Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Photo by: Hannah Porter

Crock pots are not just for winter time. With warm weather still here we don't have to heat the house with an oven. And for many with school starting or sports under way, crockpots are our friends year round!!

The sweet and smoky flavor of this sauce will leave your taste buds wanting more. And the pulled pork can easily be traded out for your families favorite meat*.

Ingredients:

• Pork Butt
• 2 oranges or the core of a pineapple
• ¼ c tomato paste
• ¼ c coconut sugar
• 1Tb cumin
• 2 tsp. Sea salt
• 1 Tb. Smoked paprika
• 1 Tb. Garlic powder
• 1 c chicken stock

For this recipe I like to save fresh pineapple cores from previous times I have cut it up. Or I cut up a couple oranges into slices and throw them in. Put the rest of the ingredients on top of the meat in the Crock-Pot and turn on high for 2 hours or low for 3 hours (may need to adjust time based on crockpot temperature. Remember pork cooks fast). Pull out meat, place on cutting board and start pulling apart/shredding. I like to use two forks to pull apart the meat. Then place  meat back in the crockpot with all the yummy juices and enjoy! Yes it's that easy!!

*Changing the meat may mean adjusting the cooking time.

-Beth

Photo by: Hannah Porter

Sweet Potato Hash

Photo By: Hannah Porter

With winter weather around the corner, the hearty, warm dishes of food take center stage. From the sweetness of the potatoes to the smokiness of the paprika, the amount of flavor in this dish will keep everyone coming back for more. It works great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (feel free to add chopped, cooked bacon to make it even heartier). It is an easy recipe to throw together and bring to an event and it's kid (and husband) approved!!

Ingredients

2-3 large sweet potatoes diced into small cubes

1-2 red bell pepper diced

Photo by: Beth Waggoner

3Tb. Extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. Cumin

1tsp. Smoked paprika

1 tsp. Sea salt (can add more to taste after cooking if desired)

1 ½ tsp. Granulated garlic

1 white onion chopped small OR for a kid friendlier version 2 tsp. Onion powder

Directions

-Preheat oven to 400

-Place your sweet potatoes and bell peppers in a 9x13 glass dish. Mix in the remaining ingredients and toss everything together to coat well.

-Put in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes (more or less depending on how hot your oven gets).

Serve warm or room temperature!!! YUM!!!

-Beth

Pesto Prosciutto Shrimp Wraps

Photo by: Hannah Porter

With summer BBQ’s in full swing there can never be enough easy and yummy appetizer ideas to have ready for friends while they wait for the main course. This recipe presents itself as upscale and fancy but is secretly easy to put together. With an explosion of flavor to the palette, these will quickly become a crowd favorite.

Ingredients

24 Medium or large raw shrimp (or cooked shrimp but adjust cooking time in half)

2 tsp. Avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil)

2 tsp. Garlic powder

8 oz Prosciutto (this will give you roughly 32 pieces divided in half)

1 Cup Pesto (for homemade see recipe below. Or replace with store-bought if you’re in a hurry).

½ Lemon (optional)

Photo by: Beth Waggoner

Homemade Pesto:

2 Cups Packed fresh basil

½ Cup Raw unsalted cashews (can replace with any unsalted preferred nut)

3 tsp Granulated garlic (or 3 cloves fresh garlic minced)

1/2 tsp Sea salt

1/2 Cup Avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil)

½ of a large lemon

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend on high until smooth or desired consistency.

-Set oven to 375

-Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper

-Remove tails from shrimp if necessary and place in a large bowl. Coat with olive oil and granulated garlic.

-Cut prosciutto in half (you can cut even more if you want smaller pieces and/or want it to go farther).

-Wrap the prosciutto around each shrimp and line them up on your baking sheet

-Place in hot oven until shrimp is cooked through and prosciutto is crispy (check at 8-10 minutes. do not overcook or you will have rubber shrimp😃.)

-Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

-Place a small amount of pesto on top of each prosciutto shrimp wrap and squeeze a ½ of a lemon over all of them.

Enjoy!!
-Beth