Pork Tinga

315 calories

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 pound boneless pork shoulder or country style pork ribs cut into 1-inch pieces (fat trimmed)
  • 3 Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • ½ medium yellow onion cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Crumbled queso fresco for garnish
  • Sliced ripe avocado for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Add oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, carefully add pork. Cook, turning occasionally, until meat is browned (it does not have to be cooked all the way through).
  • To a crock pot, add potatoes, onion, garlic, tomatoes (with juice), Worcestershire sauce, and oregano. Stir to combine.
  • Drain meat, and add to crock pot. Stir to combine.
  • Cover crock pot and cook for 4 1/2 to 5 hours on HIGH, or until meat it tender and potatoes are fork tender.
  • Serve warm topped with queso fresco and avocado, if desired, with warm corn or flour tortillas.

Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

  • ▢ 1 or 2 ½ pound pork tenderloins – (see note)
  • ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
  • ▢ 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon, lime, or orange juice – (or 1 tablespoon of each)
  • ▢ 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • ▢ 1 teaspoons garlic powder
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika – (optional but highly recommended)
  • ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a large baking/casserole dish. Pierce tenderloins all over with a fork. Rub oil onto all sides of the meat.
  • Whisk together Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cumin, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika (if using) and black pepper. Sprinkle mixture over tenderloin(s), patting it onto the surface of the meat on all sides. Place in prepared baking dish and drizzle lemon/lime juice over the top.
  • Bake for 25-35 minutes until outside is browned and crispy and centers are cooked through to desired doneness (you can take them out on the early side if you like the centers a little pink).
  • Spoon juices from the dish over the meat. Allow to rest on a cutting board or in the baking dish for 5-10 minutes. Slice into 1 inch pieces. Spoon any remaining juices from the pan over the slices, garnish with fresh chopped cilantro if desired, and serve.

Notes

This recipe is pretty flexible and you can use 1-2 very small pork tenderloins, or one medium-large pork tenderloin OR you can double or even triple the ingredients for the seasonings and serve a LOT of people with very large tenderloins.

SLOW COOKER CASHEW CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken:

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thigh
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil

For the sauce:

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 4 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 4 Tbsp ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 garlic clove minced
  • 1tsp grated fresh ginger 
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup cashews

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Note: I don’t use ginger a lot so to buy fresh ginger for just a small amount isn’t reasonable. My grocery store sells pureed ginger in a tube that lasts longer and you can use it as you need. Or you can freeze your fresh ginger.
  2. For the chicken: Trim any visible fat off the chicken. Combine the flour and black pepper in large Ziploc bag. Add the chicken and shake to coat with flour mixture. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in small bowl; pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for 4-5 hours. Add cashews and stir. Serve over rice. Makes 4-6 servings.