Pork Carnitas

Original recipe from Allrecipes

Modified

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into several large pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed

 

• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

Directions

1. 
   
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the pork shoulder with salt, then arrange the pork in the Dutch oven. Cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and continue to simmer until pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. (Alternatively, you can use a slow cooker for this step.)
3. 
   
4. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Transfer the pork shoulder to a large baking sheet, reserving the cooking liquid. Drizzle with a small amount of the reserved cooking liquid and lightly season with salt.
2. 
   
3. Bake the pork in the preheated oven until browned, about 30 minutes. Drizzle more of the cooking liquid on the meat every 10 minutes, and use two forks to shred the meat as it browns.

Cheesy Green Chile and Potato Chowder

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Eat, Live, Run

 

 

serves 4-6

Ingredients:
3 poblano peppers
1 large yellow onion, small diced
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 stalks celery, small diced
1/4 - 1/2 lb bacon
2 tsp minced garlic
1 quart chicken broth
2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese {plus additional for serving}
thinly sliced green onions

Directions:
First, fire roast the peppers.
To do this, place poblano peppers right over the flame on your burner if you have a gas stove. Flip occasionally until every inch of the pepper is charred. If you don’t have a gas stove, place peppers underneath the broiler on a lined sheet tray {also flipping occasionally} until charred. Once charred all around, immediately remove peppers from heat and zip up in a plastic zip-loc bag. Let sit for 20 minutes then remove charred skin with the back of a knife and roughly chop up peppers.

While your peppers are cooling, fry the bacon in a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Fry until crispy then remove bacon from the pot and drain on pepper towels. Drain some, but not all, of the grease.

Add your onion, garlic and celery to the hot grease. Saute for about six minutes over medium heat until veggies are just tender. Add cubed potatoes to the pot, as well as the poblano peppers, and toss well so everything is combined.

Pour in chicken broth and add the salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 35 minutes until potatoes are very tender {be sure to “test” with a fork or knife…nothing worse than biting into an uncooked potato!}. Add milk and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together so that no flour clumps remain and bring back to a simmer. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

Turn off heat completely and add cheese to the pot. Stir well so cheese melts. Serve immediately with crumbled bacon, sliced green onions and additional cheese.

Time:
1.25 hours

Thai Lettuce Wraps

After dreading meal planning for years, I decided to sign up for Emeals.  I had briefly tried them out before, but it was short lived.  I checked their website out recently, and they had added so many options, I decided to try them again.  It costs anywhere from $5-$8 a month, but they coordinate their menus with sale items and seasonal ingredients, so you save money at the store (I saved my $7 fee in the first week). 

You can choose meal plans for vegetarian menus, gluten-free, and so forth.  I signed up for the "clean living" plan.  These are supposed to be recipes on the healthier side, but still tasty.  Emeals gives you the meal plan, recipes and a shopping list.  I have tried a few so far, and they have been pretty tasty!  The one that surprised me most was this one.  Ryan was secretly expecting to hate it, and I was hesitant too.  It is SO good though!  We just had it Friday and he's already requesting it again...

Thai Lettuce Wraps

Photo Courtesy of Kraft Foods
Recipe Courtesy of Emeals
Modified by me
Serves 4 people

INGREDIENTS:
1 head lettuce (butter or iceberg)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 T oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 T grated ginger
2 T chopped garlic
1 lb ground pork
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 cup peanuts
Red pepper flakes
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Separate lettuce leaves, rinse and dry.  Heat pan, add coconut and stir until crisp.  Set aside.

Heat oil and saute onion, ginger and garlic for 3-5 minutes.  Add pork and saute until cooked through.  Drain fat.  Add lime juice, cilantro, peanuts and red pepper flakes (the amount you put in determines the heat - I use a few sprinkles).  Season with salt to taste.  Stir in toasted coconut.  Spoon mixture into lettuce leaves, roll and eat!

Side suggestion:  Corn on the cob rubbed with butter, seasoned with salt and sprinkled with lime juice and a light dusting of chili powder. 

Cafe Rio Pork Salad

Recipe courtesy of recipezaar.com via Carla
Picture courtesy of Favorite Family Recipes

Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
3-4 lbs pork roast or pork loin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves
water, to cover

Sauce:
1 (14 ounce) can enchilada sauce
3/4 cup Coca-Cola or Dr. Pepper cola
1 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Cut pork in large chunks. Put in large crock pot and add water just to cover. Add seasonings. Cut onion in 4 large pieces (or dice if you want onion in the meat), crush garlic and add to water. Cook pork on low all day or on high for 3 to 4 hours, or until tender and pork pulls apart easily. Drain water and remove onions and garlic. Pull pork and return to crock pot.

2. In a separate container mix enchilada sauce, soda and sugar. Add to pork in the crock pot. Cook 1 hour longer.

3. Serve atop lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, black beans, etc.  Top with dressing (see below).

Cafe Rio Tomatillo Salad Dressing
2 cups

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
5 sprigs cilantro
2 small tomatillos, chopped
1 green onion
1 garlic clove
1/2 jalapeno pepper (seeds and all)
1/2 lime, juice of
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1.Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
2.Dressing lasts 2 weeks in frig.

Italian Wedding Soup

Recipe and photo courtesy of Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage (or a proportional amount of dried)
4 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon grated parmesan, plus more for topping
1/2 pound ground pork
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs (preferably panko)
3/4 cup orzo
8 ounces baby spinach (about 8 cups)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add half of the garlic, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and some sage; cook 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the pork, breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon grated parmesan, the remaining garlic, Worcestershire sauce and sage in a bowl. Form into 1-inch meatballs.

Increase the heat to medium high and bring the soup to a boil. Stir in the orzo and cook 6 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook until they are firm and float to the top, about 4 more minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 more minute. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with parmesan. Serves 8.

Perfect and Painless Bacon

PHOTO CREDIT

DIRECTIONS

1.Line a shallow baking sheet with foil (be sure it has a lip in it).

2.Arrange bacon slices on the foil and place the baking sheet on the center rack of a cold oven. Close oven door. Turn oven on to 400°F. Walk away!

3.Come back 17 minutes later to check on it. Watch it in 1 - 2 minute intervals until it reaches desired doneness. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon slices, and also on how quickly your oven reaches the target temperature. As soon as the bacon is golden brown, but not excessively crisp, it's done. It will cook a little more even after you remove it from the oven.

4.Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the bacon to another sheet pan lined with paper towels to absorb the fat. You can pour the liquid fat into a heat-resistant container to save for other uses. Or, if you have no use for that, simply let the fat cool on the foil, then ball it up and throw it away! No messy clean-up required.

Sausages with White Beans

As I was making this tonight, Ryan commented over and over how weird this meal looked. Out of the entire cookbook, what could have ever possessed me to choose this meal? As we ate it, Ryan commented it was fairly good, and if I made it again, he would eat it. Later, I caught him eating more straight from the pan. I guess it's a keeper.

It is a weird dish, but can be strangely comforting, especially on a cold day. Serve with crusty garlic bread. Yum.


Recipe Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma
Modified Slightly




INGREDIENTS
4 Hot, mild, or sweet Italian sausages
1 cup white cooking wine
2 Tbls Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large, red bell pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
Oregano (2 Tbls fresh or 1 tsp dried)
3/4 cup chicken broth
Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook the sausages - Prick sausages with fork and cook in 1/2 cup white wine. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn down to med-low. Simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover, raise heat to med-high, and cook the sausages until well browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Cook the veggies - While the sausages cook, in a separate pan, cook the onion and pepper in the oil until softened (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add beans, oregano, broth, and remaining 1/2 cup wine. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until half of the liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes.

3. Finish the dish - Add the sausages to the beans (slicing the sausages first melds the flavors together nicely - the presentation is not as pretty but it makes the dish easier to eat) and simmer to warm through. Season with salt and pepper.

BBQ Pulled Pork

Recipe from A Year of Crockpotting.

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (I prefer a leaner cut - like a tenderloin)
1 onion, sliced in rings
2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Use a 6 quart crockpot. Trim meat, and place into your crockpot. Add sliced onion. Squeeze in 2 cups of ketchup, warm water, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Tabasco and salt. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. This is especially yummy piled on a roll with a little BBQ sauce and coleslaw.