Asian Pulled Pork Wrap

Sue here again. I wanted to share another tasty recipe I totally-not-by-accident created before Jo shared the rest of our Thanksgiving recipes. 

And, by totally-not-by-accident I mean I threw some things in my crock pot and *tah-dah* deliciousness happened by magic. 

This pulled pork would be great on it's own or on some rice but in a wrap a little goes a long way and tastes very yummy. The different textures of the fillings also make for a very interesting (read: amazing) sandwich wrap for lunch or dinner!

Asian Pulled Pork Wrap

Ingredients

Pork

1/2 cup Hoisin sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp BBQ sauce

1/2 cup Sprite (or Coke)

1/4 cup Oyster sauce

9 cloves garlic

salt & pepper

3 lb pork roast

Sandwich Filling

large tortillas

purple cabbage, shredded (or coleslaw)

brown rice, cooked (or white rice)

green onions, diced

sesame seeds, toasted

Ichiban noodles, dry (uncooked) & crumbled

Directions

Turn slow cooker to high. Mix hoisin sauce, soy sauce, BBQ sauce, Sprite, Oyster sauce, garlic, and salt & pepper together in a mixing bowl. 

Place pork roast in slow cooker and pour the sauce over top. Turn to coat.

Cook on high for 5 - 6 hours, until pork is cooked.

Remove the cooked pork, let cool until you can handle it without burning yourself - shred it using 2 forks, then return to slow cooker on low for another 1/2 hour to an hour. 

When heated through you are ready to eat.

Prepare wrap: Lay a large tortilla on a work surface. 

1. Place a few spoonfuls of shredded cabbage in the middle of the wrap, leaving a few inches at the bottom of the wrap so it can be folded up.

2. Top the cabbage with a few spoonfuls of the cooked rice.

3. Top with a few spoonfuls of the pulled pork. (Be careful not to get too much sauce or your wrap will be soggy!)

4. Top the pork with a sprinkle of the diced green onion.

5. Then sprinkle with some toasted sesame seeds.

6. Lastly, sprinkle with some of the crushed, dried noodles.

Now you can fold up the bottom of the wrap so it covers the bottom of the filling. Then fold the edges of the wrap into the middle. Secure with a toothpick, if desired.

I didn't put measurements because it will depend on how full you like your wraps. 

We had the pulled pork for dinner the first night and then I reheated the leftovers to make these wraps. I will make the pulled pork again just for the purpose of these wraps though because my hubby and my daughter both loved them. 

Look at all those lovely colors and textures!

I Love meals that are not too labor intensive. Easy peasy is good. :)

Be sure to pop over to Carole's Chatter for tons of great links!

Gluten Free Date Square

Matrimonial bars (also called date squares) are a classic square often found at weddings, funerals, baby showers, church gatherings, and family get-togethers. 

I (Sue) decided to make a pan of them for my in-laws 47th wedding anniversary but, as my in-laws are presently going gluten free, I decided to see how a gluten free version of this classic bar would turn out. 

Thanks to the many gluten free flour mixes now available it was no more difficult to whip this up than the original. From start to finish in under an hour. 

Gluten Free Date Square

Ingredients

Crust

3 cups Old Fashioned Oats

2 1/2 cups Gluten free flour blend (Such as Robin Hood)

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups brown sugar

2 cups butter, chilled

Filling

1 lb dates (pitted & chopped)

1 1/3 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together oats, gluten free flour, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar until well combined. Cut in butter using 2 butter knives or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Firmly press 1/2 of the crumb mixture into the prepared pan and set aside.

Prepare filling - In a large saucepan stir together dates, water, and sugar. 

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium/low, and simmer 5 - 10 minutes, stirring often - until dates have softened and mixture is thickened.

Pour the date mixture over the oat layer in the pan. Spread evenly.

Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the date layer and lightly press down. 

Bake at 350 for 25 - 30 minutes, until topping is golden brown.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temp. Cut and serve. (Store leftovers covered, in fridge)

The in-laws really enjoyed these. They were skeptical that I used gluten free flour. They taste almost exactly like the original (gluten included) squares. 

By the way, some oats can contain gluten as well - just make sure you read the package carefully if gluten is a concern for you.  

Pumpkin Sex In A Pan

We've previously had a debate about the name of this dessert (Check out our post HERE!) as it certainly can be a conversation starter. 

The original dessert was made with chocolate but we decided to make it more fall-ish by changing things up and adding pumpkin. A friend of mine from work shared her version of this recipe with us. The recipe, as written here, is really close to our original but still a little different. 

This was perfect for Thanksgiving dessert - it's light but still extremely decadent.

Give this version a try or the original - they are both my favorite. Which one is yours?

Pumpkin Sex In A Pan

Ingredients

Bottom Layer

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

2nd Layer

1 X 8 oz brick Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1 cup icing sugar

1/2 large tub of Cool Whip

3rd Layer

1 398 ml can pumpkin puree

3 small pkgs instant vanilla pudding mix

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 1/2 cups milk

Top Layer

remaining 1/2 tub Cool Whip

1/4 cup very finely chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9 X 13 pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a mixing bowl, mix together flour, butter, and pecans until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press the crumbs evenly into the prepared 9 X 13 pans. 

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool in fridge while you prepare the next layer.

In the same mixing bowl you prepared the crust in, beat together cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth. Fold in the 1/2 tub of cool whip. Spoon the mixture over the crust in the pan and gently spread out evenly.

Again, in the same mixing bowl, beat together the pumpkin puree, vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin pie spice, and milk until smooth.  Spread over the cream cheese layer.

Finally, spread the remaining Cool Whip over top of the pumpkin layer.

Sprinkle with remaining pecans and chill until ready to serve.

You do not have to be a huge fan of pumpkin to enjoy this dish. It is super creamy, super rich, and has just a subtle hint of pumpkin pie going on. The pecans definitely make this dish stand out.

As with our original version of this dish, if you find you have trouble calling this "sex in a pan" then simply call it Pumpkin Delight. It doesn't have quite the impact but still explains what's going on in this tasty dessert. 

Be sure to pop by Horrific Knits and Dizzy Busy & Hungry and Adventures of Mel for some more fantastic links!

Shrimp & Asparagus with Pork & Broccoli Stir Fry on Israeli Couscous

Here is a great idea for dinner that includes lots of veggies to healthy things up.

Two separate dishes that combine to create a pretty satisfying meal. 

If you like dishes with a little Asian flare then you will probably enjoy these. Shrimp and asparagus with hints of garlic and lime along with pork & broccoli in a soy and chili sauce may just become your new favorite dinner!

Pork & Broccoli Stir Fry on Israeli Couscous

Ingredients

2 Tbsp soy sauce

juice and zest of 1 lime

2 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp oil

1 lb pork, cut in 1 inch pieces

salt & pepper

4 cups broccoli florets

2 cup button mushrooms, quartered
2 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 cup water

1/4 cup chopped, salted peanuts

2 cups cooked Israeli Couscous

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, lime juice & zest, Thai sweet chili sauce, and sugar. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium high heat, drizzle oil in pan. add pork and salt & pepper and cook until no longer pink. Squish meat over to side of pan. Add in the broccoli and mushrooms and dried parsley to the empty space and cook for 1 minute.
Add 1/2 cup water to the pan to deglaze pan, scraping bottom of pan to get all the good bits.
Cover pan and cook another minute.
Add in soy sauce mixture, cover and cook until slightly reduced - anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and scoop on top of the cooked Israeli couscous. (You can, of course, serve this on rice or quinoa too.)
Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts.
Serve immediately.

Shrimp & Asparagus

Ingredients
2 tsp oil
2 cups shrimp, diced
1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp dried parsley
3 green onions, diced

Directions
Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add oil and shrimp and cook until shrimp has turned pink. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.
Add green pepper, asparagus, garlic, salt & pepper to the frying pan. Cook about 3 - 4 minutes.
Whisk together the chicken broth and cornstarch, lemon juice and dried parsley.
Pour over vegetables in pan.
Cook another 2 - 3 minutes. Stir the shrimp back into the vegetables and cook another minute to heat up the shrimp.
Serve hot, sprinkled with the green onions.

Chopping the veggies is probably the most time consuming part of this recipe. Even still - from start to finish this only takes about 20 - 30 minutes.
Plus...it looks pretty... so...there's that too.


For more asparagus recipes, check out Carole's Chatter

Garden Bounty Biscuits (with fresh Zucchini, Tomato, Garlic, Green Onion)

Sometimes it's the simple things that are the most comforting.

Now that fall weather is here and it's delightfully damp and chilly, the best thing in the universe is stew and biscuits. 

Don't even try and argue. You know I'm right.

I decided to take an ordinary baking powder biscuit and fancy it up with some veggies from the garden to make my dinner of stew and biscuits even more fall-ish. 

Turns out this was a fantastic idea. 

These are almost more scone-y than biscuit-y but not quite. Call them what you will but do give them a try. 

Best served warm with a little butter but of course room temp will work as well.

Garden Bounty Biscuits 

(with fresh zucchini, tomato, garlic, and green onion)

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 green onions, diced

1 cup shredded zucchini

1/2 cup seeded, diced tomato

1/2 cup shredded, aged cheddar cheese

1 cup milk

2 eggs

3 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, place flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & pepper, garlic, green onions, zucchini, tomato, and cheese.

In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, oil, and vinegar until well combined.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed. It's okay if there is still a tiny bit of flour peaking out; you do not want to over mix.

Using a large cookie scoop (about 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup) scoop batter onto prepared cookie sheet. (I got 21 biscuits using the large cookie scoop)

Bake at 400 for 20 - 30 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown and tops are lightly browned.

Remove from heat and cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cool on wire rack. 

Serve warm or room temp. 

Of course, as I mentioned above, these are fantabulous with some butter on top!

P.S. - If you manage to have any leftover (yeah, right!) these freeze really well. You can just thaw them at room temp or pop them in a warm oven to thaw them OR take out one or two at a time and zap them in the microwave. 

So perfect with stew or soup or just with coffee/tea at tea time. 

Be sure to stop by Carole's Chatter and Hun... What's For Dinner? and Simple Life of a Fire Wife and Dizzy Busy & Hungry and Urban Girl Bakes for tons of great links!

Cheesy Dill Crackers

Here is a super quick snack that is perfect for any get-together. 

I don't want to say it's foolproof because that would just jinx it.... but it IS pretty much foolproof.

It's not too large of a batch either so you can have these whipped up, from start to finish,  in under half an hour. 

You can use your favorite cheese, just make sure it is really strong so the flavor comes through. I love the smoked gouda but a nice extra aged cheddar would work great too. 

These are puffy and crispy and just as good as store bought crackers, in my opinion. Unfortunately these only stay crisp for the first day. They still taste fantastic the next day but they are not nearly as crispy. 

I would definitely recommend making these as close to the serving time as possible. Which shouldn't be a problem because they only take a few minutes to whip up!

Cheesy Dill Crackers

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 cup finely grated smoked Gouda cheese

1/4 cup butter, chilled

1 tsp dried dill 

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup milk

extra dill for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper, set aside.

Place flour, salt, pepper, cheese, butter, dill, and onion & garlic powder into a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles course crumbs. Add about half of the milk and pulse until dough starts to form. Add more milk, a half a tablespoon at a time until mixture holds together but is not sticky.

Remove dough from food processor and place on lightly floured work surface.

Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness (or thinner if you can), sprinkling with flour as needed.

Cut dough into strips and then into bite sized pieces or use a small glass if you want round crackers.

Place cut dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a little extra dill - and, if you want to, you can sprinkle with a little extra onion/garlic powder. 

Bake at 400 until golden brown, about 10 - 15 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temp. 

You can cut them into small squares or larger rectangles (as in above photo) or circles, pretty much whatever you like. 

As mentioned, these don't store very well but that shouldn't be too big of a problem - they are super easy and super quick to whip up!