Low FODMAP Pork Carnitas

 original recipe found here

• 4 to 6 pounds pork butt or shoulder roast
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 
  
• 1) Place roast in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours until cooked and easily shreds with a fork. Shred. With a slotted spoon, remove shredded pork to a clean plate.
• 
  
• 2) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add shredded pork. Cook 2-3 minutes until bottoms start to crisp. Stir and cook 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat.
• 
  
• 3) Stir in lime juice and cilantro. Serve warm.

Easy Sausage Gravy

Original recipe found here

16 oz breakfast PORK sausage (the fat makes all the difference)

1/4 cup flour

2 1/2 cups milk

salt & pepper to taste

*Try it with these biscuits and it will be the best day of your life

Cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat 5-6 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk; cook until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Split biscuits in half. Place 2 halves on each of 8 plates; top with about 1/3 cup gravy.

Paleo Pulled Pork

4 lbs pork shoulder
1 TBSP salt
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP smoked paprika
1 cup chicken stock

-Mix seasonings in a bowl, then rub all over meat.
-Cook on low for 8 hours in slow cooker, or 50 minutes in pressure cooker.
-Pull out bones and shred.

Stuffed Meatloaf

Meatloaf:
1-1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 lb of ground mild Italian sausage
1 egg
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Filling:
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup sliced mushrooms, sautéed to release excess water
2 cups sautéed baby spinach
1 tsp minced garlic (opt)

-Spray 9x13 inch pan. Preheat oven to 375*
-Mix all of the meatloaf ingredients together well. Form into a loaf on the sprayed 9x13 inch pan.
-Make a hollow center down the entire length of the meatloaf, shaping the sides to stretch tall, like a canyon.
-Sautee mushrooms, garlic, and spinach using 1-2 TBSP of olive oil until mushrooms are soft and spinach is wilted.
-Sprinkle half of cheese on the bottom of the meatloaf "canyon", put the sautéed mushrooms and spinach on top, then sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
-Pull the long sides up over the meatloaf, sealing the ends together over top of the filling. Make sure all the filling is completely covered!
-Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the meat reaches 160* internally.
-Allow to sit and cool for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the filling to solidify a little bit before serving.

Homemade Baked Beans

*recipe adapted from Add A Pinch*

• 3 cans Great Northern White beans
• 1 lb bacon, cut in small pieces
• 1 TBSP garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup molasses
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup Sweet baby Ray's BBQ sauce
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

Dice 1lb of bacon and 1 medium onion. Brown the bacon and onions with a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic in a skillet. 

Drain and rinse 3 cans of great northern beans.

Combine beans and bacon/onion/garlic in the slow cooker, and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well in slow cooker, then sprinkle brown sugar over top. Cook on low in slow cooker for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole--Tasty Kitchen

• Click HERE for the original recipe, and see below for my adaptations.
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• FOR THE CASSEROLE:
• 1 whole cooked chicken, Bones Removed, Meat Diced Or Shredded (rotisserie Chicken Is Excellent, Should Be 5-6 Cups Of Chicken)
• ½ pounds Very Thinly Sliced Deli-style Honey Ham (or left over ham)
• ¼ pounds Thin Sliced Baby Swiss Cheese
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• FOR THE SAUCE:
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 6 Tablespoons Flour
• 5 cups Milk (I have used skim, evaporated, and coconut milk--all have worked great)
• 3 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard (I actually used honey mustard, which was also great)
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• FOR THE TOPPING:
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 1-½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• ¾ teaspoons Seasoning Salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Put cooked shredded or diced chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Rough chop the ham and scatter it over the top of the chicken. Lay the Swiss cheese on top of the ham.

For the sauce:

Melt the butter in a large sauce pot over medium heat. When butter is melted, quickly stir in the flour to form a smooth roux. Do not brown! Once the roux is smooth and bubbly, slowly pour in the cold milk while stirring briskly to make a smooth sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Stir in the lemon juice and Dijon/honey mustard. Bring sauce just back to a low boil and turn off heat. Pour sauce evenly over the casserole, being certain to get some of the sauce around the edges of the pan.

For the topping:

Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium sized microwaveable bowl. Heat it for 30 seconds at a time and stop once it’s melted. Take the bowl out of the microwave and stir in the panko bread crumbs, and seasoning salt. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

Bake casserole uncovered for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly throughout and topping has turned a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

Easy Sweet & Sour Pork/Chicken

*Adapted from a recipe on bettycrocker.com

1

lb boneless pork loin chops OR chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

1

egg, beaten (optional; I didn't use egg because our daughter is allergic)

3/4

cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/8

teaspoon pepper

1/2

cup vegetable oil

1 1/2

cups frozen bell pepper and onion stir-fry (from 1-lb bag)

1

can (8 oz) pineapple chunks, drained (I used Pineapple tidbits)

1

recipe of Sweet & Sour Sauce

• In medium bowl, toss pork with egg. In 1-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag, place Bisquick mix, salt and pepper; seal bag and shake to mix. Drain excess egg from pork. Place pork cubes in plastic bag; seal bag and shake to coat.
• In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Place pork in single layer in skillet. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown and crispy on outside and no longer pink in center. Drain on paper towels. Cover to keep warm.
• Reserve 1 tablespoon oil in skillet; discard any remaining oil. Add bell pepper mix and pineapple; cook over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in sweet-and-sour sauce and pork; heat to boiling.

Potato-Leek Soup with Ham--Our Best Bites

4-5 medium leeks
3 TBSP butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 medium diced white potatoes
4 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves (optional-I never use bay leaves)
1 tsp dried thyme
8 oz ham, diced (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup cream (I usually use fat free evaporated milk)
1-2 TBSP minced fresh parsley OR 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley

1) Slice ends off leeks just above the root and discard root. Cut leeks in half lengthwise. Starting at the white end, slice the leeks crosswise in 1/4 inch slices. Stop slicing when the leaves turn from pale green to dark green, and discard the dark green leaves. Place sliced leeks (about 2 cups) in a bowl of cold water and stir with fingers to loosen layers and remove any dirt. Drain and set aside.

2) Melt butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until leeks are wilted and fragrant. Add potatoes, broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cover pot. Simmer on medium-low heat about 15 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. Mash the potatoes slightly. Add ham and simmer 5 more minutes. Add cream (or evaporated milk), parsley, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Heat until warmed through. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops
1 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups frozen spinach, thawed
3/4-1 cup Feta cheese
1 cup Dijon mustard
Panko breadcrumbs

**Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

1) Lay chops on a cutting board and cut a slit through the center, cutting parallel with the cutting board. Make sure the slit is large enough to stuff the pork chop to the edges, but that 3 of the 4 sides are still in tact.

2) Heat olive oil in frying pan, then saute minced garlic for 2 minutes, until the garlic begins to brown. Add spinach to oil and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. After spinach is heated through, turn off heat and sprinkle in Feta. Stir to combine (feta will melt into the mixture and make it somewhat creamy.

3) Spray the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan. Pour dijon mustard into a shallow bowl, and pout 1-2 cups panko breadcrumbs into an additional shallow bowl.

4) Spoon spinach and feta into each pork chop. Carefully dip all sides of the pork chops in dijon mustard, then in the breadcrumbs, and place in the greased pan.

5) Bake for 40-45 minutes.