Slow Cooker Pasole

This is a mexican soup. Original recipe from a woman in my ward (Janet Duncan)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 lbs boneless pork loin roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 can (28 oz) red enchilada sauce
3 cans hominy (can use white or yellow, or a combo)--original recipe called for 2 cans. McKay and I both felt an extra can would be good.
1 onion, sliced (can do big chunks)
1/2 cup green chiles (canned)
4 cloves garlic (no need to chop)
2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 cans chicken broth

1.  Place oil in a skillet. Salt and pepper pork cubes and toss in flour. Add to skillet and cook until just browned. Place browned pork in a slow cooker.
2. Slice and cook the onions until caramelized, then add the garlic cloves for several minutes. Next combine cooked onions, garlic cloves, 1 can chicken broth, cilantro, oregano and chiles in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add this to the crock pot.
3. Add an additional can of chicken broth and enchilada sauce as well as cayenne pepper to the crockpot. Stir and cook on low for 6-8 hours. One hour prior to serving add the hominy (drain and rinse first).

Serve as a stew with tortilla chips/strips, cheese, lime, cilantro, sour cream and avocado.

Tacos al Carbon

I have found that the quality of steak really makes a difference in dishes like this.  I went ahead and bit the bullet, buying the pricier flank steak.  Boy, was it worth it.  Yum!  These were tasty!  I did make some changes, but you can find the original recipe here at cooking light.

Tacos al Carbon

1 med red bell pepper, sliced in strips
1 med onion, thinly sliced
1 lb flank steak, sliced thin
1 t. chili powder
4 oz diced canned tomatoes (I used frozen fresh tomatoes from my garden)
2-1/2 t. olive oil
3/4 t. salt
juice of 1 lime
8 garlic cloves, minced
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas

For garnish
Avocado slices
cilantro
fat free sour cream

Heat a pan to medium high.  Coat with 1 t. olive oil.  Add bell pepper and cook about 4 min.  Add onion and 1 clove garlic, saute until vegetables reach desired tenderness (I like mine a little crunchy).  Remove from pan and place in a large bowl.

Add steak to pan with remaining olive oil and cook until almost done.  Add tomatoes, lime, salt, remaining garlic, and chili powder.  Stir to coat.  Add pepper mixture until mixed.  Serve on warmed tortillas with garnishes
of your choice.

Chicken Tacos

This is entirely different from any chicken taco I've sampled but oh, so delicious.  This is also from my friend Melissa (Her recipe blog is linked on the right).  The only change I made was adding lime juice.

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. oil, vegetable or canola

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded.

Pinch of pepper

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 lime, squeezed

1 onion, chopped

2 (10 oz.) cans Rotel tomatoes (one can drained, one undrained)

grated cheese

Corn Tortillas

shredded lettuce

Sour Cream

Guacamole (recipe below)

 Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic  and salt. Cook unitl onion is tender. Add tomatoes, lime juice, pepper and cumin. Stir in chicken. Cook uncovered, sitrring occasionally until liquid is obsorbed into meat. Taste and add more salt and cumin if needed.  Serve on corn tortillas.

A hint about corn tortillas:  heat them on a skillet until pliable.  I found that if I add a little oil to the skillet, they are much better to eat.  

I did think these would be excellent with black beans.

Guacomole

This is seriously amazing.  It comes from my friend's recipe blog and you can find the original here.  I changed it a bit because I am afraid of Jalapeno peppers and raw onions.  Also, I did not use a food processor as suggested in her recipe.

2 ripe avacados, pitted and peeled
1 jalapeno, finely chopped and seeded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper


Mash avocado using a fork or mini wisk, add other ingredients until combined (leave chunky).  Melissa suggests that if the avocado is too ripe you can add more lemon (or lime) juice and salt. 

Smoky Pork Tinga Tacos

This is another Rick Bayless recipe from Everyday Mexican.  


2 large yukon gold potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes (yes, I know weird, potatoes in a taco, but it added a certain sweetness to the dish, also Patrick thought they were pineapple.)
2 lbs boneless pork shoulder (I used a pork loin)
1 28 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
3-4 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, seeded and sliced 1/4 inch long (find by the Mexican food, oh, and I used 4-- quite spicy)
1 T. chipotle canning sauce (from your can of chiles)
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 med. white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
warm corn tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco, feta, or goat cheese
2 avocados, pitted and cut into pieces
limes

Spread potatoes over bottom of a slow cooker and top with pork.  Meanwhile, mix tomatoes, chiles, sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, and garlic.  Pour mixture evenly over meat and potatoes.  Cover and slow cook on high for 6 hours, or until pork is tender.  Shred pork using a fork, add queso fresco, and mix with everything else.  Serve onto heated corn tortillas (microwave, 10 seconds) top with avocado and serve.

** I felt this recipe needed a hint of lime, so I squeezed a wedge onto each taco.  Lime makes everything better.
*** Patrick also thought the pork would be good on a tostada.  We've used soft corn tortillas for this purpose.  Just place them under the boiler and flip when they start to brown.  So much better than store bought tostadas.

Tomatillo-Sauced Enchiladas with Spinach and Mushrooms

From Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

I guess I'm getting desperate for some decent Mexican because it's hard to come by in Southeastern Alabama.  This is the first recipe I tried out of my new cookbook.  Let me just say that the verde sauce (although it made way too much and I'll half it next time) was delicious.  Patrick and I both agreed that the mushrooms were too strong and we'll do without them in the future.


3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 serreno chiles, seeds removed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
3/4 c. cilantro
10-12 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
8 oz. mushrooms (We didn't like this addition)
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced (I used a yellow one)
2-3 c. spinach
1 c. shredded cooked chicken
salt
12 corn tortillas
2 T. Mexican crema (we used sour cream)
1 t. sugar (optional)
Crumbled Mexican queso fresco (Couldn't find this so we used whatever shredded variety was in the fridge)

Using a food processor, combine garlic, chiles, tomatillos and cilantro.  Process until smooth.  Add a bit of oil to a sauce pan and heat green sauce stirring constantly, until it has reached the consistency of thick tomato sauce (about 7 min).  Rick says: "The more you heat the base, the richer and sweeter the sauce will be." Add chicken broth and simmer over medium heat for about 10 min. to blend the flavors.  Stir in the sour cream and taste to season with salt.  If the sauce is tart, add sugar (mine was).

Meanwhile, heat mushrooms and spinach in a bit of oil until both are limp.  Then add onions and cook until translucent. Add shredded chicken. (I do think this mixture was a bit dry.  It would benefit from a little sauce added in just before making enchiladas.)
Dip corn tortillas in green sauce and heat them on a skillet until they are soft and pliable.  Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture, roll (leave seam facing down).  Just before serving, cover with a liberal amount of green sauce and top with queso fresco.

Santa Fe Chicken Tostadas

Corn Tortillas
2-4 chicken breasts (I used 2 and we had left-overs)
1 can black beans, drained
1 cup chunky salsa (I used the homemade variety, but any type works)
1/2 can corn, drained
(note:  all spices are optional and my addition to the recipe)
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander (optional)
1/2-1 t. red or chili pepper powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4-1/2 lime juiced

Garnish:
Romaine, guacomole, sour cream, cheese

Boil chicken and shred.  Place in frying pan with a bit of olive oil.  Stir in beans, corn, spices and salsa.  Bring to boil and remove from heat.  Broil the corn tortillas until hard (you will have to flip them over).  Serve chicken atop tortillas with garnishes of your desiring.

Chicken Tacos

From all recipes with modifications. Can be served in tortillas, a top a salad, or any way you like.
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken
breast meat - cubed
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Saute chicken in a medium saucepan over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and oregano. Simmer for an extra 10 minutes.

Heat an iron skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan, warm, and turn over to heat the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve lime chicken mixture in warm tortillas topped with tomato, lettuce, cheese and salsa.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I really hate sourcream enchiladas, so I've been searching for an alternative. I found this on the 61st Ward Wives site and made some changes. It's completely different from what you'd expect in a homemade enchilada, but it's absolutely delicious. Even dairy boy himself gave it a thumbs up. It would also be good on a salad with some torilla chips on top.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
9 TBS honey
7 TBS lime juice
1-1/2 TBS chili powder (to taste depending on how much kick you want)
1/2 t. cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded (2-3 large breasts)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed.
1 can corn, drained and rinsed.
4-6 flour tortillas (I use Smart & Delicious high fiber tortillas. They are only 50 calories and taste better than other wheat tortillas I've sampled).
monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 oz. green enchilada sauce

1. Mix together honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic, and cumin together and toss with chicken. Let it marinade for a few minutes before adding corn, beans, and cheese (I don't really think it needs cheese. I probably added a very small handful, but it's not necessary unless you have calories to spare). Mix well. 2. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan.3. Fill tortillas with chicken and cheese and put in pan. 4. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until brown/crispy on top.

Cafe Rio Cheats (From Jill)

Cafe Rio-ish Chicken
5 lbs. chicken (I used one of those 3 lb. frozen packages Wal-Mart sells that used to be 5 lbs. But that's a different post)
1 small (8 oz) bottle Zesty Italian Salad Dressing (or measure out 1 cup from that big bottle, no one will know the difference...except your garbage man, maybe)
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 1/2-ish tbsp. minced garlic from a bottle in your fridge)

Put the chicken (defrosted if you bought it frozen) in your slow cooker. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the happy chicken. Cook on low for 7 hours (depending on your slow cooker - mine cooks super hot and only took 5 hours). Shred the chicken and then cook an additional hour. If you can stand the wait.

Cafe Rio-esque rice
1/2 bunch cilantro1 small can green chilies
1/2 medium onion
3 cups water
3 cups instant rice
4 tsp chicken bouillon
4 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
In a blender or food processor blend cilantro, chilies, and onion. Bring water to a boil and add all remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover. Remove from heat. Let sit about 5 minutes.

Cilantro-Lime Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch packet
2 tomatillos
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, seeded (watch out! Don't touch your eyes! These little things are hot!)

Make ranch dressing according to package directions. In a blender or food processor whirl together the tomatillos, cilantro and jalapeno. Now add the garlic and lime juice to your blended mix. Blend again. Combine with ranch dressing (which you made up in style an hour ago - look at you, planning ahead and all! I'm so proud.) and enjoy.My additions:*Dave and I love to add black beans to the rice. When we eat it we pile everything on a tortilla (including the dressing), roll it up and top it with more dressing. Add cheese, salsa, whatever your heart desires. *I also nixed making up the package of ranch dressing and just used 2 cups of already prepared ranch dressing. A tiny bit thicker than I remember when I used the dressing packet last time, but still delicious!