Pork Chop With Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes - Wheat Belly Style!

The "mashed potatoes" in this post were made from CAULIFLOWER!  Dr. Davis explains that while potatoes contain none of the "evil grain", they do cause extreme blood sugar rises.  However, follow this recipe from his book (Page 201, in the "Wheat Belly Cookbook"), and you too will agree that it makes cauliflower "taters" taste better than potatoes; seriously!

NEEDED:

1 Large head of cauliflower (cut into florets)

2 Ounces of cream cheese

2 Tablespoons real butter (we use Omish)

1/4 Teaspoons sea salt (I think we added a touch more - but taste before the final mix)

PREPARATION:

Place a steamer basket in a large pot with 2" of water.  (We simplified this by boiling the cauliflower in a small amount of water while covered.  Make sure it's tender!)  When tender, we took it off the heat and added the other ingredients and began mixing.  Mix until "mashed potato smooth".

Dr. Davis calls for a food processor to do the blending, but ours isn't the best in the world, but believe me our method works!

We served ourselves with a thick pork chop, the cauliflower, I mean potatoes, and some green beans.

If you're counting, this has152 calories, 5g protein, and 11g of carbs.

You'll never go back to plain ol' potatoes!

Pork Chop - Wheat Belly Meal

A lot of the "Wheat Belly" meals we've been fixing for our evening meal have been similar; only the protein has changed.  That makes it interesting, without burning you out on just one thing.

In this one we fixed the same zucchini and summer squash, leaving out the tomatoes and adding Brussel Sprouts, and just baked a couple of nice size pork chops.  It is quick and easy, and very satisfying!

Look at the "Roasted zucchini and Squash" recipe below for the "how to". 

As for the pork chop, simply season the meat, and place in the oven at 350 until nice and brown; usually about 20 minutes.  My wife covers mine with foil, because I don't like mine as "killed" as she does!

I'm losing more slowly now, possibly because of too many carbs from vegetables, but I was told not to lose too much more.  That's a good sign from your wife that your getting to where you need to be!

The Perfect Home Salad!

How to make the perfect home salad: 

Let's see...lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, onions, peanuts, grapes, apple slices, yellow pepper, olives, and cheese!   We used Olive Garden dressing.  Ranch works well too!

This salad makes you want some meat!  So, a nice strip steak and a thick pork chop, with a side of baked potato seemed to fill the bill.

Guys, you can do this...my wife loved me for this meal, and your special someone will too!

CHRISTMAS DAY DINNER - 2013

My guest chef today is Kaitlyn, my granddaughter!  She is now 21 and beginning her own life away at school, but still comes to her "Granny's" house to spend the night.  The best part, besides sleeping with Granny and talking the night away, is that she is beginning to cook for us!

Christmas Day Dinner is a tradition at our house; a time when our daughter, son-in-law, my mom, and, of course, Katie Bug come to celebrate another year as a family.  It's an intimate time for just the immediate family, but often we share it with one of Kaitlyn's friends.  This year it was Mercedes, a high school friend.

The following recipes with the exception of the cornbread, she said, came from a search on Pinterest. 

She started a crock-pot pork-chop dish around noon and cooked it on low until meal time around 6PM.  It was simple enough, and best yet, she never had to touch it again until the meal was served.

Here is all she had to do:

Ingredients

• Pork chops (she used 8 boneless pork-chops 1/2" thick)
• 1 Ranch Seasoning Dry Mix Packet
• 1 can Cream of Cream of Chicken Soup (plus 2 cans of water or milk)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and mix well.
2. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

Around 4PM she began her side dishes consisting of macaroni, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes (giving us a choice, but most, like me ate both kinds), mixed vegetables, and cornbread.

The macaroni dish was prepared normally, drained, Velveeta, colby-jack, and some shredded mild cheddar cheese and milk was added, and then poured into a baking dish.  She then added Panko bread crumbs and baked it in the oven for 30 minutes at 375.

She baked 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and put them into a baking dish.  To the potatoes she added a can of pumpkin, butter, brown sugar, salt, chopped pecans, cinnamon, and half and half and mixed thoroughly.  She baked it for about 30 minutes at 350.

The mashed potatoes were prepared normally, except for the addition of garlic powder and Parmesan cheese.

Katie then patiently chopped up fresh zucchini, yellow squash, orange bell pepper, and salad size tomatoes.  She placed the veggies into a baking dish and poured vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and olive oil over the pieces, salted and peppered them, and baked for 45 minutes at 350 covered.

Next, she turned up the oven to 450.  In a 4-cup glass measuring bowl, she added 2 cups of cornmeal, milk to make a batter, an egg, 1 heaping tablespoon of sugar, and 2 heaping tablespoons of flour in a large measuring bowl and mixed.  She put a large cast iron skillet with about a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in it into the oven.  When the skillet was hot, she poured in the cornmeal mixture.  The mixture should start to rise around the edges immediately.  Put back in the oven for 25 minutes.

Katie (R) and Mercedes (L) relax after Christmas dinner.  

All this, including a glass of Barefoot wine, (and a bowl of "store bought" slaw) was placed on our Christmas table and we dove in with both hands!  It was quite a change from the norm, and everyone seemed to enjoy it...most of all the family time.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year folks!

HOW TO COOK FORK-TENDER PORK CHOPS

So, there I was shuffling through Food City, just needing a gallon of milk and some bread, when I spotted a package of the most beautiful pork chops I've ever seen!  There, beckoning to me, were two, about 1" thick chops with the bone in; center cut or pork loin chop include a large T-shaped bone.

Almost instantly I visualized how they needed to be cooked.  I knew that if I let my wife cook them, mine would wind up dry and tough.  She loves to kill her meat dead...no hint of pink in her steak; her chicken and chops cooked white and flavorless...so I had to save these from total destruction!

I quickly stuffed a large sweet potato under my arm and headed for the check out with the chops, milk, and bread.

One the way home I went over and over my cooking scenario, and just the right language to use to show Judy just how important it was for me, and me alone, to cook these chops!

Fortunately, she was in just the right mood to let me cook.  Huh, who am I kidding, she's always in the mood for letting me cook!

I got out an iron skillet, and turned the stove eye up as high as it would go.  While it was heating to nearly a red glow, I washed the chops off.  There are always little bones on steaks and chops that can ruin a great eating experience.

I salted, peppered, and added some garlic powder to one side of the chops, and plopped them, seasoned side down, in the hot skillet.  As the down side was getting properly browned, some parts blackened, I seasoned the up side, and then turned them over.

On a cookie sheet, I spread out one layer of aluminum foil and then placed 2 smaller sheets on it for the chops.  I took the seared chops out of the skillet and placed each one on its own sheet of foil.  I then wrapped them up carefully, making sure they were completely enclosed.

I washed the sweet potato and placed it, unwrapped, on the cookie sheet and slid it all into a 400 degree oven for 1 hour!

After one hour, I unwrapped both chops, poured off the juices, and re-wrapped mine.  I left Judy's uncovered in order to properly brown and kill it!

I put it all back in the oven for just 15 minutes more.

I plated the supper, slathered the potato with some butter, sprinkled on some brown sugar, and sat down to see if I had accomplished what I wanted...a fork-tender chop.  

Success!  I was indeed fork-tender, and the whole meal was properly cooked in 75 minutes!

BAKED PORK CHOPS, POTATOES, AND GREEN BEANS

On a baking sheet, Judy baked lean, boneless, pork chops for one hour at 400 degrees. The meat was generously salted and peppered.

She turned the chop after 30 minutes, and beside it she placed about 8 cut up “new” or “red skinned” potatoes on the same cooking sheet. She sprayed the potatoes with olive oil spray and sprinkled them with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

After the sheet had been in the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes, she pulled it out and spread on some whole green beans (Naturally, the beans should first be de-stringed!), greased generously with olive oil, and put salt and pepper on them. She put it all back in the oven for the remaining 20 to 25 minutes.

The chop should be completely done and brown, the potatoes should be tender to the touch of a fork, and the green beans should be slightly wrinkled and blackened.

Delicious…low fat…and good for you!

QUICK MEAL – STIR-FRIED PORK CHOP

Yes, I finally did a little cooking this week, but it was out of necessity…Ms. Mushy refused to cook!

I found two leftover pork chops, a bag of frozen vegetables, some peanuts, and an onion – no problem!

Stir-frying makes anything taste good, even leftovers!

I simply cubed up the pork chops, and sat them aside.

I opened a Yuengling, poured it into a frosty glass, and continued to slave hard over a hot stove.

I put on two servings of brown rice, cooked it until all the water was soaked up, and sat that aside.

I cut up the sweet onion and turned on the heat under a skillet that had a little olive oil, some chopped garlic and some hot sauce in it. When the garlic began to dance I dumped in the bag of frozen vegetables, added salt and pepper, and tossed them until they began to thaw. I then dumped in the fresh onion, the peanuts, and the pork chop cubes.

In about 8 minutes, I had a wonderful meal ready to eat!

Cooking is not hard…it is fun and half the pleasure in it is the freedom of creativity you have. Most anything you can imagine will taste good cooked in olive oil and garlic! Even a man can do it!

WEIGHT WATCHERS – THE NEW PROGRAM

Well, some of you have been poking fun at me about the “Caveman” falling off the wagon, and it’s true. I have wondered to the wrong side of the forest for a time. No one noticed it more than Ms. Mushy did, so she has me on a new program – Weight Watchers!

I love the idea of the Caveman Diet, because I love nuts and fruits, but alas I’m too weak to last on anything. The only thing I ever did right was quit smoking. However, I do puff a stogie on occasion, but like Bill Clinton I do not inhale. Tried it once and got deathly sick!

Anyway, thought you might like to see last night’s meal and get build on the idea that you can eat pretty well on Weight Watchers.

Being a man, a manly man, I get about 10 more points per day than does she, and that seems to make me happy. I really haven’t been hungry, and if I do I still have fruit or popcorn (which is free if in the light version).

Last night my wife baked a beautiful pork chop, sweet potato, and side salad for me. Look at it! It was so good.

Sitting to my right was my granddaughter who insisted on macaroni and cheese with her chop…and yes, I stole 2 bites!

Here’s hoping I do better on this and have to buy all new clothes! Nah, I don’t want to go that far.

PORK CHOPS WITH SWEET APPLES AND ONIONS

I haven’t started cooking again, but my sweetie has been keeping me well fed.

Tonight she cooked pork chops in the oven – cooked 4 at 425 for about 40 minutes, followed by another 20 minutes at 375. She likes her meat well done! Salt and pepper is the only condiment she used.

She cooked up some brown rice according to Uncle Ben’s directions.

Then she “Rachael Rayed” some apples and onions! Cook the peeled and sliced apples until about half done. Then add in the raw onion and finish cooking until the apples are soft.

Make up about a ½ cup of maple syrup and sweet-hot mustard, with a dash of rice vinegar and pour it over the apples and onions. Stir until it is thoroughly mixed in and then remove from the heat.

Serve as shown and your lips will start smacking and your tongue will start licking! Mmmmm!

SASSY & SWEET PORK CHOPS

It was football time again in Tennessee and we invited my daughter and son-in-law over for pre-game tailgate feast!

The main dish was butterflied pork chops. I began by letting them sit for about an hour with a light coating of olive oil, pork chop seasoning, and minced garlic.

During this time my wife prepared her famous potato salad and baked beans. She also unrolled some canned rolls and allowed them to warm and rise.

I decided to grill the chops on medium heat. I black peppered each chop on each side before placing them on the grill. I did not salt the chops until the side had been against the heat for about 15 minutes. I then turned them and salted the browned side. Each side was against the flame for a total of 25 minutes. The meat was tender, juicy, and done through.

I served the plate with the butterfly chop in the middle of the plate, potato salad on one side, and baked beans on the other. On one wing of the chop I placed a tablespoon of Harry & David’s Sweet Mango Chutney, and on the other a tablespoon of Harry & David’s Apple and Vidalia Onion Relish.

It is hard to say which I enjoyed the most. Suffice it to say, either is a good choice to sweeten up your pork!