31 Days of Frugal Meals | Pork Chops with Cabbage & Butternut Squash

October 10, 2013

I've been slipping on the food side of life, something has had me cravings sweets like crazy. I seriously think I need to go for another Whole 30 just to clean out my system and reboot, so come come grocery shopping day I need to get it together. 

That bag of tootsie rolls in my desk, for the kids, has been calling my name all too often. 

Today's recipe is one of those Whole 30/Paleo meals that makes me happy to no end. 


As usual my changes are in pink. 

Ingredients::
1.5kg pork loin, cut into 3/4" thick chops (just a pack of pork chops)
8 strips pastured bacon, cut crosswise into ½” pieces (4 strips)
2 medium onions, thinly sliced (1 onion)
½ head green cabbage, shredded (reserve the outer leaves) (full head)
2 cooking apples, peel on, cored and diced (Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious) (1 apple)
1 tbsp smoked paprika (1/2 tbsp)
1+½ tsp salt (½ to sprinkle over pork chops, 1 to go in onion mixture)
1+1 tsp black pepper (1 to sprinkle over pork chops, 1 to go in onion mixture)
1 cup water (or chicken stock) 
1 cup unsweetened apple juice (or chicken stock, or water)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2-3 sprigs fresh sage, finely chopped

Instructions::
Preheat the oven to 350F
Cut the bacon slices crosswise into ¼” wide pieces.
In a large Dutch over set over medium heat, cook the pieces bacon until nice and crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Pat the pork chops real dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add them to the hot bacon fat to brown them nice and good on both sides. Make sure to leave a little bit of room between the pieces of meat to allow good air circulation, else the meat will boil as opposed to brown. You might have to work in 2 or 3 batches, depending on the size of your Dutch oven. When the pork chops have a nice golden crust, remove them to a plate and reserve.
Add the onions to the Dutch oven and cook until slightly softened and caramelized, about 2-3 minutes. Add the paprika, salt and pepper and continue cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the cabbage and cook until softened, 2-3 minutes. Throw in the apples and bacon and stir well. Give that another 4-5 minutes cooking time. While that’s happening, mix the water (or chicken stock), unsweetened apple juice, apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard together with a whisk. Pour that over the cabbage mixture, throw in the fresh herbs and stir to combine one final time.
Arrange the pork chops over the cabbage and cover with reserved cabbage leaves to help seal in moisture.
Place in the oven and bake for 2 to 2½ hours, until the meat is nice and tender
Let stand for 15-20 minutes before serving. This will allow the flavours and juices to settle and get nice and comfy, which will result in your dish tasting that much better.

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Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients::
1 butternut squash
garlic powder
salt
pepper
olive oil

Directions::
Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. 

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