Back to the Dinner Table with Roasted Pork and Veggies

Slow-cooked pork with vegetables is a family favorite

Recipe Redux’s theme for August is “Back to the Dinner Table.”  It could be a family favorite that has be “ReDuxed” or a current family favorite. For me it is pork roast with a lot of veggies. I didn't eat red meat when I was younger. But, then I moved to the Midwest (Nebraska) and had the best pork I've ever eaten in my life. It converted me. While I don't eat pork roasts often, I love them and this one is a family favorite.

This recipe uses the slow cooker. One pot. Once things are assembled, you can basically forget about it for several hours. The pork is cooked with carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and sweet potatoes in a tomato-based broth. My family loves it.  It's sure to please your's too.

Slow Cooked Roast Pork with Veggies

Ingredients:

Non-stick cooking spray

1 2-pound boneless sirloin tip pork roast

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 (14.5 oz) can no salt added diced tomatoes

3/4 cup no salt added vegetable broth

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch strips

1 large or 2 small parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch strips

12 ounces baby red potatoes, cut in half or quarters (depending on size)

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions:

Spray a large dutch oven with non-stick spray and heat on high heat. When pan is hot, add roast that has been patted dry with paper towels to pan and brown on all sides. Remove browned roast and set in bowl of slow cooker set on high. Return dutch oven to range top and heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, tomatoes, broth, pepper, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Coat all vegetables well with sauce. Pour mixture into slow cooker on top of the pork roast. Cook for 4 to 6 hours on high (or 6 to 8 hours on low), until pork and vegetables are fully cooked.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information (1 serving = 3 ounces cooked pork plus 1/8 vegetable mixture):

276 calories, 3.4 g total fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 5.7 g dietary fiber, 29.0 g protein, 167 mg sodium. One serving provides an excellent source of vitamins A and C, potassium, and fiber.

Cost per Serving: $1.83

Pricing Note: all ingredients were at “regular” prices.

An InLinkz Link-up

Clay Pot Chicken for Easy Entertaining

Clay Pot Chicken

Treasured cookware is the theme this month for Recipe Redux.  I decided to pull out my clay cooker that my oldest brother gave me over 25 years ago.  It’s a Romertopf clay baker.

Romertopf Clay Baker

Clay pots have been around for centuries in all parts of the world. Clay pot cooking can be healthy as some recipe call for very little fat. The moisture in the pot (from soaking) helps the cooked food stay moist, making your finished dish more flavorful, tender and succulent.

I decided to do a classic baked chicken using one of the recipes that came with the dish. However, I modified it (imagine that) to use chicken parts instead of a whole chicken and I added more veggies.   I used chicken thighs and split chicken breasts that were both on sale. This recipe is perfect for entertaining company because everything gets cooked together in one pot. You can assemble the dish ahead of time and then it cooks, unattended, for about an hour and 15 minutes. No basting or watching  required.

According to The Best of Clay Pot Cooking by Dana Jacobi, there are six rules of cooking in clay.

Clay Pot Cooking by Dana Jacobi

1. Always soak unglazed pots completely submerged in water before using. Soak new pots for 30 minutes; after that, 15 minutes.
2. Never subject a clay pot to quick or extreme changes in temperature. (That’s why you put it in a cold oven and bring it up to the desired temperature.) Don’t add cold liquid to a hot pot.
3. When opening a pot after cooking, tilt the cover away from you to prevent steam from hitting your face.
4.  Use long oven-proof mitts when handling a hot clay pot. 
5. Don’t store food in a clay pot; the flavors will seep into the clay.
6.  Never use scouring powder or steel wool on a clay pot. Scrub with a fiber or nylon pad(or a stiff brush).

Individual Serving of Clay Pot Chicken

Here is the complete recipe.

Clay Pot Chicken

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, peeled and cut into wedges

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices

3 inner stalks and leaves of celery

4 lbs. chicken parts (with or without skin)

Non-stick cooking spray

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions:

Soak clay dish in water to cover for 15 minutes. Place, onion, sweet potato, gold potatoes, carrot, and celery onto bottom of clay pot. Place chicken pieces in single layer on top of vegetables.  Spray chicken with non-stick spray and season top of pieces with rosemary and thyme. Cover and place in cold oven turned to 450 degrees for about 75 minutes, or until chicken registers 165 degrees on meat thermometer.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Information per Serving:

301 calories, 8 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 86 mg cholesterol, 4 g dietary fiber, 31 g protein, and 153 mg sodium. One serving of this low cost recipe provides an excellent source of protein, vitamin A and C, niacin and B-6 and a good source of riboflavin, thiamin, and fiber.

Cost per Serving: $1.41

Pricing Note: all ingredients were at “regular” prices except  potatoes which were on sale for $2.99 for a 5-pound bag.

An InLinkz Link-up

Sweetpotato Oatmeal Cookies Sure to Please

I received free samples of California sweetpotatoes mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Sweetpotato Council and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Sweetpotato Oatmeal Cookies

Although I now live in the Northeast, I grew up in California. I never knew California grew sweetpotatoes. So, I was excited when I learned of the sweetpotato recipe contest by the California Sweetpotato Council.

I learned that California sweetpotatoes prefer to use one word (not sweet potatoes) to differentiate themselves from other sweet potatoes. As part of this contest, I was sent a box of sweetpotatoes that I have to tell you were the most beautiful sweetpotatoes I have ever seen. They were clean, had no scars or scratches and came in three beautiful colors, orange, tan, and red (see below). Here is a brief description of the three varieties:

     • Orange (Covington): rose colored skin and super sweet orange flesh; a favorite for mashing or roasting.
     • Tan (O’Henry): has a pale copper skin and white flesh; ideal for soups and stews.
     • Red (Diane): has red skin and deep orange flesh; perfect for sweetpotato fries or to add color to dishes.

California Sweetpotatoes are Colorful and Beautiful

I learned that California sweetpotatoes are grown in soft sand and are hand sorted to minimize scarring and scratching, resulting in a better looking sweetpotato (a huge difference from the typical sweet potatoes I see in my local supermarket). One medium California sweetpotato provides 105 calories, 4 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, a good source of vitamin C, and more than a day’s worth of vitamin A.

Many people mistakenly think sweetpotatoes are yams. Sweetpotatoes are sweet and moist. In contrast, yams are dry and starchy and, surprisingly, are not readily available in this country. Adding to the confusion over whether it is a sweetpotato or yam, there are varieties of yams called sweet potatoes. Also just to be clear, sweetpotatoes are not members of the white potato family.

For this contest, I experimented with several recipes. I made some hash brown sweetpotato patties using shredded sweetpotatoes, onion and egg. I thought about making sweetpotato mini donuts. Or a breakfast burrito with shredded sweetpotatoes, egg, and cheese. Or, cut them into them slices, season them, and bake them for chips. Sweetpotatoes are so versatile. They can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, or dessert.

But I finally decided to make an oatmeal cookie, to see if I could substitute mashed cooked sweetpotato for applesauce in recipes. It works. Many recipes seem to suggest using applesauce to cut down or eliminate some of the butter or fat in recipes. Well, now it appears that pureed sweetpotatoes work in much the same way as applesauce. These oatmeal cookies are loaded with good nutrition. One cookie provides 141 calories, 2 grams each of fiber and protein, and an excellent source of vitamin A. Here is the complete recipe. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweetpotato Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mashed cooked California Sweetpotato
4 Tbsp unsalted stick butter-margarine blend, melted
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

 In medium mixing bowl, wish together oats, flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine sweetpotato, butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Mix to combine. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir just until blended. Gently stir in raisins, nuts, and chocolate chips.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten cookies with hand or back of large spoon. Bake cookies until golden brown and just set, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely.

Makes 20 cookies.

Nutrition Information per Cookie: 141 calories, 5 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 12 mg cholesterol, 2 g dietary fiber, 2 g protein, and 78 mg sodium. One cookie provides an excellent source of vitamin A.

Cost per Cookie: $0.19 Pricing Note: all ingredients were at “regular” prices.

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Be sure to check out these other sweetpotato-inspired recipes from fellow Recipe Reduxers.