Slow Cooker Teriyaki Pork

Here's a great recipe I recently came across and have made a few times since. Brown up some thick cut pork chops and throw together some ingredients for a teriyaki sauce then off it goes to slow cook the rest of the day. Shred and serve up with your favorite rice and veggie. This is one of the few recipes I like because it doesn't come out dry for me. I've been using my slow cooker on low for 5-6 hours for most things, yours could be different.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Pork
adapted from Six Sister's Stuff

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 boneless pork loin thick cut chops (2 1/4 lbs)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup Tamari
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 3 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. Transfer the chops to the slow cooker.
Add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and just golden. Stir in the tamari, broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remover from heat. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce.
Pour sauce over chops. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours until the meat is tender. Shred chops with forks and serve over rice.

brown them for a nice flavorful, golden sear

cooked, ready to shred

 enjoy,

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

There is a recipe blogged that my Husband likes for chicken enchiladas, but I was not in the mood to make gluten free cream of mushroom soup for it, so I decided to give these highly rated ones a try. So glad I did, because I loved the sauce on these. I went ahead and used some chicken and pork I had as leftovers, shredded and frozen for a later use, it came in handy! I wrapped a few up in my gluten free tortillas (liking Rudi's brand) and the rest in regular for them.

I served these with homemade Mexican rice, homemade slow cooker refried beans (to be linked) and gluten free cornbread.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas 
adapted from mexican.food.com

1 lb chicken breast, diced (could also use beef or pork)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chilies, divided
8 flour tortillas, softened (8 inches each, gluten free blend)
1 1/2 cups reduced fat Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour (gluten free blend)
1 (15 ounce) can low sodium chicken broth (gluten free)
1 cup light sour cream

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a fry pan, cook chicken and onion together in oil over medium-high heat until chicken is just done. Shred, combine with one can of green chilies. (I used some precooked chicken and pork I had frozen and shredded prior)
Divide cooked shredded chicken evenly between 8 tortillas; add 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese to each tortilla.

Roll enchiladas and place seam-side down in 9x13" baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan; stir in flour to make a roux; stir and cook until bubbly; gradually whisk in chicken broth then bring to boiling, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and one can green chiles; pour sauce evenly over enchiladas.

Top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese (baking dish may be double-wrapped and frozen at this point) and bake at 400' for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce near edges of baking dish is bubbly.

These worked great!

gluten free rolled enchiladas, no breakage!

mexican rice, cornbread and beans

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Apple and Pear Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

I am always looking for new ways to fix pork. Here is one recipe I saw on Pinterest and changed up a little. I thought a pear would be nice with the apple and pork too. I had two pork loins so I just doubled up the recipe. This smelled so wonderful roasting away on our chilly day, it was delicious as well.


Apple and Pear Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
adapted from My Cross Fit Paleo Journey

1 Pork Loin, 2.5-3 lbs.
3 Red Delicious Apples, sliced thin
1 Pear, sliced thin
4 Tbl Honey
2 TBL Cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

Lay about half of the apple slices on a lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Cut slits in the pork loin (approx 1/2″-3/4″), lay onto apple slices.
Drizzle some honey into the slits.Then place apple and pear slices into the slits, drizzle with a little honey, sprinkle with a little more cinnamon, salt and pepper. Lay any leftover apple slices on top.
Roast in oven at 400' for about 45 mins.

I also added some sliced sweet potatoes to my tray.




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Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops

Here's a great recipe I sort of came up with after searching around the net for something similar. This recipe would be great with any cut of meat really, chicken, beef, veal...it's Italian flavors full of pesto and cheese. I served it along side creamy mashed potatoes and a veggie. My chops were really thin, but I recommend using thick cut for better pockets. We loved this and will be adding it to our regular menu.


Pesto and Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops

2 low fat string cheese sticks, cut lengthwise into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons basil pesto
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 pork loin chops or boneless pork loin chops, cut 1-1/4 inches thick
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
2 Tbl olive oil
8oz. can low sodium tomato sauce
Chopped fresh basil for garnish

Make a pocket in each chop by cutting horizontally from the fat side almost to the bone or the opposite side. Lay a piece of cut string cheese and scoop a little pesto and garlic inside each pork chop. If necessary, secure the opening with a wooden toothpick.
Season pork chops with salt, pepper, oregano and thyme.
In a large medium-hot skillet heat oil, cook pork chops 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Add tomato sauce and let simmer for about 8-10 more minuites or until pork chops are cooked through. Garnish with fresh basil, serve.

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Gluten Free Creamy Meatballs and Potatoes

Here is a recipe that can be made regular or gluten free, and homemade. Meat and potatoes in a gravy sauce kind of like a Salisbury/Stroganoff/Swedish meatballs gravy.  I made this homemade and gluten free, but you can visit the Betty Crocker link for a quick regular version if you like. My Nephews and family loved it, Mr. even commented how good it was. That means it gets blogged. :)



Creamy Meatballs and Potatoes (gluten free)
adapted from Betty Crocker

2 cups cooked, potato wedges (about 1 lb), I used boiled potatoes
1 (10 3/4-oz.) can condensed cream of onion soup, see mine below
1/2 cup water
2 cups steamed fresh broccoli florets, set aside
24 cooked meatballs, see mine below
1/4 cup light sour cream
In 12-inch nonstick skillet, combine potatoes, soup and water; stir gently to mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in broccoli and meatballs; heat through.
Stir in sour cream; cook just until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally, Serve.


Gluten Free Meatballs
adapted from here

1 small onion, grated
2 Tbl dried parsley
1 large egg
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup potato flakes
9 ounces ground beef
9 ounces ground pork

Whisk the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and potato flakes. Mix in the beef and pork. Gently combine all. Using about 2 tablespoons of meat for each, shape the meat mixture into meatballs. Place on a baking sheet and bake 350' for 20 minutes. Set aside.

Gluten Free Cream of  Whatever Soup
from here

3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons gluten free all purpose flour blend
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
1-1/2 cup fat free milk

Choose your flavoring below. Melt butter or oil in saucepan. Stir in flour and seasonings. Cook over medium heat until bubbly. Add liquid slowly, stirring with wire whisk to prevent lumps. Cook until thick. Makes 11/2 cups or 1 can of condensed soup.

-Mushroom/celery/chive soup: Saute 1/4 C chopped mushrooms, celery or chives and 1 T minced onion in butter before adding flour. (I made mine mushroom & onion flavor for these meatballs)

-Tomato Soup: Use tomato juice for the liquid. Add dashes of garlic, onion powder, basil and oregano.

-Chicken Soup: Use chicken broth for half the liquid. Add 1/4 t. poultry seasoning or sage. Could also add 1/4 C. cooked diced chicken.


Allergy Suggestion: If you use a gluten-free flour (rice, tapioca, etc.) or cornstarch, you can make the soup gluten-free. And if you use a stock rather than milk, you can make it milk-free, too.

 

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enjoy,

Pork Pot Stickers with Dipping Sauces

Here's another great recipe from online friends, Kai and Jaden, as well as the Food Channel. I made Kai's Pork Pot Stickers with Jaden's Chinese Dipping Sauce and Chuck's Spicy Orange Sauce. I also made Jaden's Quick Noodle Stir Fry from her cookbook (another version is on her site).
Whatever you call them, gyōza, Chinese dumplings or pot stickers, they're delish. I prefer mine steamed (see how I did mine below), others may like them pan fried so they turn crunchy on the outside. I can't remember how many pot stickers I made but it used the whole pack of wrappers.

Kai's Pork Pot Stickers
slightly adapted from his YouTube

1 lb ground pork
1 TBL crushed garlic
1 TBL sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 TBL hoisin sauce
1/4 C. chopped bok choy
3 TBL diced green onions
1/4 C. shredded carrots
1 egg

Combine all until mixed well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Dumpling wrappers
1 egg yolk

Add 1 tsp. of pork filling to each dumpling wrapper. Using your finger, add some egg yolk around the edge of the dumpling and fold in half, pleat if you like (Kai shows you how in his video) and seal. I cooked some and froze some for later.

Using a bamboo steamer (wish I had gotten a tiered one), line steamer with liner (see below), place covered steamer over a large stock pot with about 1/2 way full of water, bring to simmer. Add pot stickers in steamer, cover and steam for 10 minutes. Any longer and the pork will over cook. Serve with dipping sauces.

my first time making pot stickers

Spicy Orange Sauce

Chuck's Day Off

1/4 cup mirin

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon chile flakes

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
Zest of 1 orange
Juice of 2 oranges
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch diluted in a little water

In a small saucepan, whisk all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Let simmer until it thickens, about 1 minute. Set aside.


Steamy Kitchen's Chinese Dipping Sauce on page 29, has ingredients of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, chilli garlic sauce and cilantro. I loved it.

I use all my counter space when I'm in the kitchen lol

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enjoy,

Pork Spare Ribs with Dry Rub

I have cooked ribs before, but wasn't happy with how they turned out roast like. So when our now 14 yr old requested ribs for her birthday dinner, I cringed. Do we go out and get them, or do I cook them at home and mess them up? I knew I was over cooking them before (literally fell off the bone, no good for finger food), but I followed the recipe? So when a friend, Faye told me how she cooked hers, I decided to give them another go. I knew I also wanted a good rub to marinate them with so I found one and of course changed it up a little. I cooked these as she directed and they came out great. =)

ready for the grill

Pork Spare Ribs with Dry Rub

adapted from Faye and allrecipes

6 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
Hickory liquid smoke
2 racks of pork spare ribs

Mix all together except the liquid smoke and ribs. Pull the membrane off the back of the ribs. Rub desired amount (a few shakes per side) of liquid smoke into pork ribs. Then rub dry rub into the ribs. Wrap in saran wrap and for best results, allow ribs to marinate overnight. Cook ribs as desired. I roasted these, covered in a pan for 90 minutes in a 275' convection oven (300' regular), after the first 30 mins add 1/2 C. apple cider over the ribs. Once the meat starts to shrink back you'll know they are done. Then I snuck a little bbq sauce on them and grilled for a few minutes. Let rest a few, then cut and serve.

rubbed and ready to be wrapped

served with my potato salad and creamed corn

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enjoy,

Garlic Balsamic Pork Roast with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans

Balsamic vinegar. Do you like it? Have you used it in your recipes? I have a big 17 oz bottle of it and am trying to use it up, and well like it. I find the flavor very strong. So when I came across a post from a blog I frequent for this pork roast I thought I'd give it a try. It only has 2 tablespoons of balsamic in it so I knew it wouldn't be too strong. I put this together the night before (my youngest daughter watched me, and said it smelled good) and let it marinate. I roasted it up and stole a tiny piece, and man o man was it good. The recipe did call for 2 1/2 tsp of salt, which I did, but I found it to be a little salty so I wrote a less amount below. I loved this marinade, and will be keeping this recipe to use again and again. Mmm. I'm also thinking this would be great on grilled chicken.

Garlic Balsamic Pork Roast
adapted from Kitchen Confidante

4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pork roast

Stir together garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil and place in a large ziploc baggie. Add the pork roast and allow to marinate over night.

Roast in a 400' convection oven (or 425' regular) for about 1 hour, until the internal temp reaches 155'. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, then slice.

For the mashed sweet potatoes, I cut up a few large yams (the orange ones), boiled in water for 15 minutes until tender. Added to my stand mixer bowl with some butter, salt a little nutmeg and some milk then whipped them up.

For the green beans, I used fresh green beans that I had froze, sauteed in a little oil and butter, salt, pepper and garlic until tender.

3/5/12 I tried this out on some thick cut pork loin chops then grilled them, OH MY! So good!

(with pureed apple & pear sauce, mashed yams (w/marshmallows for them) & sauteed squash & brussles sprouts)

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enjoy,

The Best Ever Meatballs

Add these to your menu. Yep, I had to say that first before anything else. A friend and I were talking about spaghetti and meatballs on Facebook the other day, and she said her daughter loves this dish and gave me the link to the meatball recipe. It's Giada's of course. So tossing all my other meatball recipes aside, I gave this a try. So glad I did, because these are by far the best meatballs I have ever made. I made these into mini meatballs, using my small scooper, then cutting each meatball in half and rolling it. They were the perfect little size with a bite with pasta. Make up extras to freeze for tossing into sauce on a busy night.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

adapted from Giada

1 small onion, grated

2 Tbl dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil
1 large egg
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup Panko
9 ounces ground beef
9 ounces ground pork

Whisk the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and Panko. Mix in the beef and pork. Gently combine all. Using about 2 tablespoons of meat for each, shape the meat mixture into meatballs. Place on a baking sheet and bake 350' for 20 minutes. Add to sauce before serving, about 10 minutes before, to heat through.


I served these with my Mom's Spaghetti Sauce recipe (just skip the meat part and make it marinara) and pasta. Delish.

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enjoy,

Slow Cooked Glazed Ribs

We cooked up some pork ribs for Father's Day weekend, and I was going to use my fave BBQ sauce on them, but I didn't have much left, so I went with another fave glaze. This recipe is on my old link but now it's here too and I added a little apricot preserves to it. I used to just throw ribs on the grill, and it always ruined them. Now I slow cook them in the oven for a few hours, then carefully finish them on the grill with a little sauce. Now, let me just say, that these were fall off the bone tender, I almost couldn't grill them. Also the next time I make these, I will cook them for a shorter amount of time (maybe 2 hrs), because to me the meat comes out roast-like, not like ribs you'd get at a Restaurant.


Rib Glaze
Healthy Meals in Minutes

1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 C)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (12 oz) Heinz Chili sauce
1/2 Cup water
2/3 Cup light brown sugar
1 TBL Worcestershire sauce
3/4 ground cumin
*I also added 1/4 Cup apricot preserves to this batch of sauce ( in photos), Optional

In a medium sauce pan heat about 2 TBL oil, add onion and garlic, cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 15 minutes or longer. Brush ribs during last 15 minutes of grilling.

Slow Cooked Oven Ribs
by Steamy Kitchen

Rack of ribs (these are pork)
salt and pepper

Remove the membrane along the back of the ribs. Salt and pepper both sides of ribs, place in a roasting pan covered well with foil. Slow cook in a 275' oven for about 4 hours. Remove, and carefully grill, basting with sauce for 10 minutes. Cut and serve.

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enjoy,