New Year Pork Roast

Yesterday was a quiet a home New Year's day with white chili at home because New Year's Eve was a big food fest at a friend's home, with wonderful Argentinian food.  Today we had friends over after church so we can have a proper New Year's Day celebration (albeit one day late).  In order to speed up the cooking, I started the rice and beans in the Chinese rice cooker with chicken broth and also put the pork roast in the slow cooker with just a little water and a little soy sauce.  We left home for about 1.5 hours for church and then I rubbed the pork with the spice mixture and put some of the liquid from the crockpot in the roast pan and finished the pork by roasting in the oven for another hour.  In the mean time, I finished the Hopping John and quickly sauteed the broccoli and wild mushrooms.  Here are the recipes:

Pork Roast

1st step in crockpot:
3.5 lb pork loin roast
2 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 cup water

Put 1 cup of water in the bottom of a 6 qt crockpot (I used an oval-shaped crockpot so I didn't have to cut the roast).  Carefully place pork roast inside the crockpot.  Spoon soy sauce over the roast, trying to cover as evenly as possible.  Turn crockpot on high.


2nd step in oven (after 1.5 hours in crockpot):
1 teaspoon each dried thyme, rosemary, basil, coriander, fennel
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon soy sauce

Put partially cooked pork roast in roast pan .  Mix dried herbs and pepper.  Use a food processor if desired for a smoother consistency.  Rub herb mixture onto pork roast.  Mix olive oil and soy sauce.  Pour over the pork roast.  Add as much of the liquid from the crock post to cover the bottom of the roast pan as possible.  Roast in 375 degree oven for about an hour (until center temperature registers 155 degrees).

Hopping John

1st step in rice cooker:
3 cups long grain rice
1 can (15 oz) black-eyed peas
2 chicken bullion cubes
6 cups water

Put all the ingredients in rice cooker and cook according to instructions.  Rice will be pretty sticky.  Can reduce amount of water for a grainier, less sticky consistency.

2nd step on stove top:
3 cups chopped celery
1 small onion
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Cooked rice and beans mixture from step 1

Heat oil in 4 quart saucepan or dutch oven.   Saute celery and onion until soft.  Add cooked rice and bean mixture.  Stir to mix well.

Broccoli and wild mushrooms

2 broccoli crowns, cut in stir-fry size pieces
8 oz.  mixed wild mushrooms
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Put water in frying pan.  Cook broccoli in the water.  Cover frying pan and cook broccoli until soft.  Remove lid.  Add mushrooms.  Cook until everything is tender.  Season with the soy sauce.