Sweet & Sour Paleo Pork

What to do with a pork loin, rhubarb, and pineapple?  Answer - sweet & sour pork - paleo style!  I like the rhubarb because it both offers a sour flavor and acts as a thickening agent (thus, eliminating the need for cornstarch).

For the sauce:

• 1 to 1 1/2 cup rhubarb, chopped (1 cup was about 1 stalk)
• 1 cup mango, chopped (I used frozen mango)
• 1 cup pineapple, chopped (I used fresh, but canned would work as well (drained))
• 1 Tbs coconut aminos
• 1 Tbs clam sauce (other fish sauce would work as well, but this is the only thing I've been able to find without undesirable ingredients like sugar)
• 1 cup homemade chicken stock

For the stirfry:

• Coconut oil
• 1.5 pounds pork loin, cubed
• 3 Tbs Chinese 5-spice powder
• 1 onion, sliced or chopped
• 3 bell peppers (I had yellow and orange on hand), cubed
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp or so ginger, minced (I keep mine in the freezer and grate it as needed)
• 1/4 cup pineapple, chopped

1. Cut rhubarb, mango, and pineapple.  Add to a saucepan with coconut aminos, clam sauce, and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until rhubarb is melted.  [Note:  mine was still a little chunky, mostly from the mango, but I didn't want to go through the effort of making a puree (and dirtying more dishes).  Once it was mixed with the pork and veggies, you couldn't tell the difference.]
2. Meanwhile, cut pork into cubes.
3. Heat wok or other large pan on medium to medium-high heat.  Add coconut oil.  Once heated, add pork loin.  Season with 5-spice powder.  Saute until just cooked through (you don't want to overcook the meat).  
4. Chop other veggies.
5. Once pork is cooked, remove from the pan. Add onions  to the pan and cook until translucent (you don't want to brown them). 
6. Add peppers, garlic, and ginger to the pan.  Cook until peppers are crisp-tender.
7. Add back cooked pork.
8. Mix in sauce and coat pork and veggies.  Sitr in pineapple.  Allow to cook for another minute or two.
9. Serve and enjoy.  We ate this over a bed of fresh spinach and cauliflower rice.

Curried Butternut Squash

When we were in Salt Lake City a few months ago, we stopped at a quaint Indian restaurant for dinner. I wanted vegetables and (and after a lot of searching!) found the curried squash. It was excellent. I couldn’t wait to try and replicate it when I got home. This version tastes pretty darn close to what we had – and I know it has no dairy, gluten, or sugar. My husband said it tasted like the curried squash he had as a kid. Works for me:)  Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed (reserve seeds for future use)
• 2 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ -1 tsp Ginger, minced  [I keep peeled ginger in the freezer and grate it as needed.]
• 1 can coconut milk [Get the kind where the only two ingredients are coconut and guar gum.]
• 1 ½ - 2 Tbs curry powder

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add squash (whole, with skin)  and boil for about 10 minutes. This step is optional, but makes peeling the squash much easier and also begins the cooking process of the squash. Let cool slightly.
2. Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent (you don't want the onions to brown).  Add garlic and ginger and cook another minute or so.
3. Add cubed squash to the pan.
4. Mix curry powder with coconut milk, then pour into squash mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
5. Simmer until squash is tender.
6. Serve and enjoy. We ate this over a bed of baby spinach. It’s also good over cauliflower rice, mashed turnips or cauliflower, or shredded green cabbage.

Easy Curry Powder

Curry powder is one of those things that I always thought of as mysterious, exotic, and well, something only accomplished chefs used.  Turns out, curry powder is pretty easy not only to cook with, but to make at home.  And a lot of folks already have the necessary spices in their spice cabinet or they can be found easily at the supermarket.  Every curry powder recipe has a slightly different mix, but this is the combination that my husband and I settled on through a lot of trial and error.

• 1 tsp salt [we’re working to eliminate added salt from our diet, and are satisfied with ½ tsp]
• 1 ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp chili powder [try to get the Indian kind, although the Mexican kind works too]
• ½ tsp cayenne powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp ground coriander   

Mix together, and voila, curry powder!