Braised Cinnamon Pork with Prunes

This is one of my mother in laws recipes. And if you know anything from reading this blog, you know that if it's one of Peggy's recipes, you are going to need to make. You are going to love it. You are going to make it for everyone that comes to your house because its so delicious. The reason my cooking will never be good enough is because my husband was raised on amazing melt in your mouth recipes such as this. But hey, if I get to inherit the recipes, then I'm not complaining. 

 

This is Peggy's Pork with Prunes. The meat is fall apart tender, sweet and juice, with a memorable sauce with such deep flavor you are going to want to drink it. 

Ingredients: 

1 Loin Pork Roast, pulled and tied (2.5 lbs)

Salt and Pepper

2 Tbs Vegetable Oil

1 Tbs Butter

2 Medium Onions finely chopped

1 Cinnamon stick 2 inches long

1.5 cups chicken stock (about 1 can)

1 cup dried pitted prunes

2 Tbs mild honey

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Directions: 

Heat butter in a heavy le creuset type dish

Cover your loin with oil

Season all sides with salt and pepper

Brown on all sides in pan until crust forms

Remove from pan

Add onions to pan and sauté (season onions with salt and pepper as well)

Return pork back to pan

Add water and cinnamon. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 90 minutes (turning meat from time to time)

Add prunes to liquid, cover, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes

Stir honey into liquid, basting pork as you go for about 5 minutes

Transfer meat to plate, remove prunes to a bowl

Cook sauce until thickened

Add lemon juice, add prunes back to sauce and season to taste

Arrange pork slices and spoon sauce over pork

This is seriously such an amazing meal. The flavors are unique and incredible. Enjoy!

Epcot Copy Cat Lentil Salad

We recently went to Disney's Epcot in Orlando Florida. There food there is always so on point. While visiting Epcot's Morocco, we ate at Restaurant Marrakesh. They have this TO DIE FOR lentil salad. In a park as huge as Epcot, with so many wonderful culinary choices, to say something was my favorite thing I ate all day really means something. This salad is super fresh, flavorful, and healthy! And it's also easy to make. 

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cup green lentils

1/4 red onion, finely diced

1 bell pepper, finely diced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons mayonaise

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Directions: 

Place lentils in a pot of 4 cups of cold water. Turn on heat to high and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and rinse with cold water to stop the lentils from cooking. Mix the lentils with all of the other ingredients. Make sure you have diced everything very finely, because you will want your onion and pepper pieces to be the same size or smaller than 1 lentil. Refrigerate until cold. Adjust seasoning as needed. 

This salad is one for the books. You will love how low in fat, full of flavor, and delicious this recipe is. You might just be able to pretend you are somewhere exotic like Morocco, or at least Orlando. :) 

Qs Black Bean Salad

My husband has been making this black bean salad recipe for us for years. Its a perfect addition to any outdoor barbecue, picnic, or even just a fresh dinner at home. It has a great fresh crisp somewhat text mex flavor to it. There is no cooking involved, just a little washing and chopping. A recipe that doesn't involve actual cooking? Sign me up please. 

Ingredients: 

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed 

2 ears of fresh corn, removed from cob

1/4 cup bell pepper, diced to about 1/2 the size of one black bean

1/4 cup red onion, diced to 1/4 the size of one black bean

2 roma tomatoes, diced to about 1/2 the size of one black bean

1/4 cup pineapple tidbits, chopped in half

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

3 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

juice from 1/2 of a lime

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tablespoon salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Directions: 

Chop ingredients as directed above, mix together. Eat. 

So simple!

One thing I love about this recipe is that if you have some left over, if its left to sit overnight the flavors are even better the next day! So if you ever need a great make ahead dish, this is perfect.