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.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Spinach Pesto Pasta Salad

This is a super easy meal that I make on the weekends. The pork sits in the crockpot all day simmering in a rub of minced garlic, cumin, seasoned salt, chili powder and cayenne(nothing says I love you like a touch of heat) and the pasta is tossed with homemade spinach pesto and sauteed red peppers and zucchini. I've brought my kids up on less traditional food and they love any kind of pesto. This is one of their favorite pasta dishes and the pulled pork, well, they smother it in barbecue sauce and hope like heck they get to eat this in heaven.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

2 pound boneless pork roast, trimmed of fat
3 garlic cloves minced
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup water
Sourdough sandwich rolls
Barbecue sauce

In a bowl, combine garlic, seasoned salt, cumin, chili powder and cayenne. Rub all over pork roast and place roast in crock pot. Add water. Cover and cook on low 8 hours.

When pork is done cooking remove from crockpot and place in a large bowl. Take two forks and begin pulling pork apart, shredding into small pieces.

Assemble sandwiches using sourdough rolls. Stuff with pulled pork, drizzle with barbecue sauce and top with lettuce, or topping of choice (my kids like Miracle Whip spread on the sourdough roll). Serve with Spinach Pesto Pasta (recipe below).

Spinach Pesto Pasta













2 cups spinach, washed, patted dry and torn
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red pepper, seeded and thinly slices
1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 box whole wheat bow tie pasta

Combine the spinach with the garlic and pulse a few times in a food processor. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add red pepper and zucchini. Saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta according to direction and drain. Put pasta into a large bowl. Add 1/2 of the pesto and toss until well coated(you can add more pesto if needed). Add red pepper and zucchini and toss. Top with additional Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Store remaining pesto in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

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.)