Category Archives: Pork

Seven Easy Zucchini Recipes to Put On Repeat All Summer

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Does my life need yet another zucchini recipe? YES! Yes, in fact, it does! Even though this squash cultivates joke after joke in the summer about its seemingly inexhaustible, high-volume production (lock the door and turn off the porch lights), I personally can’t get enough of this good-for-me and versatile staple of the season.

Fun & Interesting Facts About Zucchini:

  • What’s to love about zucchini? Here are some reasons to add more zucchini to your life (along with a few fun facts).
  • A medium zucchini (about 200g) has just 33 calories, 6g carbs (2 of which are dietary fiber), 0g fat and 2g protein which make it a good choice for low-carb, keto and diabetic diets.
  • Zucchini is a culinary chameleon. It’s mild flavor allows it to take on the flavor profile of the dish it’s cook in.
  • Zucchini is actually a fruit, botanically speaking. That is harvested while immature from the flowering part of a zucchini plant.
  • In addition to being a great source of dietary fiber, zucchini is also rich in potassium and vitamin C.
  • The world’s largest zucchini was 69.5” long and weight 65 pounds!
  • But bigger isn’t better when it comes to zucchini squash. Zucchini experts say the best-tasting ones are small- to medium-sized. And, the darker the skin, the richer the zucchini is in nutrients.
Gluten Free Salmon Zucchini Quinoa Burgers

Grilled Salmon Zucchini Quinoa Burgers are totally off the hook with fresh flavor and will make a splash at your next backyard cookout, pool party or seaside soiree. Plus, they are a sneaky way to add a little veggie to the meal, thanks to grated zucchini – and we all know zucchini is prolific this time of year.  GET RECIPE

tuna avocado zucchini boats

Mushroom Pizza-stuffed Zucchini Boats are an easy, cheesy, vegetarian meal with a lower-carb profile. Plenty of protein to make this a balanced meal thanks to a satisfying cottage cheese filling. Feel free to customize the toppings if you don’t love mushrooms. GET RECIPE

Chipotle-Lime Code with Summer Veggie Saute is a delicious fish dinner you can make up in a single skillet, no sweat! Fresh and flavorful with a southwestern-inspired medley of veggies that includes corn and zucchini. Also a fast fix  – in only 10 minutes you’ll be feasting.  GET RECIPE:

Zoodles Marinara with Stuffed Mushrooms for meal prep

Zoodles Marinara with Three-Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms is an easy zucchini noodle for your low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian dinners and meal preps. So simple with steamed, spiralized zoodles and the bottled marinara of your choice (I like a no-sugar added sauce) – and the cheesy stuffed mushrooms on top make this zucchini pasta next level. GET RECIPE

12 Minute Zoodle Noodle Toss

12-Minute Zoodle AND Noodle Toss is for those who want both their veggies and their pasta! It’s a great compromise and the secret ingredient is salty preserved lemons which make this dish so vibrant and tasty. A perfect pairing for the chicken, seafood or meat paring of your choice! GET RECIPE

Green Glow Zucchini Salad with Lemon Gremolata Dressing is a yummy summer dish that is Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-free and super easy to make.

Green Glow Chilled Zucchini Salad with Lemon Gremolata Dressing is more than just another “zoodle” recipe, this salad made of spiralized zucchini also boast loads of other green goodness – like edamame beans, avocados, pistachios, and more. Plus, the lemon gremolata dressing adds lot of citrusy zing! GET RECIPE

Making Pork Verde Zucchini Enchiladas with Hatch Green Chile Pulled Pork

Pork Verde Zucchini Enchiladas are missing just one thing – tortillas! But who needs tortillas anyway, when ribbon-cut strips of zucchini can substitute quite nicely! Creamy and cheesy, this low-carb enchiladas and filled with delicious morsels of shredded pork and mildly spicy green chiles. GET RECIPE

Rustic Mushroom Bacon Blue Cheese Tart with Garlic-Thyme Pastry “Leaves”

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This post is sponsored by Wick’s Pies.

Autumn is here, the cozy yet bold flavors are dropping faster than the leaves from a tree! Like this Rustic Mushroom Bacon Blue Tart (with Garlic-Thyme Pastry “Leaves”), an autumn-inspired, delightfully delicious meal that comes together conveniently thanks to frozen pie crusts from Wick’s Pies.

So bold and beautiful, this mushroom blue cheese tart is filled with flavor and easy to make thanks to a frozen pie crust! Sever with a green salad for a brunch or light dinner -- or as an appetizer for your fall-season party!

Eating pie for dinner is where it’s at! This is one of the best savory tarts I have ever made and is brimming with mushrooms, leeks, bacon and fresh herbs on a bold layer of creamy blue cheese.

Oh, and the crust! Let’s talk about the crust! Delicate, tender, flakey yet oh-so convenient! It’s a frozen pie crust from Wick’s Pies. I am NOT a pastry chef, and having the time and skill to make a pie crust worthy to envelope all the delicious ingredients in this mushroom tart stresses me out!

A glimpse at how easy this “use a froze pie crust” recipe actually is!

Using a frozen (and thawed) 8” Raw Circle of rolled out dough from Wick’s Pie, make my life so much easier – and I can spend my culinary talents focusing on the fillings and overall flavor of my tart rather than worrying about a dry, soggy, or otherwise lackluster crust.

So bold and beautiful, this mushroom blue cheese tart is filled with flavor and easy to make thanks to a frozen pie crust! Sever with a green salad for a brunch or light dinner -- or as an appetizer for your fall-season party!
Fold up the sides, easy-peasy – you can’t make a mistake!

Also, I making a “rustic” tart, NOT in a pie pan with fancy lattice work, pinching or braiding also makes easy savory tart recipe a winner. Just put fillings in the middle, leaving about a 1-inch border, and then fold up the edges to secure. This mushroom pie CAN’T be messed up and any imperfections in executing the crust “fold up” just adds to the rustic, country charm.

So bold and beautiful, this mushroom blue cheese tart is filled with flavor and easy to make thanks to a frozen pie crust! Sever with a green salad for a brunch or light dinner -- or as an appetizer for your fall-season party!

Because I’m so addicted to this delicious, tender convenience pie crust, I decided to use a leaf-shaped cookie cutter to make extra savory pie-crust pastries. You can NEVER have too much crust, am I right?! I simply sprinkled these pie dough cut outs with garlic salt and pressed in a bit of fresh thyme decoratively. Feeling so fancy serving this casual yet pretty darnclassy meal to my mom and dad this weekend!

So bold and beautiful, this mushroom blue cheese tart is filled with flavor and easy to make thanks to a frozen pie crust! Sever with a green salad for a brunch or light dinner -- or as an appetizer for your fall-season party!
Use a cookie cutter to punch out your favorite shape and sprinkle with garlic salt!

Mushroom Tart Pro Tips:

After sautéing mushrooms, slightly tilt pan to pool up excess liquid and mop off with a paper towel. This will prevent the crust from getting soggy.

Don’t skip the egg wash step in the recipe, this helps the crust turn a beautiful golden brown with a nice gloss.

If you are not a blue cheese fan, you can substitute another type of cheese (maybe crumbled Feta or even grated sharp white cheddar) instead.

I like to use a vented pizza pan, I think it keeps the crust crispier and flaker.

Check out Wick’s Pies wholesaler page for the source of the 8” Raw Circles used in my recipe . . . or you can also order whole pies of the dessert type to be delivered to your door– what a fabulous way to minimize upcoming holiday entertaining stress!

  1. Website: https://www.wickspies.com/
  2. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WicksPies
  3. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickspies/
  4. Twitter: https://twitter.com/WicksPies

Learn more about Wicks Pies!

o bold and beautiful, this mushroom blue cheese tart is filled with flavor and easy to make thanks to a frozen pie crust! Sever with a green salad for a brunch or light dinner -- or as an appetizer for your fall-season party!
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o bold and beautiful, this mushroom blue cheese tart is filled with flavor and easy to make thanks to a frozen pie crust! Sever with a green salad for a brunch or light dinner -- or as an appetizer for your fall-season party!
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Rustic Mushroom Bacon Blue Cheese Tart with Garlic-Thyme Pastry “Leaves”
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
36 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

So bold and beautiful, filled with flavor and easy to make thanks to a frozen pie crust! Sever with a green salad for a brunch or light dinner — or as an appetizer for your fall-season party!

Course: Appetizer, brunch, dinner
Cuisine: American, country, French
Keyword: bacon, blue cheese, mushroom, pie crust, tart
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 4- ounce bacon
  • 10 ounces mushrooms of choice I used Cremini and White Button
  • 1 cup sliced leeks whites and light greens
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2 ounces blue cheese crumbled
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves plus extra for garnish and crust “leaves”
  • 1 whisked egg for wash
  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt
  • 2 frozen Wick’s Pie crusts, thawed 1 for tart, 1 for extra crust “leaves” (optional
Instructions
  1. Heat 12-inch stainless steel skillet over medium-high and cook bacon for several minutes each side, until browning and crispy. Remove to paper towel-lined plate to drain, reserving about 1 tablespoon bacon fat in pan (discarding the rest).
  2. Add sliced leeks to pan, and sauté for 2 minutes and then add mushrooms and continue to cook for a 4 to 5 more minutes until softened and liquid released. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and slightly tilt pan to pool up any remaining mushroom liquid and carefully pour off or sop up with paper towel. This will help prevent tart from getting soggy.
  3. Preheat oven to 400F.
  4. Allow mushroom mixture to cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, make cheese filling by coarsely mashing together 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese with 4 ounces cream cheese.

  5. Place thawed Wick’s Pie crust on a baking sheet (I prefer a vented pizza pan), coated with non-stick spray.

  6. Using spatula, spread on cheese mixture eaving a 1” border. Next pile on mushroom mixture over cheese and lightly pat down.

  7. Fold up edges of pie crust “rustically,” pinching excesses in the folds together as needed. Brush exposed edges of pie crust with egg wash.
  8. Top with crumbled bacon.

  9. Bake at 400F for 25 minutes or until crust golden and cheese bubbling.

  10. Once you stick tart in oven, start preparing the optional garlic-thyme “leaves” which will bake in the same oven as the tart for the last 5 to 6 minutes of baking.

  11. Spread thawed Wick’s crust on a baking sheet and sprinkle with garlic salt. Use leaf shaped cookie cutter (or other cutter design of choice) to make impressions that cut through – slightly wiggle the cut crust from them, but leave on the pan to cook as “extra” snacking material for later! Press on some of the fresh thyme into to dough decoratively. Bake at 400F for 5 to 6 minutes or until golden. Remove to cool on pan for 5 minutes before handling.
  12. Serve garlic-thyme leaves alongside the tart, if desired (making the leaves is an optional step).

Hatch Green Chile Pulled Pork Sirloin in Slow Cooker

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The aroma of my recipe for Hatch Green Chile Pulled Pork Sirloin for Slow Cooker simmering all day will have your taste buds falling apart in anticipation! Hatch Green Chile Pulled Pork in Slow cooker -- easy and versatile! Great for tacos, enchiladas, soups and to meal prep and stock pile in the freezer.

After a low and slow cook, this simple, slow cooker pork recipe is rendered fork-tender and can be easily shredded up for tacos, salads, enchiladas, sandwiches and more. The recipes is low-carb, keto-friendly freezer-friendly and one of my favorites for meal prep.

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Maple Ham & White Cheddar Cornbread Muffins | Low Carb, Gluten Free

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Merry muffins, y’all! My Maple Ham & White Cheddar Cornbread Muffins (Lower Carb and Gluten Free) are perfect for all your savory seasons’ treating opportunities. Cheesy, delicious goodness with little bits of ham in every bite, these muffins are satisfying grab-and-go breakfast muffins, delicious served alongside a holiday brunch buffet, or even as a scrumptious side to a soul-warming bowl of soup. Maple Ham & Cheddar Cornbread Muffin - gluten-free, low carb

Made with mouthwatering morsels of ham from Clifty Farm Country Meats, these easy low-carb muffins will draw a crowd into the kitchen as they bake – between the cornbread and the ham, it will smell as if an entire southern meal is underway! Read on to get the recipe and learn more about this 4th generation family business from Tennessee that are experts in curing and smoking hams. Continue reading →

Gorgonzola Pork Tenderloin with Beets & Pears (Sheet Pan Dinner)

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Sheet pan meals are the hero of the crazy, busy nights at my house – and with back-to-school and fall activities in full swing, I have a robust repertoire of quick and easy meals that dirty up only one dish!Gorgonzola Pork Tenderloin with Beets & Pears -- a 30 minute sheet pan dinner. Paleo freindly.

Today, I’m sharing Gorgonzola Pork Tenderloin with Beets & Pears, it’s a sheet-pan dinner recipe with very little hands-on time that is ready from prep to plate in just about 30 minutes and is actually elegant enough to serve guests.  Continue reading →