Paleo Creamy Ranch Pork Chops

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Whole 30, & Paleo!

Ingredients: 

• 4 large pork chops 
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 3 tablespoon ghee, divided 
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 
• 1 can chicken broth* 14.5 oz 
• 1 tablespoon paleo ranch seasoning mix *
• 1 cup coconut cream 
• Salt and pepper,  to taste
• 3-4 tsp arrowroot starch 

Paleo Ranch Seasoning 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper 

2 tbs parsley flakes 

1 tbs celery salt 

1 tbs garlic powder 

1 tbs onion powder 

1 tbs dill weed 

1 tbs dried chives (optional—I didn’t have any this time and it tasted fine without it) 

Directions: 

Season pork chops generously with salt and pepper. 

Heat large, oven safe pan over medium heat and melt 2 TBS ghee then drizzle olive oil. 

Add pork chops and cook 2-3 min each side. 

When cooked, transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. 

Add 1 TBS ghee to pan, melt, and then add minced garlic. Cook for 1 min until fragrant. 

Add in chicken stock, 1 TBS ranch seasoning, and coconut cream. Stir and bring to a simmer. 

Mix in 2 tsp arrowroot starch with 1 TBS of cold water then stir into stock/cream mixture. Let simmer 2 min. 

If you want to thicken sauce more, add additional tsp + water mixture at a time and continuously stir until desired sauce thickness. 

Once sauce is at desired thickness, add pork chops back into pan and simmer 3-5 min. 

If pork chops are not reaching cooked temperature quickly, (145 F or above) you can add the pan to a preheated 425 F oven and cook 5-8 min. 

Serve with cauliflower rice (paleo/whole 30), regular rice (not paleo/not whole 30), and veggies. 

Enjoy! 

Balsamic Pineapple Chops

Pineapple is a terrific fruit.

 It has a distinct sweet and tangy  flavor that really stands out to my palate.

I admit however, that I usually only bake with fruit, not cook with it. Now, I have make some amazing sweet and sour chicken with pineapple, and that was a huge hit; but to me, thinking about pairing meat and fruit together--no pun intended--just doesn't cross my mind when I think of dinner.

And I know, there are some pretty amazing dishes out there that add fruit to the main course--peaches especially-- so I hope this recipe can be the start of a new way of cooking for me.

To fruit!

Ingredients:
4 center cut pork chops,
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can pineapple, diced

Directions: 
Trim any fat off the pork chops as desired.
Whisk together balsamic vinegar, garlic powder salt pepper, and chopped onion. Place the marinade in Ziploc back along with pork chops. Seal and then shake/mix everything together so that pork chops are well covered.

Let sit in the fridge for 15-30 min (this can marinate overnight, if desired)
Heat a large skillet on medium high heat.
Take out the bag of marinated chops and dump the entire contents of the bag into the skillet.

Sear each side of of the pork chop for 2 minutes so that each side has  a nice browned edge.

Reduce heat to medium low and add the entire can of diced pineapple along with juices over the pork  chops. Cover and let simmer for 15-20 min. (During this time you can make some amazing side  dish!)

Remove the chops from heat and let rest for 3 min.

Plate chops and top with extra juice from the pan and some pineapple .

Enjoy!!!!