Recipe Review from 12/1/2014

Well, here we are moving into the last month of the year.  The Thanksgiving leftovers were all consumed at the beginning of the week and I had a crockpot dish premade so suppers were just "heat and eat".  And, par for the course, I forgot to take pictures.  I need to do a better job of that. 

So instead, a random picture of the garden from last spring.  

The [unexciting] Meal Plan:
Sun:  (L)  leftover soup from previous week (S) thanksgiving leftovers
Mon: thanksgiving leftovers
Tues: Texas Style Pork Chili
Wed: leftovers
Thurs: leftovers
Fri:  Out

Lunches:  (me) Slow cooked Hariria, crackers, apple, yogurt/granola, nut cup
(Husband) sandwiches, chips, apple, yogurt/granola, nut cup

Texas Style Pork Chili  (Slow Cooker Revolution Ckbk)  gluten free
It is my understanding that a true Texas chili has NO beans.  Nada, Zilch, Zero, beans.  So for non-bean people this is a positive thing.  I'm a bean person, so this concept is a bit foreign to me. Really?  A chili without beans?   I went for it anyway because I had a package of leftover boneless pork ribs in the freezer  and the rest of the chili was mostly pantry staples.  I did have to buy the jar of roasted red pepper.

Flavor wise and consistency, this was pretty darn good.  I did add a can of hominy (NOT beans, corn) just because it seemed the chili needed something to round it out and I wanted an extra bit of something in it.  The hominy was the perfect touch.

Note about the spices.  The original recipe called for 1/4 cup chili powder. I use Penzey's spices which are known for their freshness and potency, so I cut back to 1/8 cup.  In combination with the chipolte in adobo, this was on the spicy side.  Cut back on the chili powder and/or the chipolte if there are Norwegian or little tastebuds. 

This made enough for three meals for two of us. We do one "serving" - or one bowl - per meal.  I had fresh cornbread alongside.

2 lbs Boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2" cubes  (I used boneless pork ribs, the big meaty kind)
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 (15oz) can hominy (optional! my addition)
1 can no-salt added diced tomatoes (I used petite diced)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 small jar, roasted red pepper (I find this in the condiment aisle, I just use the whole jar)
1/8 cup chili powder (or to taste)
1 tbsp cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (canned) chipolte pepper in adobo, stemmed and minced - this is 1 (ONE) pepper, NOT one can!  

1) Toss the pork cubes with brown sugar and salt in the slow cooker until well coated.

2) Dump the tomatoes, (hominy) onion, red pepper, chili powder, cumin, minced chipolte and sauce into the slow cooker.  Stir gently until meat is good and slathered.

3) Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until pork tender.  


Harira (Vegetarian Slow Cooker Ckbk)  vegetarian, vegan, gluten free
The cookbook informs us that this is a variation on a Moroccan soup, made with lamb and served during Ramadan to break fast at the end of the day.  The recipe calls for a dollop of harissa, a spicy North African sauce - which I omitted because I'm just not going to find that in Duluth.  A bit of Siracha would be an acceptable substitute for a hit of heat. 

This made a huge quantity - enough for me for lunches for the week and then for lunches on the weekend.  I suspect this dish would freeze nicely, since there is no dairy to worry about.  Early on I found the lemon to be the predominant flavor, but as the week went on, the flavors melded to a more harmonious combination. The red lentils won't retain their shape in this dish, but disintegrate to nicely thicken the sauce. 


2 cups chickpeas (1 can = 2 cups...I might have used 2 cans)
2 onions, chopped
4 stalks celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tumeric
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes with juice (I used petite diced)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup dried red lentils (I had to add some brown because I was short)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1) Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and celery and saute, stirring, until lightly softened. About 5 minutes.  Add garlic, tumeric, lemon zest and pepper and cook about 1 minute to let flavors bloom.  Add tomatoes with juice and heat through.  Transfer to slow cooker and stir in broth.

2)  Add chickpeas and lentils, stir to combine.  Cover and cook on Low 6-8 hours or High 3-4 hours, until mixture is hot and bubbly and lentils are tender (my note: the red lentils will actually lose shape and thicken the broth).  Stir in parsley if using.