SESAME PORK SALAD This salad is a nice, light way to prepare and enjoy pork—the thin strips cook pretty quickly and then go over fresh, crisp lettuce or cucumber noodles. I love Asian flavors with pork, and I’m always trying to come up with salad ideas that aren’t...

SAUSAGE-STUFFED DATES WRAPPED IN BACON I’ve been wrapping dates in bacon since 2012, when I first encountered the dish at Más Tapas, my favorite restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia. Those were stuffed with goat cheese, which is delicious, but if you don’t tolerate...

PULLED PORK BBQ I grew up in Virginia and later moved to North Carolina, so BBQ has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My family actually moved to Virginia from California, though, so when we first arrived in the South, we were surprised by the...

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED PORK TENDERLOIN This is a delicious and kind of fancy dinner recipe that you can make pretty easily for a crowd. It’s a pork version of a bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin, and I love the glaze that goes on it. The prosciutto is nice and salty, so you...

GROUND PORK STIR-FRY This is a great weeknight dinner idea using ground pork instead of ground beef, which I usually use. I call it a stir-fry, although it’s not very Asian in flavor—I guess you could call it a scramble, although there aren’t any eggs in it (unless...

CARNITAS Carnitas is not only super delicious, but also a really versatile main dish that you can repurpose for all kinds of meals, such as tacos or salad bowls, or even enjoy it on its own with a side of vegetables. The cooking time is a bit lengthy, so you need to...

CANDIED BACON SALAD Remember when bacon was A Thing? It was everywhere. Bacon chocolate, bacon cupcakes . . . I love bacon as much as the next Paleo person, but I’m glad to see that the hype has died down a bit. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to freak out about this...

BÁNH MÌ TACOS There’s a great burger place in Roanoke, Virginia, called Beamer’s 25 (named after Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer), and I almost always order their Bánh Mì burger, a pork burger topped with pickled veggies and served with a side of ginger. I...

BABY BACK RIBS My brother makes the best ribs I’ve ever had—it’s probably his dry rub, which he was nice enough to share with us here. My husband and I love making ribs on a Sunday when we’re going to be home all afternoon and can enjoy the smell of spicy, slow-cooked...

VACA FRITA Over the years I’ve discovered that my favorite foods are generally those that do well with a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice—pad thai, tacos, and a lot of Latin dishes like this one. Vaca frita translated into English means “fried cow,” and it’s...