Tag Archives: crock pot

2-ingredient pulled pork in the crock pot

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I have another recipe to share with you today as part of the crock-pot challenge issued by Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers! This is actually from a recipe I found on Julie’s site. I’m a big fan of bbq pulled pork sandwiches — but it seemed like a dish that took a lot of time and some sort of fancy meat cooker to pull off, so it’s always been something I’ve ordered in restaurants but never attempted to make on my own.

That is, until now! Julie’s recipe made it look so easy I had to try it. I am SO glad I did!

This is now one of my go-to crock-pot recipes! And perhaps my favorite part: it only needs TWO ingredients! {Plus whatever else you want to use to dress it up!}

pulled pork

2-ingredient pulled pork in the crock pot

– 1 pork tenderloin {I used one that was about 4 pounds}
– 1 can of low-sodium beef broth

1. Place the pork tenderloin in the crock pot and cover with the beef broth.

2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours, until pork is cooked through and juicy. Tear it apart with a knife and fork and transfer to a plate for serving.

And that’s it! Here’s what my pork looked like when I arrived home from school:

pork in crock pot

And it smelled DIVINE! Here’s the result when I turned off the crock pot and transferred the pork to a plate for serving:

pulled pork

Then all I did was plop some pork on a bun, add some Famous Dave’s BBQ Sauce, and I had a delicious homemade dinner to enjoy! The sandwiches paired nice with a light salad and fruit. I’m thinking next time I might add pineapple slices to the top of the pork to make Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches!

bbq pork sandwich

Another reason I love this recipe? There’s plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Score! 🙂

What are some of your favorite crock-pot recipes? Have any of you made pulled pork in the crock pot before?

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
-Dallas

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If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:
– crock-pot chicken with black beans & corn
– easy honey-lime chicken enchiladas
– cilantro-honey salmon
– favorite mashed potatoes

***This post is featured on Menu-Plan Monday!

MPM-Winter

easy honey-lime chicken enchiladas

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Tired of turkey leftovers? I was in the mood for Mexican food tonight, and when I saw this recipe for a honey-lime marinade for chicken, I was inspired! I turned it into a crock-pot recipe, added some diced onion and bell pepper, tortillas and cheese and green tomatillo sauce, and made honey-lime chicken enchiladas. They turned out del-i-ci-ous, and SO easy!

I made a small batch since it’s just Mike & me, but you could easily double or even triple this recipe to feed a bigger family. These enchiladas heat up great as leftovers and even freeze well for later meals.

honey-lime chicken enchiladas

– 2 large chicken breasts
– 2 tsp minced garlic
– 1/3 cup honey
– 1/3 cup lime juice
– 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
– 1 small onion, diced
– 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
– 3 wheat tortillas
– 1 cup shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese
– 1 small can green enchilada sauce

1. Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock-pot. Add chicken broth, honey, and lime juice, and stir to combine. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

2. Saute onion, garlic and bell pepper in a little olive oil over low heat for 3-5 minutes, until onion becomes translucent. Add ingredients to crock pot mixture and cook for another 1-2 hours.

3. The chicken mixture is done when chicken is fully cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated. If needed, take off the lid and turn heat to high for the final 15-20 minutes of cooking.

4. Turn off crock-pot and use a knife and fork to pull apart/shred the chicken.

5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare an 8×8 glass baking pan by pouring about 1/3 of the can of enchilada sauce into the pan to coat the bottom.

6. Fill each tortilla with the shredded chicken mixture and a spoonful of enchilada sauce. Roll and lay into the pan. Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce evenly over the tortillas and top with cheese.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is fully melted and edges of the tortillas are a little crispy.

I served mine with brown rice and broccoli for a filling, healthy and delicious meal!

What are some of your favorite post-Thanksgiving, non-turkey meals? {Actually, this recipe would probably work well with turkey, too, now that I think of it!} 🙂

Hope you’re having a great week!
-Dallas

crock pot chicken with black beans & corn

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Happy Wednesday, everyone! How is your week going so far? We are having gorgeous weather here in Lafayette and I am trying to soak up as much of it as possible, especially now that I am both feeling loads better from that darn cold bug.

I’ve been going for long walks around the neighborhood and eating lunch outside at school. I also have been trying to take advantage of crock-pot cooking to have dinner ready and waiting when I get home. Who wants to spend extra time in the kitchen when the weather is so nice?

Here is a recipe for crock-pot chicken with black beans and corn. I made it without tomatoes, so this is a great recipe for people with heartburn or sensitivity to high-acid foods. However, you could also easily add a can of diced tomatoes or some tomato salsa to this recipe if you would like that extra flavor!

crock-pot chicken with black beans & corn

– 1 package chicken breasts {I typically use 3-4 chicken breasts so I have leftovers for lunch the next day}
– 1 can black beans
– 1 can corn
– 1 onion
– 1 tbsp minced garlic
– 1 can diced tomatoes {optional}
– 1 package taco seasoning {I use the low-sodium kind}
– 1 avocado
– cheese and/or sour cream for garnish

1. Dice the onion. Saute for 3-5 minutes on low heat with the garlic.{I think this helps bring out the flavor of the onion and garlic. If you are short on time, you can omit this step and just dump the diced onion and garlic in the crock pot without pre-cooking.}

2. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot. Top with black beans, corn, onion/garlic mixture, and tomatoes.

3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

4. About half an hour before serving, add taco seasoning and mix well. Use a knife to shred the chicken.

5. If mixture is too liquidy, take the lid off and turn setting to “high” and cook for about 15 minutes more.

6. Serve topped with chopped avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, of whatever your favorite toppings are!

My go-to staple is to serve this dish over rice. If you have a little more time on your hands, it is also delicious served over fried potato slices; I got the idea from a local restaurant that serves a dish called “Irish nachos” that uses fried potatoes instead of tortilla chips as a base. It was easy, relatively quick, and the potatoes complemented the dish nicely. It’s a good change if you’re looking for something other than rice or tortillas to serve this dish with.

fried potatoes {aka “irish nachos”}

1. Slice a potato thinly. I like to leave the skin on, but you can certainly peel if you wish.

2. Spray a pan with olive oil. Fry the potato slices until golden brown, about 5-8 minutes per side. Top with salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, or whatever else your heart desires!

3. Let cool on a paper towel to soak up any extra oil before serving.

4. Top with shredded chicken/black bean/corn mixture. A delicious twist on classic nachos!

This is a great recipe to make on a busy weeknight. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. And hope you are getting a chance to enjoy this lovely autumn weather!

What are some of your favorite quick, easy weeknight meals?

Till soon,
Dallas

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-Time spent: 15 minutes preparation & 15 minutes for potatoes
– Cost: about $8.00

You might also enjoy:

– crock-pot chicken & veggie stew
– ground turkey enchiladas
– tilapia with pineapple salsa

crock-pot chicken & veggie stew

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Confession: I used to be afraid of crock pots.

It sounds silly, I know. I guess crock pots just sounded too good to be true! Throw a bunch of food in a crock pot, turn it on, go to work all day, then come home and dinner is ready? Are you sure there isn’t a catch?

I was worried about leaving something on all day in the kitchen without anyone being home. Isn’t that dangerous?

“No,” my mother told me. No, said the blogs and resources I scoured online.

“Why don’t you try it?” Mike encouraged me. He could tell I was wanting to make the leap into crock-pot cooking ever since I glimpsed the beautiful 4-quart brand-new crock pot his mom had bought him that he’d never taken out of the box.

A new era has dawned in our tiny apartment kitchen. Today I took that baby out of the box, rinsed the pot and lid with soap and water, and plugged it in. For my first crock-pot attempt, I tried something simple: chicken & veggie stew.

This recipe could not be easier or quicker. It took me ten minutes to prepare as I rushed to get ready and out the door for school this morning. Here is the recipe I used; you could easily substitute other veggies based on your preferences or what happens to be in your pantry.

crock-pot chicken & veggie stew

– 3 or 4 chicken breasts
– 1 medium-sized sweet potato
– 2 carrots
– 2 celery stalks
– 1 can corn, drained
– 1 can peas, drained
– 1 can green beans, drained
– 1 can chicken broth
– 1 tbsp garlic or onion powder
– 1 tsp chili powder
– 1 tbsp parsley

1. Dice the potato. Peel and slice the carrots and slice the celery.

2. Dump veggies into the crock pot.

3. Add chicken breasts on top.

4. Pour chicken broth over everything.

5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

6. 30 minutes before serving, sprinkle chicken with garlic/onion powder, chili powder, and parsley.

All day long, I thought about dinner simmering at home in the crock pot. Whenever I worried about something catching fire and the apartment burning down, Mike reassured me it would all be okay. {If you haven’t guessed by now, I can be a bit of a worry-wort sometimes!}

When we returned home this evening and opened the front door, a delicious aroma greeted us. The stew turned out fantastic! Yummy, warm, healthy, hearty … and ready to eat as soon as we stepped inside. What a treat to have a homemade dinner waiting for us on the kitchen counter!

It’s official: I am a crock-pot convert. I can’t wait to try all sorts of new slow-cooker recipes and share them with you on this blog. Please chime in below if you have any recipes or links to share!

Here are some helpful slow-cooker tips that recently were shared on one of my favorite blogs, I’m an Organizing Junkie:

Do you use a slow cooker to prepare meals? What are some of your favorite crock-pot recipes? How do you save time when making dinner on a busy weeknight?

Have a wonderful day!
-Dallas