Cranberry Pulled Pork in the Crockpot

When the outside temperatures get nippy, I love to get out my crockpot. I am not sure why I equate slow cooking with cooler weather, but I sure do.  I not only used it one day this last week to prepare this Cranberry Pulled Pork, but also the next… to cook up a turkey carcass that was in the freezer for Homemade Turkey Broth to make soups and sauces over the next few weeks.  I should actually have made that broth first, then I could have used it in this recipe!

I have always loved pork with fruit… apples, peaches, and yes, cranberries.  The flavors just go so well together.  This Pork Medallions with Apples and Cranberries is an old favorite. 

This time I decided to leave out the apples and just go with cranberries.  It is lovely and the balsamic vinegar gives just enough sweetness to the dish.  I was tempted to add garlic, but am glad I didn’t.

I used a lean pork loin roast that weighed just over 2 pounds. If you find a nice tenderloin, just reduce the amount of the other ingredients. It’s not rocket science, and you can’t really go wrong here.

I like to make a dish like this and then freeze it in individual or family-size portions so that I can put dinner together quickly on days I am working, or when I just don’t really feel like cooking much.  If you like, add some potatoes or rice, or just a vegetable or a salad, and you have a hearty and delicious meal.

Cranberry Pulled Pork in the Crock Pot
Makes 14 four-ounce servings

• 2-lb pork loin roast, trimmed of all fat
• 1 cup onion slices
• 1 cup chicken or turkey broth
• 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup dark balsamic vinegar
• 2 or 3 tsp dried oregano

1. Lightly coat the inside of your crockpot with a non-stick spray or oil spray to make cleaning up easier.
2. Brown all the outer edges of the pork roast in a saute pan over MEDIUM-HIGH heat for a few seconds. This is to seal in the juices so don’t skip doing this step.
3. Spread the onion slices over the bottom of the crock pot, followed by the cranberries.
4. Place the browned pork roast on top. and then sprinkle with the dried oregano.
5. Pour the broth over the top of the roast, followed by the balsamic vinegar.
6. Cover and let simmer on LOW for up to 8 hours.
7. Remove the lid, and turn the heat OFF.
8. With 2 forks, slowly pull the roast apart, mixing in the broth and the cranberries as you do.
9. Measure out 4 ounces of the mixture for each serving.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 121; Protein 16g; Carbohydrate 4g; Fat 4g; Fibre 1g.

Printable Recipe

What’s your favorite crockpot meal?

You Don't Have to Be a Foodie to Enjoy a Good Vinegar...

There is hardly a day goes by without my digging into a salad of some kind.  My lunch is usually a very large huge plateful of salad with some lean protein for staying power, topped by a tasty dressing… and my dinner plate often has a salad of some kind on it as well.

It isn’t seasonal for me. I am not one who starts to crave fresh, crunchy veggies when the weather starts to warm up… perhaps because I live in a Mediterranean climate where the temps are fairly moderate all year long. I love fresh, raw, crunchy veggies all year round.  And in mass quantities.

My salads do vary a great deal from day to day, and week to week. I tend to get into a groove with a particular taste or ingredient and enjoy it to the fullest before moving on to the next.  For example, a few weeks ago, most of my salads had some capers and green olives on them with some light feta that I found at Trader Joe’s last time we crossed the border. 

And sometimes my concoctions get quite creative when I have bits and pieces in the fridge that need to be used up.  Do you do that too?

My salads usually start out with some mixture of greens: romaine, spinach, chard… and sometimes I have mixed greens that come pre-washed in cello bags.  I also like a bit of cabbage, and the pre-packed slaws and broccoli slaws are a favorite.  I love those little English cucumbers, green onions, white mushrooms, and grape tomatoes.

Then I add some protein: canned tuna, chicken, wild salmon, sardines, or leftover chicken, pork, roast beef, or even slivers of lean deli ham.  Hard boiled eggs are a favorite, and I might opt for cheese occasionally too.  Feta is usually my favorite.

I like to change the flavor and the crunch factor with little extras such as capers, olives, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds,hemp seeds, or even slices of fruit such as pears, strawberries and blueberries… I have even been known to toss in chunks of cooked leftover squash or a few green peas occasionally. 

My salads are often very simple… and other times quite elaborate.  The sky is the limit!

And I have thrown all the 'rules' about what goes with what out the window.  For instance, I thought I would never put tomatoes and fruit in the same salad, but when in Colorado this past Summer, I ordered a Chicken and Raspberry Salad from a golf course lunch menu, and it came with cherry tomatoes. And I loved it.  Who knew?

I have found a few commercially prepared dressings that I like…. Trader Joe’s has a couple and so does Kraft… I have even been known to choose Wishbone fat free Blue Cheese... (sssshhh!) but for the most part, I like to make my own dressing.  And the ingredients I choose will depend on the items in the salad.  If I use an oil, it will be a light extra virgin olive oil or perhaps a light grape seed oil that has little to no flavor of its own.  I also have a little stash of flavored oils that my friend Kate gave to me a while ago.

And I love to use flavored vinegars.  Open my pantry door and you will find a good variety: apple cider, red wine, light and dark balsamics, rice, raspberry, and even white…. and lately a couple of new stars on the shelf that I am very excited to tell  you about. 

They are Cucumber Blush Vinegar and Morning Meadow Honey Vinegar, 2 of the many flavors that are handcrafted by Mr. Vinegar… a home-based operation in Hamilton Ontario.  I was thrilled when Joyce (would she be Mrs. Vinegar?) offered to send me some… and I have been enjoying them immensely ever since.

These bottles are 155ml in volume… that is about 5 to 6 ounces for my American friends.

I chose to try the Cucumber Blush Vinegar first.  It is their best seller.  Mr. Vinegar describes it thus:

“100% whole cucumbers are pureed and then fermented fully with Merlot. A precise balance offering fresh spring like flavours with Merlot at the front and crisp late after notes of cucumber on the finish. Oak aged.”

Looks like wine!

I chose to use it on a simple salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and white onion slices over a bit of cottage cheese… no oil… just spooned a bit of the vinegar over the top. I thought that would be a true test of of the taste.

Look at the beautiful color.

A bit of pepper and voila!  Lovely.

I have also used it several times mixed with a bit of EVOO.  I particularly like it on salads with feta cheese.

And I have also added a spoonful to a chilled glass of Mott’s Garden Cocktail… makes a lovely non-alcoholic cocktail!

I chose to try the Morning Meadow Honey Vinegar over a salad that has fruit in it.  From the Mr. Vinegar web site:

“100% pure Ontario Honey is first fermented into a quality Meade. It is then fermented to very high quality honey vinegar and aged in Apple Wood. Honey flavours at the front and lasting wild flower after notes.”

Golden nectar!

I made a lovely lunch salad with a few well-chosen ingredients that I thought would go nicely with the slight sweetness of the vinegar… spinach leaves, white onion, ripe pear, light feta, and a few pecans.  Drizzled the Morning Meadow Honey Vinegar over the top.

Mmmmmm.

And I have also mixed it with EVOO and enjoyed it over other salads with berries, too.  It is truly special.

The Captain is not normally a vinegar fan but he really likes both of these because they are light and tasty.. not the normal over-tart or sometimes even sour taste that we tend to associate with commercially-made vinegars.

All of the vinegars in the line-up take at least a year to make.  And Mr. Vinegar has won 17 international awards… 2 of them being double gold.  It’s not hard to see and taste why. They do not contain sulphites, colouring, or artificial ingredients.

So, where can you find Mr. Vinegar, to learn more about the company, see the growing line of products (yes, there is a mustard now, too) and get your hands on some for yourself?

Check the web site…  Mr. Vinegar … you can order directly from there.  

And do look for them at The One of a Kind Christmas Show in Toronto from November 27th through December 7th, 2014.  You can also find Mr. Vinegar at FEAST in Toronto, on Queen Street West.

Here is Mr. Vinegar himself… Roger Lambert. Picture from

The Christmas One of a Kind Show web site.

Are you a fan of flavored vinegars?  Have you a favorite?

Simple Summer Salad

It is hot here this Summer!

The great thing about that, aside from enjoying the sunshine and blue sky, it makes me want to eat a bit less, and a lot lighter.

This simple Summer Salad is an old favorite. I can remember my Mother making it for the family on hot Summer nights.  I have been enjoying it ever since.  It is simple and nutritious, and quite pretty, too.  It can be made several hours ahead if you like, and kept cold. It is a great picnic take-along too. Make up a big batch; just keep it on ice till it’s time to eat.

I love the crunchiness of the veggies, and the small zing of the white vinegar is just the right touch for this light and cool side dish.

 

Summer Salad
Makes 2 servings

• 1 medium tomato, core removed, sliced
• 4 or 5 very thin slices of white onion. separated into rings
• 1 small cucumber, sliced very thin
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 4 Tbs white vinegar
• Dashes of salt and pepper

1. Layer the veggies in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
2. Mix the olive oil and white vinegar together in a small bowl and spoon over the veggies.
3. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes.
4. Stir and refrigerate another 20 minutes.
5. Divide into 2 small serving bowls and serve cold.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 1.
Calories 63; Protein 1g; Carbohydrate 6g; Fat 5g; Fibre 1g.

Layer the prepared veggies in a wide bottomed bowl.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on them.

Spoon the marinade over the top.

Stir part way through the cooling process to make sure all veggies are being coated with marinade.  If you are leaving refrigerated for a few hours, do this a couple more times.

Divide into serving bowls and enjoy!

Printable Recipe

What’s your favorite simple Summer salad?

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Tender and Juicy Balsamic Crock Pot Chicken

I don’t think of using the crock pot to cook chicken breasts very often but when I saw this recipe a week or so ago on a blog called Run to Munch, I knew it was a keeper and so I pinned it.. and finally made it.  The Captain and I  both liked it, A LOT and I am sure it will be a favorite in my kitchen for years to come.

Who doesn’t love easy crock pot dishes?  And especially when made with ingredients you likely already have on hand?

I thawed 2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts and cut them in half to make up this dish…. the prep took about 15 minutes, and 4 hours later we were sitting down to the most tender chicken I have ever eaten.  Absolutely delicious.  The sauce is really tasty but not overpowering.

I  did leave out the olive oil. Instead, I lightly coated the bottom of my crock pot with a non-stick spray… but followed the rest of the recipe and the instructions as written.  You can find them here.

As I made it up the N.I. per serving is as follows:
Weight Watchers P+ = 6.
Calories 246; Protein 35g; Carbohydrate 6g; Fat 9g; Fibre 1g.

I stored the leftovers in the fridge and heated them up in the mike for a quick meal a couple of days later.  Just as good; just as tender.

Served with roasted kabocha squash and Frenched green beans…

 

 

The sauce is so tasty.

 

 

The Captain enjoyed his on an oven roasted white potato.

 

 

Have you cooked chicken in your crock pot?

Using Flavored Oils and Vinegars

A couple of weeks ago I received a lovely little gift package in the mail... a sampling of a couple of different olive oils, and a balsamic vinegar, from one of my online Weight Watcher friends who lives in Ontario, Canada.



Persian Lime EVOO, Harissa EVOO, Bluberry Balsamic Vinegar

 

 



I was thrilled that Kate thought to send these beautiful little bottles of exotic oils and vinegar to me, but I admit I have been a bit intimidated by them and was hesitant to try them out... until just recently.

The Captain and I went out for a 2 hour walk in the sunshine on Friday morning.  We kept up a good brisk pace as we trekked along the waterfront pathway above the Strait of Juan de Fuca, then around the point into the Inner Harbour, where we stopped and had a bit of a snack... apples and cashews... then carried on through the Harbour to China Town and then completed the circle back at our front door.

We were both very hungry when we arrived home... The Captain's mouth was watering for some Chinese Food, so I prepared a big saucepan full of udon noodles, cut up onions, shredded cabbage and some slivers of leftover cooked pork roast, all in a nice broth.. then set to work on a big salad for me.

I have been daydreaming about a delicous spinach salad that I had at an Ikea store in Vancouver several months ago, and I had a hunch that I could come up with something similar using the Blueberry Balsamic vinegar.  And I was right!

I mixed 1 tsp of EVOO with 2 tsp of the vinegar in a little bowl and then tasted it.  It was sweet and thick and kinda syrupy and just wonderful!

So I put togther my salad...  I started with a bed of spinach and black kale mixture, then slices of leftover baked chicken breast, some dried cranberries and a couple of tablespoons of almond slivers that I had quickly toasted in a non-stick pan on the stove while prepping the Captain's soup. Then I drizzled that EVOO/vinegar mixture over the top and sat down to thoroughly enjoy the best salad I have had in ages.

Every bite was absolutely delightful and I oohed and aahed all the way through lunch.  The Captain even said he could smell the blueberries from the vinegar across the table!

 

Now I am so excited to try out the oils, too... these little bottles have opened my eyes to a whole new world of flavors.. thanks so much, Kate!

 

 

Have you tried Persian Lime EVOO or Harissa EVOO?

 

Do you use flavored oils and vinegars in your cooking?  What's your favorite?