Carnitas and Beet Slaw
Meal: 424 cal Protein: 54 g Carbs: 21 g Fat: 13 g
Carnitas is a very traditional and very rich Latin dish normally served with tortillas, rice, and beans. We have kept the beauty of the traditional carnitas, reduced it slightly by eliminating most of the sugar in the marinade, and serving it with a gorgeous and highly flavorful raw Beet Slaw. The richness of the meat paired with the freshness of the Beet Slaw is intoxicating and we promise, you won’t miss any of the calories of the traditional dish. We also created mushroom carnitas utilizing the gorgeous braising liquid from the meat AND a vegan version using all the same marinade ingredients.
Carnitas
Serving size 1/6 350 cal Protein: 53 g Carbs: 7 g Fat: 11 gIngredients
- 1 Tbsp Oil
- 2.5 Lb Pork Butt , cut into large chunks
- Sea Salt & Pepper
- 1 Med Onion , diced
- 8 Cloves Garlic , smashed
- 1 Tbsp Cumin
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 C Broth
- 1 Orange , Juiced and Zested
- 2 Tbsp Black Strap Molasses
- 2 Bay Leaves
Directions
- PreHeat Oven to 300F.
- Season Pork Chunks with Salt & Pepper. Heat Dutch Oven on stovetop on Medium. Add oil. When hot, add Pork chunks. Sear on each side 4-5 minutes, or until browned. Set meat aside.
- Add Onion and Garlic. Cook until soft. Add Cumin, Oregano, and Paprika. Cook until fragrant. Add Broth and deglaze pan. Add Orange, Lime, Molasses, and Bay Leaves. Mix well. Add Cover and braise in oven for 3 hours, longer if needed. NOTE: If using an Instapot (instead of oven), use Saute to sear the pork, then set Sealing and High Pressure, cook for 30 minutes and finish with Natural Release.
- Once pork is tender, remove it from Dutch Oven and move to a sheet pan. Using 2 forks, shred the meat and pour enough braising liquid over the shreds to almost cover them.
- Turn the oven up to broil. Return the meat on the sheet pan to the oven and broil on high until browned and crispy. HINT: Don’t multi task this step, it goes from golden crispy to burnt and inedible very quickly.
Mushroom Carnitas
Serving size 1 Cup 141 cal Protein: 8g Carbs: 14g Fat: 8gIngredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Lb Mushrooms
- ½ C Braising Liquid from the Carnitas
Directions
- PreHeat oven on Broil/High. Parchment line a Baking Sheet.
- Heat oil in skillet over medium. Add mushrooms and lightly saute. When really hot, add braising liquid and cook until liquid is completely absorbed.
- Move mushrooms to baking sheet and broil for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy!
Vegan Mushroom Carnitas
Serving size ½ C 278 cal Protein: 14g Carbs: 27g Fat: 15gIngredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 C Marinade (ingredients above – onion thru to smoked paprika)
- 1 Lb Mushrooms
Directions
- PreHeat oven on Broil/High. Parchment line a Baking Sheet.
- Heat oil in skillet over medium. When hot, add Onion and Garlic. Cook until soft. Add Cumin, Oregano, and Paprika. Cook until fragrant. Add Broth and deglaze pan. Add Orange, Lime, and Molasses. Cook down until reduced by 50% or more.
- Add mushrooms and cook until liquid is completely absorbed.
- Move mushrooms to baking sheet and broil for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy!
Beet Slaw
Serving size ½ C 74 cal Protein: 1g Carbs: 14g Fat: 2gIngredients
- 2-3 Shallots , sliced
- 1 C Apple , mandolin sliced
- 1 C Sweet Potato , mandolin sliced
- 1 C Beets , mandolin sliced
- 1 C Napa Cabbage , sliced
- 2 Lime Zest
- 3 Tbsp Mustard
- 1 Tbsp Mayo
- 1 Tbsp Chile Garlic Sauce
- 1 Juice of Orange
- 1 Lime Juice
- Sea Salt & Pepper
- Cilantro , minced
- Mint , torn
Directions
- In Salad Bowl, combine Shallots, Apple, Sweet Potato, and C. Set Aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine Mustard, Mayo, Honey, Chile Garlic Sauce, Lime Juice, Salt & Pepper. Add Mustard mixture to salad bowl and mix well. Even better if made a day ahead.
- Garnish with Cilantro and Mint.
- ^ If you don’t have a mandolin, you can shred the veggies on a cheese grater or you can cut matchsticks with a knife.
