I love the way roasts just fall apart when you cook them in the crock pot. About an hour before serving, I took two forks and easily shredded the pork right in the pot. All of the flavors here worked together well although I could not distinguish the different types of mushrooms after they cooked for so long. And remember, if you’re away from home too long during the day to use your slow cooker, you can cook while you sleep. I would definitely recommend this recipe.

1/4 c. flour
1 (14 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
1 T Italian seasoning
1 (10 oz.) package button mushrooms, cut in half
1 (8 oz.) package baby portabella mushrooms, cut in half
1 (3.5 oz.) package sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 lb. pork loin roast
salt and pepper

Combine flour, 1/2 can tomatoes, 1/3 c. water, and Italian seasoning in a slow cooker; stir well with a whisk. Add all mushrooms. Trim fat from pork. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper; place on top of mushroom mixture. Pour remaining tomatoes over pork. Cover with lid; cook on high heat for 1 hour. Reduce heat setting to low; cook 6-7 hours.

-Adapted from Cooking Light

After my first successful attempt at cooking kale, I was excited to try more recipes. This onion and kale tart was a hit. It was packed with more vegetables than your average quiche and made a great meal. The original recipe called for cream, and the combination of evaporated milk and cottage cheese worked pretty well as a substitute. Next time I would chop the kale into smaller pieces, and perhaps dice the onion since cutting the tart into neat pieces was difficult. I also might try this as a crustless quiche.

1 pie crust, homemade or store bought
4 cups kale, coarsely chopped
1 T olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 T minced garlic
2 eggs
6 oz. fat free feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 c. evaporated skim milk
1/4 c. fat free cottage cheese

Prepare your favourite pie crust and set aside. Preheat oven to 375F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the kale, stir to submerge the leaves, and cook over high heat until wilted and somewhat tender but still bright green, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside to drip dry.

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan. Add the onions and garlic and saute over medium heat, stirring frequently, until beginning to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Break the eggs into a large bowl and lightly beat. Add the feta, milk, cottage cheese, kale, and onion mixture. Stir to mix and pour into the prepared crust. Bake until the center of the pie is firm and lightly golden across the top, 40 to 45 minutes.

-Adapted from The Gardener’s Community Cookbook

My sister and her husband tried this new pork recipe, and thought it was so tender and flavorful that they wanted to share. In the background you can see they served it with broccoli and brown rice. Wish I had been there to enjoy it myself, but I will definitely try this recipe at some point.

1 large pork tenderloin, about 1 1/2 lb.
1/2 c. Marsala wine
2 T soy sauce
1/2 t ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 c. ground almonds
1 t olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 celery rib, chopped

In small bowl stir together wine, soy sauce, pepper and garlic; pour over pork in a self-sealing bag. Seal bag; marinate in refrigerator 1 hour. Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade; pat dry. Coat pork with almonds. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Brown pork on all sides, about 5 minutes, turning carefully. Reduce heat to low, add reserved marinade, onion, carrot and celery; cover and simmer 10-12 minutes.

-Adapted from theotherwhitemeat.com