Want a little something special? ![]() 20 years ago, I was a "Shake 'N Bake" groupie! I loved quick, seasoned meals - ones which seemed like I spent a lot of time in the kitchen... ones which made it seem I knew how to cook! As I became more aware of the unnatural ingredients used to create these convenience "food" items, I set out to "healthify" some of our family favorites. "RunAmok Mama's Zesty Parmesan Shake 'N Bacon" is an extremely versatile recipe -- used to coat pork chops, spareribs, chicken thighs & drums, chicken breasts, sausage and hamburger patties, zucchini, yellow squash and more! YUM!! For ease of cooking, you can make a big batch and store in the fridge for several meals over the week! Before we begin... some THMs may find the idea of using chicharrones ("pork rinds" or "pork skins") to be surprising - and for those of you who have never eaten these, there can be a certain "ick" factor which comes into play. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT let an unusual ingredient stop you from trying this recipe! Seriously, this WILL make a family HAPPY! These "original" pork rinds, shown below, contain only pork and salt. The spicy, flavored varieties can contain many unwanted ingredients, such as MSG, maltodextrin, dextrose, and more. *On rare occasions, I have used the pre-spiced versions, but usually only when the men-folk do the shopping for me. (E'hem!) It is so easy to spice things up without the "off-plan" ingredients! *Please note: If you do not eat pork for personal/religious reasons, unfortunately, I do not have a suitable alternate for this ingredient at this time. INGREDIENTS 2 bags of pork skins (best to use regular and add the spices yourself) 1/2 cup Frigo Grated Parmesan Cheese 1 TBS McCormick Italian Seasoning 1 tsp Garlic Powder 1 tsp McCormick Curry Powder 3/4 tsp Trim Healthy Naturals High Mineral Salt (Himalayan Salt) 1-2 tsp Swanson Organic Cayenne Pepper (How HOT do you want this??) 1 tsp Paprika YIELD: Enough to coat 3 pounds of meat, or 2 pounds of meat and 4 smaller zucchinis. Leftover coating can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for approximately 1 week. Our "leftovers" are usually used for another meal within a few days, because everyone asks for this, OFTEN. ![]() 1. Gather your ingredients, then pour the bags of pork rinds into a larger bowl and crush to a fairly fine crumble. I use a glass jar, but a potato masher works fine as well. 2. Once crushed, add the spices and Parmesan, mixing well. ![]() You are ready to coat your meat or veggies! Good recipes to try this with: RunAmok Mama's Spiced Parmesan Spareribs RunAmok Mama's Zesty Zucchini Spears Works well for chicken tenders too! |
RUNAMOK MAMAPrecision-run households may find my title, "RunAmok Mama" to feel a tad alarming, so I'd like to offer a quick assurance that my life is more an exercise of controlled chaos than sheer pandemonium! Archives
June 2018
Categories |