Tasty Tuesday – Curried Pork in Phyllo

Hi there!

It’s time for Tasty Tuesday!! 🙂

Make sure you remember to head on over to Lena’s page to check out all the fantastic foodiness and links over there! Oh, and you’ll be excited to know – she’s one of Lärabar’s newest brand ambassadors! Congratulations, Lena! ❤

Now, onto my Tasty Tuesday input!

I was in the mood for some curry but 1. didn’t want to make one of our old standbys and 2. didn’t want to spend the money on a restaurant (even though this place is on our list of ‘hell, yeah, let’s go eat there!’).

So, I made a Curried Pork in Phyllo!

Yes, I’m aware that’s lame and I need help with recipe naming. I’ll gladly take suggestions. I can’t figure out what else to call it. Curried Pork Log just sounds wrong to me and Curried Pork Pastry evokes strange thoughts – I mean, is it savory? Is it sweet? Is it confused?

Anyway, you’ll find Phyllo dough in your grocer’s freezer. Probably in the same area where you’d find puff pastry. Which is not the same thing. Don’t get them confused. And yes, apparently Phyllo can be spelled fillo.

Each package of phyllo comes with 2 separately packed rolls. You’ll only want to use one roll for this recipe. Otherwise, it’s too much phyllo. And, while delicious, sometimes too much of a good thing isn’t good.

And no, they won’t stick together to form a wreath or a circle. No matter how hard you try, how much you cuss, cry, or beg. So, don’t even bother.

So, even though it may not be the most beautiful creation in the world, once you slice yourself a piece and take a bite, you’ll forget all about it. Warm, flavorful, curried pork nestled into a flaky crust? WIN!

We topped our individual pieces with a little of this Thai Chili & Ginger sauce for a sweet and spicy addition to the curry. It was lovely. It’s also pretty tasty if you just want to drink some straight from the bottle. 😉

Curried Pork in phyllo
serves about 6-8 people

1 pound ground pork
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 orange bell pepper, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Heat skillet over medium high heat. Add pork; cook, breaking into small pieces, until no longer pink. Add onions and bell pepper and cook 5-8 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

2. Mix in remaining ingredients and cook 2-3 minutes.

3. Unroll one roll of phyllo dough and separate in half (sheets should come right apart). Spread half of pork mixture on one set of phyllo and roll up; place seam side down on prepared baking sheet. Spread remaining mixture on other phyllo sheets and roll up; place seam side down on prepared baking sheet. Spray tops of phyllo with cooking spray.

4. Bake 20-25 minutes or until phyllo is deep golden and crispy. Serve immediately.

5. NOM!

Talk to me: Have you ever cooked with phyllo? What about puff pastry? What’s your favorite recipe?

– jennifer

Crockpot Carnitas

Sorry about the delay. I had a bit of a “rain out” with the Wi-Fi today and had camera issues. You may now proceed to your regularly scheduled blog. 🙂

Hi there!

How was everyone’s Independence Day?

Mine was pretty great – I slept in, I relaxed, I cleaned, I got laundry done, I sat my butt on the couch and watched some TV. All great things!

And then, July 5th = work. 😦

Middle of the week holidays are tough for those who have to work on the day after. I couldn’t even pull myself out of bed for CrossFit this morning. It just wasn’t going to happen. My body said no.

So, I listened. And now, I have guilt. I walk a fine line between understanding that a day off is good for my body (especially when it demands one) and feeling like a slug when I take one. Especially since I’m not running right now.

I’ve got my fingers crossed that I hear about my xrays today. The doc said it could take 2-3 days for the radiologist to read them and he would call with the results. Technically, it’s been 3 days. Yesterday may have been a holiday but it counts as a day in my book! So, we’ll see. I probably shouldn’t hold my breath.

New crockpot recipe!

You know how much I love having my crockpot handle dinner for me. Seriously, the crockpot has to be one of the best inventions ever – especially if you’re a busy parent or just a busy person. (Caveat: You don’t have to be a parent to be busy.) Throw the stuff in, turn it on, and dinner’s ready when you come home! *swoon*

I can’t remember the last time I made carnitas. Carnitas are essentially braised or roasted pork that has then been shredded and can be served in tortillas, burritos, tamales, tacos, etc. However you want! I’ve done plenty of shredded beef and chicken but not pork. It was about time I tried it again! And, I’m so glad I did! These were perfect! The meat was tender and juicy and the sauce was flavorful and delicious. WIN!

Crockpot Carnitas
NOTE: this recipe is not spicy. if you prefer a kick, add a spicier chile powder and maybe a spicy barbecue sauce.

2-3 pounds boneless pork (try to find butt or shoulder, if you can)
1/4 cup diced onions
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 ounce) diced tomatoes (drain off the excess liquid)
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1. Place pork in crockpot.

2. Mix remaining ingredients (onions through barbecue sauce) in a medium bowl and pour over pork.

3. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

4. Shred pork with forks and serve in lettuce wraps (Paloe) or tortillas (not Paleo).

5. Om nom nom!

Recipe adapted from Life as a Plate

– jennifer

Every Minute on the Minute. Pulled Pork BBQ

Hello! It’s Wednesday! How’s everyone’s week going so far?

Crossfit this morning was tough. In case you forgot, EMOM stands for every minute on the minute.

So, basically, we had to do 3 push-ups, 5 air squats and then, for the rest of that minute, we did hang snatches. Here’s what those are:

We completed as many rounds as necessary to get to a total of 80 snatches.

I had to scale down to 45#. The 55# was a little too much for me but I worked hard and finished in 15:47. That was a helluva workout! I sweat a TON when I’m working out and I was flinging sweat everywhere. Note to self: if you workout with me, keep your distance. 🙂

UPDATE: I just got back from physical therapy and I GET TO TRY RUNNING TOMORROW!! I’m so excited I may pee my pants! Oh, was that TMI? Yeah, not sorry. 🙂

Dinner!

So, who loves BBQ?

And, when you can pretty much have barbecue waiting for you when you get home from work, well, that’s the BEST kind of barbecue that won’t cost you an arm and a leg! I found a great recipe for pulled pork a few years ago and have been making it ever since. I’ve made it for potlucks, for moving parties (hey, we’re military – those tend to happen frequently), for parties, and just because.

It is seriously so good! And, you can really customize it to your tastes. Usually, I make my own secret recipe BBQ sauce but, when I’m in a hurry, I grab a bottle of Stubb’s BBQ sauce and go from there. If you prefer honey BBQ sauce, grab that. Of course, you can feel free to edit the other ingredients to your tastes, too. I should note that the hot sauce does not add too much heat so, if you’re not a fan of spicy, you can still use it and be fine. It pretty much just adds depth and flavor. Use more if you want to breathe fire. 🙂 And, leftovers are fabulous but don’t expect any if you make it for a party or something. Especially if I’m there. Om nom nom!

Question time!
1. What’s your favorite bbq dish?
2. Coleslaw – yay or nay?
3. What’s your favorite color? mine’s purple! 🙂

Pulled Pork BBQ
Serves about 15, depending on how much pork you eat

One 3- to 4-pound boneless pork roast
1 cup water
1 (18 ounce) bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (or make your own!)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 1/2 cups prepackaged cabbage and carrot coleslaw
1/3 cup light coleslaw dressing (such as Marzetti)
15 (2 ounce) hamburger buns

1. Trim fat from roast. (Feel free to season as you wish. I usually season liberally with salt and pepper or with whatever strikes my fancy. Of course, it’s not necessary.) Place roast and water in a 4-quart electric slow cooker. Cover with lid; cook on HIGH 7 hours or until meat is tender. (YOUR HOUSE WILL SMELL AMAZING!) Drain pork, discarding cooking liquid. Return pork to slow cooker, and shred with 2 forks. Seriously, it will fall apart.

2. Add barbecue sauce and next 4 ingredients to pork in slow cooker; stir well. Reduce heat to low-heat setting; cover and cook 1 hour. (I’ve cooked this for as little as 30 minutes and it’s been fine. The pork is done, you just need time for the flavors to come together.)

3. Combine coleslaw and dressing in a bowl; toss well. Serve barbecue on buns with coleslaw. (optional. We usually skip. Red onions and pickle slices would also be good. I wanted avocado but there weren’t any ripe ones at the store. Boo.)

Per serving (1 sandwich (bun + 1/3 cup bbq = 2 tbsp coleslaw):
Calories 331; Protein 22.2g; Fat 9.7g (saturated 2.8g); Carbohydrates 38.1g; Fiber 2.3g; Cholesterol 51mg; Sodium 835mg

Oh, and just because, here’s Ginny snuggling with me last night. She snuggles by putting claws into my shoulder. Ow.

– jennifer