Shredded Pork With Black Beans

This is one of those recipes that came about because I had made my Margarita Pork Roast and had a bunch left over. I started opening my cupboards to see what kind of inspiration I could find in there and this is what I came up with. I cooked the leftover pork in a skillet to crisp it up and then added a few simple ingredients. I actually made this into a burrito for my son and I just ate it as is. Either way, it's pretty darn good and another super easy recipe to make using leftovers.

Shredded Pork with Black Beans
3-4 cups leftover Margarita Pork (recipe below) or any leftover pork roast
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 Teaspoon pepper
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles (or a can of plain diced tomatoes will do)
1 14 oz. can black beans, drained

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir. Add pork. Cook, stirring often, until pork is heated through and somewhat crisp (about 5 minutes). Stir in salt, cumin, pepper, tomatoes and black beans and cook until well heated. Serve with cheese, sour cream, cilantro and tortillas.

Everyone knows of my passion for all foods Mexican. I made this up when I wanted to do something other than the usual 'rubbed' pork roast. The tequila and lime help to tenderize the meat and the margarita mix adds a little sweetness.

Margarita Pork Roast
3-4 lb boneless pork roast
2 Teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup tequila
1/2 cup margarita mix
Juice of 1 lime

Rinse and pat dry the pork roast. Rub the salt onto the roast. In a skillet, heat the oil. Brown the roast on all sides. Place in a crockpot. Pour over the margarita mix, lime juice and tequila, in that order. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred and use for tostadas, tacos or in burritos.

Annie's Mexican Casserole

My husband grew up in a Mennonite family. If you know anything about Mennonites it's that the women can cook and throw one heck of a potluck. When I was growing up, during the summers my oldest brother worked on a grass seed farm owned by Mennonites. I loved to visit them and I had the awesome pleasure of attending one such potluck. Those women could make a mean casserole and marionberry pie.

Imagine my delight when I threw together this little casserole and after a few bites, Jon looked at his son and said, "I just had a flashback of sitting at the dinner table and eating something my mom made. This tastes just like it." That is a big compliment, to have my cooking compared to that of Jon's mother. So, of course, I wanted to share this easy to make dish with all of you.

Annie's Mexican Casserole

1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1 small white onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium squash, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 19 oz. can black beans, drained
1 1/2 cups corn, frozen or fresh
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
15 corn tortillas, quartered
1 large can mild green enchilada sauce (you can also use red enchilada sauce)
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

In a skillet, brown beef, pork, onion and garlic. Add zucchini, squash, tomatoes, black beans, corn, cumin, chili powder and salt. Mix well and let simmer, covered for 5 minutes.


In the bottom of a greased 13" x 9" casserole dish, spread 1/2 of the tortillas.


Then top with 1/2 of the meat and vegetable mixture.


Next, pour 1/2 of the enchilada sauce over meat mixture and top with 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat, layering the rest of the ingredients.



Cover with foil and bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes until the casserole is bubbling around the edges.

**Variations**

Vegetarian - Omit ground beef and pork and add a can of pinto beans.

Lo-Carb - Use lo-carb tortillas such as Mission Brand.

Green Chile Pork

I have had one affair in my life. Yes, it's true. But don't think less of me though because it just happened and it was love from the start. It's an affair that has continued to this day and there is no end in sight. My affair has been with Mexican food and it started because my best friend growing up has a mother who is from Mexico and she owned a Mexican restaurant in town. This was no ordinary 'Americanized' Mexican restaurant, this was the real deal. On Saturday mornings while the chorizo, eggs and potatoes were cooking, Rose was making homemade tortillas. As she pulled those awesomely warm tasty delights off of the grill, Nancy and I would smother them with butter and jam, roll them up and revel in the deliciousness. I became best friends with chicken fajitas, carne asada, tacos el pastor, chile verde and chile rellenos. Oh my.

One of my favorite dishes is chile verde. I have simplified the recipe (ok, I've Americanized it) and made it quick and easy to prepare before throwing it in a crockpot to cook so the pork can become fall apart tender. You can serve it in a tortilla with cheese, sour cream, tomatoes or whatever, but I prefer it in a bowl and scooping it up with a tortilla. Delish.

GREEN CHILE PORK

2 lbs. boneless pork roast cut into cubes
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt (heaping)
1 teaspoon cumin (heaping)
1 teaspoon chile powder (heaping)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large can (28 oz or so) green enchilada sauce
2 Tablespoons corn starch

Put cut up pork in a large bowl. Sprinkle with flour, salt, cumin, chile powder and pepper and stir to coat. In a large skillet heat olive oil. Add garlic and stir for about 30 second. Add pork. Cook in skillet until pork is browned, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a crockpot. Add green enchilada sauce and stir well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Before serving, to thicken the sauce, put about 1/2 cup of sauce in a bowl and whisk in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or flour. Stir back into crockpot and let thicken for a few minutes. Serves 6.

(@ Katdish, this could be 'low carb' without the tortillas.)