I am so over the cleanse!

It was hard. I gave up after 3.5 days. I had a moment of weakness, and one beer later, it was over. Moving on....

I have a big economical time saver for you...pulled pork. Slow cook it in the crock pot all day, then enjoy pulled pork sandwiches topped with coleslaw, light on the dressing (recipes to follow). Over the next few days, have pork soft tacos on whole wheat tortillas loaded with veggies, pork quesadillas, pork stir fry over brown rice, and pork and vegetable soup. You may think you will get sick of pork, but when prepared differently each night, each meal is truly satisfying. Just remember, the meat portion of any dish should be no more than 3 ounces. I think of the meat as a side dish and my vegetables as the main entree.


Recipes: Start with an approximately 7 pound pork shoulder, bone-in.

Pulled Pork: make a rub of 1/4 c. brown sugar, 6 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 tablespoons paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and enough light olive oil to make a paste. Rub over pork and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, put it in a crock pot and cook on low heat for 10 hours or until falling off the bone. Shred and serve on whole wheat rolls topped with a little barbecue sauce and lots of coleslaw. Serve with sweet potato fries (I get mine from Costco and bake them) and a side salad. Delicious!

Coleslaw: I make my own dressing by taking the shredded cabbage mix and adding a spoonful of mayo, a tablespoon or so of vinegar (half balsamic and half apple cider, but use whatever you have), a dash of salt, lots of ground black pepper, and a teaspoon or so of sugar. Adjust to suit your tastes. Let it macerate for a couple of hours in the fridge or 30 minutes on the counter.


Soft Tacos: I make the black bean recipe given on one of my previous posts. Heat the whole wheat tortillas individually in a dry skillet on each side just until hot, then store them in a styrofoam tortilla warmer until ready to use. Shred some leafy green lettuce, chop tomatoes, cut up some avocado, and have some salsa and crumbled queso fresco ready. Coat the tortilla well with beans, add a little shredded pork, add the cheese, salsa, and vegetables, and voila...so good!

The pork quesadillas can be made with whatever you like, but serve them as a side item to a wonderful Mexican inspired salad...lettuce, tomato, avocado, cilantro, red beans, shredded carrots, and a little Catalina dressing on top. Add a few corn chips for a little crunch...a few won't hurt you.

The base of most of my soups is onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper finely diced (1 cup each) and sauteed until starting to turn brown in a tablespoon of butter to 2 tablespoons light olive oil. Then add some minced garlic (as much as you want--I like a lot), and dried herbs and spices (whatever you like but remember that herbs and spices are very good for you). Saute for 2 minutes more stirring continuously. Then add chicken stock, meat, tomatoes, grains, greens, cooked beans, or whatever you like. This makes a delicious soup every time.

For the stir fry, make a sauce of fresh ginger, lots of garlic, some red pepper flake, low sodium soy sauce, and a little hoisin sauce, and you have a sauce for any stir fry. Add a little corn starch if you need to thicken the sauce. Chop your favorite mix of chopped Chinese vegetables (I like to mix broccoli, carrots, onions, red bell pepper, cauliflower, and cabbage). Saute them on high heat in about a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and 1 tablespoon or so of peanut or canola oil (I don't use olive oil here because you need a high smoking point oil) until seared but still a little crunchy. Add the sauce and pork and heat until warmed throughout. Serve over brown rice.