Showing posts with label Paleo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paleo. Show all posts

Friday, September 26, 2014

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.


Friday, September 19, 2014

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.


Friday, September 5, 2014

Flavorful Friday- Broccoli and Shrimp Recipe!

Welcome to Flavorful Friday!  This is where I will share a great and healthy recipe with you to try out in the coming week.  Be sure to comment here and let me know how it goes!  And now that I have the link fixed, you can even sign up to receive these and other posts directly in your inbox, how cool is that?!

After receiving wonderful response from my Facebook post, as well as at my own kitchen table, I thought this week I would bring you my new Broccoli and Shrimp recipe!  My husband, who is a total foodie and spent 4 years living and learning to cook in Italy, says this is "at least as good as anything I ever had in Italy."  Wow!  I am honored!  From him, that is really saying something.

There are many variations and options on this dish to make it fit your personal needs and tastes, and feel free to experiment beyond my suggestions as well.  This is a really basic and easy recipe that anybody can do, and it's sure to impress!

Happy Crunching!

~Brandi




Broccoli and Shrimp

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1- 14 oz Bag of Frozen Broccoli Florets
2 Tbsp Butter
1/8 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
¼ tsp Red Chili Flakes
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic from a jar
1 Pint of Grape Tomatoes- sliced
1- 12 oz Bag of Frozen Extra Small Shrimp- thawed
1-4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese as topping

Instructions:

Preheat an 8-10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Frozen Broccoli Florets to pan and stir to coat broccoli in oil.  Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add Butter, Celtic Sea Salt, Red Chili Flakes, and Minced Garlic to pan and stir.  Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add Grape Tomatoes and Extra Small Shrimp to pan and stir.  Sauté 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until food is hot throughout.

Serve hot and top each portion with grated Parmesan Cheese!

Serves about 4.

Optional:
  •  You can leave off the Red Chili Flakes to make a mild dish.  When preparing this for our family, I use a 6-inch cast iron skillet for our son’s portion.
  •  You can leave off the Parmesan Cheese and Butter for a dairy free version.
  • Adding chopped Fresh Spinach leaves provides more vitamins and an extra layer of flavor.  Add these when you add the tomatoes and shrimp.  Doing this will also increase either your number of portions or portion sizes.
  • Add fresh basil leaves when you add the butter, salt, chili flakes and garlic for an extra punch of flavor and minerals.
  • You can serve this atop your favorite pasta or spaghetti squash as well.
  • This dish could be make with pre-cooked chicken or beef cubes instead of shrimp.




Tags: Fast, Easy, Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Healthy, Recipe, Dinner, Shrimp, Broccoli, Wow