Crock Pot Asian Pork with Mushrooms

This is so so so delicious! It makes a ton so this is great for left overs or if you're feeding a crowd.

2 lbs lean boneless pork sirloin roast
salt and pepper
1 cup fat free chicken broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp agave or sugar
1 tsp sesame oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice(McCormick makes it but I have a bottle if you don't want to buy it)
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 Tbsp grated ginger root ( I just dump a little ginger in and it still tastes great)
8 oz sliced mushrooms

For Topping:
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Season pork on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat, spray with cooking spray, and brown pork on all sides.

In the crock pot, combine the broth, soy sauce, balsamic, sugar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, Chinese five spice, garlic, and ginger; add the pork and set the slow cooker to 8 hours on low.

Thirty minutes before the timer goes off, remove the pork and set aside to rest a few minutes; add the mushrooms to the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, shred the pork. When the mushrooms are tender, remove about 1 cup of broth and reserve if needed. Add the shredded pork to the crock pot and mix well. If adding baby spinach, add at the end and cover a few minutes until it wilts. Serve over rice and top with scallions and cilantro-these toppings really add to the flavor so I recommend not skipping them.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

1/2 Onion
1 C. carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 150z can of white beans, rinsed (cannellini or navy)
3 c. fat free chicken broth or vegetable broth(I use vegetable)
1 oz chunk of good parmesan cheese rind(I left this out and still tasted great)
1 fresh rosemary sprig
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
salt and pepper
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups fresh or frozen(thawed) spinach
2 cups cooked small pasta like ditalini or elbows
Extra parmesan cheese to top

Rinse and drain the beans. Puree beans with 1 cup of broth in a blender(I actually prefer my beans whole so I skip the puree step)

Ina crock pot, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, parmesan rind, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Forty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Add cooked pasta, cook 10 min. more. Remove bay leaves and rosemary sprig, parmesan rind and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and serve with extra parmesan cheese.

Very hearty and the whole family(Avery excepted) loves it.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

This recipe is taken from my new favorite website skinnytaste.com What I especially love about this recipe is the portion control. Each roll is one serving so there's no guessing or blatantly ignoring the serving size and over eating. Also, the whole family loved them so that is a huge plus too!

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
32 oz tomato sauce
9Tbsp part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine spinach, ricotta, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup of sauce on bottom of a 9 by 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3c. of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle Sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 Tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

*Because the recipe calls for fat free ricotta and part skim mozzarella, I would add chopped basil or other Italian herbs to the spinach mixture to give the flavor a little more kick.

Winter Veggie Bisque

Fall. Time to round up the squash and start eating soup again (try to ignore the few hot days we're going to get at the end of the week). This is the soup I made last spring for Stephanie's birthday lunch. It is so easy and delicious. The recipe is from Family Circle magazine.

Fall Veggie Bisque

1 large onion, peeled and halved
1 granny smith apple, peeled and cored
3 carrots, trimmed and peeled
2 TBS unsalted butter
2 packages frozen cooked squash, thawed
3 cups vegetable broth
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 heavy cream (this is really optional- or at least substitutable)

Shred veggies. Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add shredded veggies and cook until softened, about 7 minutes.

Stir in squash, broth and spices. Bring to a boil on high heat then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.

Puree using an immersion blender or a regular blender. Return to pot and add cream (or not). Gently heat though and serve.

Follow up with some good bread, some hot cider and a sweater. Welcome back fall!

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Disclaimer: I haven't made these myself. But I had the ones my sister-in-law made for dinner tonight and they were fantastic. I asked her for the recipe and I thought I'd just post it directly here.

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
3 slices bacon
2 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 c. salsa or picante sauce
1 can (16 oz.) black beans (the recipe says not to drain them, but I would drain them and then add some water)
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sliced green onions
12 flour tortillas (soft taco size)
1 1/2 c. shredded monterey jack or mexican blend cheese

Toppings:
Shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, green onions, and avocado slices

Cut chicken into short, thin strips. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towel, crumble. Pour off all but a couple tablespoons bacon drippings, cook and stir chicken and garlic in drippings until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in 1/2 c. salsa, black beans, red pepper, cumin, and salt. Simmer until thickened, 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in green onions and reserved bacon. Spoon heaping 1/4 c. bean mixture down center of each tortilla, top with about a tablespoon of cheese. Roll up, place seam side down on lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Spoon remaining 1 c. salsa evenly over enchiladas. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Top with remaining cheese, return to oven for about 3 minutes. Top as desired.

Mushroom and Edamame Risotto

Risotto used to intimidate me because they make it on one of those TV shows with the very angry chef who yells at the contestants when they (almost always) ruin the risotto. But, turns out, it is not so hard. The edamame provides some nice protein to this yummy vegetarian recipe.

2 TBS olive oil
8 oz sliced white mushrooms (or baby portabella)
1 pound frozen edamame
3 cups vegetable broth mixed with 11/2 cups water
1 small onion, finely chopped
11/3 cups arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine (I think I used more stock)
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Cook edamame, cool, shell (if necessary), and add to mushrooms.

Place broth and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

In a large saucepan, heat remaining oil over medien heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until rice is coated in oil. Cook for one minute, stirring. Add wine (or whatever) and cook until absorbed (about 1 minute).

Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring until broth is absorbed. Repeat 1/2 cup at a time until the broth is gone.

Gently reheat the mushroom and edamame. Stir into the rice and remove from heat. Stir in the pepper and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Divide among four bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Golden Rice Cakes with Sweet Potato-Ginger Sauce

I'm not gonna lie. This is labor intensive. But it's SOOOOOO good!! It comes from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons.

Rice:
3 tablespoons canola or corn oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Sweet Potato-Ginger Sauce
1 medium sweet potato (about 3/4 pound)
14 ounces coconut milk
1/2 cup water or orange juice (I used OJ and it was noticeable)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 scallions, both green and white parts, coarsely chopped, and 2 scallions, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten

1. In a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola or corn oil with the garlic over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the jasmine rice, and stir constantly for 1 minute more. Add the water and salt. Bring the rice to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook the rice for 15 minutes. Transfer the rice to a large bowl, and let it cool for 15 minutes.

2. While the rice cooks, cut the sweet potato into thirds. Place the pieces in a pot, and cover them with cold water. Bring the potatoes to a boil, and cook them until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain them, and let them cool.

3. In a saucepan, bring the coconut milk, the water or orange juice, and the minced ginger almost to a boil, then turn the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

4. Slip the skin off the cooled sweet potato, and puree the flesh with the coconut-ginger liquid in a blender or food processor. Pour the sweet potato puree back into the saucepan, and add salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm.

5. Mince the carrot, the red pepper, and and the coarsely chopped scallions in a food processor. Add half of the jasmine rice and the 2 beaten eggs, and run the machine in spurts until the mixture has a mealy consistency. Put this mixture back into the bowl with the rest of the jasmine rice, and mix well. Put half of this mixture into a clean bowl.

6. Heat two skillets or a large griddle over medium-high heat. Divide the remaining canola or corn oil between the skillets, or spread it all on the griddle. Divide the rice mixture in each bowl into thirds. Form each of the six parts into a ball, then place each ball in a skillet or on the griddle, and pat the ball down to form a cake about 1 1/2 inches thick. Fry the cakes for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until they are golden brown.

7. Reheat the sauce, and ladle it onto plates. Place a rice cake on each plate, and top with the finely chopped scallions.

Variations: To make this entree heartier, embellish it with some pan-fried tofu. Or rest the rice cake on some spinach that has been pan-fried in olive oil and formed into a round slightly larger than the rice cake, and ladle the sauce around the spinach.