Slow Cooker Pork Paprikash

This is a simple recipe to throw together. I forgot to add the sour cream before serving and we didn't miss it. Serve over egg noodles that have been dressed with butter and fresh parsley. Delicious!

Serves 6-8

2 pounds pork tenderloin
1 large onion, diced
2 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp smoked paprika(can substitute Hungarian paprika if you like it spicy)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup light sour cream

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper. Sear the tenderloin on all sides until it is browned all over. Place the tenderloin in the bottom of the slower cooker insert. Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic over top. Mix the wine, tomato paste, paprika, vinegar, worcesterchire sauce salt and pepper together and pour over contents of the insert. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. Shred the meat and stir in the sour cream before serving. Serve over hot buttered egg noodles.

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Cake

I found a recipe for a blueberry crumb cake that sounded good with one exception. The recipe called for cinnamon. I have never been a fan of cinnamon with blueberries. Still I needed a desert so a made a visual scan of my pantry. I happened to have a jar of lemon curd. Lemons go very well with blueberries, bringing out their tart berry flavor. I put it all together and crossed my fingers. The cake set up and came out beautifully.

Serves 12

for cake

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries plus 2 tbsp of flour
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 stick softened butter
juice of 1 large lemon
zest of one large lemon, divided
2 extra large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
10 oz of lemon curd
1/2 cup sugar

Crumb topping
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup sugar
1 stick butter melted
1/2 of lemon zest
Preheat oven to 325. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with baking spray and set aside. Mix 2 tbsp flour into the blueberries and set aside. In a large bowl of a mixer beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and half of the lemon zest. Spoon in the baking soda and powder, blend well. Add half of the flour followed by the buttermilk and finish with the other half of the flour. Gently fold in the blueberries by hand. Scoop the batter into the baking dish and spread out evenly. Place the lemon curd and the lemon juice in a small bowl, mix well. Pour the lemon curd over the top of the cake batter and swirl in with a knife. Place all the ingredients for the crumb topping into a bowl, add the remaining zest and mix until combined. Sprinkle it over the top of the cake batter. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes. If the cake giggles in the middle, turn up the heat to 350 and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and serve.

Slow Cooker TurkeyPicadillo

Picadillo is a ground meat dish that comes from Cuba. It is spicy, salty and tangy all in one dish. I serve mine over a bed of brown jasmine rice. It makes a great light dish to serve after all the of the heavy holiday goodies. This dish rates 4 Weight Watchers points.

Serves 6-8

2 pounds lean ground turkey
1 large onion, diced
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and diced
2 15oz cans of diced fired roasted tomatoes and chilies
1 6oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cloves garlic,minced
1 10oz jar of small pimento stuffed olives
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper

In a large non-stick skillet, season with salt and pepper and brown the ground turkey. Spoon the ground turkey into the slow cooker. Return the skillet to the heat and saute the onions, peppers and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Add the sauted veggies to the ground turkey. Add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir. Adjust the salt and pepper if needed. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. Serve over a bed of rice.