Dr Ben’s Beer, Beans & Pork Stew

This one was too good not to share!

Just back from a longer run this morning and whipped something hearty together for a busy day ahead.

It’s always important for your post exercise / recovery intake to cover not only what may have been used during your training, but also cover a healthy balance to reduce stress, inflammation and keep blood sugar/hormonal levels in check for the rest of the day. This meal has a massive nutrient content from an extremely wide array of sources. If you wanted to make a veggie version, remove the meat and stock, and obviously use non-animal products for this.

For speed and ease for those lazy to cook, you can do this with all frozen veggies and canned beans/lenites etc no worries, so don’t freak out. It also reduces the prep time to almost nothing, making it a bang stuff in a pot and walk away stew.

Most people and athletes forget that it isn’t just carbs for energy replacement and protein to rebuild muscles, but rather 70% or more of all the stuff you put into your mouth and swallow everyday actually goes to replenishing the nervous system. For a refresher on what that is exactly, use a part of it, and have a Google, as unfortunately me being Boogle today for explaining it all is limited 🙂

So to the recipe, but mind you there wasn’t much measuring and weighing going on, so ingredients are approximate from memory!

This took about 20 minutes to prep and 70 minutes cooking time, so is great to have simmering away getting the aromas in the air and stimulating those digestive juices whilst doing other things. There are many other things you can do like stretching, yoga, cleaning the house or ironing, a good book, video call your mum telling her about the awesome stew you are about to eat, meditation, just don’t sit and stare at your phone uselessly.

Dr Ben’s Beer, Beans & Pork Stew

What you will need:

• Beer – approximately 330-450mL (I had used 400mL of a lager left over from some beer battered fish the night before)
• 1 bottle UJAMU Plus or Original
• 150-200g chopped pork shoulder or belly pork if you want something with a bit of fat (I used the belly)
• ½ cup carrot, cut
• 1 cup cauliflower
• 1 cup broccoli
• 2 medium size potatoes, cut
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, cut
• ½-1 cup mixed chickpea, lentil, pinto beans – could just use 1 type – I pre soak and cook mine and freeze down so I always have some ready to go. If not pre-prep beans don’t use them as it would take forever to simmer
• ½ cup chopped tomato (canned is fine)
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• A few shakes and a few more shakes of each dried powdered – Cumin, Coriander, Paprika, Thyme, Oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• Cinnamon stick about 2 inches long
• 1-2 teaspoons of Bee Pollen
• 2 teaspoons of gelatine (float on a bit of water for a couple of min before adding)
• 1 tablespoon of Corn or Tapioca starch (mix with a small amount of room temp /cold water before adding)
• 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin oil – your pick doesn’t always have to be Olive, you could also use an omega oil blend here too, just add it at the end of cooking)
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon flax seeds

Method:

• Grab a decent pot that is minimum say 3-4Lt in size
• Add ½ the oil and heat to medium-high
• Fry off the pork until browned, then add mushrooms and do the same until cooked down
• Add all the Cumin, Coriander, Paprika, Thyme, Oregano and mix through for about 1 minute
• Put in all the rest of the vegetables & beans cook off for a few minutes
• Add all the liquids, including the chopped tomatoes
• Bang in the cinnamon stick and bay leaf on top
• Bring up to the boil on medium heat, stir occasionally, then cover and reduce to simmer for 50-60 minutes, stir every now and then
• Pull out the cinnamon stick and bay leaf
• Add in the bee pollen, chia and flax seeds, stir through
• Mix through the gelatine and corn starch
• Add the remaining oil
• Stir
• Serve
• Eat
• Enjoy

This does make a heap of food so, let it cool, put into some non-BPA containers refrigerate and store for later, take it to the office and amaze your co-workers or freeze and keep for that rainy day where you are to lazy to make anything, or hungover and need something solid in your stomach.

Any questions keep in touch