Crockpot Pork and Sauerkraut, by Diane

One of my friend's mother uses this recipe to make Pork and Sauerkraut, a PA German tradition for New Years Day. I was a bit skeptical as I don't love sauerkraut and this recipe is fairly heavy on the stuff, but WOW was this one of the best recipes to come out of my kitchen (not the mention the easiest!). Everyone inhaled this stuff, and I will absolutely make this again. Traditionally this is served over mashed potatoes. YUM!

Ingredients:

2lb boneless pork loin  

2 16 oz bags (not cans) of sauerkraut, drained

1 can beer (cheap beer like budwiser is great here)

1 large apple, sliced (I used an unpeeled gala)

1 large yellow onion, sliced

1/4 cup brown sugar (I used slightly less)

1 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Place ingredients in crock pot in this order: pork on bottom, covered with sauerkraut, sliced apples and onions on that, sugar sprinkled on that, beer poured over top, and butter on last. 

2. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours (or low for 8 hours).

3. Stir the toppings (not the pork) at 3 hours, and every hour after if desired, mixing the kraut/onion/apples until the apples are dissolved by the end.

4. Once finished cooking, shred the pork (it should fall apart easily) and mix into kraut mixture.

5. Serve over mashed potatoes with some of the liquid as gravy. 

Crockpot Pulled Pork, by Cheryl

Will have a better pic soon! This is from here

So this was the easiest recipe ever! And delicious! I don't even have to chop anything before putting it in the crockpot... just the marinated tenderloin! The recipe is from The Clean Eating Couple. I served this with Primal Kitchen's Hawaiin BBQ sauce, asparagus, and the mustard potatoes I posted a couple of months ago. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 lbs pork tenderloin

1/4 cup EVOO

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Directions:

1) In a bowl whisk together olive oil and spices. Marinate the pork and the olive oil mixture in a ziplock bag overnight. I did it for a few hours since I didn't plan ahead. 

2) Place in crockpot with 1-1.5 cups chicken stock. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Mine was ready and tender at 6 hours. 

3) Pull the tenderloin apart with tongs or forks while still in the crockpot. 

4) Toss with your favorite BBQ sauce and enjoy!

Pork Floss and Seaweed Pull-Apart Rolls, by Diane

 

I have been following a chef on Instagram, Kristina Cho, and she just published a cookbook called Mooncakes and Milkbread which is full of recipes for sweet and savory Chinese pastries. It's the first time I've looked at a baking challenge and thought I'd like to try making them, plus I love Asian bakeries. Yesterday it was a snow day here, and I thought what a great way to fill the day by making this recipe, which I've had my eye on for a while. Her cookbook is backordered, but this recipe was published in Bon Appétit. 

I was floored that these came out so well. I had several moments where I was sure I messed up the dough, including yeast that didn't ferment in milk causing me to borrow milk from a neighbor during the storm, and not having a stand mixer so not being sure how long to mix the dough by hand. These tasted WAY better than any one I've had in a Chinese bakery, which also really surprised me! This is partly due to her famous milkbread recipe, which is soft and pillowy and just slightly sweet. Overall, these made 8 craveable and super fun rolls, and I had been anticipating they wouldn't be so good but here we all are trapped in the house together...

I did a few things differently than her recipe- I used a shrimp flavored furikake because I like the way pork and shrimp go together (in the end I couldn't taste the shrimp but everything blended so well!). I also had some leftover fried garlic and onion from an Indonesian recipe so sprinkle that on top as well with the sesame seeds- definitely a great addition. 

I can't say enough about what a surprise hit these were, so savory and sweet and the dough was just soft and pillowy and comforting. I would definitely make these again, for when more people were in the house... I also loved the freeze and reheat instructions! FYI, this recipe takes about 5-5.5 hours to complete from start to finish.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cup milk, divided (I had to use half and half here since my first batch didn't ferment and it was fine)

2 tbsp plus 2 2/3 bread flour, divided, plus some for flouring surface

1 tsp active dry yeast

A pinch plus 1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp diamond crystal or 1/4 tsp morton kosher salt

4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

1 tsp vegetable oil

Filling/Assembly:

1/2 cup Kewpie mayo

1 cup pork floss

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

2 tbsp furikake

Nonstick cooking spray

1 large egg

1 tbsp milk or heavy cream

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

(I also added 2 tsp fried garlic and onion bits)

Directions:

1. Cook 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp milk and 2 tbsp bread flour in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened into a paste 2-3 min (mine never did so I added a bit more flour). Transfer this mixture, called tangzhong, to a small bowl and let sit until warm (should resemble mashed potatoes), 5-10 min. 

2. Bring remaining 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp milk to a gentle rolling simmer over medium heat. Pour milk into a small bowl and let cool until warm to the touch (110 degrees). Stir in yeast and a pinch of sugar and let sit until foamy, 5-10 min. (I had to sprinkle and stir the yeast in as my first batch clumped).

3. Combine egg, salt, remaining 2 2/3 cup bread flour and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a stand mixer w dough hook. Add in tangzhong and yeast mixture and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Add 1 piece of butter at at time, mixing until incorporated, then increase speed to medium high until dough is tacky and slightly sticky about 8-10 min. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, wet hands and form into a ball. (I just used my hands for all of these steps until it formed a tight ball and was a bit sticky). 

4. Coat a large bowl with oil and turn the dough until all sides are covered in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm draft free spot for about 2 hours until doubled in size. 

5. Roll dough on a floured surface to 18x10". Spread mayo over dough, then sprinkle pork floss, scallions, and furikake. Roll it up lengthwise into a tight log and pinch the ends and remove. Turning log seam side down, cut into 8 equal pieces.

6. Coat a 10" diameter cake pan with cooking spray, arrange rolls leaving a small gap between each one. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours in a warm draft free place.

7. Preheat oven to 350. Whisk egg and 1 tbsp milk/cream in a bowl and lightly brush the tops with this mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the tops (and garlic/onions if using).

8. Bake for 28 min until golden brown (I needed maybe another 3). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool in pan until warm.

9. If storing, chill in airtight container in fridge (warm at 300 degrees until warmed through about 5 min or 30-45 sec in microwave) or freezer (bake 350 for 10-15 min).

Georgia Mustard BBQ Pork Cauliflower Crust Pizza, by Diane

 

This is my second week of an anti-inflammatory and Whole30 protocol, and I am pretty limited on what I can eat. As part of a running theme in which I was determined to eat something other than just chicken and steamed veggies, I decided to get creative. I made my first cauliflower crust, without cheese like most of the recipes called for (this recipe used coconut flour as the binder). I also had to get creative with the bbq sauce, as I can’t have sugar or tomatoes. I love Georgia mustard bbq sauce with pork at my fave bbq joint, and so I sought to recreate it here on this pizza. 

This was absolutely outstanding!! This sauce was a hit and would be great on pretty much anything. It was also incredibly filling for being a cauliflower crust. Definitely a winner!!

For the sauce:

1 cup yellow mustard

1/2 cup brown sugar (I subbed date syrup)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 

2 tbsp butter (I subbed ghee)

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I subbed a mix of the main ingredients of tamarind paste, coconut aminos, and cloves)

1 tsp each salt, black pepper, celery seed, Tabasco sauce

For the crust:

2.5 cups riced cauliflower, cooked and cooled to room temp

1 egg

2 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano (I omitted this since it wasn’t an Italian pizza)

Toppings:

2 cups shredded pork

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 small handful cilantro, rough chopped

Directions:

1. Mix all the bbq ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer for 10 min. Combine with pork and set aside.

2. Strain the cauliflower with a tea towel until all liquid is removed, and combine with remaining crust ingredients. 

3. Preheat oven to 425. 

4. Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and spread the cauliflower mixture out into a rough circle (don’t go thinner than 1/4 inch or it will break apart). Bake for 15-20 min or until golden brown on top. 

5. Remove from oven, top with pork and onions, bake for another 10 min or until onions begin to cook.

6. Remove from oven and top with cilantro. 

Pork Chili Verde, by Diane

This week starts 7 weeks of an anti-inflammatory protocol, and since the weather was getting colder I really craved chili. The problem is that tomatoes are off limits, which is the base for most chilis, and white chili is filled with cream and dairy, which is also off limits and full of fat. I came across this recipe for a Whole30 chili verde with pork, and decided to give it a try. Chili verde was my most favorite thing to eat in Colorado, and I was hopeful this would hit the spot. This recipe was a total winner!! Not only was it so flavorful and unique but it was so quick and easy to make. Definitely will be on rotation this winter!!

Ps- I cheated and used ground pork to save time/money rather than pork tenderloin, and it was still amazing!

Ingredients:

2 jalapeños, blackened (I used 1/4 of one and didn’t blacken it) 

1 16 oz can diced green chiles, hatch chiles preferred

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

6 tomatillos (about 2 cups rough chopped)

1 tbsp oil

2 lb pork tenderloin, cubed (I used 1 lb ground pork)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, diced (I kept skins on)

1 green bell pepper, diced 

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp salt

1.5 tsp chili powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

6 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup coconut milk 

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine jalapeño, chili peppers, tomatillos, and cilantro until chunky. Set aside. 

2. In a large soup pot, add oil and pork to the pan, cooking 7 minutes until browned (for the ground pork I just cooked until done).

3. Add in the garlic, onion, potatoes, bell pepper, and seasonings and cook for another 7 minutes.

4. Add in the chicken broth and pepper mix and stir to combine, bring to a boil for 5 minutes and then turn down to simmer for 30 min. 

5. Add in the coconut milk and adjust seasonings, garnish with extra cilantro. 

Blackberry Sage Sausage Patties, by Diane

These were my lunches for the week courtesy of another Whole30 recipe I found on my feed. They were really easy to make and very flavorful! The flavor combination was really interesting, I think you could substitute berries and easily make them with ground chicken too. The only sub I made below is that blackberry seeds always get stuck in my teeth so instead of placing the whole berries into the patties I put them through a strainer and put the juice into the patties to make them more flavorful as well. I did crush one blackberry on the top of each of the patties for looks :)

Recipe by @therealfoodrds

Ingredients:

1lb ground pork
1/2 tsp each dried sage and thyme, garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup blackberries
Oil for cooking (I used coconut)

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients through pepper in a bowl. I put the blackberries through a strainer and put that liquid into the bowl as well in this step.

2.  Shape the mixture into about eight patties, gently pressing a few berries into each one. I skipped this step because of what I did in step one.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, adding in oil for cooking. Place the patties into the pan being careful not to crowd them. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side until browned and cooked through.

Cabbage Wrapped Pork Dumplings, by Diane

I love Asian dumplings, and this recipe fit exactly what I was looking for on a sugar detox cleanse (no sugar, flour, rice, or dairy). My favorite part about this recipe is that as impressive as these dumplings look, they were incredibly quick to make and even quicker to assemble. I would definitely use these cabbage leaves over rice paper or wonton wrappers again for the speed alone! I created the filling with all my favorite Asian flavors, and made a quick dipping sauce to go with it. If I were eating sugar this week, a peanut sauce would have been excellent, or even oyster sauce as an addition to the sauce I made. Another plus about this recipe is that I didn't have a steamer, so I cooked the filing and leaves completely before assembling them, which made things less messy for me.

Note: If you do have a steamer and want to cook the dumplings that way, blanch the cabbage leaves first so they become pliable. Then fill with the uncooked mixture and steam until cooked through.


Ingredients:

1 large head savoy cabbage
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
4 large carrots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, sliced
6 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp fresh ground peanut butter
2 tbsp white miso
1 tsp chinese five spice powder
Fresh cracked black or white pepper
1 lb ground pork
1 tsp fish sauce


Directions:

1. Bring a large soup pot filled 1/3 way with salted water to boil.

2. Separate the cabbage into leaves, flipping upside down and rolling towards the base so as not to break them. Peel about 1/2 of the cabbage and shred the rest for the filling.

3. Drop the cabbage leaves into the boiling water, pushing them down so they are completely covered, and cook for 5 minutes until the leaves soften. Drain and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan to medium high heat and add sesame oil into the pan. When the pan is hot, add in carrots, garlic, ginger, scallions, and 2 tbsp of soy sauce. Stir well, then add peanut butter, 1.5 tbsp of miso, five spice powder, and pepper. Stir until the carrots are softened, the cabbage is wilted, and the peanut butter and miso are mixed through. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

5. In the same pan, add the ground pork and cook until browned. Drain and add to the bowl with the carrot mixture.

6. Fill the dumplings: Lay one cabbage leaf curl side up and fill with about 1/4 cup of the filling. Wrap by folding the base of the leaf by the stem in, then the two sides in on top of the base, and then fold over so that the top of the leaf covers the whole thing and the folds are now facing down. They should now look like they do in the photo. Store like this so that the leaves mold in this shape and the dumplings don't fall apart when you pick it up.

7. To make the sauce: Mix 4 tbsp of soy sauce, fish sauce, and 1/2 tbsp of miso until combined.

Töltött paprika/Stuffed Peppers (Hungary), by Cheryl

Not a traditional looking hungarian stuffed pepper. 

Hungary is next on my world cuisine theme! I've been wanting to make stuffed peppers for a while. So when I came across an easy stuffed pepper recipe in my research of Hungarian recipes I decided to go for it! I didn't follow the recipe to a tee and modified it to fit our tastes and needs for dinner that night - I used quinoa instead of rice, beef instead of pork, and used a plain basic tomato sauce with diced carrots, celery, and onions instead of a tomato juice/celery/butter sauce. I mixed the tomato sauce in with the beef and quinoa so my dish isn't actually in the juice and sauce like a traditional Hungarian stuffed pepper. I also topped it with cheese because... cheese. This was sooooo good and I will definitely be making it again! Yum!

Ingredients (Original recipe from here):

8 medium bell peppers
1 medium onion
4 tsp oil
1/2 cup rice (I used quinoa)
salt
5 cups ground pork (I used a lb ground beef)
pepper

Sauce:

4.5 cups tomato juice
celery leaves
3 tbsp flour
1-2 tsp sugar

Directions:

1) Hollow out the peppers. Finely chop a quarter of an onion and saute in hot oil. Add the rice with a little salt and cover with water. When cooked, set aside to cool.

2) Add the ground pork to the rice then season with salt and pepper. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture. Bring the tomato juice to a boil and pour around the stuffed peppers. Add the remaining onions and celery leaves. Cover and finish cooking over medium heat, about 50 minutes (I cooked the meat on the stove and then baked in the oven for 30 minutes at 350).

3) Remove the peppers from the tomato liquid and discard the celery leaves and onion. Add flour to the hot butter, stirring continuously until it turns golden. Use to thicken the tomato juice. Season with sugar.

4) Return the stuffed peppers to the sauce and let set for 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Slow-cooker Pulled Pork, by Diane

This recipe could not have been simpler, and was the perfect meal to come home to after a long day because everything was already waiting to be assembled into a sandwich and eaten! For me, I would have liked some spice in it. But overall, a great dish. I served it with potato rolls, pickles, coleslaw, and of course, lots of extra BBQ sauce. I also served it with a side of amazing Red Hot and Blue Potato Salad (see above post!).

The recipe is from here: http://www.food.com/recipe/pulled-pork-crock-pot-131018

Ingredients:

4 lbs. pork roast (shoulder/butt)
2 large onions
1 cup gingerale
1 bottle BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)

Directions:

1. Slice the onions, putting one on the bottom then the meat and then covering that with the second one. Add gingerale.

2. Cook on low for 8 hours.

3. In the last 2 hours, shred the meat and disgard the fat and liquid. Add the BBQ sauce, stir, and cook for the remaining time.

Seared Ginger Soy Pork Loin, by Diane

We eat a TON of chicken in my house, because I'm always conscious of eating too much red meat and seafood can get kind of pricey. In an effort to mix things up, I found this recipe (CL- I've really been inspired by them lately!) for pork loin and thought I'd give it a shot. I know that it's a good source of lean protein and fairly easy to make. The recipe could not get any simpler- make a quick sauce and baste it on as it cooks. Since I didn't have a grill pan, I seared it on a flattop. Don't forget to reserve some sauce for dipping later- it's insanely good!!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
Salt and pepper


Directions:

1. Combine ginger, honey, juice, and soy sauce in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat, and coat with cooking spray.

3. Sprinkle pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Add pork to grill pan; cook 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers 145° or until desired degree of doneness, basting frequently with sauce. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Pork and Tomatillo Stew, by Diane

 

This is another recipe from the book Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl. I have never used tomatillos before, and was curious to try them. I thought they would be spicy like a mild pepper, but as it turns out they are tart and a bit sour (the grocery store sign described them as having a sour apple taste). This taste was really unexpected, and I wasn't the biggest fan of the overall outcome because of it. But the rest of the ingredients mixed together really well, and with sour cream some of the tartness vanished. I did not add the lime juice to the sour cream because I thought it was tart enough.


Also- a note on peeling the tomatillos and tomatoes. The tomatillos have a leaf like outer skin that does not always easily come off. I found that if you peeled what you could off, the rest washed off easily with cold water. The tomatoes peeled easily once I dropped them into boiling water for one minute.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. canola oil
8 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 lbs. lean pork, cut into cubes
1 bottle dark beer (I used Guinness)
14 oz. orange juice
1 lb. tomatillos, quartered
1 lb. Roma tomatoes, peeled and cut in half
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 jalapenos, diced into small bits (remove the ribs and seeds unless you want some heat!)
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper

Topping
1 cup sour cream
juice of one lime

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, add the beer, orange juice, tomatoes and tomatillos. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, simmering for 20 minutes. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a large pot. Add the garlic cloves and stir to coat with the oil.

3. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper and then add it to the oil, in batches, to brown on all sides. Remove from thepot.

4. Add the onion and jalapeno into and saute until tender, 5 or 6 minutes.

5. Add the tomatillo mixture to the pot, scraping the bottom of the pot to be sure you are getting all the browned bits. Add the pork, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low.

6. Cook, partially covered, for about 2 hours.

7. Taste for seasoning. Add the black beans and cook an additional ten minutes, uncovered.

8. For the topping, stir the lime juice into the sour cream.

Fried Wontons, by Diane

I love to cook healthy foods- but every once in a while a girl needs to be bad!! And when eating poorly, there is really nothing better than fried food. This week, we made the perfect thing for such an occasion- fried wontons. These are a creation of my family's that was born several years ago. These wontons have really cheap and simple ingredients, are really fun to make (we do it as a family), and while they take some effort to fry up since we don't have a deep fryer they are definitely worth it! They are amazing hot dipped in soy sauce or wonton soup broth, but for some inexplicable reason they are even better cold once refrigerated the following day. We eat way more of these cold the next day than we do the first night hot!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground pork or chicken
1 large bunch scallions, chopped
1 small package of baby shrimp
4 tbsp. soy sauce (I love to use more than this, but this is the amount my family uses)
1 package wonton skins
Vegetable oil
Water

Directions:

1. Mix together the meat, shrimp, scallions, and soy sauce.
2. Get ready to assemble the wontons- you will need the wonton skins, the mixture, a small bowl of water, and a baking sheet.
3. Take one wonton skin, dip a finger in the water, and "paint" the edges of right and bottom side of the wonton with the water.
4. Take a small amount of the mixture and place it in the center of the wonton.
5. Close the wonton by folding it diagonally to create a triangle so that the dry edges meet the wet edges. Press the seal tightly to close, making sure there are no holes. Here is a photo of the process:

6. In a large pot, heat the oil. It should not be so hot that it burns, but hot enough to cook the wontons through. Test the oil temperature by dropping pieces of wonton skin in- if it browns very quickly or burns the oil is too hot, if it doesn't bubble at all the oil is too cool. Test the oil with a tester wonton as well before cooking a whole batch- the meat should no longer be pink on the inside and the outside of the wonton should be a golden brown.
7. Loading the wontons on the baking sheet, drop them into the oil and fry until the meat is completely cooked through. Place on a baking tray lined with paper towels to let cool.
8. Eat, eat, eat- but make sure not to eat TOO many of these (I know it's hard!), the oil can really make you sick if you're not used to eating fried foods!!! Just know that you can always have more tomorrow :)

Cuban Pork and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Stew, by Diane

One of the reasons Cheryl and I began this blog was to branch out and try new ingredients and styles of cooking, and I don't think a Jewish girl from DC could have branched any farther out than Cuban food. :) I love island food- in case you haven't noticed from my recent posts- and Cuban food is no exception. One of my favorite things about it is that it is so pleasing to the eye as well as the tastebuds- every bite is like a rainbow. I also love the simplicity of the ingredients, yet they all taste so good when combined together. Finally, Cuban food is like soul food that happens to actually be good for you, it's packed with lean proteins, fruits, and veggies.

So, last night I created an entire Cuban feast- beginning with this stew. I got the recipe from Weight Watchers actually, so it was super healthy. Not to mention easy- you throw the ingredients into a slow cooker and go about your day. I served the stew with two types of plantains (see the next post), a mango and black bean salsa, and of course, the obligatory rice and beans. All in all, this was a FANTASTIC meal and probably the one I am most proud of so far since it's so beyond my comfort zone! I went to bed full and happy! :) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pound lean pork loin, cut into 1 inch pieces
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/4 c orange juice
2 medium scallions, chopped (green parts only)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. cilantro, freshly chopped

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except the last two into a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

2. Stir in remaining two ingredients and cook covered for 5 more minutes.