Slow Cooker Pork Roast

I've had these pork roasts in my freezer and I got tired of the same old-same old. I wanted to switch it up. I looked in my cupboards to see what I had to transform this hunk of meat into a magical, tasty, mouth-watering meal. I came up with this. It's incredibly delicious and I also love it because I basically do nothing and have an instant dinner. You could even do this with pork chops in the crock pot...I bet that would change your life:)

1 (2-3 pound) pork roast
1 (1 oz) packet Lipton's Savory Herb and Garlic seasoning mix
2 cups beef broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T soy sauce
1/2 onion, diced

Mix seasoning mix, beef broth, garlic, soy sauce and onion in a large bowl. Pour into crock pot. Place roast in the middle of the crock pot. Cook on high for 6 hours basting and turning every few hours. Remove roast and strain leftover juices in a strainer. Use for a sauce to top the pork or as a gravy for rice or mashed potatoes. You'll be amazed!!

Ranchhouse Pork Chops

6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours. Serve over creamy mashed potatoes.

*These are SUPER good! I ate it up and I don't like meat, let alone pork. The gravy is SO good! I also love how it's so easy. She served them with parmesan mashed potatoes, but I felt like the combo was a little overwhelming - too seasoned. Next time, I will serve them with normal mashed potatoes...maybe with a little garlic. I only used 3 pork chops and there definitely wasn't enough gravy. Next time I will use half of the ranch packet and 2 cans of cream of chicken. If you are going to make all 6 pork chops, I would double or even triple the gravy recipe...that's if you like a lot of gravy. SOOOO GOOD though!

*Picture and recipe from Picky Palate.

Pork and Green Beans in Hoisin Sauce

1 pound pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Salt and pepper
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed
12 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish, optional
Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish, optional
Steamed rice, for serving, if desired

Trim excess fat and silverskin from tenderloin. Cut into 1-inch pieces, pat with paper towels, rub with some sesame oil, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place a medium skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon sesame oil. When oil shimmers, add pork and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side.

Remove pork to a plate, return skillet to stove, and 2 T olive oil and add garlic. When garlic is fragrant, add green beans and stir occasionally until browned, about 3 minutes. Add apple juice and hoisin, stir to combine, and cook until beans are tender and sauce is reduced slightly, about 4 minutes. Return pork to pot, turn to coat in sauce, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, if using, and serve over rice.

*I watched this on the Food Network and my mouth was watering so bad I immediately jumped in the car and raced to the store. To get an exact pound of tenderloin, I went to the meat counter and asked the butcher for an even pound. Then I cut it into large chunks. When smashing the garlic, leave the clove in it's skin and turn it on its side and smash it with a large bladed knife. It pretty much pops out of it's skin and instantly "chops" the garlic. The original recipe calls for sherry, but I just substituted apple juice instead - it was all about adding a sweeter bite to the dish. You don't taste apple at all...if you were wondering. I used fresh green beans because in my opionion, nothing else is better...but when it came down to it - I knew Justin would have liked it better with canned. Just use what you are comfortable with. I had never cooked with hoisin sauce (because I never cook oriental food) and I was VERY pleasantly surprized! The glaze it creates is delicious! I would recommend trying this. It's different, but SO good!
*Adapted from The Food Network

Mexican Pulled Pork

I had a ton of pork roasts in the freezer and wanted a new, creative way to use them, so I started thinking of what would go good with it. I came up with this gem. It's a definite keeper especially when I can just put it in the crock pot and it does the work for me. You can use the meat any way you want, but we opted to put it in tortillas as pulled pork tacos. Absolutely delicious and used ingredients I had on-hand. Try it and you won't be disappointed!

4-6 pound pork roast
2 cups salsa
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 (4oz) can diced green chilies
1/2 cup water
1/2 onion sliced long and thin
1 packet taco seasoning

Mix salsa, tomato paste, chilies, water, onion, and taco seasoning. Pour half the mixture in the bottom of crock pot. Place pork roast in crock pot. Pour rest of salsa mixture over top. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Shred and put in tortillas.