Slow Cooker Sweet and Spicy Pork with Bok Choy

Another Real Simple recipe but this one is for your crock pot. Make sure you avoid getting carried away with the chile garlic sauce, like I did, otherwise your dinner will be too spicy to eat!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce (found in the Asian aisle of the supermarket. I would suggest maybe a 1/2 tablespoon if you are feeding children or if you don't like spicy food. This stuff is NO JOKE!)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (I used a couple shakes of cinnamon, clove and seasoned pepper)
kosher salt and black pepper
2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces (I used thick cut pork chops. A lean beef, like sirloin, could be substituted, as well.)
1 cup long-grain white/brown rice
1 medium head bok choy, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
2 scallions, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, sugar, chili-garlic sauce, ginger, five-spice powder (if using), ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the pork and toss to coat. Cook, covered, until the pork is tender, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
2. Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.
3. Meanwhile, skim off and discard any fat from the pork. Gently fold the bok choy into the pork and cook, covered, until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve with the rice and sprinkle with the scallions.

See the original recipe here!

Pork Meatballs with Sauteed Chard

I love the magazine, Real Simple. It's absolutely full of practical tips for all things home making/keeping. I have to say, though, their recipes are my favorite part! Not only do most of them contain just a few ingredients but they come together quickly and they taste great!! Recently, my sister suggested this recipe to me and while I was a little leery of the combination, I put on my big girl pants and made it. Needless to say, she was right and it was very good. So here I am, passing it on in case you want to put on your big girl/boy pants and try it too :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/4 pounds ground pork (ground turkey could easily be substituted)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (expensive but worth it!)
  
• 1/4 cup currants or chopped raisins
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 bunches Swiss chard, leaves cut into 2-inch strips (about 12 cups)
• 1 small baguette, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat broiler. In a large bowl, combine the pork, pine nuts, currants, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Form the mixture into 20 walnut-size meatballs and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil, turning once, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the garlic, stirring, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chard, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper and cook, tossing, until wilted. Serve with the meatballs and bread.

NOTE: I had to ask the butcher at Sunflower to grind up some pork for me. I could not find it at any of the stores I frequent. Not sure if this is a common problem or not!

See original recipe here!

Carrot Apple Sauce

This recipe is exactly what it sounds like, carrots blended into applesauce! My boys love it too! Tricky mommy!

INGREDIENTS:
Large handful of raw baby carrots (or regular-just peel and cut to fit in food processor)
1-2 cups of unsweetened applesauce
Cinnamon (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Puree raw carrots in food processor taking care to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 1 cup applesauce and mix. Taste and add additional applesauce if desired! Serve with cinnamon.

Note: I like to make double or triple the recipe and just keep it in the refrigerator. It's a quick and easy way to add a vegetable to any meal and it keeps forever!

Rice and Chicken Sausage

I didn't know what to call this dish, so I just went with the main ingredients :-) The previous post reminded me of this recipe and though I'm sure the end taste is pretty different the dishes both have the same idea- rice, veggies, and meat all in the same bowl!! This is an easy, tasty dinner that is really healthy! I think the original recipe (that I couldn't find) actually came from an 'Eat Clean Diet' cookbook! Plan on about an hour to get the finished product, but the prep is really easy!

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

1/2 Red Bell Pepper- diced

1/2 Small Yellow Onion- diced

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Salt

Pepper

2 Cloves Garlic-grated

1 TBS Fresh Parsley- chopped

1 Cup Brown Rice

3 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Package (4 links) Chicken Sausage (we use Trader Joe’s-Garlic Herb Chicken Sausage) diced

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

Directions: Heat about a tablespoon of Olive Oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat, add diced bell pepper, diced onion, smoked paprika and salt and pepper and cook until veggies are tender. While these things are cooking make a paste with the grated garlic and the chopped parsley on your cutting board. When veggies are done add the paste along with the rice and saute until mixed and slightly toasted. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer, cover and cook until broth is mostly absorbed (about 40-60 minutes). In a separate skillet brown your chicken sausage. When water is mostly absorbed in the rice mixture add the frozen veggies, sausage and salt to taste. Though the broth will be absorbed by the end of the cooking process the rice texture is pretty sticky. At this point I take the lid off and crank the heat to get the bottom rice a little crispy, then scoop up a big bowl and enjoy!

Easy Peasy Jambalaya

My mother in law is an amazing cook! Part of what makes her a great cook is that her skills aren't just limited to the company worthy recipes either. Now don't get me wrong, she can crank out handmade raviolis or a roast and gravy without blinking an eye! But she also can do what in my opinion makes the BEST type of cook. She can improvise! I guess years of impromptu dinner guests will do that to a woman!

Here's one of her recipes that she likes to make on grocery shopping day. You know, the day where you get home, unload the groceries, and realize it's 4:30? It comes together quickly and with minimal mess and once assembled, cooks itself!

INGREDIENTS:
2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green)
1 package kielbasa (We like Boar's Head)
2 packages Zataran's Jambalaya Mix
2 tbsp. olive oil (plus more for rice mix)

DIRECTIONS:

Over medium heat, saute diced bell peppers in 1 tbsp. of oil. Once soft remove from pan. Add additional tbsp. of oil and saute slices of kielbasa until brown on both sides. Add peppers and rice mixture and continue preparing according to the package directions. Serves 4-6.