Paleo Pork Chops Pizzaiola

Hi!! Mallory made me laugh recently in the gym when she said, "When are you going to do another blog post, I haven't eaten since November 20th"! Haha!

Well, with the kick off of the CrossFit Open and some things settling down a bit in my personal life, I think it's time to get my blog back on! The Open is a great time to focus on health and fitness and dial in beneficial life habits. I, for one, am excited to workout and share a whiteboard with the big names in CrossFit. What other sport enables you to do that? Do I expect to get to regionals or the Games? Nope! But I DO expect to have a complete blast these next 5 weeks trying my hardest and sweating bullets with my fellow CrossFit friends! Let's have some fun! :-)

Recipe:

4-6 Pork Chops (1-1/2 inch thick), boneless and trimmed of fat

2 T olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large shallots, chopped (about 3/4 C)

1 tsp. fennel seed

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. dried oregano

sea salt and black pepper

1-6 oz. can tomato paste

1 C red wine (or substitute an additional cup chicken broth)

1 C chicken broth

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and saute. Add the pork chop to the pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and garlic is caramelized. Remove the pork chops to plate and set aside. Add fennel, shallots, red pepper flakes and oregano. Reduce heat and cook until onions are tender and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, broth and wine. Stir until sauce is well combined. Place pork chops back in pan. Cover and cook on low for another 15 minutes. When the pork chops are done cooking, arrange them on a plate and pour extra sauce over the top! Enjoy. My son said the house smelled like pizza... I took that as high praise! :-)

Sides: I served this with sauteed red chard and roasted vegetables. But I think spaghetti squash would be great with a tossed green salad!