Thai Pork Salad {Gluten-Free, Salads}

Looking to break-away from chicken every now and then? Pork tenderloin is a great alternative and is still a very lean protein. This salad is the perfect base for deliciously grilled pork tenderloin and the homemade dressing is easy and amazing. If you don't prefer peanut butter or have an allergy you can substitute almond butter or sunflower butter. Click over to type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. ...click here for the recipe!

Shredded Pork Tacos {gluten-free}

Tacos are a very popular dinner in our house. We use gluten-free corn tortillas, warmed on the stove-top to soften. It's perfect because everyone can personalize their taco with the toppings they like and we still achieve our goal of making one meal for everyone! Shredded pork that's tender and flavorful makes a fun new filling for tacos. We often have seasoned ground turkey in our tacos, which is tasty, but it can get old. I like to mix it up with different fillings and I especially love it when the slow cooker cooks for me! Click over to type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Pesto and Pepper Stuffed Pork Tenderloin {Gluten-Free}

We have recently gotten into pork tenderloin. It's a very lean cut and has great flavor.
We love pesto anything!

Here are some of our favorite Pesto Recipes:

Pesto Pasta with Garden Vegetables

Chicken Pesto Pizza with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Spring Vegetable Saute with Pesto Pasta and Chicken Sausage

Turkey Pesto Panini

Fresh Basil Pesto

Kale-Basil Pesto

This pork tenderloin is elevated to a new level of flavor with the addition of pesto and mild piquillo peppers. Delish! It pairs perfectly with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus! Click over to type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Split Pea Soup with Ham {Gluten-Free}

Looking for a delicious and economical recipe to use up that extra Easter ham? This soup is the ultimate comfort food with it's creamy texture and savory bites of ham. Split peas are loaded with healthy nutrients and fiber and adding ham adds great depth of savory flavor. This soup freezes well so go ahead and make a double batch and freeze half for another day! And if you saved your ham bone, try my Easy Mixed Bean Soup, another amazing soup that's high in fiber!  Click over to www.type2diabetes.com to see my recipe for Split Pea Soup with Ham and check out the nutrition facts. ...click here for the recipe!

New Mexico Hatch Green Chili Stew {Gluten-Free}

It's been just about exactly one year since we picked up and moved across the country. We love it here but we also miss California. Missing our friends and family, of course, and also all the food! Our oldest son and I often reminisce about Dos Coyotes Southwest Restaurant. Oh man is it good. If you are anywhere near Northern California...look them up. One of their amazing seasonal dishes is Hatch Green Chili Stew, which reminds me of my childhood when my family roasted Hatch chilies and made a similar stew. Since I can't get it from them I tried to recreate it.

New Mexico Hatch Chili comes from the state of New Mexico in the Hatch Valley and has a unique and full flavor. It can be purchased in specialty markets, online or in cans on the International aisle of most grocery stores. It's probably a crime but all I can get here is canned chilies...just be sure they say "New Mexico Hatch". They range in levels of heat but generally those that you buy canned are mild. If you like your stew with more spice, substitute one can of diced jalapenos in place of one of the cans of green chilies. Click over to www.type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. Enjoy! ...click here for the recipe!

Sesame Garlic Pork Tenderloin

Pork is a rare treat for us and when we have it we choose a nice lean pork tenderloin.  We like to buy the 4 pack at Costco and freeze them, just defrost overnight in the fridge.  This delicious marinade  infuses great flavor, which is a must when you are cooking lean proteins like tenderloin or chicken breast.  The combination of sweet agave, salty tamari and smokey sesame oil is amazing.  Give yourself some time as you'll want to marinate your pork for about 4 hours before grilling.  Our organic broccolini mushroom saute and fresh grilled corn on the cob made for the perfect summer dinner tonight.  Enjoy!

1 pork tenderloin
1/2 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 Tablespoon tamari
1/3 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ginger powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup water

For the dipping sauce:
3 Tablespoons agave nectar 
1.5 Tablespoons tamari
3 drops of toasted sesame oil

Directions:
1. Slice pork tenderloin into about 4-5 thick medallions.  Combine agave, tamari, salt, ginger, garlic powder, sesame oil and water in a bowl.  Add pork medallions to marinade, turn to coat, cover and and let marinate in the fridge for 4 hrs.
2. When you are ready to cook your meat, pull it out of the fridge and let it rest for 20 minutes on the counter.
3. Place meat on a hot grill and cook about 10-15 minutes until slightly golden, juices run clear and internal temperature of 150'F.  Remove pork to plate, tent with foil and let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.  Slice large medallion cuts into 1/2" thick slices, serve hot with dipping sauce on the side.
...click here for the recipe!

Sage-Rubbed Pork chops with Warm Apple Slaw

As we enter into this new year my hubby and I are even more interested in trying new recipes. We admittedly don't stray far from turkey and chicken when it comes to meat so these pork chops are something new for us. Searing them quickly and then finishing them off with the flavorful vegetables made them tasty and juicy. Tart green apple, carrot, sage and cabbage are the perfect accompaniments for pork. To make this recipe even easier and quicker, you can use a bag of pre- shredded carrots and cabbage instead of the whole cabbage and carrots. You can definitely substitute some chicken breasts for the pork in this recipe if you prefer and still get a tasty result.

Recipe: (serves 4)
Ingredients:

For the Chops
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage
1 large clove garlic, minced (~1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
four 3/4 inch bone-in pork loin chops, with fat trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil

For the Slaw
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut in half, then thinly slice into half moons
1 large Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped or bag of pre-chopped (about 9 cups)
3 large carrots, coarsely shredded or bag of pre-shredded (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Low-Sodium chicken broth

Directions:
1. To make the chops, combine the sage, garlic, salt and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl. Rub this mixture all over the pork chops and let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until pretty hot. You can test by flicking a few tiny drops of water on the pan to see if they dance. Add the chops and brown well on both sides, 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a plate (they will not be fully cooked yet)

3. To make the slaw, carefully wipe out the pan. Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, apple, bell pepper and sage. Cook, stirring, until softened and golden, 4-5 minutes.  Add the cabbage, carrots, vinegar and salt and continue cooking until the cabbage and carrots begin to soften ~5 minutes.

4.Add the broth to the vegetables and return the pork chops to the pan, burying them in the vegetable mixture. Cover and cook just until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 155-160'F when tested with an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, about 5-7 minutes longer. Serve your pork chops on a bed of the warm slaw and drizzle some of the pan juices on top.  We cut this recipe in half and made two chops for our family of two adults and two little foodies.

Recipe courtesy of: "The Food You Crave" by Ellie Krieger

...click here for the recipe!

Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Collard Greens

It's always fun to try something new, especially new vegetables. I decided to try cooking some beautiful greens, which are in season right now! I found some HUGE organic collard greens. As a side note, whenever possible we like to buy organic produce, especially the dirty dozen. Aside from being healthier, organic foods TASTE AMAZING, the flavor is how God intended. So many times the produce in the supermarket has a "watered down" flavor. So, organic collard greens...easy, delicious and oh so healthy. Greens go really well with pork so tonight we paired them with my hubby's Honey-Lime marinated Pork Loin. And to fill in our plates, some more Israeli couscous from the pantry. Sorry about the poor picture, but I guess it's better than nothing; photographing food is new to me.

J's Honey-Lime Marinade: (marinate overnight)
(1 pound of pork yields ~ 4 servings)

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Marinate pork in the marinade overnight in the fridge. The next day remove pork and discard marinade. Cook pork on grill until it reaches an internal temperature of 155-160'F, remove from the grill and let rest on a plate for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Spicy Collard Greens: (serves 4-6)
Wash 1 large bunch of collards, trim out the tough stem.
1. In a large pot, bring about 4 cups chicken stock and 4 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add greens and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain pot saving stock.
2. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 small onion diced cook, until tender ~ 4-5 minutes. Add 1-3 cloves of minced garlic and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, cook another 2-3 minutes.
3. Chop the cooked greens and add to the pan with the onion. Pour in 1/2-1 cup of reserved stock and simmer about 4-5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

trim out the tough stems

...click here for the recipe!