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Category: Recipes

Healthier Pulled Pork Recipe

Man I love pulled pork.

Unfortunately the traditional recipe that I grew up eating is flavored with store bought BBQ sauce, which typically includes highly processed white sugar (or even worse – corn syrup!). I have come up with a healthier option along with a recipe for homemade BBQ sauce.

Never fear – it’s easier than you think.

This is what I will be serving at this Saturday’s party. Hope you can make it!

Cap’n Jack’s Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 lb pork shoulder – Carlton farms raises happy pigs and you can find them at Zupans, Otto’s and Fubonn among other places.
  • 1-2 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 small knuckle of fresh ginger, minced
  • 3 – 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

I chop my onion, garlic and ginger in the food processor so it is minced really fine.

Place meat in a crock pot with all of the above ingredients and cook for 10 – 12 hours. After the meat is cooked carefully pull it out of the crock – it will be falling apart in chunks – and place in a large pan. Reserve the cooking liquid.

Shred the pork with two forks and place it back in the crock. Add back in enough of the cooking liquid to moisten the pork – at least a cup. Add one cup (or to taste) of this delicious homemade BBQ sauce and cook for one hour more.

Mary Read’s Cutthroat BBQ Sauce

(pirate reference anyone? See the party on Saturday is nautical themed…oh never mind :))

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 16 oz cans of chopped tomatoes (or 3 cups fresh when in season)
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp chili powder

Directions:

Put all above ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low/medium heat for about a half hour. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

 

Anne McCranie is a Licensed Massage Therapist and personal trainer in Sellwood (Portland) Oregon. She loves to eat and share good food. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice. Click here to see why Anne includes meat in her healthy diet.

Healthy July 4th Recipes

Check out these lovely and gluten free July 4th recipes. My favorite is the star spangled cream tart.

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What are your plans today? I have friends coming over to BBQ. One of my buddies is following a paleo diet so I made sugar free ketchup for her burger. Also on the menu Laura’s Sour Slaw, vegan and paleo friendly.

Here is her recipe…

Sour Slaw

Ingredients:

  • 1 head green cabbage, 1/4 slices
  • 4 sprigs fresh oregano (or 2 tsp dried)
  • 1 Jalapeno, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Put all ingredients in a pot and cook over medium-low heat, no lid, for 20 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Delicious by itself or on a burger or baked potato.

Happy 4th of July!

 

Maddie’s Ginger Mint Fruit Salad

I was assigned fruit salad to bring to a recent college graduation party. Luckily I had just picked up a whole seedless watermelon at New Seasons.

This fruit salad was a big hit! The little bit of heat and spice from the ginger blends with the citrus to cut the sweetness of the perfectly ripe watermelon. I added cantaloupe and nectarines. You could certainly experiment with other fruit.

I started with an entire watermelon so cut the recipe down if you are not looking to make a party sized (large) salad.

fruit salad 2 6.13

 

Maddie’s Ginger Mint Fruit Salad:

First, start by making your simple syrup:

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • one thumb size knuckle of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin
  • juice from two limes

In a medium saucepan bring the first three ingredients to a boil. Lower the heat to medium high and cook until the liquid is reduced by half (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat, add lime juice and chill the liquid for a few hours.

Now on to the salad:

  • One small seedless watermelon
  • Half of a cantaloupe
  • Half of a honeydew
  • Four nectarines
  • One small hand full of chopped fresh mint leaves

Chop your fruit into bite size pieces. Tear or coarsely chop the mint and add it to the fruit. When ready to serve strain the syrup, pour over the fruit and gently stir to combine. Add more chopped mint for garnish.

Try this at your next BBQ and let me know what you think.

 

Anne McCranie is a Portland, Oregon based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. This recipe is intended to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.

Paleo Morning Glory Muffins

Thanks to Amanda Dietrich of Mini Me Maternity for sharing her muffin recipe. The carrots, apples, raisins and coconut provide natural sweetness along with fiber, loads of vitamins, potassium, and protein.

The Paleo diet (short for Paleolithic) is based primarily on pasture raised meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit and nuts. Grains, dairy, processed sugars and processed oils are avoided. I do not subscribe specifically to this diet (hey I like rice, pasta, and potatoes on occasion). While we could endlessly debate the many interpretations of a “healthy diet”, for me this includes plenty of protein, lots of colors and textures, minimal sugar and things that come from a box, plenty of healthy fat, and lots of water.

I offer you this recipe because it is safe for those sensitive to gluten and dairy and is packed with healthy fruits and veggies.

Try these and let me know what you think.

Paleo Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups almond flour (can also substitute coconut flour)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup raisins
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup walnuts chopped (optional)

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins with muffin liners. Recipe yields approx 18 muffins.
2. Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Add carrot, apple, coconut, walnuts and raisins and combine well.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, honey, oil and vanilla extract together.
4. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix very well. The batter will be very thick.
5. Spoon the batter out into muffin pan and place on upper or middle rack of your oven for 25 minutes.
6. When a toothpick inserted into the top of a muffin comes out clean, the muffins are done.
7. Cool muffins in the pan for 8-10 minutes and then remove to a rack to finish cooling.

 

Let Them Eat (Gluten Free) Apple Cake!

Ok last month I gave you a salad recipe so this month – cake!

Apple Cake ice cream 3.13

My buddy Rachel is a self proclaimed “megan” meaning she is gluten free, dairy free and consumes mostly meat, veggies, fruit and some grains. So my sweetie Jack found this cake recipe for her birthday dinner last month. It was a big hit!

I love that  (besides being delicious) the recipe is fairly easy to put together and contains ingredients you should be able to pick up at any grocery store. While I would hardly consider cake health food, the apples provide vitamin C, soluble fiber and powerful antioxidants that have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, Alzheimers, cancers and other diseases. Cinnamon has been shown to regulate blood sugar and walnuts are linked to improved brain function. So have an occasional piece of homemade cake and enjoy!

We experimented with sweet vs tart apples and I favored the sweet. The original recipe called for Golden Delicious. The cake has a chewy, brownie like consistency and you really do need to cook it for an hour to get it cooked all the way through. Try this recipe and let me know what you think.

Apple cake 3.13 (2)

 

Rachel’s Gluten Free Apple Cake

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup rice flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 3/4 cups white sugar
  • 1 cup light olive oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 small apples – peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 inch pan (I recommend butter) and lightly flour (I used rice flour).

2. Whisk first seven ingredients (flours to salt) in a bowl.

3. Whisk sugar, oil and eggs in a separate bowl.

4. Stir sugar mixture into flour mixture and combine well. Fold in apples and walnuts.

5. Pour and press batter into pan. The batter will be very thick – use your hands to mush it into the pan.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for one hour, or until a knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

 

Apple Cake whole 3.13