Coconut Apple Curry Pork Tenderloin (Crock Pot)

I made this up after reading several recipes.  It turned out really yummy.  I used what I had on hand so read the whole page to see what I'll do differently next time.  :)  

Ingredients: 

5 Lbs. Lean Pork Tenderloin 

1 Can of Coconut Milk
1 Medium Onion
3-4 Large Apples (pealed, cored and chopped into chunks) 
1/2 Cup Honey 

2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

1 Tbsp. Fish Sauce

4 tsp. (1 1/3 Tbsp.) Curry Powder

4 tsp. (1 1/3 Tbsp.) Cumin 

2 tsp. Sea Salt

Directions: Combine ingredients in the crock pot.  Cook for 6-8 hours. (Longer if desired.)  I served mine with roasted Asparagus, roasted Brussels Sprouts and chopped Bacon...cuz I'm Paleo like that.  ;)

NEXT TIME: I'm going to make the this recipe into a soup.  I'd add three or four more cans of coconut milk. Swap pork for chicken. Add fresh ginger while cooking and fresh cilantro at the end. Maybe add potatoes and carrots. 

Recipe Inspirations: 

http://www.getcrocked.com/2013/11/22/slow-cooker-paleo-coconut-braised-pork/ 

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/slow-cooked-coconut-ginger-pork/#axzz2xvdbtPnH
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-and-apple-curry/ 

Spinach and Black Bean Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

I found THIS salad and it got my creative juices flowing.  (No pun intended.)  I created the following salad based on what I had at home.  I'm a little hesitant to publish it on the blog because I feel like it's a salad "in progress" but I also really loved the flavor and I just want to fine-tune it.  


We just bought a juicer this week and have really LOVED using it.  Yesterday I bought strawberries and they were already going bad.  (A major pet peeve of mine.)  Anyway, instead of adding the strawberries directly to the salad I made a dressing out of them.  However, I think adding the strawberries to the salad and pouring fresh squeezed lemon juice over this dish would be AMAZING.  


Ingredients:
1 can of black beans - rinsed and drained 
1 can of whole kernel corn - rinsed and drained 
1 avocado - chopped 
1 mango - chopped 
1 bunch of cilantro - chopped
1 bunch of green onions - chopped 
1 cucumber - cut in pieces 
Fresh Spinach - to your liking 
*Chopped nuts would be yummy on this, but I didn't have any.




Dressing:
1 cup fresh strawberry juice
1 Tbs strawberry pulp
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
* whisk together and/or shake before serving. 


Put all the ingredients (and any extra you can think of) into a large bowl.  Use your hands to mix.  I like to sort of "mush" the fixins'  together so the flavors of the mango and avocado get onto the spinach leaves.  I poured the dressing over each portion of salad so it didn't go to waste, but you could add it to the whole salad if you wanted to.  


Let me know if you have any other ideas of items to add to this salad.  It was really yummy, but I do feel like something is missing. (Although, I think that I should have added more dressing.)  Good luck and ENJOY!  

Clean Crunchy Apple and Cabbage Salad with Sweet Curry Dressing

I originally got this recipe from THIS site. We've eaten it enough and I've made a few changes so I thought I would add it to our own little blog. The version I am posting is double the original recipe because (I think) it's easier. This salad is perfect for picnics and potlucks. *People won't even know it's super healthy because they'll be distracted by how YUMMY it tastes!* Because this version of the salad is so large I like to make and eat it all week long. I also send it with my husband for lunches. (He loves it!)

Salad:

1 bag of Tri-Color Slaw

2 medium apples, julienned (a tart and crunchy apple like Braeburn or Granny Smith works best)

2 handfuls (1-2 cups) dried unsweetened cherries (I used dried cranberries because it's what I already had.)

8 oz bag of chopped pecans, toasted

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

2-3 cups shredded chicken (Cubed would work too.)

Pile all the ingredients into a bowl and hand toss it to mix.

Dressing:

1/2 cup cider vinegar

6 tablespoons olive oil

8 tbsp honey or agave nectar (depending on the sweetness you prefer)

6 tsp Dijon mustard

3 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix the dressing and reserve. (You may or may not want to add ALL the dressing. You decide.) Pour dressing over the salad just before serving. Clean and absolutely DELICIOUS!

CHICKEN N' DUMPLINGS

I feel like every person should allow themselves pure and delicious comfort food once in a while. This meal is one of mine. (Those I've shared it with say it's the best Chicken n' Dumplings they've ever had!) I throw caution to the wind and just enjoy.

I got this basic recipe so long ago I can't remember who I got it from. I changed several things about it and added things I like, so I'm declaring this recipe MY OWN CREATION. :o)

This recipe is enough to feed 12-18 people. It’s great to make for large groups or if you are taking a meal to a friend. (Or, you can just cut everything in half.) Easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Tbsp coconut or olive oil

• 1 Onion chopped

• 2 ½-3 Large Chicken Breast, cubed

• 2 Tbsp Curry Powder

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• 9 Ribs Celery – chopped

• 7 Carrots (I cut mine long and thin.)

• 3 (10.5 oz) cans of Cream of Celery

• 3 (10.5 oz) cans of Cream of Chicken

• 48 oz. Chicken Broth

• 4 Bay Leaves

• 4 Garlic Cloves crushed (more if you like garlic)

• 3-4 small cans of refrigerated biscuits. (I like a little byte of dumplings in each spoonful. If you don’t require that much, then add less biscuits.)

• ¾ Cup Cilantro – chopped

Directions:

1. In a large/deep pot, heat oil.
2. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken, salt, pepper and curry powder and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Mix in celery, carrots, and cream of celery, cream of chicken and chicken broth. Bring soup to a simmer.
5. Add bay leaves, and crushed garlic.
6. Open the cans of refrigerated biscuits one at a time. Start tearing off pieces of each biscuit and drop in into the soup mixture. I like small (quarter size) pieces of dumplings so I can get a little bit in each byte. If you like larger dumplings then go for it.
7. Continue tearing the biscuits until they are all in the pot. Stir the contents every few minutes to make sure the pieces of bread are not sticking together. NOTE: The dumplings will swell at first. After cooking a while they will shrink back down.
8. After all of the biscuits are in the soup, let them cook for 10-15 minutes.
9. When finished, pull the pot from the burner. Remove bay leaves. Stir in the cilantro.
10. Enjoy!!!

FESTIVE TOSSED SALAD

Ingredients

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons water
• 2 envelopes Italian salad dressing mix
• 4 (10 ounce) packages Italian-blend salad greens
• 4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 1-1/2 cups dried cranberries

Directions

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, water and salad dressing mix; shake well. In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, tomatoes, onion, cheese and cranberries. Serve with dressing.

Five-Spice Tilapia

Prep: 15 min Total: 15 min (Quick)

Ingredients:

1 pound tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 tablespoon canola oil

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Sprinkle both sides of tilapia fillets with five-spice powder. Combine soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tilapia and cook until the outer edges are opaque, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, turn the fish over, stir the soy mixture and pour into the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until the fish is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes more. Add scallions and remove from the heat. Serve the fish drizzled with the pan sauce.

Notes

Tip: Five-spice powder is a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. Look for it in the spice section at the market or with other Asian ingredients.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 180

Fat: 6g

Carbs: 9g

Sodium: 596mg

Fiber 0g

Saturated Fat: 1g

Monounsaturated Fat: 3g

Protein: 24g

Cholesterol: 57 g

Chicken Parmigiana

I got this recipe from OnceAMonthMom.com which has recipes you can make and freeze to eat later. The first time I made it Christopher remarked that it tasted like something you would eat at a restaurant. It is not healthy but I have to admit it is delicious! Hope you enjoy it!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts. I like to use chicken tenders because it means I get to skip the step where you pound the chicken to 1/4 inch thick.

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs. I like to use the Italian bread crumbs and I use much more than called for. I just make sure each chicken piece is evenly coated.

1/2 cup cooking oil

32 ounces canned tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded or grated

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded. I like to use the shredded Italian cheese blend.

One box of thin spaghetti noodles.


DIRECTIONS:

Place chicken breasts on cutting board, pound lightly until 1/4 inch thick (skip this step if using chicken tenders).

Combine lightly beaten eggs, salt and pepper. Dip chicken into egg mixture and then bread crumbs.

Heat oil in skillet until hot. Quickly cook breaded chicken, browning on both sides and then place chicken in a shallow baking dish. I use a 9 x 13 baking pan. You do not need to cook the chicken all the way through, just brown it on the outside. Repeat with all the chicken breasts.

In the same skillet (with remaining oil and loose bread crumbs) stir in tomato sauce and garlic powder, heat to boiling. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened.

Stir butter into tomato sauce, then pour over chicken in baking pan.

Sprinkle chicken with parmesan cheese, cover with mozzarella (or Italian blend) cheese and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer.

Serve over cooked thin spaghetti noodles.

*One note I want to add about this is that I like having more tomato sauce than this recipe calls for, otherwise there is not enough sauce to coat all of the noodles I serve with the chicken. In the past I have added 1-2 cans of petite diced tomatoes to the spaghetti sauce while it simmers for 10 minutes. Doing this made enough sauce but it also changed the flavor of the sauce and it did not taste as good as it does by following the original directions. I think next time I make this I will follow the directions for the sauce and pour over chicken as directed. While that is baking in the oven I will make additional sauce on the stove that I can put on the noodles if they don't seam coated enough. I'll use the same skillet pan, stir in 32 ounces of tomato sauce and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder then heat to boiling. Then I'll simmer 10 minutes until thickened and stir 2 Tablespoons butter into tomato sauce and serve with noodles.