Here we are…Day 9 and feeling fine!! By now, you should be feeling a renewed sense of energy and your body should be adjusting to the dense nutrients you are giving it! Bravo!! Today’s recipe is no different-a sure-fire win with BBQ Pork Over Roasted Sweet Potatoes!
Back when I began this Whole 30 journey, I use to think that I would have to give up my favorite foods while doing the Whole 30 plan. BBQ was one of those foods that I thought was lost forever…and I was so sad about it! But, all is not lost! This is due in part to a BBQ sauce made with whole food ingredients such as Medjool dates, delicious tomatoes and amazing seasonings.
Today’s recipe of creating a delicious, intense whole food based BBQ sauce combines nicely with shredded, tender chunks of pork (or chicken), all piled high atop a roasted sweet potato. Then, we finish it off with a delectable drizzle of ranch dressing and add the crunch of green onions! BBQ Pork Over Roasted Sweet Potatoes for the win! Wow!!
If you are pressed for time and are unsure about the whole idea of making your own BBQ sauce, you may opt to purchase a ready-made BBQ sauce that is made with Whole 30 approved ingredients such as Primal Kitchen’s BBQ sauce.
I do promise that if you take the time to make your own, it’s very easy and you may end up with leftovers that you can keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. It’s a great condiment to use on grilled steak, grilled chicken or ribs.
The recipe for the ranch drizzle can be found in the recipe for the Chicken Cobb Salad .
As always, if you really enjoy this recipe, please feel free to share it with your friends and family who may need a little clean eating inspiration. Your love is what keeps me writing and creating! And, for more clean eating inspiration, visit my site and click on the Clean Eating series!
Until next time…Eat Well. Travel Often. Love Much.
xoxo
BBQ Pork Over Roasted Sweet Potatoes + Ranch Drizzle
Delicious, intense BBQ flavors combine with pork (or chicken) piled high atop a roasted sweet potato & finished off with a ranch drizzle + crunchy green onions! All the best flavors in one healthy, amazing meal!
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 pounds pork roast, boneless (or chicken breasts or thighs, boneless)
- 1 recipe Whole 30 BBQ sauce:
- 3 ounces pitted Medjool Dates
- 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 T. coconut aminos (start with 2 and add more if you feel it needs more flavor)
- 2 tsp. fish sauce
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1-2 tsp. chili powder (start with 1, taste, and add more if you feel it needs more flavor)
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (add more if you need more of a kick, but I find 1/8 tsp. is plenty for our family)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground allspice (we use 1/2 tsp., but taste with less first and adjust from there)
- Kosher or sea salt + freshly ground black pepper
- 1 recipe Whole 30 Ranch dressing (refer to yesterday's post or the site for this recipe)
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion (white + light green parts only)
Directions
- Step 1 Heat oven to 400 F. Scrub and pierce sweet potatoes with a knife. Place them on baking sheet and put them in the oven to roast for about 45 minutes until tender.
- Step 2 Meanwhile, cook the meat. I use the Instant Pot on the “meat” setting because it makes cooking meat until it’s very tender, super easy! You may also cook the meat in a crock pot or the oven until cooked through and very tender.
- Step 3 Remove any noticeable fat and shred the meat with 2 forks. Keep warm and set aside.
- Step 4 Make the Whole 30 BBQ sauce while the potatoes are roasting and meat is cooking–Soak the dates in warm water for 15 minutes to loosen them up (makes them easier to blend).
- Step 5 Drain the water from the dates and put them in a blender with the remaining BBQ sauce ingredients. Blend on high for 3-5 minutes until all ingredients are well combined. Taste and adjust spices, if needed. *If your BBQ sauce appears too thin, this has to do with the consistency of the tomatoes that you used most likely–all tomatoes are different. I’ve had this happen and the remedy is to put it in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15-25 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Step 6 Once the meat is shredded & BBQ sauce is complete, combine the amount of BBQ sauce with the meat until it’s as “saucy” as you like.
- Step 7 Take the roasted sweet potatoes and cut lengthwise and open them up.
- Step 8 Pile the BBQ meat high on top of the opened sweet potatoes.
- Step 9 Drizzle with your Whole 30 approved ranch dressing and add chopped green onions, if desired. Enjoy!!
Looks delicious! About how many dates equal 3 oz?
Good question! I weighed mine of my little digital scale because the most recent Medjool dates I bought at Aldi were HUGE! I believe I used about 5 large dates. If your’s are regular or on the small size, add a few more.