Sous Vide Cuban Pork Tenderloin
This versatile low-carb, high-protein Cuban pork tenderloin turns out perfect every time thanks to the sous vide!
Real Recipes for Real Families
This versatile low-carb, high-protein Cuban pork tenderloin turns out perfect every time thanks to the sous vide!
A spicy, smooth Mexican salsa that uses up the last of those garden tomatoes. Great for parties!
I call this a simmer sauce, but there’s more to it than that. When I made it, I just drizzled some of it over some seared ahi tuna, but it would also be wonderful over grilled chicken, and you could poach fish or shrimp with it. That’s why I am focusing on the sauce for this recipe and not how I eventually served it.
You’ll need some slightly specialized ingredients for this, although I tried to be mindful that some of them would be difficult to find. Somehow I have a jar of pre-sliced lemongrass, but I have no clue where I acquired it, as I can’t even find it on Amazon. You can use fresh or dried lemongrass, but if you use dried, make sure you don’t use as much. I used powdered ginger, because I’m way too lazy to buy a knob of ginger root just for this recipe, but if you do, a few thin peeled slices should do you. For the fish sauce, you’ll want Red Boat, as it’s sourced responsibly and sustainably using wild-caught fish. And finally, while I used the Trader Joe’s brand of coconut cream, I’ve used this one in the past and can vouch for it.
To make this, start by emptying a can of coconut cream in a medium flat saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk it until the solids and liquids combine. To this, add about two to three tablespoons of chopped fresh lemongrass (half that if using dried), the juice of one lime, two tablespoons of fish sauce, two tablespoons of sriracha, a tablespoon of minced garlic, and a teaspoon of dried ginger or three thin slices of fresh ginger. If you can find them, a couple of dried Kaffir lime leaves would be nice, but they’re certainly not necessary and I didn’t use them. Once the mixture starts boiling, turn it down to a simmer and let it steep for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. When it’s finished, strain it through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, then return it to the saucepan. If you’re going to poach some fish or shrimp in this sauce, do it now. If not, or after you’re finished poaching, add about 1/3 cup of chopped cilantro and stir until it just starts to wilt, then remove the skillet from the heat.
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A famous Cuban recipe, modified to remove the carbs but keep the flavor, this simple keto Picadillo is great for meal-prep.
All the flavors of a Reuben sandwich from your favorite deli, in breakfast form! This make-ahead reuben frittata is a great low-calorie breakfast treat.
The ironic thing about this one is that I had no idea that the McRib was going to come back at the time that I decided to make it. My husband mentioned it this morning and it was news to me. Maybe I got the inspiration from an ad I didn’t pay attention to while watching football or something. I had some leftover pork chops in the freezer, and as you know, I’ve been kind of obsessed with finding new ways to use chaffles. I’ve always loved the McRib, despite it being basically made from whatever falls on the floor at the processing plant. So making the McRib seemed like a logical step. I think McDonalds was copying me by releasing it now.
I made mine by grinding pork chops in the food processor because that’s what I had, but you can save some time, effort, and dishwasher space by buying pre-ground pork and adding the seasonings. Either way, per half-pound of pork, you’ll need a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of hickory Liquid Smoke, and black pepper. Either add this directly to ground pork and massage to mix, or put cubed pork chops into a food processor with the Liquid Smoke and salt and pepper and whiz it until it’s a big meat ball.
To make the patties, divide the meat up evenly, and roll each one into a log, then flatten it out into an oval on a cutting board. Use your index finger to press even bumps on one side of each oval to mimic rib shapes. Once you’ve got them all shaped, you can either use a grill pan or a gas or charcoal grill to cook them about five minutes per side. When you flip them, coat each one with about a half-tablespoon of sugar-free barbecue sauce. Do this for the second side as well, then cook for a minute per side again to caramelize the sauce a little bit.
We’ll be serving these on chaffles, as is custom. For this one, my slight modification on the Wonder Bread recipe works perfectly. For each sandwich, beat one egg with a tablespoon of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of almond flour, about 1/4 teaspoon of Sukrin Gold Fiber Syrup or a similar honey or corn syrup substitute, and 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder. Whisk all of this together in a bowl, then pour half of the mixture onto your preheated Dash mini-waffle iron. You may need to use a rubber scraper or spatula to spread the mixture to the edges, as it’s pretty thick. Let that cook for 3-5 minutes per waffle, then remove it with a fork and repeat with the second half of the batter.
To serve this, put another half tablespoon of barbecue sauce on the top chaffle, then add pickles and slivered onions on top of the rib patty.
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Pan-seared pork chops in a spinach and pesto cream sauce, covered in melted cheese and tomatoes, all on your plate in 20 minutes.
These fresh and spicy Vietnamese shrimp lettuce wraps involve minimal cooking and are a perfect meal or appetizer for a hot summer day!
If you’ve never had a Hot Brown, you probably think it sounds kind of gross just based on the name. You don’t know what you’re missing. This open-faced sandwich was invented at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, and consists of a thick slice of buttered toast topped with tomato, roasted turkey, and mornay sauce, then placed under the broiler until it’s brown and bubbly and topped with bacon. It’s basically a fat bomb of a meal, minus the carbs in the bread. If you can get rid of those, it’s almost perfect keto goodness. And that’s where the chaffles come into play.
You may be wondering what the weird dish is that I’m serving this in. To be honest, I had to turn to my Facebook friends to figure out what it’s called. Turns out it’s a skillet baker. While I’m linking you to the ones on Amazon, I got six of them for about the same price as one on Amazon by going to my local restaurant supply store several years ago. You can find a lot of great kitchen equipment there for dirt cheap. I got my stainless steel skillet on the same trip and I’ve been beating the crap out of it ever since and it still looks pristine. Restaurant supply stores have the most durable kitchen equipment ever, which makes sense when you think about it.
It seems like this recipe would take forever, since it has so many steps, but it’s really just a matter of timing. Get your chaffles made while you’re making the sauce, and you can put it all together in no time flat. Because I wanted to simulate the crunch of the toast in the original recipe, I made the original crispy cheese chaffle. Just beat one egg, sprinkle a tablespoon of shredded cheddar directly onto the preheated Dash mini-waffle iron, then pour on half the egg, then sprinkle another tablespoon of cheese on top. Close the iron and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese gets golden brown and crunchy. Remove the chaffle and repeat.
The sauce is super easy to make, and as long as you have all the ingredients ready, it will come together while the first chaffle is cooking. First, put 2 ounces of cream cheese and 1/3 cup of heavy cream into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the cream cheese is incorporated, then add 1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of shredded Swiss cheese. Whisk it to melt the cheeses, and then add 2 teaspoons of dry sherry and 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, plus a few grinds of white pepper. If you don’t have the sherry, that’s okay. It might not have the same depth of flavor, but it’ll still be super good. If you feel like the sauce is too thick, water it down with a tablespoon of heavy cream, but you want it to be pretty thick so it stays on top of the sandwich. I usually cook the bacon when I start the sauce, because it’ll be ready about the time the sandwiches are done.
To assemble a sandwich, first put your chaffle in the baker, or on a butter-greased foil-lined baking sheet if you don’t have one. Top the chaffle with a thick slice of tomato, then with 4 ounces of deli roast turkey, or leftover roast turkey if you have it. This recipe is great for Thanksgiving leftovers! Finally, pour half the sauce over the top, and sprinkle it with about 1/2 teaspoon of grated parmesan. Repeat for the second chaffle. Set your oven to broil and put the rack on the second from the top, so the sandwiches won’t be too close to the heating element. Slide them onto the rack and broil for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce begins to get brown spots on it. Remove them from the oven, then break your bacon slices in half and criss-cross them over the top of the sauce. Serve with a knife and fork. You’ll need them.
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With these keto sloppy joes, you can put a meal that your whole family will love on your table in 30 minutes!
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