Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Verde Pork Loin
Since March is all about green, let’s start off the month with some colorful meat! This verde pork loin recipe, originally posted at the Holy Taco Church, creates delicious and versatile protein.
My slow cooker is one of my best friends, a friend that cooks up loads of food to feeds us for days. It works miracle when I’m writing on a deadline. This meat recipe reminds me a lot of posole, that luscious green Mexican stew.
This dish, though, focuses on the meat. This lets you be flexible. You can eat it on a plate with a vegetable side. Or on a salad. Shred it in tacos, burritos, or in a nice oozy quesadilla. Throw it on a Mexican pizza, or load it on nachos.
With good, tasty meat, you can find your bliss in many ways.
Plus, this is great to freeze in a larger dish or in personal portions. Make it last as long as possible!
Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Verde Pork Loin
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 pound boneless pork loin shoulder works, though it's much fattier
- 15 - 16 ounce salsa verde jar green salsa
- cumin
- salt
- pepper
- yellow onion or white onion
Instructions
- Slice onion and place it in bottom of crock pot. Trim excess fat from pork and place it atop the onion. Sprinkle with cumin, salt, and pepper. Pour the full jar of salsa over the meat.
- Cook in crock pot for 8 to 10 hours on low, or 4 to 5 hours on high. About 30 minutes before eating time, shred the pork. Make sure it's all submerged in the sauce and keep on warm setting until meal time.
- This verde pork is awesome in taco shells, tortillas, salads, quesadillas, enchiladas, Mexican pizza, etc. It makes for happy leftovers, too.
- OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
There are a lot of slow cooker chicken and dumpling recipes out there, but I sought out one that makes everything from scratch. I made it, tweaked it, and loved it… so here it is!
There is just something about chicken and dumplings on a cold winter’s day. It is soul food. The recipe I made for years required me to basically camp by the stove for two hours. I wanted something a lot more convenient.
Most of the slow cooker recipes for this use lots of canned stuff and grocery store biscuits. I found a from-scratch recipe on How Sweet Eats and have tweaked it to use less broth, more seasoning, and boneless thighs. I find thighs work a lot better to the crock pot since they are less likely to dry out over the long cooking period.
If you’re in need of something to warm your gullet and your soul, make this. The leftovers are darn good for the next few days, too, with or without the dumplings.
Modified from How Sweet Eats.
Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1/2 sweet onion diced
- 1 cup baby carrots whole and halved
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 1/2 - 3 pounds boneless chicken thighs cut into halves
- salt and pepper
- 40 ounces low-sodium chicken stock or broth
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup half & half or milk
dumplings
- 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
- herbs to taste parsley, basil, etc
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup half & half or milk
Instructions
Start the chicken
- In the bottom of a 5 or 6 quart crockpot, layer the diced onion half, carrots, and garlic. Lay the chicken thighs on top and season them with salt and pepper.
- Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it's melted, whisk in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to create a roux. Once it's golden in color, add 2 cups of chicken broth. Mix it well as it rises to a boil; it'll thicken considerably.
- After about 4-5 minutes, pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Add the remaining chicken broth/stock. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 hours.
Add the dumplings
- Change the slow cooker to high heat. Shred or cut up the chicken; it's okay if it's not fully cooked since it has more time to cook. Stir the half & half into the crock pot, and put the cover on again as you make the dumplings.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, herbs, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Use a fork or fingers to crumble in the butter until it's evenly dispersed. Add in the half and half or milk until a sticky dough forms.
- Use a tablespoon to dollop the dough into the crock pot. Cover and cook for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The dumplings will expand to cover the top. The dumplings are cooked when they are soft and no longer raw and sticky in the middle.
- Serve immediately. Leftovers are fantastic heated in the microwave. If you need to make more dumplings, use the same recipe again and heat the leftovers and fresh dough on the stovetop.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Guest: Bryan Thomas Schmidt with Pizza Loaf
I’m happy to welcome Bryan Thomas Schmidt to Bready or Not today! I have come to know him well as an editor–he’s editing two Baen anthologies that’ll include my work–but he is foremost a writer. His novel The Worker Prince was just released by WordFire Press. Find out all about his science fiction novel, and continue reading the post to find his traditional family recipe for a quick ‘n easy Pizza Loaf.
WordFire Press proudly presents the debut novel of Hugo-nominated editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt, which received Honorable Mention on Paul Goat Allen’s Year’s Best Science Fiction Releases of 2011 at BarnesandNoble.com, alongside books by Ben Bova, Robert J. Sawyer, Jack Campbell, Ernest Cline and more.
What if everything you thought you knew about yourself and the world turned out to be wrong? Freshly graduated from the prestigious Borali Military Academy, Davi Rhii, Prince of the Boralian people discovers a secret that calls into question everything he knew about himself. His quest to rediscover himself brings him into conflict with his friends and family, calling into question his cultural values and assumptions, and putting in jeopardy all he’s worked for his whole life. One thing’s for sure: he’s going to have to make decisions that will change his life forever… Welcome to the book that captures the feel of the original Star Wars like no other—engaging characters, entertaining banter, non-stop action, Moses meets Star Wars… The Worker Prince.
PIZZA LOAF by Glenda Schmidt
Ingredients:
1 1 lb loaf of French bread or 4 long Italian rolls
Softened butter or margarine (optional)
3/4 lb Ground Beef
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Salt (optional)
1/8 tsp Pepper
1 1/2 tbsp Minced Onion (real onion preferred)
1 1.2 6 oz cans Tomato Paste
1/4 cup Black or Green Olives, sliced (optional)
2 Ripe Tomatoes, thinly sliced (optional)
8 slices Processed Cheese (your choice)
Cut French bread or rolls in half lengthwise and spread butter or margarine across the exposed inside.
Combine beef, Parmesan cheese, seasonings, minced onion, olives and tomato paste in mixing bowl.
Spread mixture on insides of the bread or rolls with a knife so it is evenly distributed.
If freezing for later use, cut into serving size, approximately 1/2 roll each and wrap individually in aluminum foil for best results then freeze. (When ready to use, defrost 1 1/2 hours in wrap before continuing.)
To cook, place unwrapped loaves on cookie sheet or flat pan, meat side up, top with tomato slices (if desired).
Bake at 250 degrees for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and top with processed cheese slices.
Return to oven for 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Your kids and the kid in you will love it.
Bryan Thomas Schmidt is an author and Hugo-nominated editor of adult and children’s speculative fiction. His debut novel, The Worker Prince received Honorable Mention on Barnes & Noble Book Club’s Year’s Best Science Fiction Releases. His short stories have appeared in magazines, anthologies and online. As book editor he is the main editor for Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta’s WordFire Press where he has edited books by such luminaries as Alan Dean Foster, Tracy Hickman, Frank Herbert, Mike Resnick, Jean Rabe and more. He was also the first editor on Andy Weir’s bestseller The Martian. His anthologies as editor include Shattered Shields with co-editor Jennifer Brozek, Mission: Tomorrow, Galactic Games and Little Green Men–Attack! (forthcoming) all for Baen, Space Battles: Full Throttle Space Tales #6, Beyond The Sun and Raygun Chronicles: Space Opera For a New Age. He is also coediting anthologies with Larry Correia and Jonathan Maberry set in their New York Times Bestselling Monster Hunter and Joe Ledger universes.
Bready or Not Guest: Bishop O’Connell with Beef & Guinness Vegetable Soup
Today I am happy to welcome Bishop O’Connell as my Bready or Not guest. He’s delivering a perfect winter recipe: Beef & Guinness Vegetable Soup! He’s also about to deliver his third book published through Harper Voyager Impulse. Three Promises comes out on December 8th! That gives you plenty of time to read the first two books in the American Faerie Tale series so you’re ready for the next.
Promises bind, but some promises break…
From the author of The Stolen and The Forgotten comes a collection of stories between the stories, a glimpse of the American Faerie Tale series characters in a whole new light.
For more than fifty years, Elaine has lived the life of an outcast elf, stripped of her rank and title in the fae court. Surrounded by her beloved collection of stolen artwork, we may just learn the secret behind her exile, and the one promise too important to break…It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for – Caitlin and Edward are getting married! But few weddings ever go without a hitch. Old promises were broken, and new vows will be made…
In The Stolen, Brendan vowed to help Caitlin rescue her young daughter from the Dusk Court, even if it meant sacrificing himself. Alone and in torment, he has come to accept his fate. Until an unexpected visitor finds her way into his life…Plus, an exclusive bonus story about the mysterious Legion of Solomon.
Preorder the ebook now for 99-cents; available December 8th:
HarperCollins
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
iTunes
Kobo
Beef & Guinness Vegetable Soup
This could very easily make a stew, but I prefer it as a soup. It’s hearty and great to freeze and reheat when you want something tasty on a cold day. You can use a 6 quart soup pot, but it will fill right to the top, so be careful, 8 quart is ideal.
Ingredients:
1 lbs stew beef – cut into small pieces
2 medium sweet white onions – diced
1 lbs new potatoes – cut into quarters (even small ones should be cut in half)
1 lbs baby carrots – cut into small pieces
6 celery stocks (no leaves) – diced
1 lbs bag of frozen peas
1 lbs bag of frozen sweet corn
1 large can (16oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes
16oz beef stock
16oz vegetable stock
Salt
White Pepper
Optional: dill, celery salt, garlic salt, chives.
3 pints of Guinness – at room temperature
It’s best to use the Guinness that doesn’t have a widget in it (see image). If you can only get the bottles or cans that do have the widget (nitrogen injection device) then open the bottles/cans and let them sit for a while before starting.
Put the soup pot over a medium high heat and add a couple teaspoons of olive oil and cook down the onions. When they start to turn translucent, add the stew beef, stirring regularly. By the time to beef has browned on the outside, the onions should be starting to caramelize. Add the Guinness and let it reduce to 1/3. Yes, 1/3, this will take a while (30 mins or so).
While this is happening two things will happen. First, you’ll see a thick froth develop and it will get large, especially if your pints had the widget. Don’t panic, this is normal and you can reduce it by stirring. The second thing that will happen is you’ll notice a very strong barley smell from the pot. Again, don’t worry, it will taste much better when it’s done than it smells at this stage.
When the Guinness has reduced add all the remaining ingredients, but add the stock last. Elsewise you’ll get a LOT of splashing. Once everything is in there, stir and bring to a slow boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours, and enjoy the wonderful smell that will fill your kitchen. Add salt and pepper to taste, but keep in mind potatoes absorb salt and there are a lot of them so don’t worry if it seems like you’re adding a lot of salt. You can also, obviously, hold off and season when served to individual tastes. When finished, it freezes for 6-8 months without any concern, probably longer than that but I’ve never gotten it to last longer than that.
Goes great a cold hard cider and some fresh, crusty bread (buttered of course). You can go “full Irish” and have a Magners Cider (Bulmers in Ireland) and some soda bread. I’m actually not a big fan of soda bread (don’t tell!) but the cider compliments the flavor of the soup nicely.
Bishop O’Connell is the author of the American Faerie Tale series, a consultant, writer, blogger, and lover of kilts and beer, as well as a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. Born in Naples Italy while his father was stationed in Sardinia, Bishop grew up in San Diego, CA where he fell in love with the ocean and fish tacos. While wandering the country for work and school (absolutely not because he was in hiding from mind controlling bunnies), he experienced autumn in New England. Soon after, he settled in Manchester, NH, where he writes, collects swords, revels in his immortality as a critically acclaimed “visionary” of the urban fantasy genre, and is regularly chastised for making up things for his bio. He can also be found online at A Quiet Pint, where he muses philosophical on life, the universe, and everything, as well as various aspects of writing and the road to getting published.
Bready or Not: Healthy Butternut Squash Soup
This wonderful soup has been one of my cool weather dinner staples for several years!
I love, love this soup. It takes a little bit of prep work but then feeds me for a few days. It’s both delicious and healthy. Butternut squash is one of my favorite roast vegetables, and this just blends it into liquid form.
Butternut squash can be intimidating to slice up. I recommend the technique shown at The Kitchn. Basically, you slice off the ends, then take off the rind, de-seed, then dice the orange flesh.
This recipe freezes really well, too. I like to measure it in 2-cup increments and seal it up in quart-size freezer bags; I can freeze them flat so they take up almost no room.
The soup’s flavor improves after being in the fridge for a day, too. The roasted vegetables really come through. I like to add spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, or pumpkin spice mix, and a few pepitas for texture.
It’s a bowl of stomach-warming happiness.
Modified from Lick My Spoon.
Bready or Not: Healthy Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 pound butternut squash
- 1 yellow onion
- 32 ounce chicken broth or vegetable broth, 1 box or 2 cans
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- salt Hawaiian salt recommended
- nutmeg or cinnamon, or pumpkin spice mix, to taste
- pepitas or chopped pecans, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450-degrees. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet by lining it with foil.
- Peel, de-seed, and dice the squash into roughly 1-inch cubes. It doesn't need to be neat--they will all be blended in the end. Peel and dice up the onion.
- Place the squash and onion on the baking sheet. Drizzle or spray olive oil over everything. Add salt and other spices like cinnamon or nutmeg and toss to coat.
- Roast in oven for about 25 minutes. Turn over the squash, then cook another 15-25 minutes, until the squash is just browning and is fork-tender.
- If you want to complete the soup later, just stick the squash in the fridge. Or continue...
- In a large pot, bring the broth to a simmer. Add the roasted squash and onion. Carefully puree using an immersion blender, or blend in small batches in a blender or food processor. Use caution: you’re working with hot liquid! Process until the soup is smooth, and bring to a simmer again.
- Serve in bowls with an additional sprinkling of spices and perhaps some pepitas or chopped pecans on top! Leftovers keep sealed in fridge upward of a week; the taste actually improves after being in the fridge for a day. It can also be frozen in freezer bags or plastic dishes. Reheats quickly in the microwave or on the stove.
- OM NOM NOM!
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Bready or Not: Honey Roasted Chicken and Carrots
When bone-in chicken breasts go on sale, I’m really happy for the chance to make this family favorite: Honey Roasted Chicken with Carrots.
This is a fairly healthy recipe. It relies on the chicken skin and a touch of olive oil to keep the chicken tender and moist, with a little more butter added at the end. You can use however many baby carrots you want, though you might not be able to squeeze more than 12 ounces worth into a dish. The carrots end up tender and the slightest bit sweet and caramelized.
I have fresh oregano and rosemary handy, so I like to use one or both of those in this, but you can season this however you want. Dry herbs will rehydrate nicely.
One of the things I love most about this is that the breast pieces are meaty and we’re bound to have leftovers the next day. This tender chicken is delicious in salads, wraps, or sandwiches!
Modified from a recipe published in the Arizona Republic, October 4th 2007.
Bready or Not: Honey Roasted Chicken and Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 chicken breast halves with bone and skin
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 8 - 12 ounces baby carrots
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 2 - 3 Tablespoons fresh oregano or rosemary, or a few teaspoons dry herbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425-degrees. Set out a large casserole dish. Rub the chicken with enough oil to coat it on both sides, then season with salt and pepper. Place the breasts skin side down in the dish.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Turn the chicken over--watch out, it will sizzle and pop! Add as many carrots as desired to the pan.
- Bake for another 25 minutes. As the chicken bakes, in a bowl combine the butter, honey, and herbs.
- Turn the chicken over to be skin-side up again. Spoon the butter-honey mix over the chicken and carrots. Roll the carrots around in it for good measure. Roast for an additional 5 minutes.
- OM NOM NOM!
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