Slow Cooked Goodness

There are no words to describe how much I love this recipe. The warm flavors of the sauce and the absolute tenderness of the pork, combined with sour cream, warm corn tortillas, and fresh cilantro (from the farmer's market) made for a perfect dinner last night. Add a lager beer, and voila! Dinner was a definite success and you can bet that I'll be making this recipe again. Perfect for large groups, this is a slow-cooker recipe - aka throw it in and forget about it for 7-8 hours. Now that's my style of cooking! :)

Pulled Pork Tacos

from Real Simple

Ingredients:
2 cups store-bought salsa, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
kosher salt
1 2 1/2 pound boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
18 corn tortillas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:
1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork and turn to coat.
2. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
3. Twenty minutes before serving, heat oven to 350° F.
4. Stack the tortillas, wrap them in foil, and bake until warm, about 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred the pork and stir into the cooking liquid. Serve with the tortillas, cilantro, sour cream, lime, and extra salsa.

Tip: When using a slow cooker, resist the urge to lift the lid until the dish has cooked the minimum amount of time specified in the recipe. Each peek allows heat to escape and can increase cooking time by as much as a half hour.

Cooking Light Night #9

I can't remember the last time my mouth was this happy. I think this is the best new recipe that I have tried in the last year. And I'm so excited that I have a cooking blog to share it with the world! Don and I don't even care for pork. We have found a couple of recipes that are tolerable, but this one is down right delicious! And it is as enjoyable to cook as it is to eat. With spices and flavors that don't make it into your every day meals such as cinnamon, all spice, and bourbon, it fills the house with amazing aromas while the pork sizzles and the sauce reduces. Give this one a try. You will not be disappointed.

Spiced Pork with Bourbon Reduction Sauce


Substitute chicken broth for bourbon, if you prefer. Serve with couscous or rice.


Sauce:
1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pork:
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray

To prepare sauce, combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 11 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

To prepare pork, combine chili powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt, stirring well; rub evenly over pork. Cut pork crosswise into 12 slices.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 pork slices and 2 tablespoons sauce)

CALORIES 277 (13% from fat); FAT 4g (sat 1.4g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.5g); IRON 2.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 29mg; CARBOHYDRATE 16.7g; SODIUM 673mg; PROTEIN 24.9g; FIBER 0.5g

Cooking Light, APRIL 2006

Inspiration

As most of you know, I've been going to bootcamp a few times a week and have already noticed amazing results. I know that if I improved my diet, I will feel better and look better too. So, with that in mind, I've been inspired to find more healthy and inventive recipes that look good and taste good. Part of this inspiration has also come from my girlfriends - Katy, Cindy, and Paige - who have been doing their part to get healthy too!

Paige and I made this salad over a month ago, and Matt requested that we make it into the regular rotation. It's really tasty, and I honestly would have never thought to combine whole grain mustard and white vinegar together for a dressing. Beyond that, I never thought it would taste so good! The next time I serve it, I think I'll add a side of homemade cornbread. But it's perfect on its own.

CKS note: I used just 2 bunches of spinach and about 5 tomatoes.

Warm Spinach Salad with Grilled Sausage
From Real Simple, August 2008

4 Italian sausages (about 1 pound)
8 plum tomatoes, cut in half crosswise
1 onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rings
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
3 bunches spinach, thick stems removed (about 8 cups)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

Heat grill to medium-high. With a fork, prick the sausages in several places. Grill, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.Meanwhile, brush the tomatoes and onion with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Grill until tender, 5 to 6 minutes per side for the onion and 2 to 3 minutes per side for the tomatoes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl as they are done, add the spinach, and toss.In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, the remaining 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Slice the sausages and serve with the vegetables and dressing.

Tip: Tossing the spinach with warm vegetables wilts the leaves slightly and makes them more tender. Delicious on its own, this salad is also great mixed into pasta.

Yield: Makes 4 servingsCALORIES 506 (67% from fat); FAT 38g (sat 10g); CHOLESTEROL 60mg; CARBOHYDRATE 22g; SODIUM 1789mg; PROTEIN 25g; FIBER 8g; SUGAR 6g

Slow-cooked goodness

When living in Los Angeles, there's not many opportunities to use your slow-cooker as it just heats up your home further. When we lived in Seattle, I used at least once a week. Not only did it help warm up the kitchen but it made our home smell so good.

This week it's been very cold (for us Angelinos) and so when meal planning this week I threw in a slow-cooker recipe. It was a bit of a challenge as my slow-cooker cookbook is filled with high calorie and high fat recipes, based mainly of creamed soups and/or milk. I did find one, however, that intrigued me, and there was no cream or tomatoes! Bonus! Extra bonus was it only took 2 hours to cook so I could make it after I got home from work. It was very filling and only 192 calories per serving, I felt really good about my healthy and tasty recipe choice. This one is definitely going in the "make again" pile.

Sausage and Wild Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

1 package long grain and wild rice mix with seasoning packet
3 sausage links (I used pre-cooked ones from Trader Joe's), cut up
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2-2 1/2 cups water

Brown sausage, onions, and celery, and put into slow cooker. Add rice and seasoning packet, then pour in water. Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours, or until water is gone and rice is tender. Serves 3-4.

Fancy Feast... and I'm not talking cat food

O.K. Last night I admit that even I bit off a little more than I could chew. I saw this incredible spread in my Cooking Light October magazine and I really wanted to give it a try: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chunky Spiced Applesauce and Swiss Baked Potatoes. Everything was delicious and really fun to make, but waaaaaaaay too much work for a week night. I slaved in the kitchen for a few hours and finally was ready to plate the meal at 8:30 p.m. By that time Don and I were both exhausted from the day and barely had the stamina to shovel it down and box up the leftovers before our heads hit the pillows. I was happy that I had already done most of the dishes as I went along but this was one of those nights where the rest will just have to sit in the sink until I have time to get to them. Luckily though, this meal makes the best kind of leftovers and it makes a lot of food so Don and I are set on our lunches for the next few days.

I would definitely make this spread again, just next time it will be on a night of the weekend variety. All three of these dishes work really well together. Incidentally, I have never been a huge fan of applesauce but this is hands down the best I have ever tasted. I am sure it has to do with the bag of whole fresh cranberries included in the ingredients. The recipe also says to mix up your apples for a more developed flavor. I used a combination of MacIntosh, Golden Delicious, and Pink Lady. We both ate the applesauce on top of the pork rather than on the side. I also prepared the brine for the pork in the morning before I left for work so that it had all day to marinade and it stayed nice and moist during the baking. This is also the first time I have ever made my own scalloped potatoes but it surely will not be my last! This is a meal that would be really fun to make for guests as it prepares ample proportions, amazing aromas, and highlights the best of home cooking. For a special treat, serve with Kelsey Vineyards Apple Merlot Wine or Apple Chardoney. Camille can tell you how to order their wines since she is a wine club member there.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

When the weather is mild, Hunt grills the pork outdoors. If it's too cold to grill, you can roast the tenderloins at 425° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°; let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Ingredients

1 cup olive oil
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons ground white pepper
2 teaspoons salt, divided
3 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
Cooking spray

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add 1 teaspoon salt and pork to bag; seal and shake well. Marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Preheat grill.

Remove pork from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle pork evenly with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink). Let stand 10 minutes before slicing thinly.

Yield

14 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 176(35% from fat); FAT 6.9g (sat 1.9g,mono 3.7g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 25.7g; CHOLESTEROL 72mg; CALCIUM 8mg; SODIUM 234mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 1.1g

Barbara Lauterbach , Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007

Chunky Spiced Applesauce

Cranberries lend this applesauce an appealing rosiness. For best flavor, use a variety of apples, such as Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Cortland, and Rome. Prepare it up to one day ahead. Serve with Grilled Pork Tenderloin.

Ingredients

10 cup cubed peeled apple (about 3 pounds)
1/2 lemon
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch fresh grated nutmeg

Preparation

Place apple in a large bowl; cover with cold water. Squeeze juice from lemon half into bowl; place lemon half in bowl. Set aside.

Combine cranberries and remaining ingredients in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook 3 minutes or until cranberries pop.

Drain apple; discard lemon. Add apple to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until apple is soft. Uncover, bring to a boil, and cook 15 minutes. Mash apple mixture with a potato masher. Pour into serving dish; cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Yield

7 cups (serving size: about 1/2 cup)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 124(0.0% from fat); FAT 0.2g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 0.3g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 14mg; SODIUM 2mg; FIBER 2.6g; IRON 0.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.5g

Barbara Lauterbach , Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007

Swiss Baked Potatoes

This homey gratin partners nicely with pork or other grilled meats. Dotting the top with butter adds richness.

Ingredients

6 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3 1/2 pounds)
Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced onion (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
2 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium beef broth

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Arrange one-third of potato slices in the bottom of a shallow 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with one-third of onion slices. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle with one-third of cheese. Repeat layers twice, ending with cheese. Dot with butter. Pour broth over potato mixture. Coat top layer with cooking spray. Cover with foil, and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until tender.

Yield

12 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 106(30% from fat); FAT 3.5g (sat 2.1g,mono 1g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 3.2g; CHOLESTEROL 10mg; CALCIUM 58mg; SODIUM 208mg; FIBER 1.6g; IRON 0.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.9g

Barbara Lauterbach , Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007