for the best, highest quality foods.  You can also buy fresh veggies on sale and freeze them for later use.

These sides go great with just about anything, from Roasted Chicken or Salmon Cakes, to basic beef, chicken, or pork meals.  I would love to hear what you pair these veggies with and how it goes in your own kitchen!

I'm here to serve, so let me hear from you with requests on what you would like to read about from this Country Mama Hippie Chic!

Have a blessed and beautiful weekend!

(And to those in the Plano area, the Plano Balloon Festival is this weekend!)

~Country Mama Hippie Chic
AKA Brandi Schunk

Sautéed Broccoli

Sautéed Broccoli Recipe

Ingredients:

½ Tbsp Unrefined Coconut Oil

1- 14oz Bag Frozen Broccoli Florets

1 Tbsp Organic Butter

¼ tsp Celtic Sea Salt

¼ tsp Red Chili Pepper Flakes (optional)

Instructions:

Heat 8” cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add all ingredients to pan in order listed above, then stir and cover for 3-4 minutes.  Remove lid, stir and then cook for 5-10 minutes until desired tenderness is reached, stirring occasionally.  Serves 2-3 side portions.

Options:

• ·      Serve topped with Grated Parmesan Cheese.
• ·      Serve topped with Sesame Seeds.
• ·      Leave off Red Chili Pepper Flakes for a mild version.

 Sautéed Collard Greens

Sautéed Collard Greens Recipe

Ingredients:

¼ C Slivered Almonds

2 Tbsp Bacon Grease, Butter, Ghee, or Unrefined Coconut Oil

1- 12oz Bag Frozen Chopped Collard Greens

¼ tsp Celtic Sea Salt

1/8 tsp Ground Pepper Medley, or to taste

Instructions:

Add Slivered Almonds to a dry 8” skillet.  Turn heat to medium-low and allow almonds to toast for 3-5 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds to a minute to keep them from scorching.  Once Almonds are lightly browned, add Bacon Grease, Butter, Ghee or Coconut Oil to pan and stir.  Add Frozen Chopped Collard Greens, Celtic Sea Salt, and Ground Pepper Medley to pan and stir.  Increase heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.  Serves 2-3 side portions.

Options:

• ·      Sesame Seeds can be used in place of Slivered Almonds.
• ·      Mustard Greens can be used in place of Collard Greens.
• ·      Serve topped with Grated Parmesan Cheese.

Regarding cookbooks, what format do you prefer?

Quick survey time!  I'm writing a cookbook and would love to know, what format do you prefer when you buy a cookbook?  Options include: hardback, paperback, spiral bound, e-book.

Also, are there any special features that you look for and/or appreciate in a cookbook?  Ideas may include: indexed by food restrictions (gluten free, dairy free, etc), measuring equivalents, ingredient substitutions, full color photos, space for you to write notes on each page, shopping guides, etc.

Let me hear from you!  This book, this ministry, is all about YOU and bringing wholesome goodness to your table and your home, so chime in and let me know what you think so I can better serve you.  You can reply in the comments below or send me an email at bouncybrandi@gmail.com.

As always, thanks for listening!

If you haven't already done so, be sure to sign up to receive all of my posts, including new recipes each "Flavorful Friday" right in your inbox!

Have a blessed day!

~Country Mama Hippie Chic
AKA Brandi

Flavorful Friday- Salmon Cakes Recipe!

Welcome to another edition of Flavorful Friday!

Today I'll be sharing my recipe for Salmon Cakes.  I made these earlier this week and my son was already begging for me to make them again before he had even finished his plate!  I thought that was a good enough reason to go ahead and post this today.  = )

Please comment below and let me know what you think of this recipe and how it goes in your own kitchen.  And remember to subscribe to get these posts delivered directly to your inbox each week!  (Note: some of my Android readers were not able to view the subscribe box unless they viewed in "web version", so check your viewing mode if you don't see the email entry box on the top right of the page.)

You can also now catch me on Facebook!  https://www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

Yesterday I posted there a neat trick for keeping Parsley and Cilantro fresh, helpful since this recipe calls for fresh Parsley!

Have a blessed and beautiful week!

~Brandi

AKA Country Mama Hippie Chic

John 10:10 (NIV) 

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Salmon Cakes

Ingredients:

¼ Yellow Onion

4 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, peeled

10 Sprigs of Fresh Parsley, leaves only

1 tsp Coconut Oil

1 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

¼ tsp Ground Pepper Medley

¼ tsp Smoked Paprika

1- 5.65oz can of Wild Salmon, with skin and bones

1 Large Egg, room temperature

3 Tbsp Almond Meal

2 Tbsp Coconut Flour

½ C Coconut Oil

1 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Avocado, sliced and peeled

Instructions

Use a mini food processor/chopper to chop the onion, garlic and parsley together.  Transfer mix to a heated 6” cast-iron skillet along with about a teaspoon of Coconut Oil, Celtic Sea Salt, Smoked Paprika, and Ground Pepper Medley.  Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  In the meantime, drain your can of salmon and then chop salmon, skin and bones, in the mini food processor, pulsing, and giving it a good shake between pulses.  You want to be careful not to liquefy it, but you do want to incorporate the skin and bones well into the salmon meat.  This will give you a crumbly salmon full of nutritional goodness! 

Pour processed salmon into a medium bowl.  Add Egg, Almond Meal, Coconut Flour, and sautéed mix and stir together well.  Let this sit for a few minutes while your oil heats in your pan.  This is a great time to do some clean up and make your “Creamy Fish Sauce”, too.

Add Coconut Oil and Olive Oil to an 8” cast iron skillet and heat over medium.  Test for readiness by getting a few drops of water on your hand and gently flicking them into the skillet.  If the oil pops, it’s ready.  Just be careful the oil doesn’t pop on you!

Form salmon mix into 6 small patties, about 2’ in diameter and ½” thick, by making balls and then flattening them in your hand.  Slowly lower 3 patties, one at a time, into the hot oil using a spatula; keeping fingers clear to avoid injury.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.  Then carefully flip each patty.  I like to use two spatulas for this job, one on top, one on the bottom, like a sandwich, to help them stay together while flipping.  Cook another 5 minutes or until golden brown and then remove to paper towels (2 should be plenty) to drain.  Place a lid over the cooked patties to help keep them warm.  Repeat cooking process for the remaining 3 patties.

Serve hot with Sliced Avocado and Creamy Fish Sauce (next recipe).

Optional Side Dishes:

Sautéed Collard or Mustard Greens with Almonds or Sesame Seeds

Creamy Fish Sauce

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp Mayonnaise (homemade preferred)

1 Tbsp Sour Cream (homemade preferred)

1 tsp Lemon Juice

¼ tsp Dried Dill Weed

¼ tsp Freeze Dried Chives

¼ tsp Onion Powder

¼ tsp Garlic Powder

Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt or to taste

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

Options:

·      Great on fish tacos, salmon cakes, tuna patties, grilled fish, and more!

·      You could also add Smoked Paprika if you like.