pork Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Instant Pot Bacon and Sweet Potato Chili

September 21, 2018 By Becky 8 Comments

Instant Pot Bacon & Sweet Potato Chili (Paleo, Whole30)

This paleo & Whole30-compliant Instant Pot bacon and sweet potato chili is an old favorite made twice as fast in the pressure cooker. Make a big batch and freeze some for later!

I’m kind of a chili purist. I don’t like beans in my chili and I don’t want any tomatoes in there, either. I also don’t like it to be too soupy. Over the years I’ve tried many chili recipes, but my bacon and sweet potato chili is the only one I come back to again and again. Many of my friend have made it, too, and it’s always a hit. It freezes really well, so it’s a perfect make-ahead meal. I’m definitely planning to stock my freezer with some to have on hand once our baby arrives!

Carnitas con huevo

April 24, 2017 By Becky 40 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Try carnitas con huevo–crispy slow-cooked pork with fried eggs–for a hearty and irresistible paleo breakfast. There’s avocado crema involved, too!

I’m sorry for the silence here last week! I hadn’t planned on taking a week off from sharing recipes, but suddenly Easter and several deadlines for freelance work and a few other things snuck up on me. I’m back, though, with one of my favorite breakfasts of all time: carnitas con huevo (slow-cooked, crispy pork with an egg on top) with avocado crema.

If you’ve by any chance been reading since I started this site in 2013, you may recognize this recipe as one I posted back then during my first attempt at a Whole30. It was long overdue for a reshoot, though. Just for fun, I’ve included one of the original photos below right before the recipe card. I’m constantly working on improving my food photography and styling, but looking back on photos from a few years ago makes me feel really good about how far I’ve come already.

Paleo Pork Scaloppine with Caper Butter Sauce

April 3, 2017 By Becky 49 Comments

This paleo pork scaloppine with caper butter sauce is like chicken piccata, but better. It comes together in half an hour so you can enjoy it on busy weeknights!

Monday has reared its ugly head once again. If you’ve got a case of the blues, I have just the thing for you: paleo pork scaloppine. In a mere half an hour, you’ll get to work out your aggression pounding pork chops thin, hear the satisfying sizzle of the meat hitting the pan, pour an irresistible caper butter sauce over a platter of golden brown cutlets, and then dig in. I know I couldn’t ask for a better form of Monday therapy!

To make the breading for this paleo version of pork scaloppine as close as possible to the real thing, we’re using Otto’s Cassava Flour (that’s an affiliate link–I love their product and accept no substitutes!). It’s the best one-to-one replacement for wheat flour that I’ve found, and while I used to have to order it online, this past weekend I spotted it at the Chattanooga Whole Foods! To celebrate, I whipped up a big batch of this paleo pork scaloppine.

Paleo Swedish Meatballs

February 27, 2017 By Becky 47 Comments

These paleo Swedish meatballs are just as satisfying as the original but without any gluten or lactose. They’re perfect with zoodles, cauliflower rice, or mashed potatoes.

I’m very excited about today’s post because not only am I sharing one of my favorite recipes from my cookbook Paleo Planet, but I’m also teaming up with my friends at ButcherBox to get you some amazing grass-fed meat for free! If you sign up for your first box between now and this Friday, you can get two pounds of grass-fed ground beef for free plus $10 off your box.

If you’ve been reading my site for a while, you’ve probably heard me mention ButcherBox before–you can see all my posts featuring their meat right here. ButcherBox is a meat subscription service that sends boxes of the absolute best grass-fed beef, heritage pork, and organic chicken right to your door, conveniently frozen in individual portions for easy defrosting. I have loved every single recipe I’ve made with their meat!

It’s perfect if you have a hard time finding quality meat in your neighborhood supermarket or just don’t want to have to shop often. They also send you recipe cards with information about each cut and an idea of what to make with it. Each month’s box includes a variety of cuts, but always includes some of their grass-fed ground beef, which is a staple at my house. If I’ve convinced you that you need ButcherBox in your life, here’s the sign-up page.

In case you’re just here for the paleo Swedish meatballs, let’s talk about those! They’re great for comfort-food dinners as we make it through the last few weeks of winter. A blend of beef and pork makes the meatballs super tender, and a dash of nutmeg and allspice give them that distinctive Swedish meatball flavor.

The sauce is creamy thanks to cashews and a bit sweet thanks to no-sugar-added black currant jam. Instead of the traditional egg noodles, try these paleo Swedish meatballs over zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, or mashed potatoes.

Five-Ingredient Instant Pot Carnitas

October 5, 2016 By Becky 22 Comments

These easy five-ingredient Instant Pot carnitas are tender and juicy, with a great citrusy flavor. They are wonderful over rice, in tacos, in lettuce wraps, with an egg on top, or just plain!

These slow-cooker carnitas lettuce wraps are one of my favorite dinners, and ever since getting an Instant Pot, I’ve been working on converting the carnitas recipe so it can be made more quickly. It’s not necessarily weeknight quick because it takes about an hour and a half to make, but that’s a lot less than the 8-10 hour slow-cooking time. This is perfect for whipping up on a weekend afternoon to have a stockpile of delicious meat for the days ahead.

To make this recipe extra easy, I’ve streamlined the ingredients list. You only need five things (not counting salt, pepper, and water). Also, this recipe is made start to finish in the Instant Pot, without any broiling at the end or any other dirty pans.

Carnitas are traditionally made on the stovetop like this, where they cook low and slow, often with spices and citrus juices. Eventually, all of the juices cook off, and the carnitas begin to caramelize and crisp up a little in the dry pan.

When I make carnitas in my crockpot, I have to discard most of the juices and broil the carnitas after slow cooking to crisp them up and get that characteristic carnitas texture. With the Instant Pot’s sauté feature, though, I can cook off all of the liquid pretty quickly without using more than one pot. That means Instant Pot carnitas are just as easy as the original stovetop version, but much quicker.

Pork Chops with Cranberry-Apple Compote (#30MinuteMondays)

January 11, 2016 By Becky 4 Comments

These paleo, Whole30-compliant pork chops with cranberry-apple compote are made for nights when you come home already hungry: they’re easy, satisfying, and fast. They can be ready in 30 minutes, and there’s a shortcut version that’s even faster!

I’m on Day 11 of my Whole30 and, at the risk of jinxing myself, it’s been smooth sailing so far! I’ve been drinking my coffee with homemade almond milk most days and occasionally making it into a chai ghee “latte” when I want something a little more indulgent.

I’ve gotten a little tired of having eggs for breakfast, but mixing in the occasional dinner for breakfast has helped make eggs seem appealing again the next day. And I’ve done a pretty good job of making big batches of meals like bacon and sweet potato chili and cracklin’ chicken so that I can have leftovers for the next day.

I’m not quite as on top of my meal planning game as I’d like to be, though, so there have been several nights when I left work already hungry and didn’t have any leftovers ready to just heat up when I got home. That’s where these seared pork chops with cranberry-apple compote come in.

This whole recipe takes less than thirty minutes, and there’s even an abridged version where the compote is stripped down to its most essential ingredient. That version is in the recipe notes and can be accomplished in 15 minutes flat if you work efficiently.

Since they’re coated in a delicious dry rub made from the spices pictured above, these pork chops are also great on their own. Ben always has his plain because he’s averse to the texture of cooked apples (I’m all about that because it means more compote for me!).

The dry rub gets smokiness and a little heat from the paprika and savory earthiness from the cumin and garlic. There’s also sea salt, pepper, and just a tiny bit of cinnamon as a nod to the apples that are in these pork chops’ future.

Grilled Pork Chops and Peaches #30MinuteMondays

September 8, 2015 By Becky 4 Comments

You’re less than 30 minutes away from this healthy paleo meal of spice-rubbed pork chops and grilled peaches served with bitter greens and avocado.

How was your weekend? Whether or not it was a long one, I hope it included lots of time spent doing your favorite things. Mine did: I spent time cooking, baking, swimming, sleeping in, and eating burgers. I couldn’t have asked for much more!

It’s been about two weeks since Ben and I moved to Chattanooga, and I’m so happy to be here. I’ve only had three full days of work so far, so it’s all felt a bit like a giant vacation. We’re staying with my future sister-in-law and her husband and my three future nieces, and they are all so much fun. The girls are eight, six, and three years old, and make me want to have my own children YESTERDAY. They love to help me cook, which is a welcome change since so often I’m alone in the kitchen.

On Friday we made chocolate pudding. I’d made the recipe before (I just substitute tapioca flour for the cornstarch to make it grain-free) and knew it only made 6 servings, but figured we could stretch it to feed 7, 3 of whom are not full grown. Right when the girls and I had finished the pudding and were looking for cute little cups to put it in, Ben announced that his parents and brother would also be joining us for dinner. That raised the total count to 10.

Faced with the fear of not enough dessert, the girls suggested another batch of these brownies (similar recipe here–omit the cinnamon and cayenne and add a handful of chocolate chips for a kid-friendly, double chocolate version). I agreed. After baking the brownies, we spread our meager stash of chocolate pudding on top like frosting, added a layer of whipped cream, and sprinkled some more chocolate chips on top for good measure. The result was something so decadent that the eight year-old, who prides herself on usually being able to eat several servings of dessert, was satisfied after just one. When it follows the fear of not enough dessert, too much dessert is a wonderful thing indeed! The pudding brownies lasted for days in the fridge and made excellent snacks throughout the weekend.

Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce with Sweet Potato Spaghetti

June 10, 2015 By Becky 16 Comments

There’s nothing more comforting than a slow-cooked Bolognese sauce with sweet potato spaghetti! It’s gluten free, paleo, and much more colorful and nutritious than regular spaghetti and meatballs.

This is Whole30 comfort food at its best. Making Bolognese sauce every Friday is a new tradition of mine, and even though I’ve only been doing it for a few weeks, it’s already made my weekends much heartier and more delicious.

I have Fridays off this semester so I can stay home while this fragrant sauce simmers away, but if you have to work you could start the sauce in the morning before you leave and finish it in the slow cooker, or make it your Saturday or Sunday tradition instead.

You want to let this sauce cook for a nice long time because the flavors will continue to meld and develop over the course of several hours. The long cooking time is the reason bolognese sauce is so synergistic. I also think the sauce tastes even better when I reheat it a day or two later, but I can never resist eating at least some of it the day I make it. The aroma is so enticing!

Because everyone’s schedule is different, I’m providing a slow cooker version and a version that cooks completely on the stovetop. Other than the cooking time, which is much longer for the slow cooker version, the only difference is the amount of liquid you add. The stovetop version needs extra liquid since much of the water in the sauce will evaporate, but the slow cooker keeps all that moisture locked in.

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork with Peach Barbecue Sauce

April 17, 2015 By Becky 49 Comments

I’m not sure where to start: there are so many exciting things going on here! We’ve got a tangy, sweet, paleo peach barbecue sauce, spice-rubbed, slow-cooked pork that’s perfect on its own or drenched in the aforementioned sauce, and a pair of hard-core, handy-dandy meat claws.

Was that too many adjectives? Is it possible for a tool to be both hard core and handy dandy? I apologize–there’s just something about pulled pork that makes me a bit verbose. It’s so tender, so easy, so versatile, and so GOOD.

For this recipe, a pork shoulder is coated in a simple spicy-sweet mix and popped in the slow cooker with an onion and a bit of olive oil. While the pork is cooking, you can put your feet up and enjoy the wonderful aroma permeating your house.

Or, you can make some peach barbecue sauce to go with it.

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Meatball “Vermicelli” Bowls

February 23, 2015 By Becky 40 Comments

These caramelized pork meatball “vermicelli” bowls are made with paleo-friendly caramel and spaghetti squash instead of noodles.

My favorite thing to order at our local Vietnamese restaurant is bún chả, a bowl of vermicelli topped with pickled vegetables, peanuts, and grilled sliced pork or pork meatballs, served with a generous bowl of nước chấm (sweet fish sauce) on the side. This caramelized pork meatball “vermicelli” bowl is a paleo version that hits all the right notes without refined sugar, legumes, or actual vermicelli–the noodles are spaghetti squash instead!

I’m not always a fan of swapping spaghetti squash for regular noodles, but it really works in this dish. There are so many flavors and textures intermingling that the squash flies almost completely under the radar.

The star of this bowl is the caramelized pork meatballs, which are by far the best meatballs I’ve ever made. Last time I attempted Vietnamese pork it was delicious, but nowhere near as good as what I’ve had in restaurants. I wasn’t sure how to get that unique flavor–the one that’s at once almost too sweet and almost too savory, but actually just perfect. Then, while doing a little online research, I came across this recipe from Saveur, which involved a very surprising step.

I never would have tried the technique advised in the recipe if it hadn’t come from such a trusted source, because it sounds totally ridiculous. Luckily enough for me and you, though, I did try it, and it was just the ticket. Buckle your seat belts, folks, because we are going to MAKE CARAMEL and put it in the meatballs.

Yup.

THAT is what I mean by “caramelized”.

Slow-Cooker Carnitas Lettuce Wraps with Pineapple & Avocado Salsa

April 3, 2014 By Becky 9 Comments

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Crisp and tender slow-cooker carnitas are wrapped in butter lettuce and topped with pineapple and avocado salsa for a paleo dinner or appetizer with an ideal balance of sweet and savory flavors.

Ben is out of town this week, so I have been left to my own devices. Last night I got home and decided to read the first chapter or two of the kids’ novel Because of Winn-Dixie, which I needed to preview before using it in a lesson. Turns out the book is really good, and also a bit sad. A girl named India Opal, whose mother left when she was little, moves to Naomi, Florida with her dad and ends up adopting a stray dog who helps her make all kinds of interesting friends. Each friend has their own poignant story. I may have ended up crying several times (just enough to need a tissue, not straight-up bawling), and finishing the whole book in less than two hours. Now, that’s what I call a fun evening! Tonight I might watch the film version.

Bacon and Sweet Potato Chili

March 12, 2014 By Becky 16 Comments

This bacon and sweet potato chili is my go-to paleo dinner. The recipe makes a large batch, and it freezes well!

Do you have a really big skillet? If not, you are going to want to go buy one so you can make this bacon & sweet potato chili right away.

If you are not convinced that you need a 14-inch skillet, I understand. However, I intend to convince you to make this chili. It’s the best chili I’ve ever had, and it’s a complete and colorful one-pot meal. If you didn’t just go buy a huge skillet and/or don’t need to feed a bunch of people, you can halve the recipe and make it in a normal-sized pan.

Why is this the best chili ever? Well, because bacon. And sweet potatoes. And all the fresh things on top that make this the perfect comfort food to carry you from winter into spring.

This dish is for people like me, who don’t want beans or any tomato products or a lot of excess liquid in their chili. I just need salty bacon, sweet potatoes, some perfectly spiced meat, and what’s basically deconstructed guacamole for a topping. Using half pork and half beef gives the chili even better flavor. It’s amazing right away and it’s even more amazing the next day. My mother agreed that this is the best chili ever, and she is kind of hard to please. I haven’t heard her rave so much about a food I’ve made since this cranberry orange curd tart.

There is kale in this recipe. If you don’t want to put kale in your chili you obviously don’t have to, but I want to tell you that you can barely taste it. It’s just a nice way to sneak in some greens and start feeling a little more springy. I got the idea to put kale in chili from the cookbook Cooking with Coconut Oil, and now I’m hooked. It adds great color and texture, and makes me feel extra healthy when I eat it.

One more reason to make this bacon and sweet potato chili, and to put kale in it? Kale & sweet potato are really good friends. See proof here.