Clean Eating's Ginger-Infused Pulled Pork (Thrifty Thursday: Why Eat Out?!)

I love a good BBQ pulled pork.  I know it's not a very lean or healthy dish, but I'm a realistic dietitian and I know that having it every once in a while isn't a problem, especially if you make sure to pair your BBQ with some type of vegetable (I like mine with greens and beans!).  Since getting a slow-cooker I've been dreaming of making pulled pork sandwiches for dinner.  The other day I found a great recipe for Ginger-Infused Pork in my Clean Eating Magazine, and "pinned it" (on my fridge, that is) so I could gather the ingredients at the store, ASAP.

This recipe was so easy, and cheap, it's a wonder why anyone would ever go to a BBQ restaurant ever again!  haha, jk.  But seriously, the price was just right, and the slow-cooker did all the work.

Ginger-Infused Pork

Slightly modified from a Clean Eating Magazine recipe

Serves: 10

Total Price: ~$.80/serving (not including the bun and toppings)

Ingredients

1 tsp sesame oil (or safflower oil)

1 1/2 lb. trimmed lean pork shoulder

2 jalapeno chile peppers, thinly sliced into rounds (keep the seeds in if you like spice!)

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 cup diced yellow onion

1/4th cup tomato paste (made with just tomatoes, nothing else added)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/3 cup maple syrup (or evaporated can juice)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

Optional: Fresh buns

Directions

1.  Add the pork to your slow cooker, followed by all the ingredients, minus the maple syrup, vinegar, Worchestershire and ginger.

2.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours (depending on your slow cooker, you may need more or less time.  The pork should fall apart easily with a fork when it's cooked appropriately).

3.  Once cooked, turn off the slow-cooker and add the maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Worchestershire and grated ginger.  Allow to sit for about 30 minutes to let flavors infuse.

4.  Pull apart the pork and enjoy the pork however you wish (ie: on buns, on a bed of brown rice, on a salad, wrapped in a taco shell, etc.)

NOTE:  If you are following a Low FODMAPs diet, make sure to cut your onion into LARGE chunks so they can easily be avoided when you are scooping out your pork, but you still get the flavor of the onion immersed into your pork as it's cooking (although if you are really sensitive to galactans and fructans, beware you will still get some if you use the onion, as FOS and GOS are water soluble).  If you are very sensitive keep in mind the Worchestershire sauce also contains FODMAPs.  This recipe only calls for a small amount, so it could be eliminated if you wish.  It didn't seem to bother me, just an FYI.  Also, the high amount of tomatoes might cause you problems, so be sure to avoid the excess juices and stick to just the pork if you are really sensitive to a lot of tomatoes (some are more than others).

Instagram!

When I first added all the ingredients to the slow-cooker, I thought there wasn't enough liquid. Don't be fooled. Those tomatoes are filled with liquid!  

About 7 hours later.....

I pulled the pork apart outside of the slow cooker, so I could get minimal amounts of the juices on my pork.  The juices were delicious, yes, but see my note above about FODMAPs and you will see why I tried to minimize them.  Nick, however, added extra ginger-and syrupy juices to his sandwich!

All that hard labor.......  really paid off ;)

No, we didn't use whole wheat buns (and to be honest, because of FODMAPs and because of all the refined carbs, I only ate half of my bun, but I reallllly enjoyed that half!).

QUESTION:  Do you like pulled pork? Have you ever made it in the slow-cooker?  Do you have any favorite recipes you'd like to share?

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Slow-Cooker Cajun Shrimp and Rice (Whatever Wednesday Post!)

It's great to be back in the blog world.  Yesterday's post sparked some wonderful conversation, and I appreciate everyone's comments (both good and bad).  It was pretty clear that just as I hadn't read the book "Wheat Belly", many of those who posted comments also didn't read my entire post.  I was not writing a review of the book, but mainly trying to back-up what I teach to my clients, that wheat can be a part of a healthy and balanced diet.  Working in a grocery store I have to be open to all types of diets, views, and opinions (and really, being an RD in most community settings this is the case).  And, as a practicing dietitian and professional, I believe that it's important to teach evidence-based nutrition information (and not to fall for the naive idea that "correlation indicates causation", as one RD pointed out in her comments yesterday), and I am still not convinced that wheat (or any grain) is bad (unless, of course you are medically unable to consume them). Until it is proven otherwise, I will continue to believe that Americans are consuming too many grains, and the wrong types (mainly refined instead of whole) and that that is one of our many dietary shortcomings.  I am not yet able to agree that wheat is bad, but only that we are eating too much (and what is the right amount? I don't think we know that quite yet either.....).   I am happy for anyone who has followed a wheat or gluten-free diet for reasons other than an allergy or Celiac and who have had success (like I said yesterday, I am one of them!).  

Ok, it's food time.

I love slow cookers.  

I can throw a bunch of seemingly random ingredients into a large pot, turn on the heat, walk away for several hours, and come home to deliciousness.......

The recipe is called "Slow-Cooker Cajun Shrimp and Rice", but this looks more like a stew to me, no?  Read my notes below and you'll see that my choice of using brown rice might have been what turned this slow-cooker meal into more of a stew.  Not that it really mattered, as Nick and I still devoured this meal for three nights straight.

I seriously love shrimp. I could eat it each and every night, if I could.  But I don't, because variety is important.  While shrimp is high in selenium, omega-3, and a special kind of carotenoid called astazanthin (it has many anti-inflammatory properties), it's also pretty high in cholesterol.  But let's be honest, most research suggests saturated fat is the main culprit for increasing your cholesterol numbers, and shrimp is a low saturated fat food (making it a great substitute for that burger you're about to eat. )

I didn't use wild rice, as the recipe suggested.  If I make this again, I will.  I actually used all brown rice, and I think it cooked much faster than wild rice, and became more starchy.  Oops!  It was still delicious.

Cajun Shrimp and Rice

Slightly modified from a recipe found in Fitness Magazine

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 14-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup chopped yellow onions

2 cups chopped green or yellow bell pepper

1 6- to 6-1/4-ounce package long-grain and wild-rice mix (found in any grocery store)

1/4 cup water 

1 garlic clove, chopped 

1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning 

1 pound cooked, shelled and deveined shrimp 

Hot Sauce

NOTE:  If you're following a low FODMAPs diet, this recipe is probably not for you.  I tried to reduce the onion and garlic, but it was still pretty loaded.  I stuck to a fairly small serving each time I ate this, so it didn't cause me too many problems.  I also cut the onion into very large chunks, so it was easy to avoid, but still not FODMAPs-free.

Directions 

1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, onions, bell pepper, rice mix with seasoning packet, water, garlic, and Cajun seasoning. 

2. Cover; cook on low-heat setting 4-5 hours or on high-heat setting 2 1/2 - 3 hours. 

3. Stir shrimp into rice mixture. Cover; cook for 15 minutes longer at high-heat setting. Sprinkle with hot sauce (if desired).

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/6th of recipe

QUESTION:  Do you like shrimp?  If not...why the heck not?!  haha, jk. It's definitely not for everyone. But if you like it, try this recipe!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

Slow-Cooker Texas Chili (With beans!)

Ever since we were given a slow-cooker for a wedding present, I've been using it to make just about everything (including gingered pulled pork today on my day off!).  Can you believe that in the almost seven years since Nick and I have been together, I never knew he liked chili and stews?  He's always told me "I don't like soup", so to me that meant no chili or stews.  I recently found out I was wrong.  Thank goodness.

I'm pretty sure traditional texas chili contains zero veggies (except for chilis, which really shouldn't count).  But Nick and I like veggies in our chili, so I modified this Texas Chili recipe a bit.  Don't hate me if you're from Texas, I just....like my beans.

Instagram photo, taken during the first 5-minutes of the 7-hour process

After seven hours of labor (not my labor, the slow-cooker's labor)

 

 

Slow-Cooker Texas Chili

Modified from a recipe on FoodNetwork.com

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 4.5-ounce cans chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3/4 cup chili powder
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with chiles
• 1 to 2 tablespoons green hot sauce
• 2 14-ounce cans kidney beans, drained
• Fresh cilantro and plain Greek yogurt, for topping
• Tortilla chips, for serving (optional)

NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet this is probably not the best recipe. You could omit the onion and garlic and use a garlic or tuscan-flavored olive oil to replace the vegetable oil. Or you could cut the onion and garlic into large chunks so they are easy to remove when you eat the chili (this way you'd still get the flavors infused, but this is not a good idea if you are really sensitive to GOS, as they are water-soluble).  Also, omit the beans (or take a beano supplement). 

Directions

1.  Toss the beef with 1 tablespoon each brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef in batches until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not crowd the pan). Transfer to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.

2.  Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion to the skillet and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chiles, cumin and chili powder and cook 3 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and the tomatoes and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low, 7 hours.

3.  Add the hot sauce to the chili. Serve with scallions, cilantro and/or sour cream for topping, and chips, if desired.

Instagram

Nick took one bite and said, "You made this?!".
Should I be offended by this??

I didn't add Greek yogurt to mine, but I did add cilantro.  It definitely added a unique touch.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/8th of the chili

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of vitamin A and Calcium, excellent source of fiber, protein, iron and vitamin C.  Not bad for chili!

QUESTION:  I like my chili with cornbread.  What about you?

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Thrifty Thursday: Clean Eating's Slow-Cooker Pork'n Beans!

It's cold out. Why not make some pork and beans?!  And while you're at it, relish the fact that you are making a lot of very tasty and quite healthy food, for very cheap.  This amazing recipe (meal!) cost ~$17 total, and lasted Nick and I about 4 days (and that was with organic canned goods and pork!).  Seventeen dollars for four dinners for two? Not too shabby!

Slow-Cooker Pork'n' Beans

Slightly modified from a Clean Eating Magazine recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 lb. dry pinto beans

1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 tsp. sea salt, divided

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 white onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 jalapeno chile peppers, finely chopped

1 tbsp.  tomato paste

2 cups diced tomatoes (canned)

1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2-3 limes, cut into wedges

Directions

1.  Place beans in a large bowl and cover with tap water by about 3 inches.  Cover and soak overnight.  Drain and rinse soaked beans and transfer to a 5 to 6-qt. slow cooker.  Add enough hot water to cover by 1-inch.  Cook for 2 hours on high.

2.  Add pork and cook for 3 hours on high, checking once or twice to ensure pork-bean mixture is just submerged in liquid; add more water as needed so beans remain submerged.  Stir in 3/4 tsp salt and black pepper and cook until beans are tender, about 1-hour on high.

3.  About 30 minutes before beans are done, heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high.  Add bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 12 minutes.  Add garlic, jalapenos and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and simmer until liquid reduces by about three-quarters, 4-5 minutes.  Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp salt.

4.  With a large ladle, scoop and discard most of the cooking liquid in the slow cooker, so beans are moist but not soupy.  Add tomato mixture to bean mixture and stir to combine.  Turn off slow cooker (or keep on warm setting for up to 2 hours).  Ladle beans into serving bowls and top with cheese and cilantro.  Serve with lime wedges.

Note: If you are following a Low FODMAPs diet, this recipe may not be for you.  Granted, I did eat it and enjoy it, but I downed several Beano.  You could try omitting the onion and garlic, but the taste will be significantly different.  I did use less onion and garlic than the original recipe, and used garlic-infused olive oil.

Estimated Nutrition facts for 1/8th of the recipe

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd