Pulled-Pork Fajitas

So easy, I love this. My pork is doing double duty so all I have to do is throw it together and serve since it was cooked ahead of time.

Menu: Pulled Pork Fajitas and all the yummy fixin's

Pulled-Pork Fajitas

Ingredients:
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (ground red) pepper
About 2 pounds leftover roast pork
8 flour tortillas
Fresh cilantro leaves
Avocado wedges
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped red onion

1. Combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and cayenne pepper in a medium saucepan. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut pork into 1-inch-thick slices, then shred it by hand. Stir the pork into the sauce, cover, and heat through, stirring occasionally.

2. In a large, dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast the tortillas one at a time until crisp and slightly charred around the edges, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. (You can use the microwave if you choose instead)
   

3. To serve, spoon some pork into the center of a tortilla. Top with cilantro, avocado, tomato, and onion. Roll.

What's better than a no fuss meal?

My Favorite Florence - Wednesday

It's day three of our contest and continuing with our theme for the week I have yet again, another favorite recipe from Tyler Florence. Have I told you yet how my hubby loves to fish? Oh yes lets get this straight my hubby isn't an average joe, "hey lets go fishing" kind of guy, oh no he's very serious about the sport. Yes that's right I said sport, or at least he thinks its a sport. I can't tell you how many rods/reels the man owns. Just know that its more than enough to make our garage (mind you he has a friggin boat storage for this crap, that's overflowing, thus its made its way to the house garage) an obstacle course to maneuver through. And don't even ask about the bags of frozen fish bait in my freezer! His GPS is of lakes and fishing spots. Anyways one of the few good things about his addiction is we always have tons of fish to eat, so appropriately I'm always looking for a good fish recipe. Something besides the old greasy spoon fried catfish. So when I found Tyler's Ultimate Fish Tacos I was in heaven. Could it be true a blend of our love of TexMex and fish?! Oh how my mouth began salivating at the very thought. And oh how my mind couldn't even do the taste in real life justice.

Tyler's Ultimate Fish Tacos

Now I know the recipe calls for Mahi Mahi, which I imagine is great, but we can't really catch that in the lakes around here so we use crappie (pronounced "croppy" is a very light and mild flavored fish) I imagine any mild fish you can get your hands on will work just fine, or if you can find some mahi mahi at the store grab it. Though I'd strongly suggest you STAY AWAY from using catfish in this recipe. Trust me!

My Favorite Florence - Tuesday

Have you figured out how much we love TexMex food yet? Oh you hadn't? Where have you been this whole time? Anyways my family loves Mexican food, my hubby begs me to make all our meals consist of chicken, corn tortillas and cheese, so of course another one of my favorite Florence recipes is Tyler's Ultimate Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa, yes I know I said Tyler's Tradition Chicken Enchiladas were my favorite but you see they both are, one is with traditional red enchilada sauce and well this is with tomatillos sauce. So see VERY VERY different enchiladas and I love them both. Oh enchiladas how I do love you!

Tyler's Ultimate Chicken Enchiladas
w/Tomatillo Chile Sauce

Now hurry up and grab a fork to dig into this oh so good recipe.

La Bamba Casserole

La Bamba Casserole will make your mouth want to do the mambo! It is one of my favorite recipes. It just always blows people away whenever I first serve it to them, they love it. This recipe goes way back, again to college, when I found it, made it, loved it, therefore made it for my Spanish class as a demonstration and needless to say I got an A. I love it because its so easy and versatile too. First off it can be as healthy as you want to make it or it can be semi-unhealthy. But since I'm (not on a diet) doing a healthy lifestyle eating, I try to make it the healthy way. And since we love spice I kick up the full spice on this baby.

Menu: La Bamba Casserole and can be served with a side salad and/or tortilla chips

La Bamba Casserole

Ingredients:
1 (5.25-ounce) can whole green chiles, drained
Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (aka rotel, hot or mild your choice)
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped green onions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Cut green chiles in half lengthwise. Arrange chiles in a single layer in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add turkey, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add diced tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

4. Spoon turkey mixture over chiles. Top with corn. Carefully spread beans over corn. Sprinkle cheese over beans.
   

5. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes; top with chopped tomato and green onions.

I just can't express how much I love this dish! I usually add a dollop of sour cream and scoop it up with a few tortilla chips. It works great as a meal but you could just as easily serve this as a dip at a party. Ok I'm going to stop blabbering and scarf up this yummy yummy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of CookingLight

Chicken Enchiladas

My hubby will be happy with this meal, its got his basic favorites as you all should know by now. And I'm just so excited to be able to use my oven again! I woke up this morning and it was in the 50's can you believe that? It's actually Fall! So in an effort to make some fall comfort food I've turned to Tyler Florence and his great recipes. Plus I'll admit it, when he first made his appearance on tv, I had a bit of a crush. There I admitted it, a hottie's caliente recipe. Now eat it all up!

Menu: Ultimate Chicken Enchiladas and spanish style rice

Tyler's Ultimate Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless breast
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

1. Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.
   
2. Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.
3. Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.
4. Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
   
5. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Recipe and photo courtesy of FoodNetwork

Menu Plan Monday - September 1st

Last week's menu went off primarily without a hitch. The only night that got shuffled around was Friday, because I didn't feel like cooking so we ordered a pizza instead. And then made the breakfast pizza for breakfast instead! On Saturday evening we ended up trying out a new restaurant down the street, Lochrann's. It was amazing! It's a traditional Irish pub and they serve traditional Irish items like Shepherd's Pie and Corned Beef Sandwiches. I had a sandwich called the Lochrann and I fell in love, I keep talking about how yummy the Guinness gravy is. I'm going to try to recreate it this week. This upcoming weekend will be kind of hectic since I won't be home alot. I'll be checking on my parents' dog while they're out of town and then I've got a wedding to work on Sunday so the boys will be fending for themselves, hopefully without much fuss because I'll have quick meals for them to reheat.

Monday - Labor Day!
Breakfast: Cereal
Labor Day Party:

• Hamburgers with Double Cheddar Cheese, Grilled Vidalia Onion and Horseradish Mustard

• Bush's Baked Beans

• Perfectly Grilled Corn on the Cob

• 
• Grilled Pineapple with Pound Cake and Rum-Caramel Sauce

Photos and recipes courtesy of FoodNetwork.com


Tuesday
Dinner: Salmon Cakes with Creamy Ginger-Sesame Sauce and Asian-Style 3 Bean Salad

A fresh take on the traditional salmon patties. Out with the fat and in with the cool and healthy. I'm serving it with a heaping full of antioxidants and energy.

Photo and recipe courtesy of FoodNetwork.com



Wednesday
Dinner: Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish style rice & a kicked up salad

I saw this yummy recipe on Kim's blog and knew we just had to try it out. It sounds perfect for my husband who loves anything that is cooked in a casserole dish and contains salsa and tortillas.

I'll serve it up with quick and easy boxed rice and a traditional Mexican restaurant style salad of avocado, tomatoes and lettuce.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Kim

Thursday
Dinner: Crockpot Bourbon Chicken, broccoli

This recipe is known as "crack over rice" by a group of my friends. It's so good you'll become addicted to it and keep coming back for more. This will be our first official time trying the infamous recipe by Katie. And as usual we'll be adapting to the crockpot instead.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Katie

Friday
Dinner: FFY

My parents are oot so I'll be stopping by their house after work to look after their puppy Taylor. I'll be spending the night so that I can feed her in the morning as well, so the boys will be left to their own defenses, heaven help them.

Saturday
Breakfast: FFY
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: "Take Me Back to Ireland" Sandwich with chips

Traditional beef tips sauteed with caramelized onions, Guinness gravy served over a hot toasted hoagie with melted Swiss cheese.

Sunday
Breakfast: FFY
Lunch: FFY
Dinner: Crockpot meal? Will figure out in a bit and post.

No shopping list this week, the template's at work and I don't have much time to recreate it today. I'll update it on Tuesday.

As always, stay turned for the recipes to be posted bright & early each morning, or the night before.

Mexican Lasagna

Pastor Ryan's Mexican Lasagna

This recipe is amazing and again, you just can't go wrong with mexican food in our house. My hubby jokes that if its got tortillas, meat, cheese and (usually cream of mushroom soup) its a WIN. Well this recipe doesn't have cream of mushroom soup but it scored big points. Since this recipe came courtesy of the Pioneer Woman's Pastor Ryan, I'm going to redirect you to the blog posting with great step-by-step directions with pictures. Now remember I have already cut our quantities in half so try not to get confused.


Ingredients:

Paprika, Cumin, and Chili Powder to make up your own “Taco Seasoning”

1 box of chicken broth
1 can of salsa verde
1 can of enchilada sauce
3 tomatoes
1 1/2 white onions
1 head of garlic
1 bag of mexican blend cheese
6 flour tortillas
1 to 2 lbs ground beef (we have an overstock of venison so we used that instead)
2 cups uncooked white rice

Now here are your directions...... MEXICAN LASAGNA

Red Chile Pork Tacos

At my house you can never go wrong with tacos, or nachos or how 'bout anything mexican or TexMex. I guess its only natural with us living in Texas and so close to great authentic flavors. And these tacos are a favorite, there's something about the spicy yet sweet pork and the crunchy taco shells. Its making my mouth water just thinking about it! I'm changing up the directions a little bit because as you know we've been in a crazy heat wave and I don't dare use my oven. So everything's going in the crockpot.

Menu: Red Chile Pork Tacos, fruit salsa and black beans(go ahead throw in a frozen margarita, I promise not to tell)

Red Chile Pork Tacos with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
3 cups thinly sliced onion
8 hard taco shells
1/2 cup chopped tomato
8 teaspoons chopped green onions

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Or set your crockpot to low.
   

2. Combine first 3 ingredients; rub evenly over pork. Here's where I'm changing it, throw it in the crockpot for about 8 to 10 hours, you know the drill. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink). Remove pork from oven; let sit 5 minutes before slicing. If you're preparing the night before, just pop in the fridge and when you're ready for dinner reheat and continue to step 3.
   

3. While pork cooks, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add onion; cover and cook 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Uncover and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

4. Fill each taco shell with about 2 ounces pork, 3 tablespoons sautéed onion, 1 tablespoon tomato, and 1 teaspoon green onions.

Now I'm not a banana fan, actually can't stand the smell or taste of them but my hubby and son love them with a passion and they both need to eat more fruits and veggies so this one's for them.

Fruit salsa: Combine 2 cups sliced banana, 1/2 cup diced pineapple, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 diced seeded jalapeño peppers in a large bowl; toss gently.

Because I won't eat the salsa I throw together a 2nd side dish. Open up a can ob black beans and drain them. Dice up a red bell pepper and a jalapeno. Add a few handfuls of them to the beans and heat them up. After warming the beans, put a dollop of sour cream and there you go.

Grab a plate of tacos, add your side dish and go to town.

Recipe and picture courtesy of my favorite website CookingLight.com

Bob Armstrong Dip

This dip could quite possibly be the best thing on Earth, I swear. Not only does it have the TexMex staple of any Texan's diet, queso, but it adds guacamole, sour cream and taco meat all in one bowl. It's a meal in itself. It doesn't matter what you dip in it whether its chips, tortillas, tomatoes or just lick it off your fingers. Its a bit labor intensive but trust me its totally worth it, unless you're in Dallas or Austin and then save yourself the trouble and just go to Matt's El Rancho.

Bob Armstrong Dip

Matt's El Rancho Restaurant, Austin, Texas
Yield: 16 to 20 servings

For Matt Martinez's Tex-Mex Spice:
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons granulated garlic
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

For guacamole layer:
4 Hass avocados
4 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
Salt




For taco-meat layer:
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Tex-Mex Spice
1 pound lean ground beef

For chile-con-queso layer:
1 1/2 cups canned chopped green chiles or fresh chiles, peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup diced fresh tomato
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 teaspoons Tex-Mex Spice
1 cup chicken broth
1 pound American cheese or more if needed, cubed

For assembly and serving:
Pico de gallo, for optional garnish
Sour cream, for optional garnish
Tortilla chips


Step 1: Prepare Matt Martinez's Tex-Mex Spice. Stir together cumin, granulated garlic, salt and black pepper. (This will make roughly four times as much as is needed for this recipe. Store leftovers in an airtight container or zip-lock bag.)

Step 2: Prepare guacamole. Halve avocados and scoop flesh into a mixing bowl; discard pits and skin. Add lime juice; mash together until mixture reaches a chunky texture. Add salt to taste. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap touches the surface of the guacamole. Set aside.

Step 3: Prepare taco meat. In a cold skillet, stir together bell pepper, celery, onion and Tex-Mex spice. Spread uncooked meat on top. Place over medium heat. When meat starts to simmer, stir and break up meat. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. Remove from heat; drain and discard any fat. Cover to keep warm, and set aside.

Step 4: Prepare chile con queso. In a saucepan, combine chiles, tomato, onion, celery, Tex-Mex spice and chicken broth. Bring to a light simmer; gently cook for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat; add cheese. Simmer until cheese melts. (If mixture is too thick, add water; if it's too thin, add more cheese.) Remove from heat.

Step 5: Assemble dip. Warm a 9-by-13-inch or a 7-by-11-inch pan in the oven or fill with hot water, then drain and dry well. Spread guacamole in the pan, then hot taco meat in an even layer. Top with hot chile con queso. Garnish with pico de gallo or sour cream. Serve with chips.

Black Bean Quesadillas w/Corn Salsa

Beat the mexican night blahs with this great recipe. My husband is usually the first one to ask "where's the meat" but even he is a fan of these great healthy quesadillas. I try to make this on a Monday or Thursday night since the recipe calls for red bell peppers and their shelf life (at least in my fridge) is not more than a few days. This recipe for dinner is from one of my favorite sites - Cooking Light.

The Menu
Black Bean Quesadillas w/Corn Salsa
Salsamole & Tortilla Chips
Southwest Style Ensalada
Spanish Style Rice *optional addition


Black Bean Quesadillas w/Corn Salsa

Heating all of the quesadillas at the same time in the oven is
faster than cooking them one at a time in a skillet.


Quesadillas:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 cups chopped plum tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking spray
3/4 cup (3 ounces) preshredded Mexican blend cheese

Salsa:
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, chopped

To prepare the quesadillas, preheat the broiler.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup cilantro, and beans; cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Place tortillas on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Top each tortilla with 1/2 cup bean mixture and 3 tablespoons cheese; fold in half. Lightly coat tops with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts and tortillas begin to brown. Cut each tortilla into 3 wedges.

To prepare salsa, combine corn and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve with quesadillas.

Salsamole & Tortilla Chips

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 ripe peeled avocado, seeded and coarsely mashed
1 medium tomato, chopped

Combine the red onion, lime juice, cider vinegar, salt, garlic, and serrano chile in a medium bowl. Add cilantro, avocado, and tomato; stir well. Serve immediately.

Southwest Style Ensalada

I just buy a bagged salad, add a tomato, cucumber and red onions. Our family loves ranch dressing so to spice up the dressing I add a few shots of tabasco sauce and mix. Viola, fast and easy southwest flair to your standard salad.

*For an additional side you can serve your favorite boxed brand of spanish style rice and add a can of drained and rinsed tomatoes. Adding rice adds more starch to this already full meal though so please note that the health factor for this meal will decrease.