The Gulf Coast is home to some of the most delicious and mouth-watering dishes on the planet – unfortunately, many of these (shrimp and grits; red beans and rice) aren’t exactly the most Paleo-friendly.
Lucky for us, with some simple adaptations, we can still enjoy Louisiana-flavor without using all the grains and legumes that make some recipes Paleo no-nos. In this simple recipe, pork is combined with a smoky-sweet Cajun seasoning that provides a budget-friendly and flavorful dish.
Cajun seasoning is easily found in spice aisles, but you can also make batches of this yourself to save a little bit of money. Most Cajun seasoning includes a spice mix like salt, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
One benefit of making this seasoning is that you can control the heat of your dish. If you prefer lots of heat, use the same ratio of cayenne pepper to the rest of the ingredients.
But Cajun dishes don’t necessarily need to be overly hot. You can adjust your use of cayenne down to your preference, especially if you’ll be feeding small children who can’t quite handle a super-spicy meal.
Although this recipe does include mushrooms, a complete meal should also be accompanied by a carb-heavy side to help balance your macros. If you're a Paleo eater who occasionally eats white rice, try making a batch to serve with the pork, and include a side of roasted vegetables topped with your extra Cajun seasoning (whatever you have on hand will work).
Coconut-Cajun Pork Chops Recipe
Serves: 4 Prep: 15 min Cook: 30 min
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 pork chops
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- Cooking fat
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Season the pork chops to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Melt cooking fat in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chops on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes; set the chops aside.
- Add the onion and garlic to the same skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add in the mushrooms and cook another 4 to 5 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a light boil, whisking and scraping the bottom of the pan consistently.
- Sprinkle in the Cajun seasoning and the smoked paprika; season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well.
- Place the pork chops back into the pan; cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chops are cooked through.
- Whisk in the coconut milk and simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes; serve warm.
Coconut-Cajun Pork Chops Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 pork chops
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ cups chicken stock
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- Cooking fat
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Season the pork chops to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.4 to 6 pork chops, Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Melt cooking fat in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chops on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes; set the chops aside.Cooking fat
- Add the onion and garlic to the same skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.1 small yellow onion, 2 garlic cloves
- Add in the mushrooms and cook another 4 to 5 minutes.1 cup sliced mushrooms
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a light boil, whisking and scraping the bottom of the pan consistently.1 ½ cups chicken stock
- Sprinkle in the Cajun seasoning and the smoked paprika; season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well.1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning, 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- Place the pork chops back into the pan; cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chops are cooked through.
- Whisk in the coconut milk and simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes; serve warm.1 cup coconut milk
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