Sweet Balsamic Pork

Adapted from feelslikehomeblog.com. Even my pickiest eater loved it and went back for seconds!

PREP: 1 hour
SERVES: 8 people

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 lbs pork roast or tenderloin (I used tenderloin)
salt & pepper
For the sauce
3 cloves garlic, pressed with garlic press
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rosemary, chopped (I used 3 drops of rosemary essential oil)

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. (Note: Do not judge the final product by the very pungent sauce prior to cooking.)
2. Heat the Instant Pot to saute. Pour in the oil. Season the pork on both sides with salt & pepper, and brown on all sides.
3. Turn off the saute mode and add the sauce to the pork in the pot. Program Instant Pot to meat and cook for 35 minutes. When the timer beeps, turn it off and let the pressure naturally release.
4. Slice and serve with plenty of sauce.

Note: I made this with only one pork loin (about 1.5 lbs), but kept the sauce portion the same. It definitely made enough sauce for two pork loins.

Pressure Cooker Pork Loin Roast with Cherry Dijon Sauce

*Adapted from Key Ingredient.

Prep: 60 minutes
Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 lb pork loin roast
salt & pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 cup frozen cherries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch, mixed into 1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp butter

DIRECTIONS
1. With pressure cooker lid off, heat oil on high. Generously salt and pepper roast, place in cooker and brown on both sides.
2. Add stock, garlic, zest to cooker and secure lid. Cook on high for 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place cherries, water, mustard and sugar in sauce pan over medium heat. Cover, bring to simmer and let cook 10 minutes.
4. Use a potato masher, hand blender or heavy spoon to mash most of the cherries into the sauce before adding the cornstarch mixture and letting simmer for 3 more minutes to thicken sauce.
5. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
6. Let cooker release naturally for 10 minutes then quick release. Remove roast and let rest under foil for 10 minutes before carving and serving smothered in cherry sauce.

Serving suggestions: Serve with mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, and cornbread.

Crock Pot Spiced Pulled Pork

*Adapted from 100daysofrealfood.com.

Prep: 15 minutes + time in slow cooker
Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS
3-3 1/2 lbs pork shoulder (butt) roast, cut in half
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
2 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Place the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top it with the 2 pieces of pork. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over pork. Cook on low 7-8 hours.

Serving Suggestions: on baked potatoes or sliders, with cornbread or cole slaw.

Lena's Dr. Pepper Pork Loin

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS
4 cups Dr. Pepper (do NOT use diet soda)
1/2 cup kosher salt
3-4 lbs. boneless center-cut pork loin
glaze: 
1 jar (9 ox.) tart cherry preserves
1/2 cup Dr. Pepper
1/2 cup water
1-2 Tbsp minced canned chipotle in adobo
2 tsp Dijon mustard
vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Pour the soda into a large bowl and slowly add the salt (the mixture will foam up quite a bit so be sure to use a bowl large enough to prevent overflowing.) Stir until the salt dissolves completely, 1-2 minutes. Place a large, disposable plastic bag inside a large bowl and carefully pour the brine into the bag.
2. Trim excess fat and silver skin from the pork. Submerge the pork in the brine, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
3. In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients.
4. Remove the pork from the bag and discard the brine. Pat dry with paper towels. Lightly coat the pork with oil and let stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Preheat a dutch oven pot on high heat. Sear all sides of the pork for several minutes, then turn off the heat and pour the glaze over the meat. Cover and transfer to the preheated oven. Roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Rotate the meat in the glaze every 10 minutes and add a little water or more soda if glaze gets too thick or starts to scorch. Remove meat when internal temperature reaches 145-150 degrees.

*If grilling, do not use a dutch oven. Instead, sear all sides over direct high heat then transfer to a disposable foil pan containing the glaze. Continue cooking over indirect high heat with grill lid closed, rotating the meat as indicated above.

Recommendation: Serve with Lena's Spicy Apple Barbecue Sauce and Lena's Cranberry & Cilantro Quinoa Salad.

Hubba's Ham and Potato Casserole

Serves: 8
Prep: 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS
5 large baking potatoes, peeled
3 lbs cooked ham (smoked, not honeyed)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided (sharp cheddar or Mexican cheese mix)
1 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Slice potatoes into 1/3-inch slices and add to a pot of cold water. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes or until potatoes are cooked, but still firm. Drain water and set aside.
2. Dice ham into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside.
3. While potatoes are cooking, make cheese sauce. Add butter to a saucepan on medium-high heat. When butter starts to bubble, add flour and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon 1-2 minutes until it forms a paste. Add milk, one cup at a time, and mix constantly with a whisk until thickened. Be cautious not to let it burn. Once sauce is at desired thickness, add 2 cups of cheese and reduce heat to low. Add salt and stir until cheese is melted, then remove from heat.
4. Place potatoes and then ham into a 9x13" casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over it all and then top with remaining shredded cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes or until sauce begins to bubble around the edges.

Note: To speed thickening, warm the milk in the microwave before adding to the sauce.

Crock Pot Kalua Pork

*Adapted from skinnytaste.com.

INGREDIENTS
3 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
1 Tbsp liquid mesquite smoke
2 tsp coarse sea salt

DIRECTIONS
Place pork in a slow cooker and stab it all over with the tip of a knife. Rub sea salt all over the pork. Drizzle the liquid smoke all over the pork. Set crock pot to low and cook about 16 hours.

Notes: The recipe originally called for 1 Tbsp of sea salt but we thought it was way too salty, so I'll only use 2 tsp next time. The roast I bought was already cut into smaller pieces so it cooked much faster than 16 hours. It only needed 10 hours and it was starting to dry out so I will try to buy a roast in only one piece next time to be able to cook it longer.

Serving suggestions: with pineapple fried rice or in tacos with rice and black beans.

Balsamic Pork Loin Roast

*From allrecipes.com here.

Prep: 1 hour + time to marinate
Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs boneless pork tenderloin
2 Tbsp steak seasoning rub
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. Dissolve steak seasoning in balsamic vinegar, then stir in olive oil. Place pork in resealable plastic bag, then pour marinade overtop. Squeeze out air and seal bag; marinate in refrigerator 2 hours to overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pork into a glass baking dish with marinade. Bake, basting occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, about 1 hour. Let the roast rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Classic Barbecue Spareribs

*From Real Simple magazine, June 2010--found online here.

PREP: hands-on 30 minutes, total cooking time 3 hours
SERVES: 4 (ours actually made 6 servings of 4-5 ribs per person)

INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground coffee
1 tsp ground cumin
4 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper, divided
Kosher salt and black pepper
6 lbs spareribs (2 racks), trimmed of excess fat
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tbsp tomato paste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 275 degrees. Make the rub: In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, coffee, cumin, 2 Tbsp of the brown sugar, 1/2 tsp of the cayenne, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper.

2. Place the ribs on a large rimmed baking sheet. Rub the ribs with the spice mixture and tightly cover the baking sheet with foil. Bake until tender and the meal easily pulls away from the bone, 2-1/2 to 3 hours. (I baked mine for 2 hrs 45 min and they were great!)

3. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a saucepan, combine the ketchup, vinegar, molasses, tomato paste, the remaining 2 Tbsp of brown sugar and 1/4 tsp of cayenne, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer 1/2 cup of the sauce into a small bowl for serving.

4. Heat grill to medium-high. Grill the ribs, basting with the remaining sauce and turning occasionally, until just beginning to char, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with the reserved sauce. (I broiled my ribs at 500 degrees in the oven for the same amount of time and they turned out wonderfully.)


Serving Suggestions: baked sweet potatoes, corn bread muffins, or a salad.

Island Pork Tenderloin

*Adapted from the Team Beach Body P90X meal plan.

PREP: 40 minutes
SERVES: 4...or only 2 if you love it as much as we did :)

INGREDIENTS:
16 oz. pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. chile powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 Tbsp. fresh garlic, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp. Tabasco sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with the spice rub.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a 12" skillet over moderately high heat and brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes.
4. Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of tenderloin. Place pork in a roasting pan and cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Notes: This recipe is only for 16 oz. (one lb.) of pork tenderloin, but the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a larger crowd. I subbed honey for the brown sugar because I was out of brown sugar, and I used Cholula hot sauce instead of Tabasco--I think it would be delicious either way. Also, the original recipe called for its use in a spinach salad with oranges, sweet (not green) bell pepper, cabbage, and golden raisins with cumin vinaigrette. I instead served it with a spinach salad with mandarin oranges, feta cheese, and Brianna's French Vinaigrette dressing. Lastly, I served this with garlic cheddar biscuits, and they were a good compliment.

Zucchini-Wrapped Pork

*From Better Homes and Gardens magazine, May 2010

Prep: 35 minutes
Serves: 2-4

INGREDIENTS:
1 zucchini
12-16 oz. pork tenderloin
olive oil
1/3 cup purchased basil pesto

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside. With a sharp knife* or vegetable peeler, cut zucchini lengthwise in thin slices (you'll need at least 8 slices). Cut pork tenderloin crosswise into 4-5 equal portions. Press meat down with the palm of hand to flatten slightly.
2. Wrap each tenderloin portion with 2-4 zucchini slices. Place on prepared pan. Lightly brush or drizzle olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Roast, uncovered, 18-20 minutes (12-oz. tenderloin) or 25-30 minutes (16-oz.), or until meat registers 160 degrees.
4. Spoon some of the pesto over each tenderloin just before serving.

*If using a knife, first cut a thin lengthwise piece off so the zucchini lies flat and doesn't roll off the cutting board, then slice thinly.

Easy Chinese Stir-Fry

*Adapted from the winter 2008 Kraft Food & Family magazine.

SERVES: 4 (1 cup each)
PREP: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp. oil
1 lb. pork tenderloin or 2 chicken breasts, cut into thin slices
3 carrots, sliced
1/3 cup Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/3 cup hoison sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil in large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add meat and carrots; stir-fry 5 minutes. Stir in dressing and hoison sauce; stir-fry 7 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Add onions; cook 1 minute.

Serve over hot cooked rice noodles (also called rice sticks), rice, or angel hair pasta.