Some time ago, I made a fusion version of the traditional Hokkien dish, Braised Pork Belly Taco. Braised Pork Belly is originally served in lotus leaf buns, and they are usually cooked over a long time until soft and extremely fragrant. 

I wanted to make a less fatty version for my kids so with the same base marinade, I made these delectable Asian Pulled Pork Buns for dinner when we celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival at home last month. These flavorful buns were like mini sliders that were so delicious and versatile, perfect as an appetizer, or as a hand-held pass around at parties or on its own as a meal. 

Using the slow cooker also made this recipe extremely easy and fuss free to make. Just prepare the ingredients and let the slow cooker do the rest of the work. At the end of the day, simply pull the meat apart and pop them back into the fragrant sauce. The recipe also freezes very well and you'll get a few meals out of this this large batch recipe.

Asian Pulled Pork Buns
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
3 to 4 lb Pork Shoulder or Boston Pork Butt
6 oz Shallots (thinly sliced)
18 cloves of Garlic (lightly smashed)
5 tbsp Cooking Oil
2 oz piece Ginger (lightly smashed)
12 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
3 Cinnamon Sticks
6 Star Anise
10 Cloves
3 tbsp Chinese 5-Spice Powder
1 1/2 tbsp Cumin Powder
1 1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 White Pepper Powder
3 tsp Sesame Oil
3 oz Rock Sugar
5 cups Water
Lotus Leaf Buns (available in most Asian supermarkets, in the frozen section)
Cilantro

Cooking Method
1. In a wok, heat up 5 tbsp of cooking oil. Once heated, brown the whole pork shoulder or Boston pork butt on all sides. Set aside.
2. In the same wok with the leftover oil, add in thinly sliced shallots and light smashed garlic. Stir fry until fragrant and soft.
3. Add in dark soy sauce, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, Chinese 5-spice powder, cumin powder, salt and white pepper powder. Mix well.
4. Add in water, sesame oil, rock sugar and lightly smashed ginger. Mix well.
5. Bring to a boil and lower heat to allow it to simmer for 10 min.
6. Place browned pork shoulder or Boston pork butt in the slow cooker. Pour the marinade over the meat. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.
7. Once ready, remove the pork shoulder or Boston pork butt from the slow cooker onto a chopping board. Shred the meat and place them back into the sauce.
8. Serve with cilantro in lotus leaf buns.

One fresh produce that I have learnt to enjoy after living in Houston for almost 9 years now is collard greens. A staple vegetable in Southern U.S. cuisine, it is often prepared with other similar green leafy vegetables such as mustard greens, spinach, kale and turnip greens in a dish called mixed greens. And it is usually seasoned with smoked and salted meats, which reminds me so much of a traditional Asian dish (Hakka, to be specific), Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (Mui Choy Kau Yoke).

Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens is not an easy dish to prepare as it is pretty time consuming and I have not been able to find preserved mustard greens here yet. But when I made these Slow Cooked Sausages, Greens and Beans, not only was it quick and easy to prepare, it reminded me so much of that traditional Hakka dish. Moreover, it could be prepared with simple and basic ingredients that are readily available. So, if you enjoy a savory and hearty dish that is easy to make and clean up, this recipe is for you!

Slow Cooked Sausages, Greens and Beans
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from Kaylyn's Kitchen

Recipe
Ingredients
10 Fresh Bratwurst Sausages
8 oz Shredded Collard Greens (I used the packaged ones from HEB, so convenient)
1 19 oz can White Cannellini Beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder

Cooking Method
1. Place 10 bratwurst sausages on a baking pan and broil on high on the 2nd top rack of the the oven for 10 minutes or until browned. Turn the sausages over once and broil further for another 5 minutes or until browned.
2. Place 8 oz  shredded collard greens and 1 19 oz can white cannellini beans in a slow cooker and season with 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper powder.
3. Place sausages on top of the greens and beans. Pour in 1 cup chicken stock and the juice from the baking tray.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Makes 5 servings
 ​

It has been two and a half weeks since Kian has been away, traveling for work. And he is finally coming home tomorrow! The kids and I are excited to have him home and join us at the dinner table again. Dinners are always a special time for us, even on week nights when it seems like there is a ton of chores to complete.

We'd play music on the background at dinner time, eat and talk about our day. And I'd always attempt to make a nice dinner too. With the right recipes and tools, dinners can be simple & uncomplicated to make and yet still tasty and special.

This Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken is the perfect dinner for our family. And I hope it will be for your  family too. Bella and Jamie absolutely enjoyed the chicken. To be compliant with a low carb diet, I prepared a side of oven roasted broccoli and some Flourless Almond Butter Bread. Using only 4 basic ingredients (salt and pepper not included), and a slow cooker, I was able to prepare the meal in less than 10 minutes, turn on the slow cooker and dinner is sorted. With that taken care of, I could take Bella to her Kids' Yoga class and with Jamie playing at the gym's Child Center, I was even able to squeeze in a short workout myself.

When we got home, I simply popped the chicken in the oven and broiled it for a few minutes (because we like it that way, this step is optional if you do not have time for it) and there you have it, it is time to gather around the dinner table and share our stories of the day.

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from Life Tastes Good

Recipe
Ingredients
4 lbs Chicken Drumsticks
2 Small Limes
1/4 cup Cilantro (chopped)
4 cloves Garlic (chopped)
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder

Cooking Method
1. Mix the juice of 2 small limes, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 4 cloves chopped garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper powder in a small bowl.
2. Place the chicken drumsticks in a large zip lock bag and add in the cilantro lim marinade. Close the bag and mix the bag of chicken around, ensuring that the marinade coats all of the chicken drumsticks evenly. Set aside or refrigerate if using later.
3. Place marinated chicken in the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours.
4. Once cooked, place chicken drumsticks on a baking tray and boil on the second highest rack on medium for 10 minutes, turn over and broil for another 10 minutes or until it is golden brown.
5. Serve with the sauce from the slow cooker, if desired.

Makes 4 servings

This week is the second week since Kian had been away traveling for work. And we have another week to go before he comes home. Friends have been really sweet, checking in on us and asking if I am managing well alone with the kids. Honestly, it has not been that bad. With a little bit of planning ahead, I have been managing really well. Getting the kids to school on time, to their after school activities & birthday parties and of course, making dinners.

I have said it many times before that the slow cooker is one of my favorite equipment in the house. And this week, it has proven to be really helpful with my dinners. Earlier this week, I decided to make chicken noodle soup for the kids. It is easy to make, it is tasty and my kids love chicken noodle soup.  I had to be a little bit creative with the ingredients because while Bella and Jamie do eat their vegetables, it is only these few vegetables that they'll eat; broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach and some other leafy vegetables that are stir fried.

So, I made the chicken noodle soup in the slow cooker and gave it a slight Asian twist. I had my bowl without the noodles but with some lentils instead for a low carb version. Making a large batch also meant school lunches were sorted for the next day and I even had some leftover for myself.

​Ginger Chicken Noodle Soup
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
2 1/2 lb Boneless & Skinless Chicken Thighs (cut into 1" cubes)
6 Carrots (cut diagonally)
2 oz Ginger (skinned and sliced)
1 Onion (cut into wedges)
4 to 6 oz Spinach
2 Qt. Chicken Stock
2 Bay Leaves
2 tbsp Goji Berries
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1/2 tsp Light Soy Sauce
Salt
Pepper
Extra Wide Egg Noodles or Lentils (for a low carb version)

Cooking Method
1. Place cut chicken thighs in the slow cooker and season with salt and pepper.
2. Add in cut carrots, onions, sliced ginger and 2 bay leaves. Pour in 2 Qt chicken stock, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
3. Cook the egg noodles or lentils according to instructions. Set aside for later use.
4. Before serving, add spinach into the slow cooker and allow it to blanch cook in the hot broth.
5. Add in goji berries and season with 1/2 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp light soy sauce. Stir well.
6. Serve hot with egg noodles or lentils.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken is a wonderful recipe that you can just prepare in your slow cooker and then just forget about it. In a matter of a couple of hours, you'll have an extremely flavorful chicken dish that will be great over rice or pasta.

My little brother is currently visiting from Singapore and we've been hanging out, going to the gym together and both Bella & Jamie are absolutely thrilled to have their uncle around. I had been looking forward to his visit and to cooking meals for him too. Last week, I made Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken for dinner and he loved it. I make this dish pretty often and my family never gets tired of it. We usually have it with rice but this time, I paired it with spaghetti. The flavorful lemon garlic sauce was so tasty and went so well with the spaghetti. It reminded me of Vongole Pasta. 

Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from All Recipes

Recipe
Ingredients
3 to 4 lbs Chicken Thighs (with skin and bone) (approx. 6 to 8 pcs)
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
4 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Water
5 tbsp Lemon Juice
5 cloves Garlic (chopped)
2 tsp Chicken Bouillon
1/2 cup Chopped Cilantro (divided)

Cooking Method
1. Mix 2 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper powder in a small bowl. Rub the mixture onto the chicken pieces and set aside.
2. Mix 1/2 cup water, 5 tbsp lemon juice, 5 cloves chopped garlic and 2 tsp chicken bouillon in another bowl and set aside for later use.
3. In a wok or cast iron pot/pan, melt 4 tbsp butter over medium heat. Brown the chicken pieces in the melted butter for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Place the browned chicken pieces in the slow cooker.
4. Add the liquid mixture that was set aside earlier to the remaining butter in the wok or cast iron pot/pan and bring it to a boil. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker over the chicken pieces.
5. Cook on low for 5 hours, adding in 1/2 the portion of chopped cilantro at the last 15 to 30 minutes.
6. Serve chicken pieces over rice or pasta with the sauce and garnish with more chopped cilantro, if desired.

Makes 4 servings

Slow Cooker Chinese Char Siu Pork Ribs is an extremely easy recipe to make at home, with a delicious sweet, sticky and savory flavor. Char Siu is a popular way to flavor and prepare barbecue pork in Cantonese cuisine. This Slow Cooker Chinese Char Siu Pork Ribs is a slight variation from the Chinese Char Siu Pork (Pot Roast Style) that I had shared a while.

With this recipe, simply marinate the ribs and then allow the slow cooker to do its job. Once that is done, baste and broil the ribs before serving. The ribs are so tender from the slow cooking and lightly charred from the broiling. 

Slow Cooker Chinese Char Siu Pork Ribs
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
3 lbs Pork Spare Ribs (cut)
2 oz Ginger (skinned)
6 cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup Honey
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
4 tsp Light Soy Sauce
4 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Sambal Olek
2 tsp Sesame Oil
1/4 cup + 4 tbsp Water
2 tbsp Cornstarch
Sesame Seeds

Cooking Method
1. In a food processor, combine 2 oz ginger, 6 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup hoisin sauce, 1/4 cup honey, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 4 tsp light soy sauce, 4 tsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil and 1/4 cup water. Blend until a smooth marinade is formed.
2. Place ribs into the slow cooker and pour marinade over. Mix well and ensure that the ribs are covered with the marinade. Allow it to marinate for 1 hour (or overnight in a ziploc bag, if time permits).
3. Cook on low for 5 hours in the slow cooker.
4. When cooked, remove ribs and place them onto a baking tray. Baste the ribs with the sauce from the slow cooker. Broil on high for 2 minute on a rack that is about 6 to 8 inches from the top. Baste the ribs again with the sauce and broil on high for another 2 minutes.
5. Pour the sauce into a sauce pot and bring it to a boil. Mix 2 tbsp cornstarch with 4 tbsp water and pour mixture into the boiling sauce, allowing it to thicken.
6. Baste the ribs with the thicken sauce and garnish with sesame seeds before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Slow Cooker Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup is my go-to recipe using one of my favorite cooking tool in the home, the slow cooker. This is one of the simplest recipe and it is essentially just tossing all the ingredients in the slow cooker, set it and forget about it, until it is time for dinner. Based on my previous slow cooker recipes that I have posted, I realized that many readers share the same amount of love for their slow cookers as well.

Let's be honest, even if we decided to make the simplest meal for dinner, you would still need some time to prepare the ingredients and to actually cook it. At least 15 to 20 minutes? And this can be really challenging for me, especially on the days when we get home from after-school activities at around 6.45pm. Bella and Jamie will be famished by then and giving them a snack is not an option as it would just ruin their appetite. Hence, they cannot wait 20 minutes for me cook them their dinner, no matter how quick and easy the recipe may be. They turn into "hangry" monsters, I get frustrated because they cannot be patient and the evening can just spiral out of control.

So, during the school year, I use the slow cooker a lot. I cannot express enough how helpful it is. Especially on days where I know that Kian's work commitments prevents him from taking the kids to their activities, I will prepare my slow cooker meals while the kids are in school, set it to be ready at the required time and when we get home that evening, all they need to do is to wash their hands and dinner is served!

Slow Cooker Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
3 pieces Chicken Breast (approx. 2 to 2 1/2 lbs)
Salt & Pepper
1 to 2 Yellow Squash (cut into bite size)
1 to 2 Zucchini (cut into bite size)
4 to 6 Carrots (cut into bite size)
5 stalks Celery (cut into small pieces)
2 medium Onions (cut into wedges)
8 cups Chicken Stock
2 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Oregano
Extra Wide egg noodles (cooked and drained)
Avocado (sliced) (optional)

Cooking Method
1. Place 3 pieces of chicken breast at the bottom of the slow cooker insert. Season with salt and pepper. 
2. Add in cut yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, celery, onions, chicken stock, 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp oregano. Cook on low for 5 hours.
3. Before serving, add in cooked egg noodles, top with sliced avocado and garnish with cilantro, if desired. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Slow Cooker Garlic Sesame Chicken is a great recipe for your busy week nights. Simply prepare the ingredients and allow the slow cooker to do its job. At the end of the day, you will have a delicious and wholesome meal waiting for you.

A couple of weeks ago, Kian was in Singapore for work. While he was away, preparing dinners at home can be a little bit of a challenge. Especially if we have after school activities and both Bella and Jamie are requesting for my attention, all while I am rushing to get dinner ready before we head out for Bella's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class. And I always want my kids to be able to have a hot meal soon after we get home from after school activities. They will be starving and will have no patience to wait for me cook them a meal. It is like having Chef Ramsay yelling at you on Masterchef, "You have 5 minutes left on the clock! Why isn't the food on the plate yet!?"

So, I broke out the busy mom's best friend, the slow cooker. With some time management and planning, dinner preparation can really be a breeze. With this Slow Cooker Garlic Sesame Chicken recipe, all I needed was 15 to 20 minutes of preparation work. Right before I head out to pick Jamie up from preschool, I prepared the ingredients and set the Slow Cooker Garlic Sesame Chicken to cook and had rice on a timer in my trusty little electric rice cooker.

Shortly after we got home, Bella alighted from her school bus and I was able to give my full attention to the both of them because dinner was already cooking and will be ready in a couple of hours. This works great for my family and out schedule and I hope this easy to prepare recipe can help with your busy week nights too.

Slow Cooker Garlic Sesame Chicken
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
3 lbs Chicken Breast
1/2 cup Light Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Oyster Sauce
2 tbsp Sesame Oil
2 tbsp Garlic (chopped)
1 tbsp Ginger (minced)
1 Onion (chopped)
4 tsp Cornstarch
6 tsp Water
Steamed Cooked Broccoli Florets
Sesame Seeds

Cooking Method
1. In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup light soy sauce, 1/4 cup oyster sauce, 2 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp chopped garlic, 1 tbsp minced ginger and 1 chopped onion. Mix well and set aside.
2. Place chicken breast in the slow cooker and pour sauce mixture over the meat.
3. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or until the chicken reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F. Remove chicken pieces and cut them into bite size chunks or shred them, whichever way you prefer, then set them aside.
4. Pour sauce into a pot and turn heat on to medium. Mix 4 tsp of cornstarch and 6 tsp water. Once the sauce is boiling, stir in cornstarch mixture and allow it to thicken.
5. Serve chicken and steamed broccoli over white rice, drizzle sauce over and garnish with sesame seeds.

Serves 4 to 6

Chicken Fajita Soup has all the fragrant aromas of a sizzling fajita but in a wholesome soup instead. Warm and comforting, this slow cooker recipe is extremely quick and easy to prepare. Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker and just simply let it do its job! At the end of the day, you will get a complete meal in a bowl! You can even add in more vegetables like celery, zuchinni or yellow squash, if preferred.
​
Kian and I have been on our Slow Carb Diet (derived from Tim Ferris's book "The 4-Hour Body) for almost 8 months now and we are still on it. This Chicken Fajita Soup recipe is perfect for our diet. It is low in carbohydrates, gluten free and I believe paleo and Whole30 friendly as well. Even Bella and Jamie enjoys this soup immensely.

Chicken Fajita Soup
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
2 lbs Chicken Breast (approx. 3 pieces of chicken breast)
40 oz Chicken Stock
1 14 oz can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 medium Orange Bell Pepper (diced)
1 medium Yellow Bell Pepper (diced)
1 medium Yellow Onion (diced)
3 medium Carrots (cut diagonally)
8 oz Mushrooms (sliced)
6 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
1 portion Taco Seasoning (get recipe here)
Cilantro (chopped)

Cooking Method
1. Prepare taco seasoning as instructed here and set aside.
2. Place chicken breast at the bottom of the slow cooker pot. Then place petite diced tomatoes, diced orange & yellow bell peppers, onions, carrots, mushrooms and garlic on top of it.
3. Sprinkle taco seasoning all over and pour in chicken stock.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
5. Once ready, remove cooked chicken breast and shred the meat using two forks. Place shredded chicken breast back into slow cooker and keep warm until ready to serve.
6. Top with chopped cilantro before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala made easy in a slow cooker or crock pot. Just throw everything in the slow cooker, set it and dinner will be ready in a few hours. Just the perfect recipe for your family be it for a busy week night dinner or for when you are out and about with the family having some summer fun!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
by Miss Crumbs A Lot

Recipe
Ingredients
2 lbs Chicken Thighs (skinless and boneless, cut into bite size)
1 large Onion (finely diced)
5 cloves Garlic (finely minced)
4 tbsp Tomato Paste
3 tbsp Garam Masala
3 tsp Paprika
3 tsp Salt
1 can 28oz Diced Tomatoes
14 fl oz Coconut Milk
1 head Cauliflower (cut into bite size)
Cilantro (for garnishing)

Cooking Method
1. Mix all the ingredients together in a slow cooker, except for the coconut milk and cilantro.
2. Cook on high for 5 hours.
3. 45 minutes before the end of the cook time, add in coconut milk.
4. Continue cooking. You may do so uncovered if you prefer a slightly thicker sauce.
5. Serve with rice.

Serves 4 to 6