Monday, December 31, 2012

Carnitas New Year!

New Years Resolution #1: Post more recipes

It's New Years Eve and I thought I'd close out 2012 with one final recipe and some resolutions for 2013.

New Years Resolution #2: Go to kickboxing regularly


In addition to ditching dairy this year, I've also been flirting a lot with Paleo eating for about the last 6 months. For those not familiar with Paleo I recommend going here and here to learn what it's all about.

A lot of the Paleo-holics also do Cross Fit. I have not yet gotten into Cross Fit mostly due to the expense. It's the "it" thing right now and so gyms here in Seattle charge upwards of $125/month or more that I've seen. However, I have started kickboxing and Muy Thai fusion classes. These are a great workout to pair with my dino chow. Whatever works best for you, Paleo goes great with a regular workout routine.

The recipe below is almost Paleo, except I used white rice to get rid of some that was sitting around in my pantry. I fully intend to eat the left overs in butter lettuce cups as recommended in the awesome original recipe from one of my favorite Paleo blogs, PaleOMG.

New Years Resolution #3: Add more color to my diet

I was born in the year of the Rat, but that doesn't mean I have to eat the same boring brown pellets all the time. I noticed that a lot of the food I made this year had a few of the same colors, and a usually that added up to a lot of brown and green. This first recipe uses red cabbage so I am getting started right with a shock of purple!


Crockpot Carnitas

Without further ado, here is the recipe with a few of my own modifications:

 
Ingredients
  • 2-2.5 lb pork shoulder roast (Pro tip: This cut was called the "picnic" at the Farmer's Market I went to.)
  • 1 yellow onion, quartered
  • 8 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 1 lime, juiced and zested
  • 1 orange, juiced and zested
  • ½ cup broth (I used chicken and it worked great)
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • cilantro (several sprigs if fresh, 1 teaspoon if dried)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
For the top
  • 1 head of purple cabbage, sliced to thickness preference
  • Lime wedges
  • Cilantro
Instructions
  1. Add your pork ingredients to the crockpot. (Don't trim any of the fat off of the pork until after it's done cooking for a richer flavor. Rub the dry seasonings directly on the pork so they will best flavor the meat.)
  2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. (8 hours was perfect for a 2.5 lb shoulder)
  3. Once pork is done cooking, shred it.
  4. Top the pork with shredded purple cabbage, lime juice, and cilantro and dig in!





This is the gift that keeps on giving since you'll have plenty to eat for a few meals to come.  Happy New Year everyone!