Recipe Review: Slow-Cooked Pork Roast

Yesterday morning I wanted something easy to fix for dinner that would use whatever I had on hand. It's almost grocery day so it's getting slim around here. I looked in the freezer and saw I had a 2 pound boneless pork loin blade roast. I decided I would use that and went about finding some recipe that would let me mix it with the things in the pantry and fridge. After a Google search I came across Paleo Diet Lifestyle's Slow-Cooked Pork Roast. After a quick scan of the ingredients I knew I could make it work.

I went about thawing the roast and prepping the ingredients. I ran into some snags and had to adjust. Here's what I changed:

• I didn't have any fresh garlic, so I had to sub garlic powder. 
• I didn't have any ground coriander and subbed an equal amount of ground cumin (which actually doubled the cumin in the recipe). 
• I didn't have any cider vinegar on hand so I subbed with a mix of white wine vinegar and pure apple juice (3 parts vinegar/1 part juice). 
• I didn't have any stock on hand so I used water as the recipe suggested.
• I didn't have any canned tomatoes, so I peeled* 4 Tesoro tomatoes and crushed them by hand when the recipe called for it. I added 1/4 cup of water with the tomatoes to make up for the lacking juice that comes in the canned versions. 
• My roast was smaller than the recipe stated so I cooked it for 7 hours instead of 8.

The result:

It's definitely a RAVE!

It turned out absolutely delicious! It was tender, perfectly done, juicy, and flavorful.  The entire family enjoyed it. Even my "Eww... it's meat. I don't want to eat it!" little girls ate it well and gave no complaints, which is saying a lot. This is a recipe that will stay in rotation in my menus. Next time I will try it to the letter to see if it changes much.

*Technique Tidbit - Peeling tomatoes is super simple when you do it right.

Bring a pot of water (enough to just cover the tomatoes) to a roiling boil. While the water is heating score the bottom with a knife in a X, or cross, pattern. Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside. Put the tomatoes, one at a time, into the pot of boiling water. Leave in pot for 20 seconds. DO NOT LET THEM BOIL LONGER THAN THIS! Remove the tomatoes and immediately place in the bowl of ice water. Let them rest, covered in ice water, until they cool. Score the skin with your knife around the equator of each tomato. Peel. The top and bottom half ends will peel in one piece!

I hope you enjoyed this review and technique information. I will be back on Sunday with a craft post. See you then!

Recipe: Paleo Fried Pork Chops

Daddy is a HUGE fan of fried pork chops. My gut is not a fan, at all, of wheat (or dairy) so I eat mostly Paleo. I wrapped my brain around the issue and came up with a Paleo friendly fried pork chop that is crunchy, juicy, and satisfies both Daddy and I. Even the kids like them!

Paleo Fried Pork Chops

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick (bone in chops work for this, too)
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup raw almond flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Rinse chops with water and pat dry.
3. Season both sides of chops with salt and pepper. You may need more, or less, salt and pepper depending on taste.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
5. In a small bowl scramble the eggs. Set aside.
6. On a plate mix together the ground flax seed and raw almond flour. Set aside.
7. Dredge one chop through eggs.
8. Press egg coated chop into flax and almond mixture. Flip and press into mixture to coat other side. You may need to cover spots with the dry mixture.
9. Place covered chop on plate and repeat steps 7 and 8 with the remaining chops.
10. Place chops in pan with hot oil, in batches and don't crowd the chops. 
11. Fry for 5 minutes then flip and fry another 5 minutes.
12. Transfer fried chops to a rack on a pan and put them in the warmed oven.
13. Add additional coconut oil and fry remaining chops for 5 minutes on each side.
14. Transfer remaining chops to oven and prepare your sides for your meal, if needed.
15. Serve warm.