Cranberry Pork Roast

I feel like I'm really on a pork kick lately. It goes so well with all kinds of fruits, and there are so many different cuts and uses for pork. This roast could even take the place of a beef roast at a holiday meal, especially since the cranberries make it so festive. Of course, I'm a little late for that since I've been out of town. First, my dad and I drove to Austin to visit my brother and my new niece who was born on November 11th. Then we went to Charlottesville, VA for Christmas with my grandparents. LOTS of time in the car and not so much time cooking healthful food. Joe gave me a lovely flame red enameled cast iron Dutch oven for Christmas, and I'm looking forward to using that very shortly!

Cranberry Pork Roast
adapted from: Beantown Baker

Ingredients
1 (2.5-3 lb) pork loin roast or rib roast
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup cranberry juice
1/2 small lemon, thinly sliced

Preparation

Mix dry spices and cornstarch together. Pat meat dry and rub spice mixture onto all surfaces of the meat. Add to a 4-6 qt slow-cooker.

Add fresh cranberries, sugar, dried cranberries, and garlic. Pour in cranberry juice, and top with lemon slices.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for about 4. The longer you cook the meat, the more tender it will be.

Crockpot Red Curry Chicken with Butternut Squash

Somebody recently stated that they don't "get" crockpots. What's not to get? With often minimal preparation, the crockpot makes dinner for you, yielding blended flavors and moist, tender meat. This crockpot meal is relatively prep-heavy, even if you skip browning the chicken like I did, so it's better for a weekend meal, or you could prep it the night before and keep it in the refrigerator. Either way, coming home to a delicious, healthy curry makes any day better.

Next time, I would follow Cara's steps instead of trying to make it faster. I definitely missed some flavor, though the texture was deliciously creamy due to the squash. As an alternative to the fat-laden curries that I like from Thai restaurants, this does the trick. I served it on top of jasmine rice that I cooked using the rest of the coconut milk.

Crockpot Red Curry Chicken with Butternut Squash
source: Cara's Cravings

Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1lb butternut squash, peeled and chopped (or substitute another winter squash)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 6oz each
1/2-1 tsp each cinnamon, ginger, and cumin
salt & pepper
2 tsp red curry paste
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp fish sauce
juice from 1/2 lime
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp cornstarch
fresh basil or cilantro, for garnish

Preparation

Place the onions, peppers, and squash in the bottom of the crockpot.

Cut the chicken into small pieces and toss with the cinnamon, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and saute the chicken for a few minutes on each side, until browned.

Place the chicken in the crockpot. Combine the curry paste, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, coconut milk, extract, and broth in a blender and process until smooth. Pour over the chicken and vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Stir cornstarch into 2 tbsp of water until no lumps remain and gently stir into the liquid in the crockpot. Increase heat to high and cook for another 20 minutes to thicken. Garnish with basil or cilantro.

Slow-Cooker Cuban-Style Black Beans and Rice

Like I said before, we are buying a condo, so at the moment, it feels like we're hemorrhaging money. It seems like every day we write a check for something, so it's more important to me to be frugal in the kitchen. Enter a standard staple meal: beans and rice. I like this version because it adds some color with the pepper and tomatoes. I did find it a tad bland, so I spiced mine up at the table with Tabasco sauce.

I changed up a few things in the recipe, which is reflected below. I soaked the beans overnight and then cooked it on low for 8-10 hours. Here's another reason to feel good about using your slow-cooker: it's been shown that cooking in a slow-cooker is the "greenest" and most energy-efficient way to cook! This also makes a ton of food, so I'm set for lunches for the next week.

Slow-Cooker Cuban-Style Black Beans and Rice
adapted from: Andrea's Recipes

Ingredients
16 ounces dried black beans, rinsed and drained and soaked
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 dried bay leaves
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (28 ounce) can water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Rice, to serve

Preparation

1. Stir together all ingredients in the slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 hours or more, until beans are tender and some of the liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaves.

3. Serve beans over cooked rice.

Slow-Cooker Greek Stuffed Peppers

I was so proud of myself last Thursday for planning to actually cook, but then Joe called and asked if I wanted to go out for dinner. It WAS Nashville Restaurant Week AND F. Scott's had half-off their delicious burger, but I told him that I already had dinner in the Crockpot. However, I quickly folded, and we decided to go to ChaChah instead. It was totally worth it, and I've been using the leftovers for lunches all week. But that's also why this picture doesn't look that attractive. While I love eating them, leftovers just never quite look as appetizing as the original product.

One of the complaints on the Martha Stewart website for this recipe was that they weren't really "GREEK" stuffed peppers. Blah blah blah, "real Greek stuffed peppers are made like so." Well, these are Greek-flavored or Greek-inspired stuffed peppers. The lemon really brightens up the flavors, and I enjoyed the way the beans make it heartier.

The other reason to make this recipe is because slow-cookers are magic. No added liquid or anything, but the couscous cooks up perfectly. The peppers barely even scalded on the bottom like I thought they would.

Slow-Cooker Greek Stuffed Peppers
source: Everyday Food via Erin's Food Files

Ingredients
4 large bell peppers
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup crumbled feta (4 ounces)
1/2 cup couscous
4 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preparation

Slice a very thin layer from the base of each bell pepper so they sit flat (if you need to). Slice off tops just below stem. Discard stems; chop tops, and place in a medium bowl. Remove ribs and seeds from peppers.

To bowl, add beans, feta, couscous, scallion whites, garlic, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Stuff peppers with bean mixture; place upright in slow cooker. Cover; cook on high, 4 hours.

Sprinkle peppers with scallion greens; serve with lemon wedges.

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

One of the nice things about living in Nashville is that it's kind of in the middle of everything. So it's easy for the friends from Houston who are driving back to the East Coast to stop, have a meal, or stay the night. This has happened several times this month as friends graduate and go home for the summer. When one of my very good friends was planning on staying the night, I knew that she would arrive at my house before I would, so I prepped this delicious sauce and let it simmer in the slow-cooker all day long while I was at work. I don't know why I never thought of this before since it makes so much sense.

I used Melissa's sauce but simply cooked the ground beef and added it to the sauce instead of making meatballs. I would estimate that the sauce makes about enough sauce for two pounds of pasta. I froze the leftovers which came in handy for Joe's dinner when I was out of town. All of the vegetables cook down and meld into the sauce completely so that you can hardly even tell that they're there. This is a great sauce for sneaking lots of delicious and nutritious vegetables into.

All-Day Tomato Sauce with Beef
source: Mrs. Sac's Purple Kitchen

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, grated
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 cups Baby Bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
28 oz crushed tomatoes
28 oz tomato puree
about 1/2 cup water
14.5 oz diced tomatoes with juices
1.5 tsp kosher salt or to taste
1 tsp freshly ground pepper or to taste
2 tsp dried parsley
1 bay leaf
1.5 tsp dried oregano
splash of red wine
1 tbsp EVOO (more if necessary)
1-3 cup fresh basil, torn, plus more for garnish
Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Cook beef in a skillet on medium-high heat until brown. Drain grease from beef and rinse. Put beef in crock pot.

Add all the tomatoes and water to the crock pot and set on high, cover.

In the same skillet as the beef was in, over medium heat add in a little more EVOO if necessary and add the celery, carrot and onions. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes. De glaze the pan with a splash of wine and continue to cook veggies till softened.

Remove, add to crock pot, and add all remaining herbs and seasonings. Turn down to low, and cook for 7-8 hours, tasting a couple of times and adjusting seasonings if necessary and stir in basil with about 20 minutes left. Garnish with more fresh basil before serving. Serve with your favorite pasta shape.

Moroccan Braised Chicken with Garbanzos and Dried Fruit

Whenever I find a slow-cooker recipe that doesn't call for cream of something soup or grape jelly, I get very excited. Lately I've been using my slow-cooker pretty frequently because both Joe's and my schedules have been insane. Even though this recipe took more prep work than most slow-cooker recipes, it's worth it for the fresh, bright flavors. The spice combination is different from what I usually cook with, and I enjoyed it a lot. I also have a real weakness for dried apricots, so I didn't need much of an excuse to buy them for this dinner. You could eat this on its own as a kind of stew, or I served it over couscous. With the couscous, there was enough for three people.

Moroccan Braised Chicken with Garbanzos and Dried Fruit
source: Cara's Cravings

Ingredients
1 small onion, diced
1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup drained, rinsed garbanzo beans
4 dried apricot halves, cut into quarters
2 tbsp golden raisins (I used regular raisins that I had in the pantry.)
1 cup fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of cloves
pinch of cayenne pepper
freshly ground salt, to taste
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 tbsp corn starch
fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish

Preparation
Place onions, peppers, chickpeas and dried fruits in crockpot. Combine all seasonings and toss with the chicken; add to slow cooker. Pour in the broth and cider vinegar, and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6 hours. Stir together corn starch with about 1 tbsp water, and add to crockpot mixture. Turn heat to high and cook for about 20 minutes more. Serve hot, garnished with cilantro if desired.

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 2

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 397.7
Total Fat: 3.6 g
Cholesterol: 131.5 mg
Sodium: 537.0 mg
Total Carbs: 31.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.4 g
Protein: 57.0 g

Guinness Beef Stew

I'll go ahead and admit that I'm a bit of a lush, and, like Erin, I love adding booze to food. So when I saw this Guinness Beef Stew on Laure's blog, I knew that I had found the beef stew recipe for me. Apparently it's been the coldest winter in a few years around these parts, so there is nothing quite like coming home after walking across campus in the frigid dark sleet and having a warm, comforting dinner ready for me to dig into. This stew is definitely hearty, and the thyme and Guinness give it a great flavor. Stew meat has also been on-sale at my grocery store, so I think I'll stock up until winter is over!

Guinness Beef Stew
source: Vintage Victuals

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.5-2 lbs. boneless beef chuck, cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 large or 2 medium onions, roughly sliced
1-2 baking potatoes or 5-6 red potatoes, roughly chopped
3 large carrots, coursely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 16-ounce Guinness
1 tablespoon Worchesterchire
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 15.5-ounce can low-sodium beef broth or stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Clean the beef and pat it dry. In a bowl toss your stew meat with the remainign 2 tablespoons of oil. Sprinkle with flour, salt, and pepper, tossing to coat all pieces. Arrange the meat in a single layer in the heated skillet. Cook just until the pieces are browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Note that the meat will still be raw on the inside.

Meanwhile, toss all of your veggies into the crockpot. Pour the Guinness and Worchestershire sauce over the veggies, sprinkle the thyme on top, and drop in the bay leaf. When all your meat is browned, pour it into the crockpot, too. Return the skillet to the stove and pour in the can of beef broth. Stir in the tomato paste, and use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits on the bottom of the pan into the broth. This not only saves you some cleaning time but also ensures that you don't lose any of the flavorful bits left behind in the pan!

Pour the broth mixture over the contents of the crock pot. Season with salt and pepper, and gently stir everything together to mix thoroughly.

Put the lid on the crock pot, and cook on low for 6-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Meat should be very tender (falling apart, melting in your mouth) and veggies should be fork tender (and wonderfully cooked in the broth). Remove bay leaf and adjust the seasoning before serving, adding additional salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles, or some hearty bread.

Asian Short Ribs

It's been pretty cold around here lately (though today it's almost 60 degrees!), and there's nothing better for me than coming home late from school, not having to cook, and still enjoying a warm, hearty meal. This winter I have a new appreciation for my slow-cooker since it's my first real winter since I lived in Michigan. I also love how moist it keeps meat. The ribs were falling apart at the touch of a fork, but the carrots weren't mealy or floppy at all.

I didn't use a head of cabbage, but I had some leftover bagged coleslaw, which I used in its place. I ate this meal plain, but you could serve it over a bed of brown rice if you wanted more complex carbohydrates. This is a great slow-cooker meal for those who eschew processed foods but still want the convenience of coming home to a fully-cooked meal.

Asian Short Ribs
source: Real Simple

Ingredients
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 beef short ribs (about 4 pounds)
4 medium carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
1 small green cabbage (about 1 pound), quartered
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced (optional)

Preparation

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper. Add the short ribs and carrots and arrange in a single layer. Lay the cabbage on top.

Cook, covered, on high for 5 to 6 hours (or on low for 7 to 8 hours), until the meat is tender and easily pulls away from the bone.

Transfer the cabbage, short ribs, and carrots to plates. With a large spoon or ladle, skim the fat from the cooking liquid and discard.

If the slow cooker is on the low setting, turn it to high. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Whisk into the cooking liquid and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil. Spoon the sauce over the short ribs and vegetables and sprinkle with the scallions (if using).

Spicy Crockpot Beans

I hadn't used my crockpot in far too long, and since Joe was post-call and asleep, I thought this would be a good meal to let cook while I did some studying. Next time, if I'm using chicken, I might throw in another chipotle en adobo. Both Joe and I could've used a little more heat. I added about a pound of chicken and shredded it at the end since Joe likes his meat, but this is originally a meatless meal. I opted for serving it in bowls with cornbread instead of over rice.

Spicy Crockpot Beans
source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Ingredients
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 (4-ounce) cans green chile, diced
2 chipotle chiles from adobo sauce, minced
1 (0.85 ounce) package chicken gravy mix
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tomatoes, chopped, or ½ (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups cooked white rice

Instructions
Add first five ingredients to crockpot and cook on low for 3-5 hours. Stir in tomatoes 30 minutes before serving. Serve over white rice. (If you use chicken pieces as well, add them skin side down on the bottom of the pot and cook for 6-8 hours.)

Slow-Cooker Chicken Taco Stew

This meal is very similar to Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken, but I think I like this better. Look at all those healthy legumes and vegetables! I would've preferred this to be a little more liquidy, which might be my fault because I drained and rinsed the beans. Next time I might add some chicken broth or beer. Topped with a little cheese and low-fat sour cream, this is a great meal.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Taco Stew
source: Spark Recipes

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 16-oz can corn (drained)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chiles (I used one can with green chiles and one with chipotle chiles.)
1 1.25-oz packet taco seasoning
1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix everything together in a slow cooker except chicken. Lay chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. 30 minutes before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. This is good eaten with cheese, sour cream, or tortilla chips.

Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken

This is a recipe that I've seen around for a while and was actually one of my first slow-cooker recipes ever. It's so good and, depending on what you do with the chicken, healthy. The addition of the cream of mushroom soup makes the chicken taste cheesy without the calories of cheese. Plus, it makes the house smell amazing when you come in after a long day.

Ingredients:

- 1 can reduced-sodium condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts
- 1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning
- 1 cup favorite salsa

Place the chicken breasts in the slow-cooker and sprinkle with taco seasoning. This time I actually mixed the salsa and cream of mushroom soup together before pouring over the chicken breasts, but I've done it separately also. This doesn't look pretty, but it's good.


Cover the slow-cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

I usually serve the breasts whole on top of brown rice and a side of Mexican-style vegetables, but since we had brown rice the day before, I wanted to do something different. I need to go to the grocery store, so I had limited resources, but I came up with this:


Still not very pretty-looking, but I shredded the chicken in the crockpot, reserving one of the breasts for tonight's dinner. I laid down a bed of tortilla chips on each plate, and layered the steamed corn, the shredded chicken, cheese, and jalapenos on top. This worked out well, and Joe was impressed by my creativity. Next time, with planning, I might add tomatoes and lettuce and black beans, and maybe replace the cheese with a dollop of low-fat sour cream.