Crock Pot Ribs

With baseball practice, church, and miscellaneous events, life is busy these days. So any time I can throw something in the crock pot and not have to worry about it too much is a win. I've made these ribs from Mmm... is for Mommy a couple times, and tonight I'm making them again. Aaron and the kids are big ribs fans, and they all loved these. They're easy, and they have a nice glaze/crust on the outside and they're fall-right-off-the-bone tender.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• S&P to taste (about 1 tsp each is what I used)
• 2 lbs pork baby back ribs (leave the membrane on the ribs to help hold them together)
• 1 cup barbecue sauce

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne and S&P.  Rub this mixture all over both sides of your ribs well.  Arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot. Pour barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low (I did 7 hours and they were perfect).

Once the initial slow cooking is done, very carefully (as they are tennnnderrrrr) remove the ribs to a baking pan which you have lined with foil and put a rack on, bone side up and set aside. Skim any fat that has risen to the top and strain all of the remaining juices from the slow cooker through a mesh strainer into a small saucepan. Bring to boil and allow to simmer and reduce by about a third, approximately 15 minutes.  Put your oven’s broiler on to preheat and make sure that there is an oven rack about 10 inches below the broiler element.  Once the broiler is preheated, brush the ribs with sauce and broil for 3 or 4 minutes. Take them out and very carefully flip them over, brush with sauce and broil again, meat side up, for approximately 9 minutes, taking them out once or twice to baste with more sauce. Serve any remaining sauce on the side with the ribs.

Pork Scaloppine with Mustard Pan Sauce

Cooking Light has done it again with another tasty, healthy, and easy dish!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound baby carrots, halved lengthwise $
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut crosswise into 12 pieces, and pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream $
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. 1. Sprinkle pork evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon canola oil; swirl to coat. Add 6 cutlets; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with 1 teaspoon canola oil and remaining pork.
2. 
   

2. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots and garlic to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock and mustard; cook 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in sour cream; cook 1 minute. Serve pork with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley.

SERVINGS 4
Serving 3 oz. pork and 2 T. sauce | Calories 261 | Fat 10.9g | Protein 25.8g | Carbohydrates 13.9g

Pork Carnitas Tacos

This pork carnitas from 100 Days of Real Food is delicious and (even better) easy! Aaron also discovered (and highly recommends) that the leftover pork makes delicious nachos the next day!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 to 2 ½ lbs pork shoulder or Boston butt roast, cut into 5 or 6 small pieces
• 3 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 onion, cut into 6 or 8 chunks
• 3 garlic cloves, whole
• 1 recipe tomatillo salsa
• Corn tortillas
• 2 avocados, sliced
• Fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together oregano, pepper, salt, and cumin and rub on outside of pork pieces in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Throw onion and garlic on top of pork.
3. Slow cook on low for 6 – 8 hours or until meat is falling apart.
4. When finished discard the onion and garlic. Drain meat and shred with a fork.
5. Serve warm with tortillas, tomatillo salsa, avocados and cilantro.

Ranch House Pork Chops

These Ranch House Pork Chops are a go-to recipe for me when I want something hearty, but don't have much time to cook. If you want the full recipe with the homemade mashed potatoes, go here, otherwise, here's my easier version.

INGREDIENTS 
6 Pork Chops (I like the thick ones)
1 packet Ranch dressing mix
1 can cream of chicken condensed soup

Simply Potatoes Garlic Mashed Potatoes 

DIRECTIONS 

1. Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low 4-6 hours. 
2.  Cook mashed potatoes according to package instructions.
3. Serve pork chops over mashed potatoes and pour sauce generously over the top.
4. Try not to laugh when your husband licks his plate clean.

Asian Pork Loin Dinner

Sometimes I just don't feel like cooking a whole meal from scratch, so I'm always looking for easy to prep items that can be ready in a short amount of time BUT ARE STILL HEALTHY. We all know how hard this can be, so I thought I'd share one of my favorites.

Ingredients
Artisan Fresh Sweet Thai Style Chili Pork Loin Filet
Taylor Farms Asian Chopped Salad
Crock Pot Coconut Rice

Directions

1. A couple hours before dinner, begin the coconut rice in the crock pot.
2. Cook Pork Loin. Option 1: Grill it. Option 2: Sear in cast iron skillet on all sides and then finish cooking in the oven.
3. While pork is cooking, cut bag of salad open. Dump salad in a bowl.
4. Serve.