Skinny Taste: Slow Cooked Sweet Barbacoa Pork

Run, don't walk, to Skinny Taste and try this recipe out.

I never make recipes exactly as they are written, but in this case I did.  It was the right decision.

Slow Cooker Sweet Barbacoa Pork

Last night, I had it in a tortilla with shredded lettuce, red onion, red pepper, cilantro, salsa and sour cream.  Today for lunch, I am having it over salad.  I am soooo excited for lunch.

Pork Tenderloin with a Balsamic Brown Sugar Glaze

I have a tonne of recipes posted to my Pinterest boards. I think around 100 between the "Recipes" and "Food Porn" additions. I have vowed to start cooking at least of these recipes a week. Otherwise, I fear pinterest will turn into a "stuff I like but am too lazy to ever do" compilation.

It's Sunday, so thought I would make something a bit special. But, it turns out this is easy enough for a week night! I served it with roasted potatoes and broccoli. The glaze was
yummy on both.

Inspired by: www.candcmarriagefactory.com/2011/01/brown-sugar-and-balsamic-glazed-pork.html

Ingredients:

• Pork tenderloin
• Prosciutto (around 6 slices)
• Rub: salt, pepper, sage, garlic
• Water

Glaze

• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp corn starch

Directions:

1. Rub the tenderloin with the, you guessed it, RUB.
2. Wrap in prosciutto. The prosciutto is optional and was something I added from the original recipe, but totally worth it!
3. Put a little water in the crockpot and cook the tenderloin on low for 6-8 hours.
4. About an hour before the tenderloin is done, make the glaze. Mix up the glaze ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
5. Glaze the tenderloin a few times through the last hour of cooking.
6. Slice the tenderloin and drizzle with remaining glaze. (Save a little for your sides, it is delish!!)

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

CROCKPOT SALSA CHICKEN
Source: My variation of a popular internet recipe

Ingredients:

• 3-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 1 jar of salsa

Instructions:

1. Put the chicken breasts in the crockpot and top with the salsa and the taco seasoning.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
3. Shred.

Comments:

This mexican flavoured shredded chicken can be used in so many ways... for taco's, burritos, to top salad or my favorite, in Mexican Rice and Beans.

Mexican Black Beans and Rice

MEXICAN BLACK BEANS AND RICE
Source: Moi!
Servings: A lot, probably 8?

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. uncooked brown rice (cooks up to about 2.5 cups)
• Crockpot salsa chicken (or ground beef/chicken/turkey, cooked in taco seasoning)
• 1 jar of salsa (if you don't use the crockpot salsa chicken)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

Possible toppings:

• Low-fat shredded cheese
• Fat-free sour cream
• Guacamole
• Shredded lettuce (to make a salad)
• Chopped green onion
• Black olives
• Tortilla (to make a burrito)

Instructions:

1. Make the crockpot taco chicken or ground meat. Make the brown rice.
2. In a skillet, cook the onion, red pepper, green pepper and garlic in the olive oil until the veggies are soft.
3. Add the corn, black beans, chicken (or meat and salsa) and diced tomatoes. Cook until heated through.
4. Add the rice and mix everything up. Cook, stirring regularly until heated through.
5. Serve with toppings, over rice or in a tortilla as a burrito.

Comments:

This recipe is very flexible. We jokingly call it "mexican dump" because you can dump in a variety of ingredients and use them up. Sometimes, I use the crockpot salsa chicken, other times I use ground beef cooked with a packet of taco seasoning and sometimes I leave out the meat altogether. You can also use whatever veggies you have on hand.

Lemon Chicken in the Crockpot

I have been having a hankering for chinese food for the past couple of weeks. I remembered seeing this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs, a great site FULL of slowcooker recipes (https://crockpot365.blogspot.com/) and decided to give it a go. I made a few modifications, because the recipe didn't include any veggies and I had some peppers to use up. I cut up an onion and green, red and yellow peppers and put them in the bottom of the crock and put the chicken on top of it. I also used 5 chicken breasts, instead of four. Finally, because of the veggies, extra chicken and our general love of sauce, I doubled the sauce recipe, to use up the whole can of lemonade.

This is cooking in the crock right now and it smells DELICIOUS! I just went out to taste the sauce and I know already this is going to be a hit served over brown rice. You could make it without frying the chicken first, to save on calories and time, but you wouldn't get the same take-out effect of crispy chunks of chicken. It will be more shreddy. The blog also said to try this with orange juice concentrate, which I will definitely do in the future!

LEMON CHICKEN
Source: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/01/chinese-lemon-chicken-crockpot-recipe.html

Ingredients:

• 5 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into strips or pieces
• 1/2 c. flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• Oil (enough to brown the chicken, about 1/4 c., but probably not all at once)
• 1 can lemonade concentrate
• 6 tbsp brown sugar
• 6 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• red pepper flakes (to taste)
• Chopped onion, peppers, carrots, etc...

Directions:

1. Coat chicken pieces in flour, salt and pepper mixture. Fry until browned and flour is stuck to the chicken. DO NOT cook all the way through, you want it to actually cook in the crockpot.
2. Put chopped veggies in the bottom of the crock. Put chicken on top.
3. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl to make sauce. Pour over veggies and chicken.
4. Cook in the crock on high for 4 hrs or on low for around 6 hrs. Serve over rice.

**I read on the blog that if you cook this for 8hrs on low, it will likely be overcooked and the sauce will get to dark and tart, especially if you don't double the recipe or add the veggies because you won't have a lot in your crockpot. You can totally cook it on low for 6hrs and then let it switch to "warm" for the rest of the time if you will be away from home during the cooking time.

Photo to come!!

Pulled Pork

I just realized that I have made this a number of times, but never posted the recipe. It is probably my favorite thing to make in the crock-pot. It goes very well on buns, over rice on on a salad. It is a great (and cheap!) way to feed a crowd!

BBQ PULLED PORK
Source: Me!

Ingredients:

• 1 shoulder, butt (picnic) of pork
• 2 onions, chopped and divided
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely diced
• 1 tbsp worchestire sauce
• 1 bottle of beer (add a little water too, depending on the size of the meat)
• salt and pepper
• 1-2 bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce (We like bullseye chicken and rib sauce)

Directions:

1. Rub pork with salt and pepper. Cook on low with 1 onion, garlic, worchestire and beer for 7-8hrs.
2. Drain liquid. Shred pork, removing any bone and fat. Stir in BBQ sauce and extra onion. Let cook on high for about 15-20 mins, so BBQ sauce soaks in and onion softens.
3. Serve on buns, over rice or salad.

Autumn Sausage Casserole

AUTUMN SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

Source: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/





Ingredients:

• 1 pound sausage (I used honey garlic, but I can't wait to try it with chicken sausage!)


• 1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel)


• 1 yellow onion, chopped


• 1/2 cup chopped carrots (I used about a cup of shredded)


• 3 cups already cooked long-grain rice


• 1/2 cup raisins


• 1 T dried parsley flakes


• 1 T brown sugar


• 1/2 tsp allspice


• 1/2 tsp cinnamon


• 1/4 tsp black pepper


• 1/3 cup chicken broth or water

Directions:

1. Brown the sausages in a skillet on the stovetop and drain, if they are uncooked.
2. Dump everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 5-7 hrs, until heated through and vegetables are softened.

Comments:

I made this quite a while ago and had been meaning to post about it. My parents were so skeptical but were very pleasantly surprised. This stuff is delicious! The perfect combination of sweet and savoury. You could also do this bad boy in the oven on lower heat, until heated through and vegetables are softened. A perfect fall supper!

BEEF STROGANOFF, BROCCOLI CASSEROLE AND DELCIOUS DESSERTS


Beef Stroganoff
Source: kraft.com


Ingredients:

• 3 lbs stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1lb sliced mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 c. beef broth
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1.5 c. sour cream
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1.5 pkgs of egg noodles
• 1 c. fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Place meat, mushrooms, onions and garlic in slow cooker. Add broth, paprika and salt. Cover with lid. Cook on low for 7-8 hrs.

2. Mix sour cream, flour and mustard. Add to meat micture and stir in. Cook on low for additional 15-30 mins. Cook noodles. Drain noodles and add to meat mixture in crook pot. Stir in parsley. Serve.

Comments: This was good. Nothing ground breaking and maybe a litle bland, but a solid beef stroganoff recipe. I had only ever eaten it made with ground beef, so the stew meat was a nice change. A couple of people who don't ordinarily even like stroganoff thought this was OK.

Broccoli Casserole
Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 large bag of frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
• 1 bag of pre-cut carrot waffers
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can cream soup (I used celery)
• 1/2 c. mayo
• 1/2 c. parm cheese
• 1 egg
• Optional: crushed cheezits or ritz crackers

Directions:

1. Mix it all up and top with crackers. Bake at 350 for 30-40 mins.

Comments: This was a very good veggie side. I used reduced fat soup, mayo and parm to make it a little more calorie friendly. I didn't pre-cook the carrots, so they were quite crisp. If you like them softer, cook them a little first.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake
Source: kraft.com

Ingredients:

• 1 oreo crust OR 1 1/2 c. crumbled oreos and butter to make crust
• 2 pkgs of cream cheese
• 1 c. peanut butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. cool whip, divided
• 2 milk chocolate bars, chopped, divided

Directions:

1. Mix crumbs and butter, press in pan, or be lazy like me and use a pre-made crust :)

2. Beat cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar. Stir in 1/2 of the cool whip. Stir in 1/2 chopped chocolate. Pour into crust. Refrigerate for 3 hrs.

3. Microwave remaining cool whip and chocolate. Pour over cake. Refrigerate.

Comments: This was AMAZING! I used reduced fat cream cheese and fat free cool whip to try to bring the cals down a little. I will definitely be making this again!

Coconut Cream Pie
Source: kraft.com

Ingredients:

• Graham cracker crust
• 2 boxes of vanilla pudding
• 2 c. milk
• 1 c. coconut
• 2 c. cool whip, divided.

Directions:

1. With a wisk, beat pudding and milk for 2 mins. Stir in 1 c. cool whip. Stir in 3/4 c. of cool whip. Pour into pie crust.

2. Refrigerate for 3 hrs. Top with remaining cool whip and coconut.

Comments: This tasted like real, restaurant pie! I was impressed. I even toasted the coconut for the top. Definitely a make again. Very easy!

Meatballs, veggies and my first chocolate cake!

SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS
Source: allrecipes.com

1 pkg of prepared meatball or make your own!

Meatballs:

• Ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp worcester sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion salt
• bread crumbs (start with 1/2 a cup)
• Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Crack your egg and beat it. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix it together. I prefer to use my hands. Start with 1/2 a cup of breadcrumbs and add more until you get the right consistency to make the meatballs stick together. Roll up your meatballs (I like them pretty small, around a walnut) and put them on a greased baking sheet. Pop them in the over for a few minutes, just to brown them, otherwise they can crumble in the crockpot. I made enough meatballs to fill the crock. I made up about 3lbs worth of beef into balls. We had 10 adults and 2 babies, a few people had seconds and there were still some leftovers.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

• 1 can cranberry sauce
• 2 jars chili sauce
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. ketchup
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Mix the sauce up and pour over the meatballs in the crockpot. Stir it up so the meatballs are coated. Cook on low for 4-6 hrs, stirring every couple of hours. Serve over egg noodles.

COMMENTS: These were delicious! I know the ingredients sound a bit strange, but the cranberry sauce gives the chili sauce the perfect sweet taste without actually tasting like cranberries. Everyone loved these, even the little ones. I would definitely make these again, 2 thumbs up, 5 stars!

CARROT AND BROCCOLI BAKE
Source: allrecipes.com

• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 lb of mushrooms, quartered
• 3 cups chopped carrots
• 1 large head or two small heads of broccoli, cut into bit size pieces
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• Shredded cheddar cheese (the recipe called from 1 1/2 cups I think, but I just covered it in cheese... after all, you can never really have too much cheese!)
• butter
• spices (garlic, onion salt, parsley, Mrs. Dash, veggie spice salt, pepper or whatever seasoning or combination of seasoning you like!)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Melt some butter in a large skillet. Add whatever seasoning you like. I used garlic salt, onion salt and parsley. Soften onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Remember, you are going to bake this concoction later, so the veggies should still be a bit firm (unless you like veggiemush, of course!) Once the veggies have reached their desired consistency, put them in a greased casserole dish. I used a rectangular lasagna-type pan. Cover with shredded cheddar. Now, soften the broccoli. Put broccoli on top of cheese. Pour chicken broth over. Bake for 25 mins, remove and sprinkle with more cheddar and a little parm. Bake 5 more minutes, or until cheese melts.

COMMENTS: This was OK. It wasn't like an out of the park homerun hit, but it is a good way to use up some veggies on hand and sneak a serving of vegetables into the fussy. I mean, cheese makes everything better! I will probably make this again when I am lacking a veggie side. I think I would add more seasoning to spice it up a bit.

CHOCOLATE CAKE
Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book

This was my first ever homemade, not from a box chocolate cake. I was afraid. Afraid the box cake would be better than my homemade cake and I would feel like a huge failure. While I did make a cake from scratch, I cheaped out and used icing from a container. Baby steps, right?

• 2/3 c. butter
• 1 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 c. water

-Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease one large cake pan or two small layer cake pans.
-Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
-Beat butter for 30 seconds, until softened.
-Add sugar and beat until mixed in.
-Add eggs one at a time and mix in before adding the other.
-Melt chocolate squares in the micro. Heat for about a minute, then stir every 20 seconds until smooth. Probably will take around a minute and a half, maybe more.
-Add vanilla and melted chocolate. Mix.
-Add the flour mixture and water in quarters, fully mixing each time, before adding more flour and/or water.
-Pour into cake pans and bake. The recipe said 30-35 mins, mine took more like 45 mins for a wooden toothpick to come out clean. I just kept checking them every 5 mins or so.
-Cool for 10-15 minutes before taking out of the pan to cool on wire wrack.
-Frost and enjoy!

COMMENTS: Thankfully, the cake did not disappoint. It was great! I frosted it with creamy chocolate icing. It was fluffy, light and had a nice chocolate taste, not too sweet. I will be making this recipe again and again. Definitely a classic.