Tag: Mexican

Sweet Pork

This sweet pork comes from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, and is a lot like Cafe Rio’s. It’s amazing, and we’ve made it for several large group events and birthday parties. Plus, pork shoulder is often on sale for 99 cents, so the meat is surprisingly cheap (although the sauces make it more costly).

It makes a lot, and we usually freeze the leftovers in quart bags to use in the future. You can use the sweet pork to make into sweet pork burritos or salad.

Make it a meal with:

And luckily this one is naturally gluten free.

Sweet Pork

  • Servings: A LOT
  • Difficulty: medium
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Great for big gatherings, and it freezes well.

Ingredients

Seasoning

  •  1 Tbsp. cumin
  •  1 Tbsp. Paprika
  •  1 Tbsp. Onion Powder
  •  1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
  •  1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
  •  2 tsp. Salt
  •  1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

Pork

  •  3-5 lbs. Pork Shoulder (or boneless sirloin pork roast, but it’s not as good)
  •  1 c. Root Beer or Cola
  •  1 c. Green Salsa (aka salsa verde. Herdez is great, but use Mild–medium is surprisingly hot)

Sauce

    •  2 c. Red Enchilada Sauce (Rosarita is good)
    •  1/2 c. Brown Sugar
    •  8 oz. Chopped Green Chiles
    •  1 c. Green Salsa

Directions

For seasoning: Combine all the seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl. Measure out 2 Tbsp. of the mixture and save for later. Cut the pork roast into large chunks (4-6 inches) and rub the remaining seasoning mixture (not the reserved 2 Tbsp.) evenly over all sides of the pork.

For pork: Add the soda and green salsa to the slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add the seasoned pork. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 5-6 hours until tender. Transfer the pork to a cutting board or pan and shred. Discard all but 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid in the slow cooker, then add the shredded pork back.

For sauce: To the pork in the slow cooker, add the 2 tablespoons of reserved spices and the rest of the sauce ingredients, then stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 15-20 minutes until heated through.


Chicken Enchiladas

Haha, these enchiladas are certainly not authentic–Wait, Mexican cooks don’t use Cream of Chicken soup?–but they are delicious, and you likely have all the ingredients on hand all the time. And one pan makes quite a few leftovers if you want easy lunches for the week.

I’m still working on a gluten free version of this that tastes good. For a while I wasn’t able to handle dairy, so I tried vegan sour cream and GF Mission tortillas, and it was terrible. And the tortillas turned to mush. When I was able to handle dairy again, I tried it with corn tortillas, but then it tasted very much of oil from the tortillas. I think maybe I’ll try making my own gluten free flour tortillas before I attempt this again.

Make it a meal with:

Chicken Enchiladas

  • Servings: 9?
  • Difficulty: medium
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Mild, delicious, and makes lots of leftovers.

Ingredients

  • About 3 lb. Chicken Breasts, cubed
  • 1 Onion, minced
  • 2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
  • 1/3 can Water (or chicken broth)
  • 1-2 c. Sour cream
  • Flour Tortillas (about 6)
  • Grated Cheddar Cheese

Directions

Cook cubed chicken. Add onion and cook until translucent. Mix in soup and water until bubbly and well mixed. Add sour cream to the sauce/gravy last. To assemble, spoon a little sauce and chicken in bottom of greased 9×13 pan. Then cover with a layer of 2 tortillas. Then spoon on a layer of sauce and chicken. Then a layer of 2 tortillas. Then a layer of sauce and chicken. Then 2 tortillas (for three layers of tortillas total). Finally, a thick layer of cheese on top. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes till cheese is melted and slightly brown. Optional: Top with salsa for extra flavor.


Seven Layer Bean Dip

The best part is the seasoned sour cream.

If you’re making this gluten free, make sure to use a gluten free taco seasoning mix because many have wheat in them. I know for sure that McCormick and Kroger don’t have gluten, or you can make your own taco seasoning mix.

Seven Layer Bean Dip

  • Servings: 12?
  • Difficulty: easy
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Serve with tortilla chips for a great party dip.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. can Refried Beans
  • 1 ½ c. Sour Cream
  • ½ pkg. Taco Seasoning Mix (or gluten free taco seasoning mix)
  • 1 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • ½ Avocado, chopped
  • 1 Tomato, cubed
  • 4 Green Onions, sliced
  • ½ can Olives, sliced

Directions

Spread beans in 7×11 glass pan or platter. Mix sour cream and taco seasoning for second layer. Third layer is cheese. Sprinkle rest of ingredients on top.