Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Pork Barbacoa

This is a combination of many recipes I found and put together.  It is suppose to be "Cafe Rio" pork, but I really don't think it tastes much like it.  But it is sweet and spicy and delicious.

5-6 lb. pork roast

3 cups Dr. Pepper 
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 clove garlic, minced
7 oz. can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
6-ish oz. red taco sauce (I used medium)
2 T dry mustard
1 T cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix ingredients (besides pork) until sugar dissolves.  I didn’t keep the actual chilies, I dumped the can into a bowl and added enough Dr. Pepper to get all the sauce off of the chilies, then I strained them, and then added the rest of the ingredients.  I also rinsed out the can with Dr. Pepper for more adobo goodness.  If you LOVE hotness, then blend everything + 2 or 3 chilies in the blender.  (Also, the adobo sauce tends to stain plastic, using a glass or metal mixing bowl will make your clean-up of adobo sauce considerably less frustrating).

Add mixture to the roast and cook in crockpot for 8-10 hours. Shred roast into sauce and cook for 2 more hours.  At this point the meat was so tender it practically shredded itself.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Spicy Chicken Tacos

While many North Americans think of tacos as having crisp, fried shells, authentic Mexican tacos are made with soft, fresh corn tortillas. The traditional preparation is the smart choice, as unfried corn tortillas are low in fat and made with whole grains.

4 servings, 2 tacos each 
Active Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into thin strips
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 - 1 cup prepared hot salsa, plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • Sliced scallions, chopped fresh tomatoes and reduced-fat sour cream, for garnish
Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Wrap tortillas in foil and bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, season chicken with salt. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add chicken and cook, stirring until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
  3. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring, until they start to brown around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, garlic, jalapeño and cumin. Cook, stirring, until peppers are bright green but still crisp, 2 to 3 minutes more.
  4. Stir in salsa and reserved chicken. Cook, stirring, until chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Spoon into warmed tortillas and garnish with scallions, tomatoes and sour cream.

Nutrition
Per serving (without garnishes):
303 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 66 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 31 g protein; 5 g fiber; 421 mg sodium; 533 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (68% daily value); Folate (25% dv); Fiber (20% dv).

Found @ Eatingwell.com