Everyday Paleo (18 page)

Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Sauce over Mashed Cauliflower

I love a little bit of sweetness paired with pork, so adding the dried cherries into this dish really gave it flavor. This is a great meal to impress your dinner guests with who might have the misconceived notion that eating paleo is boring and tasteless. Impress them with this one!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1½-pound pork tenderloin
  
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
  
• 1 cup chicken broth
  
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  
• 1 cup unsweetened dried cherries
  
• 1 sprig rosemary
  
• 1 head cauliflower
  

1.
Heat the oil in a large skillet, season pork tenderloin with sea salt and pepper, place in pan, and sear on all sides for about 5–8 minutes or until browned all over.

2.
Add the chicken broth, vinegar, dried cherries, and rosemary, and cook for about another 20–25 minutes, turning pork occasionally.

3.
Meanwhile, cook the entire head of cauliflower in a pressure cooker for 3 minutes.

4.
Remove the cauliflower and mash with a potato masher, cover and set aside.

5.
Transfer the pork to a cutting board, cover with tinfoil, and let it rest for 5–7 minutes.

6.
Reduce the sauce while stirring for another 3 minutes or so or until it becomes like syrup. Discard the rosemary.

7.
Slice the pork tenderloin and serve over the mashed cauliflower, topped with the cherry sauce.

Perfect Pork Pot Roast

This meal is a bit more labor intensive than most of my recipes, but so worth it. I came up with this recipe when my son graduated from eighth grade and we had family over to celebrate. Now I’ll make it whenever I find a good pork roast; in fact, there is nothing else I even want to try with a pork roast, this recipe is so good! Serve this with my Fancy Pear Salad found in the salad section!

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 4–5 hours

Serves: 6-7

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  
• Sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste
  
• 4– to 5-pound pork loin roast
  
• ¼ cup coconut flour
  
• 6 carrots
  
• 5 celery stalks
  
• 2 leeks
  
• 2 yellow onions
  
• 2 cups red wine
  
• 1½ cups organic free-range chicken broth
  
• 2 (14-ounce) cans of diced organic salt-free tomatoes
  
• 6 fresh thyme branches
  
• 6 garlic cloves
  
• 4 tablespoons organic butter
  

1.
In a large soup pan or Dutch oven add the coconut oil and heat over medium heat.

2.
Sprinkle a bit of the sea salt and the crushed black pepper all over the roast.

3.
Roll the seasoned roast in the coconut flour.

4.
Sear the roast in the large soup pan for 4 minutes on each side (make sure you get the top and bottom of the roast seared as well).

5.
While the roast is searing, chop the veggies into large pieces. When cutting the leeks, make sure to cut them in half lengthwise and rinse well because they are often full of sand and dirt in between the layers.

6.
Remove the roast from the pan, add all the veggies, and cook in the drippings from the roast until the onions and leeks become tender.

7.
Add the wine, chicken stock, canned tomatoes, thyme branches (tie them together with some cooking twine so they are easier to remove later), and a bit more pepper.

8.
With the flat part of your knife blade, crush the whole garlic cloves and toss those in as well. Stir well and bring to a boil.

9.
In the meantime, place your roast in a slow cooker. Pour the vegetable mixture over the roast, cook on high for 4 hours, and then on low for 1 hour.

10.
After the roast is done, remove the roast from the vegetable mixture.

11.
Remove the thyme branches from the vegetable mixture and pour half of the veggie mixture into a food processor or blender, add the butter, and blend until smooth.

12.
Place the sliced meat on a large serving platter, top with the remaining cooked veggies, and pour the blended sauce over all of it.

Apple Shallot Pork Chops

I have mentioned in my blog that friends of our family have a pig farm, and they feed their pigs great stuff like apples and veggies. The pork from these pigs is so amazing, beyond words really. Paring apples and shallots with these chops just felt right, and I love the smell of the coconut oil as the chops, smothered in cinnamon, sear in the pan.