Friday, June 27, 2014

6-Ingredient Pork and Cabbage Stew

Pork and cabbage pair so well together! I had some leftover pork loin in the freezer and wanted to just throw a quick stew together to simmer all day while I worked on homework. This turned out amazing!


Ingredients
1) 2 pound pork loin, pork butt or pork tenderloin
2) 1/2 to 1 small head of cabbage, shredded
3) 1-1.5 pounds of carrots, sliced into discs or diced
4) 2-3 green peppers, diced
5) 1 onion, diced
6) 2 cups of beef stock, chicken stock, or water (I actually had 2 cups of leftover broth after making some ribs, so I used that)
Extra: Salt and Pepper

Instructions
1) Get out your crockpot.
2) Chop up your veggies.
3) Place all your carrots, onions, and green peppers in the crockpot. Add in 1/2 of your shredded cabbage (this should fill up your entire crockpot, basically). Mix to distribute the veggies.
4) Take your pork and bury it in the bottom of the mixed veggies. Season with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper.
5) Cook on low for 10-12 hours, stirring every 3-4 hours if you can, to help the veggies on top get cooked too.
6) After about half your cooking time is done, the veggies should have shrank and you should be able to add in the remainder of your cabbage if you'd like. You could omit this and it would still be delicious.
7) Continue to cook until you reach at least 10 hours. You could cook as long as you'd like, it will just get better and better! I started it first thing in the morning, around 7am and it was ready for a late dinner. Once done cooking, take two forks and shred your pork into your stew. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!


Friday, June 20, 2014

Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Chicken Stew

Do you like all the green vegetables? Well this dish throws them into one pot and allows them to cook up together and become something tasty. My boyfriend says this is one of the best dishes I've ever made! If you like more bite to your broccoli and brussels sprouts, add then in later in the cooking process, or cook the whole thing for less. This is perfect for a weekend, because it involves a little pre-cooking, and only needs to slow cook for 4 hours.

Ingredients
1) 2 pounds of raw chicken thighs, diced (or breasts)
2) 2 tablespoons of cooking oil of your choice (coconut oil, ghee, tallow, etc)
3) 1 onion, diced
4) 3 cups of broccoli florets, chopped
5) 1-2 pounds of brussels sprouts, sliced in half or roughly chopped
Extra: Salt & Pepper or seasoning of your choice

Instructions
1) Heat up a large skillet over medium heat. Add your cooking oil, and then add your diced chicken.
2) Chop up your onion, and add it to the cooking chicken. Let cook for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is browned and the onions are softened. Season with salt and pepper, or any other spices you'd like. I did about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper, but have also added rosemary garlic seasoning and that was delicious too!
3) In the mean time, chop up your broccoli and brussels sprouts and add them to your slow cooker.
4) Once your chicken and onions have cooked 10-15 minutes, add them to the slow cooker with the raw veggies, and mix to incorporate. Cook on low for 4 hours.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Roasted Veggie Side Dish

I make 90% one-pot meals in this house, so we don't normally have to worry about a vegetable side dish. But we've started doing a nice, sit-down, Saturday night meal together that's not from the crockpot. We cook it together and it's really nice. We have been alternating between steamed salmon, pork cutlets, and chicken thighs for our protein, but usually always end up with roasted carrots for our side. I picked up some delicious looking broccoli and cauliflower at Costco this week and wanted to try and add a little variety to our Saturday night meal.

These were delicious. Like SERIOUSLY. Roasting vegetables just makes them taste so much better. So much so that my dog actually ate a couple pieces of the leftover cauliflower from this. My dog does not like vegetables very much, but apparently she changed her tune when we roasted them. And now we feed her roasted carrots for a treat instead of other, processed treats. This is a win for everyone!

Ingredients
1) 2 large handfuls of fresh broccoli (about 3 cups)
2) 2 large handfuls of fresh cauliflower (about 3 cups)
(Or you can use 6 cups of just one type)
3) 1 tablespoon cooking oil of your choice (coconut oil, ghee, duck fat, tallow...)
4) 1/4 teaspoon of salt
5) 1/4 teaspoon seasoning of your choice (cumin, curry, chili powder, 5 spice, etc)
I used ghee and chili powder for this version

**Servings: 2-4

Instructions
1) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2) Add your vegetables to a large bowl, and add your oil. Mix well, and then sprinkle your seasonings on top.
                                    

3) Place your coated vegetables onto a lined cookie sheet (you a silicon mat, or parchment paper, or tin foil). Spread out evenly.
4) Roast for 15 minutes at 425. Then use a spatula to flip/stir the veggies.
5) Roast for another 10-20 minutes, depending on how cooked/tender you like your veggies. I cooked these about 30 minutes total.