CSA SEASON! And Simple Slow Cooker Chicken

 

CSA Season is upon us!! I had my first pick up this Tuesday. Have you signed on yet? If not, it may not be too late. If there are no CSA's around you, look for your local farmers market. They may only run a few days a week, so make sure you schedule them in when to your weekly routine. Oh, wait a minute, you don't know what a CSA is? Well, let me explain :)

Tips & Guest Recipe!

So it has almost been one week; how are you making out with the elimination of grains in your diet? Going farther back, are you doing okay with the Zone blocks? Personal experience suggestion: print out the Zone proportions, black out the grain blocks, and keep the page on reference in your kitchen, car, work desk, or where ever you prepare/eat most of your meals. I laminated mine for durability. Keep it out when you are making your meals or ordering food so you know exactly how much to put on your plate.

Spiced Pork Chunks

Pork, the other white meat. And oh, so tasty. It picks up flavors very well and is a nice switch up from beef and chicken. This is a simple recipe that can be adapted tons of ways to whatever you need. These chunks can be eaten in a stir-fry, added to a soup, stabbed with a toothpick for a nice appetizer, or simply as is!

Spiced Pork Chunks

The Food
- ~1lb pork sirloin
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- White wine

The Prep
Cut pork into chunks (or buy it already cut up, like I did :)
Mix pork, spices, and about a tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl

The Method
Heat remaining olive oil in a wok over medium-high heat
Drop in pork
Stir around so meat gets cook through on all sides
About 4 minutes into the cooking, the spices will start to "burn" on the bottom; now pour yourself a glass of wine, and then throw a big slosh into the wok to deglaze the pan
By the time the wine has mostly cooked off, the pork should be done (little to no pink when cut)

*I removed some pieces that were cooked before I took the picture

Enjoy :)


Final notes on this recipe- I highly suggest using these as an additive to a soup or stew. Otherwise, they are a tad dry. Next time I make them as a stand-alone dish I will marinate them in some oil and soy sauce along with the spices for about an hour before I cook them.

Never Forget Dessert!

Some might say I am blessed, for I do not have much of a sweet tooth. However, I do have quite the taste for a nice glass of red wine. Fortunately, when I am home I am very good at controlling the number of glasses poured, and there is tons of evidence telling me that one glass a day can be very beneficial to my health. Well, we don't want to be unhealthy now, do we? Not me!

This is a wine by brother and I picked up on our way to Thanksgiving at our sisters. It is an organic red from California. We picked it up on sale for $12.99 (seriously, can't beat that!).

Smooth and rich, slight linger, dry but not bitter. Beautiful aroma and flavorful taste.