Grilled Autumn Pork Chops

In case you accidentally ate more Halloween candy than you passed out or you have been using Fall fashion as an excuse to cover up the few pounds you've let sneak back on... here is a delicious reason to fall back into the Gundry lifestyle and recommit to a healthy way of eating.

Max has been absolutely loving this shake n' bake style pork chop recipe that I started making a few months back (read: he sings "it's pork chop night" every time I make it), so when I saw this idea in the October issue of Sunset magazine, I just had to try it.  The recipe calls for plums, but when I went to Whole Foods, they didn't have any.  I opted for a fuyu persimmon - an absolutely delicious fall fruit.

Do remind yourself of Gundry's rules on fruits (pages 67 - 70) - they should only be eaten after the first two weeks of Phase I and can slow weight loss.  Gundry doesn't comment specifically on persimmons, but I bought a ripe one and hoped that it was more like a "friendly fruit" than a "killer fruit".  Max and I ate less than half a persimmon each for this recipe.

Here's the recipe from Sunset.  If you'd like, you can modify like I did and use a fuyu persimmon.  Max and I shared one large pork chop.

INGREDIENTS
4 bone-in pork chops (about 3/4"-thick)
1/2 tsp. each kosher salt and pepper
1 tsp. coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
1 Tbsp. each minced fresh ginger and cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. packed light brown sugar *substitue with a few dashes of stevia
1 lb. firm-rip plums, halved and pitted
1/2 sweet onion, cut crosswise into 1/4" thick slices

DIRECTIONS
Heat grill to high (450 to 550 degrees).  Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper.  Cook coriander and mustard seeds in a medium saucepan in 1 tsp. oil over high heat until mustard sees begin to pop, 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in ginger, vinegar, and brown sugar (*substitute with a few dashes of stevia); set aside.

Grill pork chops, turning once, until cooked medium, about 10 minutes total.  Brush plums and onion with remaining 2 tsp. oil.  Grill onion, turning once, until softened and lightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes.  Grill plums, turning once, until grill marks appear, 3 minutes.

Transfer onion and plums to a cutting board and cut pieces in half.  Toss in pan with reserved spice mixture and serve over pork chops.

If you can't tell from the pictures, I didn't read this recipe well, in two areas... I cut my onion into quarters instead of into 1/4"-thick slices and promptly lost about 80% of the onion between the slats on my grill AND, I didn't read that the coriander seeds needed to be crushed.  I left them whole.  It was still very delicious, mistakes and all. Which reminds me... I need to put a mortar and pestle on my Christmas wish list!

By the way, Max also LOVED this dish.  At the end of the meal he said, "next time you ask me what I'd like for dinner and I can't think of anything... this is what I want."

Salad of Brussels Sprouts, Green Beans & Queso Fresco

I came up with this recipe out of happenstance.  I was ready for lunch and planned to make a simple salad, and when I went to the frige, I realized I was out of lettuce.  But, I had extra Brussels and thought - "that's just as good as lettuce."  So I put together a salad of sauteed, shaved Brussels, green beans and queso fresco.  Queso fresco is a crumbly, slighlty tangy and creamy Mexican, fresh cheese.

Gundry doesn't specifically address queso fresco in his book, but does list several fresh cheeses that can stand in as proteins.  Serving sizes listed for these fresh cheeses vary from 1/2 cup (feta, mozzarella) to 1 cup (ricotta, cottage, farmer).  So, with this recipe, I erred on the safe side and used only a half cup of queso fresco.

The whole idea of shaved Brussels sprouts comes from one of Dr. Gundry's recipes - Brussel Sprouts You'll Eat on page 257 of his book.  You can check out my blog post on this recipe here or another favorite Brussels recipe here.

INGREDIENTS
2-1/2 cups Brussels sprouts, shaved*
3/4 cups green beans, chopped into 1" to 2" pieces
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper

These are the proportions I used when I prepared lunch for myself.  You can obviously vary the proportions based on your preferences or if you're preparing the dish for more than one person.  This recipe would also work well as a side dish.
*Get the perfect shaved Brussels sprouts by sending them through a food processor fitted with the slicing blade.

DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add shaved Brussels sprouts.  Sprinkle with salt.  Saute, approximately 7 minutes, until browned.

I used already cooked, leftover green beans for my lunch, so I threw them in near the end, just to heat through.

If using raw green beans, add to the skillet at the same time as the Brussels sprouts.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a mixing bowl and add cheese.  Stir to combine.

Enjoy this simple and delicious combination!

Dr. Gundry notes that in Phase 3, you can try his Brussels recipe raw.  So, if you prefer, you can forego sauteing the veggies or saute as little or as much as you'd like.

Bell Pepper and Steak Fajitas

As of late, the general business of life has transformed our weekly menu line-up into something quite mundane.  Last week I asked myself, what could be quick and delicious and a nice departure from the typical meals I'd been preparing.  Then I thought - "der, fajitas".  Fajitas are a great weeknight meal because you really only need one pan, there's minimal preparation and since you use thin slices of meat, it cooks fairly quickly.  If you don't already rely on fajitas to fill a spot in your weekly line up, consider shaking it up with this easy meal.

INGREDIENTS

2 bell peppers, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic minced or pressed
1 tomato, chopped (optional)
1/4 - 1/3 lb. steak, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp coriander
1 Tbsp paprika
Dash chili powder (or to taste)
Serves 2 to 3

DIRECTIONS
Cover the bottom of a large skillet lightly with extra-virgin olive oil and warm over medium to medium-high heat.  Add veggies, sprinkle with salt and stir to coat.  Cook veggies until just tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.  Add garlic and allow to rest on top of the veggie mixture.

Push the veggies to the side and add the sliced steak.  Cook until meat is browned on all sides.  Add 1/3 cup of water and the spice mixture and stir all ingredients together.  Simmer the mixture until the meat is cooked through and the sauce is thickened.

Depending on how hungry you and/or your clan is... serve solo, on top of chopped lettuce or in a low-carb tortilla (along side a salad to make sure you're filled up).  Top with chopped tomatoes if desired.

PHASES
If you're in the Tear Down Phase, don't use the tomatoes.  If you're in phase 1 you may want a little more steak for 2 people.  In Phase 3, serve over lettuce and don't overdo the meat.

NOTES

• MEAT: I used a beef loin flank.  I don't know if your families are as picky as Max, but he wasn't enthralled with this meat.  I'm definitely not an expert on cooking meat, but I find its really hard to dazzle Max unless I prepare a really great cut of beef (or just use ground).  If you have a picky partner or little ones, you might try a better cut of meat, marinating beforehand to tenderize a bit or just substituting chicken.  
• SEASONING:  If you prefer, you can use a packaged taco or fajita seasoning mix.  Make sure to check the sugar content.  

PASTA! I thought I'd never see you again...

After a few horrible interfaces with shiratake noodles - those weird tofu pasta wannabes that make me think I'm biting into little fingers - I thought my life with pasta was done.  But, I finally followed through and ordered some FiberGourmet pasta - as recommended by Gundry himself in his book.  This pasta is loaded with fiber, so doesn't have the same affect on your system that regular pasta does.  The best part - it tastes like the real thing.  You can buy a case (6 boxes) on the FiberGourmet website or you might get lucky and find it in some specialty grocery shops (for any of you in the Los Angeles area, Erewhon carries it).

Be aware though - it still is pasta and has a bunch of carbohydrates, so think of this as a treat rather than a weekday staple.  And, as always, watch your portion sizes.  Allow yourself about a cup of cooked pasta and supplement your meal with a salad or other veggies.

On our inaugural trip with this pasta, I decided to make a homemade pesto.  I served the pasta with a few halved cherry tomatoes and topped it with a slice of delicious burrata cheese.

The basic pesto recipe is below (courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis), but when it comes to pesto, you can be very creative.  You can really use whatever herbs or nuts you like.  

I used a mix of basil, parsley and oregano from the lovely, little "herb barrels" that my wonderful husband planted and I used a mix of nuts that I had on hand with hazelnuts, pistachios and macadamias. If you prefer, you can omit the nuts all together.  You can also play with additional flavors and ingredients - asparagus, avocado, sun dried tomato, squash, etc. 


Basic Basil Pesto Recipe
2 cups packed, fresh basil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts*
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (approximately)
1/2 cup fresh, grated parmesan

Put all of the ingredients except the evoo and cheese in a food processor and whirl until finely chopped.  Slowly add in the oil until the mixture is combined and smooth.  Stir in the cheese by hand.  *To toast the nuts, spread out on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes until you can smell them roasting and they get a little golden.

Enjoy bringing a little pasta
back into your life!

Shake & Bake (not really)!

These ain't your mamma's pork chops!  While almost as easy as the boxed original, these "breaded" chops rely on almond meal and fresh ingredients for their deliciousness. According to Jonathan Waxman, whose recipe this is adapted from, the key to these tender chops is the one hour soak in the egg mixture - so make sure to plan ahead.

INGREDIENTS
2 boneless pork chops
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Almond meal
2 large eggs
2 Tablespoons grass-fed butter
1 lemon
2 cups arugula
Few slivers of Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Crack two eggs into a small baking dish.  Add about a tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Place chops in a plastic bag or cover in plastic wrap and pound with the flat end of a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin until about 3/4" thick and then drizzle the chops in extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Give both sides of the chops a light dusting of almond meal.  Then place the chops in the egg mixture, making sure to get egg on both sides.  Allow the chops to soak for an hour.

Place arugula in a bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add a few shavings of Parmesan cheese.  Toss to mix.

Heat two tablespoons of butter and extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter is browned.  Pour almond meal into a shallow dish or a deep plate.  Set up an "assembly line" next to your skillet with the chops in the egg mixture and the almond meal.  Take one chop at a time out of the egg mixture.  Dip both sides in the almond meal until well-coated and then place in the skillet.

Cook about four to five minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked to your desired doneness.

Plate the pork chops and top with the arugula mixture.  Finish with a squeeze of lemon and serve with your favorite veggie side dish.

Balsamic Braised Brussels - Update

When I posted this recipe in April, I noted that I had an inkling that the recipe was intended for whole Brussels.  So, I kept an eye out for some baby-sized to medium Brussels and tried the recipe a second time.  It was, again, quite delicious.  The whole Brussels were a fun, new twist and made for a slightly more polished dish.

This time I used pre-chopped pancetta from Trader Joe's, which was a lovely, quick trick.

My recommendation: keep an eye out for baby Brussels, pick yourself up some pre-chopped Italian bacon and give this recipe a whirl.

I served it on top of mashed cauliflower this time.  It really is reminiscent of a rich, Italian stew - a totally satisfying meal.  See my P.S. at the end of this post for a super quick preparation of mashed cauliflower.

Tapas Party

The key to hosting a party is to not over-commit yourself.  I have a very hard time with this.  I imagine a glorious menu that seems doable and then when it comes down to it, even after cooking for three days, I'm still behind schedule and spend much of the event cooking and cleaning instead of enjoying myself.  Hosting a tapas party is a great way to avoid these pitfalls.  The trick is to buy a number of yummy and delicious store-bought items and mix in a few dishes of your own.  It's best to have dishes that can be served at room temperature.

Recently, we hosted a new friend at our home with a simple tapas party.  I bought some cheese, olives, nuts and charcuterie to complement two homemade dishes - yummy meatballs and roasted cauliflower.

Another dish you could serve is Tortilla Espanola - a staple dish at Tapas restaurants which is basically a frittata.  I often see it made with Spanish chorizo and potatoes, but you could easily swap out the potatoes for cauliflower or zucchini or make any variety of frittata you like (see some recipes here, here and here). Cut into bite sized pieces to serve.

At our little party, we complimented the tapas with the Layer Cake Shiraz - a really delicious, dense, fruity wine that you can find for $15 at Trader Joe's - a total steal!