PC Day 8: Slow Cookin' to Glory

Last night the Caveman suggested we use my crock pot over night so that we had brunch waiting for us in the morning. GENIUS. We had just bought some pork chops from the grocery store, so it was Slow Cooked Apple & Onion Pork Chops on the menu for the next day.

Recipe:
2 Bone-in pork chops
1/2 of an apple (doesn't matter what kind, quartered)
1 cup of chicken broth
1 cup water
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 tsp thyme
1.5 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

Method:
Throw apple pieces into crock pot. Sear pork chops for one minute on each side in non-stick pan. Place pork chops in crock pot. Combine chicken broth, water and spices into same sauce pan used to brown chops. Throw in onions and bring to a simmer. Pour broth and onions into crock pot. Set on low for 8 hours. Voila!

The next morning for brunch, I served my chops with a side of caramelized brussel sprouts and two sunny-side up eggs. nomnomnom. The Caveman had his eggs scrambled.. *sigh...it's a shame he's never appreciated the goodness of runny, golden yolk perfection. Fried egg should seriously be considered as a condiment. Ketchup, Mustard, Relish, Mayo, and Fried Egg. It's only a matter of time...

Hasta Luego!

PC Day 6: Playing Ketchup

For lunch we had Paleo burgers (nice& easy). Instead of boring you with the details of this Googable meal, the true shining light of this foodventure is the Paleo Ketchup that the Caveman made for our burgers. To be honest, I'm not a huge ketchup fan at all, but the Caveman was literally dying without his favorite condiment. Thus, he set out to find a Paleo Ketchup recipe.. turns out I enjoy Paleo ketchup a heck of a lot more than regular ketchup. Who'd a thunk it?

Here's the Recipe:
‎1 small can (12 oz) of plain, sugar-free tomato sauce
1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste
2 tsp vinegar (he used apple cider)
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
a pinch of ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice

Later I bought a condiment bottle for it, to prevent it from looking like elementary school mystery meat sauce. *shudders*

I was in a rush to go to work that day so it was definitely Iron Chef time in my kitchen. While I was preparing the burgers I also prepped my ingredients for Crockpot Beef Stew. Borrowed this little gem from definedwellness. (Recipe and directions are in the link) I left out the tarragon and rutabaga because I didn't have any on hand. I also tweaked the recipe to fit my size crock pot.

Nothing's better than coming home after a long day to your house smelling like deliciousness. The beef stew turned out pretty darn good but I would suggest a few things for next time:
- Sear the meat in batches before placing it in your crock pot. (It helps seal in the juices and adds to flavor)
- I would probably add a tsp of salt to season the veggies and meat.
- Also, pepper.

The soup itself was very savory and the meat was perfectly tender. Gotta love slow cookers!

PC Day 2: New Favorite

For Day 2 of the Paleo Challenge I thought I'd break out the crock pot I received this past Christmas (thank you SantaMom!) So our local grocery store often has BOGO deals on meat. Yes, meat on sale may sound a little sketch.. but if you use your meat right away then I think you should be fine. We had some pork loin chops laying around so I decided to experiment with a pork carnitas recipes from Paleo Eats. I left out the chipotle peppers and orange juice because I didn't have any on hand (and cinnamon because I'm not a huge fan) but the meat still turned out quite NOMtastic!

I served it with iceberg lettuce in place of tortillas or taco shells and topped it off with some fresh pico de gallo and guacamole! Ole!

This will definitely be a repeat recipe. Maybe next time I'll be brave enough to throw in the OJ.