Recipes

Stephen and I love pork, and we love sliders. Today I decided I wanted to make some but I didn’t want to go to the shops to by ANY ingredients. So, I had to get creative and try some new recipes. We only had a pork leg roast in the freezer (and most recipes called for the shoulder), but I think it’s pretty safe to say, they turned out AMAZING!

Sorry for the rubbish photo, I just wanted to eat them!!

So, here’s how I made them.

Pulled Pork (in the slow cooker):
1.5-2kg pork roast (I used leg, but shoulder is meant to be great)
2 onions
1 cup BBQ sauce (I make my own using this recipe)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup liquid vegetable stock (I use TM stock paste mixed with water)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard (I used dijon, but lots of recipes recommend hot english)
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chilli powder (or more if you like it hot!)
3 cloves of crushed garlic
3 sprigs of thyme (or dried if you don’t have fresh)

Slice onions into big rings and place on the bottom of the slow cooker. These are what the pork sits on top.
If the pork has string around it cut it off and place the pork roast on top of the onions in the slow cooker.
Mix all of the remaining ingredients together in a jug or bowl, and then pour over the pork roast. The smell is quite strong, but don’t be put off, the end result is delicious.
Leave to cook in the slow cooker. Every slow cooker is different, but my 1.8kg roast took 5 hours on high. Perhaps 8-10 hours on low would have also worked.
Once the pork is cooked remove it from the slow cooker. Take off the layer of fat/skin and discard. Shred the pork using two forks.
Take half of the sauce left in the slow cooker and discard. Then put the shredded pork back into the cooker with the remaining sauce and let it stew for 10 minutes or so (or until you’re ready to serve).
And done!

Brioche buns:
To make the buns I used this fantastic recipe. It was the first time I had ever made brioche and it turned out light and fluffy and fantastic! Thank you Maureen and my faithful thermomix.

Fillings:
To serve we added spinach, and I whipped up a quick coleslaw in the thermomix using purple cabbage, carrots, and apple with a bit of yogurt, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

And voila, sliders!

Bon appétit,

By the end of this week I had so many overripe bananas on the bench that Stephen and I didn’t want to take to work that I had to do something! Normally we just peel them and put them in the freezer (great for morning smoothies!), but we already have about ten in there because I got a big brown bunch from the markets for cheap the other week.

So I had to think outside of the box. I made Alexx Stuart’s delicious banana loaf recipe, which Stephen loves! And still had one more lonely brown banana. If you know me, you know I loath food wastage, so i thought I’d sleep on it (the idea, not the banana) and hopefully be inspired in the morning.

Well…I wouldn’t say I woke up inspired, but I did wake up hungry, and hunger is a pretty strong motivator for me! Stephen and I lay in bed with the curtains slightly open listening to and watching the rain drizzling down all over the front garden. Porridge weather!! I wanted something warm and substantial because we have a big list of things to do today, and we often don’t get around to eating lunch until later in the afternoon. I’m also a strong believer in healthy fats to boost your metabolism and keep you feeling full, so I didn’t hold back!

What developed over the next fifteen minutes or so was simply delicious! And something I will definitely make again. Introducing Creamy Coconut Banana Porridge. The banana makes it so creamy, and the fact that I used coconut milk also makes it dairy free (if that’s something you need to factor in). I topped it with some frozen blueberries, coconut flakes and cacao nibs. Who would have thought healthy porridge could taste so amazing!

1 big serving, or 2 small snack size servings

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oats
3/4 – 1 cup water (depending on how thick/runny you like it)
1/4 cup coconut milk (I use Ayam brand because their tins are BPA free and the milk contains no additives or nasties)
1/2 – 1 ripe banana
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon nut butter (I used almond because it’s my favourite!)

Toppings: blueberries, cacao nibs, coconut flakes (anything you want!! Honey, bee pollen, berries, nuts, seeds, whatever you fancy)

Method:

Put oats, water, coconut milk and sliced/mashed banana into a small saucepan.

Heat for approximately ten minutes (or until the liquid has been absorbed) stirring occasionally.

Once it’s looking nice and thick, turn off the heat and stir through the coconut oil and nut butter.

Pour into a bowl and top with whatever you’re in the mood for.