Stir It Up! » Blog

Don’t you feel like – especially as the seasons change – you are in need of some new recipes and ideas, because you’re just sick of everything? I certainly am! It’s a hard transition sometimes. I’m done with soups and chili and spaghetti squash casseroles (believe it or not). But I’m just not quite ready for chicken salads yet.

So as I stood at the Whole Foods meat department and just stared aimlessly at the meat counter thinking something new would pop out at me, I noticed they had 85/15 ground pork on sale. I am so use to getting beef and chicken and turkey, but thought pork could be a good change. I asked my buddies behind the counter what I could do with this and they said “burgers!”. Oh. Yeah. Easy enough!

They also had some chorizo sausage. I discovered Chorizo last month when we were at the beach and my father-in-law made an amazing payaya on the Big Green Egg. I still need to share that recipe, I know. Anyway, check this out…

How pretty is that meal? The chorizo sausage with seafood was ah-mazing.

Anyway, since I still didn’t really know what I was cooking and just getting random stuff, I thought I’d get a couple of links of chorizo as well.

I ended up using both the ground pork and the chorizo together to make the burgers and they were delicious and so full of flavor!! They are my new favorite burger. I even like them better than the Chicken Thai Burgers that we still cook fairly regularly.

If you can’t find the chorizo, don’t sweat it though. I think the burgers would be great without the sausage, too!

I hope y’all like them!

It’s finally Spring!! And, I cannot believe tomorrow is April 1st. Phew! With that said, Easter is just right around the corner. I have heard lately many people commenting on the confusion of massive variety of eggs at Whole Foods (or other grocery stores). It really is ridiculous, and hard to understand!

Anyway, with Easter (and Easter eggs!) right around the corner,  I thought now would be a good time to give a mini tutorial on what the wording on the egg cartons mean. Hopefully it will help you make an educated, and less confusing, purchase the next time you go to buy eggs at the grocery store…

Cage-free: It just means that the chickens are not raised in small cages, although it doesn’t mean the hens have access to the outdoors. They still are most likely raised in tight conditions, in a barn-like setting, with clipped beaks and wings, and very little exposure to sunlight. And unless it states otherwise, it certainly doesn’t mean these chickens are free of antibiotics, hormones, vaccines and feed that may include animal by products or GMO-crops. It’s a really deceiving word, isn’t it?

Free-range: It means that the chickens have some exposure to the outdoors for a portion of their life, but there are no absolute standards on time or duration.  According to SF Gate, “It does not mean that the poultry must be allowed access to pastures or grassy yards, nor does it ensure a certain amount of time outdoors or the size of the area for a given number of birds.” Again, same thing here regarding the antibiotics, hormones, vaccines and feed. Unless it says “no antibiotics”, you have to assume it’s in there.

Omega-3 Enriched eggs: This just means that the feed given to the chickens are enriched with an omega-3 diet, usually in the form of flaxseeds. There chickens are not free of hormones and antibiotics either.

Organic Vegetarian-fed: It means that the chickens are not fed any meat or fish (since when do chickens eat cows or salmon?), organic vegetarian-based diet. While this might sound “healthier”, they are actually not meant to be a vegetarian-fed animal. They actually do best eating bugs and worms, but that’s where the next last one comes in. Oh, and again, I know I’m a broken record, but, you guessed it, these are likely also not free of hormones and antibiotics.

Certified Organic Eggs: The feed that is given to these chickens is organic, and the chickens are not given any antibiotics or hormones. These chickens most likely have some (not all) exposure to sunlight. Ah, finally, it’s getting better.

But, the clear winner goes to…

Pasture-raised eggs: These chickens are free to roam on open grassland, eat an organic diet, enjoy bugs and worms, see daylight, and are not given any hormones or antibiotics. While this is clearly the most humane way to raise the hens, they also provide us with eggs that have darker/richer yolks that taste better and have a higher nutritional value.

A 2007 study by Mother Earth News showed that pastured eggs have, in comparison to those confined to a cage:

• 66% more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene

While they are more expensive (find a friend with chickens!) they are worth it!  If you can’t always get the pasture, then at least try to go organic to ensure that they are free of hormones and antibiotics. Costco carries Organic eggs now, too!

I’ve got some good recipes to share with you all the next few upcoming weeks so be sure to check back soon! In the meantime, here are a few good old favorite recipes for your eggs:

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Frittata

Happy egg hunting!!

I was looking for a different flavor from our regular meals and thought some Cuban pork would hit the spot.

I know the picture isn’t very pretty. And to be honest, when I first tasted it, I thought it was just okay. I was planning on it taking hours to cook since I was “slow cooking” on a low temperature but it only took a hour plus some.  Since it was done so quickly, I left it covered on the stove until dinner time which was 2 hours later. Anyway, when I came back, I had a bite, and well, I just couldn’t quit eating it. I had so many bites that I just ended up eating the veggies from our dinner since I ate so much of the pork earlier on. It was really good and the whole family loved it! I hope y’all love it too!

I posted this one years ago when I first started the blog. The pictures from that first shoot didn’t turn out too well, which I think may have scared a few folks away from this really delicious meal.  Anyway, we make these pork chops at least twice a month, and I thought they were worth sharing again because they are so tasty and easy to make.

Here is what you need:

•  4 big pork chops
• 1 apple
• 2-3 shallots, chopped
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 5 tbsp coconut oil
• Cinnamon and celtic sea salt to taste

Trim the pork chops and then cover them with cinnamon all over (I probably used about 3 tbsp worth). I like to really press the cinnamon powder into the meat on both sides so it will stick well when cooking.

Chop the apples and shallots until they are small, thin pieces.  Heat 3-4 tbsp of the coconut oil over medium heat and add the apples and shallots.  Saute for 5 minutes or until the apples are tender but still a little crisp.  Then set aside.

Next heat a pan on high and add about 2 tbsp coconut oil.  Sear your pork on each side for 2 minutes.  Then add the 1/3 cup of wine. After adding the wine, add the apple and shallot mixture back to the pan, cover and cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes. Depending on the thickness of your pork chops, it might need more or less time.  Make sure you serve the pork chops with plenty of the apple and shallot mixture.

So I posted this picture, not because it looks like a right foot (which it totally does) but because I wanted y’all to see how nice and brown the pork chops got with the cinnamon coating. These really are good. Our whole family loves this pork. I hope you do too!