Flavorful Friday: Gluten Free Polynesian Pork Dinner Recipe

Proverbs 13:3 ESV
"Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin."

Holidays are an interesting time.  Filled with joy and hope, yet often also filled with anxiety, anger, frustration.  If you're looking for a little joy and peace in your days, perhaps we could all use the reminder from Proverbs above.  Think wisely before opening our mouths to say what's on our minds, and ask ourselves, are these words useful?  Do they help or hurt?  Are they loving and kind?  Is there a better way to say what I am thinking and feeling that truly honors my commitment and the heart of another?  Let us think on these things, and see where it takes us.

Here's to loving one another well, and showing a little extra patience and kindness this Christmas season.

My recipe today for Flavorful Friday feels a little like a cheat.  I didn't slave in the kitchen for hours, and there is nothing particularly unique here.  In fact, this probably won't even go in my cookbook so consider it a Blog Extra!  I realize sometimes we just want dinner to be easy.  But, we still want it to be healthy, interesting, maybe even festive.  Tonight's dinner felt like that for me when I made it for the first time last night.  I just threw it together and called it done.  And it was good.  And my son liked it.  Total win.

So here ya go, short and simple, easy to do for anyone, and maybe a little different.  Gluten Free Polynesian Pork Dinner Recipe.  Don't let the name fool you, it's not all that fancy.  In fact, I just marinated the pork in San-J's Sweet & Tangy Polynesian Glazing and Dipping Sauce for a couple hours.  Tasted a little like barbeque sauce in my opinion.  I enjoyed having a totally different taste experience, though, and perhaps you will, too.  Read on for the recipe, and let me know what you think!

Happy eating!

Yours truly,

Country Mama Hippie Chic

aka Brandi Schunk

bouncybrandi@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/CountryMamaHippieChic

http://countrymamahippiechic.blogspot.com/

Gluten Free Polynesian Pork Dinner Recipe

Rice:
Cook rice according to package instructions, using half water and half bone broth for your liquid.  I used short grain brown rice here, which took 45 minutes to cook.

Pork:
Put boneless pork chops in a plastic zippy bag and add San-J's Sweet & Tangy Polynesian Glazing and Dipping Sauce to cover.  Seal bag and let sit 2-4 hours in refrigerator.  Heat medium skillet on medium-low heat.  Add just pork chops with no extra sauce to well-oiled pan and cover.  Cook for 5 minutes and flip meat over.  Cook for 5 minutes and flip meat over again.  Cut meat in pan into bite size chunks, continue cooking and stirring in 3-5 minute increments until pork is no longer pink in the middle.  Serve with a small bowl of the San-J sauce and sprinkle the meat with toasted sesame seeds.

Broccoli:
Heat medium skillet on medium heat.  Add frozen broccoli florets, 1/2 C bone broth, a sprinkle of salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serving note: I also added some diced pineapple to our plates after I took the picture.  It was a nice compliment to the meal and I highly suggest it!

Bon appetit!

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.