Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew

Ingredients
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can hominy, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation
1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; set 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture aside. Add pork to remaining spice mixture in bowl, tossing well to coat.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove pork from pan; set aside. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Return pork to pan. Add reserved 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture, broth, hominy, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes.


-The meat tastes much better if you let it marinate in the spices overnight

Recipe from Cooking Light

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

Directions
1.Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4.Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

A few notes:
-I used Costco rotissere chicken for most of the batches. For one of the batches I put in a whole piece of raw chicken and let it cook in the broth, then shredded it.
-I put in 2 corn tortillas and let it cook and dissolve in the broth hoping for a more tortilla-ish flavor. Next time I would add more tortillas.

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com

Café Rio Pork and Cilantro Lime Rice

CAFE RIO SALAD

There are 3 parts to the salad: the rice, the pork, and the dressing.

[ LIME-CILANTRO RICE ]

2 Tbsp. oil
4 c. long grain rice (6 c. water)
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
2 tsp. crushed garlic

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add rice, cilantro, and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add water and lime juice and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice (about 20 minutes). You can also use a rice cooker if you have one.

[ CAFE RIO PORK ]

pork roast
1 (16 oz.) bottle of salsa
1 can coke
2 c. brown sugar


Place pork in crock-pot and fill it half way up with water. Cook roast on high for 5 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together ingredients (salsa, coke, brown sugar) and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on low until ready to serve.

( optional)
[ CREAMY TOMATILLA SALAD DRESSING ]

1 packet hidden valley ranch buttermilk dressing
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. mayo or sour cream
2-3 tomatillas (peel off outer leaf/shell)
1 tsp. crushed garlic
¾ bunch fresh cilantro
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
juice from 1 lime (about 2 tsp.)
salt & pepper
Blend all ingredients in the blender. Refrigerate.

Turkey Burgers with Grated Zucchini and Carrot

from real simple

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound ground turkey
• 1 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 slices crusty bread
• 4 small leaves Boston lettuce
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise (optional)
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

Preparation

Heat broiler.

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, zucchini, carrot, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and egg. Form the mixture into 4 patties.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties, turning once, until no trace of pink remains, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, place the bread on a baking sheet and brush with the remaining oil. Broil until golden brown and crisp, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer the bread to individual plates. Top with the lettuce leaves and burgers. If using, combine the mayonnaise and lemon juice in a small bowl and serve with the burgers.

Upgrade: For extra zest, rub the bread with the cut side of a peeled, halved garlic clove immediately after removing the bread from the oven.

Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 (4 pound) pork shoulder roast
• 1 cup barbeque sauce
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 extra large onion, chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 8 hamburger buns, split
• 2 tablespoons butter, or as needed

Directions

1. Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker; pour in the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic, and thyme. Cover and cook on High until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 5 to 6 hours.
2. Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices.
3. Spread the inside of both halves of hamburger buns with butter. Toast the buns, butter side down, in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Spoon pork into the toasted buns.

Barbecue Sauce

(Martha Stewart)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. mustard powder

1 tsp. crushed red-pepper flakes

3 Tbsp. light brown sugar

2 cups ketchup

1 cup worcestershire sauce

1 cup apple-cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. unsulfured molasses

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in mustard powder and re-pepper flakes; cook, stirring, 30 seconds.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.

Can refrigerate in airtight container up to a month.

Chicken Tetrazzini- Freezer Friendly

Ingredients

14 ounces spaghetti, broken up

1/2 cup butter

6 tablespoons flour

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream (I used whole milk instead)

2 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

4 cups cut up cooked chicken (this would be about 4-5 chicken breasts)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook spaghetti as directed on package. Drain.
Heat butter in a large skillet until melted.

Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken broth and half & half. Heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Stir in spaghetti, chicken, & grated parmesan cheese. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch pan. Top with fresh shredded parmesan cheese.

To serve immediately: Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes until bubbly.

Or to freeze for another day: After topping with the parmesan cheese, do not bake right away. Cover dish with plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw completely and bake as directed on serving day.

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

20 – 22 jumbo pasta shells
1 ½ lb. lean ground chicken
1 cup fresh spinach, minced
1 Tbl. garlic, minced
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbl. mayonnaise
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 ½ cups marinara sauce
½ cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until slightly tender, but not fully cooked. Drain well.

In a small bowl toss the spinach and ground chicken with a fork until completely incorporated. Sauté the garlic and olive oil together for 30 seconds in a preheated medium-sized sauté pan. Do not let the garlic burn. Add the chicken mixture to the pan and sauté for 3 – 4 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Set aside to cool.

In a medium mixing bowl, toss the ricotta, mozzarella, egg, mayonnaise, salt and pepper until well combined. Finally, add the chicken mixture to the cheese filling and stir until completely incorporated. Set aside.

Lightly spray a 9” x 13” baking pan with cooking spray. Evenly spread 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce along the bottom of the pan. Fill each pasta shell with the chicken filling and line the pasta in the baking pan open side up. Top the pasta shells with the remaining spaghetti sauce and sprinkle the entire top with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 – 35 minutes. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.