Ham Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Cooked white rice
Ham
onion
carrots
garlic powder
season salt
soy sauce
scrambled eggs
frozen peas

Directions:

Cook and cool rice. Dice ham, onion, and carrots. Fry in oil until done. Add cooled rice. Season with garlic powder, season salt, and soy sauce. Add scrambled eggs and frozen peas at end. Can also add bacon and bean sprouts.

Cranberry Roast

Found this on The Sisters' Cafe website. They adapted it from Recipe Corner and A Year of Slowcooking. I served it with rice, but I think it could go either way.

Ingredients:
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1, 2-4 lb roast (I used pork)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce (I used homemade)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Place the rings of onion in the crock pot.
2. Place roast in crock pot on top of the onions.
3. Sprinkle the roast with salt and pepper to taste (salt might depend on how if you have regular or low-sodium soy sauce).
4. Pour the 2 Tbsp. of soy sauce over the top of the roast.
5. Pour the cranberry sauce on top of the roast.
6. Cook on low for 6 hours.
7. About one hour before serving, shred the pork so it can soak up all the juices.

Kalua Pig - Mainland Style

This recipe comes from my Aunt Michelle who lives in Kona and my cousin Rachel. Definitely a traditional luau fare, but much easier than roasting a pig underground!

Ingredients:
Pork Butt/Shoulder
2 TBSP ginger (grated)
1/4 Cup Liquid Smoke
Rock Salt/Sea Salt Crystals
1 Cup Chicken Broth
Chopped Cabbage (optional)

Directions:
1. Brown the outside of the meat using your favorite seasoning salt (optional, I didn't).
2. Mix liquid smoke and ginger together and rub into the meat.
3. Then rub meat with salt.
4. Place meat in crock pot and pour in remaining liquid smoke mixture and chicken broth.
5. Cook on low setting for 8-10 hours.
6. Add salt as necessary.
7. When ready to serve, separate from the bone and pull apart, removing any visible fat.
8. Mix in cabbage and serve over rice.

Hint: The real flavor comes from the liquid smoke and the rock/sea salt so be generous with both.

Super Easy Pork Tacos

My sisters would talk about this pork and I thought it sounded too easy to be that good, but it's is really easy and makes really good pork. Size doesn't matter too much, just pick something that works.

Ingredients:
1 jar of salsa
1 pork roast

Directions:
1. Put roast in crockpot.
2. Pour salsa over roast.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until meat can shred with a fork.
4. Use shredded pork as meat for soft tacos (or quesadillas or whatever else).

Delicious Ham and Potato Soup

Originally from allrecipes.com. I put mine in the slow cooker in the morning. Watch the potatoes, they may get too soft. Leave the butter/flour/milk combo until about a half our or so before serving. I used evaporated milk because I read someone sometimes had problems with milk curdling in their crockpot. I didn't want to risk it so I've never tried it.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

Directions:
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
3. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat.
4. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute.
5. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added.
6. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
7. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through.

Maple Brown Sugar Ham in Slow Cooker

Originally from Year of Crockpotting

Ingredients:
7-8 pound bone-in spiral-cut ham
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup all natural maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
2 cups pineapple juice

Directions:
1. Use a 6-7 quart slow cooker.
2. Unwrap the ham and discard flavor packet.
3. Place the ham into the slow cooker stoneware, flat-side down.
4. Rub brown sugar on all sides.
5. Pour on maple syrup and pineapple juice.
6. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.
7. An hour before serving, baste ham with the collected juices from the bottom of the slow cooker.
8. When cooking is done, remove carefully and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before carving. (This didn't happen for me since mine had already fallen apart in the crockpot. It worked out fine though!)

Pork Barbecoa

Ingredients:

3 pounds pork (shoulder & Boston butt work really well)
20 oz coke
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 clove garlic
1- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup tomatillo sauce (or crushed tomatillos)

Directions:

Cut pork into small cubes, around 2", and place in crock-pot. Pour enough coke to cover meat. Add clove of garlic and ketchup - mix together. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until tender enough to shred meat. Shred meat in a separate bowl. Remove liquid in crock pot except for enough to cover the shredded pork. Add brown sugar and tomatillo sauce to liquid in crock-pot. Add shredded meat. Let simmer until you're ready to eat.

Cafe Rio Burritos

Title: Cafe Rio Salad Burritos

Ingredients:
SWEET PORK

pork roast
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 can coke
1 1/2 c. brown sugar

Place pork in crock-pot and fill it half way up with water. Cook roast on high for 4-5 hours. Drain off water. Shred and de-fat pork. Mix together ingredients (sauce, coke, brown sugar) and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 2 hours on high. Then set on low until ready to serve.


CILANTRO-LIME RICE

2 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 bunch fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.


BLACK BEANS

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

CILANTRO RANCH DRESSING

1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix
1 c. sour cream
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
salt, pepper
cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients together in the blender and chill.

Here is how to put it all together: Warm a large tortilla in a pan. Remove to plate and add shredded cheese, beans, rice, pork, then lettuce (I used a mix of red leaf and iceburg) If you have a little pico de gallo and guacamole, that is a bonus. Also some crunched up tortilla chips! Serve with the cilantro ranch dressing.