Raw Palate

Here’s what we had for supper tonight.  I know that pork isn’t a traditional food, but honestly speaking pork is something we eat about once every couple weeks.  I’m looking to decrease that even some more as we are buying beef bacon (cooks different, but not bad) and lamb to make sausage.  Back to topic, tonight we had grilled pork sticks, with grilled asparagus and a wonderful pan-fried potato, onion, and mushroom combo.  Here’s how you would do it were you to want to do so in your home.

Buy a one lb pork loin and cube it into 1.5 inch cubes.  Place meat into a bowl, top with a few heavy tablespoons(ok, maybe 5 or 6 Tbsp.) of olive oil, juice of half a lemon, some maple syrup (1/8th cup-ish), some sort of fruit juice (I used pineapple from a can of pineapple so that we could eat the pineapple for desert),a couple dashes a cayenne pepper depending on your heat liking, and some dried herbs (I used a bit of oregano and a bunch of thyme.)  Mix together and let marinate for at least an hour, more is better.  Set some bamboo skewers in water to soak, 2 for asparagus and 8 or so for the meat.  Light your grill sometime before your ready to throw the meat on

To prepare your asparagus and red potatoes, you will need to par-boil them.  I started with the asparagus.  I snapped the woody ends off and then dropped them into boiling water for a few minutes until their color brightens and they start to soften a bit.  After removing these, put in your small red potatoes (about 1 1/2 lb.)  These need to go for about 10 minutes.  While those are going you’ll need to chop up one small or half of a large onion.  If you like more onion, do more.  Also, I tore up some oyster mushrooms and set aside as well. 

You’ll need two pans, one for your onions and one for your potatoes.  Start your potatoes first as they will take longer.  But them into 1/4 inch slices and drop into your hot buttered pan (about 3 or 4 Tbsp of butter, melted), cook at Med Hi.  After those get going, put you onions in the other pan with the same amount of butter.  You want to stir these occasionally, but you don’t have to watch over them too close.

While those are cooking, drain your meat and put them onto the skewers.  Also, stack asparague onto skewers (looks like you have them sitting side by side, like a rug, with the a skewer on each end going through them all.)   You’ll want to put your meat onto the grill first, after one side is cooked, put your asparagus on as well.  Cook until meat juices run clear. 

While the meat is cooking, you should be stiring the onions and potatoes.  When onions get translucent, take them off the heat.  Turn potatoes occasionally and when they have slightly browned it is time to add in your mushrooms and then onions to finish it off and combine the flavors.  If during cooking either pan gets dry, add more butter or some olive oil for flavor.

There you go, a whole meal that comes together fairly well in the end.  Don’t you wish all meals worked out that way!

This weekend was not a good weekend for eating.  Somehow Dairy Queen snuck into our diet as did cookies, brownies, and who knows what else at a cookout I didn’t attend.  I can tell a major difference in the behavior of not only my children, but mainly myself.  My gut is feeling blah and my attitude is poor while my body is just tired. 

 I get the feeling that I am ridding myself of a processed sugar addicition and that I just had a relapse.  It wouldn’t surprise me if eventually it doesn’t even taste good to me anymore.  For instance, when I first started, the very first week, I happened past a Krispy Kreme store when they had their “hot now” light on.  Usually I can eat a couple of them, and did.  I regretted that all evening and the next morning I couldn’t even make myself eat one.  While I admit I could still eat a hot and fresh one now, the thought of eating a couple makes my already blah self feel a bit queasy!