Basil and Garlic Pork Chops

It's totally ingrained in me to make a Sunday dinner.I have memories of it even back to when I was super young back in England. A hunk of roast, and roasted potatoes golden from drizzled butter. But there's no potato for me these days now replaced with sweet potato.I have now made a roast for my family many times.There's something about that familiar smell throughout the house that just feels so comfortable, makes a house feel like a home.
With that all said , no roast today. But I did want a dinner with all the drippins'!Honestly I forgot to pick up the roast because I got distracted by extra thick pork chops. They just screamed "Grill Me!". I said, "OK."

One component of the Sunday roast is the cloves of garlic placed into the roast. So garlic has to be used today, and well its garlic, it speaks for itself.  I was also craving basil, I know crazy, craving a herb.  I'm thinking these two need to be together stuck on with some lime juice. Why the heck not! The lime is really going to set these apart from any other pork chop recipe. A nice refreshing change for a Sunday dinner in July.

Hmmm... sides... thats a no brainer. Broccoli with bacon. Roasted of course. Since it's Sunday dinner I will get crazy and add some sweet potato fries. I like wedges, but theres something about the thin crispier fries drizzled with bacon too.

The quantities in this recipe is just for my husband and I. This one is really just sprinkling herbs and spices, so everything will be: "to taste" for measurements. But below is what I used to start, I am a garlic and basil addict so I used more of everything.

Basil and Garlic Pork Chops (for two)
2- 1 inch thick (or more) pork chops
1/2 a lime juiced
2 tablespoons Basil (fresh is better)
2 minced garlic gloves (more if you love garlic)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Squeeze lime juice over your chops.  Spread your minced garlic over your chops, and sprinkle on the Basil. Now let sit in an airtight container to marinade for 30 minutes.

Best on a grill! 5-10 minutes each side depending on the thickness of your chops.

Roasted Broccoli and Bacon
There are several ways to do these, I keep it pretty simple. I place my broccoli in a bowl, and sprinkle in chopped bacon and sea salt.Then I hand toss it to make sure the broccoli is coated. Tonight though, garlic will be added. For roasting you need to add your choice of lard, or oil while you mix the ingredients. Place on tray in a 400 degree oven. Do not stack, make sure they are in one single layer. For an even roast rotate every 10 minutes or so. Should take about 30-35 minutes. The edges of the Broccoli should be lightly browned, and the bacon crisp.

An Oopsie bread lunch idea.

I have some Oopsie bread left over and I wanted to keep it light today. I also am still running on this low-no and Paleo inspired cooking spree (Oopsie bread goes in the low carb category). So for this lunch inspiration I grabbed a little of every thing from the pantry. Now if you are seriously thinking going Paleo you want every thing to be organic/free range/grass fed. I have to clear out my pantry first before I go shopping again I don't like to waste food. Ask my husband about that, he has to eat all the left overs for his work lunches. Also Fridays will be leftover day, or Sunday afternoon. those tend to be the days I just need a rest!  Myself I have a strange aversion to eating leftovers. Although I know I cooked it, and I enjoyed it (first time around), I just can't do it. My Mum is that way too, strange thing to pass along. 

Oopsie Bread (or for Paleo: Almond) Lunch

1 small can Light tuna, Salmon would be nice.

Jalapeno peppers or green chillies  (or both), as much as you can handle.

Olives (any kind), as many as you want.

Juice from lemon or lime if you are doing the full can  of tuna about 1 Tablespoon

Fresh Cilantro, chopped about 1 Tablespoon

Avocado, 1/2

Combine all ingredients except avocado, and cilantro. 

I smashed my avocado separately because I wanted it more on the chunky side.

Gently mix in you avocado.

Then add your fresh cilantro (yay to my indoor herb garden!)

This was wonderful on Oopsie Bread (try it!), and I can't wait to try it on Almond  Bread. 

Oopsie Bread? What is the deal with low carb any way?

Two weeks ago it was lovely and warm. I cleaned up my garden in hopes of adding seedlings. But the last two weeks has been just a mess. Every Tuesday it dumps snow with no accumulation (except on grass), followed with freezing drizzle. On top of it I am just bored with food. Feeling uninspired. What's a girl to do?

 

Frosty budding tree in the back yard.

After staring at Pinterest I was still left 'bleh'. So then I started looking into low-carb diets, and Paleo way of eating. All very interesting, not looking for a life style change, but it has given me quite a few ideas. They all actually seem yummy!

 

One thing that caught my eye “Oopsie Bread” which is labeled LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat). The recipe did not have much about, or how-to. Just the recipe and a little blurb on whats good on them. Hmmm... I smell a challenge! So the baby was napping I thought; “Today is the day”. I am adding some thing “out of the recipe box!”

Oopsies
6–8 depending on size.

3 eggs
100 grams (3.5 ounces) of cream cheese
a pinch of salt
½ tablespoon fiberhusk / psyllium seed husks (can be excluded)
½ teaspoon baking powder (can be excluded)

First separate your eggs, whites in your mixing bowl, a yolks in the other.

Set aside your yolks.

Whip your egg whites until stiff, while adding salt.

While that is being whipped up in a frenzy add the rest of your ingredients to your yolks. I used the psyllium seed husks (yeah, actually had that on hand) and baking powder. It is noted that they are optional, and they add the more bread-like taste. Well I was aiming for bread, so it makes sense to me!

 

Add Cream cheese.

 

Add Psyllium Husk Powder and baking powder

After mixing, your whites should be ready.

Do the stiff test, go on, hold the bowl over your head.

 

Will it? Won't it? Only one way to find out!

Now fold in your whites to your other bowl. Be gentle, you want to keep the air in the whites.

Now plop some on to a lightly greased tray.

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Hmmm... foam?

There wasn't much direction about this part, so I was flying by the seat of my pants. I had no idea how the mix was going act. It was sort of a thick foam, I used a large plastic serving spoon it was about the right amount to make 6.

Now into the oven, 300 degrees, for about 25 minutes. Mine took 22 minutes. You want them to get golden brown on top. So at the 20 minute mark take a peek. It will smell lovely in your kitchen!

I let them cool on the tray for about 30 minutes (I was feeding the boy). Went to scoop them on to the rack and they felt like baked eggs. I was a little worried. But as the cooled they became more bread like.

 

Cooling on the tray. They are pretty soft, so let them sit for awhile.

 After the boy was fed,  it was now my turn! I didn't go high fat, I am not a LCHF pro yet. So I didn't butter my bread (it didn't need it). But keeping with the low-carb theme I added turkey and cucumber. 

 

Yummy with almond milk.

So how'd it taste? AWESOME! After I was done with that, I took the remaining cucumbers and put them on another, and then I had one plain. SO GOOD!!!!!! They become more bread-like as they sat, but they were also moist. They are soft and I can see using two of them for a fish burger, or as pita bread. Again I didn't go high fat, because the only cream cheese I had was fat free. The calorie count for one is about 74, if you make 6, the calorie count will change depending on the cream cheese you use.

Click here for another Oopsie! lunch or snack idea!