The saddest dog ever – waiting for mommy to get her coffee in the rain.
October 4, 2014
The saddest dog ever – waiting for mommy to get her coffee in the rain.
Pulled Pork Tacos with Pepper and Apple Slaw
Seriously? I haven’t shared a pulled pork recipe this year? Really? I have trouble believing that, since I make so much pulled pork, but it looks like I have neglected you guys.
Well, that’s going to change today.
Pulled pork is one of my absolute favorite go-to meals to make on a Monday and nibble throughout the week. It’s cheap, makes a ton, takes zero effort, and can be dressed a million different ways – practically the perfect food. Plus: pork.
This recipe is how I’ve been eating my pork lately. I’ve been obsessed with the sweet/spicy combo Korean BBQ sauce brings to the party, and was overjoyed to find Napa cabbage in last week’s CSA box. Out of all the non-carby options for taco wrappage, Napa cabbage is my favorite. It’s pliable, holds a bunch, and has a great neutral crunch. I’ve eaten this meal four times this week, which is restrained for me (I used the last batch as an excuse to take down an entire huge jar of kimchee + a jar of quick pickles – in one week). Needless to say, I love this dish. Other fantastic additions include: the aforementioned kimchee & quick pickles, peaches, mangoes, pineapples, Sriracha, sauerkraut, zucchini strips, chipotle, and lime.
Gluten-free, paleo (check your labels!!)
Pulled Pork Tacos with Pepper and Apple Slaw
Pulled pork – about 6 ounces per person makes a good tacos-for-dinner portion
2-4 Tbsp. Korean BBQ sauce (I used 365 brand from Whole Foods, which has both soy and wheat – there are some fantastic gf & paleo versions out there; check your labels!)
2-3 Napa cabbage leaves per person
1/2 bell pepper (I went for yellow)
1/2 tart apple (Fuji and good old Granny Smith are both good here)
1/2 lime
Salt & pepper
Heat your pork and toss with the bbq sauce. Thinly julienne the pepper and apple and toss with the juice of half a lime, plus a sprinkle of kosher salt and a few cracks black pepper.
To assemble, layer your cabbage leaf with a little saucy pork + top with slaw – lengthwise down the leaf seems to work best.
Chow down.
To Make The Pork
2-5 lbs. boneless pork shoulder (you can do bone-in, but it takes longer)
3 or so Tablespoons of your favorite seasoning (my favorite is an Eastern Carolina-style rub with enough black pepper to make me sneeze & lots of red chili flakes)
1/4 cup or so apple cider vinegar
Maybe a thinly sliced onion
Sprinkle your pork on all sides with the spice mixture, rubbing in as you sprinkle and flip. Add to a crock pot. Splash the vinegar over. If you want, a thinly sliced onion is also fantastic here. Lid and cook on high about 6 hours, or until the pork is falling apart and can easily be shredded with a fork.
Enjoy for days.
October 3, 2014
This handsome guy is just about marathon ready.
October 2, 2014
Playing with new super mascara.
October 1, 2014
Happy gourds-at-the-grocery season to me!
What To Do With A Box Of Vegetables: Paisley Farms Box 17
This year’s CSA is from Paisley Farm, a 25-acre operation located in Tivoli, NY. Paisley Farm grows organically and plants with the chef in mind. The 22-week CSA runs from June – October and I purchased the standard vegetable share. This share includes 8-9 vegetables and herbs per week (8-12 pounds) – enough to provide a family of three with 3-4 dinners’ worth of veg. The price equals out to $25 per week, the cost of which will be accounted for in my weekly Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking posts.
Paisley Farm 2014 CSA Box 17
Trevisio (some sort of green)
1 bunch baby Swiss Chard
1 bunch baby Swiss Chard
2 heads green leaf lettuce
5 Mixed Eggplants
2 Delicata Squash
1 head Napa Cabbage
1 small head cauliflower
3 heirloom tomatoes (1 came squished)
3 heirloom tomatoes (1 came squished)
Leftover From Previous Weeks
Roasted Eggplant
Frozen peppers
1 head curly kale
12 Japanese eggplant
5 peppers
2 cucumbers
3 ears corn
How I Used My Share
I made a salad with the corn, a pepper and some feta, which I served with steaks.
I made a batch of coconut curry meatballs and included some eggplant, peppers and chard.
I used some eggplant in lunches a couple of different ways, on different days.
I served pulled pork in Napa cabbage leaves – for both lunch and dinner, on the same day.
Waste: The cucumbers, lettuce, and tomatoes.
My Favorite Dish From This Box
Hmmmm… it’s really hard to beat pork tacos in cabbage wraps. I’m going to have to go with that.
Next Week
Going into next week, I have: almost ancient curly kale, 1 jar roasted eggplant, bunches of frozen bell pepper, 6 Japanese eggplant, 1 bell pepper, 1 bunch trevisio, half a head of Napa cabbage, 1 head cauliflower, and 2 delicata squashes.
September 30, 2014
Construction update:
September 29, 2014
Union Square Station
September 28, 2014
Huge street fair:
Good thing I brought my doggie backpack.
That is one relaxed wiener.
Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of September 29 – October 3
A number of people I know are completely flabbergasted when contemplating sticking to a budget while eating a primarily “paleo” diet. I’m hoping to shed a little light on that issue for those of you on the fence about eating healthfully in this manner – it *can* be done – and done well – without spending all the money. All it takes is a little planning.
A little background: I live in Brooklyn, NY, and the grocery prices here are definitely not the same as what you will find in other areas of the country. If you live in say, Raleigh NC for example – you may very well be able to cut this grocery bill by a third, depending upon where you shop. For where I live, where I shop and what I buy, $100 a week is a doable budget without having to sacrifice the quality I want too much. My DH thinks $130 is probably more realistic with our morning smoothie supplies, but I want to shoot for $100. I aim to make 4-5 dinners for two and 5 lunches per week, plus two smoothies per day six days of the week with my budgetary allowance and update you all weekly on what’s going on. Let’s see if I can make it.
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My CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares are going strong, so I will be doing things a little differently with the vegetable portion of my meal planning for the next few months (until October). My share averages out to $25 a week, which will come off the top of my budget allotment and will comprise the bulk of my non-smoothie-related vegetable purchases. If you’re curious to see how I use my CSA veggies up, check out my What To Do With A Box Of Vegetables posts.
Menu for Last Week (Week of September 22 – 26)
The Plan vs. Reality
This week’s meal planning went so-so – We had the last of the season’s corn, a bunch of cleanup to do CSA veggie-wise and my big recipe meal didn’t quite pan out.
Monday
- The Plan – Chicken stir-fry with bok choy, carrots, eggplant, pepper and kale
- Reality – Burgers and corn on the cob
Tuesday
- The Plan – Green curry meatballs
- Reality – The chicken stir-fry from Monday’s plan (which worked out well – hidden eggplant FTW)
Wednesday
- The Plan – Burgers & corn on the cob
- Reality – Steaks with a roasted corn/pepper/feta salad
Thursday
- The Plan – No actual plan; just need something quick
- Reality – Asian pork meatballs in a red curry sauce with eggplant, peppers and chard (this was a less successful use of the eggplant – I got cocky and didn’t dice it)
Friday
- The Plan – We had planned on taking a trip up to Whole Foods so we could do mussels
- Reality – And it didn’t end up working out. Ate out instead.
Lunches
- The Plan – Leftovers.
- Reality – Had a bunch of leftovers.
Extras
- The Plan – Nothing planned but almond milk.
- Reality – The almond milk turned out awesome.
This Week: September 29 – October 3
I have leftover CSA veggies this week and $75 to spend on groceries.
This Week’s Proposed Menu
- Monday: Cauliflower mash with steaks
- Tuesday: Chicken salad with aioli, apples, cucumber and dill + trevisio
- Wednesday: Pulled pork tacos in Napa cabbage leaves
- Thursday: Squash “cheese” sauce? A mash? ???
- Friday: Try to revisit the mussels plan
- Lunch: Leftovers.
- Extras: None.
Shopping List & Cost Breakout
Grocery Store Key: WF = Whole Foods, TJ = Trader Joe’s
Shopping List
Big pork ($19.44 @ WF)
Chicken ($5.17 @ TJs)
Steak (subbed duck breast instead – $6.88 @ WF)
Herb (dill – $1.69 @ TJs)
Eggs ($2.79 @ TJs)
Apple
Miso – did not get
Nutritional yeast – did not get
Sweet potatoes ($0.98 for 2 @ TJs)
Chicken ($5.17 @ TJs)
Steak (subbed duck breast instead – $6.88 @ WF)
Herb (dill – $1.69 @ TJs)
Eggs ($2.79 @ TJs)
Apple
Miso – did not get
Nutritional yeast – did not get
Sweet potatoes ($0.98 for 2 @ TJs)
Coffee ($4.99 @ TJs)
Almonds ($5.99 @ TJs)
Smoothie supplies
2 bags kale ($4.58 @ TJs)
1 bag spinach ($1.99 @ TJs)
4 apples (2 lb bag – $2.99 @ TJs)
Limes (1 lb bag – $1.69 @ TJs)
2 avocados ($2.78 @ TJs)
Ginger ($1.39 @ TJs)
Coconut water ($3.69 @ TJs)
Extras: Thai Lime Chili almonds ($6.99), a bunch of travel snacks I’m happy don’t have to come out of this budget, plus some decorative gourds because I couldn’t resist.
Total TJs: $42.54
Total WF: $31.40
Total For The Week: $73.94; $2.06 under budget. Whoo hoo! With some juggling of travel snacks, I was in budget this week. Yay.
Pantry/items repurposed from last week: fats, spices, CSA veggies.
Gastography 