Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Easy Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos

I'm always look for a good slow-cooker recipe that doesn't call for a can of "Cream of ..."  I adapted this from a Serious Eats recipe.

FORMULA:

3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/3 cup cider vinegar
Kosher salt
1 pound pork butt
1 carrot
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium onion, quartered
3 tablespoons bottled or homemade barbecue sauce
1 chipotle pepper from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce, minced, plus extra sauce

 
PROCESS:
 
Mix together brown sugar, ground coriander, vinegar and 1 ½ tablespoons salt in bowl large enough to fit pork. Add pork, toss to combine, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Add half of carrot, garlic, and onion to bottom of slow cooker. Add pork and 2 tablespoons juice from marinade. Pour ½ cup water over pork. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for about 8 hours. Pork should be very tender and shred easily. Transfer to bowl, leaving vegetables behind. Shred with two forks. Add ½ teaspoon salt, three tablespoons broth, and barbecue sauce. Stir in minced chipotle and adobo sauce to taste. Season to taste with salt.

Baked Falafel

I found this recipe on Chow Vegan.  It was a great week-night meal and Oliver liked it too.

FORMULA:

1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans

1 small onion, finely chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Salt and pepper to taste


PROCESS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans. Put in a medium sized bowl and smash with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Form into small balls, about 1 1/2″ in diameter and slightly flatten. Place onto an oiled baking pan.

Bake for 15 minutes on each side, until nicely browned (since it’s baked, only the part actually touching the pan will be browned and crispy).

Serve with mini pita pockets, hummus, tahini sauce, tomatoes, lettuce and/or cucumber.