Knead to Cook

Food & fitness obsessed girl.

Mango Jalapeño Salsa.

by Filed Under: Appetizers, Chicken, Condiments, Fish, Fruit, Gluten Free, No bake/cooking required!, Party Foods, Pork, Salsas & Guacamole, Side dish, Snacks, Vegetarian, Wheat Free 1 Comment

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*Stamped spoon can be found at:   http://www.etsy.com/people/pumpernickelandwry

Sometimes you need to lighten up a gray day with some tropical salsa.  Today, is a bit gray and going to be rainy… I thought this would be the perfect way to brighten up dinner.  I make this salsa early and let the flavors blend in the fridge until dinner.  Top over grilled chicken, pork or fish.  Or eat it straight up with tortilla chips.  Perfect for a party!

Ingredients:

2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
2 green spring onions, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, seeds removed (or left in if you like the heat), finely diced
1-2 tablespoons of a better quality balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl.  Give a good toss and let the flavors develop for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.  Remove right before serving and add additional balsamic if necessary.

— Knead to Cook

Apple baked pork chops.

by Filed Under: Pork 31 Comments

This is the EASIEST recipe you will ever make!  It is’t the most photogenic but it I promise you will fall in love with it.  Another benefit, kids love it!

Ingredients:

Pork chops (one per each person you are feeding)
5 apples, cored and peeled, sliced
3 tablespoons of light brown sugar
2 tablespoons of butter
Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  In a casserole dish, spray the bottom with nonstick baking spray or olive oil.  Lay your chops on the bottom of pan, without overlapping.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Then lay the apples on top.  I pile them up – the more, the merrier.  Sprinkle with the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Top with tiny pieces of the butter.  Cover and bake for about 45-60 minutes or until the pork is fully cooked.  Enjoy!

 

— Knead to Cook

Outta the Ballpark BBQ Sauce Pork Tenderloin.

by Filed Under: Pork Leave a Comment

I just received my winning bottle of Outta the Ballpark BBQ sauce and I was so excited to try it.  Totally healthy bbq just sounded perfect to me!  No GMO’s, gluten-free and no high fructose corn syrup.  Sounds like perfection in a bottle… and yes, it was!  This delicious sauce is available at Whole Foods markets and over at my favorite gourmet website igourmet.com.  

So here’s how I used it.  I marinaded my pork tenderloins in about 1/3 of the sauce for about 3-4 hours.   Then cooked it on a hot grill and based it with additional sauce.  Cook until no longer pink and remove from the grill.  Tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes to let the juices return back into the meat.  Slice and serve. I’m a huge fan of this sauce and you will too!

 

 

 

 

 

— Knead to Cook

Garden herb rubbed pork tenderloin.

by Filed Under: Pork 8 Comments

After roaming around the garden today, I wanted to use a combination of all of our favorite herbs that we planted for dinner tonight.  I have to say, this was the best pork I’ve ever eaten!  Seriously, THAT good.  I made the rub and let the pork “rest” in the fridge all afternoon.  The herbs penetrated every single inch of the tenderloin and it was so incredibly juicy and flavorful.  I now wish I made more!

First, go to your garden, Farmer’s Market or wherever sells fresh herbs… you will need:

1 tablespoon of fresh thyme (I used lemon thyme)
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
1 tablespoon of sage leaves
1 tablespoon of rosemary leaves (removed from the hard, woody stem)
1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt
Zest from one lemon
A few teaspoons of good olive oil
Spicy peppers (optional) finely diced
Ground pepper

Rinse all of the herbs and add to a bowl or to you mortal and pestle set.  Then start muddling the herbs/salt/zest.  This will take about 2-3 minutes.

Rinse your meat – pork, chicken, fish etc.  And place on a platter.   Spoon your herb mixture over the top (if using pork – have the fat side up) and coat to cover.  I also topped with some very tiny, hot peppers, but this is preference.  Add some pepper and cover.  Let this rest in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours or more.

Cook your meat according to the type.  This pork I cooked at 375 degrees for about an hour.  It is important to remove the meat from the fridge for about 10 minutes before you place it in the oven.

Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the meat is fully cooked.  Then cover and let rest for 10-12 minutes. This allows the juices to return to the meat and will yield a delectable, juicy dinner.

 

 

— Knead to Cook

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas.

by Filed Under: Crock Pot, Mexican, Pork 2 Comments

The one and ONLY reason I’m not a vegetarian is because I adore (okay LOVE pork).  I love it even more when I can toss it in my slow cooker and have to do pretty much nothing for a fab dinner.  Tonight my love and I met again and it was oh-so-good!

Ingredients:

1 -3 lb pork shoulder
1 -32 ounce Pacific organic chicken broth
3 tablespoons of ground cumin
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground coriander
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Into your slow cooker, place the pork shoulder and broth.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Remove the meat about 15 minutes prior to serving and place on a platter.  Strain the fat from the broth and discard.  With two forks proceed to shred the meat.    Season the meat with all of the seasonings.  Let this sit for about 4-5 minutes and then return the meat to the crock pot with the broth.  Keep hot until ready to serve.  Serve with flour or wheat tortilla shells.  Top with your favorite taco toppings.  Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Sweet & spicy dry rub pork tenderloin.

by Filed Under: Grilling, Pork 11 Comments

Get your grills fired up!  It’s officially bar-b-quing season, especially with these balmy temperatures.  This sweet & spicy pork is great for a weeknight dinner option or for a party.

Dry Rub Ingredients:

1 tbl kosher salt
2 tbl of brown sugar
1 tbl chili powder
1 tbl of smoked paprika
3/4 tbl of garlic powder
1 tsp of dried tarragon
1/2 tsp of onion powder
1 tsp of dried rosemary
1 tsp of dried thyme
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc baggie or bowl.  Then add the meat of your choice.  I used it on two pork tenderloins.  I then refrigerated the rubbed meat for 4 hours and then grilled on a gas grill until it reached 145 degrees for an internal temperature. Remove from the heat and tent with foil for 10 minutes.  The temperature will continue to rise a bit.  Slice and serve.

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— Knead to Cook

Root beer pulled pork from the slow cooker.

by Filed Under: Crock Pot, Pork 2 Comments

 

This is one of our favorite recipes for during the week (or on swim meet days).  Simple.  Easy.  Tasty!  What more can you want.  I do vary the recipe depending on my taste that day so here is my version from today 🙂

Ingredients:

2-3 lb pork shoulder (I used picnic style boneless)
1 bottle of root beer (individual serving size)
4-5 tbl ground cumin
2 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp salt (adjust per your taste)
Pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
Pinch of ground cinnamon

Directions:

Into your slow cooker, add the pork shoulder and one bottle of root beer.  Cover and cook on low for 6 – 8 or so hours.   1 hour prior to serving, take the pork out of the slow cooker and shred it with two forks.  Return it back to slow cooker and add all of the spices.  If you like it spicier, add 1 tsp ground cayenne and one jalapeño (optional).

Serve on rolls and enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Herb marinated pork with maple mashed sweet potatoes.

by Filed Under: Pork, Potatoes, Side dish 1 Comment

It was such an incredibly beautiful day again here in PA and I really was in the mood to fire up the grill & that’s just what I did.  I had some pork in the freezer (and in my sad attempt to clean the freezer out before I purchase more food for it) I thawed it out and created a super delicious marinade.  You have to try it!

Ingredients (Pork):

4-6 pork chops (I used w/o the bone but you can certainly use a bone-in)
Salt and pepper
4 tbl of olive oil
3 tbl of freshly chopped parsley
1 tbl of dried oregano (if you have fresh, use 2 tbl)
1 tsp of garlic powder
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbl of lime juice, fresh
1 tsp of hot sauce (I used Sriracha)

Directions:

Rinse under cold water and pat dry each piece of pork.  Season with salt and pepper and place in a platter with sides (or you can use tupperware) and then set aside.

In my large measuring cup (or a small mixing bowl) add the olive oil, parsley, oregano, garlic powder, garlic, lime juice and hot sauce.  Whisk to combine and then pour over the pork.  Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.  Longer is better 🙂

When you’re ready to cook, preheat your grill to 375 or so.  Add the pork and grill until it’s no longer pink inside and has an internal temperature greater than 145 degrees.  Then place in a clean platter and tent with foil for 5-7 minutes.

Ingredients (Maple mashed sweet potatoes):
6-7 small to medium yams/sweet potatoes, washed and peeled
1/4 tsp of salt
2 tbl butter or substitute
3 tbl finer grade maple syrup
2 tbl ground cinnamon
4 tbl almond milk (vanilla flavored but regular milk would be sufficient)

Directions:

Cook your sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling/salted water.  Once fork-tender, drain with colander.  I then add the potatoes to my stand mixer bowl, with the paddle attachment on, then add the remaining ingredients.  Start out mixing slowly and then increase the speed.  Blend until creamy or until you have the desired texture you wish.

I top with additional cinnamon before serving.

 

— Knead to Cook

Turkey Italian Sausage Meatballs with a Chobani Wasabi dip.

by Filed Under: Pork, Sauces Leave a Comment

Easy dinner tonight.  I had to use my Italian hot turkey sausage I purchased at the farmer’s market on Tuesday.  I was in a mood for something spicy and thought of wasabi!  Easy, fast and yummy dinner.

Meatball Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of lean, turkey sausage
1 tbl of olive oil
1 tsp of fennel seeds

Directions:

In a fry pan over medium heat, add the olive oil.  You then need to remove the casing on the sausage.  Lay the link or links out on a cutting board and using a filet knife, make an incision down the entire link.  Remove the turkey mixture carefully.  Cut that into chunks and roll into balls.  Then add to the fry or sauté pan and cook until no longer pink.  Toss in the fennel seeds in the last few minutes of cooking.

Wasabi sauce:

3/4 c of non fat plain Chobani
3 tbl Wasabi paste

Directions:

Mix well and refrigerate for about 1 hour or more.  Remove prior to serving.

Fast & easy dinner 🙂  Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Apple sage stuffed pork over Chobani apple cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes.

by Filed Under: Grilling, Pork, Potatoes, Side dish 2 Comments


Apples & pork are truly one of my favorite food combinations.  I paired the pork up with mashed sweet potatoes (that I purchased from the farmer’s market on Tuesday).  And thanks to Chobani sending me a ton of wonderful yogurt today, I thought I would try adding  the apple cinnamon to the mashed potatoes and so glad I did.  It added another layer of that wonderful apple flavor to the dish.

Pork:

5 boneless pork filets (you can use 4-6 for this recipe), created a pocket with my filet knife being careful not to go all the way through the meat to the other side.
1/4 c of chopped onion
2 tsp of butter or substitute butter product (I used I can’t believe it’s not butter)
1 c of chopped apples
1/2 c of Panko bread crumbs (or regular if that’s all you have in your pantry)
1 tsp of dried sage

Over a medium flame, heat your butter till melted. Add the onion and cook until translucent.  Then add the Panko.  Mix until the butter and onion is absorbed and toasted.  It should look like this:

Then sprinkle with sage.  Once cooled down a bit, stuff your pork (pocket you created with your filet knife) and then close and seal with a toothpick or two.  Repeat until done.  Set aside.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  In a skillet over medium flame, drizzle some olive oil or a pat of butter.  Once hot, add the pork and brown on each side.  This should take 1-2 minutes.  Then remove and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until no longer pink.

Sweet Potatoes:

6 medium sized yams, washed and cut into larger size pieces
1 6 oz cup of Chobani Apple Cinnamon yogurt
2 tbl of Cinnamon butter spread (you can use regular butter)
1 tbl of light brown sugar

Directions:
Bring a large Dutch oven with about 4 qts of water to a boil.  Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender.  Before draining, remove about 1 c of the water that the potatoes were cooked in and set aside.  Then drain the potatoes and add them to your stand mixer with the paddle attachment on.  Then add the butter and brown sugar.  Mix until creamy.  Add the Chobani yogurt and continue to blend.  Taste test and adjust the seasonings as needed.  Spoon into a serving bowl and cover until ready to serve.

For plating…
Add the sweet mashed potatoes as a bed and the pork on top.  Sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground pepper.  Enjoy!

 

— Knead to Cook