Pork Fried "Rice"

This is a great way to use up left-over pork. It's also a great way to get your family to eat LOTS and LOTS of veggies. 

Ingredients:

8-12 oz. pork, diced

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1 head bok choy, roughly chopped

2 carrots, quartered length-wise and sliced 

1/2 zucchini, chopped

1/2 c. green onions or regular onion

olive oil

2 eggs

coconut aminos

fish sauce

garlic (fresh or powder)

ginger (fresh or powder)

salt

pepper

"riced" cauliflower

sesame oil

Chop up your veggies and your pork. 

Cook your pork (or warm up leftover pork--which is what I did).  Cook in some olive oil, fish sauce, and coconut aminos.  I just drizzled some of each over the top of the pork in the pan. Remove from pan and set aside. 

Saute your veggies in 2 batches.  In the first one, cook the carrots, zucchini and onions together.  The second batch will include the bok choy and water chestnuts.  The first batch will take a little bit longer to cook until tender.  (Thinking back on it, I would probably cook the zucchini with the bok choy rather than the carrots.)  Set the veggies aside.

In a bowl, whisk eggs, a dash of coconut aminos, some salt, pepper, garlic and ginger all together.  Scramble in the same pan used to cook everything else.  Set aside and make sure it's cut up pretty small. 

Add your "riced" cauliflower to the pan.  Pour a little more coconut aminos on here, and some of the other spices if you think it's required.  Mix all the veggies and meat in.  Cook for a couple minutes until the cauliflower is tender and everything is heated back through.  Drizzle with sesame oil. 

Enjoy!  What veggies and meat do you like to throw in your fried rice?

Sausage Stuffed Squash/ "Squasage" Casserole

The ingredients for these 2 recipes are identical.  It's really just a matter of preference in how you'd like to serve them.  Is it going to be a main dish, or a side?  Just for 4, or a group?  These are both "hurry it up" type meal.  You can revise it to just the ol' cook in the oven method if you'd like to, but I rarely allow myself enough time for that unless I'm really on top of the ball.

2 acorn or 2 butternut squash
1 lb Italian Sausage (store-bought or homemade)
1 carrot, chopped finely
1 stalk celery, chopped finely
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
2 T. Italian seasoning
Salt
Pepper
1 egg
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped finely
Olive Oil

Sausage Stuffed Squash 

Cut, seed, and peal the butternut or acorn squash.
(Save the seeds for pepitas!) I used a butternut squash and sliced the top solid part and set those aside. Place the two squash "bowls" into a microwavable glass dish (such as pyrex) with a 1/2" of water.  Microwave for about 5 minutes, or until tender, but not too tender.

In a frying pan, mix the sausage, carrot, celery, onion, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Cook until sausage is done. Add 1 egg and scramble the mix (it should not be very egg-y).  Add the parsley and drizzle with a little more olive oil.  Scoop into squash bowls and broil in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until nice and hot and the meat is slightly browned.

With the slices of squash, you should microwave those on a microwavable, oven-safe plate or tray (I used my small stone). Make sure they are covered  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and broil along with the sausage bowl.

Serves 4 as a main dish this way.

"Squasage Casserole"

Prepare your butternut or acorn squash, by cutting in half, seeding, and peeling.  Cube the squash, place in a dish, and microwave, covered, for about 5 minutes, or until slightly tender.  (This can be shorter or longer depending on how much time you have.

Prepare the sausage the same way as above.  Mix with the squash cubes, place in a casserole dish, and bake until heated through, squash is completely tender, and ready to serve.

This way is great as a side!

Enjoy your Squasage! 


What other sweet or savory squash sides do you enjoy for the holidays?

Karissa's Meatballs

The other day my friend Karissa posted her tantalizing meatball dinner on facebook.  It sounded so delish that I just had to have the recipe.  After I made up a batch and tried a few of them for lunch, I asked her if I could post the recipe--she was gracious enough to allow me to share it here!

Karissa's Meatballs

2 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. sausage
2 eggs
1 minced onion (mine was kind of small)
1 minced bell pepper (I used 1/2 of a pepper)
6 minced baby bella mushrooms
2 T. dried basil or 1/2 c. fresh (approx. measurement before mincing)
4 cloves minced garlic
salt
pepper

Combine all of the ingredients well and form into meatballs, either the size of golf balls or slightly larger similar to that of a racquetball.   It makes about 4 dozen golf balls and 2 dozen racquetballs.  Bake at 400* for 15 or 25 minutes, relative to the size you formed your meatballs, flipping once half-way through baking.  Pour off undesired grease and broil for up to an additional 5 minutes making sure they don't burn.



(Note: If frozen, place in the oven at the beginning of the preheating cycle or let thaw for about an hour before ready to bake them.)

I'm so excited to now have 4 dozen of these little suckers stocked up in my freezer to make an amazing meal for my family on those nights that I haven't planned well for dinner, time gets away from me, or I simply want an easy dinner.

Update: I no longer have 4 dozen in my freezer due to the fact that we devoured several for dinner tonight.  They were excellent.

I suggest pairing them with Karissa's Zesty Coconut Sauce over Zucchini "Pasta".  You won't regret it.