Guac and Chops

It may sound like a System Of A Down song (and maybe it is…) but it’s also my new favorite high-fat, high protein meal that requires one bowl one dish and one pot. Serves two.

The beets and sweet potato add up to roughly 50 grams of carbs if you’re into that sort of thing. I do keep a bit of an eye on my carb intake and try and shove the majority into the evening and preferably after exercising.

The pork chops were seasoned, crammed into a glass dish, coated in a can of tomatoes that were the best canned tomatoes I have ever had that weren’t canned by my mother/grandmothers and then I dumped some mushrooms on top, covered it and cooked for 90 minutes or so at 325-ish.

My exacting cooking methods are what ensures my success.

The guac is just three avo, a skinned and diced tomato, onion and garlic powder, lime juice, a tiny bit of ACV and salt and pepper to taste with a splash of Tabasco if you’re so inclined.

For seasoning I just did some salt, pepper and a little gluten-free soy sauce. I was in a hurry and the baking dish hardly fit all the pork chops so I forwent the onion and garlic I’d usually include.

I also added quite a lot of butter directly after taking this photo. One might say an embarrassing amount. I wouldn’t be that one.

Give That Man An Elk Burger

Say whhhhhat?

As a professional photogrpaher I’m deeply embarrassed by the quality of these images and I would lik to point out that I recently moved and only have my iPhone (4, not even 4s when it got the good camera…) to work with at the moment. Next week will be better, I promise.

On a way more important note THIS is what I want this to be about. Food. Local food.

So. Here we have a delicious assortment of local, awesome and gluten-free food purchased mostly from Spud.ca

On the plate we have: a homemade elk and bison burger on a gluten-free bun from O’Doughs (not super local, still working out the baked goods) with home made mayo (local, free-range eggs), local-ish lettuce/tomato/onion and mushrooms (the lettuce is from cali…) and some I’ll-kill-three-people-with-a-rusty-spoon-for-some-of-that level of awesomeness local cheese from Golden Ears Cheese Crafters. If you haven’t made your way out to Maple Ridge to see those folks I’d highly recommend it. Not only do they have awesome cheese, amazing cultured butter (my BP coffee compadres) and other goodies they also always seem to be staffed almost exclusively by young, attractive women. They’re also the funniest business I’ve ever followed on Facebook. What’s not to like…?

It was the Aged Havarti if you’re wanting to re-create the experience.

Next to our burger there’s some local beets and what I’d consider the best yam I have ever eaten. Baked for a couple of hours with a little butter, some salt and pepper and just a tiny bit (a drop per pat of butter) of liquid smoke.

To round out our selection we have some Canadian beer, some American gluten-free beer (Harvester Brewing, Portland) and a can of coconut water that snuck in there somehow. Probably for the electrolytes. Whatever those are.

On the beer. As someone who has almost totally avoided beer for a couple of years now I can honestly say I nearly wept when I tasted my first Harvester Brewing gluten-free beer. As much as a specific type of alcohol should never be your identity I’ve been a beer drinker since shortly after the womb and it’s been a seriously psychological blow not being able to enjoy a good beer on occasion. So thank you to Harvester Brewing for helping me to find that lost part of my soul. I’m forever grateful.

And also thank you to my friends, Luke and Tom. Wonderful people whom I would trust with my life, liberty or lipids. If there’s three thing you need in life it’s good friends, good food and good family. I’ve got it made.