Kalua Pulled Pork with Rice and Slaw

I just started watching Arrested Development on Netflix. Why didn't I know about this show sooner!? So funny.

This pulled pork is seriously delicious. It's the closest thing to real smoked meat that comes out of my kitchen, though someday David and I do dream of owning a smoker so we can make REAL barbecue (something we are always craving).

We've eaten this on homemade whole wheat buns and on rice, both with coleslaw. I'm not even normally a coleslaw lover, but this pulled pork makes me one every time I eat it.

On a more housekeeping sort of note, I had contemplated writing an e-book recently about how much weight I have lost while still eating the foods I love. However, after a lot of contemplation I have decided I'd rather do a blog series on the topic, so keep on the look-out for that in the upcoming weeks. I've already started working on it, and I hope to have the first part of the series up by the end of the month. If you are a fan of mine on facebook, you'll get the latest updates on posts here including this upcoming series.

Kalua Pulled Pork

Recipe Source: adapted ever so slightly from Favorite Family Recipes

1 (4 lb) pork roast

2 tablespoons coarse sea salt

1/3 cup liquid smoke

1/4 cup water

Using a small sharp knife, pierce the surface of the pork roast all over. Rub the pork on all sides with ALL of the sea salt. Put the water in the bottom of a large crock pot, and then put the prepared pork roast into the water. Pour liquid smoke evenly over roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. DO NOT DRAIN THE JUICE. The meat should shred really easily. Serve with rice, or on buns, and coleslaw (recipe below). We like to drizzle barbecue sauce over it.

Greek Yogurt Coleslaw

Recipe Source: adapted from Lauren's Latest

1 (14 ounce) package cole slaw mix
1 (5-6 ounce) container plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup mayo
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8-1/4 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin
3 green onions, sliced

Mix the greek yogurt, mayo, salt, pepper, vinegar, and sugar together. Stir in the cole slaw mix, red onion, and green onions. Let refrigerate one hour before serving with pulled pork.

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{Easy} Slow-Cooker Red Beans and Rice

It's no secret that I love beans. If you don't believe me you can check out this post, this post, this post and this post. This dish is my current favorite bean dish. It's so easy to throw together which I love for busy days.

If you don't like beans you should still give this a try. The long cooking time softens the beans to a point where they are flavorful, buttery, and delicious.

Slow-Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Recipe Source: © The Taste Tester

1 pound (about 2 cups) dry red kidney beans

5 cups water

5 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 (10 ounce) can rotel tomatoes

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

2 bay leaves

1 (14 ounce) package smoked turkey sausage, sliced *You could also use kielbasa
salt and pepper to taste

Follow directions on package of beans for soaking overnight.

In the morning combine the soaked beans and the remaining ingredients together in a large crock pot. Cook on high for 4-5 hours and then turn to low for 4-5 more hours. Total cooking time is 8-10 hours. For most of the cooking time the red beans will seem really brothy, but as they cook and soften they will break open a little and the starch from the beans will thicken the broth. Be sure to stir the beans every 1-2 hours.

Once the beans are finished cooking, taste them and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve over cooked rice.

Slow-Cooker Refried Beans

Oh, I'm so obsessed with beans. This recipe is so good and VERY easy, two things I absolutely love. I consider this one of my favorite lazy day meals because its just a few ingredients thrown in a crock-pot and cooked for eight hours. We eat our refried beans on {open-faced} tortillas with cheese, green onions, sour cream, salsa, and hot sauce. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, my mouth is watering right now just thinking about how delicious this simple meal is. They would also make a great side dish for any mexican feast.

These beans are not technically "refried" (in fact there is no added fat in this recipe), but you'll never be able to tell. I almost forgot: you don't have to pre-soak the dry beans!

Slow-Cooker Refried Beans

Recipe Source: adapted by The Taste Tester from 100 Days of Real Food

2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed

1 large onion, peeled and halved

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

2 bay leaves

6 cups water

Combine all ingredients in a crock-pot. Cook on high for 8 hours, stirring every couple of hours, until beans are very soft. Drain excess liquid off of beans into a bowl. Set aside. Remove onion halves and bay leaves from crock-pot and discard. Mash beans with a potato masher, returning some reserved liquid to the beans in order to reach desired consistency. Serve hot. Leftover beans freeze well.

Shared here: Totally Tasty Tuesdays @ Mandy's Recipe Box, Pin Me Fridays @ Diana Rambles, On the Menu Monday @ Stone Gable

Slow-Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

We're on vacation so I'm keeping this post sweet and simple. I'm guessing some of you readers out there have some holiday guests to feed over the next few days. Boy, have I got a simple meal idea for you: Slow-Cooker Spaghetti Sauce. All you have to do is brown some meat and throw it in a crockpot with a few other ingredients. When it gets close to dinner time just boil some pasta, make a salad, and slice up some french bread. It really doesn't get much simpler than that.

Extra bonus, this sauce is rich and succulent; everyone will love it. Even though the red pepper flakes are optional I really recommend that you add them. They don't really add heat, just more depth of flavor.

Have I ever told you that I don't like spaghetti noodles? I think it has something to do with the fact that I think of wet hair when I have spaghetti in my mouth. I'll eat any other shape of pasta, but no spaghetti for me, please (and angel hair pasta for that matter too). Hence, the mini bow tie pasta pictured here.

On an entirely different note, I will not be posting this coming Monday seeing as it is Christmas Eve and all. See you next Wednesday, December 26th! If you need meal, holiday food, or other inspiration while I am absent please feel free to visit my pinterest page.

Slow-Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, minced

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried basil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

2 tablespoons butter

Brown ground beef with onion in skillet over medium high heat until meat is cooked through. Drain excess fat off of beef and discard. Combine cooked ground beef and remaining ingredients (EXCLUDING the butter) together in crockpot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Just before serving, remove bay leaves and stir in the butter. Don't forget to add the butter, it really does make a difference (I have tasted it without before, trust me). Serve over pasta. Yield: 6-8 servings

Recipe Source: Iowa Girl Eats (I highly recommend making her O.M.G Garlic Bread along with this meal).

This week I'm partying here!

On The Menu Mondays @ StoneGable

I Gotta Try That...

This recipe was featured here: On the Menu Monday @ StoneGable

Smokey Ham and Potato Soup

It is starting to get colder here in Idaho, but not too cold. Trust me, it will get too cold. But right now I am relishing in the evenings where it is cold enough to eat soup, but warm enough to eat dinner outside on our front porch with neighbors.

This soup, right here, is perfect for early fall evenings, and probably any other time of the year to be honest. Side note: hot soups should never be eaten during the summer time. Just a thought.

This soup is warm, it's cozy, not to mention that it is smokey and savory. It's absolutely worth making.

P.S. It is also very easy to make (a huge plus in my book).

Smokey Ham and Potato Soup

Ingredients

• 4 medium potatoes, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced (about one cup)
• 10 baby carrots, sliced
• 4 cups homemade or storebought broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable broth will do)
• 1 cup 1% milk
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound fully-cooked smoke flavored ham, diced
• salt* and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Combine potatoes, onions, carrots, and broth in crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, or until potatoes are very soft.
2. Once potatoes are soft, stick an immersion blender in your crock pot and blend the soup up until about half of it is pureed, but there are still plenty of veggie chunks. If you don't have an immersion blender you can remove half of the potato mixture into a stand blender and puree it there. Then add it back to your crock pot.
3. Add remaining ingredients to crock pot. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 30 more minutes or until heated through.
4. Serve with rolls and a large green salad.

*The amount of salt you use will largely depend on the salt content of your ham and your broth.

Recipe adapted by Amanda Jenks (originally from Weight Watchers Recipes)

Yield: 12 servings

Calories per serving: 132
Fat per serving: 2 grams

I promise that you are going to love curling up with a warm bowl of this soup in the coming fall and winter months. Enjoy!

Smokey Crock Pot Chili

I have played around with multiple chili recipes of my own throughout the past few years of my life. This is by far the best chili that I have ever made or eaten. I kid you not. It will be the best chili you ever eat too. It makes great leftovers and freezes well. The unique smokey flavor is what makes this chili amazing. It is great on baked potatoes, chili dogs, frito pies and/or any other recipe you'd use chili in. Plus the crock pot does most of the work for you, so I'd say this recipe is a winner. I urge you to make this chili. You will be pleasantly surprised and pleased with the outcome.

Smokey Crock Pot Chili

1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
3 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 (15 oz) cans crushed tomatoes in puree
2 (10 oz) cans rotel tomatoes*
2 (15 oz) cans can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp chili powder**
2 tsp. cumin**
1 tsp. salt**
1/2 Tbsp. liquid smoke (or more if you'd like)***

Brown ground beef with onion, garlic, and bacon. Immediately transfer to crockpot, draining fat from meat as you scoop it into the crockpot (this is very important unless you want a lot of fat swimming on top of your chili). Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Makes 8 (1 Cup) servings. Top individual servings with sour cream and cheese.

Recipe Source: A Taste Tester Original

Serve with a big garden salad.

EASY DINNER IDEAS FOR LEFTOVER CHILI

#1 Potato Bar
Wash one potato per person. Wrap in foil and place in large crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4. Reheat Chili and serve over crock-pot baked potatoes with your favorite toppings. (We like green onions, sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese).

#2 Chili Dogs
Cook hotdogs and toast hot dog buns. Reheat chili. Serve chili over hot dogs in buns. Top with other favorite toppings (we like diced onion and cheddar cheese).

#3 Frito Pies
Cut miniature bags of Fritos open. Reheat extra chili. Spoon desired amount of chili into bags and top with favorite toppings (we like grated cheese, sour cream, green onions, pico de gallo, and shredded lettuce).

The Best Sunday Dinner

Confession. When I was typing the title of this blog I accidentally typed "The Best Sunday Sinner"... haha. I guess my finger slipped and hit the 's' instead of the 'd'. But hey, it is the best sunday dinner, even for sinners.
We had some people over for dinner on Sunday night. I had seen this recipe floating around on pinterest for a while now, and we had most of the ingredients on hand so I decided to give it a go. It was delicious.

3 Packet Pot Roast

1 (3 lb) roast
1 beef a jus seasoning packet
1 italian dressing seasoning packet
1 onion soup mix packet
5 medium potatoes, cut into thirds
1 lb baby carrots
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup water

Put all ingredients in a crock pot, and cook on low for 6-8 hours (depending on if your roast was thawed or frozen).

I made a simple gravy with the drippings from the crock pot and a slurry made with cornstarch and cold water.

Recipe Source: Several sources found on pinterest