Spicy Carnitas Soup

So you make a porketta roast for dinner.  Porketta reminds me of my childhood.  It's an EASY crockpot dinner, throw in a crockpot on low for 6-8 hours (3 lb roast) with 1/2 C of water, it's done when a fork inserted easily breaks the meat apart. 

Sliced up or shredded and eaten on a yummy hard roll.  Accept that your children eat about 2 bites and decide it's too spicy.  What do you do after being irritated?

I make soup and call it what it reminds me of...carnitas, since a lot of people haven't heard of porketta.  The chopping helps with the irritation too;)  The result...YUMMY. 

Here's what you'll need or rather what I had in the house and used to make this soup:

2 lbs shredded, cooked Porketta ~ If you have the juice from making the roast add that too
6 C Beef Broth
6 C Chicken Broth
2 Carrots diced
3 cloves Garlic minced
1 small Onion minced
1 can Diced Tomatoes with green Chilis
1 can Pinto Beans rinsed ~ or Black Beans rinsed
2 Potatoes diced ~ or 1 C Minute Rice (I chose potato this time around)
1 C frozen Corn
Handful of fresh Cilantro chopped

Heat pork, broth, carrots, garlic, onion and tomatoes until boiling.  Boil for 10 minutes or until carrots are soft.  Add beans, corn and pototoes or rice.  Cook until potato or rice is soft (about 6-10 minutes)  Turn off heat, add chopped cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have some recipes for chicken tortilla soup but didn't feel like searching.  Some day I will take a photo of my "to make" pile of recipes that I have printed off over the years and share with you, it's scary. 

OR maybe next year that's all I will make?  Hmmmm, something to think about. 

I also broke that avocado rule again and made it hot.  But, the chicken tortilla soup I have had, has had avocado served on top so how was it really different?  I didn't see how it was, so I dropped it in at the very end and gasp, I reheated it for my lunch and it was fine.  No, it was good.

Anyhooooooo, I kind of threw this together with leftover crockpot chicken and I liked the finished product.  I would NOT however put this in the freezer because of the avocado.  And, I took this photo before I added the shredded pepper jack cheese and tortilla chips which of course made it even more YUMMY! 

 

 

So, what you're going to need:

 

10 C Chicken Broth or 10 C water and 10 bouillon cubes

2 C shredded Salsa Chicken or crockpot chicken or rotisserie chicken

1 Can Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 Jalapeno minced without seeds ~ mine was about the size of my pinky

3 cloves Garlic minced

1 Can Pinto Beans

1 C Frozen Corn

1/2 C Refried beans ~ optional

1/2 t Cumin

Juice of 2 limes

1 bunch Cilantro minced

2 Avocados chopped

 

Put broth, chicken, tomatoes, jalapeno, garlic, pinto beans and corn in a soup pot and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, whisk in refried beans.  This will thicken soup just a bit and give it good flavor.  Sprinkle in cumin.  Add lime juice, cilantro and avocados.  Stir and turn off heat.  Break up some tortilla chips in the bottom of the bowl, ladle on soup and top with a pinch of pepper jack cheese, you could also add your chips now instead of pre-ladle too. 

 

This would also be pretty easy to make vegetarian.  Simply add another can of beans instead of chicken and use vegetable broth.  Enjoy.



Tex Mex Pasta

I combined my two favorite things, Mexican food and pasta.  I have also heard to never heat up an avocado but I had three that needed to be eaten and I wasn't in the mood for guacamole.  The person who gave me that information should rethink their stance on it because the "heated" up avocado was really yummy. 

 

Let's get this party started, here's what you'll need:

 

1/2 Green, Yellow and Red Pepper chopped ~ or you can use all of one color to make it easier

1 sm Onion chopped

3 cloves Garlic minced

1/2 Jalapeno (I used one that was about the size of my pinky) seeds discarded and minced

1 package Boneless Chicken Breast ~ cut into small pieces

2 1/4 t Cumin and Chili Powder

Salt and pepper to taste

2 ears of corn ~ cut corn off cob ~ you could use frozen

2 handfuls of Spinah ~ chopped

3 Avocados ~ smashed

1 1/4 C Half and Half ~ I used fat free

1/2 C Heavy Cream ~ I used whipping cream

1/2-3/4 C shredded Montery Jack Cheese

Cooked Pasta ~ I used Penne

 

Start your salted water on the stove to cook your pasta when it comes to a boil.  Over medium heat, throw your chopped chicken in a non stick large saute pan with your garlic and onion.  Season with 2 t cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. When the chicken looks to be about half way done, throw in the peppers, jalapenos and corn and continue to cook.  Rinsed black beans at this point would be good too but I was out.   When the chicken is done and the vegetables still have a little crunch, add a few T of the boiling salted water to get anything stuck on the bottom of the pan to come up.  Turn heat down to low and add half and half, cream 1/4 t cumin and chili powder and avocados.  Stir to incorporate and let it simmer a few minutes.  Give it a taste, do you need anything?  Is it spicy enough?  Adjust as necessary.  More cumin will give that Mexican flavor but be careful, too much can also spoil the taste.  Add spinach and give a stir, add cheese and stir again.  Add your cooked pasta and give it a toss.  Dinner is served.

 

Here's your chopped peppers

Chopped chicken ready to go

Lay corn on it's side and cut from the cob.  You can use frozen but fresh off the cob is sweet and adds a nice flavor.

Slice an avocado in half, whack your knife into the middle of the pit, give a slight twist and out it will come.  Scoop out the inside with a spoon.

Smashed and ready to add

Sauce needing to simmer for a few minutes

Add your spinach

Throw in your pasta and dinner is served.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

I've always loved black bean and corn salsa. I have a brilliant reason why I made this one. Ready?? Because I had left over beans and corn in the fridge:)

Super easy.

What you'll need:

3/4 C Black Beans rinsed
2 Fresh Corn ~ chopped off the cob
1 Tomato chopped
1 Jalapeno seeded and minced ~ I used one about the size of my pinky because kids were in attendance
2-3 T Red Onion minced
Juice of one Lime
Pince of Sea Salt
I would have liked to add some fresh cilantro but didn't have any, so you could chop and throw that in if you do.

Cut corn off of cob. Add everything else. Give it a toss, chill and serve.

Mango Salsa

I saw a dude on the Food Network make a salsa that had mango and avocado and it looked refreshing. I completely didn't pay attention to who the guy was or really what he put in it other than the two main ingredients because I thought I didn't like mangos. Turns out I had them confused with papaya. I have a vivid memory from a honeymoon hung over brunch that involved papaya, ummm yeah, GAG!

So you are probably wondering why I would make something that I thought I disliked?? I actually have several reasons: it was Claire's birthday party, I had several people coming for dinner, I could try out a new recipe and someone would probably eat it. See, I really do have a method to my madness.

Because of my, "thought I disliked them", I've never bought one. I went to the grocery store to grab a couple and this woman was picking them up, putting some back, putting others in her bag so I asked her how to know if they were ripe. She shrugged and said, "you just never know". In my head, I was thinking why are you putting some back and some in the bag?? But I said nothing and grabbed two that looked and felt similar. Kind of soft but not squishy.

When I cut them up, I understood what she meant. I had two mangos that looked like twins from a tree. One was the perfect texture for ripe fruit, color great, juicy, in a word...YUMMY and I realized I DO like mangos. The evil twin was "fine" but it was drier, the color wasn't as bright and it was a bit firmer to cut. Mixed together they worked fine. Everyone who tried the salsa really liked it. I kinda loved it and can't wait to make it again. I think it would be awesome on a piece of chicken or maybe some fish or mixed in with some rice or, well, the possibilities are endless.

At any rate, you're probably wishing I would stop talking and get the party starter so here you go:

2 Mangos peeled and chopped
2 Avocados peeled and chopped
Juice from one lime
2-3 T Red Onion minced
Jalapeno seeded and minced ~ I used one that was about the size of my pinky in length. I would have liked more spice but I knew kids would be trying it too.
Pinch of Sea Salt

Mangos have a hard center. Peel the outer skin and cut as much mango as you can get from the center. Chop and put into bowl. Cut avocado in half, remove pit, score the avocado and scoop out into bowl. Or you can peel it and chop it, whatever works for you. Cut your lime in half and squeeze over the top of avocado. Add onion, jalapeno and salt and give a light toss. Chill and serve. YUMMY.
Here is your chopped up mangos.

Score your avocado and use a spoon to scoop out.

Ready to go.

Vegetable Enchilada Pie

Cinco de Mayo is coming. Do you have your Mexican dinner picked out? This is a good one if you don't and you can add meat if that is your desire.

This came about because Dylan showed up unannouced for dinner, with vegetarian friends in tow. I didn't have much in the house so I just started grabbing.

What you'll need:
1 can Black Beans ~ rinsed
1 can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis ~ I did HOT
1/2 Green Pepper chopped
1/2 Red Pepper chopped
4 cloves Garlic minced
1 C Frozen Corn
8 oz Spinach
Bag of Rice ~ I used one of those "cook in 90 seconds", I think it was an 8 oz size but they only come in one size so don't stress the details
2 t Chili Powder
2 t Cumin
3 Large Tortillas
1 can Enchilada Sauce
2 1/4 C Cheese shredded ~ I used a Mexican blend

Put your beans, diced tomatoes, garlic and peppers in a pan and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring here and there. Add corn and chopped spinach and cook until Spinach is wilted.

Spray your pie pan. Put a few tablespoons of enchilada sauce. Top with tortilla.

Here's the quick rice I used.

Add rice and seasoning to bean mixture and cook for just a minute or two.

Top Tortilla with bean mixture.

Add Cheese 3/4 C Cheese

Repeat
Last layer should be tortilla. Top with remaining sauce, 3/4 C cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes

I apologize that the photos stop here, the boys were starving;). You're only missing the hot out of the oven and a piece being cut.

Quick Burrito

YUMMY, yummy in my tummy. I pretty much love anything Mexican food related but I especially love, cheesy baked Mexican burritos. Unfortunately, the children don't agree. SO..I decided to make a burrito for one.

What you'll need:

1/2 C Taco meat
Tortilla
2 T Queso Cheese Dip ~ that you buy in the chip aisle. I'm partial to the Monterey Jack one.

2 T Mexican blend Cheese
Lettuce
Chopped Tomatoes
Salsa~I like Thick and Chunky, but feel free to use whatever you like
1 t Chili Powder
1/2 t Cumin

Put your taco meat in the middle of your tortilla. Top with Queso Cheese Dip.

Top with couple tablespoons of Salsa

Mexican blend cheese

Tomatoes and Lettuce last or you could throw some beans on if you're feeling sassy.

Fold in each side and fold like an envelope. Place seam side down in sprayed pan

Mix 3/4 C Salsa with 1 t Chili Powder and 1/2 t Cumin and pour on top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. You can throw some more Mexican cheese on top the last 5 minutes if you want.

Top with sour cream and YUMMY!

Enchilada Pie

I was craving Mexican food today. So, Claire had tacos and I made a version of this for me. I used the leftover taco meat instead of Mexican beef and altered just a bit but the final answer is the same, so I left the photos for assembly purposes. It was YUMMY and just what I wanted...how often can you say that??

What you'll need:

Can of HOT Enchilada Sauce
1 1/2 C Taco meat ~ I used ground turkey today but beef works too
2 large Tortillas ~ I used some healthy high fiber ones I found
1/2 can Black Beans rinsed ~ you could also use pinto or refried..whatever makes you happy:)
3/4 C frozen Corn
1 C cooked Brown Rice
1/2 Green Pepper chopped
1 C Salsa
3/4 C Cheese ~ I used Monterey Jack

Spray your pan with cooking spray. Put about 1/4 C of enchilada sauce in the bottom.

Place Tortilla on top of that.

Sprinkle with half of taco meat.

Half of the beans next.

Half of the corn.

Half of the rice.

Half of the pepper.

1/3 of the cheese.

about 1/2 Cup of Salsa

Tortilla. Press down a little bit.

1/4 of what's left of the red sauce

Repeat process one more time.

Add rest of enchilada sauce and top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Top with sour cream and/or guacamole and serve.





You don't have to rip the tortilla. Just make sure it covers as much of the bottom of the pan as possible. This particular tortilla I felt was riding up too far.


You aren't going to see rice in the photos because I made one of these to "taste" it, serving rice on the side. Dylan felt it was a missing component so I added it in the next pan I made and yes, good idea D!




YUMMY!

Mexican Jambalaya

I started counting my points with Weight Watchers again. Really counting them for the first time in forever and this recipe is my new favorite because most vegetables aren't any points.

Sorry, I didn't take step by step photos because I wasn't sure what I was doing when I started. It turned out awesome and the entire pan was 20 points and this made 5 solid servings, that means only 4 points for dinner! That's using the NEW point system.

Here's what you'll need:

2 Zucchini chopped~I chopped the zucchini into thirds and then each third in half and then each half into strips. Kind of like match sticks. You can simply chop, I just wanted a different shape
1 Green Pepper chopped
1 Red Pepper chopped
1 C fresh Green Beans ~ cut into bite size pieces
1 sm Onion sliced
2 cloves Garlic ~ minced
1/2 can Black Beans rinsed
1/2 C frozen Corn
2 Chicken breasts ~ I used leftover Salsa Chicken but you could use anything you have
1 C Salsa
1 C Chicken Broth
1 1/2 C Brown Rice cooked
1 t Cayenne
1 t Cumin
1 t Chili Powder

Throw the zucchini, green and red pepper, green beans, onion and garlic in a wok, saute for a couple of minutes on a medium high heat, you can put a little bit of the chicken broth in now if you want to get the party started faster.

Add salsa, chicken broth and corn and cook for another couple of minutes. Throw in chicken, beans, rice and seasoning. Heat thoroughly and serve. I topped mine with 2 Tablespoons of Light Sour Cream for an added point.

Mexican Lasagna

I think I could eat Mexican food every day. So many varieties of things that you can do. I fed my kids the chopped Mexican beef on tortillas and then took the rest and made a small Mexican lasagna. I'm not a fan of left overs but this, this was twice as yummy the next day. I should have made a full size pan!

This recipe serves 4 using an 8x8 pan, but just double and put into a 13x9 pan.

What you'll need:

Can of HOT Enchilada Sauce ~ I actually used my homemade

1/2 bottle Verde Sauce
1 1/2 C chopped Mexican Beef
3 large Tortillas ~ I used some healthy high fiber ones I found
1/2 can Black Beans rinsed ~ you could also use pinto or refried..whatever makes you happy:)
3/4 C frozen Corn
1 C cooked Brown Rice
3/4 C Cheese ~ I used Monterey Jack

Spray your pan with cooking spray. Put about 1/4 C of Red enchilada sauce in the bottom.

Place Tortilla on top of that.

Sprinkle with half of chopped beef.

Half of the beans next.

Half of the corn.

Half of the rice.

1/3 of the cheese.

about 1/2 Cup of the Green sauce.

Tortilla. Press down a little bit.

1/2 of what's left of the red sauce

Repeat process one more time.

When you top with last toritlla, press down. Add rest of red and about 1/2 cup of green, swirl together and top with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Top with sour cream and/or guacamole and serve.





You don't have to rip the tortilla. Just make sure it covers as much of the bottom of the pan as possible. This particular tortilla I felt was riding up too far.


You aren't going to see rice in the photos because I made one of these to "taste" it, serving rice on the side. Dylan felt it was a missing component so I added it in the next pan I made and yes, good idea D!




YUMMY!

Mexican Beef

I pulled two packages of stew meat out of the freezer intending on making something different. Lack of time and inspiration caused me to throw it in a crock pot and the result was tasty. We had chopped beef on tortillas and I made a Mexican lasagna (I'll be posting that recipe soon) with the rest.

Here's what you'll need:

2 packages of Stew Meat ~ I think I had a little over 2 lbs
1 pkg Onion soup mix
1 Beer or 12 oz water
1 t Cumin
1 t Chili Powder
1 t Chipotle Powder
3 cloves Garlic
2 Chipotle Peppers chopped

Put it all in the crock pot and crock on low for 10 hours. It might have been done sooner but that's when I got around to it and it was perfect. I don't think you can really over cook beef in the crock pot unless you run out of liquid anyway.

Pull it out, give it a rough chop and wrap up in tortillas. My kids actually ate these and asked for seconds..SCORE!

Ham and Black Bean Soup

I always make a ham on Easter and I always give the bone to someone so they can make bean or split pea soup. I'm not a fan of either. This year, no one wanted the bone and I didn't want to throw it away, so I went looking around the internet and found something that sounded interesting.

The recipe called for dry black beans, I've never made beans dry from the bag so this was a whole new experience for me. What I found out...I apparently bought "old" beans because they didn't soften in the cooking time that was recommended. But, I didn't give up and just cooked it longer and it worked. I shared with friends and everyone LOVED this soup so I'll be making it again.

What you'll need:

6 quart slow cooker

16 oz dry Black Beans
6 C water ~ recipe said to cover ingredients and that's what fit in my crock
Ham bone ~ my ham was a 7 lb ham and there was still quite a bit of meat on it
1 Red Bell Pepper~chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper~chopped
1 Jalapeno Pepper~minced..I left in half the seeds for heat
1 Anaheim Pepper~minced ~ I left in all the seeds
2 Chipolte Peppers~minced I bought a can and used 2
1 Red Onion~chopped
2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis
1 t Chili Powder
6 cloves Garlic~minced
1 t Kosher Salt
1/4 t Pepper

The night before, put the beans in a pot with 8 cups water. Remove any beans that float and any that don't look right. Allow to soak overnight. Drain

Place the ham bone in the crockpot. Add the beans and everything else on top except salt and pepper. Cover with water and cook on low for 10 hours.

Because my beans weren't soft at that point, I put the soup in the fridge and cooked again the next day for another 6 and that was the ticket. This actually turned out to be an added bonus because when I took the soup out of the fridge, I was able to skim the fat from the top easily because it had chilled.

Remove the ham bone, shred the ham that fell off the bone, nothing was left on my ham bone after that long.

I also want to explain the difference between chop and mince. Chop means a small size that you can bite, mince means small enough that you can barely detect it. When recipes call for mince, I use my mini food processor and give it a whirl.
Ham Bone
Chopped green and red
Anaheim pepper is the larger of the two
Can of Chipotle Peppers I bought
Ready to crock

Yum!

El Grande Burro

Just that title takes me back in to high school and eating at Chi Chi's. I ordered a beef El Grande Burro every single time I ate there. LOVED them!

Unfortunately, Chi Chi's was SHUT down. Shut down before I figured out exactly how to make the burro sauce. But, I think I got close.

Enchilada Sauce

Large Jalapeno
medium Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 T Olive Oil
14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis
28oz can Tomato Puree
2 C Water
1 T Chipolte Pepper
1 T Chili Powder
1/2 T Cumin
1/2 T Sugar
1 t Salt
1 t Pepper

Give the jalapeno, onion and garlic a whirl in your mini food processor or just finely chop up. I left 1/2 the seeds in the jalapeno for some added heat. If you don't like spicy, take the seeds out with a spoon. Be sure to wear plastic gloves when handling peppers OR be very careful of your hands around your face and eyes.

You can also use a variation of peppers but Target didn't offer choices so this time, you get just Jalapeno.

Put the jalapeno, onion and garlic in a pot with a tablespoon of olive oil and let it sweat a few minutes. Stir it around a little bit so nothing sticks. Add everything else, give it a stir and put on a low simmer for at least an hour to blend all the flavors. If you think it needs some more spice, add teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper.

Taco Meat

1 lb ground Beef (you can use turkey)
1/2 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic
4 t Chili Powder
2 t Cumin
1 t Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper if you're feeling Sassy

Put all of this in a pan until cooked through.

Now the special thing about a burro is that it has lettuce and tomatoes in the inside. I know, sounds gross...hot lettuce, but it just worked. So..add to your shopping list:

Bag of Lettuce Shreds
1 large Tomato chopped
4 C Cheese ~ I used Mexican Blend
Tortillas ~ I bought the ones that come with 8

Put your tortillas between two damp paper towels and microwave for about 45 seconds. Put about 1/2 C of meat, few Tablespoons of Cheese, lettuce and tomatoes and fold it up. You are going to fold like an envelope, fold in both sides and then kind of roll it up to make a packet. Put seam side down in sprayed 13x9 pan. Pour enchilada sauce on top and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake another 5 minutes or until melted.

Top with more lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. YUMMY!!

Onion and jalapeno ready for a whirl.














Blend up the onions and jalapenos in the food processor















Let the onions, peppers and garlic sweat a bit















Sauce is ready to go














Put your taco meat first, top with tomatoes, cheese and lettuce last
















Fold in sides and then fold over kind of like an envelope














Put seam side down in your dish













Top with sauce













YUMMY!!