Cleaning out the cupboards

I had a few days between when the cupboards started to seem bare and when I went grocery shopping, so I shopped at my own kitchen.  I should point out that I broke some of my 'whole food' rules, because   there were some limited options... and that's what I had in the cupboards.



For the base, I went with a mix of quinoa, lentils and brown rice

• 2/3 cup quinoa
• 2/3 cup brown rice
• 1/3 cup beluga lentils 
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 1/2 cup water

I rinsed the grains, then mixed everything together in the pot.    Truth is, I questioned the curry, but it's what I had.  Maybe next time I might go with garam masala.  Or, I might skip the spices altogether and go with some onions, fresh herbs and diced veg.  I think this mix could be fairly versatile, and go with whatever you throw into it.  It turned out well, but a whole meal it didn't make.  I had something else brewing...

Everybody seems to be blogging about pulled pork lately.  I'm not a huge fan of the stuff but after reading about enough times, I figured I might as well give it a shot.

I had a 2 pound lean pork roast.. sorry, I don't know what kind.  It wasn't a tenderloin, but it was almost as lean.  I threw it in the slow cooker with a cup or two of ginger ale, a diced onion and a couple minced garlic cloves.  I left that on low for about 4 hours, and then drained the ginger ale before shredding the pork and adding about a 1/2 cup of bbq sauce.  I didn't want anything really saucy - just enough to give it a little flavour.  Then I added a couple cups of shredded cabbage.  Don't be a cabbage hater.  It's good for you, and you can't even tell it's there.  Mix it all up, and leave it in the slow cooker for another hour or so before serving on a pile of the grains from above.

In the meantime, I steamed some asparagus, and chopped up a tomato to add some vitamins and make the meal a little more well rounded. 

I've got enough of the stuff that I'll be eating it for a week or two, but it's not so bad at all.  Pulled pork has never been at the top of my favourite foods list, but I suspect that the grains will be on the menu again before long.