Slow Cooker Boneless Pork Ribs

Look at these beauties.  These ribs were finger-lickin' good.  They were so tender, they hardly made it out of the Crock Pot without falling apart. We devoured these in minutes and will be sure to make these again.  You can serve these with extra BBQ sauce, if you like.  Although, we thought they turned out perfect with just a dash of salt and pepper.  If you have leftovers, you can also shred the pork to make BBQ pork sandwiches.  Delish!  


Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 lbs boneless pork ribs, rinsed
• 1 {18 oz} bottle BBQ sauce {I prefer Trader Joe's Bold and Smoky Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce}
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• salt and pepper, to serve

1. In a 4 quart or larger Crock Pot, combine all ingredients and toss to mix together.  
2. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 9 hours, or High for 5 to 6 hours.  
3. When serving, remove ribs with tongs carefully, leaving juices in Crock Pot to discard. 
4. Sprinkle ribs lightly with salt and pepper to serve, if desired. 

Enjoy!

Soy Lemon Broccolini

I needed a quick and easy veggie side for dinner tonight and this came to mind.  They turned out fabulous.  The lemon and soy together gives it a great, subtle flavor.  I am usually a salt fanatic, but the soy sauce gives it just enough saltiness so there really is no need to pull your salt shaker out.  But, you decide.  I served these along side boneless pork ribs and rice and our plates were wiped clean.


Ingredients:

• 1 bunch broccolini {about 8 to 10 pcs}, rinsed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• pepper
• {tin foil}

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  
2. On a large sheet of tin foil {large enough to wrap and tent broccolini}, place rinsed broccolini in center of foil.  
3. Drizzle olive oil, soy sauce and lemon juice over broccolini pieces evenly.  Using your hands, lightly toss on foil to evenly distribute.  
4. Sprinkle with desired amount of pepper.  
5. Wrap foil over broccolini to tent, gathering sides together securely and tightly! 
6. Place in preheated oven {carefully} for 10 to 15 minutes, or until desired tenderness.  

Enjoy!

Panko Breaded Chicken with Greek Yogurt

This is almost so simple, I debated on even posting it. Yet, because it is SO easy and calls for almost nothing, I just had to share.  Most breaded chicken recipes call for eggs and flour and I wanted to do things a little differently tonight.  I decided to use the last bit of greek yogurt in the fridge and these breaded chicken breasts turned out fabulous.  ALL of my children ate this chicken and enjoyed it {now that is definitely something to talk about}....


Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and trimmed of any fat
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 cups Italian panko bread crumbs
• dash of salt, {if desired}

• {Yep, that's it!}

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking sheet.  
2. Rinse each chicken breast and pat dry.  Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, add Greek yogurt.  
4. In another mixing bowl, add panko bread crumbs and a dash of kosher salt, {if desired}. 
5. Roll each chicken breast in the Greek yogurt, until you have a nice layer on each side.  
6. Then, roll the yogurt covered chicken breast in the bread crumbs, until saturated on each side.
7. Place each chicken breast on lightly greased baking sheet.  Repeat for each chicken breast.
8. Place in oven {uncovered} for 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center.  

Enjoy!

Spicy Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I have been craving chicken wraps for some time now and it didn't look like we would be visiting a restaurant that served them for awhile, so I decided I better step up and make my own.  I adapted this recipe from a Better Homes and Gardens mag I had, but changed it up a bit. These were incredible and are healthier than most you will find dining out.  I decided to use butter lettuce over iceburg, as I know P.F. Chang's usually serves theirs with iceburg.  I thought the butter lettuce was much better, but you decide.  I also like {and you will, too} that this is a low-cal recipe that is so easy to make. This recipe will make many wraps, so if you are only cooking for a few people, halve this recipe and use only one head of lettuce.  Serve as an appetizer or entree.  Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs uncooked ground chicken breast
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame {soy beans}
• 1 cup shredded carrots {I buy pre-shredded bag of carrots}
• 5 green onions, white parts only
• 1 {8 oz} can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 4 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce, {plus extra, to top}
• 2 tsp reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
• 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp chili paste
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp pepper {use 1/4 tsp for less spice}
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 or 2 heads butter lettuce
• 1 or 2 avocados, sliced, to top

 

1. Combine all ingredients {minus butter lettuce leaves and avocados}, in Crock Pot.  Using a spatula or spoon, break up meat and stir all ingredients together to mix well.  
2. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours, stirring every 1 or 2 hours to break up meat.  
3. Serve a scoop of chicken mixture atop each butter lettuce leaf.  Top with avocado slices and drizzle with soy sauce.  Wrap, roll or fold each filled butter leaf to serve.

Enjoy!

Arrabiata Meatballs with Tomatoes and Basil

It's Super Bowl Sunday!  We decided to keep it a mellow one at home, as we had a fun-filled weekend with family and friends, birthday parties and sports games.  My son invited a few of his friends over, so I made sure to make enough food to feed a houseful of hungry boys.  First on the menu, these amazing meatballs with arrabiata sauce, diced tomatoes and fresh basil. These were so incredibly easy to make and {more importantly}, I love that the Crock Pot did all the work! This is a great appetizer {or entree if you like}, to serve for Game Day or any group gathering.  You can serve these as an appetizer with toothpicks, in a pasta bowl with parmesan on top or over a bed of pasta noodles.
Good luck to the Patriots and Giants!!

Ingredients:

• 1 {20 oz} pkg pre-cooked/frozen mini party size meatballs {I use Trader Joe's frozen meatballs}
• 1 {25 oz} jar arrabiata sauce {I use Trader Joe's arrabiata sauce, but any favorite of yours will do}
• 1 {14.5 oz} can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 {6 oz} can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/8 tsp pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a 4 quart {or larger} Crock Pot.  Stir until well blended. 
2. Cover and cook on High for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  
3. Serve with toothpicks as a party appetizer, as an entree topped with parmesan cheese, or on top of a bed of spaghetti noodles.  

Enjoy!

Spicy Honey Mustard and Herb Pork Loin Roast

This was so good... The combination of the honey, mustard, pepper and herbs made this marinade a definite keeper. It is definitely worth the few hours of cooking. I dressed this roast up and made it look like a million bucks {and I only paid 5 for it}.  It was the special of the week at my local market; and I just couldn't pass it up.  This marinade is absolutely amazing...I love it and so does my husband.  This is a recipe I will definitely be making again.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs pork loin roast
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp pepper
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  With a knife, cut slits in your roast and place on a roasting pan. 
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine honey, olive oil, Dijon, pepper, rosemary, thyme, oregano and salt.  Mix well.
3. Brush half of the honey mixture all over roast {setting remaining mixture aside}.  Work the honey mixture into slits.  
4. Place roast in oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.  
5. Turn oven down to 300 degrees. 
6. Bake roast in preheated oven for 1 hour. 
7. Remove roast from oven and turn roast over.  Brush the remaining honey mixture over roast.  
8. Return roast to oven and bake for another 45 to 60 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  
9. Remove from oven and cover with foil.  Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. 
10. Slice as you like and serve.

Enjoy!

Teriyaki Chicken Thighs with Sesame Seeds

This is a quick and easy recipe for teriyaki chicken. You can either marinate this chicken or prepare it right before you cook. You can have this dish on the table in 30 minutes or less. I whipped this chicken up in no time and served it with couscous and spinach. It was a healthy meal with a lot of flavor. 

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, rinsed
• 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
  
• sesame seeds, to top

1. In a large ziploc bag, combine teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, kosher salt, garlic powder and ground pepper. Zip and shake well to mix.
2. Place rinsed chicken pieces into bag and shake again to saturate. Marinate for at least 5 minutes {or place in fridge for longer marinating time}.
3. In a large non-stick stove-top skillet over medium-high heat, arrange chicken thighs evenly in pan with marinade. Cook chicken pieces for 8 to 10 minutes on one side, then flip chicken pieces over and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Sprinkle chicken pieces with sesame seeds and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Honey-Dijon Salmon with Walnuts

This is one of my new favorite ways to do salmon. The honey and dijon mustard gave the salmon just the perfect amount of flavor and the walnuts top this recipe off.  The few honey-dijon recipes that inspired me called for butter and bread crumbs, this is a lower-cal version that I put together my way. The olive oil and honey dilute the dijon just enough, so the mustard is not too overbearing and, with the honey, it is the perfect amount of sweet. I will be having this again for lunch today and I am sure I will be making this again very soon, as it was a hit. Just like most of my recipes, this was quick and easy and so, so good.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs salmon, rinsed and cut into fillets {or 4 or 5 pre-cut salmon fillets}
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard {I prefer Grey Poupon}
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp dried parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a shallow baking sheet with foil {large enough to wrap/cover salmon}.
2. Arrange prepared salmon fillets {skin side down} centered on foiled baking sheet. Set aside.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine Dijon mustard, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper. Stir until well blended.
   
4. In another bowl, mix together chopped walnuts and parsley.  Mix together while crushing any larger walnut pieces.  
5. Brush each salmon piece generously with honey mustard mixture.  Sprinkle the top of each fillet with walnut mixture evenly. 
6. Wrap ends of foil around salmon fillets to create a tent.  {Scrunch all ends together, securing all sides, making sure foil is not touching the tops of the fish}. 
7. Place in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until salmon flakes evenly with a fork.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken-Apple Sausage with Roasted Veggies

Wow, this was good. I was craving this exact dish and to my surprise, it turned out even better than what I thought I was craving. This is one of our new favorites - not only is it full of flavor, it's healthy, and it's what I like to call a 'skinny crock pot' recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients:

• nonstick cooking spray
  
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced into wedges
• 2 cups grape tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp pepper
  
• 5 {pre-cooked} chicken-apple and walnut sausages {1 pkg}
• sweet-hot mustard, for dipping

1. Coat a 4 quart {or larger} Crock Pot with cooking spray.
   
2. Combine bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, oregano and pepper in Crock Pot. Mix well until veggies are saturated with olive oil and spices.
   
3. Add sausages to Crock Pot, placing sausages on top of veggies.
   
4. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours, or High for 3 to 4 hours.
5. To serve, place sausage on plate or in shallow bowl. Smother sausage with veggies. Spoon extra juices from Crock Pot over sausages and veggies.
   
6. Dip sausages and veggies in sweet-hot mustard.
   

Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This is one of my Mom's famous holiday recipes. She has made this cake for many years, especially around the holidays. It's funny, growing up, I never liked this cake because it had zucchini and nuts in it and I thought that made it 'weird'. {Really, I never gave it a chance}. Now, I can't imagine what in the world I was thinking?! All those years I was just missing out on this amazing cake and I kick myself. I keep telling my kids the same thing, that they are only going to realize what they missed out on later because they are so picky. Although, my kids really enjoyed this cake {I just failed to mention that there is 1 pound of zucchini in it}. You must try this, it is oh-so-good...

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 medium zucchini {about 1 lb}, grated
• 3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 lb {2 1/3 cups} light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 4 eggs
• 2 squares {1 oz. each} unsweetened bakers chocolate, melted
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans

For Glaze {directions below}:

• 1 cup confectioners powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened
• 2 Tbsp light corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• Dash of salt

1. Grate zucchini to equal 3 cups - set aside.
   
2. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease and flour 10 inch bundt pan.
   
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and ground cloves. Mix well and set aside.
   
4. In a large mixer bowl, {with mixer set on medium speed}, beat vegetable oil and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating each addition until smooth.
   
5. Add melted unsweetened bakers chocolate and blend. Fold in zucchini. Then, slowly beat in flour mixture. Add chocolate chips and pecans. Mix well.
6. Pour mixture into prepared pan evenly and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes {or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean} .
   
7. Remove from oven and cool in pan approximately 20 minutes. Use a butter knife to inch around rim of pan to loosen cake.
   
8. After 20 minutes, remove cake from pan and cool on wire rack. Drizzle with glaze {see below}.

Glaze directions {see ingredients above}:

1. Blend sugar with butter, then all remaining ingredients. Drizzle with spoon over cooled cake.
   

Enjoy!

Honey Coated Brussels

Check these little beauties out. They are just as good as they look. Of course, I had to have brussels sprouts on our menu again; I can't stay away from these little guys too long or I will start having withdrawals. This time around, I decided to coat them with honey, to sweeten them up a bit. My husband and I loved it. They have the perfect sweet and salty combo. And, with just enough pepper {if you are daring}, it gives it the perfect spice.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb brussels sprouts, rinsed, ends trimmed and yellow outer leaves discarded
  
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper {or 1/8 tsp if you are not so daring}

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   
2. Place brussels sprouts on a shallow baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and honey and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
3. Toss well, using hands to saturate all sides.
   
4. Place in oven, {uncovered} for 25 to 30 minutes, or until brussels start to blacken and crisp.

Enjoy!

Swiss Chard, Chicken and Bean Vegetable Soup

This is a little bowl full of health. Everyone in our house has been under the weather lately {along with everyone around us}. I was feeling a bit run down myself and I refuse to get sick {mom is not allowed}. So, I decided to nip-it-in-the-bud with a good wholesome bowl of soup and this definitely did the trick.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
  
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
  
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups {cooked} shredded chicken {Tip! Buy a rotisserie chicken from the deli and shred}
• 1 {14 oz} can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 {14.5 oz} can stewed tomatoes, drained
• 1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped {ends discarded}
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Combine chopped onion, celery and carrots. Saute until slightly tender {about 5 minutes}.
2. Add chicken broth and all other ingredients to pot. Stir.
   
3. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low for 30 to 45 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
   

Enjoy!