Mardi Gras Pork Roast

So instead of Fat Tuesday, we celebrated (not so) Fat Thursday.  This recipe takes about an hour and a half from start to finish but it is well work the time (Zack approved!).

Ingredients
1 pork sirloin (approximately 2 pounds)- have you been to Costco yet?  Because they sell these babies in a four pack and they are super cheap
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp minced garlic - I really hope you bought that big jar of minced garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp onion - I have the freeze dried kind but feel free to use onion powder if you do not have any fresh minced
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 adobo spice
1/4 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp grape seed oil

Directions

1. Combine all spices in a small bowl.  Stir in the grape seed oil and let mixture sit while oven preheats
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Line a glass baking pan with aluminum foil (or just grease the pan, if you prefer)
4. Pound the pork so that you break up the surface layer enough to allow the spices to absorb.  Rub spices all over the meat so that it is completely covered
5. Place the meat into the glass dish and set in the oven for about an hour (until your meat thermometer reads 160).  Once cooked, allow meat to rest for 15 minutes
6. Serve over mashed sweet potatoes and a side of steamed vegetables

Like Buttah(nut squash... stuffed)

So not everything that I cook has alcohol in it... but rest assured, I believe in cooking with vino in hand (or nearby because safety comes first).  Here is a delicious fall recipe that is wicked easy to make.

Ingredients
1 Butternut Squash
1 tbs olive oil
2 Shallots
3 large mushrooms
2 tbs minced garlic (or two - three cloves)
1 Red Pepper, chopped
2 Turkey Sausage Links (preferrably of the Italian variety)
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp Red Pepper (feel free to add more if you want it spicier)
1 egg white

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and pulp. 
3. Place squash cut side down into a glass baking pan and fill with 1/2 inch of water
4. Bake for 45 minutes - keep your oven on
5. While squash is baking, combine garlic, shallots and mushrooms in a food processor (I use the Ninja... it is amazing).  You will want to blend until the ingredients are of a paste consistency
6. Heat olive oil in a larger skillet over medium heat (do NOT burn your olive oil!).  Remove sausage from casing and break apart as you place it in the skillet. add peppers, half of the garlic mixture and all remaining spices, then cook thoroughly
7. Remove squash from the oven, scrape the pulp from the rinds into a bowl, and set the rinds back in the glass cookware
8. Mash the pulp with a potato masher
9. Mix in the sausage mix and add egg white and remaining garlic mixture
10. Scoop the mixture back into your reserved rinds and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees
11. Serve! (with whatever is remaining from your bottle of Sauvignon Blanc)

Approximate Nutritional Info (serving size: 2)
Calories per serving: 267
Fat: 11.2g (2.2g saturated)
Carbohydrates: 31.4g
Sugars: .7g
Protein: 15.2g