Allergy-friendly Sweet and Spicy Carribean-style Pork Chops

This recipe is the brain-child of an impulse buy at the grocery store, made just to keep a sixteen-month old in need of a nap from having a meltdown in the cart. I dutifully paid the cashier for the mango I could barely pry out of my baby’s grip, quickly gave it back and let him hold it all the way home in the car. At home I washed the now slimy skin and peeled and sliced it for my three boys, who all concluded it was “yucky.” Not willing to go down without a fight, here is what I decided to do with that pesky mango.

Let me tell you, nobody said that mango was yucky when they ate it the second time around! They all loved this dinner to bits, and even the baby was crying for seconds. This dish is gluten free, corn-free, casein-free, feingold stage two, and mild enough to keep a toddler’s taste buds happy.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 boneless pork chops

For Mini-Prep Food Processor:
1 large clove of garlic

1/2 teaspoon of chili powder

1/4 teaspoon of paprika

1/4 cup of minced green pepper (or jalapeno if you are not serving toddlers)

1 mango, peeled, seeded, chopped

2 teaspoons of water
Blend all ingredients together until it resembles a nice paste.

For Stovetop:
1 Tablespoon olive oil

8 fluid ounces applesauce (2 individual serving containers)

1/4 cup molasses (you could also substitute for your favorite granulated sugar)

1/4 cup rice vinegar (or any other corn-free variety)

Directions:

Blend garlic, mango, green pepper and spices, adding water as needed to keep the machine from stopping. In a warm pot on the stove, add olive oil. When the oil is hot mix with your paste. Add the vinegar, molasses, and applesauce. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower heat and simmer 20 minutes. Place pork chops in the bottom of a ceramic casserole baking dish and pour sauce over them. Let sit for 30 minutes (or longer in the fridge if you’d like) while you prepare Carribean-Style Black Beans and Rice. Bake pork chops for 1/2 hour at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, then increase the oven’s temp to 350 for the final 1/2 hour.

This dish tastes great with Carribean-Style Black Beans and Rice. Serves 6.