Claire Tastes

Ok, so summer can officially start now. I finally made my first batch of pulled pork. Normally I don’t eat red meat, but this seemed too good to pass up. After last weekend at the Farmers’ Market, when Ben was drooling over his pulled pork and mozzarella sandwich and completely oblivious to everything going on around him, I decided that I wanted to get that reaction out of him with MY cooking! Next trip to Kroger and I found myself browsing the meat section with somewhat of a grimace on my face (ewwwww, red meat and all that FAT!) as I searched out the smallest amount of pork butt that I could find. A few minutes later, my grocery cart was 7 lbs heavier (why doesn’t Kroger make smaller cuts of meat for poor, almost-vegetarian couples- ok, wives?) and I justified the decision by telling myself I could freeze some of it.

My oh my, I could have eaten this entire crock full of magical porkiness. And I don’t even really like pork! This was so tender, juicy, and simple! Not to mention the house smelled absolutely AMAZING all day long. I cut up the shoulder the night before into large hunks, then threw it in the crock pot this morning with some garlic powder, chili powder, and jerk seasoning, added the BBQ sauce and Coke, turned it on low, and let it cook away all day! This could not have been easier.

Ok, I’ll stop telling you how it couldn’t have been easier and start telling you how easy it was! 🙂

Ingredients:

6-7 lbs pork shoulder (aka pork “butt”- hehe.)

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp chili powder, medium-hot

2 tbsp Jerk seasoning (or other spice rub)

1 bottle Coke Zero (probably about 2 cups total needed)

1 bottle BBQ sauce of your choice, plus more for sandwiches

2 yellow onions, sliced

8 hamburger buns

Shredded cheese

Directions:

Cut pork into large chunks (about 5-6″ squares or similar) the night before, trimming away excess fat, and place in a large ziplock storage bag. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, place meat into crock pot and season with garlic powder, chili powder and Jerk seasoning. Add BBQ sauce and enough Coke Zero to just about cover the meat. Top with onion. Set crock pot to low heat and cook 8-10 hours, until meat is fork tender.

Remove pork from crock pot and discard excess cooking liquid (make sure not to pour out the onions that have sunk to the bottom, though! That would be sad.) Using two forks, pull pork apart. This should be EASY. If it’s not easy, or if you’re not salivating all over yourself, something went wrong. (I don’t know what, but don’t blame me.)

Return pulled pork to crock pot, adding more BBQ sauce if desired, and turn pot to “warm” until ready to serve. Serve over hamburger buns with shredded cheese, BBQ sauce, and coleslaw to your liking! Also great with my Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Fries and Honey Balsamic Slaw!

Happy summer, everyone!

An easy dinner to use up all the odds n’ ends sitting in your fridge! We had these with some leftover gazpacho that was great for dipping (recipe to come!).

Ingredients:

4 whole wheat pita pockets

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp hummus

2 oz cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese (about a fourth of one package)

2 tsp refrigerated pesto

1 tomato, sliced thinly

Black olives, sliced

3 cups fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup white mushrooms, sliced thinly

1/2 red onion, sliced

1/2 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed

Veggies of your choosing (I used some leftover carrots, peas, and cauliflower)

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a large cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Drizzle about 1/4 tbsp olive oil on each pita and rub thoroughly until the entire top face is lightly coated. Spread with a small amount of minced garlic (I used about 1/8 tsp for each flatbread).

Heat a small skillet on medium high and swirl in about 1/2 tbsp olive oil (or cooking spray). Saute onion and mushrooms until soft, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and pesto until smooth. Microwave for 15 seconds to soften if necessary. Spread mixture on 2 of the pitas. On the remaining two, spread hummus thinly. Top each pita with sautéed spinach and onion mixture. Add tomatoes, black olives, and remaining veggies (as desired). Top with seasoning and cheese (I chose feta for the hummus-based pitas, and mozzarella for the cream cheese ones). Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, until cheese is melted.

A yummy spring recipe revisited, perfect for a light dinner on a warm day in April! Feel free to experiment with the filling and toppings- switch up the peas for lentils, the white beans for garbanzos, etc. I used fresh tomatoes from the Durham Farmers’ Market that Ben and I biked to yesterday morning. Not really tomato season, but these were still sweet and delicious!

Ingredients:

4 large tomatoes

1 can albacore tuna, in water

2 tbsp Italian dressing

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup peas

1 cup canned white beans, rinsed

bread crumbs, for topping

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Slice off the tops of the tomatoes with a serrated knife. Cut into the tomato, around the border so as to loosen up the seeds. Carefully scoop out the insides of the tomato.

Drizzle each tomato with about 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice, swirling each to coat completely. Turn upside down and allow to drain on a paper towel.

Open and drain tuna and beans. In a medium bowl, combine tuna, salad dressing, balsamic, mustard, garlic, remaining lemon juice, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese. Add peas and white beans, mashing the beans slightly for a creamier texture.

Spoon tuna filling into each tomato. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and mozzarella. Place on a tinfoil lined (and greased) baking sheet about 2 inches apart, including the tops of each tomato. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Turn broiler to high and broil for 30 sec to 1 minute, watching closely, until cheese is nicely browned and bubbly.

Serve over brown rice or spinach.