Chile Verde

Years ago, a neighbor brought over a big container of chile verde because he made more than his family could eat. I love when neighbors bring food! It was full of flavor and I savored every bite. At that time, I wasn't doing much cooking so I didn't even bother asking for the recipe. The extent of my cooking consisted of three to four ingredients with a five-ingredient recipe being "extreme cooking" for me. LOL! My cooking has definitely improved! :)

While I was recovering from a tonsillectomy, I was pinning tons of recipes from pinterest. I was drooling over each recipe since I was unable to eat any of it. Now that my throat is fully recovered, I've been diving into some of those recipes. Chile Verde is a dish I love to order at Mexican restaurants. I love wet chile verde burritos or chile verde on its own with a tortilla on the side. YUM! 

I've never made chile verde so I don't know if this is an "authentic" recipe but what I do know is that I liked my version. I liked it a lot! I invited my Mom and sister over for dinner and they enjoyed it, too. The pork was fork tender and fell apart as I cut into my wet chile verde burrito. I ate the leftover chile verde on its own the next day with a tortilla. It's soupy texture was perfect for a light lunch. Oh, the flavors! Make this sooooooon!

Bright green!

After a couple of hours in the dutch oven....

Wet burrito with fresh guac. NOM NOM!!!

Chile Verde

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed (I used 2 seeded serranos)
• 2 Anaheim or Poblano chiles (optional)
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves, washed

• 3 1/2 to 4 pounds pork shoulder (also called pork butt), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-2 inch cubes (I used 2 pork sirloins from costco)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 2 tbs of chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tbs of dried oregano)
• 2 1/2 c chicken stock (I used 1 ½ c)
• Pinch of ground cloves

Method:

1. Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. If you have a Vitamix blender, put the chile verde sauce ingrediens into blender. You could use a food processor if that's what you have. Cut tomatillos into quarters and place into blender container. Add the garlic, serranos, and cilantro to the tomatillos and blend thoroughly. You can add a couple Anaheim or Poblano chiles. Either use canned green chiles or roast fresh chilies over a gas flame or under the broiler until blackened all around. Let cool in a bag, remove the skin, seeds, and stem.
2. Season the pork cubes generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a dutch oven (or a large, heavy-bottomed skillet) over medium high heat and brown pork chunks well on all sides. Work in batches so that the pork is not crowded in the pan and has a better chance to brown well. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, lift pork out of pan and place in bowl to set aside.
3. Pour out excess fat leaving about a tablespoon and place the onions and garlic in the same dutch oven and saute about 5 minutes or till onions are translucent. Hopefully, your dutch oven is large enough to cook the entire batch of chile verde with the sauce and meat. 
4. Add the pork back to the dutch oven and add oregano. Then add the tomatillo chile verde sauce to the pork and onions. 
5. Add the chicken stock (enough to cover the meat), add a pinch of ground cloves, and a little salt and pepper. Not too much as the chile verde will continue to cook down and concentrate a bit.
6. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours or until the pork is fork tender.
7. Adjust the seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. 
8. Serve with spanish rice and warmed flour or corn tortillas. Can also make wet chile verde burritos by adding some chile verde into a warmed tortilla, roll it up, pour more sauce on top, top with shredded cheese, and microwave to melt cheese or put in broiler to brown cheese (be careful plates are oven safe and keep an eye on the burritos to avoid burning them).

Source: adapted from Simply Recipes

Baby Back Ribs

Hubby has gout so I've been trying to make foods that aren't high in purines. We're trying to watch what we eat but we had a craving for ribs so we went for it. We figured a small portion couldn't be that bad. Happy to report that the meal was a success!

This will be a quick post to share with you how to get tender, juicy, caramelized, rib-o-licious ribs! Easy, delicious and sure to impress anyone who eats them. I baked plum glazed baby back ribs and used up the last of my plum preserves I made over the summer.

I made two packages of baby back ribs from Ralph's. 

Cut up the slabs into 3-4 rib segments, salt and pepper them and then bake them.

We enjoyed this with a big salad and homemade garlic bread.

Yum-O!

Baby Back Ribs


Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 slabs baby back ribs
• salt/pepper to taste
• sauce of choice: BBQ, Asian, spicy, honey, preserves, rub, whatever you like...

Directions:

1. Line baking sheets with foil. Baking sheet must have raised edges to contain the oil as you bake.
2. Rinse off ribs under cool water and pat dry.
3. Cut into 3-4 rib segments and place on prepared baking sheet.
4. Lightly salt and pepper both sides of ribs.  Place meaty side down.
5. Bake at 250F for 2 hrs.
6. Remove from oven and turn ribs boney side down. Place ribs back in oven and add HOT water to baking sheet, just enough hot water to cover bottom of baking sheet. This helps steam the ribs and keeps the ribs nice and tender. 
7. Bake another 45 mins-1 hr. If using honey, drizzle honey at this step.
8. Cool slightly before you eat. ENJOY!

Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is so easy to make and it tastes delicious, too. You can throw it in a crockpot or stockpot and literally forget about it. I've made chicken, pork and beef in the crockpot/stockpot and everything turns out fantastic. I don't think that one is necessarily better than the other. From my experience, it's the amount of meat you're cooking that determines which product to use.

Because I had a small pork loin, I used a medium-sized saucepan. The pork was juicy, moist and tender. Yummy stuff for sure! I made coleslaw and a tangy-yet-spicy barbecue sauce to make it a fantabulous pulled pork sandwich. It was SOOOOO tasty! The coleslaw and barbecue sauce REALLY made this a delicious sandwich. DEEEELISH!!!

My boys ate this up and were disappointed that I didn't make my usual double batch of pork. They would've eaten pulled pork sandwiches for the next three meals if I let them. :) Cooking in bulk Costco-style is great because having cooked pork in the fridge allows me to make quick meals: salads, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, soups and more! If you know you'll burn out on eating pork for several meals, freeze small portions in ziploc baggies. When you're ready for more pork, throw a frozen pork baggie in the fridge and it'll thaw within a day or two. Then you can make fast and easy meals and use up the remaining pork. Easy and a lot healthier than going through a fast food drive thru!

The coleslaw in the sandwich really makes it yummy!

Pulled Pork

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb pork loin
• 1 onion, sliced

sauce:

• 2 tbs Dijon mustard
• 1/2 c BBQ sauce
• 2 tbs red wine vinegar
• 6 oz beer

Directions:

1. Mix sauce ingredients in med bowl.
2. Heat oil in stockpot over med high heat. Place pork loin in stockpot and sear all sides. Do not move the pork as it cooks 2-3 mins per side so it browns nicely.
3. When pork is seared, lift out of stockpot and add sliced onions on bottom. Place pork on top of onions. 
4. Pour sauce over pork and turn down heat to low. Simmer for 3+ hrs or till pork is cooked through.
5. Remove pork from sauce and shred using two forks. When shredded, add back to sauce and mix well to coat pork. ENJOY!

Serving suggestions: Pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, soups, salads.

Pork Pasta Salad

A great way to use up leftover meat is to put it in a salad. I whipped up a tasty pasta salad for my high school's third annual all-class alumni picnic. I watched everyone eat it up and comment on how tasty it was. :) Awesome! It's a light dish, easy to make and delicious, too.

Bow ties.

Pork Pasta Salad

Yield: 10-12 servings

Ingredients:

• 16 oz Farfalle pasta (bow ties or pasta of choice)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• red, orange and yellow pepper, seeded and diced
• handful cilantro, washed, dried and chopped
• 1 c shredded pork (or meat of choice)
• 1/2 - 1 c salad dressing of choice (I used Bernstein's Light Cheese Fantastico)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, place ice in large bowl of water and add pasta to stop cooking process. When pasta has chilled, drain again and set aside.
2. Add chopped veggies, cilantro and pork. Mix well.
3. Add salad dressing last and mix well. Start with 1/2 c and add more as needed. If too dry, add another 1/4 c just before serving.

Honey Pork Chops

I was looking to make an asian inspired pork entree to serve alongside the Sweet n Spicy Wings. I wanted a slightly sweet marinade so honey was the key to this dish. Next time, I'll set aside a little marinade and make some sauce because pork has a tendency to be on the dry side. Ok, I shouldn't blame the pork. As thin as these pork chops were, I should've known they didn't need to grill so long. I used the leftovers in soup so this was still good stuff!

Hot off the grill.

This was good but would've been GREAT with extra sauce.

Honey Pork Chops

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 6 thin, bone-in pork chops

marinade:

• 1/2 c chicken stock
• 1/4 c honey
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1 tbs ketchup
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Mix together marinade ingredients in large ziploc or large container.
2. Add pork and marinate overnight.
3. Heat grill and cook for 10-15 mins or till cooked through.
4. Serve with rice, veggies and salad. ENJOY!!!

Char Siu Pork

It's been a crazy two weeks with workers in and out of our house painting the exterior, master bathroom and knocking down the cottage cheese ceiling. Ack! Messy stuff! I didn't cook for a couple days while the guys were working in and around the kitchen because they were creating a ton of dust. Not a sanitary environment for food prep so we were "forced" to eat out. I actually enjoyed a break from the kitchen. :)

Unfortunately, all the dust made Son #2's asthma kick in. I kept the kids out of the house while the work was going on and I even vacuumed several times after the work was done. Obviously, there was still dust in the air because Son wasn't breathing well. Starting him on the nebulizer usually does the trick but we ended up in his allergist's office because he wasn't getting better. :( Since Son wasn't well, I wanted to make something with garlic and ginger. According to my Mom, garlic and ginger are a "natural antibiotic." No, she's not a doctor but her homeopathic ways seem to work. Whenever we're under the weather, I add extra garlic to our meals and it really does help us bounce back.

The workers had an early day because they were pretty much done with the jobs at my home. I used the grill since my kitchen wasn't as clean as I would've like it to be. OH MY! This pork was DEEEEE-lish! This isn't your typical thin-sliced char siu pork with the red food coloring but it tasted great! The leftovers were perfect for breakfast burritos and the boys ate it up in quesadillas. Yum yum.

This was awesome. 

Totally tasty. 

Serve with rice on a bed of chard chips and steamed beets on the side.

Char Siu Pork

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 6-8 pork tenderloins about 1/2" thick

sauce/marinade: (makes about 1 c)

• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 2 tbs sake (rice wine)
• 2 tbs ketchup
• 2 tbs Hoisin sauce
• 2 tbs honey
• 1 tbs sugar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced

Directions:

1. Mix 3/4 of sauce ingredients in gallon-sized ziploc bag. Reserve extra sauce for serving with pork.
2. Place pork in ziploc, seal bag and give a good shake to coat pork with sauce.
3. Marinate 4 hrs or overnight for best flavor.
4. Heat grill over med-high heat for 3-5 mins then turn down to low. Grill pork 4-5 mins per side and baste with remaining marinade. I did a total of 8-10 mins per side after flipping back and forth a couple times.
5. Let rest 5-8 mins before serving. ENJOY!!!

Source: Adapted from My Recipes

Carnitas

I love Mexican food and I love carnitas. Several years ago, a friend mentioned how easy it is to make carnitas in the crock pot. When I asked her for the recipe, she looked at me with disbelief and said she didn't really have a recipe. She said to add pork, seasonings, diced green chilis and a little vinegar to a crock pot and let it cook for 6-8 hours. Yes, super simple indeed, however, I changed it up just a little bit after talking to another friend about tender, juicy carnitas. Now I have the perfect recipe! I love carnitas on its own, as a salad topper, in soup, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, etc.. Oh, the possibilities...yum yum!

Moist and delicious.

Carnitas

Yield: 8+ servings

Ingredients:

• 1-2 lb pork tenderloin (I used pork sirloin tip roast from Costco and it was the juiciest carnitas EVER!)
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbs garlic, minced
• handful of cilantro, washed and chopped
• 10-16 oz salsa (I used smokey chipole salsa)

Directions:

1. In med-large stock pot, heat 1 tsp oil over med-high heat. Saute onion for 3-4 mins. Then add garlic and saute for another 1-2 mins. Set aside.
2. In same stock pot, heat remaining 1 tsp oil over med-high heat. Add pork and brown all sides.
3. Top with chopped cilantro then pour salsa over top of pork.
4. Turn down to low heat and simmer for 4 hours or more depending on size of pork.
5. When done, shred pork using two forks. It should pull apart very easily.

Note: If you have leftovers, freeze small portions in ziploc bags. I always have a small baggie in my freezer so I can quickly and easily add a little protein to soup or add to breakfast burritos. YUM!

Source: Adapted from Lesley and Kat.

Balsamic Vinegar Pork

I wanted a simple meal so I marinated pork tenderloin and it turned out great. This is the perfect dinner to put together at the last minute.

My Mom's on a vinegar kick so I came up with this marinade. I don't know where she's getting her info from but she says that a daily intake of vinegar is good for your health. I'll just roll with it and add vinegar to our meals when I can. :)

Round out your meal with salad and veggies. 

Balsamic Vinegar Pork

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 pork tenderloins
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbs garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Marinate pork in vinegar and garlic for 2+ hrs.
2. Grill 5 mins per side until done.
3. Serve with salad, soup, veggies, etc.. Simple and delicious...ENJOY!

Pork Marsala

When I feel like we're coming down with something, I cook with extra garlic. I consider it nature's antibiotic and I believe it's kept us very healthy thus far. Whoa, I really sound like my Mom but I finally believe her after all these years. Garlic definitely has its benefits.

Illnesses for Hubby and Son #2 always start by late Oct., however, this year they've both stayed healthy. Son #2 had a sinus infection a couple weeks ago but that's it. Nothing else. Even with H1N1 (he could not get inoculated due to his severe egg allergy) and all the other ickies that go around at the schools, my boys have stayed healthy. Thank goodness!

We may reek of garlic but that's a small price to pay for good health. :) I always cook with garlic, but when I know a cold or some other illness is inevitable, I add TONS of garlic to our meals. I've been a bit congested, so rather than going to the Dr. right away, I made a meal with extra garlic. The pork tenderloin with garlic marsala sauce was just what I needed. I sauteed a little swiss chard in the same sauce and tossed it with the bow ties. YUM!

This hit the spot.

Pork Marsala

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 pork tenderloins (1/2" slices)
• 1 tbs flour
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs flat Italian parsley, chopped

sauce:

• 2 tbs garlic, minced
• 2 tsp lemon juice, fresh 
• 1 c Marsala wine

Directions:

1. Lightly flour pork tenderloins.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat.
3. Add pork and cook 3-4 mins per side till browned.
4. Remove from skillet, cover and keep warm.
5. Add garlic to skillet and cook 1-2 mins. Add wine and cook 3 mins.
6. Add pork back to garlic wine sauce and cook 3-4 mins until pork is cooked through and the sauce is cooked down a bit.
7. When plating the pork, pour some sauce on top and sprinkle with parsley. ENJOY!

TIP: If you're sick more often than not, add a little garlic to your meals. Changing our diet has helped us maintain good health. Even my 6 year old who has asthma and a weakened immune system has managed to stay very healthy this winter season. YAY!

Pork Tenderloin

Dinner plans consisted of grilling pork tenderloin but I wasn't sure what "flavor" I wanted so I checked the contents of my fridge for ideas. I have lots of veggies from my CSA basket so I picked swiss chard for a stir fried veggie dish and figured the Hoisin Sauce would complement that well. I bought Hoisin for the first time last month when I made General Tso's Chicken and was impressed by the flavors of the sweet sauce. The Hoisin pork I grilled, like the chicken dish, did NOT disappoint. Another successful dinner...HOORAY!

Grilled to perfection.

Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 4 pork tenderloins 

marinade:

• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs hoisin sauce
• 1 tbs sake
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger (use 1 tsp fresh ginger root if you have it)
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Directions:

1. In 8x8x8" glass dish (or ziploc bag), add marinade ingredients and mix thoroughly.
2. Add pork to marinade and turn several times to coat well.
3. Cover, refrigerate and marinate at least 2 hours. For best flavor, marinate overnight.
4. Grill on low heat for 20 mins, turning every 5 mins. Let stand for 5 mins before serving. Serve as is or slice at an angle into thin slices.

Notes: If baking the pork, uncover and place the cold dish in the oven. I let the refrigerated dish preheat with the oven as I'm afraid a cold dish in a hot oven will cause the dish to explode. :) Set oven to 375F and bake for 20-25 mins.

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com