Lunch: Savory and Sweet Pork Stew with Ancho Chiles

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Nuts

Health benefits of Savory and Sweet Pork Stew with Ancho Chiles

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Nuts are a natural source of Inositol, a derivative of Vitamin B (which is often prescribed in the form of supplements for women with PCOS). Inositol can effectively control the symptoms of PCOS by reducing insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity.

Ingredients

1 medium red onion, sliced
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 or 6 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup blanched whole almonds
1/2 cup unsalted peanuts
1 tablespoon unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3 to 4 cloves garlic, grated or made into a paste
1 small yellow onion, chopped
Handful of raisins
2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into bite-size cubes
About 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil, plus more for drizzling
2 large bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
12 flour or corn tortillas
Queso fresco or Cotija cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Separate the red onions into rings and place in a small plastic container. Dress with the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
Place the ancho chiles in a pot and cover with the chicken stock. Turn on the heat and warm the stock to reconstitute the chiles, 10 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, toast the almonds and peanuts over medium heat until browned. Transfer the nuts to a food processor. Reserve the pot. Add the ancho chiles with the stock to the food processor along with the cocoa powder, cloves, garlic, yellow onions and raisins. Season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. (You may need to do this in two batches.)
Pat the pork dry and heat a thin layer of oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper, then brown in two batches, adding more oil between batches as needed. Return all the pork to the pot and pour the ancho sauce over it. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the pork is very tender, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours (depending on how large you cubed the meat).
Warm or char the tortillas. Serve the stew with the lime-pickled onions, crumbled cheese and the tortillas.
Cook's Note: If you are not serving the pork immediately, cool and store it in the refrigerator. Reheat over medium heat.

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