Showing posts with label Crock Pot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crock Pot. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Cooking for the Week Ahead



As you can tell by the title of this blog, the Mr. and I see little of one another during the week with our opposite schedules. So, we love to spend the weekends not only spending time together, but also making things easier on ourselves for the week to come. We typically cook 2 or 3 meals to eat off from during the work week. The Crock Pot always comes in handy to cut down on the time we spend standing over the stove.

I saved this recipe from Cooking Light many months ago... but never got around to trying it out. This past weekend, while feeling the Asian Persuasion, I decided to pull it out and mix it up!
Not only does the Char Siu pork smell amazing while it's cooking, it comes out of the Crock Pot perfectly tender and easy to shred. We have used this meat in wraps, on top of brown rice and egg noodles. I think it would also be tasty in some Asian tacos!


Char Siu Pork (from Cooking Light magazine)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Instructions:
Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.
Place pork and marinade in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm.
Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve with sauce.
Nutrition:
Calories: 227 (38% from fat)
Fat: 9.5g (sat 3.1g,mono 3.9g,poly 1.1g)
Protein: 21.6g
Carbohydrate: 12.7g
Fiber: 0.4g
Cholesterol: 73mg
Sodium: 561mg

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

A Crock Pot Catastrophe


Sigh. So early this fall I informed you of my shiny new tool, the hinged lid Rival Crock Pot... which I was so looking forward to using with regular frequency. I am here to tell you today that Crock Pot is no longer with us. Yep, after a short life span of maybe 6 dinners, the Crock Pot cracked under pressure. Literally!

I went to stir our fancy schmancy dinner of Salsa Chicken and CRACK! The awesome hinged lid broke into a hundred pieces... falling IN to my Salsa Chicken. WTH?!?!

Luckily for Macy's, I was able to return this sorry excuse for a slow cooker and received a full refund.

We now have a new member in the family. A slightly less glamorous, but undoubtedly more reliable 6 qt. stainless Crock pot... minus hinged lid.
Life as we know it in the M house is back on track.
Cheers!
MM