Slow Cooker Pork and Green Chile Stew

Simple and delicious. I used diced green chiles instead of whole and left out the jalapenos - it was plenty spicy with the mild Rotel tomatoes.

Slow Cooker Pork and Green Chile Stew

Mediterranean Pork Medallions

I'm always looking for a new recipe for marinating pork and this one stood out as a classic. You can either slice the pork as suggested, or if you're going to grill the meat, leave it as a whole tenderloin and marinate the entire piece. This will give it a little less flavor, but make it easier to grill.

Mediterranean Pork Medallions

Lo Mein with Pork

Quick and easy for a weeknight. I left out the mushrooms and used double the amount of snow peas. Definitely needs more soy sauce while serving.

Lo Mein with Pork

Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

EJ's Simple Ribs

Why, hello there! Have you missed me? Between vacations, the heat, and the general weariness of chasing around an active toddler all day; I haven't been cooking or baking much of anything new in the kitchen. But I'm back with a few new things!

With all the family parties and birthdays we have going on, somehow Chuck and I were able to spend the actual fourth of July by ourselves. So I wanted to make it a special meal that I wouldn't normally make for the two of us. I decided on pretty traditional ribs but went the extra mile and found a recipe to make my own rub and sauce.

These were pretty good! Chuck wants to try cooking them lower and slower in the oven next time - maybe 2-3 hours at 250 degrees instead of the recommended time and temperature in the recipe. I would also suggest leaving a LOT of time to reduce the sauce down to your desired consistency. The recipe suggests simmering for 30 minutes - I simmered for well over an hour and it still wasn't as thick as I would have liked it.

But all in all, these were good and I was pretty proud of myself for taking the time to make everything myself. I served these alongside roasted baby potatoes with ricotta and a tomato/mozzarella/pesto salad. Link to the ribs below with the rib sauce link within that:

EJ's Simple Ribs

Slow-Cooked Asian-Style Pork

This was another simple, tasty weeknight dish; pretty much just browning the meat and then combining all of the ingredients in the slow cooker. It uses a jar of sweet and sour sauce, which I have talked about before as being very salty, but I feel like this recipe made a lot more food (and some for the freezer, of course!) so that made it ok in my mind.

Also, this recipe rightly called for adding the frozen vegetables about an hour before cooking time is finished, instead of at the beginning. That keeps them crisper and brighter, as you can see in the picture above. I served this over brown rice.

Slow-Cooked Asian-Style Pork

from Cook Once, Eat Twice Slow Cooker Recipes

Makes 6-8 servings

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

1 (10-ounce) jar sweet and sour sauce

1 (16-ounce) package frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetables (broccoli, carrots, onions, red peppers, celery, water chestnuts, and mushrooms)

3 cups hot cooked rice or rice noodles

Light coat a large skillet with cooking spray (or vegetable oil); heat skillet over medium heat. Brown pork, half at a time, in a hot skillet. Do not crowd the pork in the skillet or it will steam, not brown. Drain off fat.

Place pork into 3 1/2-4 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with tapioca; pour sweet and sour sauce over pork in cooker.

Cover and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours or high heat for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. At the end of 7 to 8 hours, turn to high heat setting and stir in frozen vegetables. Cover and cook for additional 30 to 60 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Mexican Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

The flavor of slow-cooked, shredded pork is so delicious, and I love using it in Mexican-style dishes. This recipe looked very simple to prepare for the slow cooker, so when I saw it on C + C Marriage Factory I saved it right away!

I didn't really make any changes to this recipe - except that I didn't feel like buying Adobo so I looked at the ingredients in the store and found it is just a mixture of garlic powder, tumeric, and salt and pepper. So I just used a combination of those while rubbing it into the pork.

You can use the shredded pork for any number of dishes: I used it in tortillas; when you click on the link below for the recipe you can see the Christina served it over rice.

Mexican Slow-Cooked Pork Carnitas

I served this with a side of Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad. And someone else wanted to say hi :)

Pork Ragout

This dish is an old fave I got from my friend Rita. It is basically a one-pot meal (plus pasta) that is easy and comforting to make on a weeknight. The only thing that takes a little bit of time is browning all of the pork, but once that's done, you're all set!

The key here is to make everything roughly the same size - the cubed pork, the chopped onion, and the bell pepper pieces. Then it makes a very uniform sauce and you can get each flavor in every bite.

Normally I halve this recipe to serve Chuck and myself plus some leftovers, but I made the whole recipe this past time and of course froze some. Stay tuned for a later post on what's in my overstuffed freezer!

Pork Ragout

from Rita

Makes 4-6 servings

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

6 boneless, skinless pork chops, trimmed and cubed

2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 red bell peppers, coarsely chopped

splash of balsamic vinegar

chopped basil

1 package egg noodles, prepared as package directs.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute pork in hot oil until browned, remove from pan. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper to drippings in pan and saute 10 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, splash of balsamic, basil and stir to combine. Add pork back to mixture and simmer all until pork is tender and cooked through.

Serve immediately over prepared egg noodles.

Dry Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

This post is for my dad since this past weekend he asked me about the lack of meat dishes on my blog lately, like pork and beef. Well, between my aversion to certain types of food in the first trimester to Chuck's high cholesterol, I guess I haven't really been basing my meals around meat lately. But I remembered I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer and asked around on my cooking board for a yummy way to prepare it.

CLStar at Cook Like a Champion suggested her dish to me and it looked quick enough for a weeknight and delicious enough to give it a whirl, so I did! Chuck and I were pleased with this. It actually ended up being a little dry but I think that's because I need to cook meat until well done because of the babette and we all know certain meats are better when they taste a little less like shoe leather. The crust was delicious and it was simple enough to make.

I did change some herbs in the dry rub from the original recipe but I really think the ones CLStar suggests would be better so I will link you right to her recipe:

Dry Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

This is my go-to recipe for pork chops. The cheese and breadcrumbs give the chops a fantastic crust, and the flavors go with almost any side dish you choose! I served these with the Baked Orzo with Fontina and Peas and green beans with sweet and sour dressing.

I always halve the recipe that is below when cooking for just the two of us. And my chops were a wee bit thick this time as you can see in this picture:

The crust is already nice and brown but the chops are still very pink inside. Make sure you have a meat thermometer to keep checking the internal temperature - it should be at least 165 degrees F before you take them off the heat.

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

from Giada DeLaurentiis

Makes 4 servings

2 large eggs
1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil

lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl. Place the cheese in a third bowl. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

Sweet and Sour Pork

On Sunday nights I am usually too tired from all the weekend festivities to make a huge meal. So that's where the slow cooker comes in. This recipe was so simple, and I am really excited to try it again because I am going to switch up the sauce and also some of the add-ins. I'm thinking maybe Teryaki with some carrots and pea shoots.

I used pork tenderloin (as usual), and the pork came out tender and falling apart on the fork. If you have 10 minutes to prep this, I recommend making it soon!


Sweet and Sour Pork
from kraftfoods.com
Makes 6 servings

1-1/2 lb. pork loin, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) chicken broth
1 bottle (10-12 oz.) sweet and sour Sauce
1 can (8 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained (I used water chestnuts)
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 cups instant white rice, uncooked


Spray 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place pork in slow cooker and top with onion. Pour broth and sweet and sour sauce over pork and onions. Set cooker to low and cook for 6-7 hours.


Add pineapple and green pepper and white rice to mixture, mix thoroughly. Cook on low for 20 minutes more or until rice is tender.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce

This pork tenderloin is easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner and fancy and flavorful enough to make for company. I quickly put the marinade together in the morning before work, leaving almost 12 hours for the meat to sit. Browning the meat before roasting really seals in the flavor as well, and adds a lot to the terrific pan sauce that you make while the pork is in the oven.

Most recipes call for pork to register an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, which is super easy to monitor with an instant read thermometer. Mine goes right into the piece of meat and connects to the actual thermometer outside of the oven so I can keep a constant watch over it.

I served this with roasted asparagus and white beans and tomatoes. Yum!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin
from For the Love of Cooking
Makes 3-4 servings

1⁄2 cup olive oil
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoon dry mustard
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 pound pork tenderloin

Combine all ingredients and marinate for at least 3-4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a hot oven-safe skillet over medium heat, sear each side of tenderloin for 2-3 minutes.

Place in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the meat has reached 160 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Pan Sauce:

Pan scrapings from pork tenderloin
1/2 cup of chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons of pork marinade (thoroughly mixed)
1-2 teaspoons butter

Meanwhile, place the skillet back on the stove over medium heat. Add the chicken broth and scrape up all the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add the marinade and let it boil down for 2-3 minutes.

Add the butter and remove from heat stirring until butter has melted. Pour over the pork tenderloin. Enjoy.

Garlic-Studded Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider and Onions

I am so sad I didn't get more pictures of this dish once it was served, because it was so pretty AND so delicious. Krista and I made some significant changes from the original recipe for several reasons. We wanted to use the oven rather than the crock pot and we didn't need all of the extra vegetables it called for on the side. Plus, I wanted to use pork tenderloin, my new favorite cut of meat. It's so versatile and comes out moist and tender every time as long as you pay attention to the internal temperature.

Fresh herbs are a must for this particular recipe, since they are basically the only thing besides the garlic that is used to season the meat. I seared the meat in my Dutch oven, but it can also be done in a large saucepan or deep saute pan if that is all you have.

The flavors that Krista and I decided on for this really complimented the rest of the meal well - the apple cider and onion sauce really adds a nice, sweet element to the garlicky pork.

Garlic-Studded Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider and Onions
adapted from Williams-Sonoma
Makes 4-6 servings

2 1-pound pork tenderloins
10 garlic cloves, sliced 1/4 inch thick
kosher salt and coarse ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 medium sweet onion, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
12 ounces apple cider

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut 1 inch slits all over the tenderloin. Insert garlic slices into slits and generously season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the thyme, rosemary, and 4 tablespoons of the parsley with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Rub the mixture evenly onto the pork.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pork (may need to be one at a time depending on the size of your oven) and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a roasting pan and arrange the onions around and on top of the pork.

Add the wine and apple cider to the Dutch oven, bring to a boil, and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the pork and onions. Cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until internal temperature registers 170 degrees and inside is no longer pink.

Remove pork from pan and place on a cutting board to rest, covering with foil. Pour remaining sauce and onions into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn heat to low and continue to simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes. The longer you simmer this, the thicker the sauce will be.

Cut the pork into 1/4 inch thick slices and arrange on a serving platter. Top with remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley. Serve the thickened sauce alongside.

Prepped and ready to be browned...

Simmering the wine and apple cider - plus some garlic and herbs.

Broccoli and Pork Stir-Fry

So I have had this bottle of rice vinegar sitting in my fridge for awhile now:

This is not an ingredient I use often, so when I saw this recipe in Everyday Food this month, I decided to try it. I really like using pork tenderloin in things (in fact, it's one of the only cuts of pork I like at this moment in time), and broccoli always sounds good to me, so that cemented it's place on our weekly menu.

This dish was fairly easy to prep and cook - although all of my cooking times were a few minutes longer than detailed in the original recipe below. I browned my pork on both sides before taking it out of the pan the first time, since the low cooking time made me nervous. I also used only broccoli crowns and the green parts of the scallions.

The orange zest and juice really add a lot to the flavor of this dish. However, not being the fruit-at-dinner lover myself, next time I may reduce the orange juice by half and sub more soy sauce in there. I served this over brown rice.

Broccoli and Pork Stir-Fry

Everyday Food, September 2008

Makes 4 servings

1 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
1 head broccoli (about 1 pound), cut into bite-size florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced

In a medium bowl, combine orange zest and juice, soy sauce, vinegar, and cornstarch; set stir-fry sauce aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium. Working in two batches, cook pork until browned on one side, 1 to 2 minutes (pork will cook more in step 4). Transfer to a plate and set aside; reserve skillet.

Add remaining teaspoon oil, garlic, and scallion whites to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broccoli and 1/2 cup water; cover and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender and water has evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add pork (with any juices) and stir-fry sauce to skillet. Cook, stirring, until pork is cooked through and sauce has thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Top with scallion greens.

Pulled Pork

Everyone has their own way of preparing pulled pork. I have learned that in the slow cooker, less is more; meaning that the smaller number of ingredients that are used, the better the result. So this recipe for pulled pork is fairly simple, requires no advance prep time, and still comes out mighty tasty.

I prefer to buy pork tenderloin (on sale, hopefully) because I can't deal with fattier cuts of meat. Meanwhile, other people swear that other cuts (shoulder, butt, etc.) make the best pulled pork because the fat adds to the taste. I have made this numerous times with the tenderloin with great results; but please, choose whatever cut you want!

If you adjust the amounts on this, make sure that you read the instructions carefully on your slow cooker. Ideally, the cooker should be more than half full but no more than 2/3 of the way full to keep the meat tender and prevent it from drying out.

Pulled Pork
Makes about 6 servings

2 lb. pork tenderloin or cut of your choice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce

Place pork in slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Rub garlic on top of pork and place sliced onions over top. Pour barbecue sauce over to coat.

Cook on low for 7 hours. Shred with two forks and cook on low one more hour. Serve on your favorite roll!

Sweet & Tangy Pork Chops

This is a super-easy and super-quick way to make pork chops for a weeknight dinner. The sauce comes together within seconds and there is no long marinating time; although the longer you leave the rub on it, the better I'm sure it will taste! This has been adapted from a recipe I have had in my recipe file for awhile; so please let me know if it's yours!

Sweet & Tangy Pork Chops
Serves 2

2 center cut, bone-in pork chops, 1/2" thick
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

Rub garlic powder, thyme, and black pepper on both sides on the pork chops.

Combine last 4 ingredients. Mix together and reserve half of it. Baste with sauce before and during cooking. Serve with remaining sauce.

Broiling directions: Place on broiling pan and baste with sauce. Broil as close to heat as possible for 6 minutes on each side or until pork is done in the middle.

Grilling directions: Place chops on grill over medium-high heat. Grill 6 minutes on each side or until pork is done.