Mia’s Perfect Every Time Pork Rib Roast + Parsnip Gravy

Hello readers, happy hump day to you all!

I had an influx of requests for more detailed instructions on how to cook the perfect pork roast, so I took the opportunity yesterday whilst cooking one to take a pile of pictures for a step-by-step breakdown of how I whip this up. It’s easy (I promise) and makes a pretty awesome meal when served alongside veggies. A few easy tweaks, and it’s also W30 approved!

When you’re looking for the perfect roast at the grocery store/butcher, go for something with a nice amount of fat. Rib roasts are awesome as they tend to fit the bill and they stay super tender through the roasting process.

This guy won our hearts. Good amount of fat, and a nice thick cut.

First step is to prep the veggies. I used 2 large parsnips (peeled and coarsely chopped), 1/2 each of a large yellow onion and a large white onion (peeled and sliced), and 1 head of garlic (peeled and minced). Also, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Other things that are tasty additions to a pork roast: carrots, tomatoes, green onions, celeriac…

Next step is to create a braising liquid blend. Yesterday’s was balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, liquid smoke, Sambal paste (omit if W30), curry leaves, fish sauce (make sure compliant if W30), and some soya sauce (sub in coconut aminos if W30). Whisk with a fork and set aside. I also added 1.5 cups of Vega’s homemade mead (omit if W30 and sub in bone broth or water)–you want about 2.5 cups of liquid for this adventure.

 

Next step is to heat 1 TBSP of EVOO (or coconut oil, or ghee. I like the taste EVOO imparts to the meat) in the pot you’ll be using to roast the piggy in. When it’s nice and hot, sear the pork on each side until browned (about 2 min/side). When that’s done, remove the pork and let rest.

Now, add another TBSP of EVOO to the same pot (over med-low heat) and add the onions. Let those simmer away and cook down until translucent. Add the garlic (and a TBSP of Sambal for some extra kick), and continue to cook over low heat.

While the onions are cooking, give the roast a nice rubdown with some garlic powder, salt, pepper, onion powder, and oregano.

Then, add the parsnips to the onion mix, give ’em a nice stir, add the liquid, and then return the pork to its tasty hot tub of yummy potential.

Bring this to a boil over high heat, then cover and pop into the hot oven for an hour while you browse the internet and enjoy the delicious smells soon to be wafting through the house.

After an hour goes by, uncover the roast. Continue to cook uncovered for an hour, basting every fifteen minutes.

When the cooking time is up, place the roast onto a cutting board and cover with tinfoil. It’s important to let the meat rest for about 10-15 minutes before you cut into it to trap those tasty meat juices in there.

I took the liberty of snapping a picture before I covered this beauty 🙂

In the meantime, prepare the parsnip gravy by scooping the parsnips and onions into your blender and whirling around until smooth. Add 3 TBSP of coconut milk, whirl to mix.

Return to the pot you cooked the roast in, and mix well with the yummy brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Simmer over low heat for 5-8 minutes to thicken.

While that’s thickening and getting tastier, slice the roast…

…then serve with your choice of side dish (I opted for sautéed cabbage and broccoli) and some parsnip gravy.

OMNOMNOMATHON!!!

Go forth and roast pork 🙂

 

Wallace, out.

 

 

A Few Variations on Basa Filets (Somethin’ Fishy Goin’ On)

I got some awesome feedback on the lemon-pepper haddock recipe I posted earlier (thank you!), and thought I’d serve up three easy variations on basa filets that I’ve come to quite enjoy as of late.
Basa is a flaky white fish, and Safeway/Sobey’s/Superstore/Costco all sell big bags (usually 6 large filets) of frozen, sustainably fished basa, and it tends to go on sale a lot. When I see it there, I usually pick up 2 bags to have in the freezer for quick dinners–extra bonus is that these cook up exceptionally well from frozen (if you’re thawing first, cut cook times down by about half and you should be fine!) and also take minimal work to prepare. I have three variations for ya, we’ll start with

1. Chili Basa (I served this one with a red-leaf lettuce salad drizzled with EVOO and balsamic vinegar, and sauteed yams and parsnips)

Not for the faint of heart–the habanero sauce and the chili flakes definitely pack a punch here! Not to worry though, the sweetness of the yams/parsnips and the freshness of the salad make this a perfect compliment!

All you have to do here is:
1. Preheat oven to 425°
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
3. arrange basa filets on baking sheet, drizzle with paleo-approved cooking oil of choice (I used expeller pressed coconut oil, no need to heat it up really, just a dollop and spread it around)
4. Drizzle with habanero hot sauce to your liking (I like Tabasco Habanero–killer heat, super tasty)
5. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and dehydrated chili flakes (I use lots, it makes a crust!)
6. Pop into hot oven, uncovered, for 16-20 minutes, or until golden on top
7. Flip filets and season with habanero sauce, garlic powder, salt, pepper and chili flakes
8. Return to oven for 8-10 minutes, or until fish is golden and flakes easily with a fork
9. Serve with red leaf lettuce (I dress mine with EVOO, balsamic, red onion, and a TBSP of raw, hulled, unsalted sunflower seeds) and pan sauteed parnsips and yams
10. OMNOMNOMATHON

2. Garlic & Parsley Crusted Basa on Mixed Greens

Buttery, garlic-y, refreshing deliciousness–perfect for dinner on a hot day!

(ahem..pardon the pack of smokes top left. I am quitting soon, I swear–in fact, that’s the goal on my next W30, but that isn’t the point here and I digress)

All you have to do here is:
1. Preheat oven to 425°
2. Mince up 8-10 cloves of garlic (or more, I like me some garlic and have been known to use a whole head..)
3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
4. Arrange basa filets on baking sheet
5. Brush filets with ghee
6. Top with a hearty amount of garlic, and parsley to your taste
7. Bake uncovered for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned
8. Flip filets and repeat steps 5 and 6
9. Return to oven uncovered for 8-10 minutes, or until fish is lightly browned and flakes easily with a fork
10. Serve on top of mixed greens (I like a salad of romaine, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, a TBSP of sunflower seeds and EVOO/balsamic drizzle
11. OMNOMNOMATHON!

3. Lemon, Cilantro and Chili Basa (I serve this one with mixed greens and sauteed butternut squash and carrots…yeah yeah I like my veggies, so sue me)

So easy, so tasty, and so damned good for ya!

All you have to do here is:
1. Preheat oven to 425°
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil
3. Arrange basa filets on baking sheet
4. Blend 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro with 1/2 of a juiced lemon, salt, pepper, and 1 TBSP coconut oil (liquefy first)
5. Spread cilantro mixture evenly over basa
6. Sprinkle with chili flakes
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes uncovered, or until fish is lightly browned
8. Flip fish over and repeat steps 5 & 6
9. Return to oven, baking for 8-10 minutes, or until basa is lightly browned and flakes easily with a fork
10. Serve with slice of lemon and additional sprinkle of chili flakes alongside pan-sauteed butternut squash and carrots, as well as mixed greens (to balance nutrients, natch!)
11. OMNOMNOMATHON!

Easy, delicious, and rather budget-friendly; basa and I are good friends these days, and you really have to try to screw this up. My kind of recipe(s)!

Happy nomming!

Wallace, out

 

Coconut Milk “Not-Ice-Cream”

Happy hump day, readers!

If your sugar dragon is knocking, I have just the recipe for you today. I’ve whipped this beauty up a couple of times now, and it’s just the thing to kill the ice-cream cravings in a paleo-friendly and totally omnomnom sort of way. I (like all other women in the universe) love ice cream; however, I don’t love what dairy does to my body. The inflammatory effects are marked and I can certainly feel them in my arthritic little fingers when I overindulge in milk, cheese, and yogurt. So, once again, I’d like to thank Jeebus for coconut milk.

Cold, creamy, paleo yummies. *drooool* (this batch was blueberry/raspberry)

The added benefit here is the fact that my recipes for this are both cheap (we like pinching pennies here at EIB..let’s just say I’m a frugal kind of person) and full of antioxidants (from the berries, seriously, berries = superfood, and they’re freakin delicious) and healthy fat (from the coconut milk, make sure you find a brand that uses nothing but the good stuff. You’d be amazed at how many brands toss in soy lechitin and added sugars; look for words you can’t pronounce ending in–ose), and the recipe I use makes up enough to have about 8-10 servings ready to go in the freezer.

Here’s what you’ll need for one big ol’ batch of Not-Ice-Cream:
-2 cans of coconut milk
-1 bag of frozen fruit of your choice (my 2 favorite combinations so far have been half a bag of raspberries and half a bag of blueberries (photo above); and 1/3 bag mangoes, 1/3 bag strawberries, 1/3 bag blackberries (photo below)
-2 bananas, mashed
-Blender (I had great success with an immersion blender…out of the necessity factor)

And here’s what you’ll want to do:
1. Combine all ingredients in blender
2. Pulse until totally smooth
3. Put into airtight container(s) and freeze for a minimum of 4 hours, or until solid
4. Serve and enjoy (note: if you’re keeping this frozen for a while, take it out of the freezer about 30 minutes prior to serving for better scoopability)

Yup. It’s that easy.

Easy, sweet (but not tooooo sweet), and awesomely full of goodness. (This batch mango, strawberry, blackberry)

Go forth and make not-ice-cream!

Happy nomming!

Wallace, out.

Steak & Veggie Stir-Fry, Quinoa and Field Greens

Hello blogosphere!

I am back with more foodie-happiness. Before I get into the meat (hah, punny) of the post, I just wanted to say thanks for the positive feedback on the first two recipes I’ve posted–in fact, I’m pretty stoked on the metrics the past few days, and you can consider the omnomnomivores section a mainstay on the EIBblog from here on out. 🙂

I was feeling inspired yesterday after a kickass kikboxing circuit and a nice jaunt with Visa–I was HUNGRAYYY and craving something meaty and spicy and crunchy–y’know, those days where you’re famished, kind of know what you actually wanbt, but can’t put a finger on it? Yeah. So without expecting too much from my cooking last night, I threw together a really tasty meal that I’ll outline for ya below. Yes, I realize quinoa isn’t on the strict paleo/whole9 plan. I like it, it’s tasty and high in protein, and overall a better choice than white rice; if you’re concerned about it, omit the quinoa and add another cup of lettuce and spinach. The stirfry is yummy on salad too!

What You’ll Need to Feed 2 Hungry Omnomnomivores:
–1/2 cup dry quinoa
-1 cup water
-1 tbsp paleo-friendly cooking oil (I use expeller pressed coconut oil. nomnom)
-1 package lean, thinly sliced stir-fry beef
-1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped into bite sized chunks
-8 white button mushrooms, washed and chopped
-1/2 bag of frozen stir-fry veggie mix (I like Green Giant Japanese mix)
-1/2 of a large white onion, finely chopped
-8 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
-3/4 tbsp  dijon mustard
-1 1/2 tbsp hot sauce of your choosing
-1/2 tbsp soy sauce (or aminos, if you’re on a W30)
-1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce (omit if strict paleo)
-2 cups of field greens (I like the prepackaged President’s Choice field green mix, Superstore rocks)
-1 cup baby spinach
-Cayenne pepper (to taste)
-Oregano (to taste)
-Sea salt (to taste)
-Black pepper (to taste)
-1 tbsp honey (omit it if you’re strict paleo)

And here’s what you’ll need to do:
1. At least an hour prior to dinner, combine EVOO, dijon, hot sauce, soy sauce/aminos, worcestershire, garlic,  cayenne, oregano, and black pepper to create a tasty, tasty marinade. Put the meat in its yummy bath, cover, and refrigerate.
2. In a medium sized saucepan, combine quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to minimum, cover, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, you’ll know that it’s done when all the liquid had been absorbed and the quinoa is translucent and fluffy.
Note: Vega made us delicious coconut quinoa this evening; the only difference was that he used coconut milk instead of water and it turned out fantastic. Highly recommended.
3. In a large skillet, melt your cooking fat over medium high heat until it glistens. Add onions and a pinch of salt (onions are hydrophilic, and the addition of salt at this stage allows them to sweat and cook down a little faster)
4. When the onions are beginning to become translucent, add the mushrooms and parsnips, sautée over medium heat
5. When the mushrooms are lightly browned and the parsnips are starting to soften, add the beef and the marinade. Get it alllllll in there, use a spatula. Fry until meat is browned on both sides
6. Add the frozen veggie mix and stir well (cold veg in stir fry = yuck), cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the veg is just about cooked to your liking
7. Lower the heat to, well, low; and then stir in the honey. Allow to cook over low for another 3-4 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and to finish cooking up the veggies
8. On large dinner plates, dole out 1 cup of field greens and 1/2 cup of the baby spinach each. Dress with a drizzle of EVOO and balsamic vinegar
9. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and dole out accordingly
10. Top quinoa with stir-fried beef

OMNOMNOMATHON.

So. Freakin’. Tasty.

Really, I was surprised by how well this one turned out. I wanted meat-y and spicy and hearty…and I got that in spades. Vega seemed to really enjoy it too, and even Visa nommed some pretty happily (there may or may not have been a mishap which involved attempting to cut a strip of beef with a fork and having a good amount end up in the couch/on the floor…luckily, this is a recipe that makes a lot of food), so I’m calling this one not only a win but a mainstay.

As I mentioned previously, I’m not rocking a strict paleo diet right now (hence the cerial grains), but if you’re omitting the quinoa fear NOT; this one is equally yummy on the salad, and you can omit the dressing if you’re serving it up that way.

Happy nomming!

Wallace, out.