For many people, authentic Mexican food is a weakness. Fragrant herbs, warming spices and moist, slow cooked meats make for comfort food meals that delights the senses and warm the soul.
But unfortunately, most Mexican food is bad news when it comes to your health.
Refined flour tortillas and corn chips accompanying most Mexican meals drive blood sugar and insulin levels sky high. And most fried Mexican foods are cooked in corn oil rich in inflammatory omega 6 fats.
The good news is that delicious healthy Mexican recipes DO exist.
Paleo Pork Mole Verde: A Nutritional Powerhouse (+ Crave-Worthy Mexican Taste)
Using protein-packed pastured pork tenderloin and tomatillos (a member of the Solanaceae or nightshade family of veggies and related to tomatoes) we’ve recreated a green mole packed with flavor and nutrients.
Mole – from Nahuatl mōlli for “sauce” – is the name for a myriad of different types of sauces used in Mexican cuisine. While dozens of moles exist, they all begin with one or more varieties of chili pepper. In our Paleo Pork Mole Verde, we’ve chosen jalapeno, but feel free to use poblano or any variety of pepper you like.
Like it spicy? Research shows that hot peppers boost weight loss, so the hotter the better for your waistline.
The pumpkin seeds in this recipe add great crunch and a powerful source of zinc and cancer-fighting curcurbitacins.
Serve over Paleo Cauliflower Rice and accompany with a quick salad of organic dark greens.
Paleo Pork Mole Verde (Low Carb, High Protein)
Ingredients
Tap an ingredient to check it off.
- 6 medium tomatillos, husked, cored, halved
- 6 cloves organic garlic, peeled
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 cup organic cilantro
- 1 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil
- 2 tsp. dried organic oregano
- 1 lbs pastured pork tenderloin
- 1 medium organic onion, chopped
- 1 whole organic jalapeno, halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet. Place tomatillos, onion, jalapeno and garlic on baking sheet and roast 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Place a enameled cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin and pumpkin seeds to the skillet and toast, shaking the pan periodically, for 5 minutes. Pour toasted seeds over roasted vegetables and stir to combine. Stir in ½ cup chopped cilantro and oregano.
- Return pan to heat and add coconut oil. When shimmering, add the pork chunks, keeping space between each piece to ensure a good sear (crowding will cause pork to steam). Sear pork chunks on both sides, transfer to a plate. Continue with remaining pork in batches.
- Return seared pork to pan and top with vegetable mixture. Cook over medium-low heat until pork is cooked through (145 degrees F). Season with high quality sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Serve with remaining cilantro.
Why You Should Quit Bread — Even the "Healthy" Kind
Did you know that traditional grain-based breads & desserts contain a compound that is the #1 greatest danger in your diet?
Studies show that this compound (and I am not talking about "gluten") is toxic to your heart and blood vessels, weakens your immune defenses, and disrupts your nerves and brain function.
And if that's not enough… this hidden compound also makes it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to burn fat and lose weight!
The great news is that you can still have your breads and desserts… AND be well too!
Discover the Secret to the World's Healthiest BreadThis post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my affiliate policy.
About the author
Kelley Herring
Kelley Herring, founder of Healing Gourmet, is a natural nutrition enthusiast with a background in biochemistry. Her passion is educating on how foods promote health and protect against disease and creating simple and delicious recipes for vibrant health and enjoyment.
Love your recipes. Keep up the great work. I really enjoy cooking more nutricious meals for my husband and I.
Hello! I am so excited to have found you! I have been searching for you for a long time, since my husband and I went gluten free 2 1/2 years ago. I seriously. Would like to know your opinion about a product. We are on Dr Wallach’s Youngevity mineral and vitamin regimen and are sold on it. An assistant of his, Dr Glidden, banishes all oils in a bottle from our diet, even organic, cold pressed, non-GMO’d, coconut oil, not because of the oil, but because of the oxidation the air causes between the oil and the lid.
Please go to YouTube, “Dr. Glidden / 10 bad foods”, where he explains the reasoning.
You are the answer to my prayers and I have printed out several of your books and cannot wait to get started. Please let me know your thoughts on this. My husband and I are wanting to lose the fat around the middle and are strictly trying to eliminate all high glycemic ingredients. It’s a shock how many starches are in the foods we are eating that we thought were healthy( like corn starch).
We trust you completely and will be waiting for your answer.
Thank you so much. God bless you in your wonderful work!
Hello Dixie,
Thank you for your kind note and for stopping by. We’re happy to have you!
As you may know, I am a big believer in the harm that oxidation can do to our cells, and ultimately, our health. In fact, we call oxidation one of the “Big 5” contributors to chronic disease which also includes glycation, inflammation, toxicity and depletion (more on that here – https://healinggourmet.com/healthy-eating-101/do-you-know-the-five-main-causes-of-disease/). However, healthy fats (like avocado oil, coconut oil, etc) are a highly stable and a very important part of a disease-fighting nutritional protocol.
With this said, I believe that optimizing nutrients is very important, but that food should be the primary source to accomplish this, with supplements (ONLY in their proper chemical form) being a stop-gap measure. At a quick glance at Youngevity, it seems to be a high quality supplement, but without the specific ingredients list and processing information, I cannot comment further.
Hope this helps and that you enjoy Healing Gourmet!
Be Well,
Kelley
Hi, I’m unfortunately off nightshades, but my dr. said green chilies such as jalapenos and Serrano peppers would be ok. Just no other nightshades, especially tomatoes (and their closely associated cousins) and red peppers. Can you think of anything I can do in place of the tomatillos?
Have you tried making this in the preassure cooker?
Not yet, but I bet it would be fantastic!