I bought a half of a pig in June.  Anyone who knows me would think that highly unlikely because I've never been a fan of pork.  I got a few raised eyebrows!  As it happens, this pig was raised by the teenage sons (and grandsons) of my business partners, and, most importantly, was raised sustainably- on their own land without hormones or antibiotics. Last year the boys entered the pig in the fair, and because it was a show pig, they gave it USANA Procosa for joint health.  I didn't ask that question about this years pig! 

 So now I have a freezer full of pork.  Several of my friends have purchased part of a cow and they all say that it tastes so much better than the beef we buy at the store.  The same is true of this pork.  It's all very lean and very flavorful.  

I wanted to share this recipe with you.  It's a keeper.  It's also a great one for entertaining because you can prepare it all ahead of time.  Mango's are plentiful in the stores right now.  I found organic Mangos at Fred Meyer last week at $1.50 each.  The bright yellow/orange flesh of the mango is really heavy in Carotenoids which are known to help reduce the accumulation of plaque in the arteries.  

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! 

 Pulled Pork and Mango Salsa Tacos
For the Pork:  I used 6 pork chops because they are so lean.  This is slow cooked and worked beautifully.

1. Brown pork chops in a little olive oil with salt and pepper.  Put them in a dutch oven with :
          A diced onion
          2 cloves garlic, minced
          1 T. Cumin
          1 T. Coriander
          1 tsp paprika
          1 tsp cinnamon
          1 T. oregano
          4 T. Cider vinegar
          1 T. Tomato paste
          1 3/4 water

Cook for several hours at 250 to 300 degrees,  in the covered dutch oven.  Check to pull the pork apart, and remove the chop bones as they separate.   By the time it is finished, you will see the liquid almost reduced to nothing.  The flavors will be very rich.

Mango and Red Pepper Salsa 
2 Mango's cut up in small chunks
1 Red Pepper, chopped
Cilantro, chopped (about 1/4 cup, or to taste)
Lime


Put Mango, Red Pepper, and Cilantro in a bowl, and squirt about 1/2 a lime of over top.


Serve Pork and Salsa on warmed tortillas.  We serve this with a green salad for a complete meal!

I printed this recipe in 2009 on my old blog site. That year I had a huge beautiful and fruitful garden.  Since that time, my backyard has become increasingly shady.  I do have a small garden space this year, with cherry tomatoes, massively productive round zucchini and lots of herbs.  I have to purchase the rest of my summer veggies at the local produce markets.  It's the price to pay for a beautifully shady back yard in this 2013 excessive heat. 

 Labor Day Spaghetti just calls  to me every year.  It’s from “Vegetarian Suppers” by Deborah Madison.  I find that an increasing number of young people I know are vegetarian by choice.  They are making conscious healthful decisions, and I admire that.  

The healthful nutrients found in tomatoes are plentiful, and even more so with vine-ripened tomatoes which have twice the vitamin C of those grown in a hothouse.  Tomatoes are also a rich source of the carotenoids lycopene, xeaxanthin and lutein.  There is promising study of lycopene and its protective effects in reducing the risk of prostate cancer.  It has also been shown to be beneficial for heart health, protecting against LDL oxidation and oxidative damage to DNA.  Lutein and Xeaxanthin are known to be beneficial for eye health and protection against macular degeneration.  The benefits of lycopene are compounded when tomatoes are consumed with fat rich foods such as avocado, olive oil or nuts.

Labor Day Spaghetti
(from Deborah Madisonʼs “Vegetarian Suppers”)

Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper

3/4 lb spaghetti (I used brown rice spaghetti which is

gluten free)

2 T Olive Oil

4-5 Golden Bell Peppers, cut in strips. (Iʼve used red,

orange and yellow peppers in this recipe. See note

on preparation in original recipe below)

1 red onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chopped black olives

3 T. Capers

2/3 cup chopped parsley

2 cups fresh tomatoes, cut in bite-sized pieces

Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water.

Heat the oil in a wide deep pan such as dutch oven or large frying pan. Add peppers

and onion and cook over high heat, tossing them about the pan to sear them. After 4-5

minutes, add garlic, white wine an deglaze the pan. Lower heat to medium and add

olives, capers, halft he parsley and a scoop of water from the pasta pot. Season with

salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, simmer for a minute and turn off heat.

Toss the pasta with a small amount of olive oil and the vegetable mixture.







Note: Deborah suggests peeling the peppers. Iʼm sure that would be delicious, but I

wanted a super quick dinner and skipped that step.

Last night my Mom was sitting down to her "very quick and impromptu" Garden Pasta dinner and opened up my last blog post on Labor Day Spaghetti.  She snapped this picture because it was too coincidental.  Her comment was "no stress, quickly done garden pasta".  I'm always looking for dinner ideas for those days that I just don't have time to plan ahead, and this one looked so good.


Carol Delaney's Garden Pasta 
In a non stick fry  pan:
1/2 chopped yellow pepper
1/4 c. chopped zucchini
2 golf-ball sized tomatoes,quartered
Add 1-2 tbs. olive oil & 1 tsp. Napa Valley italian seasoning (or Herbes de Provence)
Cheese Ravioli


In a 6 quart pan, bring water to boil, add a few drops of olive oil and fresh cheese ravioli,  angel hair pasta or your choice of pasta
When water boils, add pasta, turn fry pan to low and time both, about 8 minutes
Drain pasta and place in low bowl. Add vegetable mix and top with about 2 tbs. fresh shredded Parmesan and a quick twist of pepper mill, and, if desired, a pinch of sea salt.


NOTE: I know an increasing number of people who are gluten free, by choice or necessity.  Please don't feel like you have to be deprived of pastas.  Brown Rice Pasta and Quinoa Pasta are both gluten free, and are easy to find in the natural food sections of Grocery stores.